The Big Sharp Knife Thread

Well, I’ve done it… Ordered the Böker Gordito from Heinnies… Can’t wait to give it a fondle!! :p

Good on ya, very nice. I saw one today and was surprised how small they are. Much smaller than they look in the pictures.

I wanted something that’s much smaller than my RAT for easier pocketability. My first penknife was a rosewood/brass Buck 110 copy which I polished up until you could see your face in the brass! I quite like that the Böker is a sort of modern homage to the Buck…
And I love drop-tip blades, gorgeous shape!

Fit n finish was superb. I’m sure you’ll love it.

The whole point (pardon the pun) of a handmade knife like yours DV, is just that…. one person makes it, and finishes it, and it’s then unique. I’d rather something like your creations any day….

My favourite blade is an old hand formed thing, probably an old kitchen knife, that my dad used for years….and my small axe!

At work, I carry 3 on me all the time. I’ve got a leather man on my belt, plus a locking thing in my leggings pocket and a smith and Wesson rescue knife in my tunic…..with a spring loaded centre punch on it!
I use at least one of them daily. And not for stabbing, although one of my colleagues has come close on occasion!

Meh, I can live with it! And thanks steadlocks!

Meh, I can live with it! And thanks steadlocks!

+1 for steadlocks. I haven’t bought anything from Ammonite and probably won’t but I like the ethos – DV creating them by hand/grinding/heat treating etc. Don’t think he was hijacking the thread at all, just inputting as an enthusiast (all be it now a pro!).

Don’t think he was hijacking the thread

Wouldn’t be the first time!

councilof10 – Member
Don’t think he was hijacking the thread
Wouldn’t be the first time!

I don’t get how it was a hijack? It was a thread about knives and he is passionate about…knives.

Anyway…..can we get back to knives, instead of personal vendettas?

I’m a bit of a do as you likey by birth….only two generations back, so I suppose I must have a big bit of it in me still. I often home in on shiney things. One of my best finds was just lying there in the metal bin at the dump (where I go on a regular basis, and am good mates with the blokes there).
It is a beautiful Laguile extra folder, which has been inscribed ‘Tom- 21 ans’
So it was a birthday gift to a French lad, that ended up thrown away…..that made me sad.
I rescued it though, and it is part of my everyday carry on the bike. I use it for removing crud from the jockey wheels, and eating pork pies or fruit, after a swift wipe! It’s lovely!

I have decided against buying whatever that metal stripping knives sharpener posted yesterday. (think someone deleted that thread)

Instead I am going to get me some knife leather strop … already got one but I need another one that is double sided.

Just found out I do have plenty of files or and diamond coated steel plate whatever that is I can use to sharpen my dull cheapo knives.

😛

edit: Actually I am just going to use my old leather belt …. nail it onto a piece of wood then use it that way …

A couple of whet stones is probably a better bet long term, I’ve had those v-shaped sharpeners but they can be a bit savage and don’t last long as you’re running the edge through the same bit over and over again.

I have a cheapo Draper coarse double-sided stone and a fine, soft Arkansas stone. The first is great for shifting lots of metal (chipped chisels, axes etc) and the latter gets most blades shaving-sharp.

A strop is nice for finishing to a razor edge, but not necessary for daily use knives.

I was brought up by practical people and was bought my first knife by my Taid (Welsh grandad) when I was less than 10 I reckon, over 30 years back. It was a single bladed locking knife and I loved it. I still remember him telling me that everyone should carry a knife because they are blooming useful (promptly followed by him opening a pack of sugar in a cafe with his), however, I was also taught my both him and my dad that you must keep them sharp and always be responsible with them. My dad taught me to sharpen knives on a whetstone and I still do a better job than Mr Kip on all our knives.

As for what I carry, I have 2 Swiss Army Knives, non-locking and with extra tools. The oldest is 20 odd years old and generally gets chucked in whatever bag I’m carrying. It has come in useful in all sorts of places from the warehouse at work to baby group picnics. I love my knife and when my daughter is old enough she will also be given one and instructions on how to be responsible with it.

councilof10 – Member
A strop is nice for finishing to a razor edge, but not necessary for daily use knives.

Actually I think it much better to strop the knives rather than going through steel coz it’s much more forgiving, provided you maintain the edge properly i.e. straight. If the edge is straight then leather strop will keep it sharp.

Well, big thumbs up for Heinnie Haynes, ordered yesterday just after 4pm and it arrived this morning!

Absolutely lovely little knife, gorgeous shape and the quality is superb. Razor sharp out of the box too, might strop it up a bit but it’s pretty damn good.

Only gripe is that the thumb stud position means it’s a little tricky to use the clip, but I suspect that’s just because I’m used to a different knife. Easy one-handed opening and closing – the push button feels a lot more sophisticated than frame-lock style mechanisms.

Also added a Hultafors chisel knife to the basket – not really worth not having one at £5.95 and the quality is superb! Might have to get a few other Hultafors for various applications.

Things like the Mora clipper in bright colours look like kitchen knives and are much easier to justify. As several coppers have pointed out to me , they are just the job for your sarnies!
I quite like the green German army knives you pick up by the bucket full at game fairs. Usually Victorinox at however you spell it. Ex Uk army jack knives are handy , tough and cheap. Opinels have the virtue of being cheap and thus you will never lose one. Buck are often quite nice. All and many more live in the box on the sideboard. Out of work (school) one is always in my pocket. As a country boy I wouldn’t be without one as a decent blade does a multitude of jobs which is far more sensible than having a variety of specialist tools.

Might have to get a few other Hultafors for various applications.

The hultafors outdoor knife is pretty decent for a multitude of uses, I have one kept in my brew tub in the back of the van, very handy for splitting dry kindling for my vargo stove .

Yep. Chisel knives are ace. Cheap and hundreds of uses.

Things like the Mora clipper in bright colours look like kitchen knives and are much easier to justify. As several coppers have pointed out to me , they are just the job for your sarnies!

Completely forgot I have one of those in a Tupperware box in my work bag pretty much every day too. With a folding tin opener, spork, etc for making/eating food on the go if needed.

I treat it like a kitchen knife and didn’t even think of it as illegal to carry. 😯

Big Shonen Knife

Usually a Benchmade 550 Griptilian or other Benchmades, occasionally a Sak
BB crew on deck.

Thanks eBay for letting me know I’m 27 mins away from (what I’m now recalling as) a 2am beer fuelled random wtf bid on a spyderco paramilitary 2 that might (if I win) be 16 quid posted. Could have been worse as there’s a few ti / carbon blades in the watch list which I’m now going to call the “watch for the postman before the wife sees, list”.

Love the grip godzilla. Awesome cutlery.

(ah f00k I’m calling knives cutlery. Hate that as much as people call their bikes “weapons”)

I have 3 SAKs, ‘climber/huntsman’ type ones. Sent the oldest one away for that £10 service thing the UK distributor offers, came back like new (with the old stuff too). Have an Opie in the tool box for general stuff and an Enzo Necker (Grenadill scales/Scandi grind) in my backpack for hillwalking/camping. Just purchased a Lauri Carbon 125 and a Condor Lochnessmuk, both blade only so have a bit of woodwork to do!

Think I have 9 or 10 knives, ranging from Opinel to a machete, and everything in between, been given several of them, all come in handy at different times. Mora fixed blade knives with plastic sheath are good for filleting game and general meat prep.

For general use in the workshop and around the farm, a combined folding stanley type and locking drop point is best I find, though I took the tip off the drop point on mine messing with something electrical on a car…..

http://www.marshallindustrial.co.uk/viper-dual-blade-knife/

I think of all my knives only one isn’t locking/fixed, they’re bloody dangerous without locking in my opinion.

On my keyring.

Machete when Archerising (course maintenance).

and a Folding saw from Florabest 🙂

This is my smith and Wesson jobbie

And this is the utility thing for dog jobs

The tip is broken, but it’s still sharp enough for menial tasks

That smith and Weston looks like a folding steak knife! The only folder I actually own is a buck that I’ve had for 15 years. Keep meaning to regrind it with a better bevel but never get round to it… it’s locking too so not an EDC.

I’ve a few swiss army, inc a signature one logo’d mtb from the 80’s 😀 Recently got a leatherman sidekick. Just to play with. But the collection is in the kitchen.
Im a butcher, so knives are what I do(did/Retired), sharp ones at that, though on that note, and remember this is trade, as long as you keep it sharp it doesnt need cost the earth.

Just about every butcher in the land uses victorinox. I wouldnt say thats the best steel or hardened to rockwell whatever, but honed on a standard stone we can take anything apart quickly and cleanly.

I suppose if it comes down to it, all I need is a bit of broken glass.

Has anyone tried to make a knife ? From scratch or reform something else.
A good vid here if theres any practical folk –

Oooh turns out the Paramilitary 2 off of eBay *might* be a Chinese fake… It’s described as OEM but not described as a copy / homage / replica. I’ve seen a few youtube vids which compare copies and originals. There’s some very good copies (digi cam with black plain edge blade)

If it is a fake, is there a process of reporting to eBay and getting my cash back? I’d have thought this was possible…?

Then there’s obviously never a point in your day when you need to cut something or open something sealed in thick plastic, or even do something as mundane as trim the sharp edge on a torn fingernail.
In almost all cases that you mention there there is a better tool for the job that isn’t a knife. There’s a reason why a lot of industrial sites don’t allow knives.

That would be called a multitool, but there generally speaking isn’t a single tool that’s as useful to carry as a knife – try cutting a ziptie with the scissors on a SAK, for example, or any scissors for that matter.
I used to use a folding utility knife that used Stanley blades, truly handy thing at work, I’d take the blade out and use the flat edges as emergency screwdrivers, the sharp edge as scrapers for cleaning crap from glass surfaces, like old tape, etc, cutting plastic chemical bottles for use as receptacles for draining waste into, but I was reprimanded for using it, for H&S reasons; the company might be held responsible if I cut myself using my own knife and their insurance not paying up, so I had to use cheap utility knives that had blades that snapped off when blunt.
I could still cut myself, but it wouldn’t be my responsibility because it wasn’t my knife… #eyeroll
I used to get worse cuts working with heavy corrugated cardboard at a previous job than with a knife at work.

Stuart Mitchell makes good knives[/url]

Lets not fk about, Stuart mitchell knives are LOVELY!

I have no idea of the cost but i want a Stuart Mitchell Secare with Damascus steel as on his website, i imagine it is horrendously expensive and thus forever out of my price range.

@somafunk probs circa £500

😥 , that’s twice as much as I thought so most definitely forever out of my price range and not even worth contemplating , I’ll make do with my £15 Hultafors OK4 knife

Knives suddenly become more helpful when you carry one. This thread made me buy a CRKT Bantum compact. It should be really useful for me. Leaving it in the basket for a few days at Heinnie Haynes meant they sent me a 5% discount code.

I met Jim, who is Creek Cutler, at Bespoked (we are both involved with The Bicycle Academy). I’ll be getting a pocket knife from him soon.

May be of interest to those who have contributed to this thread but last week I listened to a Tim Ferris podcast with Murray Carter of Carter Cutlery, a master blade smith trained in Japanese knife making [/url], very interesting listen.

somafunk – Member
May be of interest to those who have contributed to this thread but last week I listened to a Tim Ferris podcast with Murray Carter of Carter Cutlery, a master blade smith trained in Japanese knife making , very interesting listen.

Murray Carter is well know in Merica Japanese kitchen knife scene but expensive …