Sharpfinger for survival??

I've carried and used one for many, many years. It isn't big enough to chop trees with, but that is such a minor need for me, that it has never been an issue. It is a modified scimitar skinner blade with, as the name suggests, a sharp point which lets it do fine detail work with the tip as if it was an extension of your finger. Excellent for scaling and cleaning fish, I believe it's ancestor was the Marble's Fish Knife from the early 1900's. Of course it will whittle fuzz sticks, strip bark for cordage or cut rope and cord. Although designed by Henry Baer in 1973/74, it also has a lanyard hole in the handle, a feature many nowdays like in a bush knife. They can be found in either carbon steel or stainless as you prefer.


Codger :thumbup:
 
It must be doing something right cos Codger has stuck by his for years and that's something that not many of us can say about our knives !!!
 
Seems to be mainly designed as a skinner, but there's no reason you couldn't also use it for food prep and eating, making shavings for fire starting, carving trap triggers, cutting rope/cord/twine, etc. It wouldn't work well for drilling holes for a fire board or something like that. Looks like it would probably work pretty well for self defense if that's your thing. You do worse for 20 bucks. Fred Perrin did a review of it here: http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Set/2292/schraderev.htm
 
It does in fact make a decent bore for fireboards. Look at how fine the tip is. Yes, people break them, but that is usually by using them as a screwdriver or prying with them. I've re-tipped several and they function just as well as ever, albeit a tad shorter. And I have cooked with one many times. Using the "Mors Method", it can cut brush for shelters, small poles and help break and split small kindling too. Yeah, Henry did well with this design.
 
Codger_64 said:
It does in fact make a decent bore for fireboards. Look at how fine the tip is. Yes, people break them, but that is usually by using them as a screwdriver or prying with them. I've re-tipped several and they function just as well as ever, albeit a tad shorter. And I have cooked with one many times. Using the "Mors Method", it can cut brush for shelters, small poles and help break and split small kindling too. Yeah, Henry did well with this design.
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I stand corrected. The tip just looked a little to fragile for that to me, but I was just speculating based on what I could see in pictures.

It does look like a nice little knife. I may have to see if I can find one locally this weekend and pick one up, but only if I can find the carbon version. Otherwise, I'll probably order one from somewhere eventually.
 
It is particularly easy to tell the carbon bladed ones by the staining or peppering on used ones. Also, they are usually plain ground. The later stainless ones are slightly hollow ground. But as for the tip being fragile, not particularly so. I can bore holes with a stockman which has a much thinner blade. And if it does get tipped, just reshape it 1/8" shorter! Heck, you can buy them used for less than a cheap new Chinese knife. And there are several other companies who made the pattern, mostly after the Schrade demise in 2004. Camillus, United/Arrowhead (Rigid, Harley Davidson, etc.), Bear just to name a few.

They are not the be-all-end-all knife, but they are an important part of my own "three cutter system" of large sheath (165OT 5 1/2" blade), small sheath (152OT Sharpfinger) and small stockman.
 
I like my sharpfinger alot. It is a good slicer, very sharp and personally I like the ergonomics and feel of the blade in my hand. It is thin enough to do most cutting chores with relative ease. I like that is not real heavy to carry around. I would say for general knife usage it is very servicable. For survival situations you could do alot worse. I generally rotate it with my buck 110 for general woods loafing carry. I don't think I would use it for batoning any wood though but then again I rarely have to baton wood. If you like it use it!
 
I have been using mine since the late 70s and it is still going strong. It is a cutting tool though and not built for prying or chopping. The really fine tip can be very handy for some applications, not to mention Schrade 1095 takes a wicked sharp edge. Chris
 
I've had the 15OT since time began and added the sharpie at the recommendation of Codger himself. I have both the carbon and the stainless and much prefer the former. Very practical tool for all the reasons mentioned. Here's mine out for a half-day snowshoe today :

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Speaking of survival, here's a little something we all know could be used if needed. So much for my skating pond in the background. I was going to show you another type of Canadian blade :)

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Cheers and have a great weekend - get out there! I'm off bunny blasting with my 10/22 tomorrow.
 
Sharpfinger was my 'go to' fishing/hunting/outdoors knife for years and years...
Since the late 70's.
Then I found the internet :blink:
 
If your survival needs might include small game cleaning the sharpfinger is very useful. When my son took up hunting I got him a sharpfinger. I figured that he could clean any game from a squirrel to moose with that design (as well as birds and fish). For hunting it rates very high as a knife that can do it all. The narrow tapered point lets it get into nooks and crannies of small game and the length is adequate for large game.
 
I bought one in 1982 and still carry this blade today. I did however make a kydex sheath for mine. I did not think much of the knife but as my military career is winding down I see the abilities of a knife of its size and shape. Wish I had picked up more....

AFCOP82
 
They are still out there at very reasonable prices. I have more than twenty of them.:o Just watch for the new Chinese knockoffs by Taylor.
 
64: No cause for embarrassment. If you break the tips on five of them, you still have fifteen backups (plus a few extra, just in case). Seems like sound planning to me:thumbup:Regards, ss.
 
64: BTW- One of the guys I fly fish with liked my Gunnison G2 flyreel (with an extra spool) so he got one, then one for backup. Thinking if he messed one up he would no longer have a backup, he bought another. Last I heard, he was up to six. There's nothing better than peace of mind:D. ss
 
I love my sharpfinger -carried one for years and I always hated the leather sheath (pouches or snap traps).

I got a great kydex sheath from On Scene Tactical - tons of carry positions and awesome retention.

The sharpfinger is also cheap enough that you can buy several and modify them to suit your needs. (ie finger grooves, thumb serations for sabre grib and reverse grip, etc..)

D
 
United/Arrowhead made their versions of Sharpfingers for a while before going under, and they had decent ballistic nylon sheaths. I haven't seen loose sheaths on the market though.

Actually, my group of sharpies was mostly bought to survey and chronicle the production changes over the years. I still have my old original one and it is still ticking and not been tipped. I suspect that it was not made from 1095HC as advertised. It has to be INFI! :eek: No other steel, as we all know, can last so long and cut so well!:p

Codger :D
 
Here is my old user. This knife has gutted a lot of deers, used as a screw driver (hence the re-shaped tip), pry bar, scraping grimey auto parts, etc. I have owned a couple of these over the years and they are great workers. I always wanted a Deerslayer (150T ?). I think a piggyback sheath with a 150T and 152 would be really cool. How many people use the Deerslayer?
 
i have had one since 83 .i bought it with money earned on my paper route as a teenager and it still gets used often.it is my favorite blade. its been used on squirrels,rabbits,deer ,catfish,snapping turtle and when we butcher at christmas its the knife i use to skin.i wish i could find a new sheath for it.that knife is still going strong.
 
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