Knife confessions

[Basp2005]

I ruined a perfectly good ZT 0560 "modifying" it. Ended up in the trash. I still kick myself over that one.

 

[chevyrulez1]

I have a few confessions / rants I have been brewing on after buying bunches of every kind of knives, expensive, cheap, slip joint, everything from $4 Ozark Trail to $150 Benchmades, and I have reached some personal conclusions:
1. I hate it that every "knife test" on the "U"tube is people either batoning a knife through logs or trying to break the tip by stabbing it deeply into wood and then prying it out. This has resulted in most manufacturers building their knives like sharpened prybars so that they will survive the ridiculous testing of people on the internet. I truly believe this is why it is hard to find a good knife that cuts well because everyone wants to use them as a machete, axe, prybar, etc.
2. I find that I enjoy inexpensive knives better than expensive ones. I have several $150 knives that I love, but I am afraid to hard use them because I don't want to harm them, scratch them, etc. I know it is just a mental thing with me, but I find that I enjoy a cheap Buck Bantam or an inexpensive Gerber, etc. because I will use it to cut, dig, scrape, whatever without a care. I usually end up carrying and using them more, and surprisingly they hold up just fine. Because of this I have resisted the urge to buy anything over $40-$50 because I figure it won't get used
3. I have found that one of my main EDC uses I have for my knives is food prep, cutting up apples, cutting off hunks of cheese, tomatoes, etc. Because of this I prefer a slim profile knife, preferably with a hollow grind. Other grinds and especially full flat grinds tend to stick to stuff (especially cheese) when I try to cut through and they struggle to work well despite being razor sharp, whereas something like a case slip joint with a hollow grind will slide right through almost effortlessly.
4. I really do not care for "super steels" I guess the closest thing I own are several with S30V and to be honest I don't see much difference in performance with them than an AUS8, 420HC, your various 440's etc. Every knife I have I like to keep scary crazy hair popping, atom splitting sharp, and in my experience all of them will lose this super fine edge with just a small amount of use. It does not bother me because I find it relaxing to sharpen and touch up my knives, so ease of sharpening is more valuable to me than edge retention (within reason) and I also am not really worried about super high corrosion resistance
5. I really do not like 8Cr13MoV It's not that I am a steel snob by any means (see my previous point) some manufacturers seem to get good results from it (like my Spyderco Tenacious) but most of them just don't for some reason I can't explain. Don't know if it is the heat treat, edge geometry, or what but I struggle to get them sharp and then when they do get sharp they don't seem to stay that way. In my mind it almost feels like the steel smears instead of coming to a crisp edge if that makes sense. All the Chinese made Kershaw's come to mind. I have owned several of them but just do not like them, they all just seem to be the same thing over and over with a slightly different shape / size and I have not been happy with them except for my Leek (Sandvik 14C28N) it is great! I do not seem to have this issue with other budget steels.
6. I have a soft spot for anything that is military issued. I guess it goes back to my roots as an Air Force brat, but anything issued to the Military is more interesting to me (Camillus Demo Knives, Ontario, Pilot Survival Knives, M7 Bayonets, etc.) I know that in reality there are probably better options in most cases but I just think it's cool

OK, personal confessions over. Your mileage may vary...

 

[Jaygti]

I’ve never seen a knife with a bone handle that I would buy-just horrible.
Don’t really like fixed blades much, perhaps because I have very little use for them.
I prefer small folders , sub 3.5inch preferably. They fit nicely in the pocket.

 

[SteeleJ1976]

Let's see

I have 5 knives; 4 of which are SAKs and 2 of those are 58mm keychain ones. I have a Liner lock folder that sits in my tackle box.

I use pull through sharpeners.

I use the tools on my SAK more then the knife and when I do use the knife 90% of the time it is the small blade.

I probably could get by with a classic SD for most of my knife needs.

I use a utility knife to cut up cardboard boxes.

I consider a knife a tool not a weapon or fashion statement.

 

[sabre cat]

...I use pull through sharpeners.

Heresy!

 

[Lesknife]

I once bought a folding utility box cutter, foolishly thinking it would be a good edc. You know the ones with replaceable blades. It had a blue anodized aluminum handle, thumb stud and a pocket clip and it was a liner lock. That was the most stupid thing I could ever conceive as an edc knife. It didn’t even have storage for extra blades. It was super cheap and in a short time I snuck out to the dumpster to be rid of it making sure no one could see me as I unceremoniously dropped it in quietly so as to not draw attention. I was so embarrassed!

 

[Weiss]

I like knives I have no "practical" use for. Which is pretty much everything I own short of a few kitchen knives and, say, my XL Cold Steel Voyager. That one's practical.

 

[Wasatch11253]

This one is a bit different than what’s been posted so far. I had just received my AGA Campolin Zero in cf in the mail. Needless to say I was excited unpacking it, my teenage son was standing next to me. I was checked the automatic action several times, and the damn thing flicked out of my hand, descended and the blade glanced across my sons right knee... he was wearing shorts.

After a trip to the ER and 13 stitches later, I kept kicking myself in the ass and still do to this day. Definitely learned to be much more careful with my knives when handling them.

Here is that Zero:

 

[Billy The Hungry]

Deep down in my heart, I hate full flat grinds on folders.

 

[LSUisSEC]

I r

I've never owned a Buck 110 or 112 or Spyderco Delica.

I recently purchased my first delica. Never had a buck knife. The delica is fantastic

 

[Planterz]

I recently purchased my first delica. Never had a buck knife. The delica is fantastic

I have 4 Delicas now. Well, 5 if you include the duplicate CTS-204P.

 

[LSUisSEC]

It counts lol

 

[Joshua Bartosiewicz]

I love overbuilt knives. I know the industry in general is moving toward more carriable/ thinner blades, but something about carrying a huge chunk of steel that you can feel in your pocket just appeals to me

TOPS knives are your go to

 

[BIGDORK]

I just dont like liner lock folders. If the liner were just as thick as the blade it's supposed to be locking? Even then... nope.

Just cant do it.

Copy that. I cannot put any faith in a liner lock and I'm sure there is plenty of info to say otherwise but, not interested.
Its a rare occasion for me to solo carry a folder anyway.
Also, Opinels, SAK's, and carbon fiber scales fall into my don't GAF category

 

[LSUisSEC]

I hate frame locks. Unless its well done with matching scales 99.9% i hate though.

 

[SteeleJ1976]

I thought of a couple more:

I use scissors more then a knife.

I didn't carry a knife for 20 years and would use keys to open packages. So embarrassing, SMH.

 

[sabre cat]

...I didn't carry a knife for 20 years and would use keys to open packages. So embarrassing, SMH.

I’ve seen people use scissors to open packages when a knife was available.

I’ve also seen someone use a knife as a screwdriver when tools were available.

 

[Billy The Hungry]

I’ve seen people use scissors to open packages when a knife was available.

I’ve also seen someone use a knife as a screwdriver when tools were available.

I once handed my SAK to my sister in law because she needed a screwdriver.

She used the knife tip instead of the screw driver, and damaged my knife's tip.

Lesson learned on my part.

 

[Stelth]

I've found, in most cases, people who need to borrow a knife don't know how to use a knife.

 

[Snacktime]

I really only need one pocket knife, not a drawer full... I miss my spyderco stretch I lost 3 months ago crawling through brush while fishing and can't seem to buy another because it's like trying to replace a lost friend.