Mountaineer 1

TAH

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Jul 3, 2001
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Perfect little knife for backpacking and hiking. :)

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Bought it from Best Glide several years ago. At the time, I couldn't believe that I was paying $25 for a mini compass. Now, they're $55! Believe it or not, $55 is the best price around. Amazon and Stanley London prices are $75. :eek:
 
How do you know? Doesn't look like it's ever been used.

Kind of a snarky little comment, but based on its size, weight, blade length, and the fact that I owned and used one for several years before I foolishly sold it thinking that I needed a larger knife, I'm assuming this one will perform just as well and that its design is still perfect for backpacking and hiking. This one has been on a few outings, but it will never see any battoning, digging, or hard core use, so I don't expect it to show much wear down the road.
 
Kind of a snarky little comment
You're right, it was, and I apologize. It was meant to be a bit tongue-in-cheek, but humor is hard to convey.

I've got similar shadow that I have carried, and it does serve the purpose well. I just need to put together a 'kit' for the handle.
 
I own one of these Mountaneer 1s 'N.I.B.'. I have often wondered how well it would work for camp or wood processing chores. I am not ashamed to admit I've never cut anything with mine, because I've never been quite sure if I should keep it. I do a lot of camping and love convex ground blades for almost everything you might need to get done in the woods. I can't image the CRK hollow grind working as well, or having the same edge stability and edge holding, and I have really no use for the hollow handle.

I am perpetually in the conundrum of: "if I use my Mountaineer 1 to figure out if it's any good as a camp/backpacking knife, will I then find out it sucks, and have lost a major amount of its N.I.B. value?"

The knife is begging for a real world test, but my eyes tell me it is probably not that great. I'd love to find out otherwise. The weight and balance for the knife seems off for what it is, being kinda handle-heavy in balance, and overall heavy in general. It weighs as much as my BRK Bravo 1.25 in CPM 3V, which is a hefty knife that is truly capable of serious survival and bushcraft.

I'd love someone to convince me this knife is worth its price as a knife, rather than as a curiosity, a collectable, or a sculpture.
 
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I own one of these Mountaneer 1s 'N.I.B.'. I have often wondered how well it would work for camp or wood processing chores. I am not ashamed to admit I've never cut anything with mine, because I've never been quite sure if I should keep it. I do a lot of camping and love convex ground blades for almost everything you might need to get done in the woods. I can't image the CRK hollow grind working as well, or having the same edge stability and edge holding, and I have really no use for the hollow handle.

I am perpetually in the conundrum of: "if I use my Mountaineer 1 to figure out if it's any good as a camp/backpacking knife, will I then find out it sucks, and have lost a major amount of its N.I.B. value?"

The knife is begging for a real world test, but my eyes tell me it is probably not that great. I'd love to find out otherwise. The weight and balance for the knife seems off for what it is, being kinda handle-heavy in balance, and overall heavy in general. It weighs as much as my BRK Bravo 1.25 in CPM 3V, which is a hefty knife that is truly capable of serious survival and bushcraft.

I'd love someone to convince me this knife is worth its price as a knife, rather than as a curiosity, a collectable, or a sculpture.

I sold mine because of the perceived secondary market value, although I did use it on a deer one year. It worked really really well..but not sure it did as well as any other knives could at that time.
At the end of the day, I wish I had it back as I would definitely use it! (send me yours...lol :p )
 
Ha! Maybe I should send it to you.

I am stuck in that exact rut Nick Shabazz covered so well in his recent vid about using your expensive gear, and the immeasurable value of the joy you get from using your cool stuff, as opposed to the unrealized value of a collection that sits in closet so it might one day be sold.

Here I am in that trap........sheesh :confused:
 
I'm lucky that I found a 'beater' that was already missing the finish and had a heavy patina. I feel no guilt in using it....
 
You're right, it was, and I apologize.

Thanks. No worries. I was probably being a little over sensitive. :thumbsup:

I own one of these Mountaneer 1s 'N.I.B.'. I have often wondered how well it would work for camp or wood processing chores. I am not ashamed to admit I've never cut anything with mine, because I've never been quite sure if I should keep it. I do a lot of camping and love convex ground blades for almost everything you might need to get done in the woods. I can't image the CRK hollow grind working as well, or having the same edge stability and edge holding, and I have really no use for the hollow handle.

I am perpetually in the conundrum of: "if I use my Mountaineer 1 to figure out if it's any good as a camp/backpacking knife, will I then find out it sucks, and have lost a major amount of its N.I.B. value?"

The knife is begging for a real world test, but my eyes tell me it is probably not that great. I'd love to find out otherwise. The weight and balance for the knife seems off for what it is, being kinda handle-heavy in balance, and overall heavy in general. It weighs as much as my BRK Bravo 1.25 in CPM 3V, which is a hefty knife that is truly capable of serious survival and bushcraft.

I'd love someone to convince me this knife is worth its price as a knife, rather than as a curiosity, a collectable, or a sculpture.

Like I said, I used a Mountaineer 1 for backpacking for several years (2007-2013) and it performed very well. It's a small knife, so I only used it for basic cutting tasks around camp and on the trail. For me, the hollow grind and balance are fine for general use, which is the knife's intended purpose. Obviously, most folks, including me, buy these for the hollow handle feature. I enjoy assembling the mini survival kits, but in actuality, when backpacking, I only stored matches in the handle and used them for convenience. I sold the M1 for a larger knife that was better suited for chopping, then decided I'd rather continue to carry a Sawvivor for wood processing and returned to the M1 as my primary knife because of my good experience.
 
I recently was pointed in the direction of a NIB shadow IV. The brick n mortar had stashed away several when he heard they were being discontinued, and has slowly let them go over the years.

I was ecatatic to receive it, but had a moment of concern much like yours kidcongo. Why destroy the value of a knife that i want to beat the heck out of, rather than find something cheaper or already used that could fit my needs just as well. Additionally, i'd be removing yet another piece from the CRK annals....one that somebody out there would cherish in its pristine condition.

That lasted a moment. Then I took it outside and started chopping back some overgrowth that was creeping up to my grilling area. The knife handled the chore beautifully, and convinced me that the hype about it was legitimate; it is more than capable for what I will need it for.

As for the lost value, I feel it's gained value. It's my knife. It will get scratches, lose finish, lose its edge and be resharpened. It will do all of that in my hands, and as long as I'm careful, my kids who will grow up knowing that knife will get to take it in turn.

Museum pieces are cool. Heirloom pieces are better.
 
I have a couple of the OPKs, and one of them came to me with wear and the top guard ground off. This was great because I put it right to work with no guilt! They are terrific knives:thumbsup:
 
Bought it from Best Glide several years ago. At the time, I couldn't believe that I was paying $25 for a mini compass. Now, they're $55! Believe it or not, $55 is the best price around. Amazon and Stanley London prices are $75. :eek:

14mm or 20mm? Just looked them up.
 
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