A big knife for a little girl (or: my first fixed knife)

[Jmora]

are these cheap 80's rambo knives based on a real hunting knife that people collect? or just rambo. (I don't know much about fixed blades unfortunately).

[jekostas]

are these cheap 80's rambo knives based on a real hunting knife that people collect? or just rambo. (I don't know much about fixed blades unfortunately).

They're roughly patterned after the Ka-Bar USMC Fighting Knife and/or the Sog Bowie.  Both are classic US military-issue fixed blade combat knives.

[Grant Lamontagne]

And Jimmy Lile's Rambo knife.  The USMC was a good knife, but it didn't feature the hollow handle like Rambo's and I don't really recall seeing any hollow handle knives until after First Blood was released.  Then, you could hardly buy a knife that wasn't hollow handled with a saw back, compass and hollow handle!

I had several at different times, and for a while I thought they were the best things going.  I learned a lot about proper knife care by breaking many of those knives, and I also realized the importance of not relying on compasses, since even a good one can break.  Still, the survival knife ones were simply horrid!  As much as I know now what was wrong with every one of those knives I owned, I still miss them.  They were a bit corny and off balanced, but they did have their uses- they had to, otherwise they wouldn't have been nearly as prolific as they were.

Occasionally I get the urge to get another one, but then I realize they are really only pretty in the rear view mirror!

Def

[Sazabi]

And Jimmy Lile's Rambo knife.  The USMC was a good knife, but it didn't feature the hollow handle like Rambo's and I don't really recall seeing any hollow handle knives until after First Blood was released.  Then, you could hardly buy a knife that wasn't hollow handled with a saw back, compass and hollow handle!

I had several at different times, and for a while I thought they were the best things going.  I learned a lot about proper knife care by breaking many of those knives, and I also realized the importance of not relying on compasses, since even a good one can break.  Still, the survival knife ones were simply horrid!  As much as I know now what was wrong with every one of those knives I owned, I still miss them.  They were a bit corny and off balanced, but they did have their uses- they had to, otherwise they wouldn't have been nearly as prolific as they were.

Occasionally I get the urge to get another one, but then I realize they are really only pretty in the rear view mirror!

Def

The Chris Reeve "Rambo-esque" models aren't shabby, though, Grant.

[sergemaster]

Amici,
Chris Reeves survival knives are also machined from one solid piece of steel, they do not suffer the possible failings of a half tang that 99% of hollow handled survival knives suffer from..

One the negative side, on the Green Beret knife, Reeve uses S30V steel, which is excellent for edge retention, but terrible for blade strength check out this link and see why:

http://knifetests.com/ChrisReeveGreenBeretDTest.html

Hollow handled knives were big back in the 1980's true, but I think today with the advent of the MT, and how sheaths have evolved, kinda makes them redundant sadly..


Cheers,
Serge 

[jekostas]

You know the saying "A knife is the most expensive and least effective prybar you'll ever own"?

I'd like to add corollary that this saying include using your knife as an ax as well.

A Gerber Back Paxe Axe that can be found for $20-30 would've done all the wood chopping that destroyed a $300 combat knife.

[jzmtl]

Not surprising, pretty much everybody say D2 is brittle, but s30v actually has the same toughness as D2.

[jekostas]

Not surprising, pretty much everybody say D2 is brittle, but s30v actually has the same toughness as D2.

Erm, no.  Not at all, actually.  S30V is a much tougher steel, and the Reeve Green Beret series are actually tempered to a relatively low HRC (55-57) to increase the toughness.

[jzmtl]

According to the steel toughness/abrasion resistance chart made by Crucible they are the same.

[jekostas]

According to the steel toughness/abrasion resistance chart made by Crucible they are the same.

That chart is based on longitudinal toughness - taking the ends and pulling it apart.  This is not how knives break, they break laterally (along the blade from spine to tip).  

This chart is used by Crucible because S30V was originally designed for high stress machine parts and screws where longitudinal toughness is extremely important.

Actually, here's a post from Jerry Hossom on knifeforums:

"The reason is simple. It's because knives don't break or chip due to longitudinal stresses. They do so because of lateral stresses. I don�t remember the exact numbers offhand, but 440C and 154CM are about 4 or 5 and S30V is ~10.5 ft lbs (about the same as A2, which is acknowledged as a tough steel). I never understood why Crucible even published the longitudinal numbers. There is very little or no grain orientation in sheet steel (154CM and S30V) from Crucible since it is cross rolled. One of the problems with knife company data is that it is often irrelevant with respect to knives."

http://www.knifeforums.com/forums/showtopic.php?tid/413813/

Yes, the post is 10 6 years old, but S30V hasn't been reformulated.

Edit:  I rather can't do math tonight

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Yep I had one too

[jzmtl]

That chart is based on longitudinal toughness - taking the ends and pulling it apart.  This is not how knives break, they break laterally (along the blade from spine to tip).  

I remember seeing their test of toughness for cutlery steels, it was to clamp a bar down on one end and hit it from sideways with a swinging weight.

[jekostas]

That chart is based on longitudinal toughness - taking the ends and pulling it apart.  This is not how knives break, they break laterally (along the blade from spine to tip).  

I remember seeing their test of toughness for cutlery steels, it was to clamp a bar down on one end and hit it from sideways with a swinging weight.

I posted a quote (and a link to a thread) where a well-known and extremely well-respected knifemaker has out and out said that S30V is an extremely tough steel.  Crucible's own marketing materials say that S30V exceeds 440c and D2 in terms of toughness.  Joel Talmadge says repeatedly that S30V is an extremely tough steel on his zknives site, putting it in a group with BG-42 and S90V in terms of overall steel capability.  Doug Ritter, an extremely well-respected knifes use expert has stated that S30V is a very tough steel.

The Reeve Green Beret didn't fail that test because of some inability of the steel, it failed the test because it's a test designed for knives to fail, regardless of makeup or build.  Knives are wholly unsuited to chopping wood.

[markn951]

It's a test designed for knives to fail like a crash test is designed for cars to fail. The point is to see how something will fail, not if.

[jim guy]

Jimmy Liles handmade versions of the first blood knives are works of art. His place was/is, about 25 minutes from my house. They still have a small shop/ museum there. Ive actually seen and handled some of the first first blood knives he made.

[Freudian Frog]

Alright, you guys need to let this topic die so I can stop seeing the title and having to resist posting innuendo at Turnstone.

[jzmtl]

That chart is based on longitudinal toughness - taking the ends and pulling it apart.  This is not how knives break, they break laterally (along the blade from spine to tip). 

I remember seeing their test of toughness for cutlery steels, it was to clamp a bar down on one end and hit it from sideways with a swinging weight.

I posted a quote (and a link to a thread) where a well-known and extremely well-respected knifemaker has out and out said that S30V is an extremely tough steel.  Crucible's own marketing materials say that S30V exceeds 440c and D2 in terms of toughness.  Joel Talmadge says repeatedly that S30V is an extremely tough steel on his zknives site, putting it in a group with BG-42 and S90V in terms of overall steel capability.  Doug Ritter, an extremely well-respected knifes use expert has stated that S30V is a very tough steel.

The Reeve Green Beret didn't fail that test because of some inability of the steel, it failed the test because it's a test designed for knives to fail, regardless of makeup or build.  Knives are wholly unsuited to chopping wood.

I know who the people are, write a bunch of extremely this and that won't impress anyone. Doug Ritter is known for his survival stuff, not knives. Zknives website isn't Joe Talmage's. And S90V is less impact resistant than D2 so putting it in the same group doesn't mean anything.

I just said how crucible's tests are done, and you start to throw names and irrelevant information around, seems you are trying to pick an argument. Anyway I'm done with this.

[Charger]

Alright, you guys need to let this topic die so I can stop seeing the title and having to resist posting innuendo at Turnstone.

your so strong Freud.  So strong.

[Sparky415]

This reminds me to work on my nephew's mother so I can give him the Wenger Soccer 
I don't think the idea was well received last time 

Mission completed 
 I gave my (11ish    ) nephew a Wenger Soccer yesterday (From Neil a year or two ago)
after a chat with his Mum and a short 'only allowed to use it with supervision' talk to him
Sadly I only see him about once every two years and I didn't get much chance to teach him any knife safety 

I wonder if hes sleeping with it under his pillow tonight......and if hes folded the blade away
 

[Zed]

This reminds me to work on my nephew's mother so I can give him the Wenger Soccer 
I don't think the idea was well received last time 

Mission completed 
 I gave my (11ish    ) nephew a Wenger Soccer yesterday (From Neil a year or two ago)
after a chat with his Mum and a short 'only allowed to use it with supervision' talk to him
Sadly I only see him about once every two years and I didn't get much chance to teach him any knife safety 

I wonder if hes sleeping with it under his pillow tonight......and if hes folded the blade away
 

im sure he will love it tony , i still remember all the knives i had back in the 80's i had my wall covered in them as well as replica guns, i think most folk thought i was going to grow up to be a serial killer 

[dks]

i think most folk thought i was going to grow up to be a serial killer 

   There is still time......   


 
I have lost most of my knives from my youth and some of them were pretty decent... I am sure they will turn up one day. 

I was not aware Turnstone was a lady... 
I hope I have not replied to any of her posts with anything too stupid... 

[Iagent]

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