Neck knife and rust (1095, INFI, S30V, 154CM)?

MrTangent

MrTangent

Joined
Apr 4, 2010
Messages
37
I'm looking for the perfect neck knife. I already have a few knives, with a Busse ASH-1 and Fusion Battle Mistress being my primary hiking/camping/survival knives. But I am wanting a small neck knife that will be in a kydex sheath.

Herein lies the rub. While hiking I sweat like most of you do, sometimes a lot (depending on the humidity/temp). I am leaning towards an ESEE Izula, but I'm worried about 1095 rusting excessively. The neck knife will be my primary food preparation knife so rust or rust inhibitors like tuf glide on it are a concern.

Would the Busse SAR-3 be a good neck knife? INFI seems to be a lot less prone to rust. If I got one, I'll have it sent to the spa and have a black crinkle coat put on it in order to lessen rust further (believe the SAR-3 was only released in doublecut/satin?).

Are there any good S30V or 154CM neck knives (or other high-end stainless)? I'll be using the Busses for heavy stuff so it doesn't need to be a high carbon blade, I guess. I don't mind skeleton handles, or micarta, but would like the general shape of the Izula, EsKaBar or SAR-3.
 
bd51 said:
Bark River has this neck knife in CPM-154 which I hear is a great steel. http://www.barkriverknifetool.com/EDC-CityKnife.htm
Click to expand...

Thanks. There's a dizzying amount of handle choices! Holy hell. I thought Busse was confusing with all the choices (magnum, standard, paper micarta, canvas micarta g10, smooth, machined, etc.). Wish they had accompanying pictures of each handle... I will research them. I've heard good things about Bark River.

Oh, they do have pictures of each... excellent. :D
 
I know its not stainless. But I would still suggest a Scrapyard Scrapivore. They are pretty cheap shipped to your door. Come with a Mashed Cat Kydex sheath and is in a coated Sr-101 steel. By the way mine went throught the washing machine and the dryer and came out with one small spec of rust that I ran the edge over my sharpmaker like 5 times and it was gone. Very sturdy knife and the prybar pommel is handy. They will probably be closing off the sight soon.
Steeley
 
Too bad no one offers a small necker in H1 steel. I'm thinking a Folts Minimalist in H1 would rock. :)
 
For a great small stainless necker, I really love the Bark River Bravo 1 necker....

various2008-2009151.jpg

various2008-2009153.jpg


That being said, I also have a few other non-stainles neckers and I haven't had much trouble with rusting. Most of them come with protective coatings that would prevent your sweat from effecting the blade or edge while the knife is in its sheath.

Here's a shot of a few of my neckers... BR Bravo, Becker BK-11, Swamp Warden, and Izula:
005-4.jpg


As you can see I stripped the finish off the blade of the Izula, and I've been carrying and using it alot since this photo was taken, mostly for food prep. It has formed a nice patina, but has yet to show any sign of actual rust. You just have to make sure and clean it after use.

I would definately recomend the Swamprat necker as well. Sounds like you already like Busse family blades and this one is my personal favorite neck knife. SR-101 isn't as stainless as Infi, but it is outstanding in strength, edge retension, and ease of sharpening! And like the others, I have not had any rust isses with it.
 
I think you'd really have to neglect a high carbon or non-stainless steel knife to make it rust enough for it to hurt it. If you are using it, which means pulling it out a couple of times a day, you ought to be able to keep anything bad from happening to it by wiping it off occasionally. Plus, most of the high carbon knives are coated anyway. It seems like if people really had rust problems, these forums would be filled with complaints and pics, but quite the opposite, most folks actually prefer them from what I've seen.
 
I wear several Murray Carter neck knives and I've never had an issue with rust. I've lived in Phoenix where I cycled excessively wearing a neck knife, and now I live in Oregon where it's constantly raining and I have never had any issues. Should you choose any of the knives you mentioned, or a higher carbon steel knife like on of Murray's, I think you'll be fine. Even through regular use (whittling for example) you should polish away any oxidization or keep it from rusting, or if you do develop rust just sharpen the rust out... Simple knife care, really.
 
with respect i disagree with the above. Sweat corrodes carbon pretty fast, even stainless can have issues, and while it may not bother some I dont like it in a neck knife, especially for one that is primarily used for food prep. I know That lots of kitchen knives are made from carbon, but these are for use in a kitchen where they can be washed before and after, so any potential rust is not a health concern, not so in the field. that being said it probably wont be too much of an issue.
 
The Izula you said you want would be just fine. I have a BK11 or BK14 around my neck almost always when I'm out - nearly the same steel and not a hint of accidental corrosion. It'll be just fine.

---

Beckerhead #42
 
somber said:
I wear several Murray Carter neck knives and I've never had an issue with rust. I've lived in Phoenix where I cycled excessively wearing a neck knife, and now I live in Oregon where it's constantly raining and I have never had any issues. Should you choose any of the knives you mentioned, or a higher carbon steel knife like on of Murray's, I think you'll be fine. Even through regular use (whittling for example) you should polish away any oxidization or keep it from rusting, or if you do develop rust just sharpen the rust out... Simple knife care, really.
Click to expand...
I've hiked literally thousands of miles with 2 different Murray Carter neckers, including one 450-mile stretch of 28 consecutive days of rain. I've occasionally had small specks of rust but they literally rub off on the next use.

My Swamp Rat Swamp Warden hasn't rusted yet either, despite far fewer miles and days on the trail.

If you must have a stainless necker, the Bark River Bravo Necker is hard to beat.
 
Nebulae said:
with respect i disagree with the above. Sweat corrodes carbon pretty fast, even stainless can have issues, and while it may not bother some I dont like it in a neck knife, especially for one that is primarily used for food prep. I know That lots of kitchen knives are made from carbon, but these are for use in a kitchen where they can be washed before and after, so any potential rust is not a health concern, not so in the field. that being said it probably wont be too much of an issue.
Click to expand...

I'm glad you agree with my sentiments. Like I said, I've done extensive biking (literally 1000's of miles) with a high carbon neck knife on, and usually under my jersey - I've never had any issues or concerns. Quick question - why would rust on an outdoor knife be a health hazard, yet on a knife used solely for food prep not? This seems counterintuitive.
 
Last edited:
I have an Izula that I carry around my neck in the factory sheath on backpack trips in the Sierras and I sweat alot. (I mean alot!!!!!!!!!!) I have had no rust issues whatsoever and i have been on trips as long as 10 days wearing the knife the entire time. As others have said, I just wipe it down after use and check it once at the end of the day. If I get caught in a thunder storm or a rainy day I just wipe it dry if it gets wet. You should be fine with the Izula. Its a great blade for backpacking.
 
Somber: I really dont know anything about health hazards, but it seems that if rust were to be a problem it would be because dirt, and bacteria can get caught in and underneath the rust, and not to mention the fact that the rust is caused by sweat on the blade, so without being able to wash it I wouldn't use a necker for food prep at all, stainless or carbon; that is I wouldn't really want somebody else to prep my food with their neck knife. But in the end I really can't see anything actually coming of it, it just bothers me.

On a side note I wear my (small) neck knives like necklaces I've got one Ive had on for over 3 weeks now without taking it off.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top