Thoughts on the "Which knife" question.

Cpl Punishment

Cpl Punishment

Joined
Jan 28, 2006
Messages
7,035
All the "which knife should I get?" questions lately made me think of something.
It's something I noticed a while back, but never posted about because I figure most of the experienced people already knew it.

I got very good with knives throughout my life because I had them since I was very young. However, it was only a couple of models for the vast majority of my life, and I was sure those were the "right knives", and how could anyone choose any other?

But, after coming to Bladeforums and pathologically buying and using knives for the last few years, I've come to a different conclusion: just about any sharp piece of metal will do. Sure, we will all have our preferences, but in reality, just about anything can be made to serve. Heck, even if you took a 1/8" slab of 304 stainless and filed a blade on it, you have something better than the bone/stone/copper/bronze/iron knives humans survived with for millenia.

I've noticed my advice lately has been along the lines of "buy the one that you like, and figure out how to make it work" more often than not.
 
I know what you mean. I think it is a sign of realizing that ingenuity is far more important than the nit-picky details of knives.

good post:thumbup:
 
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When I was a teenager and into my early 20's, it had to be the "latest and greatest" thing out there; in the 80's it was Gerber. As a teenager I had a $100 plus dollar Mark I when they came out. Had expensive Schrade's, Uncle Henry etc. pocket knives, mostly LARGE folding lock-blades. In my 20's it was still Gerber just light weight knives, alloys, etc.

Now that I am an old man, 43, I could use a ground down butter knife and make it work if need be. The more you learn, the less you need. That saying I have applied to almost every area in life, trying to simplify my life.

I am VERY happy with everything RAT makes, it has not let me down, nor do I ever see it letting me down when it counts. With a few RAT knives and the other survival items they sell, if something bad did happen right now, just those few items would mean my wife and I would survive and adapt.

I hope that God continues to Bless RAT so many others can be prepared!
 
I agree with you fellas, it is the user that makes most of the difference. There are some basic directions you can give to someone seeking a knife for a specific application, but most knives will do the job. The cheap steel knives have advantages of being easy to sharpen in the field where the high grade varietys may not be so good. They may not break, but they may not be sharp either. In reality...when I guy comes here asking advice on buying a knife, the sickness is bound to get him anyway and the result will be 60 knives over the next year or two. Just get the one you think is purty!:D
 
Well yes and no. I've had those cheap gas station knock-offs that you buy for $2.00 literally undergo their programmed destruction inside my pocket on the way from the gas station hut back to my vehicle. I've suffered a long portion of my life using dull knives, not knowing how to sharpen them, going out and getting them professionally sharpened only to have the edge last a couple of days.

Learning how to use your tools says a lot, learning how to maintain them helps a great deal, but for me not just any old blade will do. I've come to appreciate a level of performance out of carbon steels with good heat treat. At the very basic level of can I use an inferior tool if I need to? Yes I can do that. But I certainly prefer not to use bad tools with poor designs. I don't buy my screw drivers from the dollar store either. Now, I don't necessarily need Snap-On tools, but I like the quality I get with craftsman and thus I buy my screwdrivers at Sears instead of wallmart (I have no idea what brand Wallmart carries....If they carry something good exuse me, I'm just making assumptions).

Lets also consider the average new user that comes here. The obviously have an interest in cutlery and are willing to step up their game in buying cutlery otherwise they wouldn't go through all the bother of registering at bladeforums. However, they may not have had the best influence. That cheesy 80's rambo knife commercial might just be one of the big influences in their lives. Don't laugh, because when I was 12 years old, I fell for that commercial hook line and sinker.

When I came to bladeforums I had subtly bought into the "ancient secrets" of the Japanese steel myth. I wanted all things Japanese. Probably too many ninja movies in my youth. For example, when I joined here, I did so just to find out all I could about the Spyderco Kumo model which I thought was the bees knees. While I still am drawn to certain aesthetic qualities of Japanese style blades my tastes have changed dramatically. When I first joined, I probably would have thought ratcutlery blades were plain potatoes compared to a kabar or buck 119. Now I appreciate them for their aesthetic simplicity and because they have the features I desire most in user blades.

So when newbies come here to bladeforums and ask questions. I try to answer them from my perspective and recognizing where I have ended up, why I like certain knives and what advantages the features they carry have in bushcraft situations. Thats my feeling. I love knives. Its one of the reasons why I post here every day.
 
Good thread. Although lately, I am going through a 6 inch knife kick. It sucks because I know that the most useful and comfortable knife is around the 3 inch range, I keep finding myself drawn to 6 inch blades. I recently purchased a A1, and kept thinking, I know I wont use it except to piddle around the back yard, but damned if I didnt buy it..
 
The riddle of Steel, kgd.

In the end it is not the steel, but the hand the wields it! :)

Lots of times a great blade will help a novice, a little and make
an experienced knife person better.

It goes back to Conan, people scouring the earth in search of steel.
 
PastorMarko said:
The riddle of Steel, kgd.

In the end it is not the steel, but the hand the wields it! :)
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I have already discovered, that while the lid of a can of SPAM is great for slicing spam up, it doesn't make a very good fish spear. Despite my best efforts, I also found it failed to decapitate my buddy when threw it at him frisby style. Even when it hit him dead center in the neck with the edge....his head still stayed on his body and continued to issue curses and vile words in my general direction.

Them SPAM lids do have their uses though.
 
Cpl. - I agree with you (actually, I usually do). Growing up in the woods, I had a lot of junk blades, stockman patterns and barlows with their tips all missing, and I did fine. Now I have a bunch of fancy blades and they are all fine too. When the "what blade will you count on when the zombies invade?" threads come up, I answer, but I'm always thinking that I would be happy with any knife mentioned in the responses. Ultimately, if we accepted the idea that the blades and gear that already have are adequate, than there wouldn't be any reason to buy more, and that would just be wrong......
 
KGD, I get where you're coming from and confess, I was thinking of fixed blades (since I use folder only when absolutely necessary). Now, there isn't a real easy way to improvise a handle for a broken folder. But I think an experienced person really could take a real butter knife and a file or stone, and sharpen it and use it for all kinds of bushcraft and food tasks with the only "trouble" being the frequency with which you'd have to sharpen it. Again, it will definitely be better than a copper or bronze blade, and hold its edge longer than a bone or stone blade.

I also find it interesting that after buying RATs, Busses and all manner of expensive axes and such, that my preferred pair for almost anything is my HI CAk and R-10 knife. Both of which are forged on a piece of railroad track and heat treated with a teapot of boiling water. My Busse 3" BAD cost more than both of them put together, yet they are my top choice for the road to the 'Pocyclypse.
 
I've been thinking along similar lines.

While some knives really may have a edge over others for some specific tasks, the difference between an RC-3 and RC-4 is just about negligible--meaning I can get either knife to do a host of jobs I regularly do. Now one can't replace a machete with a SAK, but within reason, most knives seem somewhat interchangeable to me. In the end it becomes a matter of personal preference.

I'll also agree with KGD though, that it pays to buy a good quality knife. You go cheap and you'll end up with a useless knife. Spend a little cash on good knife and you'll have a tool you value for life. A RAT is a perfect example of a high quality tool that is not expensive.
 
You know I never thought to use the spam lid as a slicer. You learn something new every day, thank you for your wisdom Sir, it is greatly appreciated.

I am still learning and seeking to learn, that is why I love this forum and greatly respect all its members.
 
I have used cheap knives as well, until I started buying the more expensive and yes, in the long run, it is an investment.

I am starting to think the RC-3 serrated would be the ultimate knife, not to small, not too big, still have the serrated edge to use as a striker for the RAT Firekit, etc.
 
Ironically enough... What lead me to RAT was the decision that I didn't have a good, pretty, really high quality knife. You think I'd have landed in Fallkniven or Bark river. But the search led me to the same conclusion... metal, sharp, good to go. People seem to prioritize the wrong things when they're looking for a knife. the RC5/RC6 questions kill me. "but I don't want it to break! I need the RC5!!!" sure...I tend to over pack a bigger/stronger knife than I'll ever need. But I think the best thing to do is buy an OK knife like a buck 119, or Kabar, and use it until you decide what that knife isnt doing for you. Then move up into specific high end knives from that.
 
Dizwolf said:
But I think the best thing to do is buy an OK knife like a buck 119, or Kabar, and use it until you decide what that knife isnt doing for you. Then move up into specific high end knives from that.
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Oh I definitely agree with that statement. You just might find that that is all you ever need. Or you may find that there are certain extra's or design modifications that you appreciate and want.

Many of us, and I'll include myself here, view knives as more than just functional tools. They are useful art and cultural symbols. They capture an essence of our desire to be in the outdoors more then we actually are. Like any symbol, the more invested you are in it, the more power it has over you. So we buy gaggles of knives and compare them or rationalize each purchase on a minutia of details. None of it is particularly meaningful to a pursuit of spending more time in the outdoors, except that sometimes I get off my lazy butt and go out into the bush with my latest 'symbol' and take pictures of it sticking in a tree, or lovingly caressing some lush green moss :D

Hey, its my form of meditation and its much cheaper than lapdances, night clubs or minature train sets.

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Yea. Those two knives cover alot of ground. But anything that gets you into the woods is s good thing. And rats done alot to get me mentally where I need to be
 
Rotte said:
I'll also agree with KGD though, that it pays to buy a good quality knife. You go cheap and you'll end up with a useless knife. Spend a little cash on good knife and you'll have a tool you value for life. A RAT is a perfect example of a high quality tool that is not expensive.
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Yeah, the whole reason I ended up on here was after a month long search for a good knife on the internet after I had spent $60 on a drop point 440c Gerber that stayed sharp about 20min into a 3 day hiking trip. I did a lot of research, wound up debating between Breeden and JK, and ended up w a JK that I'm very happy with. Had I found RAT initially, or knew who to ask, I would have had an RC3, though, for sure.
I think that MOST people would think that $60 is a decent amount to spend on a knife (mostly due to cheap chinese crap overflooding in the market...). For $30-40 more, I could have had that RC3. I know that NOW, and I know that 440c is a pain in the rear to deal with and chips easily. I just honestly didn't know the difference and expected it to hold up.

I'm a firm believer in buying the right thing the first time, and I think that all the questions that will keep getting raised on this forum by new folks, like me, need to have good people to give the right answers. I bought my first RAT cause I was convinced by the good folks on this part of Blade Forums, and bought a 2nd cause I was not let down at all by the product. I think a lot of people make the mistake of never knowing what a good piece of equipment they COULD have had, if only they had asked the right questions, to the right people..
 
I believe we can do with just about any knife. However, it is our interest in knives that drives us to get what in ones own mind, he believes to be the best their is. At least for that person.
 
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