Post by homerj on Feb 7, 2014 8:36:40 GMT
-Cold Steel Leatherneck SF
-Cold Steel Roach Belly
-Custom Knife by Mark Green (http://www.knivesbymarkgreen.com/)
In the desert I wasn't able to replicate wood processing that you would find yourselves doing in South Carolina. Most of the wood in the desert here is soft and thin and wouldn't do justice to any decent knife review. Lucky for me my neighborhood is a new one with construction everywhere, un-developed desert is behind my house and people too lazy to pay to dump their trash at the dump just dump in the desert. Building crews leave allot of lumber out there too, I collected a few arm loads of 2x4s and other pieces of wood and threw them in my backyard. For testing I batoned through these pieces of wood, chopped at them, and whittled away at them at the end. I also abused them against a piece of old telephone pole I found, I stabbed, chopped at, and sawed at this piece of wood 10 times each .
The Cold Steel Leatherneck SF has a 6 3/4" 4116 Krupp Stainless Steel blade. After watching a Nutnfancy review of this knife I was sold on the bang for the buck you would be getting for this knife which you can easily find for around $50. But he was reviewing a CS Leatherneck in SK5, which is discontinued. This knife isn't a chopper but if that was all you had you could, but not very efficiently. Batoning with this knife could have gone better too, I found myself needing a longer blade for more real estate to baton on. If the blade were thicker it would have performed better as well, the blade repeatedly got stuck trying to go through knots in the wood about halfway down. It took allot of beating to finally get it through. I was disappointed in the 4116 Krupp steel as well, after my testing I found a few tiny chips in the blade. The Leatherneck could still cut through paper pretty effortlessly after, but it would get snagged on the chips in the blade and start hanging up and ripping in the paper instead of cutting through it. I think it will be ok after my local knife shop touches up the blade, this will be a good knife to throw in a car bug out bag or use as a loaner. The handle is very comfortable, the most comfortable large fixed blade handle I have had so far. The Secure-ex sheath is also pretty sweet, the blade locks in with no jiggle and you can attach things to it like I did (old ALICE first aid kit pouch with fire starting kit secured with 550 cord).
Next up is the Cold Steel Roach Belly with a 4 1/2" 4116 Krupp Blade. This is a very light knife and at around $12 is a good value for those camp chores where you don't need a big knife. I don't have a Mora yet but I think this and similar low cost high value knives from Cold Steel is their answer to the Mora, though most reviews and tests show the Mora as a clearly better knife. With that being said, it would be hard to peg this knife for a role in your kit when knives like the Mora set the standard. It is light, so it could be a good backup, but once I do get a Mora I don't know if I would still carry this. It is a surprisingly good knife though, because it is much lighter and thinner than the Leatherneck I obviously couldn't baton through the same kind of wood, but for the wood processing I did do with it it did very well and I saw no damage to the blade and was still able to slice through paper with ease after. The handle is slick but I do like the shape and the way it feels in my hand, the jimping on the blade is also pretty good. The sheath is a love/hate. I like the style and how simple and light it is, but is pretty plain. I also like the blade shape, the curvature is really nice and the knife as a whole is very ergonomic.
Last is a custom knife by a gentleman named Mark Green from Odessa, TX. I met him at his booth at a local gun show and I have never seen more beautiful knives, this man was truly a master of his craft. He specializes in exotic handles using things like mastadon tusk, pine cone scales, and a bunch of other materials I have never seen or would have thought of seeing a handle made out of. The blade is a kabar like bowie shape with a micarta handle. I didn't buy any of his prettier knives because I wanted a custom knife that I could abuse and not feel bad about it. The knife felt good when I bought it, but now I really don't like the way it feels. There is no guard and the smoothness of the micarta and the ergonomics of the handle and lack of a lanyard hole make for an uncomfortable grip. I always feel like my hand is going to slide up and into the blade and am overly cautious when handling this blade. Gloves negate some of this, but I still wish it came with a guard. I can't remember the steel but this knife held up to this abuse very well with no damage. This blade also had trouble getting though knots in the wood which is also due to the thinness. This is only my 2nd custom knife and because I am not very comfortable taking it camping with me, it will likely stay in my display case. The sheath is awesome by the way.
These knives have helped me refine what I am looking for in a camp knife, for chopping and batoning the thicker the blade the better. I ordered a Cold Steel Gurkha Kukri that should arrive tomorrow and may get a Trailmaster down the line. These are some of the thickest knives I have seen and should chop and split wood with ease, some reviews I have seen for the Kurki claim it replaces the need for hatchets and small axes.
As a bonus here is the bulk of my collection from top:
-Cold Steel Espada Large G-10
Love the 5 1/2" blade and the wave opening feature, this thing snaps open with authority, came to me crazy sharp, feels amazing and looks intimidating, my prime EDC backed up with a smaller pocket knife or multitool since I don't want to be opening boxes or other utility work. I carry this knife like a gun, I am not taking it out unless I am going to use it.
-Cold Steel Espada XL Polished
Christmas gift from my wife, by far my favorite knife ever, it is freaking huge and when you use a lower grip you have some crazy reach going on. It is deceptively comfortable to carry, the legal carry limit in TX is 5 1/2" so I can't carry this, but when I move to a state with no regulations I would totally carry this. If you have pants with deep pockets like the 5.11's, this knife will disappear and you wont feel it even when you sit down. When you handle this knife you have to treat it with respect, I was a little nervous to handle it when I first got it, it is the sharpest blade I own and the blade snaps shut with authority and I am very deliberate closing this knife, I always use both hands. Opening it is even more satisfying than the Espada Large. The snap of the blade opening when you wave it out of your pocket is really loud. Polished aluminum and G-10 handles make for a beautiful yet functional knife. Awesome blade, any serious collector should own one before it is discontinued.
-Cold Steel Code 4
I loved the aluminum frame because it is soo thin, but it is very slick so I added skateboard tape.
-Spyderco Zulu
I dont carry this knife that often, more of a collector's piece.
-Spyderco Junior
Love the ergonomics and wide blade, the guard is very nice, I never feel like my hand will slip up on the handle.
Next is a knife I made out of a piece of spring steel. I grinded out the shape of the knife then tripple heated and quenched in vegetable oil and triple annealed per stonecrow's method. For my first knife I am pleased, I need to re-do the handle with 550 cord and make a kydex sheath. I had my local knife shop put an edge on it and it chops pretty well and surprisingly still cut paper with ease.
Zero Tolerance assisted opening blade. My first assisted opener, I like the speed but this knife is way to small for the weight. I carry this mostly for work when I like having the weight so I can always feel that it is still there. I have lost too many lighter knives because I never realize they are missing till its too late.
