First off, compared to most of you I know very little about knives. This is a very unprofessional review. I took out some of the knives I own and made wood shavings, noting how each blade preformed. All of them have their factory angle and most of them have yet to be sharpened as well (They're all only a month or two old). Here are my observations, along with some photos. Hope you enjoy.
First, the knives in question:
Alternate View:
Knife By Knife
Ontario SP1-95 Spec Plus Marine fixed blade - 1095 Carbon Steel?
This knife preformed poorly for the task, but that's to be expected. It's big and unweidly, extremely thick and has dulled noticably from chopping a lot of our test samples down.
That said, the grip is pretty comfortable and choking up on the blade helps with more precise tasks. It was difficult to control due to the thickness and not so thin grind. Still, it can get the job done. For 35$, this is a great fixed blade. The handle has a rear guard, which works great when using a chopping motion. Grip far back and swing, the guard keep syour hand from slipping off the end. The handle is a synthetic, rubber-like material that ha syet to show any signs of wear after months of use. I've chopped wood, pried, dug, swug this thing at concrete steps and so forth. The only damage it's had done to it is a slight dent in the blade I sharpened out and some marking on the coating. Wonderful bargain, makes a great fixed blade for the woods.
CRKT M18-02 - Unmarked, I think it's AUS8
CRKT seems to have a somewhat poor reputation around here. I've been very pleased with the M18. The knife preformed well, just slightly worse than the Spyderco Delica. It's got a more convex, shallow grind at first but comes up to a slightly thicker spine. It was a little more dull as well. The ergonomics were the best out of all the knives tested. This knife was used the most due to the comfort and confidence I had in the knife itself. It feels very sturdy in the hand for such a small, inexpensive package. The flipper doubles as a guard, something I like about the design, and lockup is extremely solid for the price range. Could benefit from a slight reduction in blade thickness in my opinion. The mystery steel preforms well, whatever it is it's pretty durable. The fit and finish of this knife - barring some uneven grind lines - is superb for a 30$ folder. In many ways this knife has surpassed my expectations.
Spyderco Delica 4 - VG10
This is my first spyderco and I'll say it right now - the delica 4 has singlehandedly won the company a new customer. It's been used nearly everyday since I purchased it, being my dedicated work knife and my EDC of choice 95% of the time I carry a locking folder. The ergonomics are slightly inferior to the CRKT in my eyes, and the blade seems to shift ever so slightly back some when pressure it put on the cutting edge, making lockup a little less than perfect. The opening hole is better than a thumbstub to me, something I was unsure of going into the purchase. The steel liners give it a solid feel...I can't stand my plastic folder being easily bendable and such. It makes the wood shavings nicely, the sharpness really is noticable. It was the second best preformer out of the batch. It's another knife I feel could benefit from a slight reduction in blade thickness, making it an even better slicer. Overall it was a bit smoother cutting the shavings than the CRKT.
Leatherman Wave - 420HC?
(No individual picture)
The Wave is a fantastic multitool. I got mine as a gift. It's got a great layout, with locking blades, saw and file on the outside. The pliers are pretty beefy too. I do have some complaints though. First, I just don't find the serrated blade useful at all. I find myself using either the normal blade or the saw. Second, the normal blade is fairly low-end steel and strikes me as a bit thick too. Compared to an average Swiss Army Knife it has significantly less pure cutting ability. Aside from this I think it's a fantastic knife. It's vastly improved over old models and after using it I've found myself simply throwing away my cheaper knock-off multitools. I just think the two blades could have a little better design. If they did that and found a way to reduce the weight an ounce or two, this could end up being an EDC for me. Cutting wood shavings proved difficult with this, to the point where if I knew I was going to be making a fire I'd bring a different knife. It can do the job, but other knives require so much less effort to do the same task.
Dollar store Multi-tool - Don't even ask
Lesson of the day...try to make wood shavings with cheap dollar store knives and you'll get yourself hurt. The picture shows some wood that got stuck underneath my thumbnail. The nail itself also suffered damage. I actually had 3 of these I was going to compare side-to-side, but I tossed the other ones last night because by simply using the screwdrivers for their intended purpose, I twisted them so badly they couldn't even function. These aren't worth their cheap price tag and they strike me as dangerous. I've learned knives are not a thing to skimp on. If anything, just buy a Victorinox.
Wenger Handyman - Mystery Stainless
I used to collect Swiss Army Knives as a kid. Recently I'd been buying more modern folders, but lately I've been warming up to these guys again. For nearly every task I do with a knife, these out preform my CRKT and my Spyderco, wood shavings being no exception. This was by far the knife that required the least effort to make shavings. It made thin, long ones that ignited beautifully. It slices carrots with ease, opens my mail, goes through cardboard with considerably less effort than beefier folders....so on and so forth. My Handyman has me convinced that for the majority of cutting tasks, ultra-thin blades are the way to go. I felt a little nervous when I got to a tougher part of the wood or a place where I had ripped off a branch and some was left, but the Wenger sliced right through it all without a single problem. Considering all the useful implements you get in addition to a wonderfully designed blade, these make great EDC knives too. Generally I either have this or my Delica on me, maybe both. For the price, functionality and proven design, I feel Swiss Army Knives are a tough batch to beat.
This was a fun review to do. I enjoy comparing different blades and noting how their design affects preformance for the task at hand. The Wave, Delica, M18, Handyman and Spec Plus are all fantastic knives, but it seems the Wenger handled this specific task the best.
If you see any mistakes, let me know. If you have questions about any of this or would like me to take specific photographs of any knives mentioned, do not hesitate to ask, I'm quite willing. I hope this was informative to everyone.
First, the knives in question:
Alternate View:
Knife By Knife
Ontario SP1-95 Spec Plus Marine fixed blade - 1095 Carbon Steel?
This knife preformed poorly for the task, but that's to be expected. It's big and unweidly, extremely thick and has dulled noticably from chopping a lot of our test samples down.
That said, the grip is pretty comfortable and choking up on the blade helps with more precise tasks. It was difficult to control due to the thickness and not so thin grind. Still, it can get the job done. For 35$, this is a great fixed blade. The handle has a rear guard, which works great when using a chopping motion. Grip far back and swing, the guard keep syour hand from slipping off the end. The handle is a synthetic, rubber-like material that ha syet to show any signs of wear after months of use. I've chopped wood, pried, dug, swug this thing at concrete steps and so forth. The only damage it's had done to it is a slight dent in the blade I sharpened out and some marking on the coating. Wonderful bargain, makes a great fixed blade for the woods.
CRKT M18-02 - Unmarked, I think it's AUS8
CRKT seems to have a somewhat poor reputation around here. I've been very pleased with the M18. The knife preformed well, just slightly worse than the Spyderco Delica. It's got a more convex, shallow grind at first but comes up to a slightly thicker spine. It was a little more dull as well. The ergonomics were the best out of all the knives tested. This knife was used the most due to the comfort and confidence I had in the knife itself. It feels very sturdy in the hand for such a small, inexpensive package. The flipper doubles as a guard, something I like about the design, and lockup is extremely solid for the price range. Could benefit from a slight reduction in blade thickness in my opinion. The mystery steel preforms well, whatever it is it's pretty durable. The fit and finish of this knife - barring some uneven grind lines - is superb for a 30$ folder. In many ways this knife has surpassed my expectations.
Spyderco Delica 4 - VG10
This is my first spyderco and I'll say it right now - the delica 4 has singlehandedly won the company a new customer. It's been used nearly everyday since I purchased it, being my dedicated work knife and my EDC of choice 95% of the time I carry a locking folder. The ergonomics are slightly inferior to the CRKT in my eyes, and the blade seems to shift ever so slightly back some when pressure it put on the cutting edge, making lockup a little less than perfect. The opening hole is better than a thumbstub to me, something I was unsure of going into the purchase. The steel liners give it a solid feel...I can't stand my plastic folder being easily bendable and such. It makes the wood shavings nicely, the sharpness really is noticable. It was the second best preformer out of the batch. It's another knife I feel could benefit from a slight reduction in blade thickness, making it an even better slicer. Overall it was a bit smoother cutting the shavings than the CRKT.
Leatherman Wave - 420HC?
(No individual picture)
The Wave is a fantastic multitool. I got mine as a gift. It's got a great layout, with locking blades, saw and file on the outside. The pliers are pretty beefy too. I do have some complaints though. First, I just don't find the serrated blade useful at all. I find myself using either the normal blade or the saw. Second, the normal blade is fairly low-end steel and strikes me as a bit thick too. Compared to an average Swiss Army Knife it has significantly less pure cutting ability. Aside from this I think it's a fantastic knife. It's vastly improved over old models and after using it I've found myself simply throwing away my cheaper knock-off multitools. I just think the two blades could have a little better design. If they did that and found a way to reduce the weight an ounce or two, this could end up being an EDC for me. Cutting wood shavings proved difficult with this, to the point where if I knew I was going to be making a fire I'd bring a different knife. It can do the job, but other knives require so much less effort to do the same task.
Dollar store Multi-tool - Don't even ask
Lesson of the day...try to make wood shavings with cheap dollar store knives and you'll get yourself hurt. The picture shows some wood that got stuck underneath my thumbnail. The nail itself also suffered damage. I actually had 3 of these I was going to compare side-to-side, but I tossed the other ones last night because by simply using the screwdrivers for their intended purpose, I twisted them so badly they couldn't even function. These aren't worth their cheap price tag and they strike me as dangerous. I've learned knives are not a thing to skimp on. If anything, just buy a Victorinox.
Wenger Handyman - Mystery Stainless
I used to collect Swiss Army Knives as a kid. Recently I'd been buying more modern folders, but lately I've been warming up to these guys again. For nearly every task I do with a knife, these out preform my CRKT and my Spyderco, wood shavings being no exception. This was by far the knife that required the least effort to make shavings. It made thin, long ones that ignited beautifully. It slices carrots with ease, opens my mail, goes through cardboard with considerably less effort than beefier folders....so on and so forth. My Handyman has me convinced that for the majority of cutting tasks, ultra-thin blades are the way to go. I felt a little nervous when I got to a tougher part of the wood or a place where I had ripped off a branch and some was left, but the Wenger sliced right through it all without a single problem. Considering all the useful implements you get in addition to a wonderfully designed blade, these make great EDC knives too. Generally I either have this or my Delica on me, maybe both. For the price, functionality and proven design, I feel Swiss Army Knives are a tough batch to beat.
This was a fun review to do. I enjoy comparing different blades and noting how their design affects preformance for the task at hand. The Wave, Delica, M18, Handyman and Spec Plus are all fantastic knives, but it seems the Wenger handled this specific task the best.
If you see any mistakes, let me know. If you have questions about any of this or would like me to take specific photographs of any knives mentioned, do not hesitate to ask, I'm quite willing. I hope this was informative to everyone.
