knife for tired old man (pictures appreciated)

[Sonnydaze]

Your thread certainly drew a great deal of interest...I hope you are happy with your choice(s).
best regards from "another"
Don

 

[FireCloud9]

Thanks Sonnydaze.

exmaxima, I've seen some very nice custom scales for the Grips on this site. One of these days I'll get around to it...

It is very slick to open/close. It already drew first blood. My girlfriend was watching me break in one of the other knives by flicking it open/close and wanted to try it. I advised against it, saying the knives were sharp and she could get cut. Seconds later, gravity brought the knife blade to close - even the empty boxes aren't touched now.

Great choices! I'll add that I carry my Stretch ZDP-189 90% of the time. I've added custom scales to my 550HG, so at least it will leave the house occasionally (I hated the stock plastic grips), except now it's almost too nice to use---so slick to open/close!! The Stretch is still the perfect size and ergos for my EDC, but the BM Axis lock is the most fun.

 

[exmaxima]

Thanks Sonnydaze.

exmaxima, I've seen some very nice custom scales for the Grips on this site. One of these days I'll get around to it...

It is very slick to open/close. It already drew first blood. My girlfriend was watching me break in one of the other knives by flicking it open/close and wanted to try it. I advised against it, saying the knives were sharp and she could get cut. Seconds later, gravity brought the knife blade to close - even the empty boxes aren't touched now.

BTW, you might try to request an "Adamas" pocket clip for your BM 550HG (or regular Griptilian). The clip (I think it's from the Adamas 275) is deep carry and fits well.

 

[FireCloud9]

BTW, you might try to request an "Adamas" pocket clip for your BM 550HG (or regular Griptilian). The clip (I think it's from the Adamas 275) is deep carry and fits well.

Thanks exmaxima, I called Benchmade and got 3 deep pocket clips. Now I just have to buy a Torex.


Now if I could only figure out the right questions to ask to get a flxed blade...

 

[Raymond1000]

Thanks exmaxima, I called Benchmade and got 3 deep pocket clips. Now I just have to buy a Torex.


Now if I could only figure out the right questions to ask to get a flxed blade...

For Torx screwdrivers, I recommend the WIHA brand. They make a set from T20 to T6 that isn’t too expensive.

Why do you want a fixed blade? What sorts of things do you expect to do with it? Skinning? Clearing trail? Prepping firewood? Batoning logs? Civil War reenactment? Killing hogs? Killing zombies?

It makes a difference.

 

[FireCloud9]

For Torx screwdrivers, I recommend the WIHA brand. They make a set from T20 to T6 that isn’t too expensive.

Why do you want a fixed blade? What sorts of things do you expect to do with it? Skinning? Clearing trail? Prepping firewood? Batoning logs? Civil War reenactment? Killing hogs? Killing zombies?

It makes a difference.

Thanks for the info Raymond.

The fixed blade would be for security / survival / emergency preparedness. I suppose if the SHTF all the things you mentioned would be fair game - except the Civil War reenactment and killing zombies

Most likely, food preparation, build shelter, make fires, hunt, pry tool, hammer, Cut/Slice, Dig (emergency), split firewood, Self-Defense (secondary after I run out of ammo ), as First Aid Tool, etc.

Until that emergency scenario materializes, I'd like to use it for odds and ends and may use it to make walking sticks, sling shot handles, campfires / firewood for / with my kids.

I won't be trail clearing in the CA suburbs anytime soon. I'd get a machete for that. No need to skin game while the supermarkets are still around and I sure as hell hope that I have something more than a fixed blade if I run into any black bear, bobcats or mountain lions. I'd expect most of what I'd see around here is deer, wild turkey, rabbits, and other small game. Lake Tahoe is 90mins (90 miles) away.

I know that there are knives that are appropriate for each function, but I don't expect to bug out with 50 knives, and since it's mainly there in case of emergency, it won't get a lot of use until that time comes, so I'm looking for one knife that can serve all these functions.

 

[Jeru]

My recommendation to anyone who does not own a Spyderco Military yet is always a Spyderco Military: 5.5 inch super comfortable handle; perfect pocket-clip; 4 inch full flat ground super slicing blade and only 4.2 ounces. Wears perfect in the back pocket because of its thinness en perfect pocket clip. (Also available in lefty version.) I'm EDC'ing one (of four) for about eight years now. No ZT, Emerson, Hogue, LoneWolf or even my Midtech Kwaiback can kick it out of my right back pocket longer than a couple of days. And this is coming from some one with Xtra Small hands by the way.

Concerning your hands I wouldn't recommend a button-lock like on the Hogue EX-01. Also not an compression-lock like on the Para-Military 2. Actually I would recommend specifically a liner-lock and otherwise a frame-lock.

Oh and you stated pics appreciated:











(I'm sorry, for a lot of regular visiting forum members these pics are probably getting boring by now I guess. Apologies.)

 

[Raymond1000]

Thanks for the info Raymond.

The fixed blade would be for security / survival / emergency preparedness. I suppose if the SHTF all the things you mentioned would be fair game - except the Civil War reenactment and killing zombies

Most likely, food preparation, build shelter, make fires, hunt, pry tool, hammer, Cut/Slice, Dig (emergency), split firewood, Self-Defense (secondary after I run out of ammo ), as First Aid Tool, etc.

Until that emergency scenario materializes, I'd like to use it for odds and ends and may use it to make walking sticks, sling shot handles, campfires / firewood for / with my kids.

I won't be trail clearing in the CA suburbs anytime soon. I'd get a machete for that. No need to skin game while the supermarkets are still around and I sure as hell hope that I have something more than a fixed blade if I run into any black bear, bobcats or mountain lions. I'd expect most of what I'd see around here is deer, wild turkey, rabbits, and other small game. Lake Tahoe is 90mins (90 miles) away.

I know that there are knives that are appropriate for each function, but I don't expect to bug out with 50 knives, and since it's mainly there in case of emergency, it won't get a lot of use until that time comes, so I'm looking for one knife that can serve all these functions.

The problem is that you’re asking for one blade to perform incompatible functions. A four or five inch task knife is great for feather sticks, notching, skinning. It’s too short for felling trees or beheading goats. You might skin the goat, or make a figure four trap, with a trail knife. I’m glad I’ve never had to do it.

I’ve been a short knife—long knife guy most of my life. My current task knife is a Randall Pathfinder. My ten inch trail knife is a Bushwhacker Mistress. Between them they handle most anything in the woods. Does your machete chop hardwood and fit in your pack? That’s an inexpensive equivalent. You’d only need a task knife.

Another option is a short knife and a saw. A folding saw is lighter than a trail knife and can do much of the same work.

Or you can go the middle route. Something like the Hudson Bay Camp Knife. A seven or eight inch general purpose blade. Those can handle most things. Too big for some work. Too small for the rest. But it’s the closest to what you’re asking for. For real SHTF stuff I favor Busse Kin. Especially if prying and digging are on the menu. I don’t know which current mid-sized models are good choppers. The Swamp Rat Ratweiler is, but you just missed it. You could ask at the Busse subforum.

When it goes pear shaped, you want a knife with a guard. Think shock, hypothermia, blood loss, exhaustion. Mistakes are more likely. This is no time for your hand to slide onto your edge.

 

[sabre cat]

FWIW, I just picked up a Benchmade 162 Bushcrafter. Been pretty happy with it so far. How about something along those lines for your FB?

 

[FireCloud9]

Nice pics Jeru, by the looks of it, that clip better hold or someone else is going to be enjoying a nice knife.

Ray, that's correct. I'm well aware of the incompatibility of what I'm asking. I tend to think of it along military lines.... you only get one knife... I'm going for as much utility as possible in a survival knife. To give you some idea, the partial list of knives below (in no particular order) is where I started my search.

Becker BK2, BK10; ESEE-4, ESEE-6; Chris Reeve Yarborough, LMF II, Bushcraft G-10, Morakniv Companion, Fallkniven A1, S1; Seal Pup, etc.

Insofar as I can tell, I'm leaning towards a knife that's ~9-11" in overall length, maximum utility (90% of function). Though that's about the only variables that I've sort of settled on thus far. I just don't know what I don't know in a fixed blade. In the infantry I had a Ka-Bar bayonet, but that was a lifetime ago... I'm as obsolete as all the gear issued back then

Sabre Cat, nice contribution... I like that knife. It's tough to choose one without having all these knives on a table in front of me to handle and input from those that own some of these knives. What other knives did you look into?

 

[Jeru]

Nice pics Jeru, by the looks of it, that clip better hold or someone else is going to be enjoying a nice knife.

Thanks. The Millie pocket-clip is the best and most comfortable pocket-clip I have experienced so far. It is holding perfectly for about eight years now. Never encountered any problem with it whatsoever.

Becker BK2, BK10; ESEE-4, ESEE-6; Chris Reeve Yarborough, LMF II, Bushcraft G-10, Morakniv Companion, Fallkniven A1, S1; Seal Pup, etc.

(...) I'm leaning towards a knife that's ~9-11" in overall length, maximum utility (90% of function).

For fixed blades I would recommend something of Survive! Knives in CPM 3V, incredibly tough steel that holds a good edge and does not corrode as easy as 1095 for example, due to the 7.5% Chromium. If we're talking Chris Reeve money, I would recommend Busse (INFI is even a bit tougher than CPM 3V and has 8.25% Chromium). If it needs to be stainless and cheap, I like the 12C27 from Sandvik that Mora is using and the value of Mora Kniv is unbeatable. If stainless isn't necessary or needed, I would also recommend to take a look at Scrapyard Knives (SYKCO) the cheaper line of knives from Busse Combat. Of course there is nothing wrong with ESEE, which come with a No-questions-asked Life-time Warranty and one of best sheaths in the business. Survive! includes great sheaths as well by the way. (Busse and Busse-kin come without sheaths. Spec Ops offers an affordable solution for that.)

 

[Raymond1000]

Nice pics Jeru, by the looks of it, that clip better hold or someone else is going to be enjoying a nice knife.

Ray, that's correct. I'm well aware of the incompatibility of what I'm asking. I tend to think of it along military lines.... you only get one knife... I'm going for as much utility as possible in a survival knife. To give you some idea, the partial list of knives below (in no particular order) is where I started my search.

Becker BK2, BK10; ESEE-4, ESEE-6; Chris Reeve Yarborough, LMF II, Bushcraft G-10, Morakniv Companion, Fallkniven A1, S1; Seal Pup, etc.

Insofar as I can tell, I'm leaning towards a knife that's ~9-11" in overall length, maximum utility (90% of function). Though that's about the only variables that I've sort of settled on thus far. I just don't know what I don't know in a fixed blade. In the infantry I had a Ka-Bar bayonet, but that was a lifetime ago... I'm as obsolete as all the gear issued back then

Sabre Cat, nice contribution... I like that knife. It's tough to choose one without having all these knives on a table in front of me to handle and input from those that own some of these knives. What other knives did you look into?

Didn’t you first come here wanting to buy just one good knife?

How did that work out?

One distinction among emergency knives is; Standing or Sitting. I’ve never heard it discussed this way. But for chairborne commandos it’s a real issue.

In WWII, Army Infantry and Marines carried the 7” Ka-Bar Mark II fighting/utility. In that conflict hand to hand with machete, knife, E-tool, bayonet, was likely. They didn’t teach knife fighting in basic for nothing. You needed at least a 7” blade to get through your target’s winter clothing.

Pilots and navigators and gunners work sitting down. The Air Force Survival knife—AKA Bolt Knife—started life with a six inch blade. It was soon shortened to a five inch blade. It has stayed a five inch blade ever since. The Air Force Knife was designed to cut you out of your dead plain. Then help you deal with jungle or tundra. It worked well for decades. When Gary Power’s U-2 plane was shot down, he was wearing a 4” Randall Bird and Trout. The Swedish Air Force uses the four inch Fallkniven F1. You can accomplish a lot with a four or five inch knife.

All this boils down to, what is the size of your emergency kit? How much space do you have for a blade? How much do you want a chopper? A five inch blade isn’t long enough for that. And at a maximum 11” overall, you are mostly looking at five, maybe six inch blade. You won’t build any log cabins with that.

On a different subject:

There is a series of YouTube videos by Noss doing destruction tests of different knives. These tests were only marginally about how good a knife was, as a knife. They are all about how much emergency/abuse a given knife can take. The tests are controversial. There were loud screams about how unscientific the tests were. There were louder screams when someone’s favorite bit the dust early. One of these was the surprisingly fragile Chris Reeve Yarborough/Green Beret.

No, you shouldn’t treat your knives that way. On the other hand…you want a blade that can pry, lever, and dig. Knife toughness is a difference that makes a difference.

About Knifetest.com http://www.alloutdoor.com/2013/12/09/knifetests-com-legend-returns/

Chris Reeve Green Beret: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vtbyj8NtEw

Becker BK9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-TgaFd9dqw

Busse Basic 9 [Busse gave up on the asymmetric edge years ago. The current versions of the Basics are made with standard INFI.] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwcRSU0R8kE&app=desktop

With what I have to go on right now, look at the Swamp Rat Ratmandu. Great blade shape and grind for an all around five inch knife. Everybody loves the Ratmandu.