TALONiTE!!!

S

SNiPER

Banned
Joined
Jul 26, 2000
Messages
252
How do you guys on the forums feels about this type of blade? If you have one or have used one before what do you feel the advantages and disadvantages are.

Right now I have only one TALONiTE bladed knife and its the chimera by Derek Monroe (hope he gets well soon). I have another TALONiTE knife on order I hope to get another someday. I love how it stays sharp for a long time and when it gets dull, its edge can be brought back in no time. And what ever I cut through if feels like im cutting butter. It has some type of slippery thing going on. It seems like the blade gives off silicone. What ever it cuts through, it just glides. On the other side I have been told that it can be brittle (even though I have read that its really strong and is hard to break). So im not sure what's true. I have stayed away for putting it through hard use. I am scared that it might break. So I hope someone out there has put TALONiTE through hard use and can give the experience with it.

Thanks
Matt

------------------
Pain was made for the weak!
 
see my post about sharpening it
biggrin.gif
, should give you an idea of how i like it.
smile.gif
i love the stuff. i have owned 4 or 5 camillus cuda talons, 3 or 4 allan blade talonite blades,and a tom mayo talonite fixed blade,but my present favorite is my small tom mayo talonite folder[tnt]i wear around my neck in a w.henry leather pouch with a photon II light attached to the bottom of the sheath. the only time i take this off is when i take a shower. otherwise it is my CONSTANT companion.


as to the silicone oozing properties, you are correct. these blades are impregnated with silicone to give that smooth cutting feeling. when yours begins to run low, let me know, as i have the patent on the replacement stuff. i can ship you a .000001 ounce tube for 49.95 plus shipping.
wink.gif
unfortunately, you will have to re order after each application.

------------------

a cat almost always blinks when hit in the head with a ball-peen hammer, if he sees it coming, that is.
Cats, The Other White Meat.{courtesy of VG}
life's tough, get a helmet.
A few of my Knives
russ aka BladeZealot
 
I love the material. Kit Carson has said that Stellite 6k is even better, but so far my experience is limited to Talonite.
It will cut and cut and cut but for me the main advantage is the corrosion resistance. I need something that won't rust when I'm ocean kayaking or on an extended hike or paddle and can't really clean my knife properly or stop to sharpen it. Ceramic isn't reliable enough, because it can shatter, and titanium won't hold an edge.
The main drawback for me is the softness and the susceptibilty to rolling the edge on hard impacts like chopping. It has never happened to me but maybe that's because the forumites here, and esp. Cliff, warned about this so I always use another knife for chopping. It is a huge drawback for me however, because chopping wood, ice etc is a big part of why I need a knife.
So for me, talonite/stellite for smaller knives and for low impact uses, especially in high corrosion or difficult maintenance environments, is a superb and maybe the best material.
 
For a small knife (light utility and neck knife) I think Talonite is a great product. The issue over rolling and deformation is VERY well documented. Rust resistence is a bonus and edge holding is supposidly first class.

However, I use my knife and for the money would rather a steel knife myself. The worry of damaging the material would ofset the point of getting one for me. I did have concerns over CPM 440V, but extesive use has shown me that Spyderco do a fantastic job with this steel. Maybe when I try a Talonite knife I will change my view on the matter. It is not on my 'to get' list however.

Your mileage may vary!

W.A.

------------------
"To strive to seek to find and not to yield"
Tennyson
Ranger motto

A few useful details on UK laws and some nice reviews!
http://members.aol.com/knivesuk/
Certified steel snob!
Founding president and member number 1! Wana join?
 
Talonite (r) is suitable for any size knife; the drawback is the cost of the alloy for larger knives. It is both flexible (there was a picture of Rob Simonich flexing a billet 180 degrees) and strong, although not as strong as steel.

However, very few, if any, of us will ever exceed the strength of a properly made Talonite (r) knife. Kit Carson has made many knives of Haynes alloys (Stellite, Talonite, Hastelloy) over the years, and has yet to have one returned for blade failure. His dive knives have a blunt point for (shudder) PRYING with. Still no broken blades. Here is a pic of Kit's small and large U2 dive knives in Talonite:

<A HREF="http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=306668&a=2279510&p=36910070&Sequence=0&res=high" TARGET=_blank>
Thumbnail
</A>

Talonite is suitable for all knife sizes, however, there are limits. For a chopper, a machete of steel would be much cheaper and probably more effective. Here are some Talonite knifes of varying sizes (the c-fiber one is actually Stellite):

<A HREF="http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=306668&a=2279510&p=34156956&Sequence=0&res=high" TARGET=_blank>
Thumbnail
</A>

My daughters have been delighted with their Talonite paring knives made by Kit Carson; they do have a lubricity (as do all Talonite knives) which tends to make slicing with them very easy. The scales are of Corion:

<A HREF="http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=306668&a=2279510&p=35271153&Sequence=0&res=high" TARGET=_blank>
Thumbnail
</A>

My eldest daughter just got (at long last, I might add) the first production Talonite chefs' knife from Rob Simonich. It is 17" OAL, and has a 10" blade. She describes it as follows:

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">DAD!; I finally got the knife! Beautiful!! The kind of butcher knife every
red-blooded woman desires for her kitchen. Though I have to confess when I
first picked it up two words came to mind - Psycho, and Halloween. Can't
wait to carve pumpkins this year. It's BIG! And Sharp. I Love It!!!

Thanks Dad, and Rob.</font>
Click to expand...

Here is Rob's pic of the knife:

<A HREF="http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1200325&a=8850054&p=43318984&Sequence=0&res=high" TARGET=_blank>
Thumbnail
</A>

It is a rather poor picture; the knife is NOT serrated, just pixellated. I keep telling Rob not to lay the knife down on his wife's back and take a picture. She is ticklish and wiggles.
wink.gif


Hope this helps, Walt

[This message has been edited by Walt Welch (edited 03-10-2001).]
 
I can't say it any better than the rest that have already posted, but I also think Talonite is great stuff. I skinned three deer with my Camillus this past year and it did well. Rob did a good job on that design.

Now if we can get him to release that special "Cell-Phone Automatic" he has been working on.....
smile.gif
 
I like it. I have a Rob Simonich Talonite neck knife, and a Darrel Ralph ArcLite in Talonite is on order. Great stuff for neck knives, lightweight, non-corrosive from sweat and whatever.
 
I left one thing out. Its great for Cheifs. The stuff works the best in the kitchen. It cuts food great. And the stain resistains is great. Any time I ever go in the way Water this is the knife I have on me (CHiMERA by D.M.).

Thanks
Matt

------------------
Pain was made for the weak!
 
View


Hers a Pic of it. The pics not that great, but I didnt touch it up (someone else did).

Matt

------------------
Pain was made for the weak!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top