Good User for a non-knife guy

C_Becker said:
+1 on the Razel, exactly what I was thinking of when I read your description
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I agree. Razel would be a great choice. I might also suggest a fixed blade for such hard use. In such a strange form, I doubt he would have the same issues with people people being nervous about it. It looks like a chisel.
 
Have you considered an electricians knife with a folding blade and a locking screwdriver? These also have a bail so the knife can be attached to a belt clip. One model issued by the military was called the TL-29 (I think that model number is correct). I imagine modern makers have similar models, and the wooden or plastic scales could be personalized.
I think such a knife would be useful for both cutting and scraping, should not frighten anyone if it is clipped to a belt or in a belt pouch, should be very good for rough work and should be easy to open and use with dirty/greasy hands.
Faiaoga
 
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Get the right tool for the job and give him a fixed blade. I live in Canada and people get freaked out if I pull out a sak so I gave up on being sheeple friendly a long time ago and never looked back (Its really quite entertaining puling out a super sized emerson in the middle of the post office to open a letter and cause complete silence until I put it back in my pocket) :) Besides, I don't think an izula should cause too much of an uproar. And if you could spend more I would say to get him a spartan enyo, but that is much more expensive. Or mabye teach him how to use a knife and the difference between a knife and a flathead screwdriver. Or as a compromise get him a good multitool, leatherman or sak swisstool spirit since those kind seem to stand up to more abuse than standard saks. Then he will always have the right too for the right job :thumbup:
 
I would suggest a Leatherman Wave and an Esee Izula. The Leatherman with the bit kit and bit extender is a great little tool for tons of everyday jobs. For the harder cutting task the Izula is perfect. I have found that the Izula really does not freak people out, having said that I split my time between Nashville, TN and rural IL.
 
I just got my brother a Benchmade 527 for Christmas. He is in love with it. He never understood caring a knife until he got his own place and he was telling me he finds 2 or 3 times a day where he needs to grab a rusty steak knife to cut an item. I being his knife toting brother almost vomited at the thought of using a steak knife to open a package. So after admitting that a pocket knife is a useful tool I hooked him up with a nice bemchmade. He has been ranting and raving how much he loves it and could not imagine living without it. I guess once you carry a knife you can never go back
 
Buy him a Mora High-Q chisel. Purely, obviously, a working knife, not something that will make people freak out, and you can get 'em for $13 each. Buy him a few, sounds like he'll need them!

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I really love the spartan blades Amateur and I have been trying to figure out which one I want to get myself. That said I don't think I could ever give him one because I know what he would do with it and I don't think I could in good conscience consign a great knife to that sort of life.

I have been leaning toward some of the cold steel knives like the recon 1 for right now. I firgure they are made to be abused and have a very solid locking system that shouldn't budge even through abuse. I was thinking maybe the recon 1 tanto with partial serrations? Iwould really like to know how well cold steels serrations stand up to hard use though since I know he will be putting it through its paces.

Everyones opinions are greatly appreciated and are making me think outside of the box, for me that is. I tend to like the nicer knives and baby the ones that I have. While I use them I would be very very hesitant to start scraping away rust on a tractor or pry anything with them.

I have been thinking maybe I will get him a knife and a small screwdriver set and show him, very slowly so he gets it, what a screwdriver is for and what a knife is for.:)

Keep them coming!
 
The S30V Blem Blur or RAT-1 you mentioned would both be good. I think you can get a composite blade blem Junkyard Dog II for about the same as the Blur, and I think that is a slightly beefier knife. I'll echo the suggestions for something like a Leatherman Wave/Charge as well, since it sounds like having a variety of implements might suit his uses better.
 
erhodes said:
I have been leaning toward some of the cold steel knives like the recon 1 for right now. I firgure they are made to be abused and have a very solid locking system that shouldn't budge even through abuse. I was thinking maybe the recon 1 tanto with partial serrations? Iwould really like to know how well cold steels serrations stand up to hard use though since I know he will be putting it through its paces.

I have been thinking maybe I will get him a knife and a small screwdriver set and show him, very slowly so he gets it, what a screwdriver is for and what a knife is for.:)

Keep them coming!
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You sound like a very good friend to be carefully considering what to get for your buddy.

IMO, in a hard use folder - youre on the right track with a Demko Triad lock knife, like the CS Recon 1. If your friend is given to abusing knives, I'd want him to have as strong a lock on a folder as possible. That could save him from hurting himself.

I do think we have to keep the skill/knowledge of the end user in mind. In order for it to continue to be a useful (and safe) tool, the knife will have to be sharpened periodically. I stay away from super steels in gift knives that may be more difficult to sharpen. CS does a good job with AUS8A steel. It can take a very sharp edge. It has good stainless properties, and its reasonably tough for a follder. - - Ive never found a non-knife guy to bother to take the time & effort to sharpen serrations. I don't like serrations in general for my own knives - especially partial serrations since they take up too much useful blade length. (And, IMO, they tend to put serrations in the wrong place - close to the handle end of the knife which is often used for finer work, where serrations do no good.) If I have a special application where I'd like serrations, they would run the whole blade length.
CS serrations hold up as well as any. Again, I doubt your buddy would ever sharpen them. They may be a little more difficult for a non knife guy to sharpen than other serrations which are more uniform in shape.
In gift knives, I also try to stay with easy, straight blade shapes. Nothing recurve that might be more difficult to sharpen.
At minimum, I might also include a little ceramic sharpener and a quick lesson on how to use that, and on how to periodically strop a blade on your jeans to help keep up the edge.

Have you thought about a Recon 1 with a tanto plain blade ? That blade tip might be a good match for your friend. Heres a comparison photo:

http://www.cutleryshoppe.com/recon1series-27tlcclippointplainedge-tri-adlock-2.aspx

P.S. - dont forget the conditions where he'll use the knife. In many settings, black blades are good since they are less 'flashy' than shiny blades and less likely to be noticed. In one major city in my state, you cannot carry any fixed blade knife and you cannot carry folders that have blades longer than 3 1/2". I assume from your posts that your friend works in a shop, so some of these considerations may be less important - but if he chooses to carry the knife outside of work, they may be a factor.
 
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If you can find one, get a rat 3 by Ontario, carbon steel will stay tough and easy to sharpen, kydex sheath. Follow that with a cold steel voyager in aus8 steel.
 
If he's going to be abusing his knife like that, he'll want something somewhat cheap with soft steel since he will need to resharpen often. An Opinel or a Case Sodbuster would be a good choice I believe.
 
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