Yet another which knife thread.

S

STAGE 2

Joined
Oct 11, 2005
Messages
1,178
But with a twist!!!

Ok, no twist, just which knife do you folks recommend. Here's the dope. This is going in my BOB which sits in my car. In the bag I already have one of those survival hatchets so chopping isn't as much of a concern.

Ive narrowed it down to two, and the contenders are the Ontario TAK in D2, and the Fallkniven S1. They are both in the same ballpark as far as price and are relatively the same size. My major factors are going to be how long each stays sharp and how easy it is to keep them that way, as well as how well each will tolerate sitting in the trunk of a hot car and any possible corrosion issues that might arise.

Lets hear your .02.
 
have you considered two moras as an alternative? the carbon steel holds an edge pretty well, and they're great for most stuff one wouldnt use a hatchet for.
I'd think this might actually be better than one better knife, as you dont have to worry about dulling one of them, theres still another.
 
I'd go with the S1. D2 holds a half-dull edge literally forever, but in my experience, VG10 gets sharper and is easier to sharpen. As far as corrosion resistance is concerned, Fällkniven's laminated VG10 is stainless, and resists corrosion very well. D2 isn't stainless, and in spite of being called semi-stainless by some it does rust, although not nearly as easily as your basic carbon steels.
 
If you're leaving the knife in your truck I'd be more apt to get a Mora from http://www.ragweedforge.com/SwedishKnifeCatalog.html . A lot of knife for the money, stays plenty sharp, stainless steel won't have any corrosion issues - though neither would carbon in a truck it seems.

My favorites are the 711/746 and the Mora 2000. The 760 is a favorite of many.
 
Any knife will do fine in the trunk of your car if you rub the blade down with a little oil first. You can use a Tuff-Cloth. If you use food grade mineral oil, it won't go rancid and it won't stink up your BOB.
 
After reading Fiddleback's thread about getting his BOB, PSK and Falkniven stolen from his car, I would lean towards getting a Mora. You can get the most expensive one Ragnar has, the Mora 2000, and still only spend around $35. I have about a dozen of them and while they are probably not going to hold up to heavy batoning like a Becker or some other heavy duty knife would, you said you have a hatchet for chopping and heavy wood work. If all you need to do is cut and carve, you can't beat a Mora and I don't mean you can't beat one for the price. I literally mean that you can spend whatever you want on a knife and it will not cut any better than a properly sharpened Mora. Not to say that Moras are the greatest knives on the planet, but if all you are doing is cutting, you can't get a better knife. The good news is that you can get the Ontario or the S1 and keep it in your house and just take it with you when you head out, and still afford to get a Mora or two to keep in your car. If the Mora's get stolen, $10 gets you a new one, as opposed to having to replace the Ontario or S1 if they get stolen.
 
If it's going to sit in your car, I'd go with the Moraor CS Bushman and maybe a 12" Ontario machete for a big chopper. I wouldn't tie up too much hard earned cash in something that is going to sit idle. When you do need them, they are solid reliable tools that should keep you going. The 2 will set you back maybe 30 bucks tops. An S1 is too good a blade to spend it's life locked in the trunk of a car.
 
My trunk knife is a Dexter-Russel fishsplitter, 12" blade white poly handle. It costs around $14 and is tough as nails. I would hold it up to any survival knife. I have thrown it against a tree multiple times, placed it as a bridge between two ciderblocks and jumped up and down over and over again. All those abusive tests took place in 98-99. I still own the knife and use it for yard work as needed. It is also stainless and easy to sharpen.
 
I wouldn't leave a valuable knife or a BB in my vehicle because of the risk of it getting ripped off. Better to keep your BB handy in some more secure location, IMHO. I hate losing knives to thieves:grumpy:...
 
Keep the replies coming guys.

As far as the car issue, I'm not really worried about anything getting stolen. Sure its a possibility, but I don't keep anything in the car over night, I live in a nice residential area, and my pack is kept out of sight with nothing else valuable in the car. In other words, I'm willing to eat the costs should anything get ripped off.

Here's another thing to add to the mix. I heard that because of the particular grind of the fallkniven, they need to be sharpened with sort of a stropping method as opposed to the "traditional" way with a stone. Is this true.
 
I think you should handle both knives and pick whichever one "fits" you best. I know too many people who swear by a particular knife when it doesn't fit other people at all.

One tip for you though. For a just in case knife that will see more storage time than use put some Lee Alox bullet lube on rust vulnerable areas. It acts much like cosmoline but isn't nearly as sticky or messy. This way you can put carbon and stainless blades on an equal level, taking one more potential problem out of your decision.

Lee Alox Lube
 
Personally I would feel like it's a waste to have such a nice knife sitting in a bag in my trunk. I would also go with a couple moras. Throw a stainless and a carbon in there.
 
xxguitarist said:
have you considered two moras...
might actually be better than one better knife, as you dont have to worry about dulling one of them, theres still another.
Click to expand...

And then you'd have TWO dull knives ???

Makes no sense to me.

Of your two options, I'd go with Fallkniven. Great, solid knife and steel.

.
 
For my little bag in my car, I have the cold steel bushman as the bigger knife, and a sak as the small knife.

Since you have a heavy duty chopper, I would get a sak or a mora. I would go for a thinner blade. Maybe even the mini bushman.

I would love to have a fallkniven, but I wouldn't put it in my car. Maybe just keep it at home for when you know you're going out in the wilds, or if you're not worried about it getting stolen, or if you are rich and can easily replace it.

-Scottman
 
Stage 2 either of the knives you picked are excellent for the application. To me it would depend on which one felt better in the hand when I was working with it. I lean toward the S1 but that is just me. The suggestions regarding Moras are well in order. A Mora 2000 is a great knife for a BOB as it is lighter in weight than the knives above. For almost the same money as you can buy the S1 or the TAK you can buy a Mora 2000 and a Normark sheath to go with it. A great set up indeed.
 
I would also just get a couple moras in the car instead. If you have an hachet and bent on getting a nicer knife maybe try an F1.

Btw the 2 I out get the S1, just for corrsion resistance. You can oil your D2 as well, but I have a habit of just using a knife in the car and just throw it back in the trunk when I'm done. My lack of care causes most steel to rust, but less in stainless. So VG10 for me.
 
I was looking at a couple knives in D2 to be slicing knives-general purpose gutting/fillet/dressing knives. I thought they took an edge like little else. Please set me straight.
 
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