Buying a Knife

WELCOME TO THE NO BS ZONE OF TEDDY JACOBSON


This is a subject that I know a great deal about since having owned so many knives all my life. In order to start some where you must first have to ask your self what do you want to use this knife for. Then you must ask your self what size you want and whether it will be an everyday working knife or a large tactical knife you will carry for self defense. There are so many things involved that you must actually decide first as to how much you want to spend and what kind of steel do you want. All of these questions and answers should be written down so you will come up with a concrete decision based on sound logic. I am going to go over the selection process with you in detail so you will know how I think.


When I was much younger I spent a great deal of time fighting in Karate schools against would be attackers that were armed with a knife. We used a hard rubber knife in class. This is never a situation you ever want to be in because even if you win there is a very good chance you will get cut up. I think of a good tactical knife having at least a 4 inch blade. It can be a sheath knife or a lock back folding knife. I have lost a great deal of faith in a liner lock folding knife as I met some people that showed me there hands where the liner lock did not hold and it folded on there fingers. They were very lucky not to lose any fingers but the scars were brutal. A liner lock knife of which I own a number of them is just what the term implies that the brass liner swings over when the blade is locked opened and you are at the mercy of that 1/16 liner of usually brass to keep the black locked opened.


Most all manufacturers make liner lock knives but the only one or even two companies that I can think of that use a liner lock use a secondary lock also. One company is CRKT, which stands for Columbia River Knife and Tool Company and their M16 model comes with this secondary lock. I would trust this knife without a doubt. They are made in Taiwan and they are really very well made. A top of the line CRKT knife will run under $100.00. The other company that I remember seeing a dual locking system on was a Masters of Defense high dollar knife which is now owned by Blackhawk industries. MOD are not cheap knives and a good one will run $200.00 Most of these companies offer a plain cutting edge or a serrated edge or in my case I often like a combo edge that is half serrated in the back and the forward cutting edge is a plain sharp edge.


Being left handed causes me problems in everything you can imagine including the selection of a knife. I always separate my knives for a small working knife to open a package it will be a totally different knife than my defensive knife. In hard times or in my way of life where I have always lived on the edge I carried two tactical knives with a minimum of a 4 inch blade. My knives are very sharp although I do not want a feather edge and I keep about a 20 degree angle on the beveled edge. My stone of choice is a well worn diamond plate that will sharpen the blade in about 60 seconds. I use no oil and no water, I sharpen it dry. If I buy a knife with a clip so that it fits in my front pocket I make sure that when I put my hand in my pocket I will not slice my hand open.


I want to talk about these other methods of locking a folding knife blade open. I have a Camillus knife called the Dominator which is very well made and has an assisted opening feature in which you must check with your local authorities to be sure that they do not classify that kind of knife as a switchblade. My Dominator has a frame lock and not a liner lock. This frame lock is more secure but it still worries me. This is not a cheap knife and the handle is Titanium of some kind and the blade is close to 4 inches long. It opens in a flash, I mean quick and the retail price is close to $200.00 This is a heavy folder and I do like this knife. Camillus has just come out with a similar model that is less expensive with some kind of Zytel handle instead of the higher price Titanium.


There is not a sharper knife on the market than Cold Steel knives. The owner of the company is Lynn Thompson and we have discussed his knives and for sheer strength of the locking mechanism and for the edge holding ability his knives are second to none. My problem has been that it is very difficult for me to open these knives with one hand. I think his large Viquero has been discontinued but opened it is about 13 inches long and just looking at this knife you will break into a sweat. His Voyager model of knives is outstanding and Lynn personally carries one of these with a large blade. You will never see a sharper knife than Cold Steel and they are priced right. He has a line of Kitchen knives that I have been using for years. I like his Culliden neck knife and I have had one for years.


I like Spyderco knives that lock back. I like their Police model and that is one of my favorites. It is quite large but I can carry it here in Texas legally. It is easy to open with one hand and it is quite flat. The only drawback its satin stainless handles can be slippery if you get your hands wet, this is not a cheap knife and it retails for about $150.00 . Do not hold me to any of these prices I have listed as I am going by memory.
Spyderco has such an extensive line of knives I do not know where to start, they make a military and police model but it is a liner lock and has a handle made out of a G10 type material. There less expensive knives are made with a zytel handle that is almost indestructible and come with plain edges on their blades or a fully serrated blade or the como edge I like.


There are so many steels that are available its unreal. They all have their pros and cons and no one is better because it depends if you want a better edge so you want more carbon in the steel. If you want a stain resistant blade you want more chromium in your blade. BUT THE KEY TO EDGE HOLDING ABILITY IS THE HEAT TREATING PROCESS THAT THE BLADE HAS BEEN THROUGH. If the heat treating has been done correctely it will hold an edge, if it has not been heat treated properly it will not hold an edge. You have no way of knowing any of this until you buy it and find out for your self. I have had many good expensive knives that would not hold an edge. It does happen. To give you a parrallel scenario, if you have a spring that has not been heat treated properly it will not hold its tension for long.


Benchmade knives are very good. There AXIS lock is better than a liner lock and a frame lock. It all depends on the model you want that is in your price range. They make a model called the Grapilian that has a zytel handle (comes in colors) that is available in two different blade lengths that is a very good knife for the money. I can not ever see this Axis lock closing on your fingers. I like Benchmade knives and have used them for years. They offer many different types of steels for your purpose. The Axis lock knives are very easy to open with one hand and there operation is as smooth as glass. These knives are made for everyones budget and they offer a good warranty as do the other companies that I have mentioned.
They make a model 710 that comes in two sizes and they are a very well made knife, as I have owned the large one for many years.


SOG knives are another company that I consider top of the line. My very favorite SOG knife is their Vision series that is available in either a Titanium handle version or the lighter weight Zytel handel model. This knife is superbly made in Japan using ATS 34 steel and it is absolutely a very premium folding knife that uses an Arc lock to hold the blade open. This Arc lock system is similar to the Benchmade Axis lock and I trust this SOG vision knife in every respect. This is a top of the line folding knife that is not cheap in the Titanium version. In fact the entire SOG line of knives are first class in every respect.


Another major player in very high quality production knives is Micro Tech. They do not make many manual models and most of their models are automatics. The few manuals I have owned are liner lock but they are extremely well made for the person that can afford them. These are high dollar knives that hold a remarkable edge and even though the only make a few manual knives at this time you must look at these knives to really appreciate the quality. A manual folder would retail for about $200.00 and one of their automatics could run $500.00 retail. The handle material I like the best is their micarta or carbon fiber. These knives must be considered top of the line and are not for everyone as they cater to people that want a better grade of knife and are willing to pay for it. You can still buy some of their discontinued brand new models at a reduced price.


You must check with the laws of your state for legal blade length as in Texas we can carry up to a 5.5 inch folder that is legal. It is illegal in some states to carry a knife with a double edge so before you buy, check with your local authorities. You will not be able to carry an automatic knife in most states. Keep your pivot points oiled with a better grade of lubricant, in my case I use Militec. Many times I always carry a neck knife either made by Cold Steel or CRKT and I like to keep that blade no longer than 3 inches. One of my favorite neck knives is the "CORKUM" model made by CRKT. My friend Anthony Taylor usually gets my knives for me and you can email him for knife quotation prices at actII@comcast.net


All the knife companies I mentioned have major websites and you can find them through www.google.com There are many more good knives out there I have not mentioned as it would take many, many commentaries to cover them all but I have mentioned the major ones I like and that I own. I have owned many custom hand made knives worth at least $500.00 that would not hold an edge compared to a good factory heat treated blade. I do not have much desire anymore to buy and own a handmade knife that is one of a kind after seeing so many problems I have had with edge holding ability.


This commentary as well as all my previous commentaries are my personal opinion and my personal viewpoint only. Any questions please email me and I will point you in the right direction.


Teddy