Need advice on what to choose?

S

Smiling

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Nov 21, 2019
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So, I want to have a backup if anything ever happend to my SK-5 Recon Tanto. And I might soon have financial opportunity to do so.

Now here are my options:

Drop Forged Survivalist in 52100 for around 100€.

Second hand Recon Tanto in Carbon V for 70€ (price is low because coating is taken off).

Or to wait longer till I either have enough for CPM-3V Recon Tanto, or see something new that Cold Steel has to offer in 2020 which might catch my eye?

Or you have some other reccomendation?
 
Smiling said:
So, I want to have a backup if anything ever happend to my SK-5 Recon Tanto. And I might soon have financial opportunity to do so.

Now here are my options:

Drop Forged Survivalist in 52100 for around 100€.

Second hand Recon Tanto in Carbon V for 70€ (price is low because coating is taken off).

Or to wait longer till I either have enough for CPM-3V Recon Tanto, or see something new that Cold Steel has to offer in 2020 which might catch my eye?

Or you have some other reccomendation?
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Can't go wrong with Carbon V, but being so close to the new year I think I'd wait to see what's coming first.
 
Agree with above, the Carbon V will be much like your present one to use, but who knows what will be coming soon.
 
So, waiting for 2020, and if I'm not blown away by anything new - then getting 3V version eventually?

However if Drop Forged Tanto appears I'm definitley buying that :D
 
Waiting for 2020 seems like a plan But I wonder why not just another SK5 if you really like the first?
 
I don’t have experience with the other knives you mentioned, but I can vouch for the Leatherneck SF in D2 steel. Decent toughness, edge retention, and corrosion resistance. Factory edge was impressive as well. If you like tantos, the Leatherneck comes in that style too.
 
Well my current decision is to wait it out.

And Leatherneck is an interesting knife. I will definitley give it a look. Price isn't too high either.
 
DocJD said:
:) Might try a Master Hunter in 3V .

More useful , (except for pry bar) and easier carry .
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The thing is that I already use Drop Forged Hunter as my EDC and dimensions and shape of that knife are really similar to Master Hunter. And Recon Tanto in SK-5 steelis here for all bigger and harder tasks. Both of them are going strong.

This is mostly me trying to find a reason to eventually buy a third knife.
Recon Tanto itself was doing great job at all tasks I needed a knife for, but it is too large for EDC, that is where Drop Forged Hunter came into the game.

Master Hunter in 3V is a great knife, but 52100 itself has amazing edge retention so there is much less difference than SK-5 and 3V, and I use Recon Tanto for majority of beater tasks anways so toughness isn't so major role here. And Forged Hunter is easier to conceal which is a big factor here.

I might just give up on third knife sice these 2 have proven themself to be capable to cover it all. I could eventually argue that 3V Recon Tanto will hold an edge much better, or that it's much tougher despite the fact SK-5 version will probably never break either, even if you abuse it. Only way I can imagine it breaking is if you try to do it on purpose. If I decide to reward myself with something or get into some good money, then I'll most likley buy a new knife.
Unless someone of you guys can tell me more benefits of CPM-3V :D
 
I have have and use both SK5 and CPM 3V from Cold Steel.

The 3V will stay sharp for a much longer time. You will definitely notice the difference.

If you use your knife in a manner that causes impact to the edge, you might be better served with SK5 or 52100.

I have a MH in 3V that has deboned six deer and was still very sharp. A quick strop and it was factory sharp again.

In contrast, when I use one of the other steels, I will have to strop after one.

Whichever you choose, they are all very capable.
 
I currently use Recon Tanto mainly for chopping down bush, branches and weeds, and sometimes punching holes on a sheet of plastic or bucket for example. Each of the tasks does cause an impact to the edge. And SK-5 is so far doing great job for these tasks.

I use Forged Hunter for cutting strings, zip ties, duct tape, plastic wrappings and sometimes my food. And 52100 has shown really good edge retention, and I know it's easy to sharpen, and I'm not the only one who will say it.

After doing some more research on steels I'm coming back to conclusion that these 2 are more than enough for me.
 
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