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Knife snobs?

19K views 91 replies 53 participants last post by  1Calicocat 
#1 ·
Is it my imagination, or is it a fact that there's no snob like a knife snob?

A couple of weeks ago, I bought a Cold Steel Finn Bear knife off e-Bay for the grand sum of $12.50. These are nothing fancy -- just a fairly thin, sharp blade and a molded-on polypropelene grip -- but I didn't want fancy, just something light weight and durable that, I hoped, would hold an edge fairly well and not break my heart if I happened to lose it (which I have done with knives plenty of times!). Cold Steel says the steel is "4116 Krupp". Having no idea what that means, I checked several knife forums and found a universal disdain of the stuff, and of these knives. I mean, the criticism was downright brutal!

So, here's the deal -- in the past week, this knife has field-dressed, skinned, and cut up 4 deer -- and it is still shaving sharp! Dare I say it -- this Taiwan-made blade is outperforming the old Buck I toted for a couple of decades (and then lost).

I know some gun forums are like this -- mention you have a Mossberg or an H&R, and you might as well admit to being engaged in carnal relations with a goat -- but this attitude seems to me the exception rather than the rule. But these knife guys spent page after page after page lambasting what, to me, is a darned good utility knife, and a bargain to boot!

They can keep their multi-hundred-dollar, never-used bragging blades. I know what works for me.
 
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#88 ·
yup, i'm a knife snob; I won't carry one that ain't older'n I am (71) unless it's a swiss army folder. i'm partial to green rivers and I tend to pack 'em in buffler-hunters' sheaths: a skinner, a ripper (or the 6" hunter) and a steel in one three-pocket sheath. I often have a collins legitimus machete aboard, too, usually the 22" navy model, although I have gone smaller at times, and I have a russell sheep-splitter that works in some kinds of brush. i like the machete sheath to have a flapper on the face so it don't slip through my belt. I've cut survey lines through many miles of head-high or higher blackberry and vine maple with the collins; anything less is a toy, not a tool. 'tain't no trouble usin' cuttin' tools that ain't made no more; it gets me out to the gun and antique shows more often than not, but worth it. I've got a collection of working skinners, another of machetes, and another of *****-trade knives and lanceheads, a few old bowies, and a couple of old hawks, but there ain't much that's made today that is "up to green river" fer me.
mind yer topknots!
windy
 
#89 ·
I got my Collin's machetes in. Army Navy Sales has been in business since 1946. Collins went out of business in 1966. My blades are then at least 50 years old and possibly considerably older, as they have been lost in Army Navy's warehouse. The blades are in excellent condition. The blades are coated with something that has obviously kept the rust away. The handles are a little rough. The ones I will use will get some work on the handles. I will get pictures here when my computer gets back. I am using my wife's desk top. My laptop had a hardware problem and had to be shipped off. Supposed to get it back tomorrow. The Ralph Martindale blade was also very nice. Only a little surface rust. The wood handles were not flush with the tang at the back so I used a little filler to seal the gap. Will include pictures of it, also.
 
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#90 · (Edited)


The Ralph Martindale is the long one. I had worked on the handle on this one to get it to fit my hand. I did a little light buffing with a scouring pad to remove what little surface rust was there. The other is the Collins. This one is straight out of the box. All of the Collins came exactly like this, almost pristine considering they are at a minimum of 50 years old.

I reworked the handles on two of the Collins for my son and I to use. I cut them down some to fit smaller hands, then use Tennis Racket tape for grip. Both Collins took a hair shaving edge. I am sure the Ralph Martindale will do the same when I am finished. Overall, I think the Collins will be more useful to me. Both brands have blades that taper thinner toward the point. The long blade on the Martindale is more flexible and should excel on lighter vines, etc. The Collins taper is not as much and the bolo type blade adds sufficient weight for heavier work. Both are well balanced. I took both out to the woods at the house and played with them a while. I can see why both brands get world wide acclaim. I have the Eversharp on my bucket list of blades.
 
#92 ·


This is the Ralph Martindale stamp. Note the original Crocodile. Sorry about the glare. Did not look so bad until it got here.
 
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