U betta ax sum buddy?

P

psp7

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Dec 12, 2010
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SO what do you say to a friend or family member that asks if they can use your finest axe or knife? Old woodsman custom was that you never ask someone to use their knife and especially their axe as one careless swing can damage a bit and require hours of getting it back up to standard. These days are different of course and most folks dont really appreciate the meaning of a good tool. Myself, I generally dont share the spectacle of my axe or blades existance to anyone as I admit I'd feel selfish to say "no", but at the same time I'd be pretty pissed if my buddies messed up my blade. Its a tough call and thats where I can see its better just to have a lower grade/priced axe(Wetterling) or knife to loan for buffering the safety of a Gransfor Bruks beauty:D. Have you experienced a reluctance in loaning out one of your axes or knives?
 
depends where i am, if im at home ill give them a sog sealpup, i dont like that knife at all, if im out, ill ask for what, if i feel it ok for them to use a knife of mine then i will
 
Just ask them if they would also like to use your tooth brush, they'll get the drift.:D:D

Regards

Robin
 
Me and my brother literally went fist to cuffs b/c he used my Helton custom EDC for a screwdriver and I caught him, busted him in the back of the head. That did not go over well and well we kinda got in to it. Since then noone has asked to borrow my knife. If they need something cut they ask me to cut it. And if they ask to borrow, I just say no!
 
If you left your nice well cared for GB axe at home so ask to borrow mine, then yes.

But you mean "others people". I would only if I could supervise. Otherwise I tell them this one is my baby. Then offer them my junk axe or box cutter.

here is the thing: I/you/we spend time and money to learn about, then buy and maintain nice things. We are happy to share our education, but you cannot run off with my tool and opt out of the education.
 
Oh, all the time! My older brother has ruined a fiskars axe, GB SFA, and a Woodsman Pal.
Guess what? He did not pay for any of them! The fiskars's handle was mysteriously cracked after it was returned to me, the SFA hit a chain after I turned my back on him for a minute, and the Woodsman Pal, well I do not know what the hell happened to it!
That just happens to be the axes, don't even let me get into the knives........
 
My dad and brother are ok. I trust them.

I'm currently modding a CS Spike Tomahawk. Dad likes it so much he wants me to do one for him.
 
I say no now, I made the mistake of letting a friend edc my benchmade 940 all day (not up there with the custom knives, but hey, I'm a poor college kid) and it came back dull and had a chip in it. I really want to know what he was doing with it.
 
I keep some old beater tools just for loaners. An inept bumbler I sometimes take camping once asked me for an axe. Normally I would just say "no" because the guy is a total numbnuts. However, I had with me a 1970s Sears axe for which I had paid about ten bucks and gotten many years of hard use. Just for fun, I handed it to the jerk. He immediately set to chopping straight into the gravel-laden ground because he thought some sage brush was too close to where he had decided to pitch his tent. I quickly substituted an old beater shovel, but it just goes to show what a total idiot might do. Had that been a GB axe, well, let's just say that the shovel would have been used for a different project.....

DancesWithKnives
 
Well generally when I'm asked for a tool, it's a pocket knife and it's needed for an immediate-use, light application: they get the knife, cut what they need to cut, and I get it back. The people I associate myself with have the common sense to ask for a pocket knife because they need to cut or slice - not hack, stab, pry, or screw something. The chances of anything going awry is pretty slim with a small folder...

An axe, large chopper or quality fixed blade or the other hand is completely different. Not only because those tools are quite a bit more expensive than my pocket knives (my EDC folders are a SAK and Leek), but because the ambiguity of intended tasks is greater and the chances of damage to the tool or person borrowing it is much higher. That said, I would not loan out such a tool without a lecture and perhaps some supervision - which is often the case as, living in the city, I never need to loan out such tools outside of camping/backpacking.


On a side note:
I find that the majority of people these days have a mindset and attitude towards tools that's been brought about by the prevalence of cheap chinese throw-away garbage, and really, that's no fault of their own. When you have to go so far out of your way to find a well-made quality tool, it's kind of unfair to expect people to know what one is when they see yours. I find that most people share this disdain for cheap quality though, and are quite willing to hear you out on taking care of the tool once you tell them that it's expensive/of high quality you're rather fond of it. That said, it never hurts to add in how you'll wring their neck if they damage it...
 
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I have two groups of friends, my country friends from home, and my city friends from college.

The country friends I mostly trust, but they have their own knives to use so never want to borrow mine unless it's for a demonstration on how tough they are (cause I'm the only one who'll buy (even consider buying) and use a $300+ knife)

My city friends on the other hand...... when they need something cut they ask me cause they know I don't like them using my expensive sharp point things.
1) Cause I don't fully trust them with a knife, they don't have that much experience with them
2) They don't have much experience with other "outdoors" tools.

Hell, the first time one of my city friends even held a gun it was my 1911 when he was 22; I still get nervous when he even looks at it (I'll probably never let him shoot it)

One winter I told them I spent a lot of time splitting firewood, they asked me why (and there's your sign) :foot:

They'll pay $300 on a pair a shoes that they'll wear a couple times becuase they're too expensive to get a scuff on them. I'll buy a $300 knife, beat the piss out of it, and have a lifetime warrenty on any FUBARs that may happen.


I guess when it comes down to it, I really only fully trust myself. Cause if I mess something up on my tools, I know how to fix them. And if I start messing them up, I know when to stop using them before they totally get ruined.
 
If ya can afford it, pick up an extra cheapie hardware store axe and put a quick and dirty sharpening job on it and lend that to'em. Same with a knife. Keep a cheapie china-made knife on hand, saves lots of headaches and hurt feelings;)
 
I have a cheep hatchet I will loan along with a cheep knife or two. They where bought before I knew you could still buy a good axe or hatchet. Don't even ask to borrow one of them! I'll loan you power tools quicker than I'll loan one of my good axes or hatchets!
 
I "may" loan out the old beat up stuff but none of the good.
 
psp7 said:
SO what do you say to a friend or family member that asks if they can use your finest axe or knife?
Click to expand...

NO.

I'll hand someone my SAK. But my best whatever? No.

In the woods, I ask them before we go if they have their axe or machete with them. If not, I offer to loan them the beater I keep in my trunk. If they say they don't need it, not worth the weight, etc, then want to borrow it later, I let them suffer without it unless it's life threatening, and then I'll do what needs doing with my axe.
 
I remember back when I was in the army during Clinton's reign and multi-tools were becoming popular. So I bought a $50 Gerber multi-tool. I wore it on the belt of my BDUs and those first few days it was like everyone in my platoon needed to use my Gerber:mad::mad:. After a few days of that and some nicks & scratches I left my tool in my room to never bring it out to the artillery motorpool again:o. What do you say to your fighting buddies that are supposedly there for you during battle? Say "no, get your own multi-tool" then maybe they wont be there for ya when you need them:confused:. It was very annoying I must say. It wasnt my fault they spent their money by the end of payday on fancy Nike basketball shoes, rap music CDs, gawdy clothing and booze.
 
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