Looking for a knife

[engineermike]

I have not owned a knife in 30 years, I would like to know what is a good brand of knife to buy. I am open to all suggestions and opinions on all knives.

[carver]

Hello, and welcome to the forum! Your question is one that is wide open. What do you want this knife to do? A fighting knife? A hunting knife, a survival knife, or a camping knife? Help us help you, narrow it down a little. Personally, I really like the Gerber Big Rock. IMHO, it just about does it all. Check it out at: http://www.gerber-tools.com/Gerber-B...e-22-01589.php

[permafrost]

Good choice , Carver. they have some vids on youtube about them. All good.

[woolleyworm]

For an off the shelf knife, I'm a big fan of SOG or Benchmade. There are thousands of choices out there, so a little info on what your usage would be is needed.

Welcome to the forum and we'll see you around,

Woolley

[tim peterson]

engineermike welcome I would like to tell you about Cutco knives. In the past I have talked about Cutco in several threads for good reason. I have been buying,tradeing and selling hunting/fishing knives forty years. And most of them can not compare to cutco. My favorite is the white handle hunting knife in a gift box. The first time I saw it I laught this knife looks like a steak knife what a joke. I was dead wrong my knife has what they call the Double D serrated edge which works amazzingly well. Put it this way my buddy and I have field dressed eight big game animals with this knife and it is still very sharp. A lot of people get sticker shock when they go to Cutco.com. But with there service they are worth every dime!! Did I mention that there made in the USA. Well thats my 2cents worth good luck and have fun.

[denny 714]

Buck has pretty good stuff too!


Denny G.

[Albtraum]

Pretty much any cheap knife you find at smoke shops/ swap meet are not good knives. I own a Buck 110 and Gerber Evo and a CRKT M16, all are great, and I assume every knife those manufacturers make are made very well. However due to those knives' size, I think a Buck 55 or EVO Jr. would make the ideal every-day-carry folder.

I don't have any experience with quality fixed-blade knives.

[engineermike]

Yes, I am looking for a quality manufacturer. As to what kind I need would come later as to size feel etc. I see quite a lot of knives at gun shows and gun shops but know nothing about the quality. I see Browning, Winchester make knives but know nothing of the quality. I know there is balance and feel and that all steel blades are not the same. (I shave with a straight edge razor) I have never had a problem putting an edge on a knife (for others) but keeping an edge on poor quality blade is easy but keeping it is difficult. Just looking for brands that make quality knives that stand up to a little abuse and still keep an edge with a little steeling.

Buck and Case used to be among the best years ago but now Gerber and CRKT are new names to me. I'll check them out, I know everyone who sells knives will tell you they are the best but then you can't find them at the next show or they are cheap knock offs. Thanks for your opinions...

Mike

[Bill DeShivs]

Winchester, Browning, Remington, S&W, etc. don't make knives. They sell the name rights to others who generally have the knives made in China.
Even Puma makes very few of their own knives.
Benchmade is a good US maker, as is Case.

[engineermike]

Good to know Bill, thank you.

[terminator]

Buck and Case are manufacture good blades.

[cpttango30]

KERSHAW. The Leek is an amazing little knife assisted opening and sharp as hell.

I love kershaw knives and own three. Gerber are good knives but I find they are very hard to get sharp and keep sharp.

How much do you want to spend? What are you going to use it for?

Here is my next knife a SOG Aegis. http://sogknives.com/store/AE-02.html

[Hawg]

I carry a Case pocket knife with non stainless blades for ease of sharpening. You get a sharper edge too. They're getting harder to find tho. I'll bet your razor isn't stainless.

[Insulation Tim]

Personally, I feel that you can never go wrong with a Spyderco, Benchmade or Kershaw.

All are fine knives

[engineermike]

Well Hawg, One of my razors is stainless steel. It keeps the edge longer than any of the carbon steel razors I have but once it goes a little dull it take a while to put an edge back on it. I use the Norton man made stones and they work great, I also have a Norton flattening stone to keep my stone surfaces flat. I have read somewhere that the stainless steel in razor and knives is a softer material than carbon steel and that is why the edge last longer. (The edge will not break off as fast as the carbon steel edge)

Mike

[Awtoman]

My favorite knives are from a smaller family owned knifemaking company in Michigan called "Bark River Knife and Tool". They make several different knives of varying sizes and styles, and they offer several handle materials from durable stuff like micarta and G-10, as well as some exotic woods if that is your style. They use primarily a proprietary heat treated A2 steel for most of their knives, although several models are available in stainless steel and also CPM steel. Also, almost all of their knives are convex ground, which is how knives and such were sharpened before the machine age. It has regained popularity among several knifemakers because of its inherantly stronger edge, and ease of sharpening. For some reason, they also seem to be addictive. Commonly called "Barkies" by people who own, use, and collect them.

I guess I put them between production knife companies, and custom knifemakers. The best of both worlds.

Fallkniven makes some good knives as well.


Tom

[myfriendis410]

It's hard to give a good answer to your question without knowing what you're intended use is. If a pocket knife; I would favor a single blade locking folder. I personally carry a Cold Steel Ultimate Hunter and it's a good knife with excellent steel. If hunting; I have fallen in love with the Outdoor Edge knives. Their Swingblade is a fabulous gutter/skinner. For a fixed blade belt knife the options out there are nearly endless. You can spend less than $10 all the way up to thousands!

[steve666]

Benchmade or Kershaw are teriffic. Below are two of my favorites.

Benchmade Presidio:


Kershaw Blackout:

[dustydog]

Mike,would you be up to a little bit of lab experiment/TTD?I made knives for a living,and just recently started making again.Wondering how the intervening 15 years more time as a machinist have affected both my design sense and the sense of structure.Will be finishing out a batch of small belt knives in the next couple of weeks,and if you like;would be willing to send one off to you for trying it out.Simple functional designs,carbon steel(01,A2,L6),wooden slabs,but TOUGH.I also do my own leatherwork.

[carver]

Originally Posted by engineermike

Yes, I am looking for a quality manufacturer. As to what kind I need would come later as to size feel etc. I see quite a lot of knives at gun shows and gun shops but know nothing about the quality. I see Browning, Winchester make knives but know nothing of the quality. I know there is balance and feel and that all steel blades are not the same. (I shave with a straight edge razor) I have never had a problem putting an edge on a knife (for others) but keeping an edge on poor quality blade is easy but keeping it is difficult. Just looking for brands that make quality knives that stand up to a little abuse and still keep an edge with a little steeling.

Buck and Case used to be among the best years ago but now Gerber and CRKT are new names to me. I'll check them out, I know everyone who sells knives will tell you they are the best but then you can't find them at the next show or they are cheap knock offs. Thanks for your opinions...

Mike

A knife is just a tool. What works well for skinning out a critter, won't be the best choice for cutting wood for a camp fire. What do you want the knife to do? Some quality knife makers try to make a knife that will be a do it all knife, and some quality knife makers build knives for specific needs. Chop wood, slice tomattoes, skin a deer, defend your life, or do a little of everything? What are you looking for?

[cpttango30]

Ordered my Aegis Last Tuesday. Should be here early next week..

[joncutt87]

+1 for cutco

[Ronnie02]

Kershaw black horse II 1060A Oregon USA

[Mosin_Nagant_Fan]

I have a Cold Steel Spartan, a Puma folder (made in Germany), A Gerber folder (the Bear Grylls one) and a bunch of Buck knives and old hand-me-downs. The better quality is the Gerber, the Cold Steel and brown (or patina/rust; could be the finish reacting to my sweet.) and the Buck knives are just cheap and are not worth the $0.25 the stamped metal it's made from.

[carver]

Originally Posted by Mosin_Nagant_Fan

I have a Cold Steel Spartan, a Puma folder (made in Germany), A Gerber folder (the Bear Grylls one) and a bunch of Buck knives and old hand-me-downs. The better quality is the Gerber, the Cold Steel and brown (or patina/rust; could be the finish reacting to my sweet.) and the Buck knives are just cheap and are not worth the $0.25 the stamped metal it's made from.

I agree, all of these companies make good knives, when they are made here usually. Buck does have some of their cheaper knives made in China, and I wouldn't own one of them. They do have much better knives made right here in America.