You don't know your knife until...

D

dogstar

Joined
Jan 23, 2011
Messages
4,399
... you've whittled with it.

It tells me the sharpness of the blade, the amount of control afforded by the blade geometry, the comfort of handle working over a long period.

How would you finish the sentence?
 
i agree, but must add one more thing
you dont know your knife until youve whittled with it, and gotten it wet.
(getting it wet will let you know how easy it rusts, if at all, and if it will act the same)
 
...until you whittle with it, slice a carrot with it, take the limbs off a felled sapling with it, or sharpen it. Among other miscellaneous similar such tasks, but these just represent a decent range.

Whittling lets you get a feel for the edge angle, handle comfort over time, and utility of the profile for shaping work.

Slicing a carrot tells you a TON about slicing ability. Thick blade geometries curl up and die at this task, I've found. They just break the carrot instead of delivering a clean slice. An Opinel or my Case swayback zip through no problem, though not as well as my Victorinox paring knife. A Mora will likewise break a carrot because of its grind, in spite of it excelling during the whittling test.

Limbing a green sapling can tell you one of two things depending on if it's a small or large knife. It can either let you know how it feels chopping, or it can tell you how well the blade can push into and through resistant material. If you make it a maple sapling it'll test your corrosion resistance, as I find maple sap rapidly imparts a purple stain on carbon steel.

Sharpening it obviously will let you know how easy the edge is to restore, and can help give you a vague understanding of its likely impact or wear resistance.
 
You've disassembled, sharpened and played with it for a week(if it's a folder).
You've sharpened and whittled and chopped plus camp kitchen chores(Fixed blade, minus chopping for smaller knife)
Gotta sleep with it too :eek: :D
 
Whittling is a big one for me. Tells how natural the handle is and how natural the blade feels
 
...you found out the next day that you slept with it and did not remember bringing it to bed with you.
 
OldeWolf said:
...you found out the next day that you slept with it and did not remember bringing it to bed with you.
Click to expand...

Well played, Sir. Often Tanqueray plays a part in this scenario, or so I've heard. Haven't kicked a knife out of the bed yet though...
 
....until you have carved a spoon or fork with your knife.........I haven't done this with all my knives but many I have and it is revealing. I keep wanting my wilderness blades to be good food prep knives and I keep getting dissapointed. But it keeps me buying knives, you know, to find that "perfect knife", ha ha.
 
...when it is the only thing you take with you to the toilet.You sit there, reflecting upon your life, and you suddenly think, man THIS is a good knife.
 
OldeWolf said:
...you found out the next day that you slept with it and did not remember bringing it to bed with you.
Click to expand...
yes this happens to me after we cut down large grow sites right before it's harvest time. I don't know why as I rarely venture into the field to fix ATV's as a mechanic after it's been deemed safe. I don't know maybe the stuff those guys give me as a thank you really isn't immature tobacco leaves. Infact it looks smells and feels a lot different. Oh well, last week a Guy I work with almost took his finger off with a shaving sharp machete I sharpened for him.
 
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