My view on "beater" knives

B

bladeboss

Joined
Mar 6, 2012
Messages
3,530
Howdy folks.
Haven't been around much, but this thought just came into my head.

I don't understand some peoples definition of beaters.

Why in the world would somebody take a cheap knife to use as a beater?
Its cheap, cheaply made out of garbage, and just can't handle it.

My Benchmade Adamas is my beater.
I've mentioned that ad-nauseum here.
Very much so.
Right to the point where I've had to disassemble and repair bent liners and replace the washers.
Knowing the things I've put this through, its shocking thats all I had to do.

If I did any of that stuff to a cheapy, it would be in 10,000 pieces.

If you spend money for superior quality that will last through use, why the heck aren't you using it?

They cost more for a reason.

Conclusion:
Spend money on your beater, and you'll be surprised at what it can take, and it will last much longer.

Rant over
 
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my "beater" is my spyderco slysz bowie, but i'm an accountant and live in an apartment in the city, so... takes a very different meaning.

i do echo your sentiment, i used to own even more expensive knives than i do now, and i would only use my $20-50 knives, but it didn't feel right. hated the feeling of always talking about M390 this, S110v that, who does a better heat treat on S35vn, etc., and then only use my VG-10 knives... now i use all of my keepers, and "beat up" my favorite production tank, the slysz bowie
 
My friend and I had this discussion. If you think about it, your better knives are the ones you should be using. You paid a pretty penny for better quality for what?..
to have them sit around the house and do nothing? I'm not saying beat them up but you shouldn't be afraid to use them (unless of course it's a limited edition or similar).
My two cents anyway.
 
To me a "beater" is a knife that didn't cost a fortune but is still well made that I wouldn't feel as bad about losing or damaging as one of my nicer knives. Ontario Utilitacs, Cold Steel's 4116 folders (Working man, Pro Lite, etc.), and a few others would fit this category. Let's say I'm going to spend the day tubing down the local river but still want to have a knife available. I'd much rather carry a Utilitac or Pro Lite than my 0920 in that case. :thumbsup:
 
Yeah, beater for me isn't really accurate, I would say expendable. If I'm in a situation where losing a knife is a concern, or I know there will be folks that might use my knife I tend to keep some inexpensive, tough, reliable blades in the collection for those circumstances. If I lose my old CS Voyager or if some shmoe breaks the tip off my Byrd Cara Cara 2 I won't be happy, but it won't hurt nearly the same way as it would with my higher quality blades.
 
Beater, to me, means solid quailty, tough, stainless, easy to sharpen, under 100 bucks.

I hate sharpening out dings, total dullness, and deformation. If I'm going to do something that may do that to the edge very quickly, I'm going to go with 8Cr, VG10, or 154CM, not ZDP, S30V, or even D2. It's a pain.
 
I get two kinds of knives: beaters, and those I like.

I get beaters for one reason: to experiment with, typically in learning sharpening approaches or customization that has a good chance of wrecking the knife. My beaters are not for using, they are for trying stuff, abusing, and throwing in the trash when done. So that I can learn without spending a fortune, and so that I can do a better job of maintaining the knives I care about.
 
I like your point OP. I don't buy higher end knives to not use them. At the same time, i do not beat or abuse my knives. But i also do not baby them. I do what needs to be done with them. I do not pry with them. But i cannot recall a single time where i needed to cut something and then said to myself, "this knife is too nice to use". I pay more for a knife because i expect to have better performance in use and longevity. Harder steels can last longer, carbon fiber scales don't scratch up like aluminum, some steels can get sharper than others some are more stainless than others some are tougher than others. Regardless of how much i spend on a knife, i expect first and foremost that it works and works well. As far as production knives go, i have never understood the phrase "this knife is too expensive to use for that", or "this is a $x knife, so i only use it for lite duty".
 
To me everything is a beater. I have expensive knives and I use them and do whatever I feel like doing with them. I have cheaper knives as well and do the same. I enjoy the variety in knives regardless of price.
 
I don't abuse knives much, my true beater knives are cheap used kitchen knives repurposed for utility that lay on my workbench, they scrape glue, cut tape, stir paint, de-burr pvc..ect and I had a box of this junk given to me for free so I really don't care about them.
I can file them to get a rough edge, and if they break or chip badly I can throw them away.
I would not buy an inexpensive folder for hard use just because it's cheap enough not to care or worry about, it probably won't stand up to said use and you're better off with something you know can take it.
 
I agree. My Emerson Horseman is my beater, and it plays exactly to the design of the knife. Easy to repair steel, solid build, fantastic ergonomics. I took my Rat 1 out of my pocket in favor of my Emerson when I knew I had some hard work to do the other day.
 
I hear ya! My beater is an Emerson CQC-15 . When I need a knife that I can literally stick through a car door without caring that's the one I use. My EDC is a CQC-7 that I do use a lot, I'm just not as brutal with it. I do use my other knives as well. None are safe queens.

To take it further, my daily beater watch is a Rolex Submariner, and it does take a beating (all dinged and scratched up) so I'm no stranger to using my equipment as it was intended.
 
bladeboss said:
... Why in the world would somebody take a cheap knife to use as a beater? Its cheap, cheaply made out of garbage, and just can't handle it.
Click to expand...
Certainly an interesting concept. People define beater to mean different things. Cheap does not necessarily mean cheaply made in the sense of good utility. It may just mean that the steel used is not as "good" as the more expensive knife. I generally don't need the latest and greatest steel. Lets say that I am roofing and cutting shingles.... do I really want all that "tar" on my "good" knife? No. Other knives will work perfectly well for this task and my better knife will not have a bunch of gunk on it that I would have to clean up repeatedly with something like gasoline which I don't like to do.

bladeboss said:
Right to the point where I've had to disassemble and repair bent liners and replace the washers.
Click to expand...
This is the kicker for me..... I doubt I would be repairing the beater. It would probably get tossed in the trash. So, my beaters aren't my best knives. It boils down to buying what you like and using it the way you are comfortable using it.
 
I guess mine is my ESSE 4. Or my CRKT M21? They go to work and get used scratched, dirty,wet, and sometimes a little Rusty. Or maybe my sodbuster Jr or SAK ??? They don't just sit around to look at
 
SoCalEDC said:
My friend and I had this discussion. If you think about it, your better knives are the ones you should be using. You paid a pretty penny for better quality for what?..
to have them sit around the house and do nothing? I'm not saying beat them up but you shouldn't be afraid to use them (unless of course it's a limited edition or similar).
My two cents anyway.
Click to expand...
This is exactly why I carry my CRKs everyday. :) I agree 100 % with y'all
 
I had a "beater" for the kitchen. My wife threatened to buy ginsu knives if I couldn't make her one quickly. I took a thin piece of 15n20 and drew an easy Wharncliffe on it. Made a very quick knife out of it. We nicknamed it shugly because it was sharp but ugly. It was also very tough, so we had that ugly ol' knife for a long time.
 
Beater is a general term which refers to abuse. While I agree knives are tools and tools are meant to be used, they can hold a sentimental value beyond utility alone. Most guys on here have more knives than they could carry in a month if not a year. But tools don't have to be abused. The can be owned for beauty, craftsmanship or pride. Some guys (many actually) who's lives could depend on them at some point have the worst knives I've ever seen, but they aren't "Gear Dudes". They are just practical hard working guys that want something with what looks like an edge and has a point. I swear, my buddies would prefer a 9 oz folder made with un-named steel over a Para 2 in S30V if given the option (SMH).. But to these guys, weight equals durability and that is all that matters. I don't understand it. but I'm a knife snob... and to them $ is $ and utility is utility. Maybe they are smarter than us... I don't have all the answers.. but I know what I like and what I'm willing to give up for what I want.. and I guess they are too. #perspective
 
To me every knife is a beater, but I would define the actual beater to be something that takes unnecessary grime and nasty enviroment. Say, I wont lie that I would rather take a mora to cut crap pipes in sewer than my mother of pearl knife. Would you not?
 
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