Looking for the right knife

BunsOfSteel said:
Haha. I'm assuming it takes one to know one. I am without a doubt eventually going to go custom. I think that I just prefer to get something as good as possible that is factory made and build from that.
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Yup....NPD for 23+ years
 
Olumin said:
For a practical camp knife I can highly recommend looking at JARS. Very ergonomic + they are well ground for slicing. Advantages being that they are European based and wont break the bank as much as some others. I wouldn't get too hung up on super steels. They are great but you need to know how to maintain & sharpen them, which can be a problem if youre not experienced. Steels like N690 are also easier to touch up in the field. If you really want Magnacut, maybe look at UG Tools.
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Thanks this is all very helpful. I'm going to check these out. Knowing myself it will be a while before I pull the trigger as I really like to see as many options as possible. Incase anyone cares ill post some pics once I make the purchase
 
I recommend to stay away from GSO.

If CPK appear to be too hard to find, look into Busse. Specifically the Infi Ratmandu, FFG or Sabre ground, they come up in the exchange quite often. Seems to fit your need perfectly. Should be less than $350 with (custom) sheath.

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Then again, for your budget you might as well go custom. We have some great makers here ...
 
ferider said:
I recommend to stay away from GSO.

If CPK appear to be too hard to find, look into Busse. Specifically the Infi Ratmandu, FFG or Sabre ground, they come up in the exchange quite often. Seems to fit your need perfectly. Should be less than $350 with (custom) sheath.

IMG_2285-X2.jpg


Then again, for your budget you might as well go custom. We have some great makers here ...
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Beautiful knife. I guess my only concern is that I don't know enough about steels, handle materials, blade thickness etc. I fear that I will end up ordering something that doesnt even make sense. Like ordering the right steel in the wrong thickness or blade grind, etc. I'm assuming that something premade has a better chance of being correct than what my limited knowledge is capable of. Been looking into all of the recomandations and their all great. I wish I could hold them to see how they feel. I'm really liking what i see and hear from CPK and specifically the BFK. looks like it responds to my needs.
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Why stay away from GSO out of curiosity?
 
ferider said:
Questionable business practices. And if I don't trust these, I don't trust the knives either (heat-treat, etc.). There is a long thread on this.

They are not cheap, so there are plenty of alternatives.
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Ok thanks. I appreciate it. The swamp rats are beutiful just all out of stock. I'm trying to figure out how to buy directly from this forum ,as everything seams to sell immedietly. Does Swamp rat do custom ?
 
BunsOfSteel said:
Ok thanks. I appreciate it. The swamp rats are beutiful just all out of stock. I'm trying to figure out how to buy directly from this forum ,as everything seams to sell immedietly. Does Swamp rat do custom ?
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They do custom, but the wait is long. If you watch the exchange for a couple of weeks, a Ratmandu will come up for sure. Anyways, here is my rotation in that size .... Anything you like ? :)

(There is a Ratmandu, 3rd from the right, and a BFK 2nd from the right))

_DSC0158-X3.jpg


Nr. 4 and 5 from the right are custom.
 
Happy hunting!!
If you go with survive knives, it will be a snipe hunt.
Stay away.

Bad - Survive! Deserves A Permanent Post In The Hall Of Shame

And how would you suggest they make money so they can test the new steel if not taking preorders for a whole batch production?? You sir know nothing about business 😁 With all the pre-orders why couldn't they produce the other steels they committed to? Where is the Delta 3V, 20CV, Magnacut...
www.bladeforums.com www.bladeforums.com
 
Perhaps a Benchmade 162. USA made. Life Sharp. Unbeatable warranty. Could pair it with an Adamas folder.
IMG_0694.jpeg
 
ferider said:
They do custom, but the wait is long. If you watch the exchange for a couple of weeks, a Ratmandu will come up for sure. Anyways, here is my rotation in that size .... Anything you like ? :)

(There is a Ratmandu, 3rd from the right, and a BFK 2nd from the right))

_DSC0158-X3.jpg


Nr. 4 and 5 from the right are custom.
Click to expand...
ferider said:
They do custom, but the wait is long. If you watch the exchange for a couple of weeks, a Ratmandu will come up for sure. Anyways, here is my rotation in that size .... Anything you like ? :)

(There is a Ratmandu, 3rd from the right, and a BFK 2nd from the right))

_DSC0158-X3.jpg


Nr. 4 and 5 from the right are custom.
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That BFK is calling to me! Really starting to think it may be the one
 
I'd go in a sightly different direction. You seem engaged enough with this that I suspect this will not be your "last knife" - you don't seem to be buying a tool, you're learning and refining your preferences. And as a designer, you are likely going to be actively engaged with your knife on a meta-level - thinking about what you like and don't, how you would have designed it.

If I'm right about that, I'd say take a step up from the Mora with one of the many good suggestions already made, and use it to think about what you'd want out of a custom. There's something really nice about working with a tool made exactly how you want it. But - you have to know what you want for that to work, and that means using some more of them.

I will also plug CPK here - there is a reason they're a bit of a challenge to acquire. For my money they're the best production fixed blades on the market right now.

You also mentioned Fallkniven, which I have some experience with. I have an A1Z and an F1Z, and they're both great. They're my beater knives - they can take incredible amounts of abuse and then touch up easily. They're the ones i reach for either when I'm doing something with them I probably shouldn't, or if I'm loaning knives to people who don't know how to use them. The company is famously a pain to deal with - when evaluating things, assume they don't do warranty service. (They do, but they are fairly well known for refusing service for silly reasons.)
 
palonej said:
Happy hunting!!
If you go with survive knives, it will be a snipe hunt.
Stay away.

Bad - Survive! Deserves A Permanent Post In The Hall Of Shame

And how would you suggest they make money so they can test the new steel if not taking preorders for a whole batch production?? You sir know nothing about business 😁 With all the pre-orders why couldn't they produce the other steels they committed to? Where is the Delta 3V, 20CV, Magnacut...
www.bladeforums.com www.bladeforums.com
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Wow thanks for the heads up. Officially off the list
 
I will advice you to be cautious of blades with convex grinds. They can work great for you, but If you ever have to do any re profiling it will be almost impossible without the necessary skills & a good belt grinder. Youre not gonna get that done on a stone, especially with super steels, because you will need to re-shape the entire blade if you wanna do it right, or at least a large portion of it, not just the "edge". I personally find a flat or hollow grind with a secondary edge far less of a headache to maintain.
 
snuffle said:
I'd go in a sightly different direction. You seem engaged enough with this that I suspect this will not be your "last knife" - you don't seem to be buying a tool, you're learning and refining your preferences. And as a designer, you are likely going to be actively engaged with your knife on a meta-level - thinking about what you like and don't, how you would have designed it.

If I'm right about that, I'd say take a step up from the Mora with one of the many good suggestions already made, and use it to think about what you'd want out of a custom. There's something really nice about working with a tool made exactly how you want it. But - you have to know what you want for that to work, and that means using some more of them.

I will also plug CPK here - there is a reason they're a bit of a challenge to acquire. For my money they're the best production fixed blades on the market right now.

You also mentioned Fallkniven, which I have some experience with. I have an A1Z and an F1Z, and they're both great. They're my beater knives - they can take incredible amounts of abuse and then touch up easily. They're the ones i reach for either when I'm doing something with them I probably shouldn't, or if I'm loaning knives to people who don't know how to use them. The company is famously a pain to deal with - when evaluating things, assume they don't do warranty service. (They do, but they are fairly well known for refusing service for silly reasons.)
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Very useful feedback and yes your totally right, this will in no way be my last knife. I'm predicting an eventual collection worth posting. I also think that there is certain pleasure that you get from hunting for a hard to find knife and CPK seems to fill everything I want. They also seem to be rather easy to resell and also stand the test of time. This forum has been insanely helpful. Super happy to be a part of this community.
 
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