Sylvrfalcn said:
RWS, Old Hickory vs. Green River? The Green River blades are a bit pricier than Old Hickory, but the Green Rivers have a nicer finish, and are tempered harder so they hold an edge longer. Either way, you're dealing with thin blades that absolutely excel at cutting/slicing, but I wouldn't try any chopping/prying with 'em, maybe some light baton work at most.
Sarge
I didn't own any Green River blades until I was grown.
And I can't even remember where I got my first one but think it was a mail order deal.
The first one I got was what I think is called the "Dadley Knife," but I'm not sure and I'm not sure I spelled it right either.
I was about 34-35 when I got it and was surprised at its being so thin and light. It also came with a period sheath.
Later on I bought another Green River, what's commonly known as the "Skinner," not sure if they also have one called the "Buffalo Skinner" or not but I think they do and it's a tad larger than the standard skinner.
Somehow the Skinner I bought is Stainless Steel.
I didn't even know that Green River made any stainless steel knives until I got it.
It seems to hold an edge okay but it's just not the same as the good carbon steel blades, has no soul, and I've never been real fond of it. It's just a knife that gets used rarely, even though it has a great shaped blade, and lives in one of the knife drawers in the kitchen.
Sarge is spot on when he says the Green Rivers are a little more substantial than the Old Hickory Line as well as holding an edge a bit better.
My brother bought our mom a small set of Old Hickory Knives one year for Christmas at my suggestion.
I was about 12-13 then and had an ulterior motive since mom didn't have any decent knives in the kitchen and I knew I would be able to "borrow" these for some of my craft work.
There was one very small paring knife that I wasn't allowed to use but it was too little for what I needed a knife for anyway so it wasn't a big deal.
Most generally the knife I used was the good sized Butcher Knife, had about a 6" blade.
I used the tail offa that knife!!!! And I used it hard, hell I was just a kid remember.
And contrary to what Sarge says about chopping and prying with them I did both quite a lot.
I also did quite a bit of batoning with the butcher knife as well.
And all of this work was most generally related to making hardwood, Hickory, Ash, and a little Bois D'Arc, self bows.
The prying I did was enough to visibly bend the blade but not so much that it would take a set and never even close to the breaking point.
The butcher knife is great for splitting straight grained freshly cut hardwoods and quite a bit of sideways pressure can be exerted on it to get the wood to "pop" open down the length of the grain.
And as Sarge has said it is great for cutting and slicing!!!!
One of the Green River and Old Hickory's really great benefits is the ease with which they can be sharpened!!!! All in all a two thumbs up series of knives!!!!:thumbup: :thumbup:
Edit:
Here are a couple of links to Crazy Crow Trading Post.
The first link is the Green River Blades and the second link has the completed Green River Knives.
http://www.crazycrow.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=841-400-000 http://www.crazycrow.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=841-200-010
There are some Crazy Crow offerings that aren't worth ordering such as the Hudson Bay Dagger. They appear to be made in India and aren't of the best quality.
Most of the goods they carry are top notch and I recommend Crazy Crow Trading Post highly!!!!
We have bought a lot of different goods such as knife blades, tomahawks, beads, and fan kits, etc and we have always been impressed with the quality and the prices. Just like anything else, you get what ya pay fer.;-)
