Moki Fish Owl carry question

[blademan 13]

Planterz , I think we might just be onto something here....

 

[5K Qs]

Found this for you...
AUS-6 (6A) is comparable to 440A with a carbon content close to 0.65%.
AUS-8 (8A) is comparable to 440B with a carbon content close to 0.75%.
AUS-10 (10A) is comparable to 440C with a carbon content close to 1.10%.

good to know that.... I know that Cold Steel used Aus-8 in most of their knives for quite some time. I think at that time it was considered almost a premium steel. I never had a problem holding an edge on any of my CS knives.

Kinda an odd question to answer because it depends on whom and where you ask. You'll get a lot of turned noses in most other subsections unless you're talking about very inexpensive and "beater" knives, but here, where the most common stainless steels are 440A (old Camillus and Schrade), 440C, 440HC (of varying heat treats), 8Cr13MoV, and the like, AUS-8 will have much more respect. Suffice to say that for the tasks that a knife like the Fish Owl will be used for, AUS-8 is more than adequate, and Moki does a fine heat treat of the steel. Personally I wish it was ground a bit thinner towards the edge, but it still cuts well. I'd prefer VG-10 as well, which Moki uses in some other (more expensive) knives, because I like it more and it'd be more in line with the $60-70 cost of the Fish Owl. But AUS-8 is fine, it'll work excellently for anything you'd expect to do with the Fish Owl, and it'll come extremely sharp and is easy to keep it that way.

Thanks for all the steel insights, folks!

- GT

 

[EagleIH]

I’ve never even held this knife, but I’ve looked at lots of pictures. Looking closely at the pictures, when looking at the big circular flush part at the pivot, you can faintly see a smaller flush circle in the middle of that. Is that the diameter of the pivot itself? I hope that made sense.

 

[Planterz]

I’ve never even held this knife, but I’ve looked at lots of pictures. Looking closely at the pictures, when looking at the big circular flush part at the pivot, you can faintly see a smaller flush circle in the middle of that. Is that the diameter of the pivot itself? I hope that made sense.

Yeah. The larger diameter part is reinforcement in the handle pieces for the pivot. Very common with "shadow" pattern knives, especially linerless ones. Compare this to something like the Gerber LST, that plastic handled Case that looks exactly like the Gerber LST, Mini Buck, etc, which simply have the pivot through the handle. It's much stronger and durable over time.

 

[Will Power]

I'd love something other than black micarta. Carbon fibre, white/ivory G-10 or micarta, anything really. The black micarta is fine, but it's about as humdrum as it gets.

Your points about the quality of the steel on the Fish Owls make a lot of sense and mirror my experience. Sometimes, I wonder WHAT people are doing with their small pocket-knives when they turn up their conceited little noses at decent stainless steels Perhaps they are deep sea fishermen on trawlers needing to cut wire hawsers all the time?

As for the Micarta, agree too. Although quality of construction and finish are deeply impressive the Black Micarta looks a bit lacklustre like old LP vinyl Dark Red with plenty of 'grain' would be my preference, or even a nice highly buffed Natural. In the end though these are real benchmarks for quality, other manufacturers could take a lesson....

 

[EagleIH]

Yeah. The larger diameter part is reinforcement in the handle pieces for the pivot. Very common with "shadow" pattern knives, especially linerless ones. Compare this to something like the Gerber LST, that plastic handled Case that looks exactly like the Gerber LST, Mini Buck, etc, which simply have the pivot through the handle. It's much stronger and durable over time.

I’ve heard the term used, but what exactly is a “shadow” pattern?

 

[Planterz]

I’ve heard the term used, but what exactly is a “shadow” pattern?

A shadow pattern lacks bolsters. It may or may not have liners; linerless shadow pattern knives are typically made from high strength synthetics (carbon fibre, G-10, micarta, etc) to make up for the lack of strength and rigidity metal liners provide.

 

[kamagong]

I’ve never even held this knife, but I’ve looked at lots of pictures. Looking closely at the pictures, when looking at the big circular flush part at the pivot, you can faintly see a smaller flush circle in the middle of that. Is that the diameter of the pivot itself? I hope that made sense.

It's called a bird's eye pivot. You see them most often on sodbusters.

 

[EagleIH]

It's called a bird's eye pivot. You see them most often on sodbusters.

Thanks! I’ve learned something new today! So is the smaller circle in the center the actual diameter of the pivot pin?

 

[EagleIH]

Anyone?

 

[rishma]

I carried a small fish owl for all of 2019 through May 2020. In my pocket with other stuff. Fantastic knife and my first stainless knife in many years. I really enjoyed the knife. So light it carries even smaller than it is.

 

[hornetguy]

Anyone?

I would guess that is correct. I wouldn't think the blade pivot would be as large as the outer part of that pin. but.... that's just a guess on my part.