Pakistan Knives?

R

RustySickle

Joined
Sep 22, 2000
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I am fairly new to the camping hobby and I was wondering which hunting knife to purchase. I have heard that pakistan made knives are cheap but are considered bad quality. How bad are these knives really, if they are really not worth it, can any one recommend a suitable camping knife that is available in any Big Five or SportsMart store?

Thank you for your help.
RustySickle
 
The thing I've found with pakistan knives is that the fit and finish is much better than you would expect on a $5-$15 knife. And they seem to have a decently solid lockup. However, the blades are made out of some mystery metal that absolutely will not take an edge, not a polished edge, not a coarse edge, just a very blunt rounded over dull edge. I have a feeling its about like trying to sharpen a hubcap. If you ask me that kind of defeats their purpose.
But if you are willing to spend a little more, you can get yourself set up pretty well with a trip to the local walmart, sears, or meijers. Walmart and Meijers should both carry Buck 110's in their sporting goods department for a reasonable price. Along with some other knives by buck, schrade, gerber,victorinox and meijers even has kershaw here in hiliard anyway. Any of those brands seem to be pretty reputable so you could pick what you like. If you go to meijers don't get anything made by bushmaster their on the same level as pakistan.The gerber gator would probably be a good choice along with the LST magnum and large EZ- out. They even have a few fixed blades now. All the gerbers at most stores will be made witha 440A , they can be found online made with ATS34.
At sears, you should be able to find a craftsmen version of the buck 110, maybe a little cheaper but craftsmen knives are of good quality, or at least they used to be. Haven't bought one in a while. It should carry the unconditional lifetime garauntee.
Now that I think about it, Lowes is now carrying a good selection of knives also. I think their a national chain. Anyhow they have lots of case, gerber, victorinox, and leatherman here at the local store. Shop around some and you should be able to get yourself a good knife pretty easily.

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It'll feel better when it stops hurting.
 
if you really want a cheap but useable knife contact the smoky mountain knifeworks for a catalog (1-800-251-9306) they sell many inexpensive knives in their catalog, one xample would be sawmill knives which the blades are made of files, and will hold a superior edge (they are made in pak. , but they are of fair quality and finish for what they are, the sheath leather is actually fairly decent quality also!)they cost around $10.00, shipping is $5.99 (on orders up to 49.99 i believe)
 
I refuse to sharpen Pakistani knives from guys at work, the steel really clogs up my sharpening stones and as mentioned above they don't keep what edge you do get.....but I heard tell they are starting to try to bring quality up a notch so maybe in the near future things can change?

G2

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"The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions!"
Take the time to read your Bible Now, don't be left behind...

G2 LeatherWorks
 
Do people really buy Pakistani knives? Maybe I've just always been spoiled by a father who is also a knife-nut but I can't seem to believe that anybody actually buys that stuff. The only reason I can see for buying a Pakistani is if it only has to hold an edge long enough to stick it in a guy's gut. That's pretty grim, but I think you get my point.

Anyhoo... To answer your question RustySickle, buy a Ka-bar. Period. For about $35 you can get a knife that will be PERFECT for hunting/camping/fighting...etc. You can buy one from Smokey Mountain Knife Works.
 
>>I am fairly new to the camping hobby and I was wondering which hunting knife to purchase. I have heard that pakistan made knives are cheap but are considered bad quality. How bad are these knives really,

In affordable knives, Ontario makes a good knife for the money. The grip is rubber, so it will flex, and hold up better then the second place Ka-bar knives. Although Ka-bar does have a warrenty, and should get you though your camping trip. If you take a Pakistan knife, take more than one. The Paki's will take a real good edge, but they will not hold it. You will need to field sharpen it, and that can be a pain. Stay away from China and companies like United, those things are made for decoration, and not to be used. Thanks, JohnR7 www.BalisongKnife.com
 
As mentioned above, the reliable Buck 110 folding hunter can be had for very cheap at some chain stores. I've also seen some Schrade versions of the 110 that are a bit cheaper but should also be good quality.

If you want an inexpensive, good-quality fixed blade, some sporting goods stores will also carry Buck fixed blades.

Other high-quality/inexpensive products include outdoor knives by Gerber, Victorinox (Swiss Army Brands), etc.

These will not be as cheap as the Pakistani knives, but still inexpensive for the $$. And the superior quality is definitely worth the extra cost.
Jim
 
If you're looking for a fixed-blade, I still stand by the Ka-bar. But if you're looking for a folder, go with Camillus. Buck is OK, but they're more expensive and generally don't use as good a steel as Camillus. Camillus makes sturdy good knives and you can find them remarkably cheap.
 
I am no knife snob, but I just can't see any justification for buying a Pakistani POS. Jeez, on Ebay you can get second-hand Buck 110s that have years and years and years of service left in them for less than $15. Not to mention Schrades, Camillus, Kabar, etc. Heck, buy some mangled old Buck knife and then send it back to the company for re-furbishing.
 
I have seen the quality of Pakistany knives increase drastically!! Granted they are not up to par with any of the major production companies, but look at the price. What do you expect. Pakistan has given themselves a bad name with the constant crap they have been putting out. Now they are improving but can't shake that bad rep. To be honest with you, i'll take some of the Pakistan knives that I have seen over a "Smith And Wesson" folder.

Pakistan is still second rate, but lets give em a chance. For the price range they are greatly improving and will continue to do so. It also seems that their quality goes up but their prices don't.

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Louis Buccellato
http://www.themartialway.com
Knives, Weapons and equipment. Best prices anywhere.
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"only the paranoid will survive"
 
TheMartialWay,
Maybe that is the problem. Most of us, rightfully associate price with quality. When I see a $3.99 knife, I don't even look at it because I've bought knives for 5 times that much that were still crap. AND I'm not saying Pakistan knives are total junk. They have their place, but hunting/camping is not it.
 
My first knife was a lockback made in Pakistan. I loved that knife and the cheap sheath it came in, but I was about 10 years old when I got it. Everyday after school I would come home and put that knife on my belt before going to the backyard. Of course it was the only knife I had and I had never even handled a more expensive knife. You probably won't feel the same magic if you buy a pakistani knife after the age of 10. I suggest you go straight for the Buck 110. Most of the pakistani knives I have seen are copies of this model anyway. It is probably the best knife in its price range in terms of lock strength, fit/finish, and heft. The sheath is also good for camping use, and you can buy the knife at Kmart/Walmart.
 
other than the cheap steel it may be that the use of slave labor may give a price advantage to those who sell blades from either pakistan or mainland china.
 
You may be well served by the Schrade/Uncle Henry LB7 (a Buck 110 look=alike.) I recently had to replace a stolen 110 quickly to finish a hunting trip. I found an LB7 on sale at Walmart for $17.00 . The fit and finish was flawless, lockup was tight open and closed, it came shaving sharp out of the box and it comes with a one year guarantee against loss! Great value for me. The blade tip is a hair thicker than the Buck. Spend a few minutes to check this out, it may be just what the doctor ordered.
 
Most store sporting goods departments carry a variety of less expensive knives. Buck, Gerber, and Victorinox are good places to start.
Paul
 
DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT SUGGESTING ANYONE BUY A KNIFE FROM PAKISTAN.

That said, Jerry Hossom has been coaching me on setting up and outfitting a belt grinder, which I decided to obtain mainly to apply and maintain convex edges. Before trying my hand on "good" knives, I worked over the edge of a Pakistani "bowie" given to me by my mother-in-law (who else?). She knows I like and accumulate knives, and thought "maybe I would like one from Pakistan". Up until the point of needing a "throw-away" blade to test the belt grinder with, the knife hadn't been out of its sheath (or out of the bottom of a junk drawer, for that matter) since I received it.
To make a long story longer, Jerry suggested I put a convex edge on it as a learning experience. I followed his instructions, first taking off the shoulder of the primary bevel and then working gradually down to the cutting edge with progressively finer grit belts until the knife had a decently consistant (if ugly as hell) convex edge. I took it outside and lopped off 1-1.5" limbs from a few trees, no contest. Then I brought it back in, washed and lubed it, and noticed the edge still felt very "grabby". So, I thought I'd try shaving with it. It promptly lifted a sheaf of hair from my leg that resembled a clump of feathers, leaving only smooth skin behind. I reached for my 1/2" sisal test rope and laid the big thick piece of junk on it to try a slice cut. It push cut straight down to the board. Again, this was after using the knife as a machete to whack off about a dozen 1"-plus-dia. tree limbs.

So what does this mean? Is it the knife? Is it the steel? Is it Jerry Hossom's magical edge-shaping formula? I have no idea, but I'll tell you one thing it was:
EMBARRASSING! Here I have several thousand dollars worth of custom high-performance blades, and not one of them can out-perform this POS.

Okay, they say confession is good for the soul...I'm waiting to feel better.

--W.

 
That's very interesting. You know, I'm gonna order a knife from Smokey Mountain soon, maybe I'll order a cheap pakistani too and see what I can do with it.
 
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