Newbie, starting from scratch, finally bought Fallkniven A1

Hi Carl,

Wow, you ask tough questions. You can get some very good knives on our Exchange forum at very fair prices if you don't mind buying a used, some very gently used knives, take a look there. I took a quick peak and found an example of the listings. I have never had a problem with a Blade forum seller. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1468946-Spyderco-s-amp-ZT-s-For-Sale

You can find an affordable Swiss Army Knife in various sizes with several tools for EDC. This to me is the perfect office, light use EDC knife that can do multiple tasks.

If you are only looking for only one blade the Spyderco Delica is tough to beat.

If you will use the knife in a watery or corrosive environment then consider the Spyderco Pacific Salt model, truly rustproof.

I EDC the slightly more expensive Spyderco Gayle Bradley model 1 which is very basic beater knife that works well around my shop and yard for the majority of my cutting needs. I also do a good deal of chainsaw work.

I keep a large Leatherman in the glove compartment of each of my cars.
 
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Carl in CT said:
There is a Cabelas not too far from my church so maybe I'll stop in Sunday afternoon and see if they have anything I can lay my hands on to get a feel for. Probably won't buy anything yet, prices are to high there.
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Welcome to what will probably turn into an obsession. A local Cabela's is great to get a feel for a few different brands. I'm not a big supporter of the large chains but if I go into one and consume a sales person time and fondle their goods I try to buy something while I'm there, even if it's not a knife.

Let us know what you buy, and pictures!
 
I find that Cabelas is happy to spend the time even if you don't buy anything. Most of the sales people are very knowledgeable and friendly.
 
Didn't make it to Cabelas, was snowing hard when we got out of church and my wife wasn't feeling that well so we just went home.

I may just grab a Mora Robust as my everyday work/utility knife. They seem pretty, well, robust and they are under 4" so I won't get hassled here in CT. For around $15 what can go wrong? Then I'll decide what kind of camping knife I want. That would keep the budget in line and not make me cringe when I do something horrible to the work knife. Trying to get one knife to be my utility knife that I'm going to beat on then expect it to still be a nice camp knife might be unrealistic.
 
What's a survival knife? If you get caught out late, the weather gets rough, what do you have to work with? A Mora can help you build a shelter and start a fire. A machete or ESEE Junglas won't do much more, and won't be as handy for cleaning a fish.
 
Carl in CT said:
...In reading the CT knife statute it is a little unclear to me if you actually have to be in the act of hunting, trapping or fishing to carry over 4" or if you simply need to hold a hunting, trapping or fishing license. It's worded poorly like most weapons laws, especially in CT. Maybe I'd rather not have to argue with a police officer over how the law is written and have to go to court to prove my case.
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My state had a blade length limit until last year. My take on that is that you mostly just need to be out in the woods (rural area) and pretty much anything goes. Blade length limits are mostly intended for urban carry.

In my state, the national forest areas are all wildlife management areas. I have asked wardens and so forth about what I can do there when hunting season is not "in" as in I just want to woods bum or hike and want to carry a firearm for casual but safe use. You also need a specific license/permit for that particular WMA. The answer I got was essentially "don't make a pest of yourself" and do something stupid and you're fine regardless, but that is not how the regulations are written. I also don't want to get singled out by law enforcement over something like carrying a gun in the woods (plinking) or a knife that might be too long statute wise,

My advice is don't carry blades longer than the state guidelines in urban areas or as an EDC. Carry what you like in the woods, but pay attention and exercise some judgement.
 
Just my opinion, but I think you may be way over thinking it.

If money is tight, start with the basics that you will use everyday, then use them and see if you need anything else. You don't need to spend a lot to get quality working knives.

I'd suggest starting with this stuff:
1. EDC folder - If you like the RAT/RAT2, go with that, lots of guys love them. $30
2. SAC - get you a Swiss Army Cadet or Pioneer in the configuration you like. The Alox ones are awesome and like $30
3. Mora fixed blade - Try one of these out as your camper/bush knife. They are pretty amazing for $20

I bet those 3 (under $80 total) would do everything you need and do it as well as anything else you could spend $100-200 more on each. If you find you need something else to replace one with, you aren't out much. I've had a RAT4 and have big hands. It's a fine knife but the handle is way to small. I've also had a RAT6 and it was too big as a camp knife for my needs as everything I do with my camp knife I can do with a much smaller knife. I like light weight and functional.

Collecting is a luxury, if times are tough, it's not the thing to be doing. Get quality usable tools that won't collect dust for no reason and you'll be happy.

Best of luck.
 
Hawk45 said:
...Collecting is a luxury, if times are tough, it's not the thing to be doing. Get quality usable tools that won't collect dust for no reason and you'll be happy.
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Or simply accumulating a bunch of knives that catch your eye, definitely a luxury. At first I suspect choosing is rather purpose driven. Later it simply becomes a want and not a need. It's fun, but you always have to keep an eye on your wallet and do what is practical for you.
 
Carl in CT said:
Lastly, what about warranties? I am attracted to the ESEEs for their warranty.
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Despite all the internet hype of how great the ESEE warranty is, my own personal experience has been that it is nothing more than a line of BS. I'll give a summary of my experience below. A bit more detailed account of my experience can be found here on BF.

I purchased a new Izula II from The Knife Connection. The knife arrived with 2 defects, a bad off center grind and problems with the scales. No problem, right, after all ESEE brags about their "No Questions Asked Lifetime Warranty," how hard could it be for ESEE to just send me a replacement knife? Well after contacting ESEE, one of the owners directed me to send the knife to Rowen and assured me that they would "FIX" the problems.

The Izula II was returned from Rowen with a half assed sloppy uneven regrind on the blade. The scales still had the same issue.

Voicing my discontent of the quality of the warranty work from Rowen with one of the ESEE owners, I requested a new replacement Izula II knife. The ESEE owner response was to send me a money order for the replacement value of the knife along with this statement, "Thank you for trying our knives :)" The ESEE owner flat refused to send me a replacement Izula II.

After owning 15 various ESEE knives, spending between $1500 - $2000 on them, such a response is totally unacceptable. ESEE is a company I do not trust and do not recommend.

The likelihood of me ever purchasing anything from ESEE, Rowen, or The Knife Connection is near to none.
 
I use the warranty purely as a guide on what the manufacturer believes about their knives. Nothing is indestructible. I think they should have replaced the Izula. Would have perhaps been better to simply return the knife to the Knife Connection for a refund in the first place. But I hate sending stuff back.
 
22-rimfire said:
I use the warranty purely as a guide on what the manufacturer believes about their knives. Nothing is indestructible. I think they should have replaced the Izula. Would have perhaps been better to simply return the knife to the Knife Connection for a refund in the first place. But I hate sending stuff back.
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Maybe, maybe not!?

But in any event, The Knife Connection shouldn't be using the following ESEE warranty on their website, considering ESEE refused to honor it. IMO such a business practice is less than ethical.

ESEE Knives warranty Information: If you screw it up, break it, or cut it in two with a cutting torch, send it back and we'll replace it. Warranty is transferable. In other words, we warranty the knife no matter how many times it's been traded, sold or given away. We don't ask for a sales receipt, date of purchase or where you bought the knife - No fine print and no hassles. If you have a problem, contact us.
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Also it makes me wonder, The Knife Connection, being one of ESEE's top vendors, why they are promoting an outdated ESEE warranty and not the most recent one, to me that is a less than honest business practice.

And I agree, my sentiment is I should have been sent a replacement Izula II. But at this point my level of distrust is equally the same for ESEE / Rowen and The Knife Connection.
 
I'd agree with the others. Can't go wrong with a mora companion. Get a Swiss Army knife multitool. The mora companion is surprisingly small you could probably edc it if legally allowed (I dunno your laws).

Otherwise, a lovely cheap but decent folder I found that's really nice is the Emerson kershaw collaboration CQC-6 - just under 4 inches. Clip point, very quick to deploy, very nice for the price.
 
Overthinking is what I do. I am an analyst by profession and by nature. I actually have a spreadsheet with the various knife combinations I am considering complete with a table of knives, prices and features. I use lookup formulas to automatically pull those details into the different combinations so I don't have to keep re-typing them, of course with sum formulas for total price for each combination. Yeah, I know, but that's who I am when I'm not renovating the house, out in the horse barn or in the canoe/woods.

Yes, I can get wrapped up in the "look at that cool knife with the awesome thingy attached" syndrome. So I have to be careful. I have looked at people's suggestions though. I think I am ready to get a Mora Robust now - it fits my needs as a utility belt knife under the 4" CT blade length law and at $16.70 including tax it's extremely low risk.

For concealed edc I am still partial to the Rat 2 or Rat 1 in D2 steel if I want to go that large. I do have a Gerber Ripstop now and I like it for a $15 pocket knife but I tend to fumble with it in my larger hands. I had two Kershaw Shuffles that I got in the Cabelas bargain cave for $8 each that I hated. I gave those away. So a larger folder is what I want but the Rat 1 seems really large.

I am getting a pretty good bonus from work that will show up in a week or two. Depending on what is left after taxes and how many bills I need to catch up on I may make a decision on a larger camp knife then. Or wait for father's day. :rolleyes:
 
If budget is a concern, you can always go in for a RAT7 in lieu of an ESEE 6. They run the same price as the BK7, but IMO make for a MUCH better field knife. And you get the Micarta scales instead of hollow GRN scales.


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ursamajor said:
If budget is a concern, you can always go in for a RAT7 in lieu of an ESEE 6. They run the same price as the BK7, but IMO make for a MUCH better field knife. And you get the Micarta scales instead of hollow GRN scales.


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Yeah, I may do that. I guess the differences are minor, more cosmetic than functional and different sheaths.

We'll see how much I want to spend to treat myself to a knife I probably don't need once I get my bonus. If I like the Mora Robust I just ordered for my belt/utility knife and stick with something around the RAT folder my budget will be doing well so far.

Really liking the looks of the TOPS Brakimo except for the thin handle for a knife that size. Doesn't look like Cabelas carries that one since it's pretty new. I will wait and see what the ESEE 6 and ESEE 5 feel like since Cabelas does carry those and appear to have some in stock at my somewhat local store. Guessing the RAT 7 will feel similar to the ESEE 6.
 
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So, got my Mora Robust today. Can't believe how inexpensive this knife is for how nice it seems to be. Haven't used it yet except to try it on a piece of paper, some hair on my arm which it did ok with, then I did a quick feather stick on a piece of kindling by the woodstove. It did excellent with that and it was hard wood (oak) that was well seasoned so it was very dry and hard. I am impressed.

I know I haven't really used it yet but when I think of the flimsy Chinese crap out there that costs more than this knife I can not understand how every man woman and child doesn't have one of these. How did I not know about these until now?
 
For EDC, the RATs seem to be good options
I prefer the Delica over it but it is more expensive and less robust...
Otherwise a basic opinel is something great for the value

For light survival/bushcraft I think the Becker BK16 or the ESEE 4 or the Tops BOB can be considered
If price is an issue you may have look at SCHRADE but the quality will not be comparable
 
I'm from CT too! Welcome, anyways for general edc I would recommend the rat 1. It's the only knife where I've purchased a second one. For the price point, it's great. Or you can get the carbon fiber D2 version for around $50-$60 on certain auction sites.

For a small fixed blade that you plan on beating the crap out of, you can get the ease 3 or rat 3 or the smaller kabars. Survival and bushcraft tend to have similar tasks so I'd just mold that into one group. And for that I'd look at kabar Becker line. The bk2 is mainly for batonning if you do that kind of thing. But I'd suggest the bk7 instead. Apart from that it never hearts to have a Leatherman or something on your belt
 
I will want a larger knife at some point but I am so impressed with the Mora Robust that I think I may grab a Mora Companion Heavy Duty for around $20. That can be my "casual woods knife" when I don't need a big chopper but want the little extra length over the Robust and more bushcraft style handle. For the prices of the Moras I really don't mind trying them out.

So, that opens up the larger knife conversation. I never really considered the ESEE Junglas or Becker BK9 or Ontario RTAK II just because they are really big and probably not good for much besides chopping larger wood for fires and shelter building. But if paired with a Mora that's probably all I need from a larger knife.

The Junglas is expensive at $150 but clearly the pick of the three. The BK9 is $100. I dunno, for $85 I can get a RTAK II which seems like a less polished version of the Junglas. I'm not as concerned with fit/finish in a big chopper. I'm more concerned with grip and the Micarta scales on the RTAK II probably offer better grip than the grivory on the BK9 (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong about that). I also am not sure I like that stabbing point, almost like a clip point of the BK9 and the thumb ramp and jimping seem a little overdone (again, feel free to correct me).

The ESEE 6 is still not out of the question by any means but it seems like there would be a lot of overlap with a Mora HD. If I am going to pair two knives they might as well be more specialized in their functions.

Of course I could go with a small ax instead of one of these huge blades but that would be even heavier and unless I'm bulding a log cabin probably not necessary (I won't be building any log cabins :) )
 
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