Needing advice for choosing a knife

GigantDude said:
...Can you also give me some advice on how to "take care of my knife", I like to have a bit more of personal advice instead of looking on the internet...
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I have some specific priorities for a woods knife. Not everyone follows these priorities, but I do. I like a steel that's tougher (more resistant to damage) if it's going to be used, and possibly abused some, outdoors. Toughness is more important to me than edge holding in that case. I'll sacrifice some edge holding for extra toughness. Non-stainless steels like 1095 and A2 are relatively tough and do well outdoors. 3V is another very tough steel, but it's a little harder to sharpen than 1095 & A2. 3V is an excellent choice for knives that need to be pretty damage-resistant, however. It's worth learning to sharpen, and how to do it in the woods, just to use 3V AFAIC.

Corrosion resistance is probably third on my list of priorities after 1. Toughness, and 2. Edge holding. It may need to be more important for you in The Netherlands than it is for me in Georgia, USA. I don't know how wet your environment is. Mine isn't particularly bad.

As far as sharpening is concerned, I'd recommend learning to do it freehand if you want to be as prepared as possible outdoors. You don't need much to learn. A cheap knife to practice on and a couple of stones to use should do it. You can use an old leather belt to learn to strop. After all, you won't be carrying a heavy or bulky guided sharpening system with you. More likely a small stone and a pocket strop. And if you pick the right ones and the right knife, those are all you need. Simpler non-stainless steels like 1095 are easy to sharpen. Stainless steels like AUS-8 and 154CM are also pretty easy to work with, and they have the additional benefit of being more corrosion resistant than non-stainless steels.

A steel blade can be protected with something as cheap and easily available as food grade mineral oil. This helps protect the blade and also keeps it useful for food prep since the mineral oil is edible. If you're going to carry a FB in a leather sheath, I'd make sure the sheath is coated with something weather-resistant. A good knife deserves a good sheath to protect it.

Read through the stickies and the other freehand sharpening threads in the M, T, & E subforum. They'll help you get started.
 
Well, not sure there is any more to add as all the hot points are already here. So I'll just say welcome, and have fun sharing your likes, gripes, knife related experiences. And never forget to post your new purchases along with pics. [emoji41]



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