Knife/Survival Knife Info.

[Ole WV Coot]

I can't pass this one up. That knife is a piece of junk for anything except maybe throwing. It's being sold for it's "MEAN" appearance and you can't buy a decent piece of steel for $10. I know my opinion don't mean much but like the ole saying " To each his own said the Farmer as he kissed his pig" buy whatever turns you on and what works for you. I have several knives and three goodies from that little skirmish in the '60s, EK edge & 1/2, USMC K-Bar and Gerber Mark I. Two fighters and the K-Bar for everything else. But I ALWAYS carry a SAK & a SOG Flash II. Save your money and look for a name brand for utility with about a 4"blade. Like I said, I don't think you've handled enough steel yet.

[pgvoutdoors]

Maxam Knives are cheap collectible knives, Not work knives. Sorry. Luckily you can find many good knives at reasonable prices out there. Good Luck....

[Rick]

Chop - Now don't take offense. I did say you were entitled to your opinion. Whatever works for you, works. I just don't want some of the younger or less experienced folks on here to think they have to pay top dollar for good steel. That's all. Everyone on here believes it's the second most important thing you can have (your brain is number one) but we're in your corner on the equipment part.

Here's another post on knives and Mitch did a great write up.

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...ead.php?t=1430

That's the way it works around here. If folks don't agree they say so. You should have seen them jump on me about the twinkie survival food.......

[Beo]

I have to agree with OleWVCoot on this one, as I read a review on that knife and it said:
There is a problem with the deep checkering on the grip as it is easily contaminated with food and can be difficult to clean, it does however give a very secure grip even when lubricated with fats and oils. For carving woods, the thin edge of the Solution readily makes deep slices and is easily controlable to allow shallow shaping cuts. It was also used for light batoning and it worked ok however the boxy handle was very uncomfortable and vibrations from impacts made heavy batoning quickly nonfunctional.
On harder woods there were durability issues. The solution was chopped into 5/8" thick birch, and torqued to the side which left a huge piece of the edge in the wood. This was repeated breaking out another large pice. The penetration into the wood was fairly low, as the handle ergonomic issues prevented serious swings. For similar reasoning it wasn't heavy torque, just wrist rotation. The Solution was then batoned into a spruce log and walked on. with 1.5" of the blade in the wood it easily took 200 lbs on the handle. However a light pop from a hammer to loosen it and the blade broke in half and another piece broke out of the edge up by the handle, not in the impact area, just from the vibration in the blade. Cutting a variety of light materials like bubble wrap, plastics, paper and fabrics, the Solution was very efficient as these materials are too flimsy to exert any pressure on a blade so as long as it is sharp it will cut that class of material well. However on thick cardboard and other binding materials the blade would wedge readily due to the sabre grind, on such materials a higher grind would be more efficient, however it still outperforms blades like the Camp Tramp which while having a higher grind has a thicker edge.
The Solution was used to dig a hole in rocky soil large enough to fit a one gallon bucket. The edge chipped readily in rock contacts, about 0.5 millimeters deep, three large visible chips, the tip also fractured, lost about a millimeter. No fine cutting ability was left on the edge used to dig, the Solution could not even score ropes for example. This was semi-stressful digging, initially using the knife as pick and shovel, but as the hole progressed more as a pick with the off hand removing the debris. It was not going really light trying to concentrate impacts on the spine, which make it easy on the knife but hard on the user, but nor was it raising the knife up and slamming it hard like a pick, it was more poking than actual stabbing as would be done with an actual pick.
It took 10 minutes to fully resharpen the blade. The edge was reset with an x-coarse waterstone (7.5 minutes), then honed on a 1000 and then microbeveled on a Sharpmaker to a hair popping level of sharpness. The chips were not removed, this would have lost too much metal, the rest of the edge was just brought back to full sharpness. The tip was also still damaged, penetration was 58 +/- 5 on phonebook, less than half of optimal. It would require the removal another half a millimeter of edge to bring the tip back in line, too much material wasted, it would be more sensible to sweep the edge up.
Much of the promotion for this knife is centered on extreme toughness "where failure is not an option", however this really isn't a sharpened prybar kind of knife. The blade steel, ATS-34, is a high carbon, high alloy stainless steel, and is uniformly heat treated 59-61 HRC. The steel has good corrosion resistance, high abrasion resistance, high strength, however low ductility and low impact toughness. It is difficult to bend but will snap under a low flex, and will deform very little before it chips. The the Solution has a decently thin and acute edge and thus cuts well for shallow work, it compares for example to some of the better Spyderco folders in this regard. However the efficient cutting edge also leads to a low durablity, combined with the brittle steel leads to chipping readily on significant impacts and blowouts of the primary grind possible even in moderate wood working. This is more of a skinner than a tactical utility blade.
Source: Blade Magazine
You pay $230 for that... pfffffft please. No thanks I'll keep my handmade hunter its tested, tried, and proven.
Beo,

[Rick]

PGV - I'm confused. Where did Maxam come in?

[Beo]

Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut I still say knife choice is all the individual preference of the person. What works for me might not be what most want, but I do say spending $230 on a knife is ridonkuless.

[Tony uk]

The coldsteel bushman is only about 29.99 (On their site, still got p&p.....) and it is one the the best survival knifes made for that price, For a knife that i would use i would look to spend Max 70 to 80 on one, any higher and it a waste of good money for other gear

Mora knifes are the cheapest ones ive seen, But for their price they last for years with no ill-faults, Im sure there is a link on this site

[jimkho]

If your really want one knife to depend upon it's th eTom Brown Tracker (got mine from TOPS knives) in my opinion. A little heavy but it can do a lot of things well.

[Rick]

Hey, jimkho. Care to go over to the introductions page and introduce yourself? Thanks.

[jimkho]

You mean your mother hasn't told you about me yet?

[Tony uk]

You mean your mother hasn't told you about me yet?

I hope your jokeing jimkho, Because that wasnt very funny

[Rick]

Okay....No, But I'll be sure to ask her, though. The rest of the folks on here might like to know something about you.

[chopp29]

hey Rick and everyone else no offense taken at all, Like I said Im new to the whole forum thing and just by reading all yall post I can tell yall are some pretty good guys. I do agree that a younger guy starting out on a budget does not need to go out and buy a $230. But like you said to each his own. Me personally I have the money, I have everything else I need for now anyway, And the Buck solution Is a very solid knife. I know alot of people had somehting to say about me spending $230 on a knife when there are ones for $20. But can anyone out there honestly tell me that if you were dropped off in the middle of no mans land with nothing but a knife, and you had a choice to pick from a well made quality $230 knife are a $20 knife, which would you trust with your life......Thats all I was saying

[Rick]

Well, I've made no secret of it. I carry a cheap Japanese stainless for a lot of years. It works, that's all I care about. I love it even if it is ugly.

[Ole WV Coot]

I have dropped more than a few dollars on knives that were only good to clean my nails with. I bought whole display cases years ago of Case XX in and around DC. Some hardware stores I had to pay half in advance to get them to take all the XX knives out of their case and replace them with the same knife that had the USA on them. They thought I wasn't all there, but try buying those mint XX Case stags now. Buy what you like, I like a good knife and have lots that never have or will be used or sharpened.

[Rick]

Hey, Chopp - No offense taken. You can buy whatever makes your heart happy. I've worked with guys just like you. They would rather drop 200 bucks on a knife that breath for ten more minutes (well, almost). That's what made them happy. Same for guns. My wife's cousin's husband (I sure hope I got that right) has a complete arsenal. Literally anything and everything you could ever imagine from muzzle loader to single shot to semi to full auto. Sniper rifles across the board including a .50. Walking into his "safe room" is like walking into some weapons museum. Tens of thousands of dollars of guns (maybe more, I don't know). I don't understand that either but it makes him happy and his wife doesn't care so who I am to harp?

[Beo]

Chopps, never worry bro, we rant and rage on here all the time, but we're still e-friends. And every opinion is important and needed as thats what keeps us so strong pulling people to the site and teaching and learning. Personally I think knife choice is a personal preference by each individual. I have spent some bucks on some knives, traded and swapped some knives, and even been at shooting matches for knives. Some I use some I don't. Peronal choice bro. As long as you like it and are comfortable with it then by all means carry it.

[chopp29]

I agree you guys rock...........

[Lost Lebowski]

There are a lot of crappy knives listed here. I have read and researched as much as I could about meatallurgy, steels, and bladesmithing. (yeah I'm OCD)Also I have used, really used, dozens of different blades. Here are my 2 cents...
Serrated blades are best for marine aplications such as diving or sea kyaking where cutting cord, rope and monofilaments are a must
For Bushcraft serrated blades suck
Learning to properly sharpen a blade is easy
Buy a tiny diamond/ceramic wet stone
knives marketed as "Survival knives" are ****. (Hollow handle types)
No serious hunter or suvivalist carries a Bowie knife
A fixed blade between 3.5-4.5 inches is the most useful
Buy only full tang knives
Blade thickness should be a minimum of 3/16"
Handle material musn't become slippery when wet
No double edged blades..safety and for batoning
440c ss is for marine aplications
Cowry X is the best blade steel in human history RC hardness = 64!
Laminated VG 10 RC ~60is the less expensive alternative, plaine VG 10 RC 58-59next then D2 tool steel and 1080 tool steel

And Finally FallKniven makes the best production knives in the world. The F1 with micarta handle is the best knife I have ever owned and I own several expensive custom knives. It's totally hand made and perfectly balanced and only Fallkniven makes laminateds VG-10

We shed light it's up to others to listen

[Lost Lebowski]

P.S. I also Always bring a small SAK like the victorinox climber for the tools and as a back up...almost no added weight.

Everyone has there own preferences but my bullets are the basics for choosing your primary sharp.