short blades

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m

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I posted this question on the general forum but I wanted to make sure it was seen by the people that frequent this forum.
Who makes or can make a near indestructable plain carbon steel neck knife that can whittle and cut well with a blade(end of handle to tip) 2 7/8" long or slightly shorter? It would be nice if it didn't cost an arm and a leg either (a little over $100 at most). I have owned or seen short blades that were either indestructable or that cut well but not both.Why can't someone make a short blade wide enough to get a thin enough edge to cut well after starting with a thick enough blade to be decently tough like they do on the longer blades,or does someone?
Same question for a 4" or so belt sheath knife (at higher cost probably).
Thanks for any suggestions.
 
I recently purchased a swamp rat knife works howling rat, and I've been very happy with it. the blade is 4.5", maybe a little big for your belt needs, but it is very capable of whittling, shaving, etc, while also being practically indestructible. I've heard good things about the ontario TAK as well, but I haven't gotten my hands on one yet.
hope that helps,
pat
 
I have a TOPS nite chaser which i love (even though I paid the equaivalent of about $220 usd for it in this rip off conutry!)its an excellent little knife but its more tactical than for hacking at stuff and i dont think it would stand up to really heavy use.

I have heard good things about hte fallkniven F1, its small and quite low cost and meant to be very durable. I dont own one though (i do own an A1 and that really is as indestructable as you can get!)
 
I second the Howling Rat. 52100 is one of my favorite steels, and this baby has a modified version of it. It takes a wicked edge, and it's TOUGH. Hard to beat for $88! I'm not a big fan of rubber handles, but this one is pretty good.
 
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Originally posted by m:
Who makes or can make a near indestructable plain carbon steel neck knife that can whittle and cut well with a blade(end of handle to tip) 2 7/8" long or slightly shorter? ... Same question for a 4" or so belt sheath knife (at higher cost probably).
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Newt Livesay (Wicked Knife Company) makes no-nonsense neck knives, hunters, and skinners in 1095 steel for around $25-$100 that may well fill your specified small-blade needs. I also recommend some of his bigger blades for your 4"+ belt knife. He is one of the masters of heat-treating 1095 steel.

Check out his 1.75" blade SOP model ($20), the 2.75" Woo ($25-$50) or G-45 models ($25), his 3" Little Pecker ($30-$55), or his 3.75" Bow Huntin' Buddy ($55) for a small knife. He also has some smaller hunting knives (Coyote Skinner, Pig Skinner, Thrasher models, 3-finger Skinner)in 1095 and D2 that might likewise work for you.

You could also ask him to make you a "shorter than standard blade length" version of his Exec-NRGS model. It's $60 for a standard 3.75" long 1095 blade Exec-NRGS (Model 702-EX with micarta handle). I have one of those micarta handled NRGS models and really like it for its handy size, light weight, & very comfortable handle design. Newt's an easy guy to talk to about getting a modification made to one of his standard models.

Newt's homepage: http://64.227.169.223/index-1.htm
Neck knives: http://64.227.169.223/NL-neck_knives.htm
Exec-NRGS: http://64.227.169.223/newt_livesay_NRGS.htm

While it isn't carbon steel, an alternative for your 4"+ belt knife could be the Gerber Yari that Smokey Mountain Knife Works (SMKW) has on sale just now for $50 each. It's blade is 4.75" of 154cm stainless steel with a rather pointy tip. SMKW item numbers for Yari models and phone numbers are listed below. Normal internet price has been around $70 for the Yari. I believe they've been discontinued by Gerber, so now is a chance to pick up a pretty tough knife at a decent price. Search here on BFC and you'll find favorable comments for the Yari.

SMKW phone numbers:
Local Phone: (865) 453-5871
Order Phone: (800) 251-9306
Order Fax: (865) 429-0182

Gerber Yari with Partially Serrated Blade
Item number: G6911 $49.99
Gerber Yari with Plain Blade
Item number: G6910 $49.99

Depending on how you intend to carry the knife, I definitely concur with the recommendations for the Swamp Rat Howling Rat as a VERY good value for its price. The SR101 steel they use to make it responds very well to sharpening and is both hard & tough enough to stay that way a good long time. The handle's comfort & security of grip draws strongly positive comments from just about everybody who uses one.
 
Thanks for the suggestions everyone.I like the 'Rats but the shorter Basic I have is too thick thru the edge to be a good cutter so I was afraid to give the Swamprats a try.I may have to rethink that now after your suggestions, tho after thinking more about my belt knife needs I am not sure I need one in the 4" range since I have one in the 5" range. For edc around here a sub 3" might be a better choice.
As far as neck knives go I have a Woo and was not impressed with it's cutting abilities.I just got a LP and I like it but the point is pretty thin and am concerned for its durability for harder use.I would like one on the order of the LP but thicker for durability and wider so it still has a thin enough edge to cut well. I also had a Busse Assault Shaker but it was way to thick at the edge for optimum cutting.It would be great if the blade was just under 3" and wide enough to have a decently thin edge.
Thanks,
m
 
Fallkniven WM1

Not fancy, but a real user, with a very good steel and nice ergonomics.
 
Why get a heavey thick blade knife. One the mora type knives would make a great neck knife. They have 4" blades and only weigh 2 onces with the sheath. I like the frosts clipper or the Swiss survival knife. The will out cut anything around and are easier to sharpen. They also only cost about $10.
 
Try a brusletto balder...blade is about 2" long, but thicker than you'd think. It's an amazingly useful knife, mine gets used for things that I used to use a 4 or 5" fixed blade for. It's my main 'fire knife' which makes fuzz sticks, splits off small kindling, and strikes ferro rods. It'll whittle like mad, and takes a razor edge. The steel is stainless, but holds an excellent edge and gets ridiculously sharp. The Balder makes a great neck knife.
 
All this talk of Howling Rat has aroused my curiosity further. I must really take a closer look at this rodent! :D
 
golok - it'd be worth your trouble

you'd be hard pressed to find another production knife that'll stand up to what a Rat will. No fault warranty is always a plus :D

I have both the Bandicoot and HR , both are great small knifes. HR more of skinning / field dressing knife. Bandicoot more of a EDC / Backup type knife, but would also be suited for same chores as HR



dave
 
As Backpacker noted a Mora will cut well and is very strong in regards to lateral impacts, only the forged carbon ones though, the laminates are really weak. The edges are not that durable though as they are fairly acute, ~10-12 degrees per side. The Swamp Rat blades are far more durable overall, and will also cut well. The edges are slightly more obtuse (~14-17 vs 10-12 degrees), but are far thinner (0.035 compared to 0.125 ). The far more narrow edge allows the Swamp Rats sharpen far faster as well. Of course you can get the puukko for far cheaper, just a few dollars. You may want to get a custom sheath, but still this isn't going to cost much on a blade this size.

-Cliff
 
In theory I agree with Cliff about the smaller edge sharpening faster. But for me, It is much harder to hold a constant angle on a small edge in the field. Thats why I like the Mora style edges. Just lay them flat on the stone and go at it.
 
Angle setting are trivial, just lay the hone against something so that it is on angle and use it like the rods in the sharpmaker. It takes no effort at all to get 22, or 11 degree settings (you can get lots more if you want such as 20,17, 14). No measuring devices are needed you just need to be able to half something which anyone can do by eye, to a very high degree of accuracy, plus it is trivial to estimate it very efficiently with a piece of wood, a small rock etc. . Sharpening should be just a matter of a few passes on the hone. I just bored a couple of hones in a piece of wood and taped a ceramic rod onto it. Presto cheap sharpmaker. The wide bevels on the Puukkos are a nice build in angle guide, however you don't need that edge profile to get that ability. Boye put it on his knives and they had secondary bevels, there was a built in guide on the front of the handle, you ground flat to the hone just like on a puukko.

-Cliff
 
Further in regards to inherent angle guides, if the puukko bevel is ground out with a hollow profile, you retain the angle guide and speed up sharpening time tremendously. This is how the Japanese make a lot of blades. The depth of the hollow applied is dependent on the type of use of the knife. For really light use you leave the edge ~0.005" thick, for baton work and similar you would want it much thicker, 0.025" or more depending on the type of wood and how hard you plan on whacking it.

-Cliff
 
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