New Guy from Melbourne

M

Miah87

Joined
May 14, 2013
Messages
5
Hey guys,

I'm Jeremiah but everyone calls me Miah or Jmyer. Work full time in a bank.

I love knives ever since I was a kid and just started to collect them. I usually got my knives from Ebay but they aren't really what I am looking for. I want something more, looking for what's on my mind. Sharp knives!!!! and hopefully will have a good resell values but SHARP is my main concern.

So I'm hungry for knowledge, please feed me.

Just bought a fixed knife from Cold Steel but it was Made in China. I believe the quality is not as good since it was made in china.

Any suggestions on what should I look for?
 
Miah87 said:
Just bought a fixed knife from Cold Steel but it was Made in China. I believe the quality is not as good since it was made in china.

Any suggestions on what should I look for?
Click to expand...

There's nothing wrong with "made in China" knives if they're made by a decent company, and Cold Steel is a decent company(and you're most concerned about sharpness, well, Cold Steel knives usually come RAZOR sharp out of the box). You won't be getting premium steels(which means you will have to resharpen them a bit more frequently to retain that edge) but for any reasonable knife type usage(ie, don't try to chop down an oak with a folding knife, your knife is not a pry bar, etc) made in China is plenty fine. Lots of good knife companies make stuff in China(Kershaw and Spyderco for example) and there are also several good knives coming from Chinese companies like Sanrenmu and Enlan as well.

As for recommendations, you may want to give us a little more info. Are the knives to be used, or just collected? If they are to be used, what is your planned usage, opening an occasional box or envelope? Lots of heavy duty cardboard cutting? Cutting/prepping food? Camping/bushcrafting on your weekends? Are you looking for folders, fixed blades, or both? What about price range, are you fine with dropping $300 on a knife, or are you trying to keep it below $50? If you just want to collect knives that have high out of box sharpness, basically anything from Cold Steel, Spyderco/Byrd, Kershaw/Zero Tolerance, Benchmade, Buck, or, well, quite a few other companies qualify. Sebenzas(and other CRK brand knives)have great resale value, but a lot of people report the initial sharpness isn't as high as they'd prefer...and a CRK is also gonna cost you several hundred dollars a piece.
 
Welcome Miah -

You came to the right place.

Check out Kershaw knives, they make a great variety of quality knives in all price ranges - some made in China, but all are quality made.

I also like Buck, Spyderco, and Benchmade knives for production folders.

Many like the Cold Steel knives, but I do not have experience with them.

best

mqqn
 
There may be many knives waiting for you, but you are going to struggle to find a lot of them here in Australia, at least the folding ones. It's now illegal to bring many of them into the country, and prices for what is already here are getting ridiculous.

All that said, welcome aboard, and I see you have signed up to ABF as well, so you're in the right place for being informed. Good luck in your search.
 
Welcome! The best advice is read, read, read and research. Google search is your best friend.
Give us some ideas on what you are exactly looking for (fixed or folder), length, budget (US dollars will be easier for most to relate), use, etc
Though Cold Steel makes products in China, I've always found them a good value. Not the best steel, but it works well. Try to beat it up and see how it reacts instead of just seeing "China" and pushing it aside. Guys have had $200 + dollar knives fail and others love Beckers which are another great value in fixed blades. So don't always judge a book by it's cover.
Also, keep an eye out on the Exchange for used knives. Great way to try them out.
 
If buying from fellow group members or dealers outside Australia become familiar with what is currently legal there and that will not be stopped by Australian cutoms authorities if you try to import it. Are the authorities there going to next make all sharp kitchen knives illegal?
 
If you're looking for sharp, I might be able to work with what you've already got. I use an Edge Pro and CrO strop to achieve shave-ready edges on my hard-use folders and fixed blades. Come by sometime.
 
Hey mate, youre welcome here as long as you dont steal our Tour Down Under...okay thats not my call to make...but we havent forgotten the grand prix ;)
Seriously though this is a great online community. More knowledge here than you could imagine. As has been mentioned our customs polixies no longer allow import of most one handed opening folders. It seems absurd but theres no point blaming the poor Customs guy at the airport. We also seem to get gouged for price here - i think some distributers must be making a large markup - so the US prices and ours often dont line up.
Having said that if you want a stupidly sharp and kind of ugly (in an awesome way) look at Spyderco knives.
Ask lots of questions here, search the forum, learn more than you ever wanted to know about steel and enjoy
 
Dshiftlet,

I am looking for both fixed blade and folding knives. I want to be able to use it on anything. Preferably something that will stay sharp without having to resharpen it too frequently. What are your suggestions for those? I am happy to fork out $500 for a fixed knife that stay sharp, real sharp.

Ozgooner,

Yes I sign up to this forum before I saw ABF but I like to join more forums to get to know more people.

Tatfiend,

In a few years time, cooking will take twice as long because we have to use blunt knife to butcher a chicken.

Darkangel,

I'm getting a diamond rod for myself soon.




Yes I am from Melbourne Australia. Should have included Australia in my first post. haha
 
For $500 you can get some great knives. If you really want to spend that much i would say go to a knfe show, meet the craftsmen and get a custom piece.
Do your research first though - spend time here learning about steel types, grinds etc. That way you can get something you will really appreciate.
 
Last edited:
Yes I keep researching everyday after I came home from work.

What are the highends knife brand? I thought cold steel, buck and the rest are the best quality knives around.
 
The "standard" for excellence in folders in America is, IMO, Chris Reeve Knives. Very tight manufacturing tolerances, great customer service, they won't let you down.
They run about $400 USD or so.
I'm a big fan of Spyderco folders in the approx. $200 range. For "Sharp" knives, I think that ZDP-189 is one of the finest blade-steels available and the edge lasts a very long time due to 3.0 carbon percentage.
But, there are lots of good knives here. I generally plan to spend $100 and up...to about $400. Many folks never spend $100 and are just as happy with their folders and fixed blades.
Stick around; you'll learn here.
...and Welcome.
Sonnydaze
 
If I may offer some advice, starting with a ZDP-189 fixed blade when you know virtually nothing about knives can be a mistake. All steels have pluses and minuses. Take your time.

FYI, I have several knives with ZDP: that steel is very sharp but can be brittle and is usually used as a core to a laminate of more flexible steels. For a fixed blade, you should post on that sub-forum: they will give you advice specific to fixed blades.

I agree with Sonny that Spyderco is an excellent brand, as is Benchmade, for the novice (as well as enthusiasts).

Miah87 said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5_b9aF2dLM

Wow, it is really sharp for a small knife.

Apparently ZDP-189 is an ultra high carbon stainless steel. I'm gonna look for a fixed knife with this steel.

Thanks sonny.
Click to expand...
 
Miah87 said:
Yes I keep researching everyday after I came home from work.

What are the highends knife brand? I thought cold steel, buck and the rest are the best quality knives around.
Click to expand...

Reliable working knives at best.
Mate, take your time. Read up, A LOT!
There's already some steels better than ZDP-189, so don't jump into anything head first!
Enjoy it here and on ABF!
 
Welcome to the boards Jeremiah! Check out the Pendleton Hunter from Cold Steel. There is a pimped version of the knife that has some great steel. Good luck man!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top