Even if they were slightly exaggerated, which I doubt they were, what current locking mechanism do you think trumps the Tri-Ad?
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New to folding knife world... where do I start?
- Thread starter Parill125
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Even if they were slightly exaggerated, which I doubt they were, what current locking mechanism do you think trumps the Tri-Ad?
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You need reply to my comments, if you want to debate "mechanisms" start a new thread about mechanisms.
My point is sales demo are just demo totally controlled in ever way to make products shine in a great light. Real world experiences is the real word experiences.
What I'm saying is that it doesn't matter if there is a bit of marketing hype if the product still works incredibly well in practice. Tons of YouTubers have put the Tri-Ad lock through its paces on and it has indeed proven itself in the real world.
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I don't care for their video's either. Bought my Recon way before see's one of their vids. If i wouldn't seen one i them woulda probably thought the same the this is fake as hell and moved on to something else. But I have used and abused the Recon 1 alot and absolutely completely believe everything in the video is 100% genuine. If you don't you haven't used the knife and therefore couldn't say for sure what it's capable of. Try one and you will be a believer. Alot of my other knives could do the same things so i don't get what's so unbelieveable but either way i'm done.
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Exactly. As have we too right.
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Honestly I don't view those cold steel video's as doing anything really special. It's a strong lock, and I have to admit having the knife support the big guy in the video linked earlier impressed me.
But otherwise you should stop and think about it for a second you have a large heavy rope that they are cutting and it is support from above and there is weight below weighing it down (from the rope) and you have a big guy swinging a sharp knife at it with a lot of strength and momentum behind it. I don't think that is as impressive as it looks once you break it down in that perspective, I am betting I could do the same with a swiss army knife. Same deal with cutting the piece of meat, think about how much force it actually takes to cut a piece of ham with a sharp knife for example it doesn't take that much force. Looks cool though, but that's about it.
Stabbing pieces of metal doesn't impress me as much either, if it has a decent lock it should hold and the tri-ad lock is a strong lock. We have can openers on our swiss army knives that we stab through thick pieces of metal to cut the lids off and those don't have locks on them.
Than there is the spine whacking tests. Let's not even go there with all the controversy on how that is not a good way to test lock strength. The weight on the knife showed us a better idea of how strong the lock is in my opinion. Let's just say I am not doubting that it's a strong locking mechanism (their tri-ad) after researching it a bit and leave it at that.
In real world use I don't see anyone doing anything to their knives that they did, and if you plan to I think you need to rethink getting a knife. They make good knives to my understanding but their marketing is gimmicky in my opinion and I doubt you need to "prep" anything for the video they did.
But otherwise you should stop and think about it for a second you have a large heavy rope that they are cutting and it is support from above and there is weight below weighing it down (from the rope) and you have a big guy swinging a sharp knife at it with a lot of strength and momentum behind it. I don't think that is as impressive as it looks once you break it down in that perspective, I am betting I could do the same with a swiss army knife. Same deal with cutting the piece of meat, think about how much force it actually takes to cut a piece of ham with a sharp knife for example it doesn't take that much force. Looks cool though, but that's about it.
Stabbing pieces of metal doesn't impress me as much either, if it has a decent lock it should hold and the tri-ad lock is a strong lock. We have can openers on our swiss army knives that we stab through thick pieces of metal to cut the lids off and those don't have locks on them.
Than there is the spine whacking tests. Let's not even go there with all the controversy on how that is not a good way to test lock strength. The weight on the knife showed us a better idea of how strong the lock is in my opinion. Let's just say I am not doubting that it's a strong locking mechanism (their tri-ad) after researching it a bit and leave it at that.
In real world use I don't see anyone doing anything to their knives that they did, and if you plan to I think you need to rethink getting a knife. They make good knives to my understanding but their marketing is gimmicky in my opinion and I doubt you need to "prep" anything for the video they did.
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Cold Steel has used the prefer of video media to make a wonderful sales tool for their products. Nothing wrong with the creativity. But a trip to the local Wal-mart will yield some great choices for a first folder. IMO.
Victorinox SAK. Look at the Pioneer and the Farmer.
For stones, a small Arkansas soft and a small Arkansas hard.
The above will serve you, and your next generation progeny, well.
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Rat 2
The Leek is a great knife. The composite blade version is a little over $50, but the D2 steel on the cutting edge is very nice. The Blur is also a great knife that's a bit larger than the Leek and can be had for about $40. The Skyline and Zing are other good choices at around $35, and they're about the same size as the Leek. Those are manual flippers, but they open just as quick as the assisted-openers. The Ontario RAT-1 is a larger and pretty rugged knife at around the $30 mark. The RAT-2 and ESEE Zancudo are closer in size to the Leek, and also around $30. The Kabar Dozier Folding Hunter can be had for about $20, and is also a nice, simple, and functional knife. Kershaw also has some imported flippers around $20 that are all pretty nice - Volt 2, OSO Sweet, and Chill come to mind.
For a little over $50, you can also check out the Spyderco Delica or Endura. Both are excellent knives, and the FFG models are great slicers. If you keep an eye on the exchange, you might be able to pick one up second-hand for under $50. Similarly, you might also be able to find a Benchmade Griptilian or Mini-Griptilian for under $50 on the secondary market.
The Victorinox SAKs are also always a good pick. For camping, the versatility they offer might actually work out better than a single-bladed modern folder. The Tinker and Spartan are popular 2-layer models, and the Super Tinker and Climber add a layer and scissors to their 2-layer counterparts. The Hiker is similar to the Super Tinker, but with a saw instead of scissors. The Alox Cadet, Pioneer, and Farmer are also worth a look. They don't have the tweezers, toothpick, or back-mounted implements (screwdriver, corkscrew, hook), but they are a bit thinner than the ones with Cellidor handles. There's also the One-Handed Trekker, which is larger and has a locking blade.
For a sharpener, the Lansky set can be had for about $30. It's a guided system that works pretty well. For about $50, you can get a Sharpmaker or DMT Aligner. The Sharpmaker makes touch-ups a breeze, and it works well on recurve and and serrated blades as well. The Aligner works much better if you ever need to do much more significant sharpening (eg. re-profiling or sharpening out chips along the edge), as their diamond stones can remove metal much more aggressively (especially the extra-extra-coarse one).
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Here's a question for the more experienced sharpeners.. I would start my own thread but I think it'd also help out the OP.
Why is the sharp maker worth twice the price of a lansky? Both help achieve a consistent angle. Both will get knives very sharp. Both will sharpen about any common blade.
I don't have a sharp maker, but it seems its quicker to set up and would sharpen about any blade whereas the lansky has some limitations and takes a bit longer to set up. On the flip side, the lansky setup seems like it'll do better at repairing an edge in very bad shape, and you can re-profile with it.
I could see a case for having both. But if you're only going yo get one, does the ease of setting up really warrant another $30?
Why is the sharp maker worth twice the price of a lansky? Both help achieve a consistent angle. Both will get knives very sharp. Both will sharpen about any common blade.
I don't have a sharp maker, but it seems its quicker to set up and would sharpen about any blade whereas the lansky has some limitations and takes a bit longer to set up. On the flip side, the lansky setup seems like it'll do better at repairing an edge in very bad shape, and you can re-profile with it.
I could see a case for having both. But if you're only going yo get one, does the ease of setting up really warrant another $30?
The Sharpmaker is very convenient for more regular maintenance. Setup and storage are very quick and easy. In addition, they are one of the easier ways to handle recurved blades and serrations (using the corners of the stones vs. the flats). I have tried (and would not care to again) to re-profile an edge on a Sharpmaker. It'll work, but be prepared to spend a LOT of time doing it. For that, a guided system like the Lansky or Aligner with the coarser stones are much easier. Touch-ups with such systems, though, are slower on account of the setup time.
You'll likely find yourself doing touch-ups / regular maintenance far more often than significant re-profiling or grinding out chips and such. So, if you were to just pick one, I'd lean towards the Sharpmaker.
You'll likely find yourself doing touch-ups / regular maintenance far more often than significant re-profiling or grinding out chips and such. So, if you were to just pick one, I'd lean towards the Sharpmaker.
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Great choices here plus the advice to get a sharpmaker. Getting back into knives led me to an Ontario Utilitac ll. I find it to be a high value/low cost($25-$30) knife that will handle just about anything from camping, EDC, tactical tasks with aplomb.
There are different versions. Here's mine.
There are different versions. Here's mine.
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kershawguy13
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Another vote for the Spyderco Tenacious.
Only bad thing is, you'll soon have a huge list of other Spydies you want.
Only bad thing is, you'll soon have a huge list of other Spydies you want.
Sharpmaker is better as a tool to touch up knives, not so great for reprofiling them as mentioned by someone else. Easier to setup and it just works very well with paired up with other systems such as lanskys, DMT, edgepro, wicked edge, etc it's something your probably not going to outgrow unless you just don't want to use it. In fact what you hear about a lot of guys doing who pick up something like an edge pro or wicked is they will use that put a nice new bevel on their knives and to touch them up they use the sharpmaker because it takes too long to setup those devices in comparison to a sharpmaker which is fast and easy and just works. Picking up diamond rods makes reprofiling easy and less of a chore but it is still less than ideal.
I started with a DMT Aligner, it works pretty close to your lansky but the issue is there is still a bit more of a learning curve and they quite honestly suck for just touching up a knife quickly due to having to set them up and getting the blade back into proper position, etc. I am also a fan of traditional slip joints with creates another problem as they tend to have smaller blades which don't play well with these clamp systems and that problem does not exist on the sharpmaker. For the lansky I would suggest getting at least 1 diamond stone with it to help in reprofiling if someone does go that route though.
All of these systems are good, but it's more on what your intended usage is for as they all have their pros and cons. It seems that most people are more satisfied with the ease of the sharpmaker than anything else so why reinvent the wheel I'd rather just give them an easy recommendation.
I started with a DMT Aligner, it works pretty close to your lansky but the issue is there is still a bit more of a learning curve and they quite honestly suck for just touching up a knife quickly due to having to set them up and getting the blade back into proper position, etc. I am also a fan of traditional slip joints with creates another problem as they tend to have smaller blades which don't play well with these clamp systems and that problem does not exist on the sharpmaker. For the lansky I would suggest getting at least 1 diamond stone with it to help in reprofiling if someone does go that route though.
All of these systems are good, but it's more on what your intended usage is for as they all have their pros and cons. It seems that most people are more satisfied with the ease of the sharpmaker than anything else so why reinvent the wheel I'd rather just give them an easy recommendation.
Hey guys, thanks you all for your recommendations and such! I really appreciate it and have learned quite a bit from all your notes and experiences! I've been looking on Amazon for knifes and have come across a few more that look interesting... If you could comment on them pro/cons, quality, etc. that would be great!
Camillius w/AUS 8 ($26.66... too good to be true?): http://www.amazon.com/Camillus-Carb...1401207543&sr=1-8&keywords=folding+knife+aus8
CRKT Heiho 2900 not sure if its w/AUS 8 or 8Cr14MoV ($36.80): http://www.amazon.com/Columbia-River-Knife-2900-Assisted/dp/B0033HF4CQ/ref=cm_cd_al_qh_dp_t
Ontario 8904 AUS8 ($32 w/S&H): http://www.amazon.com/Ontario-8904-...401208264&sr=1-39&keywords=folding+knife+aus8
Again, props to you guys for welcoming me into the community... you're gonna make a hobbyist out of me haha! Cheers!
Camillius w/AUS 8 ($26.66... too good to be true?): http://www.amazon.com/Camillus-Carb...1401207543&sr=1-8&keywords=folding+knife+aus8
CRKT Heiho 2900 not sure if its w/AUS 8 or 8Cr14MoV ($36.80): http://www.amazon.com/Columbia-River-Knife-2900-Assisted/dp/B0033HF4CQ/ref=cm_cd_al_qh_dp_t
Ontario 8904 AUS8 ($32 w/S&H): http://www.amazon.com/Ontario-8904-...401208264&sr=1-39&keywords=folding+knife+aus8
Again, props to you guys for welcoming me into the community... you're gonna make a hobbyist out of me haha! Cheers!
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Kershaw Skyline in damascus, Spyderco Delica 4 FFG!
Good luck!
Good luck!
+1 on the kershaw skyline. It was my first folder (other than swiss army knives) and I still can't justify buying another knife because it does everything I could ask of it and more. Light, good edge retention (I've heard similar to VG10 used on most spydercos), easy to sharpen to a shaving edge on the sharpmaker, incredibly smooth opening (unassisted but opens just as fast), flipper, good edge to blade length ratio (I hate the rat because there's a huge distance between your hand and the edge) and solid lock up. The only problem I have with it is how high it rides, but if you carry it tip down (I recommend back right pocket so the blade is against a seam and will not open) then it's not too bad. I live in Toronto and have walked past many people and police with no one noticing or carrying. Probably the best knife for $50 I've seen.
I've not used the Camillus but the Ontario Utilitac is a superior design to the CRKT. For that matter, the Ontario is one of the best folders in that respective price range, they did that liner lock exceptionally well, the ergos and blade design are super useful, and their heat treatment of AUS-8 is really good. It's a solid design and has a huge following on this forum and elsewhere. It feels and performs like a much more expensive knife than it actually is.