Hawaii Knife Life - daily use for work and play

[MolokaiRider]

I carried my Spyderco Delica 4 today to help clear tangles with the weedeater. I’ve used this knife quite a bit...so much so that I’ve had to change the liners due to excessive rust and replace the backspacer from me mangling the original trying to put it back together.

I’m glad I stopped to take some pics of it, because I noticed I forgot to Loctite the pivot screw. You can see from using it all day it has started to back out. The VG-10 polishes right up though, and really takes a keen edge.

Overall the Delica is a fantastic little slicing blade and the FRN has definitely started to fade and wear, but is still structurally solid. Another home run for Sal!

 

[MolokaiRider]

After working I took a spin down to the brackish water flats to look for fresh Buck rubs.

I have been carrying the Schrade SCHF55 over the past week since after it arrived in the mail. I cleaned up the factory edge with a King K80 followed by white and green strop compound. This little pocket tank is a hefty little slab of 1095 and I dig the sheath. The belt loop is a thick rubber and a neat idea. Quite a value and very useful in the role of a hard user.

I did notice it’s challenging to sharpen up to the ricasso due to the curve of the primary grind. Not a big deal but it took a little finess during sharpening.

I like this blade so much I ordered another to keep in one of the trucks. The ergonomics are fantastic and I would even go so far as to say this knife would laugh off any prying if you had no other option.

Well done MistWalker!

 

[MolokaiRider]

When I was a kid, I was vacationing in Montana with my parents. I had saved up 50 dollars over the year for the trip.

During the trip, we stopped at a small sporting goods shop, and there under the glass counter was a shiny new 119. It was exactly $50 and I new at that moment that was coming with me.

It’s the knife that started it all for me and I used the crap out of it for everything. Many of my relatives remember how excited I was as a kid and still ask if I still have it. It is an inanimate object that has priceless memories attached to it from countless adventures over the years.

Now that my son has been hunting and growing into a young man, I decided to get him his own 119, after showing him mine and telling him all the stories and adventures it has been through.

I explained to him about history, the company, the steel and build, and the potential and limits this knife has.

If he learns even 1/4 of what my 119 taught me...well... that’s ok in my book.

Oh...and I couldn’t get just one. You know how us KnifeKnuts are!

 

[jbmonkey]

couple of great knives there Sir. both the Griffin and the buck 119s.

no real better way than a buck 119 for your boy. he'll be telling his own boy his own stories using it.

 

[MolokaiRider]

Happy Labor Day weekend friends.

Doing a little camping and lay net fishing with the amazing Spyderco. This knife endures days of saltwater exposure, and as advertised...zero rust.

It’s nice for general edc use and a little insurance when diving in the ocean. It helps cut tangled nets and does great cleaning fish.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

 

[MolokaiRider]

Went to do a little shoreline fishing today and took along the KaBar Turok. I absolutely love the sheath it comes with, and it’s a good slicing blade.

While using it to make diddy poles the swedge became quite uncomfortable in whittling. The knife is also weighted towards the handle, making chopping a little more difficult. I’m thinking by grinding the swedge flatter it will help make it more comfortable at the expense of making it even lighter.

I still really like this package though. This set up may better serve as a hunting and camp kitchen tool rather than a woods blade.

 

[MolokaiRider]

While fishing, I had the Spyderco Manix 2 LW in CTS BD1 in my pocket. This folder sees a lot of salt water exposure and has still shown no corrosion. It’s so light and handy I find myself reaching for it quite a bit over the past three years.

It’s broken in very well and has a nice and smooth deployment, and the steel responds to light touch ups extremely well. If these were still priced as they were years ago I’d pick up another one.

 

[MolokaiRider]

When I got home today I found the Buck Smoke Jumper has arrived.

What an excellent bargain! It’s going to be great having a 110 that is light enough to pocket.

Couple things I noted right away was fairly significant up-down and left-right blade play, and a sort of funky grind on the tip.

I don’t think it’s a deal breaker though for the screaming low price, great steel, and included sheath. A sharpening after use will clean up the tip and the blade play doesn’t feel unsafe.

Plus with Bucks great warranty, the added peace of mind is amazing.

 

[lambertiana]

I won a bid to clear some overgrown Elephant grass and started on it today. This stuff is strong like rope and was taking forever with a weed eater, so I broke out the trusty Tramontina and went to work. These things are so light that I don’t fatigue as quickly as with a larger blade. That said... I don’t think I’ll bid on this type of work anymore. This grass has small nettles all over them. I’m literally in pain!

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For elephant grass you would be better off with a quality scythe. It would make short work of the grass, and you would not be as close to the grass.

 

[MolokaiRider]

For elephant grass you would be better off with a quality scythe. It would make short work of the grass, and you would not be as close to the grass.

You are 100 percent correct, as I found out the hard way. I ended up putting a saw blade on a weed trimmer to cut the grass lower. I’m shopping for a scythe also.

Any suggestions on where to order a quality one?

 

[lambertiana]

You are 100 percent correct, as I found out the hard way. I ended up putting a saw blade on a weed trimmer to cut the grass lower. I’m shopping for a scythe also.

Any suggestions on where to order a quality one?

They are hard to find in local stores because few people use them any more. There are some online outfits that sell them, a good blade will run $70-80 easily. Since shipping of a whole scythe to Hawaii would be quite expensive, you might be better off just ordering a blade and making a handle. There are different blade styles, from light grass blades to heavy ditch blades that can handle big weeds and saplings up to 1/4" diameter.

I got mine when a neighbor was having a yard sale after someone passed away. It's amazing how fast they go through tall grass and weeds.

 

[jbmonkey]

When I got home today I found the Buck Smoke Jumper has arrived.

What an excellent bargain! It’s going to be great having a 110 that is light enough to pocket.

Couple things I noted right away was fairly significant up-down and left-right blade play, and a sort of funky grind on the tip.

I don’t think it’s a deal breaker though for the screaming low price, great steel, and included sheath. A sharpening after use will clean up the tip and the blade play doesn’t feel unsafe.

Plus with Bucks great warranty, the added peace of mind is amazing.

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most of these lts have some play. I have a handful and all have some play. some worse some less. that grind is awkward looking near the tip. you could send it to buck to tighten up an fix the bevels by the tip. I'd just use it and send it later.

love these hawaii pics.....true paradise. heck I live on a peninsula surrounded by the Atlantic and the gulf atlantic....its nice here but nothing is quite like hawaii....

 

[MolokaiRider]

most of these lts have some play. I have a handful and all have some play. some worse some less. that grind is awkward looking near the tip. you could send it to buck to tighten up an fix the bevels by the tip. I'd just use it and send it later.

love these hawaii pics.....true paradise. heck I live on a peninsula surrounded by the Atlantic and the gulf atlantic....its nice here but nothing is quite like hawaii....

Thanks JB, I was reading through the smoke jumper thread and noted that most had some play in the blade. I was messing around with it to see if the lock would fail, but it held up ok. In regards to the tip, I’ll just use the blade and sharpen it out later like you mentioned.

Your neck of the woods is beautiful too! Plus, you’ve got waaaay more room to roam!

 

[MolokaiRider]

Did a little shoreline whipping today and took along ole faithful. I really can’t think of a better knife to carry for this kind of activity.

Super light, highly visible, lots of cutting edge for line cuts, bait prep, and dispatching game. Plus the fact it’s rust free is fantastic. This knife has seen repeated submersion in the Pacific for almost two years and still...no corrosion.

Another neat feature is the FRN doesn’t get to messed up when putting the knife down on sharp and jagged rocks. I have only had to sharpen this once, since it doesn’t get used for cutting abrasive material much. H1 steel works perfect for its intended use, and I’m a big fan.

 

[Rose and Thistle Custom]

Love this thread, someday I'm gonna visit down there (I'm in AK). The knifepicks all have great outdoor backgrounds so I'm getting to see not just the knives but the plants etc. too.

 

[MolokaiRider]

Had had to cut down banana that had already finished flowering and used the KaBar Kukri. This tool feels like it was purpose built for this task and makes cuts easy.

 

[MolokaiRider]

Stripped and working on sanding up the BK16. Becker’s are great knives and I’m seeing why they have such a great following.

Great ergonomics, great fit and finish and totally worth the cost. Highly recommend the 16 as an all around companion knife.

 

[Night Rider]

Quick question, where did you get that deep carry pocket clip for your Blur? Every one I have seen comes with a shallow carry clip. That is my only pet peev about my Blur but other than that I think it is the best working mans EDC ever. PS, I love your office view

 

[MolokaiRider]

Quick question, where did you get that deep carry pocket clip for your Blur? Every one I have seen comes with a shallow carry clip. That is my only pet peev about my Blur but other than that I think it is the best working mans EDC ever. PS, I love your office view

I agree about the factory pocket clip not being that great. I ordered online but I don’t believe they are a supported vendor. I would recommend just searching for “Kershaw Blur pocket clip and you can find a few different offerings.

Once you replace the factory clip the Blur really comes alive as an EDC.

Thanks for the kind words!

 

[MolokaiRider]

I split up some mesquite wood today and used a Condor Kukri. I have good experiences with the 1075 steel Condor uses, but miss their older prices. The sheath for this model is very good. In my opinion though, the round handle makes it difficult to control during chopping/baton work. It’s fatiguing trying to keep the tool moving in your intended direction. I do like the full width of the blade to the tip, which makes for good contact with the baton.