I live in the very expensive country of Norway, and I'm thinking of treating myself to a new do-it-all knife for trekking and hunting. I've narrowed it down to these two excellent candidates, and my only question now is which one will give me the better value. CS Master Hunter with carbon V at $140, or the Vanguard at $80? (yes, expensive is the word)
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CS Master Hunter or Buck Vanguard
- Thread starter tbk
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might it not be cheaper to look for a locally crafted knife? That is a huge inflation of the prices. Maybe order online? Neither blade is what I would consider a good value at those prices.
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I've heard that New Graham is very good with shipping overseas - they have the CS master Hunter for $56. For that price, it's a good knife.
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http://newgraham.com/detail.aspx?ID=4643
http://newgraham.com/detail.aspx?ID=4386
They might be available elsewhere for cheaper, but this is the first place I checked. The Cold Steel was marked up far more than the buck, and you would likely get better performance out of the Carbon Steel blade. the master hunter is actually cheaper than the buck
http://newgraham.com/detail.aspx?ID=4386
They might be available elsewhere for cheaper, but this is the first place I checked. The Cold Steel was marked up far more than the buck, and you would likely get better performance out of the Carbon Steel blade. the master hunter is actually cheaper than the buck
With some searching, you can probably find a Buck Vanguard for about $40 U.S. and a Cold Steel Master Hunter for about $50 U.S. I just got those prices off ebay as "Buy it now" prices with a very quick search. Shipping might add a few dollars, but a careful search might save a few more.
www.knifeworks.com. You can get either for $50 - $60. I would go with the CS in Carbon V, although they are both good knives for 50 - 60. For 100-200, I would choose something else.
I wouldn't buy a Carbon V CS, because I saw this year a broken True Flight Thrower and an SRK with bad heat treat. (and a broken Khukri a little earlier) And this was only among my friends! This means for me serious QC problems at CS.
Have You considered a Fallkniven? They make very practical, high quality working tools.
Have You considered a Fallkniven? They make very practical, high quality working tools.
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I would go with the Buck Vanguard for your needs. They are both good knives and would serve your purpose. The I don't see any way that the Master Hunter is worth $140 if you can get a Vanguard for $80.00.
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You really can't go wrong with the Buck Vanguard. They run between $89 and $95 at Cabela's with S30V Steel heat treated by Paul Bos. You can get it with either a wood handle or rubber handle.
I'm Norwegian too, and buy about half my knives from US online retailers. For something like what you're after, I'd probably buy it in Norway to save some hassle though. I'd do one of the following:
The XXL chain sells Master Hunters -- and their policy is to match anybody else's price. So you go to www.skytesport.no and print out their knife page, which lists Master Hunters at 695 NOK and then you bring this printout to XXL and ask them to match the price. (If Skytesport has the knife in stock, by all means buy it from them. They're good guys and deserve your business, unlike XXL. But if they actually have it in stock, I'll be surprised.) Save 30%.
Alternative 2 is getting a Fällkniven; I'd second Redguy's "H1" suggestion. As far as I know, the best prices in the country are at Aker Lås og Nøkkel at Økernsenteret if you are a forum member at www.sluttstykke.com. Aker has a sponsor tab on the forum, give them a call. The H1 (which in my opinion is a far superior knife to either the Master Hunter or Vanguard) costs just over 1000 NOK there, approx 140 USD.
Alternative 3 is just getting a Helle. I used to hate these things for no rational reason until I picked up a Fjording on sale -- and this cheap little laminated carbon steel blade gets sharper than anything else I own, including expensive custom blades. I called up their factory at one point and they apparently harden their edge steel to 64 Rockwell, which is pretty darned hard for a knife that costs you 2-3 hours @ minimum wage.
For allround hunting use I'd recommend something like a Eggen, Veidemann, Fjellmann. And if I remember right, they all cost less than 400 NOK at XXL. That's 60% less than a Master Hunter, and I might argue it gets you a better knife.
The XXL chain sells Master Hunters -- and their policy is to match anybody else's price. So you go to www.skytesport.no and print out their knife page, which lists Master Hunters at 695 NOK and then you bring this printout to XXL and ask them to match the price. (If Skytesport has the knife in stock, by all means buy it from them. They're good guys and deserve your business, unlike XXL. But if they actually have it in stock, I'll be surprised.) Save 30%.
Alternative 2 is getting a Fällkniven; I'd second Redguy's "H1" suggestion. As far as I know, the best prices in the country are at Aker Lås og Nøkkel at Økernsenteret if you are a forum member at www.sluttstykke.com. Aker has a sponsor tab on the forum, give them a call. The H1 (which in my opinion is a far superior knife to either the Master Hunter or Vanguard) costs just over 1000 NOK there, approx 140 USD.
Alternative 3 is just getting a Helle. I used to hate these things for no rational reason until I picked up a Fjording on sale -- and this cheap little laminated carbon steel blade gets sharper than anything else I own, including expensive custom blades. I called up their factory at one point and they apparently harden their edge steel to 64 Rockwell, which is pretty darned hard for a knife that costs you 2-3 hours @ minimum wage.
For allround hunting use I'd recommend something like a Eggen, Veidemann, Fjellmann. And if I remember right, they all cost less than 400 NOK at XXL. That's 60% less than a Master Hunter, and I might argue it gets you a better knife.
I've had a Master Hunter in carbon v for over 10 years now and it's the best knife i've ever had for hunting. The handle never slips when wet or bloody, holds an edge (better than the Buck imo), sharpens easy, great ergos, and it seems the perfect size/weight. I'd be hard pressed to find a knife for what I paid for mine to find a better hunter, just keep it oiled between use. Ive had ZERO problems with mine to date.