Green Beret

A

Artilary6

Joined
Oct 2, 2007
Messages
132
I have read MANY posts for many hours about this knife and about S30V on this forum. I love the way the knife looks and feels and I desperately want one. I plan on taking it camping abd using it for whittling larger sticks and for light use like cutting rope and stuff like that. I would never stick a knife like that into the dirt or do anything extreme with it that may damage it. I have read tons of posts about how great S30V is and also many about how it chips easily. These posts are mostly really old back when S30V forst came out. Now its almost 2008 and I was wondering if the steel has proved itself to be reliable and worthy as well as the Green Beret? If there is a decent chance that I will chip the edge of this $300.00 trying to simply whittle a stick or cut a rope, then i'll stick with my ka-bar in 1095 and save myself the pile of money. What i'm hoping for is people who have had experience with it and with s30v to comment on weather or not the fears of the steel being brittle have sorted themselves out. I know this topic has been talked about many times but I feel it was mostly discussion and not actual reviews of the knife and how its held up under normal, practical use and wether or not is really is prone to chipping, even under light or normal use. I read Cliff Stamp's knifescience review about the GB and I just don't know what to say other than I would never do that to a knife. Anyway, any comments about people's experience with the steel and/the knife would be appreciated. I hope I don't get shut-out here for talking about an old topic. I just need to know if the knife or the steel has proven themselves to be worthy of the high costs.
Thanks,
Ryan
Ryan
 
From what I've read about the GB, it has chipped cutting through barbed wire and such. Not bad, but did chip. Required some honing to take the chips out.

The way I look at it is, if I truely need to cut through barbed wire to save my hide, I could care less if I need to spend 30 mins on a hone to take out the chips. However, after spending over 40 years of my spare time in the woods, I've never needed to chop through rocks or cut barbed wire.

For normal every day uses, such as you have outlined, the GB will stand up just fine. Mine has......
 
I bought one and did not like it. I guess that I was infatuated with the "Green Beret" mystique. It was a pretty knife, but too light and thin to be a good camp and field knife. I have heard reports that they have broken when batoned. Also the serrations break off when chopping. I ended up selling it. They run at least $300. You can sometimes bid on ebay and pick one up for $250. For that price you can get into the Busse range or any other quality handmade knife. They are a much better deal
 
That is really disappointing to hear. Maybe S30V isn't at all what it was cracked up to be. Some claim its great only because CRK uses it. If they helped develop it, they are probly stuck with it for a long time and have to just play it off like it really is a good steel. Man, I hope my fears are totally false. Maybe I should just look for a knife in a different material. What a shame, the GB is so beautiful. I refuse to buy it if i'm not convinced that the steel is work worthy. $300.00 is way too much for a "show knife" IMO. If I want a show knife i'll buy a $100.00 Gil Hibben and hang it on the wall. Thank you for your reply.
 
Have had and used mine for a while now with no problems. But then again, I have never over abused it.
 
What kinds of things do you cut with it? Rope, whittling wood and such? Thats about all I would do with mine.
 
I've used mine (5.5) to make tent stakes, cut steaks, whittle, and batoned it through a fair amount of wood, have cut hose, plastic, and such enough that it has a nicely worn look to the coating, and the handle from sweat. Good knife and easily one of my favorites. It's a keeper for sure, for me. My edge chipped a little at first but was corrected with some sharpening.

Am seriously considering a raven or combat raven from Simonich next as I like the Bos formula for heat treat with S30V.
 
Sorry if this is OT, but what does it mean when you baton a knife? Are you striking something with the side of the blade?

Thanks,
Rich
 
What did you make the tent stakes out of? Wood? I'm just wondering if you chopped metal to make them. And your blade chipped....I am wondering if simply whittling would cause the blade to chip or if it was from a harder use like batoning. Any idea how you chipped it?

Thanks for the reply.
 
Artilary6, S30V is a reliable steel, especially from a reliable company like CRK. Chris Reeve began his career as a knifemaker with fixed blades when the knives he saw in the South African army weren't as good as he knew he could make. He's only gotten better, and he doesn't have to churn out face-saving products when he can continue to provide excellence.

Do not believe a word from anyone who cites reports they have heard, with no references, with no links, just talk. Look at the serrations on CRK knives. They aren't pointy little fragile things. They can't break off in anything resembling normal use.

Reports of S30V chipping relate to two different situations. One was from companies that didn't know how to heat treat it. Another was from hard use on a new edge.

The very edge of a knife is the thinnest part and the heat treat that's effective for the rest of the blade may leave the edge relatively brittle. That is, it will chip rather than roll. This does not mean a great big chunk will split out. Just do a normal sharpening on it and you'll get past the weaker portion, and won't have the problem again.

Chris Reeve's fixed blades, the one-piece or the Harsey collaborations, are basically field knives. They are designed for hard use outdoors.

Rich 357: Good question on batoning. Batoning is using a knife to split wood when you don't have an axe. Instead of chopping with it, you place the edge of the blade against the wood, and use a heavy wooden stick (a branch or a club -- a baton) to tap .. tap .. tap the blade into the wood. Eventually it goes deep enough to open it up like a wedge. Then you can push the baton itself into the opening, pull out the knife, and use the baton to twist back and forth till the wood splits apart.

Can a Green Beret baton? Of course. People have successfully -- carefully -- batoned with Swiss Army Knives and Opinels. Chris Reeve knives have that deep hollow grind for a sharp edge, but they also retain a thick spine for strength.

Chris also keeps the Rockwell hardness lower than some people think best, because he doesn't want chipping and he does want flexibility for tasks like batoning.
 
Artilary6 said:
Maybe S30V isn't at all what it was cracked up to be. Some claim its great only because CRK uses it. If they helped develop it, they are probly stuck with it for a long time and have to just play it off like it really is a good steel.
Click to expand...

If that were the case, then why would so many other companies be using it, and using it successfully? Why would Spyderco use it?

It has become a standard for a high-end stainless steel because it is reliable and it does perform.

Agains the unsupported rumors of failure, place the undeniable wide use of it today.
 
That is reassuring and I can't make any argument against the large numbers of knife makers using it, as well as the thousands upon thousands of customers using knives with S30V that haven't surfaced with complaints. I am starting to come around and feel more confident about using the steel. Thanks for your information and comments about it. I actually JUST recieved my 7" Green Beret a couple days ago. Despite my concerns of chipping, I simply had to have it and good lord, this knife is beautiful. Its easily my favorite by far. So, I will use it normally and if for some reason I get little chips or whatever, I will make sure to have been practicing sharpening on other knives so i'll be able to clean up the edge. I've NEVER sharpened a knife before....so any direction to references about learning how would be greately appreciated as well.
Thanks again
-Ryan

PS...When funds allow, I believe I won't be able to live without a Sebenza either =)
 
Sharpening is a whole world of its own. We even have a forum for it: Maintenance, Tinkering & Embellishment. Stop by and look around. You will pick up more information than you can use. Where to begin, where to begin ...

Get a Sharpmaker. There are so many systems, but ... the Sharpmaker will start you off right, with the DVD and pamphlet for instructions. Using it gave me a lot of help in learning what actually happens at the edge when I sharpen a knife. Even when you move to other systems, the Sharpmaker is still an excellent system for maintaining an edge.

Eventually, you will try out other systems, maybe with guides, maybe freehand. We'll be glad to explain anything you're not sure about.
 
Pardon me for not getting back sooner Artilary, work and stuff, and thanks for taking up my slack Esav.:thumbup:

Esav's posts were right on, the tent stakes were large ones made of pine/spruce branches to hold tarps in wind. My chips were very hard to see and sharpened right out from when I first got the knife. Can't remember what it happened on. Congrats on the 7" GB, am pretty sure you will enjoy it, I do mine.
 
why would you cut barbed wire with a knife period? They make clippers for that . I think that any steel: vg- 10, s-30v or even infi would probably chip if your cutting through barbed wire. For all of your uses like Johnnyo says it would do just fine.


Good luck,
Bill
 
Gerberblades,

In answer to your question, sir, the individuals for whom this knife was originally designed...and still issued to...may just have a use for that at some point in their interesting careers. And I don't think they would mind if there was some minor chipping at the time. You can take care of that after you're back from your mission and doing your gear checks (team gear first, individual gear second, private gear third). Remember, this knife was not originally designed for those of us who take it camping to baton wood and such, although I am sure those things were considered in its design phase.

They are serving with distinction and under some heavy use at a number of locations around the globe as we speak, as the following capture from the National Geographic special "Inside the Green Berets" illustrates:
9ec326a956005e1c.jpg



Thanks,
Ron
 
Hell, if the GB is such a bad knife I must be a fool. Just bought a Neil Roberts to keep it company....:thumbup:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top