Extreme knife needed .... please help

C

clknife

Joined
Sep 30, 2006
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I need a knife that can be used in very cold environments to cut ropes etc. when I am climbing mountains etc.

I dont really mind steel knife, but then all the parts that I might touch with my bare skin has to be covered with some other material so the skin does not get "stuck" to the knife ..... steel and freezing cold is not very good.

Weight is also a concern.

I thought about a CF knife, but can I depend on them or will they break when the temperature drops below -30 ?

What about ceramic knifes ...... ?

I hope you guys can help.
 
minus 30 ? How much minus? Alaska? South Pole? Alps?

I almost think a small fixxed is best. no open to freeze shut.
 
Look at Kellam knives or other companies or makers that use curly birch bark for the handles.
It's somewhat soft and won't freeze your hands.
I hope you like Puukos!
I guess if you wanted to, you could also corwrap fleece around the handle of a preheat-treated blade. Like a fixed blade knife kit.
See www.knifekits.com, texas knifemaker supply, etc.
Also....
some here somewhere makes a knife called the climber emergency tool.
You might want one of those. Just in case. I can't search for it right now, but maybe later.
 
At those temps, you would be wearing mittens. So the first decision is: can you take off a mitten to open a folder. And you will have to get into a pocket to get to it. You need to be the judge of this. I'll recommend 2 knives. One is a folder that will require that you take you take one mitten off but can still be opened easily with glove on. The other is a fixed blade that can be access with mittens on and the sheath lashed to you clothing, backpack, etc.

For a folder I recommend the Columbia River (CRKT) M21 (tanto or spear point), 4" combo blade. It has a "flipper" that makes it easy to open with gloves on, partly serrated for cutting rope, and it's large so it's easy to handle with gloves on. It does have a metal handle (aircraft aluminum), however, but it is bead blasted and anodized so I doubt if bare skin will stick to it at low temps. If this it problem, there is aother model (M16) with a Zytel handle (a sort of plastic) but the blade steel is not as good as the M21 so will dull more quickly. This is probably not a big deal. Just remember to bring you sharpening equipment (course and fine stones and lightweight serration rod sharpener) and know how to use it. Also, I think the M21 only comes in a tanto point. Get the M21 if you can. Both knives use a liner lock that is the weakest locking system to have on a folding knife. But these knives come with the LAWKS locking system (only found on CRKT knives) that prevents the liner lock from moving and essentially makes the knife very safe and almost like a fixed blade. You don't need any knife accidents where you are going.

The second knife is made my the same company and especially made for outdoors use. It is called the CRKT Hammond A.B.C. (All Bases Covered) Operators in combo drop point. They have a flat point model but don't get that one. It's for rafters so they don't poke a hole in their raft. It comes with a sheath "system" that allows multiple ways of carrying the knife such as lashing it to your chest (upside down for quick access) or backpack. Also has serrations for cutting rope, etc. A great knife that is passed over by many. Made from the same steel as the M21, AUS-8A, a great working, medium quality steel that doesn't take forever to sharpen. Oh yeah, the handle is G-10 and will not stick to bare skin. I've read this model is dicontinued but there are still plenty available.

In conclusion, I would recommend carrying both knives and use the one that is appropriate for the situation. They can both be used for a lot more than just cutting rope. The Hammond is great for food preparation because, being a fixed blade, it is very easy to clean. Don't forget to attach a lanyard to all knives and to your parka or backpack. You don't want to loose them or drop one, point first, on your belayer if you are leading the pitch. (I climbed for many years so know the terms).

Others will recommend knives from Spyderco, Benchmade, and other fine companies. Many knives will do the job for you. But I chose these because of ease of opening with gloves on (the M21), the LAWKS locking system on the folder, and the specific outdoors design and carrying features of the Hammond. What ever you decide on, make sure the blade is partly serrated for cutting rope and webbing easily. At least take a look at these knives before deciding. They would serve you well.

http://www.knifeworks.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=4765
http://www.knifeworks.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=3909
http://www.knifeworks.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=3130

I'm not recommending you buy your knives from this site (although the prices aren't bad). I just like the pictures and text.

Regards and good climbing,
Gary
 
Carbon fiber, G-10, Zytel, and plastics will not retain enough of an edge to make good cutting tools. Ceramic blades are fragile, they will chip under stress and even snap off easily.

I wonder if heavily coated blades would stick less than bare steel? Titanium knives available from Mission Knives might be better. But even they don't retain a really sharp cutting edge under hard use.
 
You definitely don't want a ceramic knife. They are very brittle and will break if dropped on any hard surface. Lateral stress will cause them to snap, as well.

I would recommend someting like a Spyderco Endura with a partially serrated blade. (I don't generally like serrations but they are great for cutting rope) The Endura is also a one hand opener, which should be a plus, and the FRN won't freeze to your skin like metal will.

http://www.knifeworks.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=7065
scn10sbk.jpg
 
You might want to look at an all titanium knife. It will endure the cold better, still have the issue of metal but be light weight and if you get it serrated with the hard carbide coating it will cut fine for you in softer materials for a long time. Some of the Mission beta titanium knives would be fine or some of the extreme knives by Warren Thomas perhaps. Big bucks is the draw back with these but if it meets your needs it meets your needs.

For easy opening you might also consider a G10 and titanium Waved knife by Emerson or one of Spyderco's Waved folders. With the Wave feature on the blade you can just put it in a pocket or even one of their sheaths designed to snap it open automatically when you pull it out and use it easily even with gloves on.

http://www.wtknives.com/index.html

STR
 
The totally guardless puukkos are designed primarily for draw cuts (pulling the blade towards you across the [in this case] rope). In a climbing emergency, I can imagine a situation where the knife must be used in the opposite direction. In that case, expecially with gloves/mitts on, a guard of some kind might be good. Some puukko-style knives do come with small guards, and the birchbark is a super handle material that is proven in northern climes.

On the other hand, provision for a lanyard, unusual in a puukko, might be good (loooong reach down if you drop it).

Another thought: boating offers many of the same problems you might encounter - cold (if not -30, still numbing cold) and tangled ropes with a lot at stake. You might look at boating/sailing knife styles - wharncliffes and reverse tantos.
 
I would definitely recommend Spyderco over any of the cheaper CRKT models. I know that they design their opening holes to be 'grippy' for people wearing gloves, and I'm sure you could find a model with a particularly large opening hole if you are wearing very thick gloves in cold weather. If you don't like the opening hole, I would definitely go for a model that uses a thumbdisk vs. a thumbstud for easy opening.

I hear FRN has been reported to have some cracking problems in extremely cold temperatures? You might want to ask around for some suitable handle materials, and I definitely second the recommendation for using lanyards, whether it's for a fixed or folding knife.

Serrations are definitely great for cutting rope. If you know that rope-cutting and general aggressive slicing is what you're mainly going to be using it for, I would suggest getting an all-serrated edge.
 
spyderco chinook II.

best all around folder on the market today, IMO... there is NOTHINGthis knife cant take. in ANY environment.
 
if its -30 i think your gloves are going to be too bulky for grabbing a folder and, opening it; i recommend cs srk.
 
ThreeWorlds said:
I would definitely recommend Spyderco over any of the cheaper CRKT models. I know that they design their opening holes to be 'grippy' for people wearing gloves, and I'm sure you could find a model with a particularly large opening hole if you are wearing very thick gloves in cold weather. If you don't like the opening hole, I would definitely go for a model that uses a thumbdisk vs. a thumbstud for easy opening.

... I definitely second the recommendation for using lanyards, whether it's for a fixed or folding knife.

Serrations are definitely great for cutting rope. If you know that rope-cutting and general aggressive slicing is what you're mainly going to be using it for, I would suggest getting an all-serrated edge.
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Take a look at the Spyderco Assist. It has a big finger-grooved handle, serrated blade with a blunt safety tip, finger grooves on the back of the blade to grip while cutting rope like a shear, big lanyard hole, and a cobra hood over the large opening hole for sure opening even under the worst conditions ( & a built-in whistle! )

You can get the model I have with a carbide window breaker or the cheaper Assist 2 without it.
 
ThreeWorlds said:
I would definitely recommend Spyderco over any of the cheaper CRKT models.
Click to expand...

Recommend away but both of the knives I mentioned are "rock solid" in construction, performance, and reliability. I've used the heck out of both models for camping and general use and they have always come through and will last longer than I will. While CRKT does make a number of knives in AUS-6, both of these are AUS-8A, which makes them quite formittable as good "working" knives. Plus, the mutitude of combinations for attaching the CRKT Hammond ABC and it's other design features make it very practical for this type of use.

As pointed out by others, there are many good knive out the with blunt points for safety reasons. The guy is going into the wilderness, not on rescue training. Those knives with the dull points are rescue knives so that the resurer does not cut the the person being rescued (cutting seat belts and the like). If one is using it for one's own purposes, a good sharp point is a requirement in the out of doors. Not something to avoid.

Regards
 
Benchmade equipped one of the recent Everest expeditions. You might ask them.
 
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