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Marble's 8" Camp Knife
- Thread starter ichor
- Start date
I bought a leather handled one off the forums a while back. I bought it to collect, not use, but if I were to use it I have no doubts that it'd be an exceptional knife. The balance is not as forward heavy as you'd expect for a 1/4" thick 8" blade because of the convex grind and the fullers. It's less of a chopper and more of a multi-purpose big blade.
From using other Marbles blades I know that the convex grind and 52-100 steel are an excellent combination for all around performance. Lately I've been using a 10" Trailmaker made from 5160 steel to do a lot of chopping. Not only will the knife chop through a 3" tree in 2 swings (when I get the technique down I have no doubts I'll be able to do it in 1 swing), but it'll also shave! The convex grind means that the knife has an edge that's stronger than the thin profile of the blade would suggest. And the thin profile really allows the knife to sink in deep when cutting into wood.
The one thing I'd caution you on, if you're one of those people that can't stand the look of a stained blade, this may not be the knife for you. After cleaning 1 animal, or an hour of chopping weeds, the carbon blades darken up and look "dirty". If that bothers you, you may want to look at something stainless or coated. As the blade develops the patina, it is less likely to rust than if left shiny. For that reason I do not clean the patina off my using blades (by clean I mean bascially remove the stained metal).
From using other Marbles blades I know that the convex grind and 52-100 steel are an excellent combination for all around performance. Lately I've been using a 10" Trailmaker made from 5160 steel to do a lot of chopping. Not only will the knife chop through a 3" tree in 2 swings (when I get the technique down I have no doubts I'll be able to do it in 1 swing), but it'll also shave! The convex grind means that the knife has an edge that's stronger than the thin profile of the blade would suggest. And the thin profile really allows the knife to sink in deep when cutting into wood.
The one thing I'd caution you on, if you're one of those people that can't stand the look of a stained blade, this may not be the knife for you. After cleaning 1 animal, or an hour of chopping weeds, the carbon blades darken up and look "dirty". If that bothers you, you may want to look at something stainless or coated. As the blade develops the patina, it is less likely to rust than if left shiny. For that reason I do not clean the patina off my using blades (by clean I mean bascially remove the stained metal).
- Joined
- Jun 29, 1999
- Messages
- 9,826
I thought Marble's used 5160 in its Camp Knife, at least before they switched to whatever it is they are using now ('Alchemite' mystery steel). The Marbles website is vague on what they are using now. If 5160 it should be tougher but may not have the edge-holding qualities of 52-100.
To some extent it wears off, but not completely. I find the inch closest to the edge comes off during sharpening but the rest of it just gets shinier, but it's still there. And maybe I need to work on my sharpening skills some 
I believe the 8" Ideal Camp Knife is of 52-100. The 10" Trailmaker is of 5160. And I've heard both cases for the 7" Trailmaker.
I believe the 8" Ideal Camp Knife is of 52-100. The 10" Trailmaker is of 5160. And I've heard both cases for the 7" Trailmaker.