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Knife Tips General points Many knives sold today through magazines and in "outdoor" shops are of a extremely low quality. They are often vastly overpriced as well. There are a number of problems with these "low quality" knives. Firstly the blade steel is often of such a laughably poor grade that it will not take an edge, or if it does, will not keep it for any length of time. Secondly the fixtures and fittings of the knives are often poor. Handle scales fall off. Blades snap easily, handles fall off. Most worrying however is the fact that a poor quality lock may fail, possibly causing serious injury. Thirdly many knives offered (even by mainstream shops) are copies of famous knife makers designs. These blatant "knockoffs" are as much a problem in the cutlery world as fake clothing is for clothing designers. With a knife however the "knockoffs" don't have a fraction of the performance or quality of the real thing. All the knives featured here are selected from the very best manufacturers from around the world. They are all genuine articles imported from USA, Japan, Scandinavia etc. The prices here are considerably less than what can usually be found in the UK. The Law (a very rough guide) (If you want a full guide, ask a legal professional !) Currently in the UK (December 2007) if you want to carry a knife in a public place, it has to be a folding knife, that does not lock, with a blade of less than 3" If you want to carry a fixed blade knife or a lock knife then you have to have a justifiable reason (Damn good excuse) for doing so. (A defence against Section 139 of the Criminal Justice Act) If you use a knife as an essential piece of your work equipment, such as a chef on his way to work, or are actually climbing, camping, fishing etc. then that should be fine. (If you are being sensible) It is not fine however if the cops find it stuffed down the back of your jeans, in the pub, later on that evening! Bear in mind if you are acting like a plonker, acting in a threatening way, flashing it about etc. then it becomes an offense instantly, regardless of the size of the knife. Please bear in mind I am not a lawyer and this is a rough guide only. It is up to you to remain up to date and informed with regard to your local knife laws. They have changed quite often in recent years and it is likely further change is on the way!
Fixed Blade vs Folder A fixed blade is stronger and easier to clean. This might be a better choice if you want to use the knife for heavy camping tasks (chopping up trees etc.) or "tactical" use. They can be a bit more obtrusive and are also often heavier. A folder is less obtrusive and generally smaller and lighter. They tend to be comparatively more expensive for their size as all the technology goes in to the lock and the joint. Most of the folders listed here can be basically flicked open with one hand and the blade then locks open. This is actually an essential safety feature because it means the knife doesn't shut on your hand when you are using it and cut your fingers off! The safest way to carry a folder is to use a pouch on your belt, harness, webbing etc. or even in your pocket, this can prevent it from opening accidently. Many of the folding knives on sale here have pocket clips which can allow you secure the knife to the inside of a pocket. This is great while you are working, but to prevent loss on the move a pouch is highly recommended.
Steel Types, Quality etc A good steel should be capable of taking a sharp edge, keep that edge for a good long time and be relatively easy to sharpen afterwards. Carbon steel is usually harder than stainless and so takes a very sharp edge, can hold it well and is easy to resharpen. It also takes impact well. But..... it rusts very easily! (often in a few hours under difficult conditions). Most of the carbon steel blades here have a black coating to help resist corrosion. They must be oiled very regularly to preserve the steel. Stainless Steel is usually slightly less hard (Except in the better grades), but due to the addition of chromium to the mix becomes much more resistant to corrosion. Top end stainless is very close to carbon in performance but can be more difficult to resharpen. It is usually thought to be less suited to larger blades that take a lot of impact (blades over 10" in length)
Whether the steel is Carbon or Stainless, (and regardless of the steel type), just as important to the performance of the steel is the "heat treat" (part of the complex forging and tempering process) A low end steel with a good heat treat will often outperform a top end steel with a bad heat treat. You can only tell a "good" heat treat by using the knife. Top end manufacturers build their reputation on the quality of their heat treat and their consistency. This is one of the many reasons top end manufacturers knives perform so much better than "monkey metal" copies. Steel is often given a hardness rating on the "Rockwell" scale (HRC) The hardness of the steel ( produced by good heat treating) should match the task to which it is going to be used. A small folding knife may have a very hard blade of say 58-60 HRC this is great because you can then make it very sharp! but if you hardened a much longer blade that is to be used for chopping to that level it might well shatter through being too hard. A very rough guide to Steel There are in fact hundreds of different types of Carbon, Stainless and "Semi Stainless" steel. These are just a few of the more common ones. Carbon 1095 O1 Carbon V (0170-6C) These are all excellent carbon steels, (with good heat treat from the manufacturers listed here) These will equal and often even outperform the steels in the stainless section. (except on corrosion resistance!) Stainless 420J2, 420, 425M in fact 42anything! = Absolute Shite ! (wont hold an edge properly and often bends like a wet noodle!) (These 420 steels are very good materials for other parts of the knife such as handle liners and for certain spike type objects!) 440A, AUS6 = Good 440B, AUS8 = Very Good 440C, AUS10, AUS118 = Excellent! ATS-34, 154CM, VG-10, CPMS30V, BG-42, ZDP189 = The Best! Also bear in mind however that the grade of steel is often chosen to suit the purpose of the knife. A long thin stiletto type blade which is designed to use the point may be better made out of 440A Which has higher tensile strength but is softer than say CPMS30V which is harder and takes a better edge but might snap if used in a stabbing motion with a long thin blade. |
