Randall #14

[Mannlicher]

I have several Randall Made knives. Among them is a #14 Attack model in O1 steel. The blade is 7 1/2 inches, of 1/4 inch stock. The top of the blade is sharpened. Over all length is just more than 12 inches, and it weighs a bit over 15 ounces.

How suitable is this knife, considering the steel and the grind, for use as a camp or bush craft knife?

I know that the blade grind on some of my other Randall Made knives are great for skinning and gutting, but they are NOT suitable for use as a general purpose knife, as the edge tends toroll.

 

[caine]

It is a hollow grind blade,but I dont think youll have any problems. I have one and love it. Once you get the edge good on it. I would recommend removing the sharp top edge. Here is a photo of mine.

 

[WalterDavis]

You can always send it to me for extended testing

Really, it depends more on you than the knife! I am a big-knife fan, so I think it would work great for me:thumbup: (except maybe for the sharpened clip, don't really need a double-edge). However, if a Mora is all you usually use, then it's probably not ideal. I doubt Randall knives got their reputation by putting out sub-standard blades, though

 

[Mannlicher]

did not mean that Randall is sub standard, just that for certain types of tasks, some grinds are better than others.
I have probably skinned out over a hundred deer and hogs, along with a couple of 'gators, with my old #11. While that knife is a superb skinner, it is NOT a camp knife for batoning or chopping.

I guess I'll play with the #14 for awhile, and see how it does.

I have a number of camp, trail, skinning and general purpose knives. I do have a mora tucked away in my emergency kit.

 

[caine]

Thats what I like to hear. Someone that uses the randalls

 

[Thalestin]

Wouldnt be my cup of tea personally. I like my knife to be able to baton if needed. Having a sharpened upper prevents this from happening

 

[Moving Target]

Wouldnt be my cup of tea personally. I like my knife to be able to baton if needed. Having a sharpened upper prevents this from happening

Only the top 2 inches are sharpened on top (the downward clip portion)...still plenty of room to baton.

 

[Mistwalker]

I'm not sure about the rest of the wilderness world but I personally couldn't care less if my "baton" gets a few nicks in it...to me a baton is most of the time just another piece of firewood so when I have batoned some firewood I ..um...have more "batons". Where the swedge really bothers me is when it comes to cracking Walnuts and Hickory nuts!!

 

[beef]

I agree. I generally end up burning the baton, so have never understood people worrying about a bit of wood getting banged up.

 

[PeterPHWS]

The Randal Mod 14 is in my view perfect. The size is right for camp chores...it is a light knife at 15 oz for carrying...the clip is really handy for using a ferro steel for fires....I actually prefer a clip to my camp knife for this....it also lowers the point for many useful tasks whether this is using the point for a bow drill or simply using the point for carcass work....the finger grooves are comfortable on the knife in a standard grip but limit it a little for other grips...but having owned one and tried the other grips such as the chest grip where the blade is held close to the chest and the handle is held so the blade points towards your knuckle for close power cuts...the finger grooves don't make this uncomfortable.

The O1 tool steel is definately one of the best for the task and the batonning point is very well made....a clip which is sharpened does'nt make any difference at all on the effectiveness of batonning....just reach for another piece of wood and use the old baton to cut small kindling with where the clip has scored the wood...heck...Bowie knives were the preferred choice for camp knives when camp knives were needed every evening back in the days of the West...the clip is actually more of an asset than a negative....that's why they were popular....

 

[jw2n]

One of my personal favorites. I carried one for over 20 years in the Army. It is one of those knives that does everything well. If it is too big, try a #15. I am getting ready to buy a #16 w/o sawteeth. The swedge is slightly longer and has a single guard. Also .5 inch shorter. The 14 can be ordered with a single guard, as the double is one of the greatest complaints that many users have. The double does a good job of protecting your hand, and more importantly, places the retaining strap on the non-cutting side. If I were given the choice of just one knife, the 14 could easily be it.