|
Post by howler on Feb 14, 2018 21:22:23 GMT
Nasty stickers with 4 1/4" blades. They look easy to carry as well (just guessing thickness and weight). I hope those handles aren't too slippery, as it looks like there is potential to have your hand slide onto blade during a hard stab.
|
|
|
Post by howler on Feb 14, 2018 21:44:19 GMT
You would LOVE to play with the Ontario SP5 and SP10 Marine Raider. They are quantum leaps beyond anything in their (under $40) price point. Buy them both and don't think twice. I always felt drawn towards the Ontario SP 10. I’m sure it has its merits for wood work, especially chopping and batoning, and probably would far just as well if not better than my Tramontina. Although like the Tramontina, it would be too heavy for its length to make a good “fighter”, imo, and it lacks the sharpened swedge. The Black Bear machete is long enough to put different ground sections on it (thin near the guard for carving, thicker in the middle for chopping, thin near the tip for slicing) , and long enough to baton with, even while still leaving room for its sharpened swedge to be untouched. It also would be better for the lighter stuff, clearing a trail or camping place, etc. Overall, I see the Black Bear machete as the better “all-round knife” than the SP 10 - longer (just not too long), quicker, more easily maintained, more versatile. I still want to get an SP 10, though, (and also an SP 6) – and can get it at a reasonable price, even here in Germany, but it will be more than double the cost than in the US. Of course, for dedicated wood work, nothing beats an axe and saw, in the north. In the south, machetes rule the game amongst axes and saws. And then you have thicker, longer choppers for the thicker, softer stuff found in South East Asia, like kukris, parangs etc., which work best with convex grinds. Honestly, I don’t see much use for these in the west – they can be fun, of course. If you seriously want to work with the harder woods, a saw and an axe are a must anyways. A small knife in addition will suffice then. Overly heavy knives with thick spines, wide blades and delicate edges seem not very rational, to me, at least - but I had tons of fun with my Tramontina bowie (which is also less than 5 mm at the spine, when I come to think of it). My guess is that the frontier men used their big knives mainly for dressing/skinning/butchering (for which a thick or very heavy knife is rarely needed – but a sharp one) and conflict purposes / defense (for which a too heavy knife is unsuited) and that they chose more appropriate tools for the wood work. The trend for thick, heavy choppers with rather hard edges that aren’t easily maintained in the field seems more like a recent, modern thing, to me. The SP 10 is truly a gorilla, but I should point out that you can sharpen that back edge with ease (I mean it is just WAITING to have it applied). So, what about that SP 5? I see your name on it. Really, large knives are simply "jack of all trades" deals, where your just carrying it and a small folder or mora type fixed with the ability to use defensively against two and four legged predators and worry less about breaking. Cold, wet, dark woods is saw and boys/full sized axe territory. You don't play around with hypothermia, when it's getting dark in 10 minutes and you need to chop into the center of wet logs to get to dry wood. Pulling out a knife (any knife) to whack through the frozen ice covered bark of something feet in diameter while cold and wet in a driving snowstorm would be NOT FUN...or smart.
|
|
|
Post by howler on Feb 14, 2018 21:51:33 GMT
"My guess is that the frontier men used their big knives mainly for dressing/skinning/butchering " No need to guess. Different knives for different tasks. Axes were/are the appropriate tool for woodwork. The Lewis&Clark journals are free to read and include the entire inventory of what they drew for the expedition. Some swords for the officers but not a great many. Yup, butchering, some chopping/cutting tasks, and defense (before firearm stabilization).
|
|
|
Post by howler on Feb 14, 2018 21:59:01 GMT
Sorry, yeah, Joker is a Spanish knife manufacturer. I refer to their 90mm bandolero model. I bought it several years back when a thread here piqued my interest in classical Spanish navaja, one of five knives I bought, including the aforementioned JJ Martinez and Martinez Albainox. While it gets flak for not being a proper, traditional design, it's turned out to be one of my better knives. Great edge retention, super sharp, sturdy lock, and while somewhat hefty still easy to use. Not bad for a little thing, but the broad belly and long clip point make it act a little bigger. As to research, I'm not one to study randomly but my Google-fu is pretty good whenever something catches my interest. I have a few books, but haven't read the entirety of most and they're all boxed up in a closet right now, so eh... Spanish Navaja, LARGE and lovely folders. Modern version...CS.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 14, 2018 22:13:57 GMT
The knives are a titanium build by Randall Gilbreath. With the thumb ramps and grip contour, they are quite secure. Made before the term of tactical knives and not unlikely older than a lot of the forumites here. Before the Sebenza. Chris Reeve made the form a production craze. Mel Pardue another doing the bolster lock ti frames before Chris Reeve. So, we are looking at more than thirty years of functionality and the Sebenza still well thought of. Your mileage may vary.
One clips tip up, the other clips tip down. The blade steel is ATS-34, which was almost unused in the knife world (aside from custom makers) during the early/mid 1980s. Overall thickness, I'll post it at some point but iirc less than pencil thick without the clips. I posted these in a separate thread months ago with little interest.
|
|
|
Post by legacyofthesword on Feb 14, 2018 22:21:12 GMT
Sorry, yeah, Joker is a Spanish knife manufacturer. I refer to their 90mm bandolero model. I bought it several years back when a thread here piqued my interest in classical Spanish navaja, one of five knives I bought, including the aforementioned JJ Martinez and Martinez Albainox. While it gets flak for not being a proper, traditional design, it's turned out to be one of my better knives. Great edge retention, super sharp, sturdy lock, and while somewhat hefty still easy to use. Not bad for a little thing, but the broad belly and long clip point make it act a little bigger. As to research, I'm not one to study randomly but my Google-fu is pretty good whenever something catches my interest. I have a few books, but haven't read the entirety of most and they're all boxed up in a closet right now, so eh... Spanish Navaja, LARGE and lovely folders. Modern version...CS. Frick... those Jokers are some nice knives. Especially this one: www.joker.es/CLASSICAL-SPANISH-GIANT-FOLDING-KNIFE-NICKEL-BOLSTER-PRESSED-WOOD-HANDLE-235-CM-BLADE-LENGTH_en_7_1001_0_2_16.html23.5 cm blade?! Holy heck....
|
|
|
Post by howler on Feb 14, 2018 22:52:28 GMT
The knives are a titanium build by Randall Gilbreath. With the thumb ramps and grip contour, they are quite secure. Made before the term of tactical knives and not unlikely older than a lot of the forumites here. Before the Sebenza. Chris Reeve made the form a production craze. Mel Pardue another doing the bolster lock ti frames before Chris Reeve. So, we are looking at more than thirty years of functionality and the Sebenza still well thought of. Your mileage may vary. One clips tip up, the other clips tip down. The blade steel is ATS-34, which was almost unused in the knife world (aside from custom makers) during the early/mid 1980s. Overall thickness, I'll post it at some point but iirc less than pencil thick without the clips. I posted these in a separate thread months ago with little interest. Beautiful. Sounds like those have some collectible value.
|
|
|
Post by howler on Feb 14, 2018 22:54:55 GMT
Spanish Navaja could get huge...folding short sword huge.
|
|
|
Post by randomnobody on Feb 14, 2018 23:08:05 GMT
I'm not a fan of Cold Steel's iteration, the Eapada, and Benchmade has one I don't like, either. At least the latter tried to replicate the famous "carraca" sound, but why not just put in the actual lock instead of some bizarre ratcheting sound effect...thing? My biggest navaja has a 9" blade, my favorite was just under 4", the rest are 3.5". They do get big, but they're not by default.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 14, 2018 23:17:07 GMT
The knives are a titanium build by Randall Gilbreath. With the thumb ramps and grip contour, they are quite secure. Made before the term of tactical knives and not unlikely older than a lot of the forumites here. Before the Sebenza. Chris Reeve made the form a production craze. Mel Pardue another doing the bolster lock ti frames before Chris Reeve. So, we are looking at more than thirty years of functionality and the Sebenza still well thought of. Your mileage may vary. One clips tip up, the other clips tip down. The blade steel is ATS-34, which was almost unused in the knife world (aside from custom makers) during the early/mid 1980s. Overall thickness, I'll post it at some point but iirc less than pencil thick without the clips. I posted these in a separate thread months ago with little interest. Beautiful. Sounds like those have some collectible value. Well, they weren't as expensive as a current Sebenza and I'd have a hard time selling them at Sebenza prices. Even my Vince Evans and Kevin Cashen bowies, while collectible, are hard sells. My DeLeon posted earlier in this thread might sell quick, as demand is up as the maker died. Still, Ralph Bone knives linger on ebay, waiting for the right adoptive parent. My standard stock photo of some of my stuff. The little elven hunter and sirupati on the left are a friend's. A Tai-Pan and Randall #2 both with eight in blades. The subhilt Blackjack is gone (I miss it). The three stags are Vince Evans, Ralph Bone and Kevin Cashen. A Vince Evans folder above. A Benchmark Diamondback Rolox (gone). A dagger blade that was sold by Atlanta Cutlery (On my to do list for 20 years). Swiss bayonet (gone). The DeLeon. The Blackjack AWAC. The Gerber BMF. Then too many WWII EG Waterman knives. The tip of the iceberg, as it were. Lots more folders and other swarf.
|
|
|
Post by howler on Feb 15, 2018 0:41:27 GMT
I'm not a fan of Cold Steel's iteration, the Eapada, and Benchmade has one I don't like, either. At least the latter tried to replicate the famous "carraca" sound, but why not just put in the actual lock instead of some bizarre ratcheting sound effect...thing? My biggest navaja has a 9" blade, my favorite was just under 4", the rest are 3.5". They do get big, but they're not by default. Really not a lot of selection from which to choose from in the large folder category. I'd like one of CS's 7 1/2" bladed "short swords" (which aren't cheap, either...even the G10, which is the one I'd get), but must admit the 5 1/5" bladed models are far easier to carry and conceal, and are more practical.
|
|
|
Post by howler on Feb 15, 2018 0:44:48 GMT
Beautiful. Sounds like those have some collectible value. Well, they weren't as expensive as a current Sebenza and I'd have a hard time selling them at Sebenza prices. Even my Vince Evans and Kevin Cashen bowies, while collectible, are hard sells. My DeLeon posted earlier in this thread might sell quick, as demand is up as the maker died. Still, Ralph Bone knives linger on ebay, waiting for the right adoptive parent. My standard stock photo of some of my stuff. The little elven hunter and sirupati on the left are a friend's. A Tai-Pan and Randall #2 both with eight in blades. The subhilt Blackjack is gone (I miss it). The three stags are Vince Evans, Ralph Bone and Kevin Cashen. A Vince Evans folder above. A Benchmark Diamondback Rolox (gone). A dagger blade that was sold by Atlanta Cutlery (On my to do list for 20 years). Swiss bayonet (gone). The DeLeon. The Blackjack AWAC. The Gerber BMF. Then too many WWII EG Waterman knives. The tip of the iceberg, as it were. Lots more folders and other swarf. Your a veritable human porcupine of quality...bet you've never been called that.
|
|
|
Post by legacyofthesword on Feb 15, 2018 2:47:18 GMT
Spanish Navaja could get huge...folding short sword huge. No kidding:
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2018 3:03:42 GMT
Well, they weren't as expensive as a current Sebenza and I'd have a hard time selling them at Sebenza prices. Even my Vince Evans and Kevin Cashen bowies, while collectible, are hard sells. My DeLeon posted earlier in this thread might sell quick, as demand is up as the maker died. Still, Ralph Bone knives linger on ebay, waiting for the right adoptive parent. My standard stock photo of some of my stuff. The little elven hunter and sirupati on the left are a friend's. A Tai-Pan and Randall #2 both with eight in blades. The subhilt Blackjack is gone (I miss it). The three stags are Vince Evans, Ralph Bone and Kevin Cashen. A Vince Evans folder above. A Benchmark Diamondback Rolox (gone). A dagger blade that was sold by Atlanta Cutlery (On my to do list for 20 years). Swiss bayonet (gone). The DeLeon. The Blackjack AWAC. The Gerber BMF. Then too many WWII EG Waterman knives. The tip of the iceberg, as it were. Lots more folders and other swarf. Your a veritable human porcupine of quality...bet you've never been called that. Perhaps a better descriptive would be hedge hog
|
|
|
Post by howler on Feb 16, 2018 4:48:03 GMT
|
|
|
Post by howler on Feb 18, 2018 5:44:16 GMT
I've seen the second one, a monster, but am intrigued by the horned handled specimen. Keep me informed.
|
|
|
Post by howler on Feb 18, 2018 5:47:52 GMT
Lol, yeah, it must be a great knife, but... that point, although being pointy, doesn't point well, does it? It's great. This is a second generation, as they beefed up the tip and brought it back into circulation after popular demand. You really cant come close to it at its price point, and you can still thrust very well, but that back cut can take the scrotum off a fruit fly with the flick of the wrist. I just said scrotum.
|
|
pgandy
Moderator
Senior Forumite
Posts: 10,296
|
Post by pgandy on Feb 18, 2018 14:48:15 GMT
That Atrox is one massive appearing knife. Getting the urge that I must start to control.
|
|
|
Post by MOK on Feb 18, 2018 15:18:09 GMT
Lol, that almost pushed me over the edge on that one But no, no, I won’t get sucked into that endless rollercoaster of short fun / ”survival” choppers, no, I won`t Yeah, I get the same urge! But as much as I love compact, powerful blades (seaxes, bowies, kukris, all that sort of thing) the only one of mine actually geared for "survival" type uses is the Skrama. It just covers that aspect of short choppies so damn well there's nothing left for me to want.
|
|
AndiTheBarvarian
Member
Bavarianbarbarian - Semper Semprini
Posts: 9,855
Member is Online
|
Post by AndiTheBarvarian on Feb 18, 2018 16:11:54 GMT
I'm sure (Atrox) I don't need (Atrox) another big knife (Atroxatrox), no..., neverever (Atroxatroxatrox....
|
|