Need opinions on 4 knifes for a newbie

Thalestin said:
some decent knives listed there, but personally id get one nice folder for 100 bucks--just personal opinion of course=). If it were me id probably go for the benchmade 710 or spyderco military/manix or caly III depending on knife size etc that you like=). Good luck on whatever you decide=)
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That's exactly what I was going to suggest!
 
Get a Manix or Benchmade Griptilian and you will have all you need, unless of course you get the disease, then you will be spending money hand over fist to satisfy your need for fine steel.(That's what happened to me)
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Food grade mineral oil will help protect high carbon blades from rust. Especially good in the kitchen. Drip some around an Opinel's pivot and it will soak into the wood, preventing water from swelling it. Some people do the job more thoroughly by disassembling the knife and soaking the whole handle, which is a more elegant solution. :)
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Damn. Just when I thought I could rationalize not buying another knife...:D

Sooo...stainless or carbon? :o
 
The Opinel carbon steel blades sharpen up quite well and develop a nice patina when used on food. Some people like to encourage this by soaking the blades in vinegar or mustard until it darkens to their liking. This patina will help protect the blade from red rust.

The stainless blades seem pretty good, too. Supposedly, they are 12C27. For a food knife, stainless is probably best.
 
ok guys, just bought my first set of knives and they are....
1) Spyderco Cara Cara G10
2) Columbia River M16, but it was a 3.5" instead
3) Buck Sandman
4) Junglee Sahara Jr
5) VTech Predator II, I figure I need a knife to practice sharpening and learning the intricacies on.

I am probably going to buy more knives once I get a paycheck from the USMC after my summer PLC Program and the Opinel #9 and Kabar Dozier are on top of the list.
 
pedropcola said:
I would prefer a plastic handle and a lock that doesn't require two hands.
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Monocrom said:
Opinel makes a good knife. But the lock requires 2 hands to open and close.
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What's with that "2 hands to open/close the lock" stuff ? It only takes one finger (your thumb) to twist the ring to open or closed position. Turn the knife upside down (blade edge facing up) when engaging or disengaging the lock or closing the blade, use your thumb to operate the locking ring and your index finger to close the blade (I use #9, same technique works just as well on smaller models).

As with any folding knife with nail dent on the blade (as oppossed to the hole or a thumbstud) it does take the other hand to open the blade (it can be closed with one hand only) but that's not locking mechanism's fault; you need both hands to open a SAK-like slipjoint too and those have no locks.
 
I think that's a fine selection of moderately priced knives. I like the fact that you have selected a variety of blade shapes, blade locks, handle materials, and steels. You'll learn a lot about what you prefer if you EDC these in rotation and keep them sharp. You can even play around with mustard finishes or other forms of bluing on the high carbon Opinel blade. Great start for your collection. :thumbup: :thumbup:

What are you considering for a sharpening system?

editted to add: Oh, Dude, you didn't get the Opinel. You should pick one up in your next batch. Make sure you select one with high carbon steel. :D
 
DextrOz, thank you for your service to our country.
I know you aren't truly an "active" Marine yet, but the effort still counts.

My dad was a retired Marine (20 years, GYSGT), including two tours in Korea.
I was born on the Quantico Marine Base...my sister was born in Okinawa.
 
id personally buy the opinel and the spyderco,and the bank the rest. just my opinion though. so youre joining the marines eh? good job. what mos ya shootin for? i have 3 marines in my family. (the rest of us are army) good choice either way. stay safe.
 
well I am not really joining the Marines, I am doing a summer program for two summers in college and only assuming all goes well will I be offered a commission into the Marines. As of now, the fields I am aiming for are 1) Armor. 2) Intelligence.
 
Do you know how to sharpen a knife? If so have tried to sharpen anything other than the junk/soft stainless knives readily available everywhere?

If you haven't tried sharpening some of the new steels recommended here I think your choices are good. Some of the recommended choices take some time and practice and perhaps additional purchases in sharpening equipment.
 
Dextr0z said:
Before I dropped my limited money on these 4 knives I wanted to here your general opinions on them. I am going to be carrying one of these around everyday and will use them on a limited basis. These will be my first 4 real knives. For about a $100 think its a good bang for the buck?

Columbia River M16 Carson Design Tanto Pl Edge Locking Liner Fold
http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store_detail.html?s=CRM1604

Opinel Locking Blade knife 4" Closed
http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store_detail.html?s=OP7

KaBar Dozier Design Folding Hunter 3" Blade Oval Thumb Hole
http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store_detail.html?s=KA4065

Spyderco Byrd Series Cara Cara w/G10 Handle & 3-7/8" Plain Edge Blade
http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store_detail.html?s=SPBY03GP
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I think its a lot of bang for your buck..You cannot go wrong with any of these knives from a production standpoint. all three companies have solid reputations and good quality. The designs are also excellent. I am very partial to the M-16 which is a excellent knife and design
 
In the Knife Reviews posting area there is a thread titled "What are your least favorite knives". Something like that anyway. I didn't have time to confirm but I'm 90% sure that CRKT is mentioned negatively a number of times. You may want to consider that before getting the M16.
 
gbaker said:
I didn't have time to confirm but I'm 90% sure that CRKT is mentioned negatively a number of times. You may want to consider that before getting the M16.
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If you haven't got time to confirm, please don't take the time to spread misinformation.

CRKT produces a wide variety of designs at different levels of cost -- and quality. While their knives are generally well-made, many of the less expensive offerings use less expensive materials. No surprise ...

Some people have turned against the company because they aren't happy with the cheaper offerings. That's unfair, and does not do justice to the higher-end CRKT knives which retain their reputation for good service and value for the money.
 
As stated here he already purchased his first set of knives (including M16) so he's unlikely to take other threads into account now :)
 
Esav Benyamin said:
If you haven't got time to confirm, please don't take the time to spread misinformation.

CRKT produces a wide variety of designs at different levels of cost -- and quality. While their knives are generally well-made, many of the less expensive offerings use less expensive materials. No surprise ...

Some people have turned against the company because they aren't happy with the cheaper offerings. That's unfair, and does not do justice to the higher-end CRKT knives which retain their reputation for good service and value for the money.
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Did you forget your meds or something? The poster is the one asking for the info. I provided a resource. FWIW I just looked at the first 2 pages ONLY of the thread I referenced and there are 5 negative mentions for the M16 and 3 negatives for other CRKT models.
 
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