Critique my knife purchase

[mknopfler]

Your new knife & sheath looks pretty sweet. I'm no expert, but I think that is pretty good blade steel as well. Let us know how she holds up to some use.

I googled the company after reading this thread. This caught my eye: http://www.knifesupply.com/blackhawk-blades-uk-sfk-knife.html
" D2 tool steel blade - Full tang - Black textured G-10 scales" Yeah, that would be good.

 

[Dalko43]

Sometimes we see something we like, and want it to do something it was not designed for. The knife in the OP is NOT a woods knife, by any stretch of the imagination. It's a "tactical fixed blade", probably designed for other purposes than woods survival. See that giant swedge on the spine? Dead giveaway that it isn't a woods knives, it's not even heavy or big enough to be a chopper. It's like buying a kitchen knife and wishing it was an automatic. OP, if you like it, then enjoy it. DO not expect too much out of it when batoning or any sort of hard woods type use. A little more research would have given you ESEE/Becker/BRKT, and a dozen other companies that specialize in "woods knives". Just my thoughts.

Its your dough and if the knife speaks to you, its all fine.

You mentioned backpacking; the type of knife would not be my first choice for bushcraft and other chores in that vein when out and about.

To both your points, very true. This knife is most definitely not designed to serve as a dedicated woods or bushcraft knife. It is more tactical than anything else, and that's partly the reason that I carry it. Having said that, some basic testing on my part has shown me that it can be used to baton smaller sized branches and logs and it is more than capable of performing basic chores around the camp. I had researched other options like the more dedicated bushcraft knives by ESEE and Becker. Certainly the reviews indicate that they are capable knives; the deciding factors that sold me on the Gideon were: the price tag; the utility (tactical design but still capable of wood/camp chores) ;and the AUS8A stainless steel's corrosion resistance.

Perhaps I am putting to much stock on the "corrosion resistance" label (I'll see how it holds up in inclement weather and report back), but this knife seems more than capable of performing the wood processing and camp chores that I'll be asking of it. If I were to find myself making survival shelters and processing wood for long-term fires and camp work, I could see the value of having a more "bushcraft" oriented blade, and perhaps a longer one at that...then again, i could also see the value of having a hatchet or small forestry axe for such duties as well. As it stands, I rely on deadfall and small branches to make my fires (which are usually small and low-burning), and this blade length is more than enough to accomplish those tasks.

Maybe, after a few weeks of camping and hanging out in the woods, my perspective on that will change....who knows.

 

[Dalko43]

RevDevil - I agree, of course, but there's something to be said for a guy choosing to take a knife that he just likes, and deciding to use it as his outdoors knife. Besides, when the dead rise, and ohhhhhh yes, they will rise, Dalko43 is gonna be happily stabbing into their infected brains in the Georgia countryside, while all the guys stuck with their traditional woods knives are going to be wishing they had a better penetrator.

Haha! I'm definitely not one of those types who daydreams about a zombie apocalypse and how I might use all my "cool" gear....but if the improbable (impossible would be a more apt word, but I don't want to offend any Walking Dead fans) happens, and there is a zombie apocalypse, I'll be sure to let you know how this knife performs (that is if the internet is still working and I'm not a zombie myself).

 

[SW-EDC]

Location of manufacture vs price is a very complex topic, you cannot reliably say, "seems to be too much money for where it was made." You're missing over 90% of factors involved.

Yeah, I hear you

There is a very cool looking Damascus skinner on eBay that looks very well made from Pakistan..sheath too.
I imagine quality control is a big factor.

 

[bdmicarta]

and I'm not going to buy another knife for quite some time

To a lot of us here that would mean "maybe til tomorrow".

 

[Stubai]

I think you have bought a good, solid blade. Most of all, buy what you like and don't pay to much attention to us here. We are hopeless addicts! Also, don't baton too much with this knife. I would rather have a Ratweiler or BM for that type of frivolity.

 

[CookieRawwr]

Well looking at it again, I did not notice the first time, but that blade shape and the hole looks awfully reminiscent of a Busse Ash1.