Novice needs help with fixed utility blades (long)

T

TCRooster

Joined
Feb 1, 2003
Messages
390
Greetings! I am the dreaded long-time lurker, (almost) first-time poster who is looking for some input from more experienced folks before buying.

First, I am looking for something in the 3" - 3.5" range. I'll spend up to $200, but would prefer to stay at $150 or less. I live in the 'burbs, and work in the city. Dress is business casual. Don't know if I'll ever carry to work though, would have to be SUPER discreet (and I don't want to carry neck knife style). Use would be primarily around the house and yard, maybe around the office. Might take it duck hunting and camping too. I know one model probably won't cut it for everything (no pun intended), and I'm interested to hear about the optimal uses for various designs.

Models I am looking at include the Simonich Crowfoot; Camillus Talon in 154CM; TOPS UTEs; and BM Nimravus Cub (154CM and M2).

Second, I am also looking for models in the 4" - 4.5" range too. This would be more of a user for house and yard, and would go hunting/camping. Definitely wouldn't go to the office. Same pricing criteria.

Models I am considering are the SwampRat Howling Rat; Greco Companion; BM Nimravus (154CM and M2); and Dozier knives.

I am looking for as much info/feedback as I can get before pulling the trigger, as knife stores suck in my area. So your stories from personal use and general info will be very helpful.

Let me know what you think of these categories and companies. Bring it on, and thanks! :D
 
Add Fallkniven WM1 knife to your 3-3,5-incher list and Fallkniven F1 to 4-4,5-incher one.
SPYDERCO Bill Moran Featherweight could be very good choice as well, it is excellent cutter, very light and easy to carry piece. However due to thin blade and high performance edge it could take less abuse than Fallkniven knives and could be less tolerant to “hard hand syndrome”.
 
I think you have identified some excellent possibilities. I can certainly recommend Dozier for anything either in the smaller or larger class, though the latter may be a little outside your upper price cap. If you have access to knife stores, so much the better as you can actually see the knife and feel it in your hand which can be very important as just about everything you've named is high enough quality, but what really make the difference is how comfortable they are to hold and you can only know that after you hold them.

Also consider visiting custom knife shows. Just about all of my custom fixed blades were $120 or less. Nothing fancy, but nice using knives, and all comfortable to me or I wouldn't have bought them, and I like every one of them better than the non-custom FBs I own <b><i>except</i></b> my Doziers. I'm speaking here of the utility class you are asking about... I'd probably like big custom choppers better than the "small shop" knives I have (Livesay, Busse) too, but those would be more than $200...
 
Matthew is right, most of your own suggestions are very good, I personally would rule out the TOPS since I think that they are overpriced.
The Nimravus Cub is a nice choice, for example. If you're ready to take care of your knife regularly (cleaning it after it got dirty and putting WD-40 or something like that on it from time to time), go with the M2 steel.
 
I would second Serg's, suggestion on the Spyderco Moran (I prefer the FB02 drop point over the trailing point FB01).

I would also take Matthew’s advice and try to handle as many of the knives you are interested in before buying. It is difficult if not impossible to judge how a knife will feel in your hand from looking at a picture, and sometimes a knife is much smaller or larger than you expected.

A couple of other knives that you may want to check out are the A.G. Russell Deer Hunter and the smaller Bird & Trout -


http://www.agrknives.com/agrussell/agdh-8a.html


And the Spyderco Temperance (FB05)-


http://www.spyderco.com/dealer_prod...1010&mscssid=03DMVVNCB8X89L2VHKSFHEWBE4V4CL51




- Frank
 
Looks like you have done some excellent research already. I can tell you only about the howling rat. I used mine hunting this year and found the respirene grip to be very comfortable and a positive grip in messy conditions.
Best of luck on your choice.
 
Hello TCRooster,
I have to agree, the best way to purchase a new knife is to pick it up, and see if it fits. The weight, balance, and the workmanship all come togeather when your able to pick it up and handle it. It's to bad that the R.F.& G. Safe & Knife Co. doesn't have their store anymore. They were the best kept secret in the upper midwest. I used to spend hours there, handleing all the different knives. Have you been to any of the MN. Weapons Collectors shows? I did their shows, almost one every month, for 10 years. I don't do them anymore, but I'm sure there would be some knifemakers and dealers there. The WI. Badger Knife Club, has a great weekend show comming up in Janesville, WI., on March 21-23. It's about a 5 hour drive from the Twin Cites, but well worth the trip.
If you have a copy of the Big Book, "Knives 2002", you will find a listing in the back for each state, and the custom knifemakers that live in each. You will find that there are a few here in MN., Give them a call and see if you can pay them a visit.
Good Luck in your search.
Jay Maines
Sunrise River Custom Knives
www.sunrisecustomknives.com
 
Something for the yard and hunting IMHO shouldnt be a pricey knife, because it WILL get destroyed. Get a KABAR. They come in full size and baby size which is around the size your looking for. I got a full size KABAR and its a workhorse. They are very inexpensive and are/were standard issue for the marines. So you know its built tough as nails. ;) hope this helps.

P.S. Full size KABAR is 50 bucks. Baby KABAR obviuosly is less :)
 
I might get laughed out of here for my suggestion but here goes. I've been getting into some traditional pocket knives after going the tactical/modern route for a couple of years. I've recently bought 2 Queen knives, because they use D2 tool steel for the blades. As you know this is an excellent edge-holder. They make an inexpensive line of traditional looking fixed blades for UNDER $50. Now I haven't handled the fixed blades, but if they are anything like the folders they could be an excellent value. Might make a good choice for your "beater". A couple of caveats. D2 is not quite stainless, so a little care will be required. Also, the folders come as dull as a butter knife, so they have to be sharpened right out of the box. You see these on ebay occaisionally, and also at Bullman Cutlery . I haven't bought from these folks, so check around. Just my 2 cents.

Steve
 
Rooster, I don't have any swamprats yet (got one on order) but I hang around the swamprat forums and from what people there have said about them, they're excellent knives. A word of warning, there's curently a bit of a wait for these knives as they seem to have a bit of a backlog of orders at the factory.

Sergiusz mentioned the WM1 and F1 from Fallkniven. These I know something about, they're very strong knives but I can't seem to get them as sharp as my other knives. That might be due to the convex blade or the VG10 steel being so hard, or a combination. They're good but I'm still looking for something better.
 
So far, so good! I knew this was the place to ask. Thank you all for your input.

On the Spydercos, I have a friend who likes them, but I just didn't take to them. I know they make a great knife (I want a Kiwi bad), but their fixed blades don't do it for me.

Jay Maines. No, haven't been to a Weapons Collector's show yet, but hope to get to one in the near future. The show in WI sounds good, but I don't think I can make it that weekend. If you know of any places around the Twin Cities for me to try, please let me know.

As for handling the knives, I know this is the best way to go, but finding someplace in the Twin Cities with a decent selection is tough. That's why I'm asking you guys for your experiences.

Thanks again for all the help! Keep those posts comin' in! :D
 
Hello TC Rooster,
I've got some very good news for you. The Twin Cites now has a new knife store, it just opened 2 months ago in Hopkins. It's called World of Knives, at 811 Main St. The owner Greg, was the old owner of RF&G Safe & Knife Co. So if you need to handle some knives before you buy, thats the place to go.
Also, on the weekend of Feb. 22nd, at the Mpls. Convention Center, the Mn. Weapons Collectors Assoc. will be having their annual Trophy Show, along with the North Star Blade Collectors Club. There should be about 15 custom knifemakers and dealers there, all set aside in one area. Besure and go and have a great time.
Best Regards,
Jay Maines
Sunrise River Custom Knives
www.sunrisecustomknives.com
 
Mr. Maines,

Thank you for all the info! I will be sure to check out World of Knives, and will try to get to the next Collectors Assoc. show.

By the way, paid a visit to your site. Nice work! Maybe we'll be doing some business. I really liked what I saw.

Thanks again.
 
Originally posted by Matt Langley
Sergiusz mentioned the WM1 and F1 from Fallkniven. These I know something about, they're very strong knives but I can't seem to get them as sharp as my other knives. That might be due to the convex blade or the VG10 steel being so hard, or a combination. They're good but I'm still looking for something better.
Click to expand...
Matt,
I understand clearly what you are talking about. Yes, convex edges can disconcert someone who never dealt with them and/or try to use sharpening system with preset angle on them. Especially taking into consideration that Fallkniven tends to keep slightly steeper angle at very edge than common 40 degrees.

Try to sharpen using flat bench stone (the longer the better) and to rise blade spine until you would “catch” sharpening surface with very edge. Do it calmly following what your hand feels and you should notice this moment pretty clearly. Wire edge creation on the opposite side also should show you that you have reached very edge.
I this wouldn’t be enough use black marker to be sure what area exactly you are grinding.

When very edge is done continue sharpening strokes calmly lowering blade spine, this should round back edge of your created narrow flat area near very edge and will keep your edge convex.

Use “Search” function, convex edge sharpening was discussed numerous times at this Forum.

BTW, I couldn’t consider VG-10 steel any harder to sharpen than, say, ATS-34 and far easier than CPM 440V.
 
I'd say give the Spyderco Perrin a look too.
Then of course, I'm partial to the clip point blades.
 
TC- welcome to the forums. The answer lies in your original post. If you are willing to spend $150- $200 take a real close look at Dozier mades. Go to www.dozierknives.com

Their kydex sheaths are top notch. And their blades are made for USE. No fancy finishes nor bells and whistles here. Check out their forum on knife discussion. Good luck.

N.
 
I would second a Nimruvus or Nimravus Cub, and I would say deffinitly go for the M2 steel, I have a nimravus 140HS (the M2 one) and don't take allot of extra care for it, and so far I havn't seen any rust.
 
I’d go for a Dozier on the 3” – 3 1/2” knife. Bob’s small/medium sized knives are just a huge bargain for the price. Think about it this way. How many Dozier utility fixed blades do you ever see for sale on BladeForums? The answer is pretty darned close to ZERO, and there’s a good reason. Bob builds a superior knife for a tiny amount of money. The hard part is choosing exactly what model to order. Whatever you do, order at least two sheaths of various styles. I always want to shoot myself for not ordering more sheaths. If you like, post up on Bob’s web board ( http://www.dozierknives.com/cgi-bin/dozier-ikonboard/ikonboard.cgi ) asking for advice on models. There are a lot of guys there, with a lot of Doziers.

I’m betting that if you order a Dozier as large as a K-4 (close enough to 3 1/2"), you might not even care much about the 4 1/2" blade. And if you do still want one, it would be a dedicated “beater”, for the jobs you don’t want to subject your new Dozier to. Think about a Marbles Woodcraft, Swamp Rat or a Cold Steel for the dirty work..... unless you're willing to pay out for a convex ground Dozier. :D
 
The larger size knife is definitely up for grabs in my opinion. There are a number of good beaters out there for not much money for what you described as uses.

For the smaller knife.., I'd agree that you can't beat Bo Dozier in that area..., simply fantastic knives for a reasonable price.


"Hunters seek what they [WANT].., Seekers hunt what they [NEED]"
 
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