How tough are Randall knives?

[stabman]

Not sure why anyone would want to chop wood with a knife.

Depends on the knife, and how much you're chopping.
For stuff from 3/4" to 3" thick, a largish knife can be quite efficient at chopping, while still being a useful knife for, well, knife tasks.

But when I needed to clear out a large tree that had fallen over in a storm, trapping a tarp that some jerk left at my favourite woods site, I had my brother bring a full-sized axe. For that level of chopping, a large axe was required (and not the pansy things I see some folks showing as an "axe"...I'm talking a full-sized, "This is annoying to carry!" type of axe ).

For building a shelter, a chopper will do. :thumbup:
For building a log cabin, bring a team of migrant workers with chainsaws and other assorted tools.

 

[stabman]

And I'm sure that Randall knives are tough enough for most tasks.
I wouldn't feel under-knifed if all I had was one of them.

 

[Thomas Linton]

Backpacking fetishists understand without dreaming that circumstances will often be that they will only have the tools that they will actually have, instead of those they dream about. So they will have to do whatever needs to be done with those actual tools, whether they are able to excel or not or whether those tools were optimized for those needs or not. If those tools can't do what needs to be done, those needs will not be met. If you have all the "right" tools for what might come up, you're at home or at Home Depot, not twenty miles from the nearest improved road.

Having said that, if a Randall cannot gather wood for shelter or prep wood for a fire, the user is the problem 99.9% of the time, not the knife.

(My firearm can be used to build a working boat. What's your problem? Never built a coracle using animal hide? )

 

[22-rimfire]

Chopping with a large knife can be kind of fun (for a short sprint). On the longer haul, using something more designed for the task is the better option. But you have to have it with you to use it and that's the kicker.

 

[stabman]

Chopping with a large knife can be kind of fun (for a short sprint). On the longer haul, using something more designed for the task is the better option. But you have to have it with you to use it and that's the kicker.

I can tell you that lugging a full-sized axe didn't look fun (it was my brother lugging it).
He only brought it out there twice...and this is a guy who carried a folding picnic table out there with a shoulder strap till some bolts finally gave way, so he's used to carrying inconvenient things.

We find a great combo is a saw and a large knife.
You use each for the things that are done most conveniently with each tool.
Depending on the weather conditions and what exactly we're up to that time, one tool may get far more use than the other.

 

[TAH]

Backpacking for 27 years, I have always carried a reasonably sized knife, usually a Randall or Buck, and a Sawvivor. The thing cuts logs like a chainsaw and weighs next to nothing. :thumbup:

 

[John A. Larsen]

I also carried a Gerber folding saw as well as the saw on my SAK in the field. Cut wood great and was much quieter than chopping on something. John

 

[brownshoe]

I believe Fakeducci is a Busse troll, no need to prove anything to her, she'll just ignore or deny it. Just cause a lot of soft people collect Randalls don't mean they are not performance knives worthy of their intended use.

 

[Ebbtide]

nevermind...

 

[Zebadiah]

I have same taste, i like very much too, this large Smithsonian Bowie (supposedly replica of Jim Bowie's original knife,also in exposition of Smithsonian Museum)..also them 13 inch bladed bowies are super classic design,it's hard to tell what variation (combination) of extras would one get,especially when there is so many choices to be made...according few videos, their edges are extraordinary fine finished.sure is money well spend, this sort of knife will always keep its value... If I'd had one,I would never ever sell it,but give it to my young son, who is teenager now,just to remember that man should never ever give up his knife.

I was 72 before I got my first Randall. I am still 72 and now have six: 12 11 Smithsonian, 1 6 and 1 8 All Purpose Fighting Knife, 24 4 Guardian, 12 13 Raymond Thorp, and 13 12 Arkansas Toothpick. I have 88 knives. The early 1970s Toothpick's in hand feel is the best of them all with concave, dense walnut handle, scalloped brass cap and collar, and 15.9 ounces. If you get an opportunity to handle both the Smithsonian and Thorp side by side, I believe you won't have any problem picking the Thorp. Its handling and balance are superior. Thanks for the inspiration from your post.

 

[Zebadiah]

I bought my Model 14 when we got dinged to go to the litter box over yonder- it's not done much more than open MRE's and cut rope... but it's one of the few knives I've ever owned that I legitimately couldn't put down- it just... felt right in the hand- Light, agile and natural. if it had ever come down to it, I have confidence that that work of art could have done some nasty things to nasty people. I've always wanted an obnoxiously large Randall Bowie, but I don't have the patience required to order a custom one from the shop (The shop puts military orders at the top of the pile- I had my Mod. 14 before wheels up four months after I ordered)

Thank you for your service from an old Marine. I carried a razor sharp Ontario W49 Bowie in the Dominican Republic uprising in 1965, my favorite 28 days in the Corps. Unfortunately I'd not heard of Randall back then.

 

[Zebadiah]

Terrific report and much appreciated. Can you give us more information so I can read the whole report. Again, great report and thanks!

 

[Zebadiah]

In 1970 I was getting ready to go back to Vietnam for my fourth tour and bought a Model 14 Stainless, from Van Sickle (?) a dealer in Texas that you could get the knife from right away with about a 25% mark up. I carried that Model 14 for the next 21 years, a tour in Vietnam, in the Philippines, Thailand, Okinawa, and the British Army Jungle warfare school in Brunei. I spent about 5 years on a Scuba Team (pre-Combat Diver) and swam it in salt water and fresh water, did 12 + Winter Warfare Exercises, at least one down to -40 degrees C/F, multiple parachute jumps, exercises in Germany and Italy and all over the USA. In 1988 I had custom knife maker Wayne Goddard, put a new handle on the knife as I never was completely satisfied with the finger grip handle it came with, carried it for three more years like that. I used that Model 14 to do whatever needed to be done, and it is still ready to go to the field. Not sure if that constitutes "Hard Use" but so what, it did it's job in the field for 21 years, so it was tough enough for me. John

If hat doesn't qualify as hard use, nothing ever will. Use and abuse are not synonymous. Thank you for your service from an old Marine.

 

[John A. Larsen]

I appreciate the kind words Zedbadiah. John

 

[Doc50]

I was gifted a Model 14 When I graduated Independent Duty Corpsman School and went back to an infantry battalion twenty-three years ago. I'm ashamed to say that I always kept it in the gun safe and never used it. That all changes starting today. I'm going to use it for it's intended purpose and I'll post some reviews.