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Personal use swords, knives

Phaeton

Speed of Dark
Veteran
I was going to add to an old knife thread but at 22 pages it was already too long.

I like to play with knives. I took up formal training at 12 years old (1964) with classical Spanish fencing.
In 2002 I took up Iaido, learning to walk and cut at the same time took a few years.
Pocket knives are too useful to ever be without, I usually carry a tiny splinter knife, a stupid sharp slicer in case I have to do a tracheotomy, and a larger stout knife for rope and boxes.

Swords are just fun, a mat cutting katana was used to clear two acres of shrubberies. Some folks actually got angry for my use of a $1700 katana for clearing brush, but now I have the most accurate as well as the most powerful cut in the dojo. A thousand hours of actual cutting was the only practical way to learn. A three inch Birch in a single stroke is my personal best.

Nothing against guns, I carried for decades before giving them up. I no longer even own a firearm.
But knives, it is almost embarrassing the way I light up when discussing the finer points of good steel.
 

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armedoldhippy

Well-known member
Veteran
it is almost embarrassing the way I light up when discussing the finer points of good steel.
unless you carry and use knives regularly, you'll never understand why some folks rant and rave about certain steels used. i've bought well-known brand knives before that would NOT sharpen, but much older knives from the same company will cut you to the bone after showing them a picture of a whetstone...:dunno:
 

Plookerkingjon

Active member
Ive seen wonderful things done w ...k-bars
Gerber strongarms
Entrenching tools lmaop oh yeah
Doug marcaida type karambits
 

St. Phatty

Active member
My personal use "Blade of Choice" is the 2 inch long replacement blade for a standard box cutter.

You can do amazing things with it !

Starter training - cut out toothpick size pieces of wood so you can inlay a hinge in a cabinet.
 

armedoldhippy

Well-known member
Veteran
Ive seen wonderful things done w ...k-bars
Gerber strongarms
Entrenching tools lmaop oh yeah
Doug marcaida type karambits
K-Bars are excellent knives for what they are intended for. they get bad press for the uses civilians put them to though, like in Moscow Idaho...
 

Switcher56

Comfortably numb!
unless you carry and use knives regularly, you'll never understand why some folks rant and rave about certain steels used. i've bought well-known brand knives before that would NOT sharpen, but much older knives from the same company will cut you to the bone after showing them a picture of a whetstone...:dunno:
The best knife I have owned is A Hitler's youth knife. Looks like a bayonet. It's Solligen steel. I have had that knife since '72. I was 16 at the time. Paid $2.99 for it. I absolutely deplore SS.
 

goingrey

Well-known member
unless you carry and use knives regularly, you'll never understand why some folks rant and rave about certain steels used. i've bought well-known brand knives before that would NOT sharpen, but much older knives from the same company will cut you to the bone after showing them a picture of a whetstone...:dunno:
The key is to not get stainless steel. Sure it has the benefit of not rusting, even if forgotten in a fishing lure box or just wet in the sheath, but it's much more difficult to sharpen.

Most knife brands will have knives with both stainless and carbon steel blades available, and also did in the past, so it's not a case of new vs old.

My current main knife has an 80CrV2 carbon steel blade. Seems pretty good and was not outrageously expensive.
 
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Hasch

learning and laughing
Have also started "knife nerding" pocket / edc knives + kitchen knives 12 years ago. Big decisions which steel (powder, tool...), one hand opening, grind, micro bevel, width of blade and so forth.

The only edc knife that was always in my baggage was the classic Opinel 8cm in carbon. Got that 30years ago 😁
Even when traveling se asia and India for months, the Opinel was the only knife I carried. Have to admit I never felt the need to build serious shelters and the like. Guest houses or home stays were always available.
 
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