Archived from the Tools In Action forum (Hand Tools). This thread is read-only.
A little different over here pal when you live in a country where we have 1 poisonous snake, and a Badger or a Dear are the two biggest wildlife threats to man.LOL
The knife over here probably has more chance of hurting its owner than any critter hahahaha. 🙂
Speaking of that, I need a good knife. What brands do you guys recommend. I want a quality knife that will last and take some abuse. I want to be able to sharpen and have it for a long time.
Well….I carry an Eye Brand. A lot of people call them German Eye’s or Eyeballs. It’s one of the few actual hammer forged knives left. There is also a brand called Bulldog that is made in the same foundry as Eye brand in Soligen. You also have Buck Creek, German Bull, and Boker coming out of Soligen. Of these Boker and Eye brand offer the widest selections while the others are fairly limited in terms of patterns and handle material. The vast majority of your German knives will be carbon steel blades. Carbon steel is easier to sharpen and will produce a sharper edge, but it rust. When I say it will rust I MEAN IT WILL RUST! Like if it’s in your pocket and you sweat it will start to rust. Most of your pocket knife purist will only carry carbon. With proper care you can keep it nice. You’ll need to keep the blades oiled and remove rest spots with a sanding sponge or something. It’s possible, but most people don’t keep up with it. If your looking at carbon blades Boker has a series out right now that have handles made from German beer barrels. They are awesome. I wanted stainless blades and if your looking for a stainless German knife Eye brand offers a few models with surgical stainless. The are the finest stainless knives you’ll ever find. I have a trapper with stag handles I’ve carried for 9 years and it’s as much a part of me as my index finger. Another German knife that has historically been top of the mark is Hen & Rooster. Now, a couple years ago H & R was purchased by Jim Frost of Frost Cutlery. If you aren’t familier with Frost, they’re responsible for every shitty $3 knife and cheesy “collectors edition” knife on the face of the planet. They immediately began ruining them. They make the blades in Soligen and affix them to Chinese bodies in China. Some of them are 100% Chinese so it a crap shoot unless you know exactly what to look for. If your looking for an American knife go with either a Case or a John Primble. You can shop for knives until your eyes hurt at eknifeworks.com Narrow it by brand as there are THOUSANDS of knives. If you want stainless, cough up the $90 for the Eye brand trapper. If you want carbon, go for the beer Boker. I’ll add some links when I get home tomorrow for you to check out.
Up until some time in the 1930’s a company called E.C. Simmons Hardware in St. Louis made the best knives on the planet called Keen Kutter. The made a lot of hand tools bearing that name as well. A lot of hardcore knife guys still carry them to this day. You can find them from time to time on eBay for around $100 – $150. The Keen Kutter name was sold several times and was last used by Frost in the mid 1990’s but if it says E.C. Simmons it’s the real deal.
Blackhawk 🙂
I’ve got a cracking little U.S made pen knife I carry on the job site for opening stuff and sharpening pencils e.t.c. about 3″ blade slight hook in the cutting edge folds nice but not a clue what make it is but its solid as a rock. 🙂
Forgot one of my favorite shop knives. The Sloyd
I will look at them 🙂
Here are some links Eric.
If you’re looking for a top quality knife here is an Eye brand Trapper. It is a hand made, hammer forged, German Stockman with Surgical Stainless blades so it will never rust. If I were going to buy a knife today this would be it.
Here is my favorite knife on the market. It’s a German made Boker with handles made from old beer barrels. The only thing about it is it has carbon blades.
Here is another good quality German knife. A Buck Creek with engraved buffalo horn handles. A great knife for the price!
Here is an American John Primble. Not a high dollar knife but it’s probably the best knife on the market under $50. You get a lot of quality per dollar.
If your into tactical “pocket clip” knives there’s no better than a Cold Steel
If you don’t like these google Smokey Mountain Knife Works, visit their site and narrow it down by brand. There are a bunch of them in every pattern imaginable. I prefer a trapper but a mini trapper is too small for my liking.
I don’t aim to turn you away from carbon blades. They are easier to sharpen, will get sharper, and stay sharper longer. They just require a lot more frequent care.
Ok, now I want the Beer Barrel Boker. I think I might go ahead and order one. I’ve ordered lots of knives, but I never can bring myself to put my favorite Eye Brand in the drawer.
I find it very interesting that over here because we had a bad run of knife crime, the rules on the sales of knives are very tough over here in the U.K and anyone carrying certain ones can get locked up, but it does mean we don’t get the choice you guys do on what we have.
Wayne Burgess wrote:
I find it very interesting that over here because we had a bad run of knife crime, the rules on the sales of knives are very tough over here in the U.K and anyone carrying certain ones can get locked up, but it does mean we don’t get the choice you guys do on what we have.
Every state has different laws on knives, even some cities like New York and Washinton D.C. have much more restrictive laws. Here in Florida, the laws are fairly open, and it is not terribly uncommon to see people walking around carrying 10″ knives, as long as the knife is reasonable, like a slim folder with a blade under 3″, I have never had a problem carrying. One of the reasons I prefer to carry a much less intimidating multi tool, like a Leatherman is due to the impression people have of the person who does carry a knife that is clearly overboard.
What type of blade can you carry? Would a tool like a Leatherman be illegal? What about utility or razor knives?
I just have a couple for work.Most knives seem outlawed here.I can see the point.But in my job a good strong blade comes in real handy.
I’ve never known of anyone here getting cited for carrying any type of knife other that switchblades or butterfly knives. The law here technically says anything that can be operated with 1 hand, but it isn’t enforced anymore (never really was) because that’s half the knives made anymore. I wouldn’t go walking down the road with a machete or a katana or anything, but as long as it’s something within reason you’ll never hear a word about it. It’s kinda like driving 5 mph over on the interstate, it’s technically illegal, but nobody gives a damn and everyone does it.
Thanks for the links. Man that is a tuff choice, they all seem cool. I kind of like the Eye brand Trapper the best, but they are all cool. Like the idea of the stainless and hand made. I like having a total unqiue knife and hand made.
In Illinois, we can carry a knife, but the blade can not be over 5″ long. Never seen anyone get a ticket or anything. I think the only people who get busted is if they get in trouble for something else and have the knife on them.
I preffer the Eyes myself. I’ve been carrying it in my pocket for 9 years. In that time I’ve bought at least 7 other knives, but I can’t let go of my Eye brand trapper. Part of it is sentimental I guess. I’m not one to let go of things like that. I’ve carried the same Zippo lighter since 1998.
I’ve just found the make of my faithful little stainless steel bladed pocket knife.Cheap as chips and has been a belter.
Its a John-Benzen Electricians knife.Do you guys know this manufacturer? 🙂
I have never heard of them. I love knives, but just haven’t dipped into all the research yet. Because once I do, I will need another job to pay for the knives I want.
Eric J wrote:
I have never heard of them. I love knives, but just haven’t dipped into all the research yet. Because once I do, I will need another job to pay for the knives I want.
Definitely don’t look into handmade custom knives and steer clear of anything that mentions Damascus and custom handmade in the same sentence , you’ll need another job for ONE of them…
lol, I’ll take your word on that.
The damascus knives aren’t as insanely expensive as they were a few years ago. Still expensive, but they’ve come down in the last year or so. They are beautiful whatever the cost.
Conductor562 wrote:
The damascus knives aren’t as insanely expensive as they were a few years ago. Still expensive, but they’ve come down in the last year or so. They are beautiful whatever the cost.
There is a big difference in quality between a cookie cutter production knife and a hand forged blade. A lot of knife makers will argue that you really can’t make good Damascus steel on a production machine.
you can check www.sheffieldtools.cn item s067220.this is for electriciian tools if you want.plese give me email:
[email removed].
Bumping an older topic here, because I like, but am not anywhere close to being an expert about, knives.
I am into survival stuff and dig Cody Lundin. He touts the Mora Classic due to the carbon steel blade and the ease of sharpening and the fact that it holds an edge for a ridiculously long time (both important in survival situations).
That being said, I saw, Conductor, that you mentioned Frost. Aren’t they partnered up with Mora? I could Google it but I’m feeling conversational. 🙂
Anyway, I just ordered two of these for our bug-out-bags: click They were actually $7.xx a piece and are perfect for the purpose.
Mora is partnered up with a different Frost. I believe they spell it Frosts followed by some Scandinavian gibberish. Mora are very good knives but they are purpose built. They are very popular among certain circles and they are quality pieces. However, they are made to use and abuse and get a new one when they’re spent whereas German eye’s, Case’s, and stuff like that are made to carry around for ages. They’re nice knives for their purpose. They’re great in a tackle box or backpack, but they’re not the kind of knives you’re going to pass along to you grandkids. Frost Cutlery owns their namesake brand, Uncle Lucky, Steel Warrior, German Bull, and Hen & Rooster. If Jim Frost owns it rest assured every possible corner as been cut to bring you the biggest piece of shit possible. I understand they’re now producing H&R and German Bull’s in Solingen and shipping them off to China for assembly. Any way Frost can ruin a good knife he will, but I do not believe he is affiliated with Mora of Sweeden. 🙂
Conductor562 wrote:
Mora is partnered up with a different Frost. I believe they spell it Frosts followed by some Scandinavian gibberish. Mora are very good knives but they are purpose built. They are very popular among certain circles and they are quality pieces. However, they are made to use and abuse and get a new one when they’re spent whereas German eye’s, Case’s, and stuff like that are made to carry around for ages. They’re nice knives for their purpose. They’re great in a tackle box or backpack, but they’re not the kind of knives you’re going to pass along to you grandkids. Frost Cutlery owns their namesake brand, Uncle Lucky, Steel Warrior, German Bull, and Hen & Rooster. If Jim Frost owns it rest assured every possible corner as been cut to bring you the biggest piece of shit possible. I understand they’re now producing H&R and German Bull’s in Solingen and shipping them off to China for assembly. Any way Frost can ruin a good knife he will, but I do not believe he is affiliated with Mora of Sweeden. 🙂
The Mora army knife is a good investment at only $20. Another really neat affordable knife is the Opinel.
Frost also does a lot of specialty lines like the ones they put out bearing the names of these outdoor TV hosts and stuff. Frost is also a favorite brand of home shopping shows where you can get 100 knives for the “unbelievable, next 10 minutes only, once in a lifetime, never gonna happen again, you’re a fool if you don’t buy it, my blood pressure is shooting up 200 points just talking about it” price of $149.99! Junk! that’s all they are is junk! Even for Chinese knives they are the bottom of the barrel in terms of quality for the most part. It’s hard to respect a company that approaches quality the way Hitler approached the Jews.
Excellent information posted, thank you!
I received the two Mora knives and holy crap do they have an edge. I can just touch a plastic grocery bag or piece of paper and it slits right through it. For $7 and being something that’s just going to be stowed away until there’s an emergency, I’m really happy with them. I may just buy a couple more to keep with my tools, on the truck, etc.
What do you guys think of the Bear Grills survival Knives?
Just a random question. 🙂
I thought the survival knife was actually pretty nice…a pretty well put together package, seems like a good concept. I don’t like that it’s stainless steel and doesn’t appear to be full tang. Seems to be a lot of quality issues as well.
I believe the Bear Gryils knives are being made by Gerber. Gerber typically makes descent stuff, not top notch but a hell of a lot better than anything Frost makes.
Mora is a very good knife for what you plan on using it for.At under $10 you won’t shed too many tears if you drop it in the lake or snap it in two prying something open. Keep us posted on how it works out for you..
Wayne Burgess wrote:
What do you guys think of the Bear Grills survival Knives?
Just a random question. 🙂
From what I’ve seen of them, it is just a cheap knife with a fancy name attached. I think you could find a better way to spend your money. As someone who has a fair bit of wilderness experience, the lack of any consideration for carrying water in his survival kits, is something I find quite disturbing. I sure hope no one actually has to rely on one in a real survival situation.
I think they are just toys.
As you say with a name attached.