I'm doing a little survey, please help me out.

beluga

beluga

Joined
Nov 17, 2001
Messages
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What kind of finish do you like most and why (for a combat/self defense knife; not investment piece) ?

Options :

1. satin finish
2. mirror finish
3. bead blasted
4. coating (what kind ?)

Answer example :
1. Look nice and has smaller possibility to rust (compared to bead blast finish).

Thanks in advance guys !
 
satin finish for me
looks nice, simple and maintenance isnt too bad, i find with coatings scratches show up a lot
 
You said it:

1. Look nice and has smaller possibility to rust (compared to bead blast finish)

As far as anyone has ever been able to explain to me, the only reason for bead blasted finishes is to hide the manufacturer's mistakes.

Mirrored finishes are for collectors.

Maybe a coating, but I haven't yet seen one that entirely satisfies.
 
An interesting question. My new knife which has just been made for me has a satin finish on the blade. I haven't actually got the knife yet, it was posted to me yesterday afternoon so I'll be checking the mail box daily. I've only seen a picture of it so far and I can't make up my mind if I like the satin finish or not. Maybe when I see it in the flesh, so to speak, I'll be able to finally decide.
 
Satin finish is good all around. If I was in combat or ninja nightstalking with murderous intent, I guess black coated.:eek:
 
I don't really care about looks and would rather have the most rust protection I can get so I usually pick up coated blades when available, satin finish when they are not. I can't remember a single knife that I have been seriously interested in purchasing that came with a mirror finnish.

As far as what kind of coating, that also really doesn't matter to me. Many people don't like Benchmade's BT coating because it looks bad after use, but it still inhibits rust so who cares what it looks like :confused:

I guess I just put function over looks for my users.
 
1. Simple is good.

4. TiNi maybe 5% of the time (depends... sometimes I feel like a nut, sometimes I don't)
 
Mirror finish. Blade performance is reduced by friction. Mirror finish has minimum friction. Scratches may show more on a mirror finish, but that is simply cosmetic.
 
1. because it looks just fine. wont look bad after use like a mirror finish.

No coating please. I'll apply my own gun blue.
 
Whatever finish that's on my 9-year-old Buck Crosslock Solitaire.
That has been my EDC for quite a long time, along with whatever else I happen to be carrying. Naked without it.
I've snagged the pocket clip in my castnet at least twenty times through the years, and flung it out into the water.(luckily, it's held onto the net so i always got it back.) After all that time, not a speck of rust. Gotta love it.
 
I like both satin and stone washed. They have good rust resistance and hide scratches well.

Mirror works great, but the looks go to heck too fast or my tastes.

Bead blast rusts far too easily for my tastes.

Coatings? I guess you could sugar coat a blade to make it taste better.
 
Satin finish. Specifically hand rubbed satin finish from makers like Bob Lum and Jerry Hossom.
 
Stone Wash or Satin, don't like coatings they tend to get scratched up. I don't like mirror finishes because to me they look cheap.
 
Satin finish or stonewash is good for me. Mirror finish is also nice. I hate beadblast though. (I have converted all my beadblasted knives to satin-ish)
 
Satin, mirror finishes tend to get screwed up through use. For non-glare an etched finish is OK, but I don't like coatings because they wear off.
 
I think that for “combat and self defense” the knife should have a black coated blade. That makes the knife harder for your opponent to see, especially at night. Boron carbide coating is nice and hard. Any black coating is probably good enough. You shouldn’t be cutting anything but flesh with your self defense knife anyway. Then you won’t scratch the coating and the knife will be razor sharp if you need it.
 
The only flesh I have ever cut is from food animals and myself (accidentally).

I am slightly obsessive in that I do all of the procedures on my knives myself and the only way I know to coat blades is by etching.

I make knives as tools for cutting things. Except for people in the military, most legally used tactical knives are fantasy objects or jewelry, in my opinion.
 
I like all of them when it seems to fit the knife. My monkey nature seems to be attracted to shiny/mirror polishes, first. I have a Case saber cut folding hunter which shines so brightly that it is hard to look at the blade. Then, of course, the satin finish is very nice, too. My Cold Steel Scimitar looks nice...and you can actually see the blade! I like the teflon coating of my Emerson Persian because it just *fits* it, you know...makes it look dangerous. The stonewashed look of the Cuda Maxx bowie is a little drab but I know it is the best finish for a knife designed for rugged field use (and it is certainly built for that!)

I don't much care for the beadblast finish but it suits some knives to have that 'look,' e.g., CRKT M-16s. I have a CRKT Hawk D.O.G. that I wish was stonewashed or coated rather than blasted...but even so, it is a very good looking knife.
 
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