Question about Chris Reeves Knives

B

backpacker

Joined
Oct 2, 2000
Messages
201
I made a post recently about what fixed blade knife was perfered for wilderness travel. By far, most people posted that they would carry a Busse Steelheart or Basic 7.

I have been looking at Chris Reeves knives and am woundering why very few people selected them.

Why do you or don't you like Chris Reeves fixed blade knives?
 
I answered your question with a long panda/machetee. Anything smaller I consider too short to do the question justice. Others took a different view.

Given another question I could have answered with a CR Project I. I find the larger Busse's too heavy and unweildily so I am not sold on them. Then again I haven't used one, just handled. For the weight I would want more reach.

In the seven inch or so knife catagory things are different. I like the Projects, and I can't recommend them enough. For their size and weight few knives are their equal in my book. You get some power but above all good control. I carried my PII for over ten years and its doing just fine. Great soldiering knife.

I hope that answeres your question.
(Warning: written with typical British understatement :cool: )
 
GREENJACKET :

I find the larger Busse's too heavy and unweildily
Click to expand...

Did you handle the older models or the new "E" ones, as the latest models are lighter and more neutrally balanced. I would be really interested in your perspective on the Steel Heart "E" vs the Project.

In regards to the popularity One-Piece line, I would assume one of the main drawbacks is the round checkered handle. Because it is round it will turn readily in hand unless you keep a tight grip, and a tight grip on checkered steel it can be abrasive to some.

That being said, I personally prefer the grip on the Project to the grip on my Battle Mistress, I can handle the level of abrasion and I like the extra security. The full bare steel handle does not work well when cold or very hot, but the only way around this is to completely enclose the grip like Allen Blade does, as *any* amount of bare steel will make the grip non-functional for bare hands in extreme enviroments because of the high thermal conductivity of steel.

-Cliff
 
Cliff,

I handled the Busse range at the IWA Trade show in Germany this year. The stand had a European range, the Basics and the "E" range. Busse Knives have plenty of steel in them, and more body than the CR fixed range. They are powerful blades. I just don't think you need it, as dexterity and control are to me more important than brute power in 95% of tasks. This especially in a 7 inch knife trying to do 4inch blade tasks. Extra power is useful at times but not that often. The Projects and other lighter blades I find easier to use, even if it does take a few more whacks to chop through.

The grip to the Busse line I find wide and flat. I noticed you bulked yours out a bit. In my smallish hands this makes them feel even less controlable. In large powerful hands they could well be beautiful.
In terms of the Project's grip I've never had a real problem with temperature when the knife has been on me. Leave it in the sun with your pack and everything gets hot; visa-v with cold, (but thats what tape is for). Close to the body, no problem. When my hands are hardened the checkering is a blessing. Soft hands at a trade stand and they might be a shock. The grip is well firm and I've never had any twisting misadventure. Frankly, I'm a fan of round grips (Kar Bar's etc) as they give good feedback and the ability to change the angle of attack when cutting/chopping.

The hollow grind I like for those ripe tomato jobs. The grind is carried on a stout enough spine to withstand prying.

One huge design plus for the Projects is the flat of the butt cap pommel. Really usefull for putting a palm down on for when pushing home.

Lastly, my Project II has lasted over ten years with some heavy enough use. I haven't used up much steel even with my over enthusiastic sharpening (towards 3/4 of a mill). There is plenty of life in the old girl yet. I can't believe there is any reason why it shouldn't last a lifetime. What more can one ask?
 
I'm one of those who like both the Busse lines (Basics and Combat) as well as the Chris Reeve One Piece Range.

The Busses are large, heavy fistfulls of special steel (INFO or modified INFI) that beg to be abused. They chop, pry, dig and beg for more. They do, however, give up a little bit int he control and slicing catagories to the CRK One Piece Range, IMO.

The CRK One Piece Range, OTOH, are precision tools that afford good control and can chop reasonably well. If I had an axe, hatchet or a situation where chopping is not the primary knife task, I would take the Project 1 or 2 in a heartbeat; I often do. For that matter, I have camped and othersie gone afield ;) with my Shadow IV or Sable. The sable is a very useful knife when chopping is either done with something else, by someone else, or not at all. I have an 11 day 100 mile backpacking trip planned where chopping just ain't going to be done and the Sable is one of my top contenders, along with the Shadow IV, Project 1 (don't have a 2) or Busse Natural Outlaw. If my knees look lke they will be acting up, I'll just bring a Buck Strider and let my son be the knifebearer.

The handle issue in the One Piece Range is a non-issue to me. If it's so cold that the steel handle is going to be a problem, I already have gloves on. Am I missing something here?

Bottom line: it's like Baskins-Robbins with the 33 flavors; you will not go wrong with a Busse or a CRK One Piece. They are great products with great companies behind them and salt of the earth people to deal with.

Happy Hunting!
 
Originally posted by Cliff Stamp
... one of the main drawbacks is the round checkered handle... Because it ... will turn readily in hand unless you keep a tight grip, and a tight grip on checkered steel it can be abrasive to some.

The full bare steel handle does not work well when cold or very hot, but the only way around this is to completely enclose the grip like Allen Blade does, as *any* amount of bare steel will make the grip non-functional for bare hands in extreme enviroments because of the high thermal conductivity of steel.
-Cliff
Click to expand...

Agreed.

Somebody suggested wrapping the Reeve handle with tennis racquet grip tape. That stuff is fairly durable, designed to be "grippy", and of course would have to be replaced once in a while. A clever solution IMHO.

For me, A2 is good stuff, but at Rc55-57 it is "easy to resharpen", and conversely/consequently, would also lose that same edge somewhat more readily in slicing. I know Reeve chose 55-57 on purpose, to keep the whole piece pretty tough (prying, digging, chopping), and to make them easier to sharpen in the field (sharpening in field is an overblown problem ... unless you don't have a diamond stone in/on the sheath and have to use a rock.)

Heard a rumour Chris Reeve was testing 3V for future product.

I have some incomplete data tables from Crucible, but...

Steel Rc Charpy C (ft-lbs)
3V 62 40
3V 60 50
3V 58 85
A2 60 40

(all Charpy C-notch)

... extrapolating, Reeve could run 3V an Rc point or two higher than he runs A2 and end up with better knife for me personally. I'd probably buy a Project 1 in 3V at ~Rc59.
 
For those who have a problem with the checkered steel handles like on the CR one piece...I have a CR Tanto1 and my solution is to sew a leather strip around the handle. This gives me a much better grip and the seam is along the axis of the blade edge so it also act like a guide at night to help insure the edge is in the right place. The leather sleeve was cut a little short so that the edges can be sewn up very tight and won't alow any slippage at all. My Buck Buckmaster is also fitted this way.
 
Nimrod :

If it's so cold that the steel handle is going to be a problem, I already have gloves on. Am I missing something here?
Click to expand...

Steel conducts heat much quicker than air and thus your contact tolerance for steel is restricted to a much lower temperature/time range than for air.

Greenjacket, thanks for the detals. I agree with the power/precision argument. What is personally functional of course depends on the users abilities, and where the majority of the scope of work falls. My only real concern about the Reeves blades is the deep hollow grind he uses. I would be curious to see how the larger 10" models respond to heavy wood work, especially on knotty woods. What is the heaviest edge contacts your Project has seen and how has it held up?

The index finger cutout does provide some relief from the heavier balance of the Busse Combat blades, but I have never used one of these that is comfortable enough to handle heavy cutting. For light slicing, yes, but if you lean into a cut the pressure quickly ramps up in the several hundred psi range, and greater at the corners.

In regards to the handle, yes, I find the Busse Combat grips a little flat and would prefer them with a much thicker cross section. The grip on McClung's TUSK was ideal if memory serves correctly. But as with everything there is not going to be univeral agreement here, there were complaints about that grip and he has made thinner grips of late. Mostly on his smaller knives, but even on those I prefer larger grips like you will see on chip knives for woodwork.

In regards to the handle turning on the Project, I experienced this a few times, generally if I relaxed my attention as fatigue set it, it seemed to be enhanced by the convex primary grind. A few people who I loaned the Project to who were relatively inexperienced noticed this happening far more often than with a flatter profiled handle like on the Busse Basic which I gave to them for comparison.

But as I said above, it is still one of the better grips I have used. The cord wrap that Strider uses is also very functional and does not have the problems with temperature extremes that the Reeves grip does, but then again it has a much lower durability when it come to many attacts ; abrasion, impact, cut, rot, chemicals etc . It is also much harder to clean when contaminated the best method I have found is to just use boiling water unless you want to rewrap the grip.

I think I might have the grip on my Battle Mistress done with a Diamond wrap right over the Micarta and use an epoxy coat ontop of the cord to raise its durability and ease of cleaning. I am curious as to the level of abrasion especially on such a heavy knife, but since the cord wrap on the PAB is tolerable I don't expect much of a problem.

-Cliff
 
GREENJACKET

Kit questions on your Project II:

What do you keep in the handle?

How do you prevent rattle noise from the things in the handle?

Do you still prefer the pointier Project II clip point over the Project I spear point?

Is the aluminum cap strong enough to hammer with?


Take care,
bug
 
I once put a cricket handle rubber on the CR PII when off skiing (big battle to get it on :mad: ) Didn't need it. I live mostly in a temperate climate, so why find a problem when there isn't one.

I wouldn't necessarily go for a convex grind on a 9 inch plus either. On the Project its fine, and in my mind needed for those squishy tomato type jobs. Nice deep cut to fleshy stuff: cuts the apple not splits it.

Once upon a time I had quite a resourceful Survival filling in my CR PII handle. Light fishing kit, compass, flint and a whole lot more. Since pieces needed replacing I haven't had one in for some time. Heavy duty band aids and strong fine cord are usefull. Electrician's tape keeps everything rattle free. Use a tube as a bobbin to wind cords and thread around. A mouse tail is worth doing to pull out the wrapped pellet/filling; as otherwise you may end up digging the stuff out.

I went mad and bought a Project I the other day. I think its the better Survival knife of the two as its a little more front heavy, and I like the spear point blade. However, the PII is faster in the hand. (:barf: The PI is sitting on top of my last set of new fatigues just in case I'm called out again. Yes, I am sad.) My PII and I have had some adventures which is one reason I keep carrying it.

I dinged the cap a bit until I worked out a better way to hammer. The spine of the blade is more than wide enough to hammer small nails in. Good tip I was given on the forum, by another Project user, was to smash wire and stuff with the false edge - its does work better.

One blade can't do everything. The Projects do a whole lot for their size, and thats why I keep on taking mine with me.
 
I took the advice of another formite and purchased some dry,unlubricated condoms for storage of survival items in my hollow handle CRK.It works great,not only help to keep everything dry,but no rattling.A way to gather water and treat water if need be.Then you also have the extra slack from the condom to pull out,so all your items come out easily ,rather than digging for them.The ole condom suggestion seems to work nice for hollow handle storage.
 
bug,

String is usefull anytime when you are out and about. Fix: broken boot laces, gate closures, fishing line, clothes line, dog lead, tarp tie downs, all the things you do with string. When you don't have any on you its a real bore - why is it that you never have any when you are in a hurry?

I found some fine nylon para cord that is very strong. Fishing line backing or kite line is good. Double up, treble up and more times and twist to make stronger rope. Protect stuff from the finner lines cutting in; a piece of wood or bark or something.
 
GREENJACKET

Is there a rust problem leaving your CR Project in its leather sheath?

Take care,
bug
 
bug,

Don't know why but I've never had a problem with rust with my Project, vitually nothing at all. Use keeps them clean as does some gun oil when you happen to have some out. My immersed kit once home gets a thorough clean, wipe down and dry out as part of my admin. Once perfectly dry I put it all back together. In the field its a consious effort to keep stuff in good order, but once mastered your kit seems to appreciate it by lasting that much longer. Well thats what I like to think.

If you are using your tools regularly then there is rarely a problem as you are on top of anything that does appear. Lack of use, I find the killer for a whole lot of things. Long term storage damages stuff.

My Project II sheath has taken on a stabalised toughness and shrugs off damage. Infact I think I will give it a feed with some leather balm (before you ask what balm, it'll be whatever I have around as per usual). I haven't given it any TLC for ages - I'll do it now.
 
My CR MK IV has been stored in a leather sheath for several years with no rust whatsoever. The NE of England isn't that humid but it can get damp!

Mark
 
I have an older South African made Chris Reeve and have been revisiting the way that I pack it. here's what I am currently running (revised after a particularly WET trip in Idaho):

1. Use an old style U.S. Mil face paint tube. Cut it to length so that it JUST long enough to fit into the handle but not rattle. Pack it with tinder made from cotton balls and vasaline (squeeze out any vasaline that you can and the mixture is just right). Drill a hole in the end closest to the blade and slip in a small sparking rod. This is your water tight fire/tinder kit #1.

2. I made a Kydex sheath which holds my diamond sharpening rod in a sub-sheath for easy access. Imbedded into the rods' handle is a bar of magnesium and a large sparking rod. This is your sharpener & fire kit #2.

3. I T I G H T L Y wrapped the handle of mine with 550 cord due to my large hands and the fact that you will never have enough cordage.

4. Go to a Yuppie backpacker store and find the smallest compass which is on a zipper tab. Remove the compass and wedge it into your CRK aluminum handle cap using a slip of paper as a wedge (so that you can replace it later if needed - no glue!). You now have an emergency compass. The handle is aluminum, so the compass will be usable without removing it.

5. I attached a U.S. mil rifle cleaning pouch (about the size of a business envelope) to my sheath using crazy glue. It has one large pouch and one slender pouch which open 'up' when you are seated. Both have a velcro AND 3 snap closure: very secure. In this I have a space blanket, iodine crystals in a water purification tab bottle, BIC lighter (fire source #3), fishing/small game kit (w/snare wire, hooks, racoon lure from Buckshot's Cabin), bouillon cubes, mini-sewing kit and a few other odds-n-ends. Some neosporin in ampoules would be a good idea.

6. Attached to the sheath is about >20' of 550 cord.

7. The back of the sheath is covered with a few layers of G.I. 100 MPH tape incase I need to save to world, or repair the space shuttle. This is amazing stuff - include it where ever you can.

>> I may stitch 2 compass/first-aid pouchs, one above the other to the outside of this main pouch to give me room for light but bulky items like a collapsable nalgene canteen,garbage bags or another space blanket or two. Remember: shelter and water are the 'twin sisters' of survival. I like the idea of twin sisters, but I'll remain silent on that one... ;)

Just some ideas.

BTW - my sheath mounts to my belt with a quick release buckle on a three inch piece of webbing - for flex while Im walking/moving. My leg strap uses a similar set-up with a smaller quick release buckle scavanged from an old pack. I can don and remove my knife quickly, or attach it to packs etc. in a flash. Handy yet secure.

>RadioRay ..._ ._
 
That's a great pouch idea, Ray. The only cleaning pouch I ever got was part of a cleaning kit, and the snaps don't work, so it's fairly worthless. But by adding the compass pouches to the outside, you add a LOT more storage space. I might have to dig around and see if I can come up with one of those pouches, empty.

I always use a combination of lashing, duct tape, and zip ties to attach pouches to my knife sheaths. How does the super glue hold up over time? Do you sometimes have to reapply the glue?

For extra cordage (which you can NEVER have enough of, you're right about that), I wrap nylon twine around the top of the sheath, and use the leg tie down holes on the bottom of the sheath to attach a "fob" of 550 cord. That way you can carry a lot of cordage, without taking up any pouch space.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top