Livesay Neck Knives? Your Opinion?

Mitchell Knives

Mitchell Knives

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Hi all. I was probably going to go ahead and purchase a Livesay Woo and Little Pecker neck knife, both with belt clips for the sheaths. I emailed Newt earlier for a little more info and he was very helpful...seems like a very nice guy.

I was wondering if anyone here actually owns these particular models, and if so, what do you think about them? My only experience with 1095 steel has come from my Ontario Fighter Bowie that happens to be way to thick for a quality edge and is probably not heat treated all that well. How good are these knives on edge holding? Good heat treat? Is the blade thick or thinly ground? How do these knives perform in neck knife mode and IWB?

My intended use for these blades is a simple last ditch backup defensive piece. I may even use it for utility depending on how it performs. Depending on how I feel, it will be used in neck knife mode or IWB.

Any experiences you could share about these two knives or Livesay knives in general would be appreciated. Thank you in advance.

Johnathan
 
Hi ElectricZombie.

I've got 3 Woo's around here, two cordwrapped and one Titanium. They're nice little neckers. Mine came sharp and haven't needed much sharpening with use. Newt's heat treat is great. For utility you might look more at an NRGS or his BHB models than a tanto like the Woo. I like carbon steels so 1095 is just fine to me. I've got a Company knife and a Sandbar Bowie from Newt as well. He makes some of the best handle designs for sheer usability and feel. You can tell I don't think you'd go wrong with a Livesay!

By the way, I was just out your way in Greenville a couple of weeks ago, visiting my son at ECU. You've got a great town there!

Hank:cool:
 
I have had a fe Livesays, a Woo and an ICU (similar to the air assault). The edges were a little thick, but generally not a problem to re-profile how you want them. The knives would not win any beauty contests, but quality and construction are very good. I used the ICU and was very happy with its performance....its meant for hard work and does it well.

The Woo I carried more than I used it, but quality was equal to the ICU (very good). Neck carry was fine, and Newts kydex work is very good.

Dont let the low prices fool ya into thinking that the quality is less, its not. The knives are not very pretty, but it keeps the cost down while giving you a first rate tool.
 
Can't go wrong w/ Newt's stuff. I have a bunch of his knives & have carrried the Woo, NRG, NRGEX, BHB, G45, Zipper, Thrasher #2 & #3, & Ti Tiger as neckers. Go for the NRGEX Steel or the Thrasher #3 (mini Company Knife). Good utility use knives as well as good hideaway defensive knives. Don't worry about the steel- you may need to mess w/ the edges a bit, but it doesn't take much work & they'll do the work of a knife that costs 2x-3x as much.
 
When you all say that the knives arn't very pretty, are you just refering to the simple grind and black finish? I don't want one that has a rough edges, etc and generally looks weird.

All I use sharpen my knives is a Spyderco Sharpmaker. Will this be enough to redo the edge if it's too thick? Thanks.

HankS - Yes, Greenville is a neat little town...not too big, not too small. I live about 1/2 a mile from the university (also attend). ECU is really a great school. They really have some of the best programs of all the universities in the state. Probably the #2 school in NC in my opinion.

No real knife stores in Greenville yet, although a big knife show is supposed to come to the newly built convention center.
 
I have been carrying a Woo off duty under my t-shirt for about two months. Love it. Combat last ditch knife. Can't even see it. Put Para 550 cord around the ball chain. Comfortable to wear and draw but will break if pulled hard enough on.
 
Newt makes great blades I have 1 woo and love it I have 2 in ti.on order as well as a Ugi. Great kydex and great neck knives I have Crawfords and Dawsons as well but still llove the woo's. Chris
 
Originally posted by Rugger
Can't go wrong w/ Newt's stuff. I have a bunch of his knives & have carrried the Woo, NRG, NRGEX, BHB, G45, Zipper, Thrasher #2 & #3, & Ti Tiger as neckers. Go for the NRGEX Steel or the Thrasher #3 (mini Company Knife). Good utility use knives as well as good hideaway defensive knives. Don't worry about the steel- you may need to mess w/ the edges a bit, but it doesn't take much work & they'll do the work of a knife that costs 2x-3x as much.
Click to expand...

Now I am even more anxious to receive my order from Newt! All these great reviews make my glad I ordered from Wicked Knife Company.
From another thread, it appears that Newt is slammed with orders for his new AK. If you want something from Newt get in line early!
-SB
 
I had a G-45 for a while and it seemed like a great little knife. Especially for the price. Came very sharp with a grippy edge.
 
All of Newt's knives are very well made and have a great heat treat. To say that they are not pretty is to say that they are well finished, but not like a mirror finish, they are parkerized and the finish on the handles is left rough, not polished. In a working knife, texture on the handle is a good thing and the parkerizing protects the metal from rust as well as dampening reflections.
The knives are not weird-looking and are shaped to be efficient cutters. If you try them I think you will like them.
The woo is a good weapon. The LP is a utility knife. The NRGS is a good combination of both. The EX option on any of these knives is worth the extra money.
 
I have both the cord wrapped Woo and the SOP neck knives by Newt. What's a cord wrapped woo sell for? 27.00 bucks? Nothing for twice that much compares. Remember though the woo is chisel grind.
So you only sharpen one side, and strop the burr off. Also reprofiling with the spyderco 204 is not
all that easy. I doubt you will find the Woo's edge angle unacceptable. Its only ground on one side, so the angle is steep enough. Use a magic marker on the edge so you know when your hitting it and then kind of vary your angle of the blade against the 204 stones. It will allow you to sharpen it without having to reprofile and make the knife conform to the 204's fixed sharpening angles. Or use the 204 stones in the bench stone mode. The tanto front edge is not going to be easy to sharpen and if you want that to shave, lots of luck. Its easy to get the main edge shaving sharp. This is a heck of nice little knife. But again its a chisel ground tanto. It can be made double ground on request for more money. The steel is great. Its a heck of a little tool.
 
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