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+--- Thread: Price of the Blade (/showthread.php?tid=6440)
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Price of the Blade - Mortblanc - 4 January 2014
Bouncing off of the thread/review Bennie posted about his Boar model EDC knife, and one comment that 45 pounds was too much to pay for an everyday knife, I got to thinking.
I like fine knives. I care for them and keep close eye on them, and carry them for decades. I have one knife in the jewelry box that I carried daily for 30 years. I even have a little SAK Classic I have carried on my keychain daily for almost a decade and my currant EDC pocket knife, that replaced the 30 year veteran, has been with me for 5 years.
The currant knife is a high quality tool not made in a far eastern sweat shop from recycled roofing metal. It holds a razor edge and meets all my demands for a good EDC knife. Comfortable in the hand for long periods, blades no longer than 2 1/5 inches, smooth scales and bolsters. It is not used to hammer nails, cut sheet metal, dig in the dirt, baton yew bow-staves from the green wood or split rocks.
It is a high quality cutting tool that has served me well in the capacity of a cutting tool. Besides removing splinters and opening the mail it has skinned out a host of small game and done primary work on a number of deer. It has made willow whistles for the grandchildren, carved wood spirit faces on the walking sticks, sliced lunch meat and tomatoes and has been a good companion.
I am certain that if I am ever caught in an emergency survival situation, urban or rural, this knife is the one that will be in my pocket. I guess that makes it my "survival knife".
No one ever promised that if TEOTWAWKI arrives we will have opportunity to run back to the house and get the "real survival knife". The one we can not carry because it is illegal to tote, draws unwanted attention and is generally useless in the real world.
I feel that the higher cost of my high quality EDC knife is justified many times over.
But I also carry a second knife! (actually a third or fourth layer of the contingency series)
That knife is of moderate quality and larger size. It is a sturdy "beater knife" that I have absolutely no sentimental attachment too and rotate in and out of use as the needs change or I simply wear them out through hard use.
This is the one that cuts the roofing material, trims electrical wire, digs lead from the target backers, cuts rope and scrapes the corroded battery terminals.
But I do not ALWAYS carry this knife. It is big, heavy and clunky and is best carried hanging inside my pocket by the belt clip. It does not go with me when I am in civilized attire because it just does not fit or feel right. So I do not consider this my primary knife, and do not spend money on it like it was a cherished friend.
If I break it chipping ice from the lock on the chicken house door tomorrow I will simply throw away the pieces and head for the knife box to find a replacement.
I paid about 1/3 the amount for the beater knife that I did for the little EDC blade. I picked it up at Walmart on a 2/4/1 sale while Christmas shopping a few years back. It cost me about 15 of your pounds.
I suppose I do many things in this way. Good clothes and work clothes, good car and the old beater Jeep, casual loafers and muck boots.
But at least I know that if I get caught in an unexpected emergency while wearing my good clothes and loafers I will still have a high quality piece of razor sharp steel at my disposal disguised as a nice little EDC pocket knife.
RE: Price of the Blade - bigpaul - 4 January 2014
I don't know about the states but in the UK we don't have to pay tens and multiples of tens of pounds for a good knife, my current EDC knife is an unbranded lock knife I bought for about £6 (show price) at The Game Fair in Shepton Mallet in Somerset, its a good knife, holds a good edge and is used constantly.
RE: Price of the Blade - Mortblanc - 4 January 2014
You are carrying a lock-knife as EDC?
I thought the 1988 law ended that practice.
RE: Price of the Blade - Tartar Horde - 4 January 2014
BP is a rebel (plays banjo)
RE: Price of the Blade - bigpaul - 4 January 2014
I'm more of a NON-conformist TH!
I NEVER did do the same as everyone else!!
RE: Price of the Blade - BeardyMan - 4 January 2014
I really like the opinel 6 & 7 for EDC carry.
Doesn't look aggressive, so no problem using it in the office to open packages etc. Very light (if that matters to you) and damn sharp. They're not very strong laterally, so not one to be abused, but very, very cheap.
By far the best folding knife I've laid my hands on is the Enzo PK70. Heavy duty, usual top enzo quality, and a sub £100 price. Unbeatable for the money.
RE: Price of the Blade - Talon - 5 January 2014
The Enzo PK70 is arguably the finest Uk legal edc you can buy.They're superb knives and on my shopping list.Currently though I'm going through a cheap utilitarian knife faze.
Knives like the Douk Douk,the Higonakami ,the Svord Peasant and the Mercator all use quality carbon steel blades with either stamped metal handles or plastic/wood for the Peasant knives.
They're all extremely cheap and all of them take a razor edge,plus they all come in under £25 so if you lose it you can easily replace them, and apart from the Mercator they're all non locking.
My current edc is a sub 3 inch Higonakami.It's very basic but takes a truly wicked edge and does for all my basic everyday knife chores.
My go to survival knives are a Fallkniven H1 and a British service Kukri but they only see the light when I'm practising my bushcraft skills.Nine times out of ten a sub 3 inch slip joint or friction folder is all the knife I need.
RE: Price of the Blade - BeardyMan - 5 January 2014
I do like the Svord peasants. The mini especially.
Been umming and arring over the douk douk, they *look* a bit flimsy from the pics (I know that means absolutely nothing) - they any good Talon?
RE: Price of the Blade - Talon - 5 January 2014
One of the guys I work with has owned and used a Douk Douk for the past 4 years.They're about as attractive as Vanessa Feltz's arse but it's stood up to constant use and sharpens up really well.The blade on his is a tad on the soft side and he gets me to hone it roughly once a week.
Still as an everyday cheap knife it does really well.You can quickly turn them into a fixed blade (if you ever needed to)by hitting them with a hammer behind the pivot.
Hienne stocks the petite uk friendly size for under 15 quid.
http://www.heinnie.com/Petite-Folder/p-0-0-11552/
Not a pretty knife but for a Uk edc with a carbon steel blade and a rich history I like them,i'll be ordering one when they're next in stock.The Svord Peasants are nice as well .I have 2 normal size peasants and the mini.All three have needed edge work but again for cheap everyday users that you don't mind losing they're good value,and they use L6 tool steel like Gransfors.
RE: Price of the Blade - Midnitemo - 5 January 2014
opinels rock and 6 to 8 quid a pop who cares what sin's you commit against it or even lose it...i loves em