What do you like and why?

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I met up with some fellow High Roaders back in June, and everyone had brought their tacticutlery. (Everyone but me and the Dutchess of Lawnchair, who nevertheless wielded a mean spatula.) Skunkabilly had a small selection of high-dollar knives, and 45R brought a few from his extensive collection. Even Combat-wombat, young though he may be, had some items I couldn't afford without some dedicated savings efforts. Anyway...

I have a CRKT M16-02Z that I carry daily, one of those nifty Boker Top Lock folders that I call my "formal" knife, a decent "pre-ban" no-name butterfly that stays home and a bag full of assorted bayonets, survival knives and boot knives left over from my military days. (On my wish list: Tarani Buck Strider, Cold Steel tanto, and Buck Alpha Hunter. Oh, and one of those supersonic Tracker survival knives.)

Of course I have my preferences: I'm big on the tanto point with no serrations, but I'm willing to be versatile, and my major criterion (besides looks) is practicality. (I don't care about having the newest or the rarest thing on the market). I was just wondering what others carry/collect and why. Obviously it's personal preference (IS one point better than another?), but I'd like to hear what you all have to say. Sound off! :D
 
The remains of my collection that you, based on the OP, might find interesting:

1. Randall #14
2. Al Mar presentation model Applegate-Fairbairn dagger
3. Al Mar Special Forces knife (don't remember the name of it, but a custom version of it is still sold as "the hobbit warrior" or similar).
4. AG Russel "Specialist Dagger"
5. AG Russel tactical bowie (don't rememberr the name, it's the one with the tang milled out to make a small storage area, the dagger above is the same).
6. Blackjack Anaconda Bowie (this thing is enormous and eerily sharp)
7. Assorted Sting and Sting II bootknives from AG Russel
8. Very early (ca.1985) Gerber Guardian w/ carry package.
9. Chilean military issue Corvo.
10. Gerber Frisco Shiv (double-edged model)
11. Several Bali-Song Inc. (now known as Benchmade) butterfly knives that were their top o' the line at the time.
12. Pacific Cutlery (now Benchmade) Mamba (I thinK), whatever they called it, it is a kukri w/ a zytel sheath.
13. Gerber MkII bootknife it seems I've had for ever.
14. Couple of Western Cutlery bootknives from before they were bought out by Coleman.
15. Tekna knife w/ tekna straps and hard sheath.

There's two or three big boxes of knives that I haven't opened in years sitting around here, those are just the taktikewl toys I can remember right off the top of my head that are in one or another of them. There's probably other stuff you'd like. The best stuff, I gave away, along with a lot of stuff that was just good. Didn't buy too many wedding, graduation, baptism, etc. type gifts for years. It was easier, and more meaningful, to reach into my collection and choose something from there.
 
As I keyboard these words, I have around my neck a Cold Steel Para Edge in its synthetic sheath.

It's got the "bowie style" blade, and I have just resharpened it after using it in the yard to cut a bunch of forked sticks to prop up my wife's flowers that got blown over in the heavy rain and thunderstorm today.

I wear the Para Edge all the time, and use it to open envelopes, cut fishing line, anything you might use a small knife to do.

I also carry a Kershaw Leek in my pocket just about all the time, too. Its assisted opening feature makes it very easy to use one-handed.

I've got a big handmade Bowie that I got "just because" that I entertain friends with by slicing pop cans, and two-liter bottles full of water with one swipe. Those "cutting competition" tricks are really fun and easy to do once you get the hang of it. Most folks pick up how to cut cans very quickly.

I really want to take that big bowie on a wilderness trek this fall and do as much as I can with it...build a shelter, dress a deer, whatever I can.

One piece that I use a ton more than I ever thought I would is my HB Forge tomahawk. I've got a big woodpile, and usually when I grill out, I do it over chunks of wood, not charcoal from the store. Nothing is as handy at whacking slices of logs into grilling size chunks as my tomahawk. And the spike on the back is great for manipulating the logs and even stirring the coals in the grill.

The tomahawk is also to fun to use on gallon jugs full of water and is a good thrower.

To be honest, the knives I get the most utility out of are Rapala fillet knives. I've got a drawer full of various sizes and use them to fillet fish, slice fat and connective tissue off beef, slice veggies, all sorts of uses.

hillbilly
 
In a more abstract vein, I grew up with 'classic' drop point knives, and most were hollow-ground with a false top edge (I think). My dad used 'em for everything when we went camping, both as folders and fixed. So I have a major mental resistance to knives with any other blade style. I know other designs have benefits depending on intended use but they just look 'wrong' to me.

Anyone else have this issue?
 
For my everyday knife i have a Benchmade Griptilian 551 SBTOD which i love and go nowhere without, even school :D . I like it because it has the Axis lock hich is nice, i can take it apart and get it back together easy, its STRONG, its made about 20 minutes from my front door, was fairly priced for a US maded quality knife, and i have not found any thing it doesent like, salt water, acid, oil, gas, diesil, antifreeze, or anything else. great knife.

I also have my "woods" knife, it is a old Boker that is SOOOO sharp! i found it or something so that is why i have it and i just like it because it has been good. It shares its chores with my "big" kershaw which i got from a friend for free.

My other knives are verious other quality and crap knives.

OVER ALL THE BEST KNIFE I HAVE IS MY BENCHMADE!!!!! PERIOD.
 
After getting quite burned out on knives over the years, I've finally found a new favorite - the Benchmade/Doug Ritter RSK Mk1. It's basically a Benchmade Griptillian 551 with a flat-ground S30V blade profiled something like a Sebezna. Great knife - holds an edge well, strong lock, nice wide blade that cuts like a straight razor. Not terribly expensive, either. This is my day-to-day carry knife.

I have a few others, but nothing too special.

- Chris
 
I'm down to just a few knives.

I have 3 or 4 quality multitools- a Gerber, a Bear, at least one Leatherman
A Spyderco Native
A Benchmade Mini AFCK (thanks, George)
A Shrade FB in the pack
A HI WW II 16.5
A HI 21" Chitlangi
A custom clip point fighter by Dan Koster
A WW II Japanese NCO sword

That's about it, currently.

John
 
Thank you, Sir. Going from left to right, row by row:
Buck Mayo TNT, Tighe-Breaker - by Brian Tighe
Polkowski CQ4 (IWB Kydex), Hayes Baby Hayabusa (Neck Kydex)
Dervish Zanshin (see all at www.dervishknives.com ) - this one rules
I've been through hundreds of knives are here are my personal finalists. I may add a true bowie and a Pirela folder at some point, but my wife begged me to not buy anymore knives. Didn't say not one word about guns.
 
That is a brute! I'm sure it feels a lot bigger than the length dimensions would suggest.

5160 with a good heat treat should be about ideal for a hack 'em knife.

Do you know what "zanshin" means? :) It's a good name.

John
 
It's really quite the keeper. Not sure what "Zanshin" means, but it's probably something like "one step closer and you're gone". Just a guess.
As you can see, I'm a big fan of finger grooves and guards and this one has it covered while maintaining a traditional Japanese flare with the utility of a bowie. I've never seen anything like it before.
 
I like cheap knives. It makes no difference if you cut or thrust into flesh. BTW, I presently have 46" barrel Brown Bess replica & bayonet in the corner of my room. If a burglar came and I pig-stick him, that ought to make for an interesting police report.:uhoh:
 
Good grief. I have been through so many. Now I carry a Benchmade AFCK or Griptilian everyday.Got a few Garand Bayonets just need a WT and onieta if anyone has one for sale. Used to carry a CQC7 all the time but it got snatched out of luggage. You remember the 80's generic wood and brass handled lockblades? Got one of them too. Its in the tackle box. Few gerbers, Swiss army knife, multitools, SOG Seal 2000 under the front seat of the car, others scattered around.
 
what others carry/collect and why...

My knife accumulation has been getting more and more focused. What started off as a pile of manufacturers is now almost entirely Spyderco and HI/ Khukuris. The Spydies strike me as uniquely innovative. The Khuks are harder to explain - I just like 'em and the guy that sells 'em. They sure can't be beat on a "tonnage per dollar" basis. I've got all the khuks I can handle for now - current purchases are Spydie.

Almost every other NIB piece of cutlery has been traded off, given away or, in the case of a pair of numbered Randall RKS #4's, donated to a worthy cause.

"Oddballs" which I will not part with: Chris Reeve Large Sebby and SpeedTech plunger lock.

EDC is generally the Sebbie, a Calypso Jr. or a MeerKat. The Meerkat is great fun in a "Chinese finger trap puzzle" sort of way. The other two are just plain practical. A Civilian goes along occasionally - in honor of Skunkabilly, I got one with carbon fiber scales. :cool:

"Sunday go to meeting" knife is a Spydie Kiwi. Very PC, that.
 
Benchmade AFCK Axis D2 and Fallkniven F1 and A1 are my only knives worth anything besides my unique Case XX Warncliffe prototype. The duty knives are where I have struck my balance between expensive enough to be really qaulity tools and inexpensive enough to contemplate destructive usage if necessary.
 
HI/ Khukuris...I just like 'em and the guy that sells 'em. They sure can't be beat on a "tonnage per dollar" basis.
Click to expand...

Yup. Everyone who would be interested in large, neat, incredibly tough handmade knives should check out the HI forum on Bladeforums.com. Great deals, super people.

John
 
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