SHe vs. Basic 8 vs. NMSFNO vs. ASH-2

J

JohnM

Joined
Oct 22, 2005
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So many great mid-to-long Busses. Tough to compare these four (and I know there are other great ones) since only the Basic 8 and NMSFNO have been delivered. Still, what are your thoughts on how they'll compare in terms of practical use? Here are the specs:

SHe: 7.5" blade length, 13.375" overall, .25" thick,

Basic 8 LE: 8.0" blade length, 13.0" overall, .22" thick

NMSFNO: 8.5" blade length, 14.0" overall, .25" thick

ASH-2: 9.0" blade length, 14.5" overall, .22" thick
 
Man these are all legends!!!! I love the B8 for serious hiking or backpacking do to weight and in the cold Res-c is awesome. At camp I love the SH-e more. But honestly my camp tramp wins 90% of the time. Guess what is your practical use definition? I did sell my NMSFNO only because of the weight of it. Awesome knife though.
 
My opinion is that the basic 8 LE with its res-c handle and convex edge is the most functional and comfortable to use. If you care about weight, and I definitely do when carrying a pack, it's also the lightest by several ounces. Nmsfno is heftier and an excellent chopper, camp blade, but I always find myself reaching for the basic 8. Tglb and TG fit well in this list as well. Tglb is my second favorite to the basic 8 with similar weight and micarta scales.
 
Best all around, I'd say ash2 simply because whilst chopping a full tang is desirable to me. Otherwise basic 8 FTW
 
With a B8 LE in hand and a BG Hell Razor in the works, my thought is that I have to pass on the SHE :( (as I did on the Regulator, the ASH 2, the BGSFNO, and the BGTG). I think I spend a lot on knives, but I ain't got nothing on some of the HOGS here! :eek:
 
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tinfoil hat timmy said:
Best all around, I'd say ash2 simply because whilst chopping a full tang is desirable to me. Otherwise basic 8 FTW
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It's as close as you can get to full tang while covering the butt of the tang with 1/4" or so of res-c. I'm not worried about it considering many people beat the living hell out of the 1311 with the same tang. That all being said, the ash2 will probably still be a better chopper because of weight. That decision just comes down to how far you plan to carry the blade and how much additional gear you have on you.
 
Is this seriously a question?

NMSFNO - personal preference for convexed satin with smooth canvas. For gloved use, probably textured canvas with a healthy coating of epoxy+sand. I cannot think of a reason *not* to have a satin (ghetto or otherwise) blade, because even the best coatings turn to bare metal under relatively light use. Grind is whatever you are best at resharpening under field circumstances IMO.

Weight is a joke IMO - I do lots of ultralight trail running/backpacking, and if you're serious about cutting (pun not intended) weight in those cases you're packing a razor blade for emergency cutting needs. If you're carrying any knife at all, you can afford the weight of enough knife for whatever you might want to do.
 
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Dr. Lecter said:
Is this seriously a question?

NMSFNO - personal preference for convexed satin with smooth canvas. For gloved use, probably textured canvas with a healthy coating of epoxy+sand. I cannot think of a reason *not* to have a satin (ghetto or otherwise) blade, because even the best coatings turn to bare metal under relatively light use. Grind is whatever you are best at resharpening under field circumstances IMO.

Weight is a joke IMO - I do lots of ultralight trail running/backpacking, and if you're serious about cutting (pun not intended) weight in those cases you're packing a razor blade for emergency cutting needs. If you're carrying any knife at all, you can afford the weight of enough knife for whatever you might want to do.
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I totally agree
 
The toughest choice for me is determining the SHe vs 1/4 inch Ratweiler. They will both weigh around 20 oz.
 
The Team Gemini and SARGE-7 will also be similar to the SHe - especially as the later only has a 1-5/8" blade width.
 
I don't have any of the knives listed, though I will probably eventually get the NMSFNO just to have in my collection. I don't see that any of these knives would best my "not-of-the-original-run" Heavy Heart Fusion Steel Hearth.
 
I love the NMSFNO (one of the greats) but the Basic 8 LE is incredible, given its price, agility/weight, and satin blade. The ASH-2 and SHe will have to be good to top or even match them.
 
Rob_Mob said:
I need help --- I ordered two (1 micarta and the other black/tan g10) --- we'll see which one I prefer.
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Hahah, aww crap, i was just messing around with that ;-) :cool:

If we haven't already met up before, we'll have to get together once our SHe's land in LA...
 
The original Ergo handle was too tall for my hand, although the EU variant is magic. This new SHE2 is very tempting. I had and sold several NMSFNO in favor of keeping a few FSH types (which should be in your list). That puts me in the minority, as the NMSFNO is very popular, and can be had at a better price. The B8 is very nice for slipping in a pack due to it's light weight. ASH2 doesn't interest me, YMMV.

In terms of practicality and function, they are all very close. Geometry cuts, so pay attention to edge thickness. A dropped handle will chop more efficiently than a straight handle, bear that in mind if chopping is part of your own requirements.
 
I don't have any of them, but the only ones that I'm likely to buy if they're done in INFI is either a FSH or a SFNO (nuclear meltdown or otherwise). I'm just not feeling the SHe, even though I've flip-flopped back and forth a few times in just 24 hours. It just doesn't speak to me.

Of the ones specifically on this post, the only one I've actually held was a Basic, almost positive an 8, but wasn't called that. Back in probably about the 1995 to 1998 time frame. I wasn't impressed with the feel of the handle, didn't like the rubber. Blade was good though.
 
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