I need all you guys' help on this one.

My dad bought a 124 in 1969 when I was born, then gave it to me when I turned 16.
I used the heck out of it as a camp knife for 16 years, before I passed it on to a younger brother :)
It chopped a ton of stuff, cut a ton of stuff, and never ever let me down.

I never batoned it, but back then we used hatchets and axes for that ;)
I am sure it would do that too though.
 
DesertChris said:
My dad bought a 124 in 1969 when I was born, then gave it to me when I turned 16.
I used the heck out of it as a camp knife for 16 years, before I passed it on to a younger brother :)
It chopped a ton of stuff, cut a ton of stuff, and never ever let me down.

I never batoned it, but back then we used hatchets and axes for that ;)
I am sure it would do that too though.
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Yeah, people shouldn't be chopping and batoning with knives to begin with but given people around here seem to like to do it, I always include that info. This is why if you use a knife in it's proper role most any steel is tough enough.
 
mcrow said:
Yeah, people shouldn't be chopping and batoning with knives to begin with but given people around here seem to like to do it, I always include that info. This is why if you use a knife in it's proper role most any steel is tough enough.
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I completely agree!
My favorite steel is Bucks 420HC. Sharpens easily and cuts anything I need to cut, occasionally touch it up on the 1000 grit ceramic stone, and cut more stuff....
 
fwbdeacon said:
D2 is not as tough as 5160? From talking to a couple die makers at work, you don't get any tougher than D2. But they ARE die makers not knife experts.
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Yes, 5160 is tougher than D2. I'd go with MCrow on this. Agreed, D2 is tougher than most stainless steels. Yet, you say you wouldn't mallet your 119; My brother has a early 119 with 440C blade (1979)and he hunts a lot. I've watched him with some uneasiness as he field dressed a deer or hog and would mallet his 119 thru the pelvis. I wouldn't doubt he's done this 30 times thru the years without damage to his knife. So, proofs in the pudding. DM
 
David Martin said:
Yes, 5160 is tougher than D2. I'd go with MCrow on this. Agreed, D2 is tougher than most stainless steels. Yet, you say you wouldn't mallet your 119; My brother has a early 119 with 440C blade (1979)and he hunts a lot. I've watched him with some uneasiness as he field dressed a deer or hog and would mallet his 119 thru the pelvis. I wouldn't doubt he's done this 30 times thru the years without damage to his knife. So, proofs in the pudding. DM
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Yes, i've used Buck knives with 420HC to field dress deer and you also have to break the pelvis and I've yet to break the tip of a knife. Like I said earlier, for most normal use, most types of steel are plenty of tough but 5160 is about as tough as it comes so if you plan pound on a blade or do some heavy chopping or might pry with it, then D2 isn't the steel you want.

Keep in mind most knives made with 5160 are survival knives which are designed keeping in mind that in a survival situation you may need to use a knife in a non-traditional way (like prying, chopping, batoning..ect). Simply put, if you don't carry an hatchet or axe and are in a bind, 5160 is going to hold up better than D2 or stainless steels. Granted, not many people really end up in that sort of situation, but that's the idea behind a survival knife.
 
That said, I wouldn't mallet my knife. Any knife, even just in soft wood. I'd get a Estwing hatchet for that task. DM
 
I agree with you all about carrying a hatchet. Sounds like the Punk is the way to go. I don't have much knowledge of 5160, except I "heard" it was what they make car springs from. How do you think it would hold up to a thinner grind? Why have I never seen a scandi or full convex in 5160? Is it dumb to get another punk and regrind it? Has anyone ever done that? It would make for great feather sticking and slicing onions real thin for the pizza in the dutch oven over the coals washed down with Pepsi from a glass bottle! Man, I can't wait for Labor Day!
 
fwbdeacon said:
I agree with you all about carrying a hatchet. Sounds like the Punk is the way to go. I don't have much knowledge of 5160, except I "heard" it was what they make car springs from. How do you think it would hold up to a thinner grind? Why have I never seen a scandi or full convex in 5160? Is it dumb to get another punk and regrind it? Has anyone ever done that? It would make for great feather sticking and slicing onions real thin for the pizza in the dutch oven over the coals washed down with Pepsi from a glass bottle! Man, I can't wait for Labor Day!
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Well, if you are planning to regrind it to make it a better slicer you should just go with a different knife all together. 5160 is a tough steel meant to take a beating and doesn't make the best kitchen steel. If a knife requires a regrind to suit your needs you are choosing the wrong knife.
 
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