- Joined
- Feb 25, 2001
- Messages
- 6,676
Yes. It is me, your dear old Buzz. I just thought Id stop by and say hello to you all. Its been a while since Ive stopped in, so I thought Id do a drive-by.
After years of being consumed by knife collecting, the last few years have been quite refreshing, moving from a knife collector to a simple knife user. You could say that I didnt have much choice in the matter, with a daughter coming into my life, and a wrist watch hobby robbing much of my online time and money. There just wasnt much time for knives, other than using them to cut stuff.
Abby has now grown to almost 3 years old now, and is starting to become at least a tad independent. This is great news for me, as it is allowing me to finally start doing some of the old stuff that I just havent had the time for. With a bit of luck, 2009 will restart my hiking and fishing pastimes. And along with those hobbies will be more and more varied knife use.
As far as knives go, very little has changed for me. I still purchase one or two knives per year, but thats about it. Its funny to stop by Bladeforums, and see how little has really changed. People are still pondering the Sebenzas true value as a knife, and the comparisons to the Military and 710 are still here. I did do an online look at some of the newer knife offerings, but no new powerhouses seem to have arisen. There are some great new ZT knives, but I dont really see many as Average Joe EDC knives. The MUDD looked pretty cool until I read Steven Dicks review of it. All was good until the end of the review, when it mentioned how well it cut. He of course tried to be nice, but he might have just said, The edge geometry was too thick to work very well as a knife. Its too bad. Everything else about the knife looked awesome.
Im still carrying the same tired old bunch of knives. Only 8 folders really see any use anymore. Being away from other collectors, and just having time to only use your knives in real world situations, really tends to thin the herd. Here are the ones that have passed the test of fatherhood thus far.
1. Benchmade Large M-2 Ritter Grip This is still the knife that gets the lions share of the pocket time. I put it in my pocked in the morning, and wear it until I get home at night. Ive come to the realization that different handle designs, lock designs and other design aspects dont really mean all that much, in comparison to your basic blade shape, steel choice and heat treatment. The blade is what really counts, and the Rittergrips thin edged drop point M2 blade is as good as it gets. The plastic handle is perfectly serviceable and very comfortable. The pocket clip is well placed and shaped. The AXIS lock isnt my favorite, but it is definitely serviceable. The blade is outstanding. It holds and edge forever, and far outcuts any other knife in my collection. It is absolutely criminal that Benchmade stopped using M2, and ludicrous that no other good production company ever really even started.
2. Spyderco Endura4 FRN Another great folder, that somehow lives in the shadow of the Rittergrip. My guess is that it would probably be my favorite EDC, if VG-10 performed as well as M2. VG-10 is very good, and more stainless than M2, but stainlessness doesnt really mean all that much in Upstate NY. Its not like I live around saltwater. But still, the Endura4 is generally what I reach for, if Im afraid that I might seriously mess up the blade, and my blade still is not messed up. So the Endura is definitely doing its job. The Endura is pretty much my go-to knife for yard and garage work.
3. Chris Reeve BG-42 Classic Sebenza This knife will always be here. It doesnt get used every day, but it is always a refreshing pleasure to use. The cutting ability of this knife is positively wonderful, and the blade is very robust. BG-42 rocks, and Chriss heat treatment of it is simply awesome. I will always love the Sebenza. The design is very close to flawless.
4. Spyderco S30V Military Heres a long time user. I cant believe that Ive been using a Millie for 8 years now. The steel has changed a bit, but its still the same knife for the most part. I mostly use the Millie for hiking trips and the like, as I trust it more than any other knife in my collection. It cuts like crazy, and Spydercos heat treatment of the S30V is excellent. I would say that the Millie is definitely the most versatile knife in my collection.
5. Spyderco Paramilitary Another great design of Sals. The Para is a great carry for when I need a big knife for tough jobs, but will be around enough sheeple that a smaller blade is required. The grip and lock security is awesome, but the blade is small enough not to turn heads. The compression lock is great, and the slicing ability of the S30V blade is wonderful.
6. Strider SNG This knife is my ultimate conundrum. I love the design so much that I cant seem to sell it. But the cutting ability is bad enough that I never seem to carry it for more than a couple hours. Strider got everything right on the SNG, until they ground the shape of the blade. For some reason, the blade always seems to get hung up in what Im cutting, the second the blade is buried. Does anybody know of someone who can regrind my blade and also reapply the tiger stripe pattern? If the grind were thinner, it might be the only blade Id carry for the rest of my life. It makes me CRAZY!!!!
7. Spyderco Carbon Fibre ZDP-189 Caly3 - Last, but not least, is my newest knife. Ive had it for about 8 months now. This gets almost all of the carry time at home, just hanging around the house. Its light enough and small enough to sit well in a pair of sweat pants. And the blade just keeps on cutting and cutting and cutting. This really is the ultimate medium sized EDC. The wire pocket clip is the best Ive used. The blade is wicked efficient. The ergonomics are off the charts, for such a small knife. Both the design and execution are pretty much flawless.
8. Delica4 FRN The perfect knife for when I need a change from the Caly3, or for when I dont want to ruin the Caly3. It has outstanding ergonomics for such a small handle size, and a robust blade that still retains good cutting ability.
I dont play with my fixed blades much anymore. Doris, my stag handled Dozier has pretty much become a safe queen, as has The Angry Beaver, my stag handled custom Buck 110. My Jens Anso fixed blade still sees some carry time, but only occasionally. The only fixed blade that still gets a decent amount of use is my 52100 Marbles Fieldcraft. Any time in the woods is sure to bring the Fieldcraft out of hiding. I even found that the Fieldcraft makes a pretty good filet knife for Walleye.
So Ive now come to that time of year where I start searching for a new knife to try. The MUDD looked good until I read about the edge geometry. Is it true that the edge geometry of the Mudd is too thick for efficient cutting? The ZT 0030 looks awesome, and I love that big pivot, but the weight is far more than I want to lug around. The Green G-10 Endura looks like it could be a nice replacement for my FRN Endura, but I really like the more robust grind of the FRN version. Does anybody know if the FRN Endur4s blade will fit inside the G10 versions handle?
Im not sure what else to look at. It seems like everything else new is either an auto or an assisted opening knife, neither of which interest me in the least. I was excited to see Schrade Old Timer slipjoints back in production, until I saw that they were all stainless steel. Its too bad. The carbon steel Old Timers were so much better.
After years of being consumed by knife collecting, the last few years have been quite refreshing, moving from a knife collector to a simple knife user. You could say that I didnt have much choice in the matter, with a daughter coming into my life, and a wrist watch hobby robbing much of my online time and money. There just wasnt much time for knives, other than using them to cut stuff.
Abby has now grown to almost 3 years old now, and is starting to become at least a tad independent. This is great news for me, as it is allowing me to finally start doing some of the old stuff that I just havent had the time for. With a bit of luck, 2009 will restart my hiking and fishing pastimes. And along with those hobbies will be more and more varied knife use.
As far as knives go, very little has changed for me. I still purchase one or two knives per year, but thats about it. Its funny to stop by Bladeforums, and see how little has really changed. People are still pondering the Sebenzas true value as a knife, and the comparisons to the Military and 710 are still here. I did do an online look at some of the newer knife offerings, but no new powerhouses seem to have arisen. There are some great new ZT knives, but I dont really see many as Average Joe EDC knives. The MUDD looked pretty cool until I read Steven Dicks review of it. All was good until the end of the review, when it mentioned how well it cut. He of course tried to be nice, but he might have just said, The edge geometry was too thick to work very well as a knife. Its too bad. Everything else about the knife looked awesome.
Im still carrying the same tired old bunch of knives. Only 8 folders really see any use anymore. Being away from other collectors, and just having time to only use your knives in real world situations, really tends to thin the herd. Here are the ones that have passed the test of fatherhood thus far.
1. Benchmade Large M-2 Ritter Grip This is still the knife that gets the lions share of the pocket time. I put it in my pocked in the morning, and wear it until I get home at night. Ive come to the realization that different handle designs, lock designs and other design aspects dont really mean all that much, in comparison to your basic blade shape, steel choice and heat treatment. The blade is what really counts, and the Rittergrips thin edged drop point M2 blade is as good as it gets. The plastic handle is perfectly serviceable and very comfortable. The pocket clip is well placed and shaped. The AXIS lock isnt my favorite, but it is definitely serviceable. The blade is outstanding. It holds and edge forever, and far outcuts any other knife in my collection. It is absolutely criminal that Benchmade stopped using M2, and ludicrous that no other good production company ever really even started.
2. Spyderco Endura4 FRN Another great folder, that somehow lives in the shadow of the Rittergrip. My guess is that it would probably be my favorite EDC, if VG-10 performed as well as M2. VG-10 is very good, and more stainless than M2, but stainlessness doesnt really mean all that much in Upstate NY. Its not like I live around saltwater. But still, the Endura4 is generally what I reach for, if Im afraid that I might seriously mess up the blade, and my blade still is not messed up. So the Endura is definitely doing its job. The Endura is pretty much my go-to knife for yard and garage work.
3. Chris Reeve BG-42 Classic Sebenza This knife will always be here. It doesnt get used every day, but it is always a refreshing pleasure to use. The cutting ability of this knife is positively wonderful, and the blade is very robust. BG-42 rocks, and Chriss heat treatment of it is simply awesome. I will always love the Sebenza. The design is very close to flawless.
4. Spyderco S30V Military Heres a long time user. I cant believe that Ive been using a Millie for 8 years now. The steel has changed a bit, but its still the same knife for the most part. I mostly use the Millie for hiking trips and the like, as I trust it more than any other knife in my collection. It cuts like crazy, and Spydercos heat treatment of the S30V is excellent. I would say that the Millie is definitely the most versatile knife in my collection.
5. Spyderco Paramilitary Another great design of Sals. The Para is a great carry for when I need a big knife for tough jobs, but will be around enough sheeple that a smaller blade is required. The grip and lock security is awesome, but the blade is small enough not to turn heads. The compression lock is great, and the slicing ability of the S30V blade is wonderful.
6. Strider SNG This knife is my ultimate conundrum. I love the design so much that I cant seem to sell it. But the cutting ability is bad enough that I never seem to carry it for more than a couple hours. Strider got everything right on the SNG, until they ground the shape of the blade. For some reason, the blade always seems to get hung up in what Im cutting, the second the blade is buried. Does anybody know of someone who can regrind my blade and also reapply the tiger stripe pattern? If the grind were thinner, it might be the only blade Id carry for the rest of my life. It makes me CRAZY!!!!
7. Spyderco Carbon Fibre ZDP-189 Caly3 - Last, but not least, is my newest knife. Ive had it for about 8 months now. This gets almost all of the carry time at home, just hanging around the house. Its light enough and small enough to sit well in a pair of sweat pants. And the blade just keeps on cutting and cutting and cutting. This really is the ultimate medium sized EDC. The wire pocket clip is the best Ive used. The blade is wicked efficient. The ergonomics are off the charts, for such a small knife. Both the design and execution are pretty much flawless.
8. Delica4 FRN The perfect knife for when I need a change from the Caly3, or for when I dont want to ruin the Caly3. It has outstanding ergonomics for such a small handle size, and a robust blade that still retains good cutting ability.
I dont play with my fixed blades much anymore. Doris, my stag handled Dozier has pretty much become a safe queen, as has The Angry Beaver, my stag handled custom Buck 110. My Jens Anso fixed blade still sees some carry time, but only occasionally. The only fixed blade that still gets a decent amount of use is my 52100 Marbles Fieldcraft. Any time in the woods is sure to bring the Fieldcraft out of hiding. I even found that the Fieldcraft makes a pretty good filet knife for Walleye.
So Ive now come to that time of year where I start searching for a new knife to try. The MUDD looked good until I read about the edge geometry. Is it true that the edge geometry of the Mudd is too thick for efficient cutting? The ZT 0030 looks awesome, and I love that big pivot, but the weight is far more than I want to lug around. The Green G-10 Endura looks like it could be a nice replacement for my FRN Endura, but I really like the more robust grind of the FRN version. Does anybody know if the FRN Endur4s blade will fit inside the G10 versions handle?
Im not sure what else to look at. It seems like everything else new is either an auto or an assisted opening knife, neither of which interest me in the least. I was excited to see Schrade Old Timer slipjoints back in production, until I saw that they were all stainless steel. Its too bad. The carbon steel Old Timers were so much better.
. How ya doing Buzz, Brian D. here 
.
