I trust these knives !!!

udtjim said:
That is the Vic Explorer. I have carried it every day for 35 years. (this is the third one) I still have the other two but the main blades are about gone from sharpening over the decades. I carried the Explore because of the magnifying glass and the phillips screw driver. I did maintanace work and carpenter work and the magnifier helped remove many slivers and small pieces of steel from my fingers. I also use thr scissors a lot. The Explore just had the right combination of tools for my use. No single tool ever made my life easier than that SAK. Its saved me thousands of steps and trips to the tool box.
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Thanks, just made a trip to knifeworks.com. Looks like a great combination, love those SAK's!
 
Hang_them_later said:
Perhaps if you use a sledgehammer or the heaviest rock you can lift. I have used a steel hammers to baton Moras trough wood with no problem. And yes I know this is wrong but the handle doesn't break off that easily.
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I grew up using moras and it is not hard to break the handle off of them, especially the old red wood handled one.
I've broken them when I was a kid and a teenager and they really weren't that hard to do.
However if you read what I said it was when not using proper technique, due to fatigue etc.

Not using proper technique can happen when cold, wet and tired, the exact time you need a knife to perform.

I live in a temperate rain forest and hypothermia is a real concern, so I want to ensure that I have the equipment needed to help me survive.

Moras are cheap enough try it yourself and see what happens

Here's a good article on batoning http://www.barkriverknives.com/docs/batoning.pdf
 
pitdog said:
Exactly my point, and when I added this post I thought if only one person got the message then I would be happy.....YOU have made me a happy man bro !!!:D:thumbup:
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Must be because we both live in an area where hypothermia can happen any time of the year.
If someone is happy carring a $5 china special in the woods, good on them, doesn't mean I would.
I personally think that Moras are a good starter knife when teaching bushcraft. It's just when I may put my self in a situation where my life could be endagered I don't think you can have equipment that is too tough.
 
pitdog and coyotebc,

Actually, if you re-read most of these posts, you will find that most all of us got your point. And it doesn't take living in a temperate rain forest (in which I've spent a fair amount of time) to understand the need for good edged tools and the possibility of hypothermia. Believe me, we're with you on this one! Please don't fall into an elitist "we're from the Northwest, and you don't understand" attitude! I know that is not what you mean to do here. I don't think you will find a soul here who would be happy going into the temperate rain forest, desert, mountains or jungle with a $5 Chinese special! We WOULD be content going into these areas with cutlery that is tough and able to handle the tasks at hand.

Ron
 
Many Many people have survived situations with no knife at all so in some cases even a 5.00 China special would have been a luxury. Most of the time you can get a fire started and keep it going for a long time without cutting any wood.
 
I live in a pretty cold place, it's just theres no wood to chop. :D
I would love to hack away at trees all day.
 
It don't matter if you have any wood or not as long as you have a big expensive knife. No wood? You need two Busse's.:D
 
Let me see if I have this right; you are so hypothermic and fatigued that you can not use a small knife such as a mora correctly, to the extent that it may even break. However you still retain enough dexterity to gather and prepare tinder and to manipulate a lighter, matches or a fire steel? Chris

:confused:
 
udtjim, in my little "rant" above, I was saying that most all of us would opt for something other than a $5 Chinese special...like our Vic Farmers!

Ron
 
Ron53 said:
pitdog and coyotebc,

Actually, if you re-read most of these posts, you will find that most all of us got your point. And it doesn't take living in a temperate rain forest (in which I've spent a fair amount of time) to understand the need for good edged tools and the possibility of hypothermia. Believe me, we're with you on this one! Please don't fall into an elitist "we're from the Northwest, and you don't understand" attitude! I know that is not what you mean to do here. I don't think you will find a soul here who would be happy going into the temperate rain forest, desert, mountains or jungle with a $5 Chinese special! We WOULD be content going into these areas with cutlery that is tough and able to handle the tasks at hand.

Ron
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Me Elitist ? Hardly !!! LOL !!!!!:eek:
I don't think anyone meant it come over that like that Ron, I kinda keep hoping this thread will die a death now as it's become a little daft and boring however I will reiterate that I do carry and use Mora like knives it's just that I would not trust one as my sole knife and prefer to carry a sturdier one as well !!!
 
coyotebc said:
I grew up using moras and it is not hard to break the handle off of them, especially the old red wood handled one.
I've broken them when I was a kid and a teenager and they really weren't that hard to do.
However if you read what I said it was when not using proper technique, due to fatigue etc.
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You said "you could break the handle off in one or two wacks".
I also grew up using Moras. I think you will find it hard to break of the handle in one wack, fatigued or not.
 
runningboar said:
Let me see if I have this right; you are so hypothermic and fatigued that you can not use a small knife such as a mora correctly, to the extent that it may even break. However you still retain enough dexterity to gather and prepare tinder and to manipulate a lighter, matches or a fire steel? Chris

:confused:
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Not in my eyes :D

I see a cold, knifeless pile of meat when I read that RB.
 
pitdog, didn't think so! It sort of surprised me that I could even spell the word myself!

On an entirely different note, when I get home from this rotation here in Iraq in a couple of weeks, I'll post some pics of my F1 that I've rehandled in olive green canvas micarta. I sure do like that knife!

Ron
 
Ron53 said:
Been emailing back and forth with Scott Gossman today. I'm having him make me one of his "Boarhunter" knives with an 8" blade, instead of its usual length. I have found an 8" blade of 3/16" or 1/4" steel makes a nice chopper for most tasks. Of course, I'll have to wait 12 months to get it! But that's okay...Scott's knives are worth the wait! And I'm certain it will be one I can trust to stand up to the rigors of hard use!

Ron
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That should be an awesome knife. Scott does great work.

Well lets get back on track with some pictures. These are two nessies I trust. One by Seved Hjelm from Sweden and a Gossman.

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ebb8310c.jpg
 
Since I didn't get any answers when I first posted it, I think it's worth asking again....

When you guys say "heavy use", "hard use", etc...

exactly what are you doing, survival wise, that would break even the average swiss army knife?

Making cordage?
Constructing a shelter?
Skinning an animal?
Making a fire?
Procuring water?
Creating traps?
Making a raft?
Digging a latrine?
Making weapons and tools?
Personal hygiene?

What???
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I'm serious....exactly what survival related tasks do you think might break a knife?
 
Ilbruche and Sodak thank's for showing those Gossman mines, I don't know what exactly it is about his work but he has been my favourite maker for a long while now, maybe one day I'll get to own one of his great blades !!!
 
right now the knives i trust without a doubt are my sak soldier and my swamp warden, I have a scrapyard yard hook that I carry on me when I go camping, but I just havent used it enough to say I trust it yet (which is totally my fault for not going out enough :grumpy:)
 
allenC said:
Since I didn't get any answers when I first posted it, I think it's worth asking again....



I'm serious....exactly what survival related tasks do you think might break a knife?
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I can't think of any on my end since I don't do anything with my knives except cut things. I'm a folder kind of person so I really don't do anything dumb with my knives 'cause I like them enough to not be stupid with them.

The only thing I can think of that would ruin a knife is prying with it and digging. The digging would just dull the blade and scratch off blade coating, but prying runs the risk of breaking a knife.

Realistically if we are talking about a survival situation and it's really cold (being from texas I'm not used to working out in the cold) and I'm freezing, I might do something dumb like trying to chop up some wood really quickly for a fire and that could be a cause for a knife to break as well. Now of course I'm not going to find out the hard way, so I'll never know myself, but I still won't put my hard earned knives through that kind of personal test just to see how much it can take before it breaks.
 
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