a basic knife you should own

Grumpy

The Grumpy Grease Monkey mechanical engineer.
Staff member
cutting tools are some of the oldest and most basic,
I know I rarely go anyplace without having some type of edged/cutting tool in my pocket.
on the rare days I screw up and forget to slip some type of cutting tool in my pocket I invariably ,
regret doing so within a few minutes or hours.
I've generally made it a point to check I have KEYS,
cell phone,
wallet, at least one pocket knife,
and on almost all days a second marginally larger sheath knife,
and almost without regret a few other items
, like my 10mm glock,
a cigarette lighter,
a small pad,
pen and calculator,
as Ive found having a few basic tools at hand tends to make life run smoother



the sharade woodsman , is a great value, you really will generally
have a very hard time finding anything that works as well for 3-5 times the price,
yes that old timer sharp finger is also a damn good value.
Ive used both and have a small preference for the first or upper knife pictured
SCH152OTL.jpg

two decent values in less expensive hunting knives
SCH165OT.jpg


49LRT_1__41304.1607300827.jpg





yeah the san-mai versions a bit higher quality and much more expensive

35AM_1__00405.1607300821.jpg


these are reasonably large, yet still reasonably easy to conceal,
and yet potentially very lethal in trained hands
this is about the minimal blade length, and weight, etc.
Id suggest for both survival and tactical use.
knives like the kabar and 6"-7" tanto are very effective but not ideal blades


a second option
these are very durable but,
Ive never been able to get a true razor edge on mine
like the cold steel recon tanto

the marine.... ka-bar

41Cexr4h1ZL._AC_.jpg




 
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I carried this TRAIL MASTER as my larger blade on the first 7-8 out of state elk hunts,
along with a smaller, from what Ive seen over the decades,
you really can't expect a single blade size or design to handle all types of jobs reasonably well,
I vastly prefer full tang non-folder knife designs.

but you can select two blades :like:that will function well in most applications
for the larger blade ID strongly suggest nothing less 1/4" thick or less than 6"-8",
and a minimum of 5/16" thick & 9"-13" length had advantages.
( ESPECIALLY if you expect the blade to chop effectively)

on the smaller blade 1/8"-3/16" blade thickness and 3.5"-5" is about the most you can use for delicate/precise work.
SHARADE old timer,
that was mostly used for dressing out deer & elk
there were very few tasks that one or the other could not easily accomplish

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timthumb.php


https://www.knifecenter.com/item/SCH152OT/schrade-152ot-old-timer-sharpfinger-fixed-delrin-handles
if you want a better chopping blade , than a bowie, a KUKRI functions better than a tomahawk or hatchet .
and still works reasonably well as a knife,

I've used both the trail master and cold steel kukri on over a dozen hunting trips each.
both are effective choppers and very effective as lethal weapons
cskukriz.jpg


http://www.coldsteel.com/Product/39LGKT ... KUKRI.aspx
BTW I've never trusted any folding knife design.
I watched a buddy try to finish off a large hog by stabbing it in the neck,

as it thrashed around with an arrow in its shoulder, and snap of a folders blade
I've seen the pivot pins and handles break under pressure too many times,

and one of my friends required several stitches after he had a buck 110 folder break in his hands ,
as he foolishly tried to cut away a shoulder on an elk, which is not all that difficult to do,
but he was applying pressure sideways on the knifes pivot pin.

nothing impresses you as much as watching a buddy screw up, and as a result
slice himself & him bleeding like a stuck pig several hours away from a hospital.
even if it was his own stupidity, that caused the knife to break.
obviously you can screw up with, or cut yourself badly if you use of a fixed blade, :facepalm:
but your very unlikely to break the blade, on a high quality knife,
anywhere near as easily as you can bust a pivot pin or lock on a folder.
 
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