Ok Hammer- you successfully cost me some money!

-DP

I encourage more arm-shaving demonstrations.

Zzz wrote:I encourage more arm-shaving demonstrations.

with Video! got to make sure didn't actually use the razor instead. cant seam to get my knifes that sharp.

Hammer maybe you have some good tips for getting a razor edge on a knife. I have one knife that won't sharpen for anything, I can have other knifes shaving no problem and this one wont take an edge that would cut butter.

In some cases...

Knifes can lose their temper if sharpened incorrectly. The alloys will actually separate in the sharp edge and will be harder to sharpen. Basically getting softer.

denalipilot wrote:Ok Hammer- you successfully cost me some money!

-DP

You won't regret it Denali. It's not perfect, but it's probably the single best utility knife I've come across for the average discriminating user. If I was going to generically recommend one knife for everyone, The F1 would be it.

Zzz wrote:I encourage more arm-shaving demonstrations.

You sure that was my arm?

cstolaircraft wrote:Hammer maybe you have some good tips for getting a razor edge on a knife. I have one knife that won't sharpen for anything, I can have other knifes shaving no problem and this one wont take an edge that would cut butter.

Some knives just won't take an edge and there's nothing you can do about that. Sometimes it's a poor brand of knife and sometimes it's poor manufacturing from a good brand. I've got a Benchmade that's absolute crap... bad batch of steel or poor heat treat or it got abused when they ground it at the factory. Whatever the cause it simply will not take an edge.

Sharpening is a bit like painting a picture. It should be simple mechanics, but there's just as much art involved as there is science. I've been routinely sharpening knives and axes for over forty years, and while I'm better at it than most folks, I still feel like a hack. There's a hundred different techniques that will put a edge on a knife, but they all take lots and lots and lots of practice to be effective.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/As-Seen-on-TV ... r/21675590

Idk what it is with this knife but its horrible I have had pretty good luck with the other old timer knifes I have had they sharpen great my leatherman is like a razor. so I guess its just a junk knife. could explain how I come to own it tho too.

Hammer wrote:

Zzz wrote:I encourage more arm-shaving demonstrations.

You sure that was my arm?

I can be sure of nothing, and surely my deductive reasoning means little here, but I am hopeful.

Zzz wrote:

Hammer wrote:

Zzz wrote:I encourage more arm-shaving demonstrations.

You sure that was my arm?

I can be sure of nothing, and surely my deductive reasoning means little here, but I am hopeful.

Well it was my arm. Probably the least hairy part on me unfortunately.

I seem to be unable to quote from early in the discussion, but Oregon 180, I agree that the Mora Companion (or any other knife they make) is superb, especially for the price. For a knife to actually get some work done I'd rather have a $20 Mora than any of the Benchmade, Spyderco, Microtech, etc. folding knives out there at TEN times the price.

fshaw, that William Henry carbon is a thing of beauty. My wife wanted to get me a William Henry for our anniversary and in an almost panic I blurted "Are you phucking crazy? You know how I use my knives!" Sooner or later I was going to use it to carve a spoon out of hard maple, and that's just not what they were built for.

Never too many knives...there are just so many great ones out there...

I definitely consider myself a beginner, but I've been working on improving my knife maintenance and sharpening game for the last year or so. Maintenance is really key, but for sharpening I've had good success using synthetic Japanese water stones. It's really a pretty satisfying way to spend some time.

Mike from MCQBushcraft has one of my favorite channels on youtube. If you're interested in bushcraft stuff with production values above most TV shows, I highly recommend it. He has a whole basics series that's really informative. Here's the episode on sharpening knives.

Hammer,

I think you'd be surprised about the stoutness of the William Henry for as light as it is. I carry mine nearly every day often when guiding including whitewater rafting trips. I got dragged over the rocks one day after "emergency exiting" my raft and the pocket clip has the gouges to prove it. I've boned out whitetail deer with it including opening joints to the point where I could dislocate them by hand and then finish separating them with the knife. I don't pry with it or use it as a screw driver but pretty much anything else is fair game. It still locks up butter smooth and tight with the blade centered. Hard maple carving might be a bit over the top though. I like it enough that I purchased a second one online. Both were used when I got them. If I could only have one folder, it would probably be the one. High quality steel, carbon fiber and 1.6 oz (44 gm. weighed on a scientific scale). If they ever made the T12 CF again I's seriously consider a new one especially if if was in ZPD-189 or M390 and tempered hard.

If your wife ever offers to buy you another one, don't stop her. You'll be well pleased.

Thanks for the work you've done for me. Your craftsmanship is exceptional.

Best regards.

Frank

Kbar, I carried one all the time I was in the army (I know bit is a marine knife). Held an edge nicely and never let me down, hacked wood with it, cleaned rust stains out if toilets with it, and yes, ate with it. That knife had more jumps than 90 percent of the army airborne troops. Lost it in eagle river on a camping trip....erf. bought another. A million marines, and a handful of army Rangers can't be wrong. Leatherman is in my pocket.

hammer wrote:You won't regret it Denali. It's not perfect, but it's probably the single best utility knife I've come across for the average discriminating user. If I was going to generically recommend one knife for everyone, The F1 would be it.

X2 - I've had one about 3-yrs and if I had to choose only 1 knife, this would be it. It is just a great all around and tough as nails tool.

One knife I keep coming back to again and again is my EnZo Trapper in O1 carbon steel. It's a favorite knife when I want something a little stouter than my slim puukko's but don't need the all-weather capability of the Fallkniven F1. Generally when the weather gets colder and I know I'm going to have to make more fires I cary a bit stouter knife, and the Trapper fits the bill. When it gets colder still I ad an axe.


I bought the knife blade and put on my own handle. The mahogany wood came from a slab my aunt brought home from SE Asia forty years ago. The wood is light and water resistant and makes the knife easy to cary. Since there was no sheath I made one out of kydex. I started making things out of kydex under the mistaken belief that it was easy to work with...it's not. At least not if you want something that looks good. I'm a total hack but it does the job. One day soon I'll start making ugly sheaths out of leather.


EnZo makes this knife in a lot of different steels, including O1, D2, and N690Co stainless steel, in both a flat and scandi grind. I chose O1 with a scandi grind because it's easy to sharpen and cuts wood superbly.




I've got nothing good to say about D2 steel in a knife other than it will hold a terrible edge forever, but the N690Co is a surprisingly good stainless steel. I can recommend it for someone who doesn't want the maintenance of carbon steel. Scandi ground knives cut wood the best, but flat ground blades are better for food preparation and similar chores.

Putting a handle on a Trapper is pretty easy and quite rewarding, especially if you have some wood you're fond of. In general it's a lot easier than putting a handle on a stick-tang knife.

I quite like the knife, but wish the blade was about an inch longer. They do make the same blade an inch longer, but it's hard to find. The short model comes up just a bit shy every now and again.


It's stout enough to batton but still has an excellent point and the blade is narrow enough for precision work. It carves wood very well, which is 99% of what I do with a knife, though I have cleaned a few fish with it, too.




I like using this knife more than the Fallkniven F1...it's a warmer in the hand and carves with greater precision, though it lacks some of the F1's utility and do-it-all capability. Prices are all over the place...as low as $65 for a blade in inexpensive steel to $150 for a finished knife with high-end handle material. You won't find EnZo knives at the Walmart-In-Camo places, but you can find them online. Thompsonknives.com is a reputable guy and I've bought lots of knife blades from him...straight shooter and very decent prices.

Small folding pocket knife and Victorinox with just four useful tools. I wish it had a Philips screwdriver instead of the other gadgets...

I'd trade the scissors for a second cork screw any day.

Hammer wrote:I'd trade the scissors for a second cork screw any day.

I don't know if it's always been this way, but I just noticed the "location" listed in your profile and it cracked me up. Well played.

Expensive thread to watch this one. Ive bought two knives since it started. I had to resort to the "oh that old thing, I've had it for a while" line wtih my wife. She was not fooled.

daedaluscan wrote:Expensive thread to watch this one. Ive bought two knives since it started. I had to resort to the "oh that old thing, I've had it for a while" line wtih my wife. She was not fooled.

Yup, me too. And a set of "small but mighty" tie downs from the other Hammer thread.