Somebody explain to me the "knife" thing ...

[Glocktogo]

i cant explain it, but i have it. have since i was a kid. using various blades everyday to cut leather has only contributed to it. but personally, i dont see anything in alot of the modern tactical looking stuff with 9 different angles ground into the blade. i like traditional looking stuff. and even though i have some micarta/G10 handled knives, and some with ss blades, in my mind, knives should be carbon steel with wood, bone, or horn handles. just like guns should be blued steel and walnut. plastic is for butter bowls and kids toys, not knife handles, sheaths, holsters, or gunstocks

I can appreciate a traditional blade and very much want a nice Damascus fixed blade with curly maple scales, but I tend more towards the modern tactical type knives, just not the weird ones. My all time favorite is the Benchmade 805 TSEK. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATaTrhsrEvE It's a solid drop point blade without being bulky. It has plenty of belly, but doesn't have an edge contour that's difficult to sharpen. Plenty of overrun protection with the generous finger relief cut and the G-10 scales have plenty of grip without shredding your pocket. The Axis lock is smooth and easy to use. It opens and closes with one hand and doesn't put fingers in front of the edge when closing like a liner lock does. Best of all, this blade has just enough weight to snap open solidly with a flick of the wrist. No need for an opening assist mechanism with this one. It's faster to open than everything I've tried except the Emerson Wave blades, and you choose when it opens unlike the Waves.

With a good convex edge, this is a blade to be VERY respectful of. it cuts cleanly with minimal drag from the material you're working. I was momentarily careless with mine and a slight flick later, I was on my way to minor emergency with a 3/4 in cut on my ring finger that went to the bone. It cut so cleanly that I never even felt it. The doc even commented that he rarely sees such clean cuts. Took 10 stitches to close.

 

[sumoj275]

Not going to read through all the thread because I will end up wanting more steel and I am on a buyibg freeze at the moment since I have a few pieces on pre-order. For me a knife is a tool, a weapon, and a thing that connects me to the past. I have knives my great-granfather and even futher generations back carried and used. The knife is one of the oldest tools known to man, from the earliest days of man getting a sharp rock and using it to make life easier. The riddle of steel is in constant change, unlike a Glock that is the same no matter what you do to it. Shiney, painted, blued, brass, wood, ivory, stag, damascus, they are mine.

 

[sumoj275]

BTW, here are a few workers of mine
[Broken External Image]

 

[338Shooter]

I want that Waki.

 

[dennishoddy]

I've never been a real big knife person. I have had the same fillet knife, and hunting knife for more than 20 years. They do what I require of them, and thats all I need.
Pocket knifes have been a part of me since childhood. In cub scouts, we had meetings after school, on the school grounds. We were required to have a folding knife for some of the meetings. We just gave it to the teacher to put in her desk until class was out, and we went to the meeting.
Sure couldn't do that these days.

Normal pocket knives have never been anything real special, usually a Buck Stockman or something in that class.
A new pocket folder recently found its way to me.
Boker 38 line Damascus single blade folder. Talk about some nice steel! I can put a razor edge on it with a diamond hone, and it will keep it.

 

[DaveTec]

I love benchmade products. My brother bought me one 25 years ago, it's a bali song, and it is just awesome. Model 42 I believe.

I'd sure like to have this one tho:
http://www.benchmade.com/products/46DM
Just your everyday $2,000 butterfly blade.... LOL

 

[sumoj275]

Did you say BM Balisongs

 

[DaveTec]

MMMMmmm hmmmmm. Very nice collection of steel you have Sumoj275!

 

[the tR]

hey BB if you need any of your knifes sharpened just call on me... i can do it for you no problem...............

 

[Werewolf]

As many others have stated the knife one uses or displays is a function of what one wants out of it.

For use as a daily tool the knife should be ergonomic, hold an edge well enough that it doesn't require sharpening every time its used, be durable enough that it won't break when used for the chosen task, be shaped to accomplish its chosen task and not rust away.

A fighting knife has the same requirements as the knife used as a daily tool.

A knife one acquires as an object of art or for display or history or what ever and won't be used as a tool must simply be an accurate depiction of what ever it is that is on display. For example I've seen some really cool looking swords that are replica pieces straight out of a swords and sorcery novel. Sharp as all get out and made of steel. Problem is if one ever tried to use them as a weapon they'd probably do an adequate job against flesh but against a real sword made of weapons quality steel designed to be used against other swords - they'd last a couple of hits and then would break or fold. Totally useless as a fighting tool but mighty purty to look at and maybe hang on a wall. (lots of so called samurai swords around like that).

It all boils down to what one wants to do with the thing.