Knife for future wife.

Danketch said:
I get that you want your girlfriend to have something expensive, but is she really going to appreciate or notice the difference in a higher end steel? Does she have experience using/maintaining knives? Metallurgical or metalworking background? Especially since you admittedly "get by" on lower end knives yourself, why is she going to ascribe a higher value to a higher priced knife?

Why not get a $10 Ontario butcher knife, put an edge on it you like, maybe knock the scales off and make a set of nice wood ones, make or buy a leather sheath for it, and give that a whirl first? Something that you put work into will probably go farther with her than a more expensive knife.

Failing that, if you just want to spend money, I like the Bark River Aurora's alot, in all shapes and forms. The Aurora 2 in 3V is my current favorite of them.

Hope this helps some.
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Yeah the Bark Rivers are nice. Lots of different choices.
 
JamesofArc said:
Her main job will be fire making and food preparation and maybe some minor game cleaning...I want something nice for her like a Falkniven, Bark River or maybe something by Bob Dozier.
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I'm a huge fan of Dozier's blades. Thin and light enough for real-world slicing and cutting. Great edge geometry. Two of my favorite folders are Dozier customs.

However, D2 can be a fussy steel. It will tarnish (develops a light blue-grey patina) almost immediately when cutting red meat or acidic fruits. A few rust spots will pop up here and there if you don't dry it right away. Bob says you don't need to oil his knives, but that hasn't really been true in my experience.

JamesofArc said:
I want quality and a nice looking knife for her to be proud to wear it and I want it to be her favorite knife...What do you guys suggest?
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I'm thinking Lionsteel M4, which is a 4" fixed blade in M390 steel. You can get them in a variety of handle materials and they come with a nice leather sheath.

m4_st.jpg
 
It really depends on your budget. Personally I would look at LT Wright knives. If you have more of a budget take a serious look at the Fiddleback Forge knives. Most of the women who come in our shop love the stunning handles on the Fiddlebacks. Plus they make plenty of knives that are great for all the task you mentioned.
 
Buy a traditional Mora with wooden handle and leather sheath. Sand off the varnish on the handle, and stain it her favorite color, then re-varnish. Same with sheath; Angelus leather dye, and top-coat. Custom knife, just for her.

[When my wife and I had been dating for a few months, she asked me to buy her a knife to use during an extended wilderness trip (hers, and not together). We've been together for 40+ years now.]
 
<----- I've been in this position before and I went with a pink Izula wrapped in pink paracord.
Seems to have worked out well, cause they're both still around, lol.
She enjoys the knife, but never really needed/wanted anything expensive or large.
I did get an earful for not keeping it sharp recently.

I also bought a few different Moras and kept them in the kitchen drawer... they're still there too, and get used more than any other knives else I own.
 
Danketch said:
I get that you want your girlfriend to have something expensive, but is she really going to appreciate or notice the difference in a higher end steel? Does she have experience using/maintaining knives? Metallurgical or metalworking background? Especially since you admittedly "get by" on lower end knives yourself, why is she going to ascribe a higher value to a higher priced knife?
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LOL. I remember when my ex-wife and I were still an item. One day I found her cutting something in a cast iron skillet. She was really going to town with my favorite paring knife. I knew that it would have little edge when she finished. After I voiced my displeasure, she responded with, "Then buy me some I can use in the cast iron."

No problem.:) I bought her kitchen knives much better than I have ever owned. After we split up, she called me one day, complaining about how her younger sister was ruining the knives.
 
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My suggestions would be:

Bradford Guardian 4;
Bark River Mini Aurora; or
Bark River Aurora LT.

I like CPM 3V steel for shorter trips.
 
get her a custom knife. Even a production custom knife. Something that you picked out for her. I got my wife a custom Grip from benchmade for our first anniversary and shes not a knife person and still loves it. She has since started linking knives and own's ... way more than most of my male friends.
 
sabre cat said:
For an actual knife, may I suggest the Boker Field Butcher. It is a great field knife aimed at food prep and dressing game but should work well for all your needs.

EDIT: Make sure you get her a small folder to go with her fixed blade. :)
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This should be a fine knife...another great design in S90V by Phil Wilson. I've had one of his before, and it was outstanding.
 
GB940Rookie said:
My wife and I really like the Spyderco Sprig for camping, or kitchen, food prep.

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I never knew this existed! I will definately check this out. My wife and I backpack a couple of times a year and I think she would really like this (if not, I know I sure would! :p )

KingMC said:
I'd suggest a Bradford Guardian4...
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Great knife, but a bit pricey for what the OP started with. I'm toying with the idea of one of these vs a Bradley Bowie for myself. :)

Emre said:
I'm thinking Lionsteel M4, which is a 4" fixed blade in M390 steel. You can get them in a variety of handle materials and they come with a nice leather sheath.
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Bingo. Great knife. There were rock-star deals on the M4 earlier this year...They may be gone now. It's a full sized knife (though not enormous or anything) which may or may not be to your sweetheat's liking, depending on how petite she may be. Mine gaps a bit between the scale and tang, but it doesn't bother me (pretty sure it would be an easy fix should I ever desire to do so).

There is also the Lionsteel M2 which is a bit smaller (3.5") and cheeper (around $100) with D2 steel. The Guardian 3's with N690 steel were running around $100+ when I checked a few months back. G3s are small but fit nicely in hand and handle great! Too small for batonning but it could easily handle any other camp task. Lots of scale options so she can choose color, etc. Highly recommended!
 
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If it is for your future wife, get her something at least double what your best cost you.
 
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adamlau said:
Of it is for your future wife, get her something at least double what your best cost you.
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^^^So much this!^^^
That way if she doesn't like it, you've scored yourself an awesome new blade!!! LOL!
 
Your wife/girlfriend is not going to care, just hand her a knife that feels light, sturdy and is not hyper sharp and she will be just fine. You don't need to buy anything, unless you are looking.
 
Uh... I have read through the post and I think that no knife will excell at all the tasks you mentioned in your first posts. I own both the Fallkniven (F1 and S1) and the BRKT Aurora. I don't like any of those knives for food prep. And for fire making... well... what do you expect regarding fire making? None of those are choppers at all, they lack length and weight (and girth, before anyone points it out XD).

For me food prep is most about slicing, so thin blades are welcome. While wood prep (as god forbid, battoning to split wood) benefits from a thicker blade. Sure you can do both, but I tell you I don't enjoy peeling potates or dicing fruit with thick blades.

The fixed Spyderco mentioned above looks great. A bit too pointy for my taste (delicate if you want) but seems like it could work.

Now... why don't you just tell her that you want to buy her a knife and take her to a knife store so she can actually fondle a few knives and see what she really likes the most? The best tool for the job is not always the preferred tool for said job... just because the one performing the job does not feel confident with the right tool. It happens to me a lot, I do have a chefs knife (Victorinox chefs knife, fibrox handle, mind you) that is always kept veeeeeeeeeeeery sharp. My dad still preffers to slice and dice with a smallish dull knife, and he is not extranger to tools.

Mikel
 
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