Questions on the fixed blade line....

Roy · Jan 7, 2000

I am considering purchase of a piece out of your fixed blade collection and have a few questions.
I am looking at a Large(Project 1 or perhaps a mid-range Shadow 4).
I am concerned with the overall toughness and rust resistance of the blade though.
I have tried the search feature and have read up a bit on the steel you use but would like to hear from you good people about these knives.
I am in sunny(and humid) San Antonio and would consider carrying it camping, hiking, etc.... as well as daily.
What method of care would be best and what should I look out for?
All answers will be appreciated.

Thank you,

Roy

DonL · Jan 7, 2000

Roy, I live in Michigan, and have owned my Mountaineer for a couple of years now. A story about my Mountaineer. I purchased it second hand by a fella who took very good care of it, but for some reason thought it would look better with the Kal-Gard polished off of the blade. The knife does look quite striking with the polished blade and coated handle, but my main point here is that I have experienced no type of corrosion or rusting going on with my blade. I tend to take care of it, wipe it down, Tuf-Cloth or oil it when I can, but the A-2 is a great, tough steel, and should provide many, many years of service. I know of one forumite who has a prediliction for chasing crocodiles around the swamps of Florida, and I've never heard about any sort of special care he gives his knife (a Project I, I believe).

The Reeve One-Piece line is a hell-for-strong design, and I highly recommend them if you are in the market for one.

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Don LeHue

The pen is mightier than the sword...outside of arm's reach. Modify radius accordingly for rifle.

JoHnYKwSt · Jan 7, 2000

As for the toughness of the one piece knives, I remember reading somewhere that Chris gave a Project 1 to a knife reviewer and said, "If you can break it without throwing it or using a cheater pipe, I'll replace it." The knife reviewer could not break it.

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Johnny
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Larry in KY · Jan 7, 2000

Roy,

I have the Mountaineer 1 and I can tell you that you should not worry at all about the blade rusting and/or corrosion. A-2 is not that prone to rust even without the Kal-guard finish. I use my knife around water and skin animals and I don't treat the blade with anything..just wipe it down.
As to the toughess...the one-piece design is very strong!! A-2 is really one tough steel....the steel on my knife is so easy to sharpen "scary" sharp and will hold it's edge very good. Great using knife IMHO!!

MJB · Jan 7, 2000

The Chris Reeve fixed-blade line is great. I have quite a few now and have nothing but praise for them (compared with several other brands which are also good).

Under 30x magnification, I can see little bits of corrosion forming on some blades that you might say are perfectly clean. But on the Reeve knives, after several sessions of heavy use without an opportunity to really dry off and clean up, I have not seen any corrosion forming period. Of course, I still clean and Tuf-cloth everything when able, but don't worry about these knives rusting. Buy them, use them, take care of them, but don't worry a bit, they keep coming back for more.

Mike

Sid Post · Jan 8, 2000

The one piece line is a very serviceable knife. I have had one with a military customer who shows it little mercy. He is as happy now as he was then. It is easy to maintain. The edge can be touched up easily, rust has not been a problem (he flies all over so, it has seen humidity) and, is certainly up to any reasonable knife task.

Sid
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CRK dealer

Roy · Jan 11, 2000

First, let me thank all of you who responded, I do appreciate the information.
From what I have read the knives in this selection seem to be well made and will stand up to alot of usage, that is good.
I am wondering if anyone keeps anything in the handles and if so what? I was considering, if I got one, putting some type of cloth(silicon vs tuf-cloth) and a firestarter of some type. What would best fit the space alloted in the handles?
Oh, and how good are the sheaths they come with?
Sorry about all of the questions. I am still considering one out of this line or perhaps something out of the Cold Steel or Fallkniven(sp) line. It just seems these come very highly recommended.

Thank you once again.

BTW, DonL, Are you serious about someone chasing crocodiles....whoa that is nuts...!!...lol

Roy

TANGUS · Jan 12, 2000

Roy,

I think your product comparisons would come closer with the Cold Steel and the Fallknivens. Carbon V steel vs. VG10, the knives are similarly made. IMHO the CR one piece knife is in a different category. Maybe you would want to determine if you want a one piece knife as opposed to a blade that would come with a Kraton handle? That might help your decision making. The cost of the blade would also be of consideration, I am sure. CR puts out a very good quality leather sheath. The sheaths from Cold Steel have had some comment regarding their quality.

Sid Post · Jan 13, 2000

Cold Steel and CRK are in totally different leagues. For the money, Cold Steel builds a good knife in certain models but, CRK quality and performance are far superior in all the uses that come to mind right now. Fallkniven is a good line but, is more comparable to Cold Steel.

The CRK sheath is a serious use piece of leather. I generally prefer Kydex but, would use the factory leather sheath from CRK because it is really good in real world use. Cold Steel sheaths don't work very well or last very long unless you baby them. Even then, Cold Steel sheaths don't last a long time. Fallkniven I lack real world use data.

What to put in the handle? A small tuff cloth maybe and a bunch of small bills of paper currency. A lot of people put small fishing hooks and dental floss in with an unlubricated condome or water tabs so you got something to drink. There are a ton of options when you put stuff in the hollow handle.

One thing to consider when you buy a CRK One Piece vs. the other brands. It's like buying a work of art you can use. The design is sheer beauty. Beauty you can use in the real world.

Sid
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CRK dealer

[This message has been edited by Sid Post (edited 01-13-2000).]