Marble's Knives?

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Photog

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I am looking for a sturdy, sharp knife that can take a fair amount of rough treatment (although not abuse!) and have heard a lot about Busse, Chris Reeves, Cold Steel, and REKAT knives. I had a CRK Shadow IV and it was great, but I sold it because I found the handle to be pretty uncomfortable.

I like the looks of the Marble knives and have heard they are very sharp "out of the box", but know nothing about their toughness. Is the steel good? Can I do some minor prying without worrying that the blade will snap? How is the edge retention? Basicly, are Marbles as good as Busse, REKAT, and Cold Steel??

Thanks for your help!

Photog
 
I have a Marble's Fieldcraft. The steel is 52100, IMHO a step up from Carbon V, which is one of the best carbon steels around. 52100 has a pinch more chrome and in my experience does not discolor as readily as Carbon V. Very tough, takes a fantastic edge; Marble's uses a sophisticated heat treatment including cryogenic freezing. You won't go wrong with one of these.
 
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I love Marble's knives!!!!
Ed was right on with the 52100 steel as well.
I have a new Woodcraft and Fieldcraft and I have an old pre- 1930 Ideal that still takes and Keeps a very good edge. They come with full convex edges which is my favorite as well.
I haven't had the need to do any prying, mild or otherwise so can't say about that.

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Marbles are wonderful knives. But they are not designed for prying. The Woodcraft, for instance, has a wonderfully delicate tip. The Fieldcraft is also probably too delicate for prying. You would likely damage the fine edge. The Sport99 might be capable of a little prying. Nevertheless, these knives are of a traditional design for dressing and processing fish and game, preparing hides, and camp use. I don't think they are designed for prying. Maybe some of the other models are, I don't know.

The Marbles are fine cutting instruments. Take care of 'em and they will take care of you. If you want a prybar, I'd go with a Busse Mean Street or one of the CRK models. My old Schrade Golden Spike is a pretty tough knife, too. It will do the kinds of chores you might expect from a knife as well as some moderate prying.

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Hoodoo

I get some pleasure from finding a relentlessly peaceful use for a combative looking knife.
JKM

[This message has been edited by Hoodoo (edited 10-15-2000).]
 
Thanks for your responses. I'm sort of looking for a small, easily carried, all around outdoor knife that I can use for hiking and camping, as well as for cleaning fish, cutting fuzz sticks, etc., which is why I was asking about the prying. I'd like to keep the blade to 4" or shorter, so I was looking at the Marbles Sport 99. I ordered a Busse 3/16" Mean Street from Andy Prisco, but I might get th Marble knife, too, and compare them.

Thanks again.

Bill
 
I am in general agreement with the above posts. I have a Marbles knife and find the knife (not the sheath) to be first rate for intended uses.

Get an Cold Steel SRK for a sharpened pry bar and use the Marbles for what they were designed for.

Too bad you found the Shadow IV handle to be uncomfortable ... iyou would be hard pressed to get a better knife in its class.
 
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Bill, I believe the Fieldcraft wood make you just the knife you are looking for.
There's not that much prying force in making fuzz sticks and I have exerted that much force on mine.
I use mine for wood carving and leather work besides the other tasks and it holds up fine. They hold an incredible edge for a mighty long time.
biggrin.gif

I use fine silicon carbide paper and either styrofoam or leather underneath to get any minor problems off the edge and then a strop to finish it up.
I love convex edges!

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>>>>---¥vsa---->®

"I would rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy."

........unknown, to me anyway........

Khukuri FAQ
Himalayan Imports Website
 
I have both a Marbles Sport and a Fieldcraft. I like them both but I agree, they are not built for prying. The Sport might be slightly better if prying was a necessity (due to its point design).

I find the Marbles product to be good traditional styles which might last a few lifetimes if you take care of them.
 
I was recently at my local knife store...

And saw a Marbles with a brass guard and a mortise tang wood handle, very nice.

Lately I have heard that they will cusotmize their knives, I think I am going to look into that....

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Thank you,
Marion David Poff aka Eye, Cd'A ID, USA mdpoff@hotmail.com

>>--->Bill Siegle Custom Knives<---<<
-http://www.geocities.com/siegleknives-

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Thanks for replying. Actually, I called Jason Stewart at Marble Arms a few days ago and YES, they do make custom modifications! I ordered a Sport 99 from them with a rough-textured canvas micarta handle and a larger, Randall-style scagel finger guard. They are also sending me a better sheath, and the price for the modifications was extremely reasonable (something like $10 for the better guard).

Thanks again.

Photog
 
Photog, how about showing us a pic when you get it?

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Hoodoo

I get some pleasure from finding a relentlessly peaceful use for a combative looking knife.
JKM
 
I agree you won't find a better all around knife than Marbles. I also agree that the sheaths need some work. I bought a 15 inch Trailmaster for clearing shooting lanes and general tough stuff and it performs very well and maintains a great edge but the very first time I sheathed it it slit the back of the sheath with a 5 inch gash.(A testiment to the sharpness). The sheath seems to be "torqued" (twisted) a bit and is anything but smooth when swallowing the blade. I have to be EXTREMELY careful when sheathing it or I cut the sheat to ribbons.

I guess Marbles warranty doesn't cover the sheaths.

Any advise on an aftermarket sheat maker??
 
Horizonod, have you contacted Jason Stewart about the sheath? If it's twisted, something's not right. As for a custom leather guy, try John Peruchini. His work is superb -- I added him to my site I liked it so much.
http://www.marshmanbrothers.com/Custom_Leather.htm

MDP, the handle you saw was Marble's Carver option, which is available on most of their blades except the bigger models. I like their palm swells and overall shape along with the slighly larger guard a lot -- especially in the black Micarta...

 
MDP: Check out the Bowie Company at http://www.marblesknives.com/

They have contract work with speical issue Marbles knives at very reasonable prices. They are variations not found in Marbles' regular line. I just got one of their wood handled Fieldcraft Carvers. Nice.
 
I like the steel they use and the heat treatment they use, and I'm going to buy one as soon as I find one that is not sloppily ground.

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Danbo, soul brother of Rambo
 
I recently did a review of a Marbles Trailcraft that I used to field dress, skin, and cut up a deer with. The blade performed great. The little bit longer handle and the short blade fit my hand great. Great ergonomics.

If you'd like to read the review just click here -----> http://www.huntamerica.com/ubb/Forum40/HTML/000291.html

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Mark - AKA Excalibur

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You might look at the new Marble's Sporting Knife. This is the only Marble's that has a full tang and the blade and tang are one peice and very thick! The other Marbles's use a hidden tang and are a press fit around the guard to blade joint that I dont' think is as strong.
 
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