What knife do you carry? Been leaning towards this one http://www.gerberblades.com/products/view.php?model=5922 But there is a lot of nice ones out there. Want a good everyday knife, to clip on pocket and use for everything. So whip out the knife porn and lets see some recommendations. Thanks.
Knives
- Thread starter Str0ud
- Start date
That Gerber is a piece of shit. It has tip-down carry and it's a liner lock.
You can do much better. Such as a 710HS:
That's the Benchmade 710HS. It has several advantages over the Gerber. It has an AXIS Lock and not a liner lock. The AXIS is easier to use, fully ambidextrous, smoother, stronger, and never wears out. The 710HS also has a carbon steel blade instead of stainless.
If the 710HS is too pricey, the Benchmade 551 is still miles ahead of the Gerber:
The Benchmade 551 series is also available in ComboEdge if that is your preference:
You can do much better. Such as a 710HS:
That's the Benchmade 710HS. It has several advantages over the Gerber. It has an AXIS Lock and not a liner lock. The AXIS is easier to use, fully ambidextrous, smoother, stronger, and never wears out. The 710HS also has a carbon steel blade instead of stainless.
If the 710HS is too pricey, the Benchmade 551 is still miles ahead of the Gerber:
The Benchmade 551 series is also available in ComboEdge if that is your preference:
That's no bullshit.
I've cut my fingers on many different knives throughout my illustrious camping career. CRKT, Gerber, SOG, Buck, Spyderco... Say anything you want about those knives, they're all shit compared to the Axis lock Benchmades.
I've cut my fingers on many different knives throughout my illustrious camping career. CRKT, Gerber, SOG, Buck, Spyderco... Say anything you want about those knives, they're all shit compared to the Axis lock Benchmades.
Correct
John is right,
I personally carry a CRKT M-16 with the titanium grips and the tactical lock, but a Benchmade knife is hard to beat for a working knife. In my personal opinion, a knife blade that is made of proper stainless steel is junk. The others may require maintainance more often to prevent corrosion, but in the end are far better quality, and one can produce a much finer cutting edge on them.
As well, I prefer a partially serrated blade to a straight one on a working knife, although for fighting they have a nasty tendancy to snag in clothing, a disadvantage that far outweighs their deeper cutting ability.
Now, liner locks do tend to wear out, and I hate to admit that, because I have been using them for quite some time. I love them, but everything has a disadvantage, right? On certain CRKT knives there is a liner lock plus a seperate tactical lock which prevents the liner from moving, and it's quite effective, but in the long run it will still chance being replaced more often than other locking mechanisms.
Cheers,
Kennith
John is right,
I personally carry a CRKT M-16 with the titanium grips and the tactical lock, but a Benchmade knife is hard to beat for a working knife. In my personal opinion, a knife blade that is made of proper stainless steel is junk. The others may require maintainance more often to prevent corrosion, but in the end are far better quality, and one can produce a much finer cutting edge on them.
As well, I prefer a partially serrated blade to a straight one on a working knife, although for fighting they have a nasty tendancy to snag in clothing, a disadvantage that far outweighs their deeper cutting ability.
Now, liner locks do tend to wear out, and I hate to admit that, because I have been using them for quite some time. I love them, but everything has a disadvantage, right? On certain CRKT knives there is a liner lock plus a seperate tactical lock which prevents the liner from moving, and it's quite effective, but in the long run it will still chance being replaced more often than other locking mechanisms.
Cheers,
Kennith
kennith said:
Not the AXIS Lock. The AXIS is one of those rare things that is better in every way, at least when compared to liner locks and frame locks. It's smoother. It's faster. It's easier to use. It's fully ambidextrous. It's stronger. And, importantly, it will never wear out and it will always achieve a very tight and secure lock-up. There's also redundancy in the AXIS in that if one of the omega springs pushing the AXIS bar should fail, the lock will still work perfectly with a single omega spring.
The AXIS bar is free to rotate when the knife is not locked open, so wear is distributed along its entire circumference rather than on the same spot every time the knife is used. The angled tang on the blade also permits the AXIS bar to seat farther forward as the AXIS bar and tang suffer wear and tear. Compare these two 710's:
You can see that the blades are locked open, and yet the AXIS bars are still not fully forward within their recess slots. As the blade tang and AXIS wear (and they wear much more slowly than on a liner lock), the AXIS bar is free to seat farther forward. I have never seen an AXIS Lock that was worn enough that the AXIS bar seated all the way at the front of the recess slot.
(Also note how both AXIS bars are seated to exactly the same position on both knives, even though Benchmade knives are simply assembled from component pieces and never hand-fitted in any way. Such are the production tolerances on Benchmade knives.)
If you're into shotguns, the AXIS locking mechanism is similar in principle and superiority to the locking mechanism on the Krieghoff K-80:
Note how the locking surfaces are angled and the top cap is free to seat farther forward as the shotgun wears with use. As the top cap seats, the barrel flats are pushed down against the top of the receiver and a vault-tight lock-up is achieved every time. There are no lumps in the Krieghoff system, as none is needed. I have never even heard of a K-80 coming off the face and it's not uncommon to see K80's fire a million rounds or even more and still remain serviceable. The AXIS is similar in principle to the K-80's locking mechanism. Both locking mechanisms make other locking mechanisms look like junk in comparison.
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I have the same Gerber knife but in blue. I like it a lot and have had it for about a year now. I carry it everyday and use it alot so it gets beat up but still works well, only had it sharpened once. I am also left handed and i can open it just fine with either hand. The price was right for me at the time, i think i paid $45, but my next knife would be a benchmade.
S
Silent Z
Guest
Hmmm...
John,
That sounds like an interesting mechanism. Quite so, as my CRKT blade wobbles now, due to the thin liner lock being all that keeps it rigid. One of these days I should like to get a closer look at one of those locks. At the last NRA convention (Pittsburgh) I saw a few, but all the commotion prevented me from really examining them. All the knife booths were quite crowded. It was just as well, though, as at another booth a nice lady let me handle a 70,000 dollar Holland and Holland side by side.
Cheers,
Kennith
John,
That sounds like an interesting mechanism. Quite so, as my CRKT blade wobbles now, due to the thin liner lock being all that keeps it rigid. One of these days I should like to get a closer look at one of those locks. At the last NRA convention (Pittsburgh) I saw a few, but all the commotion prevented me from really examining them. All the knife booths were quite crowded. It was just as well, though, as at another booth a nice lady let me handle a 70,000 dollar Holland and Holland side by side.
Cheers,
Kennith
nickb857 said:
A very fine double-barreled British shotgun. Barrels are located side-to-side as opposed to over/under.
http://www.hollandandholland.com
Kennith-
I'm a newbie to knife design (although I've carried them for years) and I also thought that a truly stainless blade was too hard and wouldn't hold an edge as opposed to high carbon steel. The closest I would come to a "stainless" blade was 154CM or ATS-34 (similiar material to 154CM but made by Hitachi in Japan). It's my understanding that both are still relatively high carbon materials yet have "stainless" qualities.
Several years ago I bought a Klotzli line lock folder in 440C and was pleasantly surprised that it seemed to still hold a decent edge compared to 154CM (granted it's not damascus or D2). However, the knife (Model CHW M1Y-CS) was too delicate for a daily carry knife.
http://www.klotzli.com
After John showed me the Benchmade AXIS mechanism (which I had never seen) I was impressed and have since picked up two Benchmade AXIS knives, a model 805 and a 732. Both are great knives.
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kennith said:
This is hilarious. People are crowding around knife booths and leaving the H&H booth open? Unreal.
L
LWBCLARK
Guest
I'm a soldier and go through [read: lose in the woods] knives like mad. I've tried several of the knives mentioned and Benchmade knives are by far the best. The knives are great, but it is the customer service that takes the cake. I've had a Benchmade automatic for about 5 years and recently sent it back for service (pocket clip addition and mechanism cleaning). After 2 weeks Benchmade called me and offered me a new one (if I didn't mind!!) because their shop was way backlogged. I have had several other positive experience with the Benchmade team. Good kit, supported by good people, can't be beat.
For general use the CRKT M16 is a good knife too, but I also developed the wobbly blade (after 3 years).
Clark
For general use the CRKT M16 is a good knife too, but I also developed the wobbly blade (after 3 years).
Clark
John,
Yeah, this years NRA convention was more about the attractions and discounted gear, I think. Even I bought a remote control off road light for 10 dollars.
Greg,
Generally, the higher carbon steels will have some properties which can prevent heavy corrosion, but it's streight 440 stainless steel and it's siblings that I hate. They are a pain to sharpen, and the edge chips too easily for my tastes.
Cheers,
Kennith
Yeah, this years NRA convention was more about the attractions and discounted gear, I think. Even I bought a remote control off road light for 10 dollars.
Greg,
Generally, the higher carbon steels will have some properties which can prevent heavy corrosion, but it's streight 440 stainless steel and it's siblings that I hate. They are a pain to sharpen, and the edge chips too easily for my tastes.
Cheers,
Kennith
This may be a dumb place to interject, but my husband and I have been talking about getting a small knife that I can carry for protection. There have been a lot of assaults around our campus lately and there is a serial rapist here!!! So, I want one that I can open and close easily with one hand, something small enough to fit in a purse, but also strong and durable. I can use it when we camp, etc.
Is there a small benchmade that would work?
Thanks, and sorry to put a girl in your discussion....
Is there a small benchmade that would work?
Thanks, and sorry to put a girl in your discussion....
I would think something like mace or a taser would be better for protection in those scenerios.
If you want to get the knife, i'd recommend getting a differnet one for protection than when you camp. Protection all you really need is something small, 4" or so, and something fast. Depending on your local laws, a subway-style switchblade would probably be your best bet. They are the ones that are spring-loaded and pop out the top. They are also pretty safe, as they'll stop opening if they feel any resistance.
If you want to get the knife, i'd recommend getting a differnet one for protection than when you camp. Protection all you really need is something small, 4" or so, and something fast. Depending on your local laws, a subway-style switchblade would probably be your best bet. They are the ones that are spring-loaded and pop out the top. They are also pretty safe, as they'll stop opening if they feel any resistance.
I don't think I want anything spring-loaded, switchblade style. I just mean I don't want to use two hands to close the thing all the time. Maybe that's a dumb statement, but my husband suggested a Spyderco similar to one he has. It's great, but you have to push the release on the handle to close the thing without cutting yourself.
Sorry if I jumped in where I shouldn't have.....
Sorry if I jumped in where I shouldn't have.....
johnlee said:
she said a knife that she wanted to use for protection.. i had a subway-style switchblade years ago, you could put the thing within an inch of your skin and open it and it'd stop without even the feeling of a pin-prick, but once it was opened and locked, it was sturdy.
but like I said when I first started my post.. if she wants something for protection, I don't think a knife is the best bet.. with using it, you'll have two options, to either hopefully scare away the attacker, or in the worst case, stab him.. either of which sound way too risky to me.. thats why I recommended either mace or taser/stun gun.. they are faster and will end up stopping him dead in his tracks while you have the chance to run.