What I did with my $40.00 Spec Plus Tanto

[canis]

I have a 10" spec plus Tanto that I recently used to help bring down a fairly large Catauba tree (I have no idea how to spell the name of the tree!) Anyway, My Church is doing some new landscaping and building additions and we needed to remove a tree that was on it's way to being fully dead due to carpenter ants anyway.

The diameter of the tree was about the same as a large truck tire. We used chainsaws to get a good cut into the trunk, but due to the short length of the chainsws and the width of the trunk, the chainsaw would bind up.

My Spec plus tanto to the rescue! I used it to hack and pry out the chips in our cuts in order to clear space for the blade. The edge helds up great, even though the wood was VERY HARD.

Here's the best part... I used a HAMMER to HAMMER the edge and/or point into the wood and then torqued on the blade to pop the chips out. I did not hold back at all with the hammer. Except for some pretty good dings on the back of the blade and chips out of the finish, the edge and point still held up just fine. The handle was damaged at the butt of the knife due to the hammer striking it when driving the point into the wood. But the handle remained functional even with the damage.

After we finally got the tree down, I used the knife to clear some of the smaller branches and guess what?! The edge was still in serviceable shape!

I don't get a chance to use a knife as hard as I'd like to very often, but I think that this was about as tough a test as you can put a knife through in actual practical use. I put extremely hard force on the blade and it sprang back to true every time, the edge remained in good shape, and the knife in no way shape or form failed to do what I asked of it.

With all of the recent garbage regarding what is and isn't abuse on this and other forums lately regarding a certain high dollar knife maker, I just though I'd share my experience with an inexpensive, beater of a knife that absolutely inpressed me with it's performance.

If I had one complaint, it would be that I experienced fairly heavy vibration through the handle when doing full strength chopping.
But it wasn't anything that interfered with my ability to use the knife as hard as I could.

And there you have it,

Chris Canis

------------------
"Tolerance is the vice of those who have no convictions of their own"

 

[Cliff Stamp]

Chris :

Except for some pretty good dings on the back of the blade and chips out of the finish, the edge and point still held up just fine. The handle was damaged at the butt of the knife due to the hammer striking it when driving the point into the wood. But the handle remained functional even with the damage.

About what I would have expected. My only problem with Ontario is that the QC might be lacking. I have seen very good and very poor performance.

Regarding the good ones, the Ontario blades are actually far better than what they are usually given credit for. If they put decent handles on them (personal matter - varies) and did better QC processing they would be in heavy contention for a top spot and at the retarded price they sell for it would be impossible to approch them in terms of cost/performance ratio, and even in regard to straight out performance they would still fare well.

Chris, did your hammer survive this experiment ?

-Cliff

 

[canis]

The hammer survived with flying colors

With a different handle material (and, as you said Cliff, better QC) this knife would be an even better knife at an awesome price point.

The 1095 steel really did a great job handling the flexing and impacts.

It showed me that expensive doesn't always mean better.
(even though I suspect that my Battle Mistress would leave it in the dust based on useage so far)

Chris

 

[Snickersnee]

I am quite vocal about being no fan of the tanto-style knives, but I think this post actualy brings up a pretty important point;

A good knife will be able to shrug off a lot of heavy use. It doesn't have to be overbuilt or expensive. It doesn't need exotic or esoteric materials and construction methods.

I've long been a fan of 1095. In fact, I've only ever owned one fixed blade that was stainless steel. Unless you count A-2 as stainless.

 

[FullerH]

As any good Johnny Reb can tell ya'll, its spelled "Catawba". They were also called "Indian Cigar Trees" when I was a kid, but I'll bet that they are not generally called that now.

------------------
Walk in the Light,
Hugh

 

[Snickersnee]

Are those trees by any chance the ones with the bark that peels off real easy? We used to call'em "bare-naked Indian trees", but I have ni idea why.

 

[Michael Bennett]

Way to go Chris! Way to go Ontario!

I'll tell ya, these Ontario knives are really growing on me. This weekend, I used my SP-5 to make a bowdrill friction fire kit (dead, seasoned, hard wood), as well as a few other camping related duties. Just had to touch up the edge a little afterwards.

I'm with Cliff - a little better QC and these guys could really give the big $$ blade companies a run for the money.

Mike

 

[Schlager]

Yep, 1095 is a very underated steel now that there is a new "super steel" to hit the market every year or two. A LOT of America's enemies got "aired out" (or should that be in) by 1095. Easy to work, inexpensive to buy, easy to heat treat, and I think it resonds well to cryro freeze too.

Someday Ontario will learn how to do a proper sabre grind and start sharpening at a 20 degree angle instead of a 35+ angle. Then we will have a true value/doller winner. Ontario's all ready pretty close to value winner, especially with all of the designs they offer.

I'm waiting for the day when in drunken inspiration, their head designer says to make a Smatchet, and the HMFWIC says OK! I think they can make some really good margin on that!
- Brian

 

[Jedi Knife]

You didn't TOUCH the blade did you? Why MUST you touch the blade!!

Glad to see someone else coming around to the "more expensive doesn't = better knife" reality. As you can see there will always be someone who tries to counter that one way or another, rarely will anyone who makes knives or spends too much for a knife let you get by with stating that, though, hence the "QC" accusations. Thanks for your reality check!

------------------
There's more than one way to skin a cat!

 

[Corduroy]

Very nice! To continue my vendetta:

By a Spec Plus and kick Cold Steel where it hurts - in the wallet! They're easily 90% of the knife at 50% of the price.

(That's fixed-blades. Ontario can't make a folder to save their lives and CS only makes overpriced Zytel folders with serrations that chip and even they refuse to sharpen!)

 

[Cliff Stamp]

Jedi :

[concerning the high performance of the Ontarios]

rarely will anyone who makes knives or spends too much for a knife let you get by with stating that, though, hence the "QC" accusations.

Jedi, my statement about the QC of the Ontarios is based on the 6 of them I have used. The details are all on line.

-Cliff

 

[Jedi Knife]

....and you own how many Sebenzas?


JK

------------------
There's more than one way to skin a cat!

 

[Cliff Stamp]

Jedi, I don't own any Sebenza's. I had a lone of one off of a friend for a few months though. I think I will pick up a small Sebenza based on the quality of the large Sebenza I handled. It will probably replace my Calypso Jr. . I don't know where you are coming from with this question.

As to the point about more money being a better knife, there are actual performance advantages to having better blade and handle materials and designs than in the Ontarios. These advantages are important to some and not to others. Are you saying that you have handled a BM and the contrasting Ontario and prefer the Ontario?

-Cliff

 

[canis]

I hope no one took my posts in this thread to mean that I prefer low dollar knives over more expensive ones. I wanted to state that I was pleasantly suprised with the performance of my $40 knife. I have a Battle Mistress and there is no doubt that is light years beyond the Spec Plus in terms of finish and performance. I'm not a knife snob but, in most cases, you get what you pay for. I think it is great when you get good performance out of a low cost knife, but I believe that in the long run, you're better off going for the better (and more expensive) blade materials and designs.

I mostly meant to point out that a $800 knife failed to do what my $40 knife handled with ease.

Sure there are good knives at lower price points, and there are bad knives at ridiculously high prices, the trick is to weed out the high dollar rip offs and search for the lower dollar gems.

canis

 

[Jedi Knife]

Cliff,

Is the BM better than the Ontario when used in a similar manner? I have never used the BM.

JK

------------------
There's more than one way to skin a cat!

 

[Cliff Stamp]

Jedi, based on what I have read on the BM and what I have seen with the Ontario knives I would expect the following compared to say the Marine Raider Bowie :

The BM should have better chopping power due to the thinner grind. It will also be weaker laterally because of this unless the steel is stronger per cross sectional area which I think it is.

The BM should have better edge holding on soft and on hard materials because of the high wear resistance and impact strength.

The BM should be easier to sharpen as there will be less metal worn off and much less deformation in the edge (difficult to chip / roll).

The BM should slice easier because the primary grind is more acute and the edge bevel can be made thinner and still retain high durability (because of the strength of the steel).

The handle on the BM should be far more ergonomic due to it not having those deep groves that are on the Ontario and the BM grip has a more secure basic shape.

I have not handled a BM yet. The above is just based on what I have read of its performance and from talking to people who have used one. I am looking forward to mine.

-Cliff