Good User for a non-knife guy

erhodes

erhodes

Joined
Jan 30, 2012
Messages
536
I have been trying to find a good knife for a friend of mine that will hold up to constant use. He works on tractors and farm equipment for his job and is constantly using a knife to scrape rust, cut rope, wire and do other miscellaneous tasks. I know that he uses a knife in ways that he probably shouldn't, putting torque on the blade by prying and other horrible things that I wouldn't put a good knife through. He is using a gas station special right now that will keep an edge all of 2 seconds when cutting anything other than paper. I believe the blade is 440a. Another thing is that the liner lock does not keep the blade open if any pressure is put on the spine.

My question is what is a good knife that I could give him that would be an upgrade from what he is using and will have a strong lock that will not give way under stress?

Right now I am looking at:

blem kershaw 1670s30v from kershaw guy thinking this would be a step up in steel

a cold steel recon 1 because I have heard that the lock is strong

an ontario rat 1 since I have heard that it is a good hard use folder.

I think something in s30v would work well for him but I didn't know how strong the lock is on the kershaw. Does anyone have any ideas on a folder with a strong lock, s30v steel and $60 or less? Thanks for the help.
 
If he's doing what you say then no steel is going to be good for him. Even super steels have there limits. In fact I'd make the case that he should stick with a lesser steel like 440A. Just get him a knife with a better lock and maybe serrations. Serrations were made for guys like that IMO. I know, my buddy is one of those guys. He handed me his edc once and asked if I could sharpen it. I don't know what he did to it but I chuckled, handed it back and said "Nope. I'm not setup to fix damaged edges" and handed the poor thing back to him.
 
Not S30V, but my first thought was a Buck 110 with belt sheath. $35 more or less, and built for a lifetime of use and abuse. But its a largish knife that works best with belt carry. The ones you mention are all fine choices for a workin' man.
 
I know what you mean Shotgun. I have told him to only use his knife for what a knife is meant to be used and if he wants to do something else like scrape rust or take out a screw he needs to go get the tool for the job. I am more concerned that the liner lock will literally collapse if you bump the spine of the blade with your palm. And I mean barely bump it no smack or strike. I was just thinking that s30v may hold up a little longer and not chip like his is doing.

I thought about a fixed blade Powernoodle, but he works with people all the time and said that a fixed blade may freak some of them out so I figured they were out of the question. I had thought something like an izula would have been perfect. May just have to wait until the izula folder is released and get him something super cheap now.
 
for the ease of maintaining and the multi uses, an Alox Soldier-Farmer-Electrician
more than a normal folder
 
I'd suggest a Cold Steel knife with the Demko designed Tri-ad lock. That makes for a very solid folder. Cold Steel does a good job with AUS8A steel. Its easy to maintain for a non knife guy. Frankly, I wouldnt bother with more exotic steels; non knife guys won't appreciate it. S30v can chip out if abused, and it sounds like your buddy is likely to do so.

As others mentioned above, you might also consider a multi blade folder. I like the Victorinox Super Tinker in a pocket knife. And, of course there are the various Leatherman and other multi-tools.

I bought a Spyerco Dragonfly for my brother to replace some piece of junk 'knife' that he had. The Spyderco is small and only has a 2 5/16' blade (in VG-10) and would mainly be used for opening packages at work. About three months afterwards I asked for his knife so that I could sharpen it. (I had showed him how to strop it to keep its edge and suggested some sharpening gear. Didnt look like he did anything on it.) Well, I couldnt believe the chips that were in the edge & how dull it was. How do you chip a knife opening your mail ? (Prying staples.) I got it as good as I could. I would have had to had taken off too much steel to get the chips completely out, and I figures he'd just chip it again anyway. Non-knife guys can be very tough on knives.
 
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I think you may have it right with the cold steel blades. From the looks of them I think he would prefer the recon 1. Does anyone have experience with the serrations on these blades? Do they hold up well? They look a little small so may be prone to breaking off. I have never used them as I am not personally a fan of serrations.
 
erhodes said:
Right now I am looking at:

blem kershaw 1670s30v from kershaw guy thinking this would be a step up in steel
Click to expand...

You almost had it right... $55 for the blem Kershaw 1725CB JYD JunkYardDog, a STRONG composite knife with a D2 edge that is super-sharp from the factory. I bought three; gave one away to a friend. Outstanding knife, and is the only knife I own and carry that sells for less than ~$200 new. I use CRK's, Striders, Hinderers, but I often carry the JYD. BTW, I did sell the Hinderers since paying $700+ for a folder is just too much for ME. No reflection on fans.
 
Solid as a rock. Great liner-lock with G10. The model 2.2, IIRC. I don't like the titanium one, DKW.
3.6" blade. I used it last wk to cut down a cardboard box. Factory edge just melted through the box. I was honestly amazed. I believe it's steel liners, not titanium liners, but still carries well and is 5.2 oz, about as heavy as I want to carry, but I carry it often with no trouble. NON-assisted flipper, I love it.
Sonnydaze
 
I would go for something simple, with AUS 8, 420 or "Stainless steel" on the blade. I think about CRKT M21 or M16 series or Hammond Cruiser. I am not big fan of CRKT myself, but from your description of what your friend is likely to do with the knife: that what makes sense to me. I have got Hammond Cruiser myself. It is a bit bulky and had problems with the clip (i.e. does not have one any more - the screws were too short and stripped right away): but is a reasonable survivor and I must say performed better than Buck Vantage for edge retention!
 
Look at the Kershaw "Tremor". About $30 and tough as nails. Big blade and assisted opening for one hand operation. Good steel and easy to sharpen. If he breaks or looses it, no one looses any sleep over it. Just go buy another one.

Omar
:rolleyes:
 
Get him a CRKT RAZEL, a sharpening stone and teach him how to free hand sharpen.The Razel has a awesome blade shape for mechanics and a great lock(has never failed on me EVER! even when I put pressure on blade by scraping gaskets) It has a lock for the lock.If it just had better steel It would be perfect(for me)The tail clip pocket clip is great for NOT scratching cars , prob not such a big deal with tractors.
 
Maybe something that's serrated like what was suggested. Maybe a spyderedge aqua salt. That will remain practically sharp for a longer time.
 
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