Should I get these knives?

[silenthunterstudios]

I'm looking for the following knives. I've come to the realization that my collection is too big already, I promised myself that I would only buy knives that I would use. I have some knives in my knife box, but most of them are spread out, some in my boat, some in my truck, some in the tool shed, some in my camping gear. I'm trying to justify some purchases, but some of the knives below are definite purchases (thank God for the Trading forum!). Also, I'm trying very hard to lose some weight. I used to be very very active, but being a desk jockey has packed on a lot of weight. I want to get back in the groove, and plan on hiking, camping, fishing and maybe some hunting as much as I can. Of course, I want some good knives! I already have a nice collection also. Thanks for the ideas.

Reviews wanted, thanks.

AG Russell quince wood lockback 2-334CQ
Benchmade Nimravus Cub, mini Skirmish, Outbounder
Buck Nighthawk, Ranger, Buck 315 Yachtsman w/bolsters
Bud Nealy Cave Bear
Camillus Becker Crewman
Cold Steel Ozark Hunter, Trailmaster
CRK Green Beret Yarborough 7", Mountaineer, large Sebenza
Ed Fowler Pronghorn
Kabar full size serrated black handle/blade
Kellam Leuku (really any type of Finnish/Norse traditional knife)
Kershaw Echo, Nakamura
Lakota Phoenix wood handle
Lone Wolf Harsey Tactical cocobolo handle
Ontario Rat 7
Randall Model 1, 5
Schrade Old Timer 108OT (or 1080T ?) small stockman
Simonich Crowfoot
SOG Recon Bowie
Spyderco Chinook II, Native black blade SE, Police CE or SE, Spyderfly
Strider PT, SMF, SNG drop point
Swamp Rat Bog Dog, Ratweiler
Robert Terzuola ATCF grey fighter linerlock
Victorinox Ranger

 

[Charlie Mike]

You forgot the MT Makora and MT UMS

 

[Rat Finkenstein]

Yes, you should get all those knives. . . But I am disapointed that the Dark Ops Interceptor isnt on that list, obviously you forgot that one- it goes on the very top of the list, right above the Gil Hibben "Eye of Drakonus"

Nice list, BTW. Better get started!

 

[silenthunterstudios]

Yes, you should get all those knives. . . But I am disapointed that the Dark Ops Interceptor isnt on that list, obviously you forgot that one- it goes on the very top of the list, right above the Gil Hibben "Eye of Drakonus"

Nice list, BTW. Better get started!

I've got something better than a Dork Ops knife...















A whole box of plastic knives

The box controls blood spray

Seriously, I've got a pocket full of good intentions right now, but by the holidays, I expect to be a knife buyin' fool. Please help me not be that fool .

 

[averageguy]

Buy any knife you want, anything that interests you. You don't need anybodys approval.

 

[silenthunterstudios]

Buy any knife you want, anything that interests you. You don't need anybodys approval.

I'm not looking for approval, I'm looking for reviews. Maybe this would do better in the Knife Reviews forum. Just wanna hear other peoples opinions. I think the only knife I bought because somebody told me to was a Jaguar POS when I was 18.

 

[Stickbait]

Besides the kids don't have to eat meat more than twice a week do they?Good luck buddy-i envy your "task"!!

 

[underaged!]

Uhhh, I never really read your post, but I have to say yes. Get them.

 

[Planterz]

Yes.
No.
No.
Yes.
Yes.
No.
Hell yes.
No.
No.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
No.
Yes.
Yes.
No.
No.
Hell no.
No.
Yes.
No.
Yes.


BTW, these reccomendations aren't in any particular order, so you might want to sort them out yourself.

 

[Trout Tamer]

Ok, when I started going over your list, I realized there were a lot more than met the eye Since I don't have personal experience with all of the knives you listed, I am going to merely write down my own observations and input. This will be based on my own ideas of usability and collection enjoyment; YMMV. So, without further ado, here we go:
Large, Fixed-bladed Camp Knives
Swamp Rat Ratweiler, SOG Recon Bowie, Randall Model 1, 5, Ontario Rat 7, Kabar full size serrated black handle/blade, Ed Fowler Pronghorn, CRK Green Beret Yarborough 7", Mountaineer, Cold Steel Trailmaster, Camillus Becker Crewman, Buck Nighthawk.

Ok, from how I read it, these knives were all basically made to do the same thing: be your go-to tool in the wilderness. That is why I grouped them together as I did. Here are my thoughts on the above list:

"definitely get" - Ratweiler: Swamp Rat has an excellent reputation and warranty and I hear their knives are superb; SOG Recon Bowie: it's just a knice-looking knife, hands down. Plus, it's a piece of modern American war history; Cold Steel Trailmaster: handled one a lot and nearly bought one, they, too, have an excellent reputation. The Trailmaster is one serious hunk of steel. IMO, you can't go wrong with this one when out in the wilderness; Ed Fowler Pronghorn: when you have the money, this would be uber-cool.

maybe get:
Ontario Rat 7 & Camillus Becker Crewman: these are both affordable and good users, from what I hear. If I was doing the buying, I'd pick one and see how it felt; Randall 1&5: Randall knives have never really interested me. They are super-popular and the reputation has to come from someone, but I've never felt the need for one; Kabar full size serrated black handle/blade; i've never liked the overall quality of the Kabar fixed-blade. Some swear by 'em, but there are others who definitely choose otherwise. If I, personally, was going to get one, I'd get it in the traditional style, for history' sake. I think there are other camp knives out there that can definitely do a better job, ie Ratweiler, Trailmaster; CRK Green Beret Yarborough 7": it's a nice-looking knife and, if it weren't for the steel choice, I'd recommend it. However, I simply do not like stainless steel for a large fixed blade, unless it's to be used as a maritime knife; Mountaineer: I don't know enough about this knife to really comment on it.

not get: Buck Nighthawk: the blade is too thin for my tastes and, unfortunately, they no longer make it in carbon steel; rather, it's in their 420. I'd pass on this knife, both from a user and collector standpoint. It just does next-to-nothing for me.

So, that's where I stand on those knives. Unfortunately, I simply don't have much experience with the rest of your list. Hopefully, this post will stimulate more responses from people experienced with the knives you listed.

 

[French Kiss]

You may consider your problem in another way: sell all the knives you have (except maybe the ones you can trade), and buy new knives only with the money you got from your first sale

Just a few thoughts: if you want a finnish knife, go with Roselli (UHT steel preferably), get a Buck/Mayo forget about the rest of their products, don't forget BRKT, they do very nice knives, definitely get a Chinook and a Native (can't go wrong there), Busse/SRKW knives rock

 

[rick melear]

In the next few weeks Cliff Stamp will be reviewing a Randall #1 and #5. You might want to check the results. Who the heck would send him two Randall's to test?

 

[DaveH]

Man I was going to write a long reply saying pretty much what Trout Tamer said, glad I waited. As he says there's a lot of task duplication in your list, My opinion would be buy the best quality example from each category and skip the rest. Save the bulk of your moeny for something really speciall. IMO I'd say

buy:

1 Swamp rat of some kind or Fowler Pronghorn.
1 Strider folder of some kind or sebenza.
1 Gentlemans folder, Personally I'd get a Mnandi as the quality would be way better then any traditional style folder.
1 Smaller fixed blade - whatever floats your boat

Don't buy:

All the rest of the misc you listed. Once your moeny is spent you'll never get it back So spend wisely.

 

[silenthunterstudios]

Thanks for the in depth review, Trout Tamer, it helped me more than you think! Dave, my problem, I used to go for what looked neat. Now, I'm at a point where I don't have the disposable income, I am in the real world now, with real world responsibilities. I still like knives, I'm not poor, but I've made up my mind that I only want knives that I will use. Both of you made a very good point that I will be buying "extras", knives I don't need.


I think I've narrowed it down to what I really need

A big fixed blade that can take some abuse, for camping primarily. I already have a LTC Kukri (thanks Silverfoxknows), but I'm interested in a bowie type blade for that.

A fishing knife (I was looking at some Rapalas the other day at Dicks Sporting Goods, and they look pretty inexpensive. Add to that the good review that Kim Breed gave the brand in Blade, I'm looking to buy one for my tackle box. I also want a good boat knife, some type of sailors knife, for other tasks on the boat.)

A good short fixed blade for a BOB and a truck knife(I already have a KaBar short tanto, so I may be covered in this regard)

A good full sized folder for EDC (My Native III, or my Endura fit the bill already)

A smaller folder for EDC(my Twitch II served in this regard until I dropped it )

A multitool or SAK for my camping gear and truck(I already have a Vic Swiss Champ, 3 Leathermans and a SOG Powerlock!)


And that's about it. Except for the bowie style camp knife, I'm set! I think I need to edit my want list post, which is going to be hard to do.




I think I'm gonna have to stop reading Blade.


I'm starting to irritate myself!

 

[Bob W]

BTW, these reccomendations aren't in any particular order, so you might want to sort them out yourself.

LMAO!!

I do like the Nighthawk, definitely a good knife for the money. The ergonomics are the high point.

Definitely get an original American-made OldTimer if you don't have one. The 108 you mentioned is a fine model, but to me the 34OT is the OldTimer.

Best Wishes,
Bob

 

[silenthunterstudios]

I got that one, and might get another one to put aside.

 

[ErikD]

If you can afford it I don't think you could go wrong buying an Ed Fowler Pronghorn, I just wish I had the money to buy one.

You do have a lot of similiar knives on that list though. If you are serious about only buying knives that will get used I would say you are best off just getting one or two of each type/purpse knife. Otherwise you end up having to many knives to choose from, and inevitably some will just be sitting around as collection, not users.

 

[Trout Tamer]

Thanks for the in depth review, Trout Tamer, it helped me more than you think!

Hey, you're welcome, glad I could help

As DaveH said,

buy the best quality example from each category and kip the rest

If you can hadle the knife before buying, so much the better. On paper or in pixels, a knife looks one way; in the hand, however, it can be a whole different story. I have made one knife purchase sight-unseen, and that was when I bought some Greco knives, based on his reputation around here and his sale prices. I am very happy with that purchase and, the more I use it, the more I like the X-plorer that I bought as a camp knife.

About 1 1/2 years ago, when I first started getting into knives in-depth, I had the same dilemma as you, and many of us, go through: so many cool knives, but, when it comes down to it, there's a relatively limited number of different activites that warrant a design-specific knife. I broke it down basically as you have done: I figured I needed a large bowie/camp knife, a boat/marine knife, a folding EDC, an approx. 4" bladed utility knife, a small fixed blade neck knife to take my folding EDC's place when engaged in kinetic activites like biking, and a gentleman's folding knife. All told, I could justify 6 knives. Now, I would add a fishing-cleaning knife. Once I get into hunting, I'd probably orient my pick for the 4" utility blade to meet the needs of a game game dressing blade. So, there's 7 knives that I would use...

Then, came another realization: I could learn to MAKE knives. Yep, that was what I decided. Now, even though I'm still in the learning process (which probably never ends... ), I can have all the knives I want within each category! Of course, some of those are bound to be knife-chicks that never fully hatch from the sheath (translation: I bomb on the construction or the idea, which looks good on paper, doesn't fly in real life ), but I do very much enjoy making knives and it's not nearly as difficult or complex as I imagined. Of course, all the seasoned makers are probably whetting their knives now to hunt me down.... what I mean is, if you have a small work space, a barbecue grill and a blow drier, you can make your own knife! If nothing else, it's a very rewarding and revelatory experience. Ok, so those last couple paragraphs were a little off-topic...