What Knives do YOU use????

J

J.Davey

Joined
Feb 10, 2004
Messages
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Okay, I'm sure this subject has been done into the ground, but I'm kinda' new so please humor me! PLEASE ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS (please refrain from naming mid-techs like Busse, Reeves, Strider, etc; I'm looking for knives that are easily attainable and, if possible, under $250.)

1. What full-blown production knife company makes the most durable, toughest knives; basically, who's the best (folder company and fixed blade can be seperate)?
I like Fallkniven

2. Best Steel (or steels if you want to give a carbon and stainless. We all know the incredible power of Busse INFI, so let'd skip it and think of others. INFI rules, but I'm looking for something widely available)?
I prefer stainless knives because of my location, and I like VG-10 and
S30V.

3. Best production folders?
I love any Benchmade Axis T-SEK. The Axis Lock is ingenious! I also have and carry (!) a Limited addition (of 200) Osborne with a blue handle. I also have and carry a Kershaw Random Leek. Gotta' love the Speed Safe mechanism!

4. Toughest Fixed-blade knife (consider edge holding, resistance to breakeage, etc. I wanna' know what knife you would carry if society and the whole fricken' world went down the sh*tter and you could only have one fixed blade. Keep in mind that you can't have a custom or mid-tech, just what's readily available at the local knife shop)?
I like Fallkniven and their A1

5. Best Neck Knife?
I own a CRKT Ryan Plan B & Stiff Kiss, Emerson LaGriffe, and a Spyderco Plain-edged VG-10/Micarta S.P.O.T. The Spyderco has my vote on this one. I LOVE that S.P.O.T.!!!!

6. Favorite Sharpening Device?
I always carry a 2-sided DMT pocket hone and I love it. I use a Spyderco Sharpmaker for home and camp sharpening.

7. (Just for fun...answer if you want to) Best Production Sword Company?
I'm just beginning to venture into swords. I recently bought a CAS Iberia Banshee Cutting Sword. Feels good, but re-sharpened the edge. Frankly, I don't know squat about swords.

8. (Another Just for Fun...answer if you want to) Favorite weapon that isn't a knife or gun?
I love my Cold Steel War Hammer (especially after I coated the shaft with a THICK coat of black Plasti-Dip)! I also have some Sap Gloves (gloves with 8 ounces of shot in each fist) that are pretty cool, even if they are just a novelty I can never wear anywhere (they're illegal around here, or so I've been told).

Okay, that's all. Hope to hear from everyone! Take care, all!

Sincerely,
Davey
 
1. Toughest full-blown production knife company?
Benchmade

2. Best Steel?
154CM

3. Best production folders?
Benchmade 805 TSEK or Benchmade 710

4. Toughest Fixed-blade knife?
Cold Steel Recon Scout

5. Best Neck Knife?
Benchmade 154 Nimravus Cub...I know; It's not really a neck knife, but what the hell...

6. Favorite Sharpening Device?
Spyderco Sharpmaker 204

7. I'm not into swords.

8. Favorite weapon that isn't a knife or gun?
ATC/Brend Fighting Hatchet


...And that's that...:D.
 
1. As far as what I've seen at a knife shop I'd have to give the nod to Becker. As far as what I have I'd have to say Himalayan Imports.

2. I lean towards simple carbon steels, 1095 and 5160.

3. I like slip joints for cutting. The five in rotation are a Camillus trapper, a Boker stockman, a Wegner SAK, an Opinel #7 and a Laguiole.

4. Again, I'll go with HI. Khukuris or straight blades. My 18" WWII is a BEAST but my little JKM-1 (a stout puukko inspired knife) is a handy companion blade.

5. The Arclite is a good value but I've been carrying a TOPS Prairie Fox the past several months. Feels like it was made for my hand. I've got a little Anza that I like but I need to get a kydex sheath made for it.

6. sandpaper

7. Closest thing I have to a sword is an 18" (OAL) khukuri and a 14" (blade length) bolo machete.

8. Rook, a 65 pound Lab/Shar-pei mix. Kinda built like a Pit Bull. Super alert, pretty smart and the only dog I've ever owned that can actually grapple and hold. She got the Shar-pei's dragon claws instead of the Lab's romper stompers. I'd rather have her than an improv weapon.

Frank
 
1. Toughest full-blown production knife company?
Probably HI from what I've seen.

2. Best Steel (or steels if you want to give a carbon and stainless. We all know the incredible power of Busse INFI, so let'd skip it and think of others. INFI rules, but I'm looking for something widely available)?
I prefer stainless, 154CM is very nice. 1095 is an excellent non-stainless though.

3. Best production folders?
Best I have? Benchmade 943...awesome folder, just want one with G10 scales.

4. Toughest Fixed-blade knife (consider edge holding, resistance to breakeage, etc. I wanna' know what knife you would carry if society and the whole fricken' world went down the sh*tter and you could only have one fixed blade. Keep in mind that you can't have a custom or mid-tech, just what's readily available at the local knife shop)?
Probably a HI khukri.

5. Best Neck Knife?
No idea...

6. Favorite Sharpening Device?
I like the lansky with the 1000+2000 grit stones.

7. (Just for fun...answer if you want to) Best Production Sword Company?
Probably swords from Bugei (by Hanwei)

8. (Another Just for Fun...answer if you want to) Favorite weapon that isn't a knife or gun?
A Jo or a Katana.
 
1. Toughest full-blown production knife company?
Striders are hand made productions, aren't they?

2. Best Steel
I love tool steels in general. O-1 is a nice mix of toughness and edge retention. CPM 3V seems nice, but I don't have expericence
3. Best production folders?
I would love a M2 BM 730. Runner up would be spydies

4. Toughest Fixed-blade knife
Rob Simonich's Mid Techs
5. Best Neck Knife?
Spydie Ronin

6. Favorite Sharpening Device?
My own 2 hands

7. (Just for fun...answer if you want to) Best Production Sword Company?
no clue

8. (Another Just for Fun...answer if you want to) Favorite weapon that isn't a knife or gun?
Sharpened bike spoke inserted into a lead holder
 
1. Camillus
2. 1095, AUS-8A, 154CM
3. Benchmade
4. Strider?
5. Fallkniven Garn
6. Spyderco doublestuff
7. ?
8. A mace that I bought from a renassaince faire. :D
 
1. Toughest full-blown production knife company?
Hmm, buck probly, they back their stuff up damn good!

2. Best Steel
I really like carbon steels, s30v also

3. Best production folders?
Hmm i .like the microtech lcc, buck strider, buck 110

4. Toughest Fixed-blade knife
My John Greco MST

5. Best Neck Knife?
No idea...

6. Favorite Sharpening Device?
Anything ceramic!!!
 
1. Toughest full-blown production knife company?
Depends on what you mean by toughest. Benchmade is the best though.

2. Best Steel?
I like D2.

3. Best production folders?
AFCK (no brainer)

4. Toughest Fixed-blade knife?
I like my Greco Whisper. The CS SRK runs a very distant second. Greco's MST is reputably tougher than the Whisper. (And this cinderblock is reputably tougher than that other cinderblock... silly comparison ;)).

5. Best Neck Knife?
Have never owned one.

6. Favorite Sharpening Device?
I freehand sharpen. When needed, I strop on the ball of my foot.

7. Best Production Sword Company?
Cold Steel (just kidding! :D). No clue.

8. Favorite weapon that isn't a knife or gun?
My right hand, opened or closed, occasionally with accessories. The left hand runs a close second.
 
1. Fallkniven knives all seem to be very tough!

2. A2 rocks!

3. Spyderco Delica, Buck 110, or SAK Soldier.

4. My Bark River Gameskeeper is nearly industructable, very sharp, too :eek: . Becker 7 would be another good one!

5. Becker 11 (don't have one, yet...) or a small scandi, Helle polar or Brusletto Baldor maybe.

6. DMT diamond stones, and an old belt for a strop.

7. I don't know very much about swords.

8. My wit! :cool:
 
Out of my personal stash:

1. Al Mar (SERE 2000)

2. S30V

3. Spydie Military

4. I only have a few fixed blades and the best is a Straight Personal

5. don't have any

6. DMT Duo Sharp

7. Jeekers! :eek: No opinion.

8. I'm not a weapon guy... the best I can do is a Comtech Stinger.
 
1. Toughest full-blown production knife company?
I'm not sure what you mean by "toughest" -- my current "hard use" (i.e. "beater") knive is an old Cold Steel SRK, and I like their older knives, but think they produce a lot of crap now.

2. Best Steel
I don't know about "best", but I'm fond of ATS-34 and 154 CM.


3. Best production folders?
My favorite is probably an old Al Mar Gunstock folder, but I'm also very fond of my REKAT's and Benchmade.

4. Toughest Fixed-blade knife
I dunno . . . maybe my Blackjack Model 5 or one of my Marbles for a good general purpose knife.

5. Best Neck Knife?
Only one I got is a REKAT, and I like it just fine.

6. Favorite Sharpening Device?
Lansky.

7. (Just for fun...answer if you want to) Best Production Sword Company?
Don't own any swords.

8. (Another Just for Fun...answer if you want to) Favorite weapon that isn't a knife or gun?

The Bo.
 
1. Spyderco. My Endura just won't die.
2. 1095, 50100B, D2. Depends on the application.
3. Spyderco Military, closely followed by the ATR.
4. Tramontina 17", closely followed by a Ka-Bar, black.
5. Ka-Bar short, fits me well.
6. DMT blue on the fly, sharpmaker at home.
7. I don't deal in swords.
8. 8# sledge, cut to fit my swing. I can drive a thumbtack with it, so I figure it'd make a good weapon. ;)
 
C'mon, knife knuts! I know how opinionated ya'll can be, so share your opinions! Please.
 
1. Spyderco for folders - Cold Steel for fixed.

2. Depends on use - D2, A2 & S30V

3. Spyderco Native (S30V)

4. Cold Steel Master Hunter (Carbon V)

5. N/A

6. Camillus Arclite Cuda (D2 version)

7 & 8 N/A
 
1. What full-blown production knife company makes the most durable, toughest knives; basically, who's the best (folder company and fixed blade can be seperate)?
For folders i'll go with Benchmade.

2. Best Steel (or steels if you want to give a carbon and stainless. We all know the incredible power of Busse INFI, so let'd skip it and think of others. INFI rules, but I'm looking for something widely available)?
I've only experienced 154cm, S30V and Sr101. But can't see the difference yet other than SR101 is easy to sharpen.

3. Best production folders?
In terms of feel i like my Microtech Amphibian. But i don't really use it much since it's a bit big for EDC in the UK. Other than that i use my BM721 a lot. Great knife.

4. Toughest Fixed-blade knife (consider edge holding, resistance to breakeage, etc. I wanna' know what knife you would carry if society and the whole fricken' world went down the sh*tter and you could only have one fixed blade. Keep in mind that you can't have a custom or mid-tech, just what's readily available at the local knife shop)?
I'd say my Swamp Rat Howling Rat but that doesn't count. I really hate my Fallkniven S1 'cos i messed the edge up. Other than that it's a really nice holding knife.

5. Best Neck Knife?
Never liked neck knifes.

6. Favorite Sharpening Device?
Always wanted a sharpmaker but never got to buying one. So now i'm still using my fine/x-fine DMT diafold. Makes me a better sharpener anyway.

7. (Just for fun...answer if you want to) Best Production Sword Company?
Don't have any swords.

8. (Another Just for Fun...answer if you want to) Favorite weapon that isn't a knife or gun?
If i can't have a knife or a gun i'd wanna have my escrima sticks. It's fast and it's easy to use.
 
1. Toughest full-blown production knife company? Benchmade

2. Best Steel? D-2 because I'm into Dozier right now.
O-1, 52100, M-2, S30V, 154CM also qualify depending upon who's making the blade.

3. Best production folders? Benchmade 710M2

4. Toughest Fixed-blade knife? HI Ang Khola (assuming a 16.5" Khukuri qualifies as a knife)

5. Best Neck Knife? Not interested in neck knives.

6. Favorite Sharpening Device? Tri-Hone

7. Best Production Sword Company? Last Legend

8. Favorite weapon that isn't a knife or gun? Whatever is handy...
 
It's really interesting to see the variety of responses. Just goes to show you how differently differenty folks's boats are floated.

I think I might side with the original poster for Fallkniven - certainly it would get my vote for stainless bladed fixed blade knives. There are many tough carbon steel bladed knives. Camillus, Ontario and others have been mentioned. I might also add the new Field Duty Extreme models from Browning. All of these would meet the criteria for tough. Fallkniven is what I use myself and Chris Reeve (but those apparently don't count.)

For folders, I have a personal preference for Spydercos. I collect them and like that they are light in weight and dependable. Any number of Spydercos would meet my criterion for favorite folder. The Kiwi in my pocket at the moment is a good example of a Spyderco I find very useful, easy to carry and nice to handle. I took a Camillus Heat from inventory yesterday for my personal collection and like it a lot. Nice value. I'm carrying it tomorrow. I don't add to the collection very often so it was a bit of an event for me.

My choice for steel would probably be VG-10 but that may be because I don't have any knives made from S30V (anybody want to make me a well balanced chef's knife from the stuff?) I like VG-10 because it has more toughness than most high tech stainless steels. So many of the high tech steels are too hard and brittle for my preference.

My favorite sharpener is the Edgepro. It is the best manual sharpening system I've ever used. Period. I don't care if I ever see another manual sharpener unless it's a bigger and better Edgepro.

I have no swords. I like them. I've just never made the jump. If decided to make the jump, I'd probably choose some of the models from Paul Chen. I really do like the damascus bladed Viking sword. Very cool.

I have no comments on non knife weapons. I don't view knives as weapons and don't use them that way nor carry them for that purpose. I have some guns and many of them make excellent weapons. I'll stick with them as long I can.
 
Fun topic!

1. What full-blown production knife company makes the most durable, toughest knives; basically, who's the best (folder company and fixed blade can be seperate)?

My overall vote for folders goes to Spyderco (ATR, Military, Endura, Native), but in the last few years Camillus has started giving them a run for their money (Maxx Bowie, Dominator, Aftermath). The amazing thing is how many really outstanding folders we have to choose from and how many different companies are producing serious competitors for "the best".

For fixed blades I have a lot of respect for the Becker line from Camillus.

2. Best Steel.

If I had to pick just one it would be D2. Every steel makes tradeoffs; I like mine hard and tough with just enough corrosion resistance to keep me out of trouble given casual maintenance.

3. Best production folders?

Camillus Aftermath: Versatile blade shape, outstanding grip ergonomics, full guard, fast presentation, incredibly strong lock, easy carry, and top-grade materials. Not to mention that it looks cooler than just about anything else on the market. :)

The Camillus Dominator comes very close, with almost identical features and a somewhat more conventional blade length.

4. Toughest Fixed-blade knife

As much as I love the Beckers, I'd grab my Himalayan Imports Kumar Kobra if I needed a "worst case scenario" knife.

5. Best Neck Knife?

Spyderco SPOT! Amazing grip, small size, and a frighteningly effective cutter.

The HideAway Knife is even better, but probably counts as mid-tech.

6. Favorite Sharpening Device?

The Spyderco Sharpmaker can do it all.

7. Best Production Sword Company?

no opinion

8. Favorite weapon that isn't a knife or gun?

ATC Brend Hatchet: I got mine customized with thick ironwood scales for a more comfortable grip and it still came in well under your price limit.

And let me give an honorable mention to the ASP Key Defender. Building an effective pepper spray into a lightweight kubotan was a brilliant idea.

--Bob Q
 
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