# SSO Knife Discussion Thread



## Xaios (Jul 15, 2021)

I came within a hair's breadth of necrobumping this thread, but I decided that, after 6 years, any such discussion would be better served by a new thread.

First of all, any previous comments I made in that previous thread about my Gerber being a good knife can be attributed to my lack of experience with knives at the time. It was a piece of junk, I just didn't know what I was talking about. After handling some more Gerbers since then, I really just don't recommend them to anyone as a brand nowadays outside of a couple models.

I've gotten into knives a fair bit over the past year and a half, and have acquired a few in that time. This is what I've acquired in that time, in chronological order:
- Benchmade Mini Crooked River
- Civivi Baklash
- Terava Jaakaripuukko 140
- QSP Penguin
- Fallkniven Taiga Forester TF2
- Spyderco Spydiechef

The Spydiechef just arrived today, hence the impetus for this thread. Took a picture of it for the internet points as it is quite a looker:



I'm not entirely certain why I fell into knife collecting as being a hobby, but I can speculate. I do enjoy the utility of them. I basically always have a knife on me, and a day hardly ever goes by where I don't have occasion to use it. You never really notice how handy it is to always have a slicing implement on you until you actually do, then you discover how frequently everyday tasks and occurrences are made so much easier by having one around. Aside from that, I think that pouring over different steels and blade profiles appeals to my analytical nature. For example, the long, unbroken curve on the Spydiechef which allows all points of the blade to meet a cutting surface without interference from the handle, combined with the LC200N blade steel (which is easily one of the most rust-proof blade steels in existence) and the full flat grind, make it one of the very best folding knives available for food preparation.

Anyone else here into knives these days?


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## thraxil (Jul 15, 2021)

I grew up in a rural part of the US on a farm and always carried a pocketknife of some kind. My dad used to make (fixed blade) knives as a hobby and I even made a few (terrible ones) myself as a teenager. So I've always appreciated quality knives.

Unfortunately, I ended up living in NYC for 15 years and am now in the UK. NYC was pretty restrictive with knife laws, but if you kept the blade small and kept it in your pocket, you'd mostly be OK. In the UK now, locking folders are illegal to carry under most circumstances, so it's very limiting.

I've got a nice Spyderco Delica that I *would* carry normally, but it mostly has to just sit in my flat. VG-10 steel isn't exactly top-tier, but is fine for anything I'm doing with a knife. The most I can actually carry is a tiny Spyderco Grasshopper on my keychain or a Victorinox in my bag (I have the "CyberTool 34", which is a cheesy name, but perfect combo of tools for me). I'd totally be collecting more but it seems like a waste when I can't carry them and availability is very limited over here.


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## jaxadam (Jul 15, 2021)

I’ve been collecting knives for as long as I can remember. I’ll try to get some pics.


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## jaxadam (Jul 15, 2021)

I pulled out what I thought were some cool ones.


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## thraxil (Jul 15, 2021)

@jaxadam are there any Microtech OTFs you *don't* own?


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## jaxadam (Jul 15, 2021)

thraxil said:


> @jaxadam are there any Microtech OTFs you *don't* own?



I hope not!


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## MFB (Jul 15, 2021)

Damn, Jax out here flashing them ripple/raindrop Damascus patterns.

I have a fixed blade MTech that I use around the house, and aesthetically I love a seeing all types of bladed weapons; I think for small personal use, the karambit has become one of my favorites.


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## KnightBrolaire (Jul 15, 2021)

some of the stuff i own:
benchmade bugout (slime green scales with all black hardware and serrated drop point blade/ M4 steel).

benchmade griptilian (this one is safety orange with black tanto blade/hardware/m4 steel). Still waiting on this one to show up from their custom shop. 

WE knives carbon fiber scales/damascus blade with ball bearing mechanism. Bought it more for aesthetics but it's a pretty good edc knife for me.

CRKT tighe tanto (one of my all time favorite cheap beater knives)
CRKT folts mini bowie ( my favorite edc knife, cheap, razor sharp and compact). 
CRKT mini kiridashi 
CRKT Daktyl (sheepsfoot blade)
CRKT m21 (blacked out spear point w partial serration)
CRKT Mah-chete (I love this thing, I take it hiking w me in lieu of a hatchet. Very hard wearing and durable).

Kershaw Ken Onion leek 
Gerber gator w clip point/partial serration
Buck skeleton clip point ( shit knife, I hate buck's lower end stuff).

Cold Steel Kukri
some shit nepalese kukri I bought off ebay 
Brush demon machete 


A bunch of butcher knife and hunting/skinning knife blanks I got off ebay and slapped scales on.










I only have a couple pics on my phone sadly. i'll take some group shots later.


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## Xaios (Jul 15, 2021)

That is a looot of Microtech. 



thraxil said:


> Unfortunately, I ended up living in NYC for 15 years and am now in the UK. NYC was pretty restrictive with knife laws, but if you kept the blade small and kept it in your pocket, you'd mostly be OK. In the UK now, locking folders are illegal to carry under most circumstances, so it's very limiting.


I feel for you. I'm not the kind of person who believes in unrestricted carry of any bladed object anywhere, but knife laws in the UK are bonkers and actively conpromise the safety of anyone that uses a knife as a tool.

I'll also take some photos of my small collection later today.


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## spudmunkey (Jul 15, 2021)

For 20 years, I carried one of these in my pants pocket. Until one day I realized I no longer worked in a warehouse/stockroom, and they were poking holes in all of my pants. They are so slim, I was also almost walking into airports with them in my pocket (post 9/11) and nearly walked into a county courthouse for jury duty, when I saw the metal detectors, my heart dropped as I remembered what I had, and threw them away in a trashcan outside.




Prior to that, starting at about 17 years old, I started a small collection of what would be called "gas station knives" by "the kids these days", including a couple of Kit Rae pieces, and similar el-cheap-o knives I bought at flea markets. That folding knife to the left of the ax was something I bought from an ad in TV Guide, from The Franklin Mint. 





In 2012, I sold off of them as a "lot" on Craigslist, to the crack-headiest crack-head who's ever crack-headed. I made him meet me in the parking lot in front of the local police station.


For the last 5 years or so, my only "every day carry" is this "pico" Maratac titanium, pry bar. The corners are sharp enough to cut packing tape and at least score cardboard, and sometimes act as a screwdriver, so it does 99.44% of anything I'd use a knife for. For anything else, I just go grab a proper tool for the job.


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## Xaios (Jul 15, 2021)

spudmunkey said:


> Prior to that, starting at about 17 years old, I started a small collection of what would be called "gas station knives" by "the kids these days", including a couple of Kit Rae pieces, and similar el-cheap-o knives I bought at flea markets. That folding knife to the left of the ax was something I bought from an ad in TV Guide, from The Franklin Mint.
> 
> View attachment 95603








This is absolute peak mall ninja. Fucking ace.

(I mean, it's not like I didn't want a full-size Frostmourne replica when I was younger, so I get it. )


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## wheresthefbomb (Jul 15, 2021)

Yeah, knives. Sometimes I have to cut stuff.

I have a Buck 110 folding knife I got from a pawnshop, it's got a lot of character (the handle has been used as a prybar numerous times over many years) but is still sharp. It was an impulse add-on when I was selling a guitar. It lives in my backpack and mostly sees use as a camp/hiking chef knife, it works great for that purpose. Feels very sturdy and solid. Looks like your dad's pocket knife.

My actual chef knife is nothing special but it gets the job done, one of those $50 henkel jobbers from Target. I bought a Dexter sharpening steel online that cost as much as the knife and boy was that a killer investment.

Also have one of these things. The chef I used to work for had one of those $125 tomato knives. It was great. This does the same thing for $10.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000VC1VX2/?tag=sevenstringorg-20

I also carry a leatherman everywhere that things with blades on them can go. Most recently I got the Rebar and let me tell you, it's a piece of shit. The knife blade presses up against the inside of the metal handle while its stowed, making the curve of the blade flat and dull. I use the saw for most of my cutting needs, and I'm about done fighting this overpriced piece of trash.

What multi tool should I replace it with? All I really need it to have is a blade, philips and flat screwdriver, and pliers. I had a Leatherman Skeletool before which was not comfortable to use and the clip kept getting caught on shit until it eventually got lost. Also having to switch the screwdriver bits around was a pain. Starting to think leatherman is a bust.


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## Xaios (Jul 15, 2021)

wheresthefbomb said:


> What multi tool should I replace it with? All I really need it to have is a blade, philips and flat screwdriver, and pliers. I had a Leatherman Skeletool before which was not comfortable to use and the clip kept getting caught on shit until it eventually got lost. Also having to switch the screwdriver bits around was a pain. Starting to think leatherman is a bust.


I have a couple Leathermans as well and I can't say that they've given me any trouble. I use my Wave frequently at work when I don't feel like lugging around a drill. I also have a Wingman, and while I haven't used it in a long time, it worked just fine. I'd say that the best thing to do would be to insist on inspecting it in hand before purchasing.


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## Xaios (Jul 16, 2021)

The Menagerie:


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## jaxadam (Jul 16, 2021)

Xaios said:


> That is a looot of Microtech.



There's more, but they are a bit more boring. It's nice to switch up your EDC for each day of the month!


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## LiveOVErdrive (Jul 16, 2021)

Any of yall ever watch "forged in Fire"? Addicted to it lately.


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## MFB (Jul 16, 2021)

LiveOVErdrive said:


> Any of yall ever watch "forged in Fire"? Addicted to it lately.



Started rewatching it recently, I used to watch the Christ out of it when I still had cable/DVR


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## LiveOVErdrive (Jul 16, 2021)

MFB said:


> Started rewatching it recently, I used to watch the Christ out of it when I still had cable/DVR


They have thirty episodes on Netflix and I'm bummed that I'm almost done.


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## KnightBrolaire (Jul 16, 2021)

LiveOVErdrive said:


> They have thirty episodes on Netflix and I'm bummed that I'm almost done.


hulu has every season


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## LiveOVErdrive (Jul 16, 2021)

KnightBrolaire said:


> hulu has every season


Oh awesome


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## wheresthefbomb (Jul 26, 2021)

Went around to various pawn shops today on my usual crusty old amp/guitar search, ended up taking two different multi tools home for $75 USD altogether, a SOG Powerlock and a Leatherman Charge + G10.

Both still have sharp blades and the tools are still all in basically pristine shape, my main concerns buying used. The SOG pliers are well used and a tiny bit floppy for my taste, but acceptable for the price (and still sharp!). I like the simple design of the SOG.

The Charge is in basically new shape and they retail new for twice what I paid for both tools, so I'm very pleased with my haggling and bargain hunting skills today. 

I tried two different Gerbers and didn't like them at all. Too many unnecessary moving parts, and too floppy. They project a cool and durable look but felt cheap and over-engineered in person. 

The SOG will probably end up in my guitar case, and the Charge + will replace my leatherman Rebar, which will then become the "I don't want to ruin a good tool doing this thing I need a tool for" tool.








I also checked out a Leatherman Rebar at one of the shops out of curiosity, which had the exact same issue mine had with the blade contacting the handle. This one had even begun to corrode at the contact point eating more of the blade away, it was a total piece of trash.

Ultimately I prefer the oldschool leatherman look but every one I saw like that was in terrible shape.


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## Crungy (Jul 26, 2021)

That Leatherman Charge is awesome!


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## Xaios (Jul 27, 2021)

That Charge is a great find at that price, congrats!

I recently got a good deal on a used Spyderco Sage 5. It should arrive in about 1.5 weeks. Looking forward to trying it as it'll be my first compression lock knife. I saved about 25% off the price of a new one at retail, and from the video the seller sent me, it appeared to be in pretty much pristine condition. Bit of an impulse buy.

Also, the wood scale on my Benchmade has begun to split. Seems I'll have to send it to them in Oregon to get it replaced.


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## Drew (Jul 28, 2021)

I opened this thread with VERY different expectations. The rack of Wusthof knives I cook with probably aren't going to garner much interest, eh?


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## KnightBrolaire (Jul 28, 2021)

Drew said:


> I opened this thread with VERY different expectations. The rack of Wusthof knives I cook with probably aren't going to garner much interest, eh?


depends. Are they the german, spanish, or chinese made ones?


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## Crungy (Jul 28, 2021)

These are my EDC/work knives. The Kershaw is nice for an affordable knife but man did it dull fast. The Benchmade is really nice though it took me a while to get used to opening and unlocking it. Both were gifts from my boss, and now I definitely want another Benchmade. (don't mind the tape residue on the blades lol)


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## Crungy (Jul 28, 2021)

Who all sharpens their own knives? That's something I've wanted to get into but don't ever think about. Plus I can bring the Benchmade to Cabelas and have it sharpened for free so that's nice.


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## Drew (Jul 28, 2021)

KnightBrolaire said:


> depends. Are they the german, spanish, or chinese made ones?


Aren't all Wusthof German, made, even their cheaper ones? Either way, German-made Classics. At some point I want to get something a little more... idunno, with a little more personality, maybe? A little more idiosyncratic? But these are just good, quality workhorse knives. Years ago right out of college I had a roommate in culiary arts school who used to joke that his knives were basically his textbooks, and having those around the house while cooking spoiled me on the typical cheap serrated stainless knife sets. I bought a small set as soon as I could afford it - 8" chef's knife, paring knife, bread knife, sharpener, and shears, and addded a matching 12" chef's knife a couple years ago for the occasional situation where an 8" felt a little small. 

They get a TON of use, but I sharpen them regularly and they feel effortless in use.


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## KnightBrolaire (Jul 28, 2021)

Drew said:


> Aren't all Wusthof German, made, even their cheaper ones? Either way, German-made Classics. At some point I want to get something a little more... idunno, with a little more personality, maybe? A little more idiosyncratic? But these are just good, quality workhorse knives. Years ago right out of college I had a roommate in culiary arts school who used to joke that his knives were basically his textbooks, and having those around the house while cooking spoiled me on the typical cheap serrated stainless knife sets. I bought a small set as soon as I could afford it - 8" chef's knife, paring knife, bread knife, sharpener, and shears, and addded a matching 12" chef's knife a couple years ago for the occasional situation where an 8" felt a little small.
> 
> They get a TON of use, but I sharpen them regularly and they feel effortless in use.


ah my bad I was thinking of Henckels, not Wusthof. Henckels has their cheaper lines made in Spain and China. 
I have a couple Wusthof knives that my mom gave me (8" chef and a boning knife) and they are definitely workhorse knives. 

I recently bought some sharpening stones and the Wasabi sharpener jig (lets you set the angle and guides the strokes). That thing is awesome for getting every knife shaving sharp. Doing it by hand without a jig is a huge pain in the ass and takes a lot of practice/trial and error. 


Maybe try a different style of knife, like a gyuto or something. The japanese kitchen blades have very different feels to western blade styles.


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## KnightBrolaire (Jul 28, 2021)

KnightBrolaire said:


> some of the stuff i own:
> benchmade bugout (slime green scales with all black hardware and serrated drop point blade/ M4 steel).
> 
> benchmade griptilian (this one is safety orange with black tanto blade/hardware/m4 steel). Still waiting on this one to show up from their custom shop.
> ...


I'm still waiting on my other benchmade, and some of my other knives are buried in my hiking gear, so this'll have to do for now


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## Adieu (Jul 28, 2021)

Overkill

$10-ish Chinese knives are perfectly useable these days


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## Xaios (Jul 28, 2021)

Adieu said:


> Overkill
> 
> $10-ish Chinese knives are perfectly useable these days


$10, not quite bit you're not far off. The QSP Penguin is only about $30, and there's tons of great Civivi knives in $40 territory.

Also, I was weak. Something came back into stock that I've been lusting over basically since I started getting into knives, and... well it ain't cheap.



Drew said:


> I opened this thread with VERY different expectations. The rack of Wusthof knives I cook with probably aren't going to garner much interest, eh?


Anything is game, man!



Crungy said:


> Who all sharpens their own knives? That's something I've wanted to get into but don't ever think about. Plus I can bring the Benchmade to Cabelas and have it sharpened for free so that's nice.


I do, although my setup is only really good for smaller knives. I do have a strop and a Fallkniven DC4 stone to help maintain the bigger ones though.


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## Empryrean (Jul 29, 2021)

Do my chef knives count? I can post pictures =)


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## Xaios (Jul 29, 2021)

Empryrean said:


> Do my chef knives count? I can post pictures =)


Most assuredly, bring em out!


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## Empryrean (Jul 29, 2021)

Xaios said:


> Most assuredly, bring em out!


Ok! Lighting ain’t the greatest though









...not sure what's causing these images to be broken but you can see em when you hit "reply"


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## spudmunkey (Jul 29, 2021)

Empryrean said:


> Ok! Lighting ain’t the greatest though
> 
> ...not sure what's causing these images to be broken but you can see em when you hit "reply"



It's Imgur. Hotlinking to Imgur here doesn't work too good.


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## jaxadam (Jul 29, 2021)

My chef's knives.











We use the bottom serrated one and the one right above it probably the most.






Don't use these ones very much, except I do like the to Japanese Chef (Santoku) at the top because it's great for onion, veggies, etc.

There's a guy here in town who does mobile sharpening, and he just pulls up in your driveway, and sharpens them up in about an hour for pretty cheap. I almost feel like I need to tip him more than I pay him.


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## Xaios (Jul 29, 2021)

Empryrean said:


> ...not sure what's causing these images to be broken but you can see em when you hit "reply"





spudmunkey said:


> It's Imgur. Hotlinking to Imgur here doesn't work too good.


Exactly. Imgur blocked functionality on SSO several years ago, as their TOS specifies that images they host can't be hotlinked for commerce purposes, and, well, SSO has a classifieds section.


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## KnightBrolaire (Jul 29, 2021)

jaxadam said:


> My chef's knives.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I really dig the clean look of integral knives. 

How do you like the handles on those knives? They look like they'd be a bit awkward in the hand.


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## jaxadam (Jul 29, 2021)

KnightBrolaire said:


> I really dig the clean look of integral knives.
> 
> How do you like the handles on those knives? They look like they'd be a bit awkward in the hand.



Unbelievably comfortable. I prefer full tang knives, and I can't go back to using traditional handles. I guess they do look awkward, but they have great balance and just fall in the hand well.


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## KnightBrolaire (Jul 29, 2021)

jaxadam said:


> Unbelievably comfortable. I prefer full tang knives, and I can't go back to using traditional handles. I guess they do look awkward, but they have great balance and just fall in the hand well.


Ah that's good to hear. The flaring back end and lack of belly on the handles made them look a bit awkward unless you were doing a pinch grip or something.


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## jaxadam (Jul 29, 2021)

KnightBrolaire said:


> Ah that's good to hear. The flaring back end and lack of belly on the handles made them look a bit awkward unless you were doing a pinch grip or something.



Let me know if you want me to get a close up of the full tang


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## jaxadam (Jul 29, 2021)




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## Drew (Jul 29, 2021)

KnightBrolaire said:


> I recently bought some sharpening stones and the Wasabi sharpener jig (lets you set the angle and guides the strokes). That thing is awesome for getting every knife shaving sharp. Doing it by hand without a jig is a huge pain in the ass and takes a lot of practice/trial and error.


I have been Instagram-targeted as FUCK by those guys.  You've been happy with it? I use a series of handheld/on foldable handle diamond sharpening stones in various finenesses, plus a honing steel, and they work well enough and my insistence on wanting to do things the hard way has me resisting, but that's probably foolish.


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## KnightBrolaire (Jul 29, 2021)

Drew said:


> I have been Instagram-targeted as FUCK by those guys.  You've been happy with it? I use a series of handheld/on foldable handle diamond sharpening stones in various finenesses, plus a honing steel, and they work well enough and my insistence on wanting to do things the hard way has me resisting, but that's probably foolish.


Yeah it works great ime. getting a symmetrical angle on both sides is super easy with it.


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## Drew (Jul 29, 2021)

KnightBrolaire said:


> Yeah it works great ime. getting a symmetrical angle on both sides is super easy with it.



It still feels like cheating, but I'll think about it.


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## KnightBrolaire (Jul 29, 2021)

Drew said:


> It still feels like cheating, but I'll think about it.


that's like saying multi geared bikes are cheating when you're riding a single speed up a hill


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## Drew (Jul 29, 2021)

KnightBrolaire said:


> that's like saying multi geared bikes are cheating when you're riding a single speed up a hill


Dammit. 

(Di2 user here, at least on my road bike. )


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## Crungy (Jul 29, 2021)

jaxadam said:


>



That is way wider than I expected, that looks comfy as hell!


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## Humbuck (Jul 30, 2021)

I'll be taking my 3rd and 4th blade smithing classes in August. Aiming to do it on my own at some point.


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## youngthrasher9 (Jul 30, 2021)

I don’t own anything super fancy, but my knives are my livelihood. I’m a career whole carcass butcher. For home use I use a Misen chef knife, and various victorinox boning knives for meat trimming and boning. Victorinox has gone down in quality over the last decade IME, but they’re still the utilitarian standard for meat cutters.


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## JSanta (Jul 30, 2021)

My father has been a hobbyist knife maker most of my life, and shared that love with me. I remember the monthly delivery of Knives Illustrated as a kid quite clearly, along with the AG Russell catalogs. My daily carry is either my Benchmade auto opener I got while in the Army, or an AG Russell Dozier design that I am quite fond of. 

I do have a few of my father's knives, one that he made me for my 18th birthday that has a gorgeous Japanese Damascus hand forged blade and a quince burl handle, and another that almost looks like a fully wooden knife, because the "sheath" and scales are made from the same piece of wood.


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## Xaios (Jul 30, 2021)

Humbuck said:


> I'll be taking my 3rd and 4th blade smithing classes in August. Aiming to do it on my own at some point.


Awesome! Had the chance to make anything yet?


JSanta said:


> My father has been a hobbyist knife maker most of my life, and shared that love with me. I remember the monthly delivery of Knives Illustrated as a kid quite clearly, along with the AG Russell catalogs. My daily carry is either my Benchmade auto opener I got while in the Army, or an AG Russell Dozier design that I am quite fond of.
> 
> I do have a few of my father's knives, one that he made me for my 18th birthday that has a gorgeous Japanese Damascus hand forged blade and a quince burl handle, and another that almost looks like a fully wooden knife, because the "sheath" and scales are made from the same piece of wood.


Pics man, we need pics!


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## JSanta (Jul 30, 2021)

Xaios said:


> Pics man, we need pics!



I will get some eventually


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## Seabeast2000 (Aug 3, 2021)

Just ordered a CRKT Gulf and a Snarky. Fairly excited about the chungus Gulf folder.


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## Crungy (Aug 3, 2021)

Holy crap the Gulf is huge! 9.56" overall length, what a beast!


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## Xaios (Aug 3, 2021)

Seabeast2000 said:


> Just ordered a CRKT Gulf and a Snarky. Fairly excited about the chungus Gulf folder.





Crungy said:


> Holy crap the Gulf is huge! 9.56" overall length, what a beast!


Damn, no kidding. That sucker's longer than a Cold Steel SR1.

I actually bought a CRKT Pilar 3 in D2 through a buy & sell group last week, waiting for it to arrive.


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## littlebadboy (Aug 3, 2021)

Not a knife, but we call it a "ginunting" in my country of origin.





Coming from a blade culture, I like 'em!


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## Xaios (Aug 3, 2021)

littlebadboy said:


> Not a knife, but we call it a "ginunting" in my country of origin.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Philippines, by chance?


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## littlebadboy (Aug 3, 2021)

Xaios said:


> Philippines, by chance?


Yes, sir!


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## Xaios (Aug 3, 2021)

littlebadboy said:


> Yes, sir!


I thought so. Where I live has a substantial Filipino expat community, and a guy who I used to play Magic: The Gathering with showed me a picture of a blade that looked like that, to contrast to the mall ninja blades that were sold by the store we played cards at. This was years before I got into knives and I'd forgotten about it until you posted that picture.


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## spudmunkey (Aug 3, 2021)

youngthrasher9 said:


> I don’t own anything super fancy, but my knives are my livelihood. I’m a career whole carcass butcher. For home use I use a Misen chef knife, and various victorinox boning knives for meat trimming and boning. Victorinox has gone down in quality over the last decade IME, but they’re still the utilitarian standard for meat cutters.



Have you had a chance to try Messermeister as an alternate to the Victorinox? We were ready to buy the Victorinox Fibrox based on America's Test Kitchen's constant high praise, but we end ended up taking a chance with the Messermeister Four Seasons based on one of this guy's videos (which I was binging at the time):
$30 Victorinox vs $30 Messermeister - Best Workhorse Chef knife - YouTube

I've only ever really used 3-4 other "chef's" knives before, and the ones I've actually owned were both Calphalon Forged (so, like...sold in a blister pack with a paring knife at Bed Bath & Beyond...clearly high-quality, ha!). The only other ones I ever regularly used were the ones that were replaced with sharpened knives every week by a knife sharpening service ,when I worked in a grocery store's produce department.


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## youngthrasher9 (Aug 3, 2021)

spudmunkey said:


> Have you had a chance to try Messermeister as an alternate to the Victorinox? We were ready to buy the Victorinox Fibrox based on America's Test Kitchen's constant high praise, but we end ended up taking a chance with the Messermeister Four Seasons based on one of this guy's videos (which I was binging at the time):
> $30 Victorinox vs $30 Messermeister - Best Workhorse Chef knife - YouTube
> 
> I've only ever really used 3-4 other "chef's" knives before, and the ones I've actually owned were both Calphalon Forged (so, like...sold in a blister pack with a paring knife at Bed Bath & Beyond...clearly high-quality, ha!). The only other ones I ever regularly used were the ones that were replaced with sharpened knives every week by a knife sharpening service ,when I worked in a grocery store's produce department.


The Victorinox knives I have on hand are retired from past workplaces, I have those primarily because that’s what employers would purchase for me. I’ve heard good things about messermeister, but I’ll probably be switching to Victory knives (made in NZ) for home and side work butchery as they’re quickly becoming the new standard in many shops and they have an awesome selection. For chef knives I really like my Misen, it wasn’t insanely expensive but it’s made with AUS8 steel, the hybrid design is really really nicely balanced.


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## KnightBrolaire (Aug 4, 2021)

youngthrasher9 said:


> The Victorinox knives I have on hand are retired from past workplaces, I have those primarily because that’s what employers would purchase for me. I’ve heard good things about messermeister, but I’ll probably be switching to Victory knives (made in NZ) for home and side work butchery as they’re quickly becoming the new standard in many shops and they have an awesome selection. For chef knives I really like my Misen, it wasn’t insanely expensive but it’s made with AUS8 steel, the hybrid design is really really nicely balanced.


The Misen stuff is really great for the price point. I bought my dad one and he absolutely loves it.


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## Seabeast2000 (Aug 4, 2021)

Useful when that dead war horse is what's for dinner?


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Aug 4, 2021)

Seabeast2000 said:


> Useful when that dead war horse is what's for dinner?


better for night raids on the jerry trenches


----------



## Xaios (Aug 4, 2021)

Tall order to make 1095 seem exciting, but by God they're doing their darndest.


----------



## Seabeast2000 (Aug 4, 2021)

Xaios said:


> Tall order to make 1095 seem exciting, but by God they're doing their darndest.


Fire kissed steel will be a new fretwire from Dean or Kiesel.


----------



## Xaios (Aug 9, 2021)

I got the grail knife that I briefly referenced, and it's niiiiiiiice. Bark River Bravo 2 in CPM 3V. Pics will follow.


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Aug 19, 2021)

I had a spare damascus blank lying around and some spare walnut, so I slapped together this:




It's not quite done but I thought you guys might appreciate it.


----------



## littlebadboy (Aug 19, 2021)

KnightBrolaire said:


> I had a spare damascus blank lying around and some spare walnut, so I slapped together this:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Forgive me for my ignorance, what is that? Is it a weapon?


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Aug 19, 2021)

littlebadboy said:


> Forgive me for my ignorance, what is that? Is it a weapon?


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunstock_war_club


----------



## littlebadboy (Aug 19, 2021)

KnightBrolaire said:


> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunstock_war_club


Very interesting! Thank you!

If I understand it right, the handler may use either side, right? One side is for impact while other is for edged purposes.?


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Aug 19, 2021)

littlebadboy said:


> Very interesting! Thank you!
> 
> If I understand it right, the handler may use either side, right? One side is for impact while other is for edged purposes.?


Yep both sides are useful. The spike is more for piercing deeply into flesh, and the buttstock part is more for blunt impact.


----------



## Humbuck (Aug 19, 2021)

I'm enrolled in this class that starts tomorrow morning!
https://petersvalley.org/workshops/japanese-blades/


----------



## Humbuck (Aug 19, 2021)

Made this a couple weeks ago at the same place...


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## KnightBrolaire (Sep 5, 2021)

Crammed a bunch of my knives onto this magnetic holder I bought. It's pretty janky, so I may end up making my own out of some walnut. I need one big enough to hold the kukris dammmit 
first pic from left to right:
damascus chef knife build
walnut burl hunting knife build
damascus epoxy handled skinner build
damascus "monster" epoxy drop point build
benchmade bugout
civivi/we knives damascus with carbon fiber handle


2nd pic is just some of my favorite cheapo knives.


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## Seabeast2000 (Sep 5, 2021)

KnightBrolaire said:


> Crammed a bunch of my knives onto this magnetic holder I bought. It's pretty janky, so I may end up making my own out of some walnut. I need one big enough to hold the kukris dammmit
> first pic from left to right:
> damascus chef knife build
> walnut burl hunting knife build
> ...




Those strings players from Kung Fu Hustle called.


----------



## Xaios (Sep 6, 2021)

My recent acquisitions from top to bottom:

- CRKT Pilar III D2
- Spyderco Sage 5 CF
- TRM Atom
- Bark River Bravo 2


----------



## Empryrean (Sep 6, 2021)

spudmunkey said:


> It's Imgur. Hotlinking to Imgur here doesn't work too good.


Ah I was not aware of this, I see some other peeps are using postimg so here's the better of the 2 pics I tried postin last time


----------



## narad (Sep 6, 2021)

Humbuck said:


> I'm enrolled in this class that starts tomorrow morning!
> https://petersvalley.org/workshops/japanese-blades/



A bladesmith named Mace. Just doesn't seem fair.


----------



## LiveOVErdrive (Sep 7, 2021)

narad said:


> A bladesmith named Mace. Just doesn't seem fair.


I don't get it. Does he do slashing or bludgeoning damage??


----------



## Xaios (Sep 7, 2021)

Opening up this thread to the discussion of mall ninja blades, because some of them are just too hilarious to be believed.







Reading about shit like this, apparently the USMC is absolutely shameless as far as licensing their name out to crap-tier manufacturers. Licensed merchandise, including bona fide "weaponry", has absolutely no standard of a) quality, or b) historical accuracy that it must adhere to. Just pay the fee and slap that shit right on it.

As far as this one goes, I fucking love the fact that it's got a finger choil, as if you'd be using it for fine detail work, followed immediately by serrations. That shit is the mall ninja's chef's kiss.


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## Seabeast2000 (Sep 7, 2021)

haha, oh man. That is quite a combo. What's that show on late at night where you can buy 85 commonly-themed knives for a few hundred? There should be a K-bar set with a K-bar version of everything from kitchen cutlery to Star Trek battle axes (Romulan?). K-bar steak knives and K-bar Ghurka FTW.


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Sep 7, 2021)

Seabeast2000 said:


> haha, oh man. That is quite a combo. What's that show on late at night where you can buy 85 commonly-themed knives for a few hundred? There should be a K-bar set with a K-bar version of everything from kitchen cutlery to Star Trek battle axes (Romulan?). K-bar steak knives and K-bar Ghurka FTW.


klingon b'atleth is what you're thinking of. It's more of a sword technically.



Xaios said:


> Opening up this thread to the discussion of mall ninja blades, because some of them are just too hilarious to be believed.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Funny story, when I was in the army, there were always dipshits that tried to sell swords to dumb ass privates at the PX (think military strip mall). We were always warned that they were junk, but there were always a few PX Rangers (army equivalent of mall ninja) that bought them. I remember laughing my ass off when one kid in the barracks had a broadsword he duct taped onto the wall next to his bed. He'd also go into the woods behind the barracks and swing that shit around like he thought he was Conan after getting the sword of Atlantis.


----------



## Xaios (Sep 7, 2021)

Seabeast2000 said:


> haha, oh man. That is quite a combo. What's that show on late at night where you can buy 85 commonly-themed knives for a few hundred? There should be a K-bar set with a K-bar version of everything from kitchen cutlery to Star Trek battle axes (Romulan?). K-bar steak knives and K-bar Ghurka FTW.





KnightBrolaire said:


> klingon b'atleth is what you're thinking of. It's more of a sword technically.


To be fair, it wouldn't be the first space-affiliated knife that KA-BAR has ever made.

Behold, the KA-BAR Space Force knife. Yes, the following is completely real.


----------



## Seabeast2000 (Sep 7, 2021)

KnightBrolaire said:


> klingon b'atleth is what you're thinking of. It's more of a sword technically.
> 
> 
> 
> Funny story, when I was in the army, there were always dipshits that tried to sell swords to dumb ass privates at the PX (think military strip mall). We were always warned that they were junk, but there were always a few PX Rangers (army equivalent of mall ninja) that bought them. I remember laughing my ass off when one kid in the barracks had a broadsword he duct taped onto the wall next to his bed. He'd also go into the woods behind the barracks and swing that shit around like he thought he was Conan after getting the sword of Atlantis.






%50 of that e1/e2 pay spent on px silk screen t shirts and novelty items. %50 at the food court.


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Sep 7, 2021)

Seabeast2000 said:


> %50 of that e1/e2 pay spent on px silk screen t shirts and novelty items. %50 at the food court.


facts


----------



## thraxil (Sep 8, 2021)

Xaios said:


> Behold, the KA-BAR Space Force knife. Yes, the following is completely real.



I actually kind of like the Space Force. The whole "Space Force" aspect is cheeky, but really speaks to the 12-year old in me that still thinks he'll be an astronaut some day. It's also still just a Ka-Bar but in a color scheme that's actually kind of nice.


----------



## Xaios (Sep 8, 2021)

thraxil said:


> I actually kind of like the Space Force. The whole "Space Force" aspect is cheeky, but really speaks to the 12-year old in me that still thinks he'll be an astronaut some day. It's also still just a Ka-Bar but in a color scheme that's actually kind of nice.


Oh don't get me wrong, I think it's magnificent in its own way, similar to the Boker "Dessert Warrior".






I think it's great that fun stuff like this exists.


----------



## Crungy (Sep 8, 2021)

I wouldn't buy that but I'm alright with it existing lol


----------



## Xaios (Sep 8, 2021)

Crungy said:


> I wouldn't buy that but I'm alright with it existing lol


Indeed. Granted, I can't buy it either way as it's an automatic, which are illegal in Canada.


----------



## Seabeast2000 (Sep 8, 2021)

Xaios said:


> Indeed. Granted, I can't buy it either way as it's an automatic, which are illegal in Canada.


When the space cops are minutes away and a space threat is right in front of you.....


----------



## Crungy (Sep 8, 2021)

Mmm... Illegal automatic donut knife


----------



## Dumple Stilzkin (Sep 9, 2021)

So I’m not into knives like many of you are. But, I ride public transit and walk an awful lot. So I bought something small. I’m open to suggestions for upgrades, but so far I like my SOG twitch.
I won’t pretend like I know what I’m talking about, nice weight, small size, sharp, and easily deployed with a reliable lock back.


----------



## Xaios (Sep 9, 2021)

Dumple Stilzkin said:


> So I’m not into knives like many of you are. But, I ride public transit and walk an awful lot. So I bought something small. I’m open to suggestions for upgrades, but so far I like my SOG twitch.
> I won’t pretend like I know what I’m talking about, nice weight, small size, sharp, and easily deployed with a reliable lock back.


If you're happy with your knife, you need not upgrade. Given that the prices I'm seeing for it are all over the place (when they're available at all, as it looks like it's a discontinued model) so I can't evaluate how good of value you got, about the worst I could say about it is that I'm not a fan of assisted opening knives.

If you wanted something inexpensive that will hold an edge for a bit longer (albeit with other caveats), there are lots of budget folders available in D2 steel nowadays. You could check out the QSP Penguin (which I own, really great for the price) or the Civivi Elementum. If you want to browse to your heart's content, Civivi are generally credited as current kings of the modern budget folder, with CJRB, Bestech, Real Steel, QSP, Kizer, Steel Will and Kershaw also being very worthy contenders (albeit not all of them make budget knives exclusively).

(For the record, D2 does have higher edge retention than AUS8, the knife that your SOG is made from, but D2 is also a little less tough, harder to sharpen, and barely qualifies as a stainless steel.)


----------



## Dumple Stilzkin (Sep 9, 2021)

Xaios said:


> If you're happy with your knife, you need not upgrade. Given that the prices I'm seeing for it are all over the place (when they're available at all, as it looks like it's a discontinued model) so I can't evaluate how good of value you got, about the worst I could say about it is that I'm not a fan of assisted opening knives.
> 
> If you wanted something inexpensive that will hold an edge for a bit longer (albeit with other caveats), there are lots of budget folders available in D2 steel nowadays. You could check out the QSP Penguin (which I own, really great for the price) or the Civivi Elementum. If you want to browse to your heart's content, Civivi are generally credited as current kings of the modern budget folder, with CJRB, Bestech, Real Steel, QSP, Kizer, Steel Will and Kershaw also being very worthy contenders (albeit not all of them make budget knives exclusively).
> 
> (For the record, D2 does have higher edge retention than AUS8, the knife that your SOG is made from, but D2 is also a little less tough, harder to sharpen, and barely qualifies as a stainless steel.)


I’ll look into the ones you mentioned, because of course I want more! Thanks for all the advice. The knife was only 35$ with shipping and all.


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Sep 9, 2021)

Dumple Stilzkin said:


> I’ll look into the ones you mentioned, because of course I want more! Thanks for all the advice. The knife was only 35$ with shipping and all.


CRKT and Civivi make a lot of great cheap EDC options. CRKT's 8Cr13MoV steel holds a pretty good edge ime, though there are definitely better options out there (that also cost more). Spyderco and Benchmade make excellent knives with much tougher steels if you can stomach dropping 100$+ on a knife. Both are brands known for being insanely durable and well made. Really just depends on your needs.

spyderco has a really neat chart that explains all the elements in blade steels, what they do, and how the steels compare if anyone's interested. 
https://www.spyderco.com/edge-u-cation/steel-chart/


----------



## Xaios (Sep 9, 2021)

Dumple Stilzkin said:


> because of course I want more!


As do we all. And speaking of wanting more, this came in the mail today:




That's an Andrew Demko AD20.5, the "budget" version of the AD20. Of course, it still costs about the same as a Spyderco Paramilitary 2, so YMMV on how "budget" it is given that it's FRN handles and AUS10A steel. Where it really stands out though, and the reason they're so hard to get, is the locking mechanism. It's a brand new mechanism called the Shark Lock, and let me say... it does not disappoint. Fully ambidextrous, solid as a rock, and fidgety AF. This lock mechanism is THE FUTURE.

I fully admit though, I bought it with the expectation that I wouldn't keep it. I am second guessing that because I do quite like how it feels, but a store in Canada that was supposed to get a batch in had them seized by the CBSA (basically Canada's border services agency has gone rogue as far as knives are concerned, as these knives are perfectly legal to own in Canada). I might sell it to someone who didn't get their pre-order (the store is refunding the lost pre-orders, so that's good on them) for my cost, and eat the cost of shipping. We'll see.



KnightBrolaire said:


> CRKT


I'm not a huge fan of CRKT, truth be told. I have a Pilar III and it's great, but CRKT is well known for having QC problems. A coworker of mine bought a new CRKT a few months ago, and it did not hold up to scrutiny. Not only did the blade grind leave an edge that was thick as a brick and not at all sharp out of the box, but applying anything more than a light amount of pressure to the blade caused the lock to disengage. Absolute junk. Now, these are issues that no manufacturer is immune to, but with CRKT it seems to happen far more often than it should. The one thing I can say is that it does seem to happen consistently to some models, while others seem to consistently come out well; I haven't heard of anyone who's had those same problems with the Pilar III, which is part of why I got one.


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Sep 9, 2021)

Xaios said:


> As do we all. And speaking of wanting more, this came in the mail today:
> 
> View attachment 97541
> 
> ...


I've been using and abusing cheaper CRKT knives for the last 10 years and haven't had any of those issues. 
For what they typically cost I have no problem recommending them, and if you order from reputable dealers like bladehq (or amazon) then it'll never be an issue on the off chance you get a dud.
I've had much worse luck with shitty folders from Buck, gerber or boker in the sub 50$ price range tbh.


----------



## Xaios (Sep 9, 2021)

KnightBrolaire said:


> reputable dealers like bladehq


Ummm...

BladeHQ was hacked earlier in the year, and a bunch of their customers' credit card information got out into the wild. That kind of thing will happen, but their reaction to this happening was stone silence, leaving their customers completely in the dark and wondering why their credit cards were suddenly getting run up. In fact, they didn't fess up to the initial hack _until they got hacked again_. I've also heard a lot of people recently who have had significant shipping delays on their orders, as in it's taking them significantly longer than it should to even get the product out of the warehouse and into the hands of the shipping carriers.

As far as CRKT goes, yeah, you're right in that it could be worse. At least they're not Gerber, who still uses 7Cr steel in almost their whole lineup.


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Sep 9, 2021)

Xaios said:


> Ummm...
> 
> BladeHQ was hacked earlier in the year, and a bunch of their customers' credit card information got out into the wild. That kind of thing will happen, but their reaction to this happening was stone silence, leaving their customers completely in the dark and wondering why their credit cards were suddenly getting run up. In fact, they didn't fess up to the initial hack _until they got hacked again_. I've also heard a lot of people recently who have had significant shipping delays on their orders, as in it's taking them significantly longer than it should to even get the product out of the warehouse and into the hands of the shipping carriers.
> 
> As far as CRKT goes, yeah, you're right in that it could be worse. At least they're not Gerber, who still uses 7Cr steel in almost their whole lineup.


welp that sucks. I haven't ordered from them in years, but my past experiences with bladehq were always good. They always got the knives to me in a reasonable timeframe and were very helpful.

Delays and shipping issues are happening regardless of industry right now afaik. Like I've been waiting on an AK upper from PSA for 6 months at this point, and I've been on a waitlist for a jp2c from sweetwater for the last 2 months. The only shit I've gotten on time in the last year and a half has been small amazon packages or dhl shipped stuff.


----------



## vilk (Sep 17, 2021)

You uh... wanna buy some Cutco?


----------



## Xaios (Sep 17, 2021)

vilk said:


> You uh... wanna buy some Cutco?


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Sep 17, 2021)

vilk said:


> You uh... wanna buy some Cutco?


only if they're made of glorious nippon steel. I need to protect my waifu pillow


----------



## thraxil (Sep 18, 2021)

KnightBrolaire said:


> only if they're made of glorious nippon steel. I need to protect my waifu pillow



Back in the early 80's, my aunt bought my parents a set of Ginsu steak knives from a TV ad (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginsu). Not japanese at all but marketed to sound like it. Honestly though, there are still a bunch in the house and they work just fine 40 years later...


----------



## Manurack (Sep 18, 2021)

This is my J. Marttiini Finland 230 hunting knife. I received it as a gift from my former father in law in 2011, as he knew that I grew up hunting caribou, musk ox and moose in the Canadian Arctic.

I have skinned and butchered a lot of animals with this knife since I received it. While I was working on forest fires in the summer of 2017, one day I was put on water pump duty in charge of the Mark 3 fire pumps and they were running smoothly during my 12 hour shift, all I had to do was keep changing the Jerry cans of gas to keep em running. 

Those who have seen my post about home made hunting bows and arrows, I had a lot of time on my hands that day as the water pumps ran smooth - so I used that time to make a cedar bow during my shift. I got it done in about 3 hours. Found a good tree with no knots, cut it down and made a bow. 

Whenever I go back home to the Arctic, I always take this knife with me to harvest more animals and food for my family.


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Sep 30, 2021)

I bought some ridiculously techno looking french titanium kitchen knife (furtif evercut if you're wondering) on a drunken whim. We'll see how it holds up to my other knives.


----------



## LiveOVErdrive (Oct 2, 2021)

Recently got myself this ridiculously cheap caidao cause I wanted a carbon steel knife to play with. The fit and finish is shit but after some tuning up and sharpening it kind of rules.




Cuts veggies like a dream (which it should, since that's what it's for), and has so much surface area to scoop them off the cutting board. I love it. Twenty bucks well spent.


----------



## Seabeast2000 (Oct 2, 2021)

hell yes, now I'm learning what a Cao Dao is and going to get one.


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Oct 18, 2021)

KnightBrolaire said:


> I bought some ridiculously techno looking french titanium kitchen knife (furtif evercut if you're wondering) on a drunken whim. We'll see how it holds up to my other knives.


It is glorious, and it came shaving sharp out of the packaging. I'll see how long that lasts.


----------



## Xaios (Oct 18, 2021)

KnightBrolaire said:


> It is glorious, and it came shaving sharp out of the packaging. I'll see how long that lasts.


Nice. Is it pure titanium (or a standard Ti/Al blend), or titanium carbide? Pure titanium doesn't really hold much of an edge, the only time you really see it in knives is when absolute immunity to corrosion is a must, and there are other specialty materials like stellite and dendritic cobalt that do the job better (as well as steels that are functionally if not technically corrosion-immune such as LC200N and Vanax).

Titanium carbide, on the other hand, is extremely hard, one of the hardest and most wear-resistant metal carbides exceeded only by vanadium carbide and tungsten carbide.


----------



## Seabeast2000 (Oct 18, 2021)

Dood's into metal.


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Oct 18, 2021)

Xaios said:


> Nice. Is it pure titanium (or a standard Ti/Al blend), or titanium carbide? Pure titanium doesn't really hold much of an edge, the only time you really see it in knives is when absolute immunity to corrosion is a must, and there are other specialty materials like stellite and dendritic cobalt that do the job better (as well as steels that are functionally if not technically corrosion-immune such as LC200N and Vanax).
> 
> Titanium carbide, on the other hand, is extremely hard, one of the hardest and most wear-resistant metal carbides exceeded only by vanadium carbide and tungsten carbide.


It has titanium carbide edges. 
from their website: 
The blade of this Evercut® chef knife has cutting edge blade technology; this knife is the result of 5 years of R&D testing with TB experts. This Made In France knife is created with a state-of-the-art laser beam that fuses an ultra-hard material, titanium carbide, onto the edge of a steel blade. The result is a combination of steel's strength and flexibility with an extremely hard cutting edge. The Evercut® lasts more than 300 times longer than conventional steel blades and is lifetime guaranteed.


----------



## jaxadam (Oct 18, 2021)

KnightBrolaire said:


> It is glorious, and it came shaving sharp out of the packaging. I'll see how long that lasts.
> 
> View attachment 98975



Wow that looks killer.


----------



## Seabeast2000 (Oct 18, 2021)

I want one of these:

Serbian Chef Knife? Is this KAS?


----------



## High Plains Drifter (Apr 19, 2022)

I feel like this thread was intended to be more about folding/ carry knives but looks like there's a bit of a variety in here at this point. Anyway... little bit of a necro-bump but I wanted to post about my new kitchen knives because I'm just so happy with them compared to my old super-cheap ones. These are not high-end knives, but they're a ton better than anything that I've used in recent years. I'll sharpen and hone my old cheap-o knives and continue to use them but for now, I'm finding these new ones absolutely game-changing for food prep. 

Misen 3" Paring Knife- Japanese AUS-10 carbon steel blade. The robust weight of this knife makes it very nice to use for fruits and veggies and even for trimming small cuts of meat. Only thing that would make this one better would be if it came with a sheath and if the handle was maybe a wee bit longer but overall, I find this to be a fantastic knife for tasks that require a small precision blade. 









Victorinox Fibrox Pro 5" Chef's Knife- European stainless steel blade. This is a very lightweight knife with an extra-wide blade and ergonomic handle. The thermoplastic handle reduces weight and has a texture to it that provides reliable grip when wet. I'm really satisfied with this one and I like that it feels and performs much differently than the other knives that I recently purchased. Always nice to have some variety. This knife isn't a "looker" but it performs extremely well and for a basic utility-type knife, it's definitely a winner. 









MOSFiATA 5" Chef's Knife & 3.5" Fruit Knife Set- German carbon stainless steel blade. These are honestly the nicest kitchen knives that I've ever used. The weight and balance of both knives is superb. The handle shape and larger diameter allows me to use these for a long time before fatigue sets in. Worth noting that my hands and fingers tend to fatigue pretty quickly some days if holding something too small or for too long or too tightly. I also like that the shape of the handles allow me to find multiple comfortable positions to grip. This knife set also includes decent plastic sheaths for safe storage out of the box. 









Next will be some larger knives but these are it for now.


----------



## jaxadam (Apr 19, 2022)

Decent cutlery in the kitchen makes cooking so much more enjoyable.


----------



## High Plains Drifter (Apr 19, 2022)

jaxadam said:


> Decent cutlery in the kitchen makes cooking so much more enjoyable.


 It absolutely does. I prepped a bunch of mushrooms, a couple bell peppers, a large red onion, some garlic cloves, and a shit-ass-ton of green beans last week. It was amazing how precisely, quickly, and effortlessly I was able to trim, mince, and chop. Right now I'm trying to narrow down what I'm going to go with in an 8"- 10" blade.


----------



## Xaios (Apr 19, 2022)

I've forgotten to post a couple recent acquisitions in this thread. I also sold the Demko AD20.5. Fun as heck, but I wasn't using it, and I decided to simply sell it, given their current desirability and the fact that Cold Steel also announced a similar competing lock mechanism that should come out sometime in the not-too-distant future.

As far as acquisitions since, I picked up a Cold Steel SR1 tanto, a titanium Artisan Cutlery Sirius, and a Spyderco Canis.


----------



## High Plains Drifter (Apr 19, 2022)

Xaios said:


> I've forgotten to post a couple recent acquisitions in this thread. I also sold the Demko AD20.5. Fun as heck, but I wasn't using it, and I decided to simply sell it, given their current desirability and the fact that Cold Steel also announced a similar competing lock mechanism that should come out sometime in the not-too-distant future.
> 
> As far as acquisitions since, I picked up a Cold Steel SR1 tanto, a titanium Artisan Cutlery Sirius, and a Spyderco Canis.


Pics if/ when you get the chance


----------



## Xaios (Apr 19, 2022)

High Plains Drifter said:


> Pics if/ when you get the chance


Oh, definitely, as soon as I get home.

The funny thing is the Canis has a bit of a story.

About a month and a half ago, my mother messages me asking if I lost a Spydero, to which I answer that I haven't. She messages me back saying that she actually found one in a snowbank downtown. I don't live in a huge town, and she knew I owned a couple Spydercos, so she figured maybe it was mine. I ask her to send me a picture of it so that I could identify it and reach out to some other local knife collectors to see if they're the owner. At this point I figure that it's probably a Tenacious or, at very best, a Delica. I get the picture and I'm floored. She found a knife that retails for nearly $300 Canadian just... sitting in a snowbank!

I do the right thing and I reach out, but nope, out of the half-dozen people I talk to, none of them have lost a Canis, or even seen one in-person before. I also posted about it on the local Lost and Found group, but got zero replies there either. So yeah, it's mine now.


----------



## High Plains Drifter (Apr 19, 2022)

Xaios said:


> Oh, definitely, as soon as I get home.
> 
> The funny thing is the Canis has a bit of a story.
> 
> ...


I've always loved the Canis for a PP/ EDC because they're so lightweight and relatively slim. And that's a seriously wicked blade. Man... I wonder what the back-story is on that one. Guess no one will ever know lol. Great score!


----------



## Xaios (Apr 19, 2022)

High Plains Drifter said:


> I've always loved the Canis for a PP/ EDC because they're so lightweight and relatively slim. And that's a seriously wicked blade. Man... I wonder what the back-story is on that one. Guess no one will ever know lol. Great score!


I'm worried what I'll find if I ever throw it under a UV lamp.


----------



## Xaios (Apr 20, 2022)

High Plains Drifter said:


> Pics if/ when you get the chance


----------



## tedtan (Apr 20, 2022)

Man, I have a lot of knives (Bark River, Benchmade, SOG, TOPS, Boker, CRKT, Mora, Cold Steel, Ontario Knife Co., Ka-Bar, Victorinox, old made in USA Schrade and Kershaw, etc., etc.). I guess I should get some pics together.


----------



## Xaios (Apr 20, 2022)

tedtan said:


> Man, I have a lot of knives (Bark River, Benchmade, SOG, TOPS, Boker, CRKT, Mora, Cold Steel, Ontario Knife Co., Ka-Bar, Victorinox, old made in USA Schrade and Kershaw, etc., etc.). I guess I should get some pics together.


Yes. Yes, you most certainly should.


----------



## tedtan (Apr 20, 2022)

OK, I’ll work on that, then.


----------



## tedtan (Apr 21, 2022)

OK, here are some pics.

First things first, though - a disclaimer.

Knife laws vary from country to country, state to state, county to county, and city to city. Just because it is legal for me to own these knives in rural Texas does not mean that you can legally own them in your locale. Check your local laws before buying or carrying a knife.


*EDIT: Why can't I upload pics from my iPhone? Imgur is not accepting them, either. Bastards.

EDIT 2: Problem solved - pics were too large.*


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## tedtan (Apr 21, 2022)

*Miscellaneous folding knives:


*

Left Column:
- Victorinox Rangergrip 57
- Benchmade Griptilian
- Kershaw Iron Horse II (old, no longer made)
- CRKT Jumbones

Right Column:
- Victorinox Camper
- Victorinox Huntsman
- Browning small game hunting knife (no longer made; no model number)
- Case Bird Hunter (no longer made)
- Schrade Old Timer pocket knife (no longer made)


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## tedtan (Apr 21, 2022)

*Miscellaneous hunting and bushcraft knives:*




Left Column:
- Schrade Sharpfinger
- Schrade Sharpfinger
- Ka-Bar/Becker Horace Kephart
- Mora Garberg Carbon
- Bark River Bravo 1.25
- Victorinox boning/skinning knife

Right Column:

- Mora 106 carving knife
- Mora 164 hook knife
- Mora 163 hook knife
- Opinel #8 Mushroom knife (complete with brush to remove spores)
- Flexcut Carvin’ Jack whittling knife


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## tedtan (Apr 21, 2022)

*Miscellaneous Choppers:*




- Boker Mini Tracker
- TOPS Tom Brown Tracker #1
- CRKT KUK Kukri
- Ontario Knife Company RTAK-II
- Tramontino Machete


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## tedtan (Apr 21, 2022)

*Miscellaneous military knives and bayonets:*






- Cold Steel Leatherneck Tanto
- Boker Applegate-Fairbairn commando knife
- Ka-Bar WW2 USMC fighting knife
- SOG Super SOG Bowie knife (replica of the knife issued to US MAC-V-SOG troops in Vietnam (these were the guys doing black ops in Cambodia and other places they weren't supposed to be))
- Ontario Knife Company M7 bayonet
- Ontario Knife Company OKC3S USMC bayonet


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## jaxadam (Apr 21, 2022)

Excellent collection @tedtan


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## Xaios (Apr 21, 2022)

I've wanted to try a Tom Brown Tracker for a while now, apparently that recurve is _ungodly good_ for feathersticking.

Also dig the Garberg and the Bravo 1.25.


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## tedtan (Apr 21, 2022)

jaxadam said:


> Excellent collection @tedtan


Thank you, Adam!





Xaios said:


> I've wanted to try a Tom Brown Tracker for a while now, apparently that recurve is _ungodly good_ for feathersticking.
> 
> Also dig the Garberg and the Bravo 1.25.


Thanks!

And you are right, they feather like nothing else. The feathers are so so small and thin they light almost like cotton balls. Here are a few quick feathers (sorry, no full stick) in my hand to illustrate how small and thin they curl up. Some of them are almost see-through in person.


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## Seabeast2000 (Apr 21, 2022)

I need an automatic I think


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## Xaios (May 17, 2022)

Latest entry, Civivi Appalachian Drifter in s35vn. Great knife for the money. Thin stock with a holy grind results in it being super thin behind the edge and a great slicer. Micarta also feels nice, not too rough, not too smooth. It's also a slipjoint, although not a traditional backspring slipjoint. It uses a double detent ball system.


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## Xaios (May 17, 2022)

Xaios said:


> holy grind


Bwahaha, I meant to say "hollow grind".


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## Adieu (May 17, 2022)

Damn dudes, get with the 21st century... acquire something with assisted open and a lock that KEEPS it firmly open

That ancient crap belongs in a museum


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## Xaios (May 17, 2022)

Adieu said:


> Damn dudes, get with the 21st century... acquire something with assisted open and a lock that KEEPS it firmly open
> 
> That ancient crap belongs in a museum


Assisted opening = Gross. It's not any faster to deploy than any other folder with a flipper tab, thumbstuds or opening hole, and it's a pain in the ass to close by comparison. I've passed on a couple Kershaws and ZTs at this point specifically because they were assisted, even though I liked the design (and I couldn't be arsed to de-assist them).

As far as locking knives go, see every other folder I've posted in this thread. I wanted a slipjoint because I _wanted_ to try something that didn't lock. Also, while this doesn't apply to me, there are lots of places in the world where locking knives are flat-out illegal.


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## Xaios (Sep 15, 2022)

I've been negligent. My recent acquisitions:

1) Civivi Elementum Button Lock in G10
2) Spyderco Paramilitary 2
3) North Arm Lynx (in Magnacut, baby!)
4) Reate K3


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## wheresthefbomb (Nov 1, 2022)

Here's something that I think is pretty cool. I found this Robinson knife Co. 14" chef knife at value Village a few months back for $2.99. As far as I can tell, it's from the 1950s. Carbon steel, not stainless, as you can see it's got a bit of a patina and has some minor pitting. It wasn't performing very well even after I cleaned it up and swiped it across my honing rod, so it's been mostly a decoration. 

Yesterday I finally got the whetstone out and put a nice edge on it, and wow is this thing ever sharp. Absolutely smokes the stainless JA Henckels chef knife that I have been using for the past decade or so.


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## gunshow86de (Nov 1, 2022)

/resists urge to post a spooney


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## /wrists (Nov 1, 2022)

I don't have any knives, except kitchen knives, but I used to have a balisong. I really like the Italian switchblades too.


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## Xaios (Nov 2, 2022)

wheresthefbomb said:


> Absolutely smokes the stainless JA Henckels chef knife that I have been using for the past decade or so.


I could see that. Simple carbon steels will typically take a finer edge than stainless knives, especially stainless knives made from ingot-formed steel, due to the lack of coarse chromium carbides in the matrix, which I believe will also allow them to take more acute edge angles while retaining edge stability. (Granted, this is more of a general rule of thumb rather than hard and fast knife-law.)

Of course, it doesn't help that a lot of stainless European style kitchen knives, even ones that can cost a pretty penny, are made from 1.4116 stainless steel (often simply called "German Stainless"), and honestly, that stuff is kinda shit. It's very stainless, but that's really it's only redeeming quality. It has neither good edge retention nor good toughness, and, especially considering it's often not even heat treated to a decent hardness, it's also more difficult to sharpen than it should be as well.


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## wheresthefbomb (Nov 2, 2022)

Xaios said:


> I could see that. Simple carbon steels will typically take a finer edge than stainless knives, especially stainless knives made from ingot-formed steel, due to the lack of coarse chromium carbides in the matrix, which I believe will also allow them to take more acute edge angles while retaining edge stability. (Granted, this is more of a general rule of thumb rather than hard and fast knife-law.)
> 
> Of course, it doesn't help that a lot of stainless European style kitchen knives, even ones that can cost a pretty penny, are made from 1.4116 stainless steel (often simply called "German Stainless"), and honestly, that stuff is kinda shit. It's very stainless, but that's really it's only redeeming quality. It has neither good edge retention nor good toughness, and, especially considering it's often not even heat treated to a decent hardness, it's also more difficult to sharpen than it should be as well.



I didn't know any of that, but I did find the stainless knife more difficult to sharpen to my liking as well. I think I have too acute of an angle on the stainless knife right now too, it went dull in the center on first contact with the cutting board  TBF I was kind of rushing to finish at that point and my wrist is d-o-n-e with the whetstone for a bit. I'm just overjoyed my thrift store score has panned out to be something cool and useful.


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## Xaios (Nov 2, 2022)

wheresthefbomb said:


> I think I have too acute of an angle on the stainless knife right now too, it went dull in the center on first contact with the cutting board


There are certainly a number of possibilities as to why that could have happened:
- If the edge was rolling, it would be an issue with the heat treat being too soft.
- If you're using a glass cutting board, why do you hate me and everything I hold dear?
- If you're not creating a proper burr on both sides of the edge and then knocking it down progressively, you might instead be leaving a wire edge on the apex. That would make it _feel_ sharp immediately after finishing, but it would go dull almost instantly when you started using it.


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## wheresthefbomb (Nov 2, 2022)

Goodness no, wood cutting board all the way. I can't for the life of me understand why people use glass. 

I'm not super experienced with the whetstone so probably something in the area of option #3 is the culprit. I'll spend some more time with it in a couple days to make the angle a little less severe, I've sharpened this one on a friend's whetstone before but he was also giving me pointers over my shoulder whereas now I'm on my own working on trial and error.


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## KnightBrolaire (Nov 2, 2022)

wheresthefbomb said:


> Goodness no, wood cutting board all the way. I can't for the life of me understand why people use glass.
> 
> I'm not super experienced with the whetstone so probably something in the area of option #3 is the culprit. I'll spend some more time with it in a couple days to make the angle a little less severe, I've sharpened this one on a friend's whetstone before but he was also giving me pointers over my shoulder whereas now I'm on my own working on trial and error.


If your grind angles aren't aligned then that will also throw off the whole process. Having an angle guide is really handy ime. There are also a bunch of sharpening systems with settings for different blade angles. 
14-16 degrees is typical for kitchen knives. 

Unless your chef knife has a more robust chopping edge, it's probably better suited to slicing/dicing. 
Finer edges and shallower angles are more suited to less abusive tasks.


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## Xaios (Nov 2, 2022)

wheresthefbomb said:


> Goodness no, wood cutting board all the way. I can't for the life of me understand why people use glass.


People don't get that cutting boards are, at least compared to knives, consumables. The logic that people employ that leads them to glass cuttings boards is "My knife is wrecking my plastic or wooden cutting board" -> "glass is harder than plastic or wood" -> "my knife _won't _ruin a glass cutting board", failing to realize that the glass cutting board is just going to ruin their knives instead.

Of course, a lot of people also don't know that a properly maintained wooden cutting board can still last a lifetime. Just like proper knife maintenance, knowledge of how to do it is probably less common than it should be, even though the information is easily available and, if you're just going for a decently usable edge, it can be accomplished pretty inexpensively. For example, a couple months ago on Reddit, someone recounted how his mother kept buying new knives every couple weeks, because they supposedly went dull quite quickly, even though she tried to sharpen them.







...







This is how she tried to sharpen them.








...








(building anticipation...)


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## jaxadam (Nov 2, 2022)

Another one that gets me is people cutting on solid surface (granite or quartz) countertops. Yes, I’ve seen people do this.


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## CanserDYI (Nov 2, 2022)

jaxadam said:


> Another one that gets me is people cutting on solid surface (granite or quartz) countertops. Yes, I’ve seen people do this.


Jail. No questions, just jail.

Also, I don't have a knife sharpener in my house, I typically use the bottom of a ceramic bowl. How cringy am I?


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## Xaios (Nov 2, 2022)

CanserDYI said:


> Also, I don't have a knife sharpener in my house, I typically use the bottom of a ceramic bowl. How cringy am I?


It's really not that different than using a ceramic honing rod, so not that cringy.


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## CanserDYI (Nov 2, 2022)

Xaios said:


> It's really not that different than using a ceramic honing rod, so not that cringy.


Ngl, phew! I thought i was being stupid, my dad taught me that if I'm ever having to cut with a dull knife just to grab a ceramic bowl in a pinch, and for the rest of my life I just used the bowl instead of a damn sharpener


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## wheresthefbomb (Nov 2, 2022)

CanserDYI said:


> Ngl, phew! I thought i was being stupid, my dad taught me that if I'm ever having to cut with a dull knife just to grab a ceramic bowl in a pinch, and for the rest of my life I just used the bowl instead of a damn sharpener



A+ Dad wisdom.


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## Xaios (Nov 2, 2022)

CanserDYI said:


> Ngl, phew! I thought i was being stupid, my dad taught me that if I'm ever having to cut with a dull knife just to grab a ceramic bowl in a pinch, and for the rest of my life I just used the bowl instead of a damn sharpener


Using a ceramic bowl is better than using one of those pull-through sharpener abominations.


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## CanserDYI (Nov 2, 2022)

Xaios said:


> Using a ceramic bowl is better than using one of those pull-through sharpener abominations.


Good to know! What do those do that makes them unfit to use?


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## KnightBrolaire (Nov 2, 2022)

CanserDYI said:


> Good to know! What do those do that makes them unfit to use?


fixed sharpening angles on a lot of them. they also tend to have either a way too coarse option, or a really fine option, with nothing in between. 

you can also use car window edges as a ghetto sharpener in a pinch


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## Xaios (Nov 6, 2022)

Got a sweet deal on this little guy yesterday. Benchmade Bugout 535-3 in Carbon Fiber, S90V blade.


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## CanserDYI (Nov 16, 2022)

My mom got me a Swiss Army Knife "Ranger" from Victorinox earlier in the year, and I just got to really looking at it and enjoying it, and I really, really like it. It feels very nice in the hand, blades are sharp as hell, lots of useful tools, and just slips in the pocket really small.

I had one when I was a boy scout, and it must have been a fake or knock off or something because I always had this perception in my head that they were cheap feeling and light, and this one is not that!

EDIT: Forgot to mention how freaking amazing the scissors are on these. Any tips on how to keep the scissor edge sharp on these?


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## Xaios (Dec 25, 2022)

I'm in a knife collector group on FB (literally the only thing I still use it for) and we did a Secret Santa gift exchange. My Secret Santa sent me the _glorious_ chopper on the right, the TOPS El Chete. 12 inch blade, ¼" thick slab of 1095.




I sent my Secret Santa recipient a Bradford Guardian 3 and an Olight Arkfeld in titanium (one of which I also bought for myself. )


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