OK, we all have our favorite tools. One of mine is the knife. Single edge, dual edges, lock blades, utility, some are more useful than others.

For everyday use around the farm, I carry a usually 3' lockblade. It was cheap, so if I lose it, it won't cost a bundle to replace it. My hands down favorite was the military issue folding knife that came with mechanics tool boxes and wire linemans kits. It not only had the simple folding blade with a safety, but it also had a flathead screwdriver as an accessory.



The duty knife is a hard-working, often abused tool. It needs to be a solid piece, from tip to butt-cap. It also needs to be made of a metal that will retain it's edge, but is not a PITA to sharpen. During my time in the military, I carried a K-bar as my duty knife. It was cheap (I bought mine for $17 back in the day). It was easy to sharpen with a small bastard file, and it was rugged. I still have it hanging on the wall.

I occasionally carried a Gerber MkII. That was a show-off knife. It had a hard stainless steel blade, no bluing, and it was easy to break. I ended up grinding down the remnants of the blade to a flat tip and now use it as a dive knife. Stainless has one attribute - it doesn't rust quickly in salt water. It is a pain to sharpen though.


My all time favorite duty knife is the Kalashnikov bayonet. It's a tough knife that can be abused again and again. The sheath doubles as a wire cutter. It is smaller and lighter than the US issue bayonet. I got my first kalashnikov bayonet in North Iraq back in '91. They actually became so popular in my unit that I began buying Chinese knock-offs and using them on plaques for troops who were leaving the unit. I currently carry a kalashnikov bayonet as a duty blade on the farm. It handles wire cutting chores, it will easily lift the grating on grills, the sheath is electrically nonconducting, you can pry with it, dig small holes or probe with it. (It also scares the hell out of the neighbors )




The third edged tool I have always carried is a machete. There are several models, but I prefer the military issue model for it's ruggedness and the fact that you can quickly sharpen the blade by dragging it through the small sharpener on the issue sheath. This is another piece of equipment that I have had for years, and I still use on the farm.




Now, some may argue that a hatchet is better than a machete. To a point, I'll agree, but in reality, it depends on the terrain where you are located. Heavy wood is easier to cut with a hatchet, but thick underbrush can be cleared by the machete's longer blade.

Now, you will notice that each edged tool I have presented has had years of use. In my mind, they are proven by time. Except for the Gerber MkII, they are durable, and easily replaceable.
If you search the net for these tools, you will find many different types of blades, of different quality, and definitely different prices. My advise- stay away from the wazzoo stuff. Do you really need a Kukri machete with a pvc handle that sells for $165 when you can do the same job with a standard tool that costs $35?

Anyone else have some personal favorites?

Knives and flashlights, I can never get enough.
My all time favorite knife was my 1920s bowie, heavy as Hell, always kept an edge and strangely enough well balanced for throwing.
I lost it in the creek years ago and have yet to find a real replacement, the newer ones don't have near the quality as the older ones did, you could never shine it, it wasn't made to look pretty like the crap today.

Of course like everyone else, I buy the latest pocket knife on the mkt, only to replace it with the next piece of crap to come out.
These utilities knives are fine for camping, but the quality downright sucks, I have three for everyone i carry because everyone seems to have only one function that actually works.
I wish Leatherman would come up with one that works.

Quote from: Solar on May 13, 2012, 08:05:43 AM

I wish Leatherman would come up with one that works.

Leatherman, Gerber, and all those other utility tools are dangerous. I've seen some bad cuts from blades closing on the users fingers, and they all seem to break along the housing behind the pliers.

Quote from: Ford289HiPo on May 13, 2012, 08:41:28 PM
Leatherman, Gerber, and all those other utility tools are dangerous. I've seen some bad cuts from blades closing on the users fingers, and they all seem to break along the housing behind the pliers.

Oh, hell, if you're not watching what you're doing, the damn knife will cut you. I carry a Gerber multi-tool. Damned handy!

It would cut me just like the rest, except I keep an eye on it.

Knives have to be my favorite tool as well, Mostly they are of the utility/ sharpened prybar type.My every day carry is a small rigging knife, a folder with a fid. ( A fid is a spike for untying knots and other ropework uses) I do have a machette, and there are three of my knives which are practical for most chores. The Folder, a four inch sheath knife, and a Nine inch bladed bowie. The rest are lightly used, if used at all short run specialty knives. I have a rescue Hatchet as well, designed for auto or aircraft entry/exit.

Quote from: tbone0106 on May 13, 2012, 10:41:45 PM
Oh, hell, if you're not watching what you're doing, the damn knife will cut you. I carry a Gerber multi-tool. Damned handy!

It would cut me just like the rest, except I keep an eye on it.

Yep, got both, and both have their own pluses and negatives, both hurt the hand when using the pliers, neither has a long enough blade.
I used to carry a Buck for years, till the utility knife came along, now I simply carry a disposable multi tool knife.
I say disposable, because not only are they cheap in cost, but pretty much quality as well, but they do have a razor blade attachment, something I use frequently.
But I say disposable, because I got tired of paying top dollar for crap from Leatherman and Gerber, so now if I lose it, or simply abuse it, I can toss it in the trash and pick up a new one for under three bucks.

I just really miss my Bowie more than anything, though.

Quote from: tbone0106 on May 13, 2012, 10:41:45 PM


It would cut me just like the rest, except I keep an eye on it.

You might wanna' be careful. You could put your eye out real easy there...................

I had a Buck knife close on my finger while pressing down real hard, I accidentally squeezed the release and cut all the way to the bone.
Still numb after 40 years, but the scar is finally gone.

I was using a BuckLite 3" lockback to trim a knot off the stump of a live/dead Christmas tree one year. What I really needed was a drawknife, but I didn't have one, so my BuckLite was doing the duty, with the handle in my right hand, and my left index finger hooked around the tip of the blade.

All was going well until it got away from me, and the blade -- which was RAZOR sharp -- kinda snapped around the knot I was working on. The tip of the blade sliced through the web of my left hand, between the thumb and forefinger. I hardly even felt it, that's how sharp that blade was! If you could have laid the wound out flat, it would easily have been 1 1/2" long.

But guess what, kids? There ain't nothin' in there. I looked through that gaping hole and could see bones and tendons and stuff, but mainly what I cut was just skin. My wife du jour was an RN, and when she saw the wound, she instantly freaked, squealing about hospital and stitches. I calmed her down, and instructed her to get bandage material, Red Cross tape, peroxide, etc.

Under my instruction, and after I had carefully "reassembled" the skin between my thumb and forefinger, she first sanitized everything. Then she taped my thumb and forefinger together. Then she applied bandage material and antibiotic ointment to the wound. Then she literally wrapped Red Cross tape around my knuckles until I could no longer move my thumb.

I went back to work the next day, and worked every day thereafter. A week later, the bandages came off. Today there is not the slightest scar.

Damn, I miss that knife! (It disappeared in the wake of a divorce.)

Quote from: tbone0106 on May 21, 2012, 07:58:57 PM
I was using a BuckLite 3" lockback to trim a knot off the stump of a live/dead Christmas tree one year. What I really needed was a drawknife, but I didn't have one, so my BuckLite was doing the duty, with the handle in my right hand, and my left index finger hooked around the tip of the blade.

All was going well until it got away from me, and the blade -- which was RAZOR sharp -- kinda snapped around the knot I was working on. The tip of the blade sliced through the web of my left hand, between the thumb and forefinger. I hardly even felt it, that's how sharp that blade was! If you could have laid the wound out flat, it would easily have been 1 1/2" long.

But guess what, kids? There ain't nothin' in there. I looked through that gaping hole and could see bones and tendons and stuff, but mainly what I cut was just skin. My wife du jour was an RN, and when she saw the wound, she instantly freaked, squealing about hospital and stitches. I calmed her down, and instructed her to get bandage material, Red Cross tape, peroxide, etc.

Under my instruction, and after I had carefully "reassembled" the skin between my thumb and forefinger, she first sanitized everything. Then she taped my thumb and forefinger together. Then she applied bandage material and antibiotic ointment to the wound. Then she literally wrapped Red Cross tape around my knuckles until I could no longer move my thumb.

I went back to work the next day, and worked every day thereafter. A week later, the bandages came off. Today there is not the slightest scar.

Damn, I miss that knife! (It disappeared in the wake of a divorce.)

Ah. Sometimes it's easier to lose a knife than it is to lose a wife.

I know it is not exactly a knife, but I keep my SOG Fasthawk on hand whenever I do anything outdoors. I also am quite fond of an old Buck model 118 that my grandfather took off a guy he arrested as a cop in Newark. It looked like it still had the factory edge on it, really bad knicks in the blade, very dirty. I ground a new edge on it and cleaned it up and it is pricelessly useful where a folder just won't cut it(no pun intended).

Quote from: Murph on August 01, 2012, 11:57:03 AM
I know it is not exactly a knife, but I keep my SOG Fasthawk on hand whenever I do anything outdoors. I also am quite fond of an old Buck model 118 that my grandfather took off a guy he arrested as a cop in Newark. It looked like it still had the factory edge on it, really bad knicks in the blade, very dirty. I ground a new edge on it and cleaned it up and it is pricelessly useful where a folder just won't cut it(no pun intended).

I know what you mean, I carry a Woodmans pal when I leave the house.