Want a new pocket knife - advice?

[Sparky415]

I have fixed it for you Marty 

How about a fixed blade for camping
Anything by Mora or hultafors, great knives (don't judge them by their price!) 

http://www.heinnie.com/Knives/Mora-Knives/c-1-92-304/
http://www.heinnie.com/Knives/Mora-Knives/Mora-Companion-Carbon/p-92-304-7173/
http://www.heinnie.com/Knives/Mora-Knives/Robust/p-92-304-8336/


http://www.heinnie.com/Knives/Hultafors-Knives/c-1-92-913/
http://www.heinnie.com/Knives/Hultafors-Knives/Hultafors-Heavy-Duty-Knife/p-92-913-6866/
(might be cheaper elsewhere)

And a Climber

http://www.edcsource.com/Victorinox-Red-Climber-new--free-UK-post,name,113152,auction_id,auction_details

Altogether About 20 -25quid inc 

This probably isn't helping 

[Steinar]

This probably isn't helping 

But it's really the best suggestion till now in this thread! 

[AimlessWanderer]

This probably isn't helping 

But it's really the best suggestion till now in this thread! 

Agreed 

[Grathr]

That is actually a pretty good combination. The plastic sheats on the mora and hultafors are
Butt ugly and noisy, but the knives are great. (ray mears use them for his survival classes)

The climber is a great EDC tool.
 

[Sparky415]

This probably isn't helping 

But it's really the best suggestion till now in this thread! 

Agreed 

Now you need to buy some Axes 

[Steinar]

Now you need to buy some Axes 

Addiction is such an ugly word...

Btw, marty1990, if you go for sparky's idea, I personally prefer Mora over Hultafors. The Mora knives are very much more comfortable in my hand.

[Syph007]

That is actually a pretty good combination. The plastic sheats on the mora and hultafors are
Butt ugly and noisy, but the knives are great. (ray mears use them for his survival classes)

The climber is a great EDC tool.
 

I love those little green mora 510s Ray Mears had commissioned from Mora.  I bought 10 before they disappeared. 





And.. getting a bunch of knives and tools isnt an addiction... its just being prepared!

[Gareth]

I have fixed it for you Marty 

How about a fixed blade for camping
Anything by Mora or hultafors, great knives (don't judge them by their price!) 

http://www.heinnie.com/Knives/Mora-Knives/c-1-92-304/
http://www.heinnie.com/Knives/Mora-Knives/Mora-Companion-Carbon/p-92-304-7173/
http://www.heinnie.com/Knives/Mora-Knives/Robust/p-92-304-8336/


http://www.heinnie.com/Knives/Hultafors-Knives/c-1-92-913/
http://www.heinnie.com/Knives/Hultafors-Knives/Hultafors-Heavy-Duty-Knife/p-92-913-6866/
(might be cheaper elsewhere)

And a Climber

http://www.edcsource.com/Victorinox-Red-Climber-new--free-UK-post,name,113152,auction_id,auction_details

Altogether About 20 -25quid inc 

This probably isn't helping 

Fantastic suggestion Tony, you really can't go wrong with either a Mora or a Hultafors.   Only slight downside is that Marty already has a Climber.

So with that in mind I'll suggest the cool looking Pocket Pal in black that Neil has up right now.   Pocket Pal is a superb little folder that will just slip into your pocket and hide there until needed.  Just big enough (for me anyway) to act as a knife should and be comfortable for extended use.
http://www.edcsource.com/Victorinox-Black-Pocket-Pal--free-UK-post,name,113148,auction_id,auction_details

[Sparky415]

I didn't read the question properly  ..... So I have just saved you 10 quid to spend on something else 
(Thanks Gareth)

I think I'm right in saying the the Hultafors handles are slightly bigger than the Moras (not 100% sure)
Worth thinking about if you have large hands 

[Grathr]

 So he comes here asking for advice on a folding knife or a multitool, and our best advice is to buy a fixed blade knife and a SAK he already own....

[Sparky415]

   And an Axe! 

 

[Steinar]

So he comes here asking for advice on a folding knife or a multitool, and our best advice is to buy a fixed blade knife and a SAK he already own....

   And an Axe! 

 

 

These two postings actually made me laugh out loud.

Pocket Pal is a very nice knife, though. Everybody should have at least one.

[Sparky415]

^ 


I think we might have scared him off 

Marty come back 

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

If your not too keen on getting a sak with a saw, then a Wenger SI would be well worth a look mate :-)

[marty1990]

hahaha, I'm back... I had to eat and stuff.

I'm getting an axe as well now then? lol, yeah I have a climber already. I like the idea of getting a fixed blade though, then just another pocket knife to carry around.

Are SAK's (Wenger and Victornox) blades sharp out the box? I can't remember with my Climber, but I know my EvoGrip wasn't that sharp. I never sharpened it - or used it that much - at all, as I stuck to my Climber, but I just got it out now, and it's still not terribly sharp at all.

I quite like the idea of - if am gonna get a more substantial knife for while am away, a more portable mulit-tool or something like the Leatherman Squirt, along those lines. They seem pocket friendly.

I think I just want every knife and multi-tool.

The Wenger SI is just the Soldier, right?

[Millhouse]

None of my Vic SAK's were sharp out of the box. A few swipes on a Spyderco Sharpmaker sorted that out.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

All my Victorinox and Wenger's came hair popping sharp out of the box mate 

[Gareth]

Well, there is 'sharp' and there is 'SHARP'!    Victorinox and Wenger will usually come as sharp as any other knife, and sharper than most, but you can always get a knife sharper.

Yes, the Wenger SI (Standard Issue) is essentially the same as a Vic alox Soldier, but with the bail added.

A cracking little multi that can often be had for a good price is the Leatherman Micra.  That is if you don't mind missing out on the pliers.

[marty1990]

Am I best just using any old knife sharpener, or the Spyderco one that was mentioned before?

Just had a look at the Micra, threw me a bit cuz I thought it had pliers at first glance, didn't know what you meant. Does the Micra need to be opened fully as scissors to use the other tools then? Can't just access them with the scissors closed?

Oh yeah, just curious, do any of you UK'ers ever carry around locking blade knives as EDC's?

Thanks for all you help so far btw, really appreciate it.

[Steinar]

Am I best just using any old knife sharpener, or the Spyderco one that was mentioned before?

“Yes.” A simple, cheap, synthetic whetstone is excellent, but requires that you know how to hone by hand, which IMHO is a very valuable skill. A Spyderco Sharpmaker is just throwing money at the problem, even I can get a fine edge with a Sharpmaker.

So, almost any old sharpener is fine, just make sure the abrasive surface isn't too rough. Oh, and if you take a carbide sharpener to your knife or use a diamond file indiscriminately, you will get a very rough edge and your knife won't last long (as you remove way too much steel). (Carbide sharpeners also often leave you with a duller edge than other options.)

Some personal opinions:

Ceramic abrasives make excellent edges, and remove little steel, and they are therefore slow. Diamond sharpeners are very quick, a little bit dangerous because they quickly remove stock, but nice when starting out because you need few strokes. Synthetic whetstones are preferrable to natural whetstones, because of their superior consistency. Waterstones make beautiful edges, but IMHO, they are a hassle, since they require water and you have to regurlarly grind them flat as you work away at stones.

Personally, I prefer ceramic hones, since I can make small mistakes without ruining the blade, and the end result is often fine. I use a Spyderco Sharpmaker to compensate for my bad eye-hand coordination.

[marty1990]

Right okay, thanks for the info. Going to have to invest in a knife sharpener then! Give my SAK's a new lease of life.

I'll have a look into some ceramic ones then, if you say they're best for starting out. I saw a Gerber 'pocket' one for like £5, but I have no idea if it will be on any use. I dunno why I keep finding Gerber stuff. *shrug*

Also seen a Lansky 'Quick Fix' pocket sharpener. I know these are pockets sharpeners, but would they be any good at touching up my current knives?

[Dunc]

Oh yeah, just curious, do any of you UK'ers ever carry around locking blade knives as EDC's?

Thanks for all you help so far btw, really appreciate it.

I do when I consider I have a reasonable excuse , which is quite often 

[Steinar]

I'll have a look into some ceramic ones then, if you say they're best for starting out. I saw a Gerber 'pocket' one for like £5, but I have no idea if it will be on any use. I dunno why I keep finding Gerber stuff. *shrug*

If you need to keep the angle manually, like a manual hone, diamond may actually be the best when starting out. When needing fewer strokes, keeping a consistent angle becomes less of an issue. Just take care not removing too much stock.

Also seen a Lansky 'Quick Fix' pocket sharpener. I know these are pockets sharpeners, but would they be any good at touching up my current knives?

I don't know anything about the “Quick Fix”, but judging from pictures I think it would work fine as long as your knives haven't become too dull.

[jerseydevil]

Also seen a Lansky 'Quick Fix' pocket sharpener. I know these are pockets sharpeners, but would they be any good at touching up my current knives?

I got one of these Lansky's a couple of weeks ago to keep in my bag for touch-ups on my blades while at work.  It works just fine.  I even managed to get a beater knife my boss had from butter knife to sharp in a reasonable amount of time with it. 

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Oh yeah, just curious, do any of you UK'ers ever carry around locking blade knives as EDC's?

Next to never these days as it's just not worth the potential grief 

[Gareth]

For myself, no.  Not unless I firmly believe I have good reason, like going camping/hiking and at work (where I use a knife most days and I am expected to carry one as part of my job). 

The advice I always give is to stay well clear of the word 'excuse'.  If you have to try and think up an 'excuse' to carry a locking knife then the chances are that you don't have a genuine 'reason', only an excuse.  Now put yourself in the position of a Constable asking why you have a locking knife and then think if your 'excuse' is likely to hold any water.   Not trying to be overly preachy, but I well remember reading lots of thread on another forum where everyone was coming up with increasingly outlandish excuses and somehow thinking that they might then not get nicked for carrying a XL Cold Steel Voyager or some such.

 

[kitbeard]

I endorse Gareth's point.  Carrying a locking knife without a good reason in the UK is one of the quickest possible routes to as much trouble as I think anyone would want, including the prospect of a pretty substantial fine and/or a prison sentence.   I used to EDC quite a few small locking knives but since the UK knife carry laws were 'clarified', I don't carry them anymore and have swiched to SAKs, smaller Opinel friction folders and slipjoints, which I have to say I prefer. 

And to add to the barrage of good advice in this thread, I think that looking at a Rough Rider or perhaps a Marbles slipjoint from Heinnie's would be a good idea.

[AimlessWanderer]

Oh yeah, just curious, do any of you UK'ers ever carry around locking blade knives as EDC's?

A valid reason is never too far away for me, and I used to carry locking multitools (not locking standalone blades) far more often than I do now. The only thing that has changed is the tools I have at my disposal, some of which are (knifeless) mods, and others are discontinued tools with non-locking blades which takes the legal problems away.

I could still validate my carrying a Victorinox Spirit by being on my way to/from either work, the boat, or family/friends to fix something ... but most of the time I now have a UK legal option which lets me do everything I need without the complexities of justifying something to someone whose been trained to look on such matters in a very sceptical manner

Short version: Yes I do - but not as often as I did 

[Gareth]

A couple of Rough Riders to whet your appetite.





If you like the idea of a traditional pocket knife, the Rough Rider brand is very impressive for the money.

[marty1990]

Don't worry, am not intending on buying a locking knife and then carrying it around! Was just curious as to whether people do. I see a lot of UK'ers on Heinnie Hayes' commenting on lock blade knives saying "I attached it to my keys, and don't even notice it's there", which bugged me a bit.

Anyway, think am probably going to get a Hultafors fixed blade for camping. Just need to whittle down as which one now! As for a main pocket knife, am still undecided. I do like the look - and price - of the Rough Rider's, but am still undecided on what I want. Think am going to get the Gerber Dime as my keyring multi-too though, and retire my SAK Classic SD. It seems pretty much on par with the Leatherman Squirt, but it's about half the price. Either way, my original price limit has gone out the window, lol.

Now, I have another question - sorry! Is there any benefit to getting a part serated blade, over a plain edged blade? I can see the point to having either, or, but both in one? Plus, sharpening wouldn't difficult, right?