Knife Myths

This is a rather well-written article on some of the falsely yet often repeated myths about what makes a good knife.

https://morethanjustsurviving.com/knife-myths/

 

Good afternoon TexDanm,

Had a real good time reading the link.

Appreciated the basic material in # 4:
- "highly opinionated"
- "Pick the right knife for the right job"

Ref the bdc comment of 26 Nov 17 regarding the Ontario knife re "cut through alum. aircraft..". I once had the Army rejection document of this OKC model. The Fire Service strongly recommended not to cut into something with electrical wires - obvious to some, but not all.

I have 3 needs for a knife for my Prepper use:

1. serrated section of blade. Working with inflatables and rafts means dealing with slimy (non politician variety)ropes, lines and other stuff that dangled in water.

2. chisel tip; again, the "puncturability" of the conveyances.

3. sheath preferably of nylon but not leather. This place mimics your coast: leather = mildew then mold then my poor breathing getting worse.

Am wondering if Thomas Xavier has any article on ceramic

and plastic blades. Will check later.

Again, had a good time reading the article.

 

I have a wide variety of knives. Different designs, makes and materials. I could probably be considered to be a bit of an anorak when it comes to Sheffield steel blades but I would never try and tell anyone that they're the only blades worth owning. I love my Spyderco, Camilus, Mora, Solingen and my Opinel every bit as much.
Different blades for diffent reasons.

 

He really is right in that the price of a knife doesn't always reflect its actual usability type quality. Openels and the Mora line of knives are dirt cheap but both use some of the best steel that you can get and are very dependable knives for survival uses. My requirement in a knife is that it needs to be able to be sharpened fairly easily to a razor edge and then hold that edge with just a little maintenance. I generally prefer my knives to have a plain edge. If I want a serration on it I will put it on myself.

The hardness of a blade is sort of a personal preference thing. I like a knife to be a little softer than a lot of knives are made. When they harden a blade and then brag about how well it will hold and edge you are talking about a knife that is a beast to sharpen without a machine belt grinder. The edge won't dull it will chip and so require a lot of metal removal to return it to that fine edge again. I like to sharpen knives and when I am working with one skinning I keep a honing steel on hand and touch it up a little every so often to retrue the edge. With softer steel, the edge will bend a little bit where a harder edge will chip.

I like Kershaw knives. They are a good balance on quality and price and their steel is hard but not bad about chipping. For the price, I also like the Openel and even the Old Timer knives made in China for Shrade. Unlike many I have no issues with stuff made in China. If the quality meets my demands I will enjoy the price and use their stuff.

the grind of a knife needs to reflect the use that you want to put it to. On my big knives, I do a variable grind so that they can do several things well. the Kukri that is made right and as it was originally designed has this three-stage edge grind. The part near the handle is a fine edge then it becomes stouter as it moves towards the tip. I then go back to a finer grind on the leading edge. This allows me to baton or chop without ruining a fine edge while the tip is sharp and will pierce well and the bit closest to my hand is very sharp for fine work.

I actually like my knives to match their purpose and will always have two or three knives on or around me. I live in a forested area and so one knife needs to be heavy enough to do a little light chopping and be batoned, Another needs to be a skinner and that last is a smaller knife that I will use for small tasks like whittling trap and snare triggers and such.

No matter what sort of knife you choose to carry you needs to have the tools to sharpen it. What you chose is partially a matter of your abilities and preferences. I like diamond hones for rough carry in a survival situation. At home, I have a collection of stones both natural and manmade. I also like the little V sharpeners that have a carbide notch and then a ceramic notch. As with the diamond hones they are good for carrying in the field. If your knife has a serrated edge you need to also have a round tapered diamond hone for keeping the serrations sharp. Smiths actually makes a little tool that has the carbide, ceramic and tapered diamond coated rod all on one tool. It isn't as good as a set of hones but it works well, is small and is a good pocket method to touch up your edge in the field.


https://www.amazon.com/Smiths-PP1-Pocket-Multifunction-Sharpener/dp/B000O8OTNC/ref=sr_1_4?crid=UDQQCGNDY2QQ&keywords=smith's+knife+sharpener&qid=1579819569&sprefix=smith's+knife+,aps,801&sr=8-4

 

Thank you for sharing this article, @TexDanm , it really was a good read! I actually enjoy the chance to educate people about myths like these. I think the more knowledge we share, the better.

 

Good morning TexDanm,

IMPORTANT: "a matter of your ability..." Thank you !

I know someone who spend some $ to have his 2 average-priced survival knives fitted with hand guards from hilt to end of handle. He had some muscle motor-control ailment and would bang the knife around too much when preparing eg a wood shaft into a walking pole. The guard saved his hand(s) from more damage.

Stuff from China is the same as stuff from the US and Europe. Some is "You get what you pay for" and some is world class.
I've seen Chinese extreme cold weather coats of black sable fur. They were just as premier as the famous Russian ones.

 

The article has many good points and is accurate to most points when comparing modern steels to the work of a blacksmith. He author is not a metallurgist and has made a few misstatements in the article. Thermomechanical processing (forging with the addition of micro alloying additions to the steel) is used to reduce grain structure. This increases both toughness and hardness. It can be used to produce a blade superior to a factory blade made from modern steels, but most smiths will not have the background or equipment to take advantage of the process. The author also stated powder metallurgy steels can not be forged. That is probably true for forging in a blacksmith shop but it is done commercially for extreme applications and it imparts very definite strength benefits. Several interior components of jet engines are made from powder metallurgy and are forged to shape. I work in the field and understand the metallurgy involved.
The authors comments are generally true for most hand forged knives but should not be accepted as absolute statements of fact.

 

Good morning Apercus,

Very informative.

Thank you.

 

Many of the ways and methods of bladesmithing are as much ritual and tradition as anything else. the reason that in the past forged blades were so much stronger and special was that the hammering, heating and reheating, would change the molecular structure and remove impurities from the steel. It was sort of like the distillation process that allows pure alcohol to be removed from a mash of rotting vegetable matter to make fine whiskey.

In the past, even the best alloys were filled with impurities and the forging process finished the process. The fact is that nowadays the best steels are made such that all the forging that is needed to make a high-quality blade is to shape it. Many blade-steels are actually so pure that the process of hot rolling the metal into flat stock is enough to allow the blade to then be shaped by metal removal to obtain the shape rather than all of the hammer work. to get the desired shape.

What this is allowing is some pretty amazing blades that are not very labor-intensive to make. They can now be rough shaped with a laser, then ground to final shape. The heat treating that is in the old days almost magic and a process that each blade maker had to develop his own methods is now scientifically and precisely controlled in computer-controlled ovens and then quenched precisely with special chemically pure quenching solutions and then the blade is returned to the oven and tempered to stress relieve the finished shape. About all that is then left to do is polish, sharpen and attach the handles.

The point I am trying to express is that a lot of the relatively inexpensive knives these days are of a usable quality that just a few decades ago was only available in expensive custom made knives. Custom knives are AMAZING works of art. They can have character and a beauty that can only come from individual one at a time attention. I love my custom knives BUT you don't need a Rolls-Royce to get to and from work. If you can afford it that's fine but you don't NEED it. In the past, cheap knives were hardly worth having but that is changing. even the new stainless steels are becoming much better than they were in the past and the price for these high-quality metals is coming down fast.

A little research can allow you to have excellent knives that will last a lifetime without breaking the bank. In some cases, the actual price and quality is mostly in the name and not in the blade. These are beautiful wall hangers that cost because you are buying art. Now, even Damascus steel is inexpensive.

 

I agree with your point completely. I was just nit picking with the author of the article you cited over the 1% of hand forged blades that are very high end and equal to or better than modern steels (depending on application).

With the availability of modern technology it doesn’t make sense to spend crazy amounts of money on a blade that in many cases is not as good as what you can get f

 

...from China for 5% of the cost. I should have posted on another thread. I agree with you completely. You made a very good and well thought out post.

 

I have a few of the better than average knives..but seldom use or wear them..take them with me.

For most uses I carry a knife I can afford to lose or get damaged.

I am not keen on Stainless Steel knives but am also aware that there are some good quality stainless blades out there....cha ching!!!!
Again these are not the quality knives for which I would be want to carry, lose, or get damaged.


There is also this facet.....

Next to the common screwdriver...a knife is one of the most misused and abused tools out there. Many people borrow a knife and have no concept of what it costs for a good blade or such an tool...and quickly abuse it. Little thinking going on in this arena by most people. D2 steel blade. Hard steel...but holds an edge better than most Stainless.

I can afford to loose this knife and not be out a lot of monies. Have put back several of these knives.

https://www.amazon.com/KUBEY-Foldin...5GFJPZEYBQC2&refRID=STG4A7935GFJPZEYBQC2&th=1


My non Ishmaelite .02,
Watcherchris

 

I used to keep several of the Walmart dollar knives on hand for loaning out. My regular everyday carry knives never leave my sight when loaned. I have had a couple of good knives returned with the tips broken before I made this rule. Knives are not tempered correctly for prying!! The idiots that broke the tips off didn't even tell me when they returned the knives. I found out the next time I opened them. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!! As far as I'm concerned if you are a man and need a knife then you need to buy one and carry it. I've carried a knife at all times since I was 8 or 9 years old. When I used to fly out to LA a couple of times a year I mailed a knife out there ahead of time so almost as soon as I got off the plane I could have my knife in my pocket. I just don't feel dressed without a knife, lighter and flashlight in my pocket.

 

Amen Texdanm….Amen!!

I too do not feel properly dress lessen I have a knife on me. I feel "butt nekkid" without my knife.

Same....carried a folding knife since I was a kid.

Concerning these fold up pliers. They are very handy for many things ..but not really a heavy duty tool and the knife in them is not for me. It will do in a pinch but I prefer my Kubey knife.

Oh...and Texdanm…...

I suppose I should not be but am constantly amazed not only at the people who cannot take care of a knife without abusing it ...but also the number of people who cannot even sharpen a blade.


Thanks,
Watcherchris
Not an Ishmaelite

 

That has always amazed me also. It’s surprising how many people can’t sharpen a knife.

I make most of my fixed blades from high carbon steels so I can get exactly what I want. I have even made my own steel from iron ore sands in a Japanese style tatara. It’s certainly more work than it’s worth but it was useful just for the knowledge and experience. My grandfather occasionally refined iron from ore for tools during the depression.

The amount of work that goes into that or in making something complicated like a lock back or folder doesn’t justify my time when there are so many inexpensive yet good quality ones in the market. I will occasionally remove a stainless blade from a lock back and make a carbon steel blade to replace it.

 

As an everyday carry I always have a Swiss Army Knife at the very least. I also collect, buy and sell antique Sheffield made knives so sometimes I will have one of my more interesting collectables instead. I will sharpen a knife just for the pleasure of knowing that the knife in my pocket has a perfect edge. I never lend my knives anyone.

 

This is a nice balance in having a pair of pliers and a good very functional knife. If I am wearing jeans and working this is my most common carry. It is actually designed for pocket carry.



With all the new things that there are to sharpen knives these days there is no reason to carry a dull useless knife. A knife doesn't have to be able to shave but a dull knife is dangerous and almost useless. When I was a kid and my Dad gave me my first knife he also give me a small Norton pocket stone and taught me how to keep it sharp.

I have hundreds of knives and love to sharpen them. It is a sort of relaxing meditation for me. I have a big collection of stones but also have a lot of diamond hones and ceramic rods and stones as well and even a lot of the various pull through quick sharpen tools for putting a starting edge on knives that are totally dull.

For a lot of edge setting, I use a small 1" X 30" belt grinder with belts specifically made for sharpening and stropping knife blades. It is especially nice for big sheath knives and can give you a razor edge.

 

When I get dressed up in a suit and tie I carry with me one of my two Swiss Army knives. One of the few times will carry a Swiss Army knife. They are good little knives and perfect for carrying when wearing a suit and tie.

That Butt Nekked thing. I hate to be without a pocket knife/blade of some kind.


Sheffield....Wow!!

With the passing of my parents I obtained something of theirs which I considered very valuable since I was a child.

I always admired their Sheffield stainless steel steak knife set which has as handles of real stag horn antler....not the plastic you see today.

We were always taught to clean them manually individually without immersing the stag handles in water and hence the handles are in great shape today.

I also have the carving set again with real stag antler handles and some kind of curved shears for cutting poultry.

Nonetheless...they are very valuable to me and we only used them on special occasions and family get togethers.

Thanks,
Watcherchris

Not an Ishmaelite.