newbie questions

M

mjmi11er

Joined
May 30, 2004
Messages
3
first off, if i say anything ignorant please correct me. i am here to learn.

i have been drawn to knives in the past week rather than guns in both collectability (because of price, at least at this point) and usefullness.

i was planning on going hiking and thought one may come in handy so i started looking for one. from what i have read i shold be looking for a non serrated blade smooth grinding a portion of the blade and rough grinding a portion of it (producing the same effect as a serated portion), is this a correct belief?

also, i have ran across a brand of knives with reasonable prices called kershaw... are these of good quality? i have also noticed something within this brand... some of the knives have an assisted opening mechanism which i really like (like the scallion model 1620)? is this realiable? others are manual opening with a lockback (like the black horse II model 1060)... what is a better more relaiable choice? this assisted opening with a linerlock or a manual opening knife with a lockback?

another added question, i see some of the kershaws have a locking frame like the leek 1660 vs the scallion 1620 locking liner... does that make a difference?

also, within the kershaw brand knives i see that there are different types... scallions, leeks and chives? what do those names mean? what is the difference?

and i guess the most opinionated question, what size blade is sufficient yet not rediculous?

thank you for any info you can provide me!
 
I have heard of people sharpening a portion of the blade with a coarser grit to get the effect you're speaking of, and if that's what you want - go for it. By no means is there any hard and fast rule. You could also just buy a combo-edge blade. Whatever works for you.

As far as Kershaw goes, I haven't had one in many years - but back then (the 80's) they were good quality MIJ knives. As far as the names, they're Ken Onion designs - I'm assuming they denote small, medium and large sizes but I'm sure somebody that actually has one can give you better info.

Edited to add: Welcome to Bladeforums! :)
 
First task in knife-selection is to really define what you need the knife to do.

Then decide what specific properties you require to satisfy those tasks:
- Should the point favor extreme penetration or strength or best combination?
- How much 'belly' curve - a lot for skinning or less for general purpose?
- Lock security is important - I'd favor a lock-back design for your first knife.
- Grip-security is important - you don't want your fingers slipping onto the blade edge.
- Plain-edge folders are simpler to sharpen, and most popular.
- For hiking, pocket-clip folders are easily lost - perhaps a fixed-blade would be better?
- Read the 'faqs' on this site and others that discuss the differences in blade-grinds, tip-shapes and other knife properties.

Then decide how much you want to spend for that knife.

Then match your desired-properties with your budget.

Kershaw offers some fine knives - so do Buck, Schrade, Camillus and others.

Just apply common sense in knife selection - not emotional appeal - and you'll do just fine. It may not have occurred to you - yet - that this purchase will probably be the first of many.
 
ok, you have brought up another issue i'm ignorant about. you mentioned different blade shapes. i have seen many thread on here about shapes but no pictures to go along with the descriptions. is there a site that shows a pic and give the description of what it should be used for?
 
Spearpoint- look up Benchmade 530
Drop Point- look up lone wolf knife's Bob Loveless hunter
Clip Point- look up the Ka-Bar USMC (i think that's a clip)
A bowie- Look up Randall's model 12, if i remember correctly, that's the classic bowie
Wharencliff- See the Kershaw Leek
 
mj, welcome to Bladeforums! :D

Lots of factors make a good working knife: size and shape of the blade, type of blade material (generally steel) and quality of manufacture -- here's the BladeForums.com Knife FAQs to get you started.

Another is the legality of certain sizes or configurations. Assisted openers are OK most places, but not everywhere. Some jurisdictions have length restrictions and some are less friendly to fixed blades.

Lockbacks are simple and easy to maintain. Some other locks have a lot of small parts and crevices for debris to interfere with their function. Any lock fom a reputable manufacturer is probably fine, though.

There are so many good chocies, I'll give you an example of one folder and one fixed blade and let you and everyone else take off from there :)

The Spyderco Endura is a classic folder, with pocket clip and combination edge. Owners can tell you stories about its legendary durability.

The Kershaw Echo has an ergonomic handle and a multipurpose blade about the same size as the Endura's -- neither is too small for hiking or even survival uses, nor too large for comfortable carry.
 
Hey mjmi11er, and welcome.
I myself have only been here for a short time and i've already learned alot from these guys.

Best advice I can give you is: look at your budget.......but don't let it decide everything!
Last summer i also decided that i wanted a "quality" knife, so i started looking and wound up with a Böker lockback(good knife, that's not what i mean)......BUT: I was already in love with the Benchmade Griptilian witch was too expensive i thought.
What happened??? I got the Gripty a couple months later and it has been in my pocket ever since :-)

I wish you much good luck with your new purchase, and if you haven't already; look at www.benchmade.com , they have absolutely fantastic knives in my (humble) opinion!

See ya, Davy
 
ok, slowly catching on. but yet still confused. for example... from a more experienced eye please compare these two knives so i see the differences ( i don't on my own).

besides one being a linerlock and one a lockback what are the differences between say a spyderco delica and a kershaw leek?

also i'm still confused about what would be better a linerlock or a lockback... from my point of view both are relying on a very small area to not break, the clip that locks into place on a linerlock and the notch on the blade on a lockback, which is more realiable?
 
Does it have to be a folder? A fixed blade has no locks to fail, and there is no fumbling to open it. Grab the handle and it's there. Of course this would depend on the laws in your area. Check out www.swamprat.com for excellent quality/cost fixed blades. The Howling Rat, Bog Dog, and Bandicoot are all in the 4 1/2" blade length size. The soon to be released Safari Skinner is 3 1/2" I believe. The best bang for the buck going.

I carry a fixed blade EDC because I can (FL CCW). I also carry a Sebenza (my only folder) cause I like it and it doesn't freak out the sheeple as much as the same size fixed blade. Both of these are high end knives and really don't enter into this discussion, but before these I carried a Swamp Rat Howling Rat. My wife stole it for kitchen duty. Still one of my favorite knives. One of the handiest blade shapes ever.

Look around, ask more questions, use the search function and try and find what will suit YOUR needs (at least for the moment). You'll be getting more than 1 for sure, just make the most of your $$$$.

Rob
 
Welcome to Bladeforums mjmi11er! Get ready to hide things from yer significant other...

Which lock is more reliable than the other is an age-old debate. Some liner-locks are better than others... It's definitely a quality and interpretation issue. Lockbacks are a little harder to get wrong IMO. There are some VERY good liner-locks out there like the Al Mar SERE 2000 (a very good example of what liner-locks can be) and the Buck/Strider/Strider folders. I feel that Lockbacks offer a more reliable locking mechanism over liner-locks and have gotten rid of all liner-locking knives I owned, but there ARE reliable liner-locks that I would carry with confidence. There's gotta be crappy lock-backs out there... I just haven't run across 'em yet, thankfully.

I REALLY like Axis (Benchmade, baby!) and Framelocks! I'm a little biased when it comes to knives ;) and cultivated this biasedness with objectivity :confused: :D Kershaw is a nice production company and I have owned a few of the Onion assisted openers. Great knives at a great price! Unfortunatley(?) I have ended up with a bunch of over-kill type folders that cost more than I can really afford (i.e. Strider SMF, Extrema Ratio MPC), but that's part of the FUN! :D Seriously though, it's really all about getting what suits your intended use...




















































... :barf: GET THE BIGGEST BADDEST DINOSAUR-SLAYING KNIFE YOU CAN GET YER PAWS ON!!! Then EDC it. :p :D
 
Some guys have experienced slipping liners. (Sudden pressure SUPPOSEDLY causes the liner to bow out and disengage the lock)
 
All of the following is just IMHO:
@ 3" blade is about ideal. I'd probably bypass the assisted opening stuff just because I don't like gimmicky stuff.
I'm very leary of the linerlock/framelock design unless you are talking about specific proven ones, which takes too much time to sort through, and which are usually way pricey so I generally don't even bother with 'em.
Lockbacks are proven reliable, simple and strong across the board regardless of who makes them(a sure sign of a good design).
Axis is proving to be reliable, fast, ambidextrious, simple, very strong and bit higher maintenance.(you'll probably be replacing omega spring every couple 2-3 years or so but it's no biggy)
Anywho, Here's a top 5 list of my personal favorites to check out in that general size.
In no particular order, here's where I'd start:
Spyderco:
Calypso jr. --@$40-45
Delica --@$40-50
Native-- @ $40-50
All 3 of these are simple, reliable and LIGHTWEIGHT(Important for backpacking/hiking!) and give you the latest greatest steels! Just GREAT functional knives all the way around.

Benchmade:
Mini Griptilian--- @$52-65 A little heavier, but more robust than the ones above and perhaps the single slickest, fastest & easiest opening/closing folder out there. (I keep come back to this knife over and over again even after buying knives for 2-3 times as much $) Still my favorite Benchmade!

And last but not least a trusty Swiss Army Knife!
 
good questions....i recommend that you handle a few knives before you buy :)

some knives look good but are too heavy or light

buy 1 that feels good in your hand and that you will have confidence in :cool:
 
One advantage Spyderco often has over other companies is the steel they use. The Delica currently comes in VG-10, an excellent steel with pronounced corrosion-resistance and a toothy slicing edge. The Kershaw Leek is also a sturdy knife, slightly shorter blade, in 440A, an older steel, also corrosion-resistant, but needing more frequent sharpening.

Both companies pride themselves on providing you with extremely sharp knives out of the box.

For ordinary use, either would do just fine, and you would be safe choosing between them on price or esthetics.
 
Hi mj, I'm pretty new too, but may as well throw in my two cents. You say you want the knife for when you go hiking; to me this brings to mind something heavier than a leek. You might consider a good multitool, or a small/medium fixed blade - or both! Money of course is always an issue - you may not be able to get your ideal right away. So get something that you think you can live with, notice what you like and dislike, and look around the marketplace to see what's available. You can learn a lot by reading and comparing product descriptions, and also from browsing this site.
 
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