Some stuff I picked up but haven't shared yet
Apr 30, 2023 7:03:09 GMT
Post by randomnobody on Apr 30, 2023 7:03:09 GMT
Been a while since I had anything to share, but in the last few months (maybe a year?) I was on the hunt for, first, a new EDC, second, a better work knife.
Never having been a fan of Cold Steel, though being recently impressed with their Luzon, when nothing else was grabbing me on my very limited budget, I thought to give them a chance for the Ranch Boss. Closest knife I could find to the aesthetic and form I like best, and less than $50. Seemed like a good-enough choice. Came with a nice belt sheath that I didn't bother using. Turns out it's a b*tch to use, due to the exceptionally strong back spring, coupled with a very stiff liner lock. I decided I liked the blade well enough, but wanted something with one-hand operating capabilities. Enter the Range Boss. Same blade shape and size, different steel, and more budget scales. I, uh, don't like the scales. At all. They feel flimsy and are exceedingly rough on my hands. That said, once broken in, the action is very smooth and the blade itself does its job well. Sometimes I carry it in an extra pocket, but I usually leave it at home. Wound up keeping my current EDC kit.
As for work knives, the blades my old box cutter takes seem to have declined in quality. Instead of a blade lasting me a week plus, I found myself changing blades every two or three days as they just weren't getting through packing tape anymore without a fight. Coupled with the holster not holding the knife anymore, and having lost the lanyard years ago, I was tired of dealing with it and figured a pocket knife would be a better option.
I wanted something with the same shape as a utility knife, but without disposable blades. Luckily, "reverse tanto" tip knives seem to be on the come-up, but most are still very expensive. Enter my third Cold Steel of this period (my sixth overall), the Kiridashi. I actually set out in search of a "traditional" folding kiridashi at first, but the ones I was finding were larger than I wanted. My goal was a blade under 3", and I was finding 4"+. Cold Steel's Kiridashi seemed like a better fit at 2.5", and was much cheaper than the Japanese models, so I gave it a shot. Using it, unfortunately, is kind of a pain in the butt, it turns out. Mostly due to its smaller size, and my not-so-small size, I had trouble adjusting to the right deployment, seldom managing to open the thing on the first try. Closing it was another matter; the Triad lock being a bit too robust for a blade this small, I had to either use my other hand or push the blade against something to close it once I'd cleared the lock. Not ideal, especially with the tough detent it has and the over-eager return to close once that's clear...
So I splurged a bit and got the Kizer Shard, with titanium scales. I figured it would be about the same size as the Kiridashi, but the frame lock would make for easier one-handed use. Nope. It's tiny. I thought the Kiridashi was tough to deploy, it took me ages to find the right way to hold the Shard so it wouldn't just hit my finger on the way out, usually going right back in after. Having received it during the winter months, I found that I struggled to even grip it until my hands had "warmed up" a bit, so my first hour or so of work, I couldn't even use the knife. By the time I finally adapted to its quirks, suddenly I couldn't get it to take an edge anymore. Disappointed, it's currently out of service.
My next thought was, folding knives are actually kind of a pain to use frequently. Maybe a fixed blade would be better? But I can't exactly strap a bowie to my belt and go work a retail job, so what are my options? I started looking at neck knives, which I'd always thought were kind of silly. Such a small knife, what could it be good for? Well, maybe a box cutter, I guess. So I tried the CIVIVI D-Art. Nifty little thing, but the ball chain is pretty flimsy. A buddy at work also bought one, after I mentioned my intent to do so, but replaced his chain with a leather cord. For a week or two, the D-Art was a splendid little knife. It did most everything I needed it to do, but wasn't great at handling pallet wrap or paper tape. I decided I needed something with a little more mass, so I went shopping again. Around this time, the D-Art also started refusing to sharpen, which made dealing with things much more difficult. Part two of deciding on a different, larger knife.
So I picked up a CRKT Biwa. My only other CRKT knife before this was their collaboration with A.G. Russell, the Sting. Lovely little boot knife style dagger, but I guess the quality of materials just wasn't what it should've been as it also stopped taking an edge for me after a while. Aggravated, I decided CRKT must not be as great as everyone says, so for years I avoided the brand. When I saw the Biwa, though, it was love at first sight. I absolutely adore the blade shape, and at right around 3" it's neither too large for cutting boxes nor too small for much else. I wasn't super fond of the grip scales, though. They offer another model with plain black scales, but it comes with a belt sheath rather than the neck knife option I was after, so I closed my eyes and bought the ugly handles. As it turns out, I wish I'd bought this one first. It's been phenomenal. While it doesn't keep its edge completely sharp throughout a particularly busy shift, it does well enough and strops right back up without a fuss once home. The shape is great and the size, okay the size is a little small for my hands which absolutely swallow the grip to the point where I've started just grabbing the last inch or two with three fingers, but if I need to ham-fist it I still have ample control over the blade without fear of accidentally grabbing said blade. If I had the money, I'd buy the sheath version, with the solid black scales, and carry it in the neck sheath instead, just because I like the black scales better, visually. That said, the neck knife is $35 and the belt knife is $50. They do throw in some weird attachment with the neck knife that can convert it into a belt sheath, but it's kinda awkward and wouldn't hold the knife where I'd want it, so it's no good to me.
Anyway, sharp stuffs.
Never having been a fan of Cold Steel, though being recently impressed with their Luzon, when nothing else was grabbing me on my very limited budget, I thought to give them a chance for the Ranch Boss. Closest knife I could find to the aesthetic and form I like best, and less than $50. Seemed like a good-enough choice. Came with a nice belt sheath that I didn't bother using. Turns out it's a b*tch to use, due to the exceptionally strong back spring, coupled with a very stiff liner lock. I decided I liked the blade well enough, but wanted something with one-hand operating capabilities. Enter the Range Boss. Same blade shape and size, different steel, and more budget scales. I, uh, don't like the scales. At all. They feel flimsy and are exceedingly rough on my hands. That said, once broken in, the action is very smooth and the blade itself does its job well. Sometimes I carry it in an extra pocket, but I usually leave it at home. Wound up keeping my current EDC kit.
As for work knives, the blades my old box cutter takes seem to have declined in quality. Instead of a blade lasting me a week plus, I found myself changing blades every two or three days as they just weren't getting through packing tape anymore without a fight. Coupled with the holster not holding the knife anymore, and having lost the lanyard years ago, I was tired of dealing with it and figured a pocket knife would be a better option.
I wanted something with the same shape as a utility knife, but without disposable blades. Luckily, "reverse tanto" tip knives seem to be on the come-up, but most are still very expensive. Enter my third Cold Steel of this period (my sixth overall), the Kiridashi. I actually set out in search of a "traditional" folding kiridashi at first, but the ones I was finding were larger than I wanted. My goal was a blade under 3", and I was finding 4"+. Cold Steel's Kiridashi seemed like a better fit at 2.5", and was much cheaper than the Japanese models, so I gave it a shot. Using it, unfortunately, is kind of a pain in the butt, it turns out. Mostly due to its smaller size, and my not-so-small size, I had trouble adjusting to the right deployment, seldom managing to open the thing on the first try. Closing it was another matter; the Triad lock being a bit too robust for a blade this small, I had to either use my other hand or push the blade against something to close it once I'd cleared the lock. Not ideal, especially with the tough detent it has and the over-eager return to close once that's clear...
So I splurged a bit and got the Kizer Shard, with titanium scales. I figured it would be about the same size as the Kiridashi, but the frame lock would make for easier one-handed use. Nope. It's tiny. I thought the Kiridashi was tough to deploy, it took me ages to find the right way to hold the Shard so it wouldn't just hit my finger on the way out, usually going right back in after. Having received it during the winter months, I found that I struggled to even grip it until my hands had "warmed up" a bit, so my first hour or so of work, I couldn't even use the knife. By the time I finally adapted to its quirks, suddenly I couldn't get it to take an edge anymore. Disappointed, it's currently out of service.
My next thought was, folding knives are actually kind of a pain to use frequently. Maybe a fixed blade would be better? But I can't exactly strap a bowie to my belt and go work a retail job, so what are my options? I started looking at neck knives, which I'd always thought were kind of silly. Such a small knife, what could it be good for? Well, maybe a box cutter, I guess. So I tried the CIVIVI D-Art. Nifty little thing, but the ball chain is pretty flimsy. A buddy at work also bought one, after I mentioned my intent to do so, but replaced his chain with a leather cord. For a week or two, the D-Art was a splendid little knife. It did most everything I needed it to do, but wasn't great at handling pallet wrap or paper tape. I decided I needed something with a little more mass, so I went shopping again. Around this time, the D-Art also started refusing to sharpen, which made dealing with things much more difficult. Part two of deciding on a different, larger knife.
So I picked up a CRKT Biwa. My only other CRKT knife before this was their collaboration with A.G. Russell, the Sting. Lovely little boot knife style dagger, but I guess the quality of materials just wasn't what it should've been as it also stopped taking an edge for me after a while. Aggravated, I decided CRKT must not be as great as everyone says, so for years I avoided the brand. When I saw the Biwa, though, it was love at first sight. I absolutely adore the blade shape, and at right around 3" it's neither too large for cutting boxes nor too small for much else. I wasn't super fond of the grip scales, though. They offer another model with plain black scales, but it comes with a belt sheath rather than the neck knife option I was after, so I closed my eyes and bought the ugly handles. As it turns out, I wish I'd bought this one first. It's been phenomenal. While it doesn't keep its edge completely sharp throughout a particularly busy shift, it does well enough and strops right back up without a fuss once home. The shape is great and the size, okay the size is a little small for my hands which absolutely swallow the grip to the point where I've started just grabbing the last inch or two with three fingers, but if I need to ham-fist it I still have ample control over the blade without fear of accidentally grabbing said blade. If I had the money, I'd buy the sheath version, with the solid black scales, and carry it in the neck sheath instead, just because I like the black scales better, visually. That said, the neck knife is $35 and the belt knife is $50. They do throw in some weird attachment with the neck knife that can convert it into a belt sheath, but it's kinda awkward and wouldn't hold the knife where I'd want it, so it's no good to me.
Anyway, sharp stuffs.