Considering buying a shawdow III or Mountaineer I

D

doo rag

Joined
Mar 11, 2007
Messages
49
Which would you prefer?

Can I carry the Shadow III on a Wilderness 1 3/4 instructor belt?

Can I install a large Tek-Lok belt clip on the Mountaineer I sheath?

I'm used to carrying a Benchmade Snody Fixed Resistor or a Spyderco Kumo for EDC. Will these knives be as comfortable?

Can I retrieve these knives as quickly from the factory sheath as the above mentioned knives?

Any problems using a Spyderco Sharpmaker to sharpen these Chris Reeves knives?

My main use for the fixed blade knifes I EDC is to attack tomatoes, lemons and other kitchen vegetables as well as the occasional cardboard box. My secondary use is for self defense. We seem to have a lot of free roaming and sometimes aggressive pit bulls and Rottweilers where I live. I walk my daughter's small Boston Terrier on a regular basis and would feel guilty if I was unable to at least make an attempt to save her if she were to be attacked. Our small city has a dog catcher that doesn't catch dogs. Which of these two knives would best serve my purpose?
 
Which would you prefer? Mountaineer....can't choke up easily on a double guard.

Can I carry the Shadow III on a Wilderness 1 3/4 instructor belt? Yes.All of CRK knives can be carried easily on any belt.

Can I install a large Tek-Lok belt clip on the Mountaineer I sheath? No. The sheath is leather and will stretch. Also, no place to mount it. Get kydex if you want a Tek-Lok.

I'm used to carrying a Benchmade Snody Fixed Resistor or a Spyderco Kumo for EDC. Will these knives be as comfortable? More so than the mentioned knives.

Can I retrieve these knives as quickly from the factory sheath as the above mentioned knives? Yes. A quick flip of the keeper strap and your good to go.

Any problems using a Spyderco Sharpmaker to sharpen these Chris Reeves knives? CRK recommends it.

Any knife you have on you will be sufficient to fend off an attack if you know how to use it.
 
From the advise you provided, I think I'll order the Mountaineer. I think it will fit my purposes better.

This a great site. I've learned a lot by reading the posts!
 
My Shadow III is a single guard. :)

It also carried in a pouch sheath...no strap to worry about, yet secure until needed.
 
I got the Mountaineer I. It's really a nice knife. The pouch sheath is secure and comfortable and has no strap. The single guard does allow me to choke up on the bade which is an advantage. The knife is a good slicer for kitchen projects.

Now I'm trying to figure out what to carry in the hollow handle. So far I plan to carry a couple of twenty dollar bills and a few aspirin tablets. Don't do any camping.
 
I ordered a pancake sheath for the Shadow III from Chris Reeve. The Mountaineer fits firmly, the sheath rides a little higher and is just a little more comfortable than the pouch sheath. I can put the knife in the pancake sheath for a regular or reverse grip which could be an advantage.

The Mountaineer now is my EDC, and I always carry it. Since the pancake sheath rides a little higher, I can cover it more easily with an untucked shirt making it more sheeple friendly in public.

One drawback of the pancake sheath is that its hard to install both my Bianchi Shadow II Holster for my 3" S&W model 60 and the pancake holster for the knife on the same side of the belt. With the 511 tactical pants I usually wear, I can drop the Smith revolver in the deep front pocket with no problem.

The knife works well for the everyday tasks I use it for. It slices tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables easily as well as cardboard boxes. The round handle is comfortable and secure in my hand. The 4" blade seems the perfect size.

I have already sharpened the knife although it really didn't need it. For some reason, I feel you don't really own a knife until it cuts you or you sharpen it. (The mountaineer still hasn't cut me).

I used a Spyderco Sharpmaker following the instructions to sharpen the knife. I used a marks-a-lot to blacken the edge and my impression was that one side of the edge was at a slightly different angle than the other. It took a while,but I was able to achieve an edge that was close to or equal to the factory edge. I felt the A2 steel was easy to work with and with the edge now being close to the Sharpmaker angles it should be easy to restore in the future.

I did notice a minor scratch on the blade coating after several days use. I expect to find a quite a few more as time passes. The knife is a user, not a safe queen. My impression is the the blade coating is tough but like any other blade coating will scratch. It will however protect the knife.

Comparing the Mountaineer I to my other fixed blades:

Benchmade Snoody fixed resistor: The Benchmade Resistor is slightly shorter and I prefer a 4" blade for slicing large tomatoes. Both knives carry about the same. Both knives slice about the same. My old EDC (Note: no longer made)
http://www.newgraham.com/detail.aspx?ID=4330

Benchmade Nimravus: Good knife, not fond of sheath. Not sheeple friendly at all. Just a bit too long for my taste. If I was in the military it would be a great choice.
http://www.benchmade.com/products/product_detail.aspx?model=140

Spyderco Bill Moran: Great slicer, good for kitchen use. I Like VG-10 steel. I sharpen it at 30 degree angle on the Sharpmaker. Not anywhere near as strong a knife as the Mountaineer I.
http://www.knifecenter.com/knifecenter/spyderc/revmoran.html
http://spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=43


Spyderco Kumo: Nice knife. Like the sheath. Excellent slicer. VG-10. Handle is easy to grip. Not as strong as the Mountaineer, but still a nice knife. Super letter opener. Shame it's out of production.
http://spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=194


So in conclusion, I now carry the Mountaineer as a EDC because it's a great compromise. The length is just right, the sheath either pancake or pouch is comfortable, it's a good kitchen knife, it's strong enough to use for self defense against aggressive dogs or bad guys if necessary and I can carry a little money and some medication in the handle in case of emergency.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top