Could use some help picking out a fixed blade

[Ramm9]

2 of those are wrong, i liked a different Fehrman, and a different tops steel eagle.

Out of curiosity which models would have been the right have guess?



Since you already invested something around $50 in the Nighthawk, that you will not be able to recoup by reselling it, is there something about the nighthawk you really don't like that would make it worth investing more money on top of the $50 already spent by replacing it?

 

[Thejoyofdriving]

Out of curiosity which models would have been the right have guess?



Since you already invested something around $50 in the Nighthawk, that you will not be able to recoup by reselling it, is there something about the nighthawk you really don't like that would make it worth investing more money on top of the $50 already spent by replacing it?

for the fehrman

http://store.fehrmanknives.com/images/view.aspx?productId=20

The model of the tops knife was correct, it was just a different variant. Close enough



I didnt buy the knight hawk, it was given to me as a present many many years ago. It was lost in the house somewhere for a while. So i wouldnt say I invested 50 dollars already. I just want a knife that can do camp/survival chores better than the knight hawk, chopping, cutting, battoning and better edge retention. I hope 1095 wont give me any rusting issues. Whats your opinion Ramm9?

Again, thanks for your help.

 

[Don Don]

The rc-6 may be the perfect all around knife.

 

[Thejoyofdriving]

The rc-6 may be the perfect all around knife.

Do you personally own one?

 

[Gaulois]

If i want a small cheap working knife i buy a Mora.

If i want a 6-10'' cheap blade i buy an Ontario or a KA-BAR/Becker or a Cold Steel

If i want a well priced Quality,strong knife with an unbeatable warranty i buy a Scrapyard,a Swamp Rat,a Busse or a ESEE knife.

The Fällkniven A1 is a exellent camping knife seriously, i used mine to make a fire today

Rust shouldn't be an issue unless you let you're knife rot into a humid garage for years.

Please just buy one and if you don't like it throw it and buy another model.

 

[ElectrikHellfire]

Find a Scrapyard you like or I'd say the Fallkniven A1.

 

[KLJTech]

Those Spyderco Hossom fixed blades (pointed out to you earlier) are marked WAY down now that they have been discontinued. I saw a Forager online for about $110. Mine as held up great and has handled any chopping chores I had for it. Mr. Hossom did a wonderful job designing these knives for Spyderco.

I have the Bravo 1 and 2, the 2 would better fit what you want out of the knife but just don't tell Mike Stewart that you plan on coating one of his wonderful knives as I don't think that he's a big fan of blade coatings. Bark River makes great knives as does Fallkniven.

The Spyderco Hossom is a stainless steel blade so no worries there and the Bark River is A2 steel and if you just use one of the Sentry Tuf-Cloths every once and a while you'll never have a problem even if is raining or just humid out.

 

[Don Don]

Do you personally own one?

Yes i do, and a rc-4, fallkniven f-1, s-1, a-1, rant d-2, csk II, and a few customs.

 

[Thejoyofdriving]

Please just buy one and if you don't like it throw it and buy another model.

haha, yea I want to try and get it right the first time though.

Find a Scrapyard you like or I'd say the Fallkniven A1.

Ive been looking for a yard guard with no luck.

Those Spyderco Hossom fixed blades (pointed out to you earlier) are marked WAY down now that they have been discontinued. I saw a Forager online for about $110. Mine as held up great and has handled any chopping chores I had for it. Mr. Hossom did a wonderful job designing these knives for Spyderco.

I have the Bravo 1 and 2, the 2 would better fit what you want out of the knife but just don't tell Mike Stewart that you plan on coating one of his wonderful knives as I don't think that he's a big fan of blade coatings. Bark River makes great knives as does Fallkniven.

The Spyderco Hossom is a stainless steel blade so no worries there and the Bark River is A2 steel and if you just use one of the Sentry Tuf-Cloths every once and a while you'll never have a problem even if is raining or just humid out.

Ive seen mixed reviews for the hossom. Enough to make me uneasy.

Yes i do, and a rc-4, fallkniven f-1, s-1, a-1, rant d-2, csk II, and a few customs.

Do you find the handle on the Rc6 is larger and would accommodate a large hand better than the A1? Which handle is more comfortable in your opinion? Ive heard from reviews that the handle on the A1 is about a 1/2 too small for some people.

 

[KLJTech]

Ive seen mixed reviews for the hossom. Enough to make me uneasy.



Where can I find these "mixed" reviews?
I can only speak to how well the knife has held up and performed for me and I've used mine for a couple years now with no problems whatsoever. Of course I wasn't using it to chop a concrete block or stabbing a metal chair with it like they do on Knifetests.com. The larger versions of these knives were going for between two and three hundred last year and now can be had for just over a hundred as they're no longer in production.

 

[JCK]

haha, yea I want to try and get it right the first time though.

I don't know if you can though, don't you have to experiment a bit with different sizes, grinds, steels, handle materials etc... then you'll find "the one" that you really like.

I know you said your picky, but I think you can't go buy a knife on opinions alone - don't get me wrong though, I did that when I bought a folder, but I think that the final decision on whether or not you like the knife will come from you, you've used it, then you'll also get an idea of what works and what doesn't, regardless of the many reviews that you may have read after.

Of course you could be a very experienced hiker/ outdoors person, I'm not sure what your skill level is.

EDIT: also regarding money - http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=724881 - it will amass quickly, depending on how often you do it

 

[Thejoyofdriving]

I don't know if you can though, don't you have to experiment a bit with different sizes, grinds, steels, handle materials etc... then you'll find "the one" that you really like.

I know you said your picky, but I think you can't go buy a knife on opinions alone - don't get me wrong though, I did that when I bought a folder, but I think that the final decision on whether or not you like the knife will come from you, you've used it, then you'll also get an idea of what works and what doesn't, regardless of the many reviews that you may have read after.

Of course you could be a very experienced hiker/ outdoors person, I'm not sure what your skill level is.

EDIT: also regarding money - http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=724881 - it will amass quickly, depending on how often you do it

I have a decent amount of outdoors experience for someone that lives in a suburban area. I studied survival as a hobby for a number of years.

The night hawk and a gerber LMF II are my only experience with fixed blades.

Thanks for the good advice!

Ive seen mixed reviews for the hossom. Enough to make me uneasy.



Where can I find these "mixed" reviews?
I can only speak to how well the knife has held up and performed for me and I've used mine for a couple years now with no problems whatsoever. Of course I wasn't using it to chop a concrete block or stabbing a metal chair with it like they do on Knifetests.com. The larger versions of these knives were going for between two and three hundred last year and now can be had for just over a hundred as they're no longer in production.

here is one.

http://www.spyderco.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41538

Also, spydercos warranty isnt as good as rat's. Not that im ever going to break either knife. But having a warranty like rats just says something about the company to me. If i made knives i would offer the same warranty as rat/busse/scrapyard etc.

 

[JCK]

I have a decent amount of outdoors experience for someone that lives in a suburban area. I studied survival as a hobby for a number of years.

The night hawk and a gerber LMF II are my only experience with fixed blades.

Thanks for the good advice!

Thanks, glad you didn't take it the wrong way, as like a personal attack on your skill base. Also, just curious, when you studied survival as a hobby, and not trying to get OT, but would that include doing tasks with a knife?, or was it the other things, that didn't involve a knife?

Do you still study survival, or have you moved to bushcraft and all that kinda stuff.

 

[Thejoyofdriving]

Thanks, glad you didn't take it the wrong way, as like a personal attack on your skill base. Also, just curious, when you studied survival as a hobby, and not trying to get OT, but would that include doing tasks with a knife?, or was it the other things, that didn't involve a knife?

Do you still study survival, or have you moved to bushcraft and all that kinda stuff.

Not sure what you mean by stuff involving a knife. I tend to use my knife for everything from shelter building to fire prep.Little simple things like how to chop and baton efficiently, and using olive/veggie oil to keep the knife from rusting instead of petroleum biased stuff.

I focused on some stuff mainly: shelter building, fire making, plant identification, acquisition/purification of water, an signaling.

Its been a while since I ever brushed up on that kind of stuff, i forgot a lot of it. I watch survivor man when its on and sometimes bear grilles(sp?) when he is not BS'ing and putting on a show for entertainment value i will pick up some good stuff.

I have a book, everybody s knife bible, it tells you how to do everything from measuring how tall a tree/cliff is, finding the position of a sun on a cloudy day using your knife, and how to mod the knife to do some useful tasks. I looked over it a few times, not a bad book, but not great. Its kind of old (to me)

I rarely get to go backpacking, which is what I really like. In the past I went for a jungle expedition for about a week with my school, they didnt even let me bring a knife(ridiculous....I was pissed, brought one anyway). Did some backpacking in california where i live, and almost died when i was separated from my hiking group near mt. washington on the east coast, my survival skills(what little i have) did little for me there.

 

[JCK]

I cant remember what I meant by that fully, but I think I was trying to say.. ah man I can't remember

 

[Don Don]

haha, yea I want to try and get it right the first time though.



Ive been looking for a yard guard with no luck.



Ive seen mixed reviews for the hossom. Enough to make me uneasy.



Do you find the handle on the Rc6 is larger and would accommodate a large hand better than the A1? Which handle is more comfortable in your opinion? Ive heard from reviews that the handle on the A1 is about a 1/2 too small for some people.

The a-1's grip is smaller then the rc-6, but it is bigger then the s-1. The rc-6 fits me like a glove, and weighs less than the a-1 which is a thick and heavy knife compared to the rc-6.

 

[Thejoyofdriving]

The a-1's grip is smaller then the rc-6, but it is bigger then the s-1. The rc-6 fits me like a glove, and weighs less than the a-1 which is a thick and heavy knife compared to the rc-6.

Hm, I want a heavy knife. The thing is that the Rc6 is 11.8 ounces and the A1 is 12. Thats hardly any difference at all. Your comment makes me confused

 

[Ramm9]

I just want a knife that can do camp/survival chores better than the knight hawk, chopping, cutting, battoning and better edge retention.

But why? You have the Knighthawk in hand and it’s what you described as wanting when you were going to replace it.

The Knighthawk is coated with a durable coating, it’s ok stainless, it’s 6-1/2” so it can do a little chopping, and it has a look you like. Unless you want to start a collection if 6-1/2 knives, or there is something you really don’t like about the Knighthawk you already have, you may want to consider a substantially different knife in size or style as a second knife.

If you haven’t already checked them out, take a moment to phone “We-Be-Knives” on Pier 39 in the City. At one time they sold both Fallkniven and Rat, it’s possible they may have some still around you could take a look at.


As someone mentioned, any knife including the hardest coated Busse is going to get scratched and scuffed if you are using it. You’ll just drive yourself nuts if you want to keep one in “like new” condition and still use the knife.

I hope 1095 wont give me any rusting issues. Whats your opinion Ramm9?

If a picture is worth 1000 words here’s my 8000+ word essay.

When I read your post I stuck an unused 1095 Old Hickory knife into a cup of tap water and let it sit 14 hours.



Before:

After:

The knife was resting against the rim of the cup so the solid rust accumulated on the upside surface, this shows the other side bottom surface

Here I have wiped the surface with a paper towel. I gave it a polish with steel wool and Flitz except for two inches near the makers mark. Although the photos don’t show it very well you have unstained steel on the left, the remaining stain from wiping off the surface rust and then untouched original surface on the right. If the full blade had been polished five minutes there would be no stain remaining.

The steel started to show changes after 3 or 4 hours in the water so rust issues with 1095 seem to be with the storage of the steel. Dried and given a coat of mineral oil before long term storage and there shouldn't be any problem. In use and with an occasional wipe and rust will not take hold. Cut some fruit and vegetables and 1095 will show stain from the acid. Of course all of that is minimized with a coated blade.

I'm thinking that since you already have an adequate 6-1/2 knife and like the look of the RC-6 maybe spend a bit less, expand your options, and consider something like the RC-4 or even RC-3.

 

[Thejoyofdriving]

But why? You have the Knighthawk in hand and it’s what you described as wanting when you were going to replace it.

The Knighthawk is coated with a durable coating, it’s ok stainless, it’s 6-1/2” so it can do a little chopping, and it has a look you like. Unless you want to start a collection if 6-1/2 knives, or there is something you really don’t like about the Knighthawk you already have, you may want to consider a substantially different knife in size or style as a second knife.


If you haven’t already checked them out, take a moment to phone “We-Be-Knives” on Pier 39 in the City. At one time they sold both Fallkniven and Rat, it’s possible they may have some still around you could take a look at.


As someone mentioned, any knife including the hardest coated Busse is going to get scratched and scuffed if you are using it. You’ll just drive yourself nuts if you want to keep one in “like new” condition and still use the knife.



If a picture is worth 1000 words here’s my 8000+ word essay.

When I read your post I stuck an unused 1095 Old Hickory knife into a cup of tap water and let it sit 14 hours.



Before:

After:

The knife was resting against the rim of the cup so the solid rust accumulated on the upside surface, this shows the other side bottom surface

Here I have wiped the surface with a paper towel. I gave it a polish with steel wool and Flitz except for two inches near the makers mark. Although the photos don’t show it very well you have unstained steel on the left, the remaining stain from wiping off the surface rust and then untouched original surface on the right. If the full blade had been polished five minutes there would be no stain remaining.

The steel started to show changes after 3 or 4 hours in the water so rust issues with 1095 seem to be with the storage of the steel. Dried and given a coat of mineral oil before long term storage and there shouldn't be any problem. In use and with an occasional wipe and rust will not take hold. Cut some fruit and vegetables and 1095 will show stain from the acid. Of course all of that is minimized with a coated blade.

I'm thinking that since you already have an adequate 6-1/2 knife and like the look of the RC-6 maybe spend a bit less, expand your options, and consider something like the RC-4 or even RC-3.

My friend. You are unbelievably awesome. :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: What you did there was really great, it doesnt get any better than that!

I hear the A1 chops way better than the night hawk, according to NOSS. Thats basically what I want, something like the night hawk that can chop better while being about the same size. I do carry a hatchet sometimes, but its HEAVY! If the Rc6 can chop as well as the A1 then I guess ill finally decide on the Rc6. One thing that turns me off of the A1 is that it tends to chip a bit, for example hitting the ground when battoning. The 1095 in the Rc6(and Rc4) is quite chip resistant(as NOSS's test shows). I can use eezox to make the Rc6 virtually rust proof. However, im sure i cant use that on the blade if i plan on using the knife as food prep. veggie or olive oil will have to do.

The scales on the Rc6 are removable making recoating of the blade easy compared to the A1.


I will definitely get another smaller sized fixed blade for more detailed work and food prep duties. I dont want to take my EDC benchmade out into the woods and get grit in the axis mechanism. Perhaps then I will get a F1, or something similar with a stainless blade.

 

[Ramm9]

I hear the A1 chops way better than the night hawk, according to NOSS..... If the Rc6 can chop as well as the A1 then I guess ill finally decide on the Rc6.

If chopping is the only question mark then you're choosing between two knives at this point and deciding based on the better chopper. Send Noss an email or PM and maybe he'll give you an opinion.

BTW, mineral oil is not toxic and will not turn rancid like food oils might so it's a good choice if it's at hand.