Very expensive knives.

[crosslandkelly]

I know I'll take flak for this but here goes. I've seen a few very expensive, Ray Mears, Alan Woods et al knives offered for sale on the forum recently. Now don't get me wrong, they are great looking knives, and I'm sure they are as capable as all the claims made for them. But who is making these claims? All the knives offered for sale, claim to be great hunting, skinning, camp and all round bushcraft knives, but are they. They have all obviously not been used. How can you make a judgement on how good a knife is, if all it's done is sit in a drawer. I have a Mora Triflex, which which is my go to knife on 99% of occasions. It is, a great hunting, skinning, camp and all round bushcraft knife in my opinion. I also have a Hillbill woodlore clone, which, once handled will be my go to knife. Do folk buy these very expensive knives as an investment or as collectors pieces, or does anyone use them. Please don't get me wrong, if you can afford it and want one of the knives, then fair enough, it is your choice, and I'm not criticising you, but please don't say how good a tool it is, unless you have actually used it.

 

[DurhamBushcrafter]

Agreed 1000%! i have a Mora survival, battered to heck.and I KNOW how good that is!

 

[bushwacker bob]

You are correct Colin, a good knife is as good as the person using it, not the maker.

 

[Corso]

not sure I see the point of threads like these?

 

[oldtimer]

I have made a bet with myself as to the number of posts this will generate. More than one of those word games set up fot the purpose, I'll be bound.

I'm with you. In a tight spot or for use I'll stick to a Mora that I'm not afraid of breaking or losing.
To me a tool that costs 200 times what my Mora costs would have to be 200 times as good: not possible!
I admire the aesthetic dimension, but for this I spend money on paintings and sculpture!

 

[Goatboy]

Mr. Kelly. In my callow youth I used to.collect knives. The epoch I searched for was a Chris Reeves Jerboam.
I've since been cured by ill health and no cash. In all fields of things there are aspirational items. We wouldn't progress otherwise. In all the knives, swords, axes and general pointy things I've owned I think my Opinel #8 is what I've reached for most. Doesn't stop me wanting a bronze age replica sword, a Papa sheperds axe, that elusive Jerboam or a simple Shefield pen knife. I've owned most types of cutty thing in my life. Have fought with rapiers and ******* blades. Have thrown axes in serious competition. Have prepared slides with infantesmaly sharp blades. And have never knowingly battoned a knife.
Blades have names. Sagas are told for them. Kingdoms have been won and lost over them.
At the end of the day(pleas

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[Goatboy]

Mr. Kelly. In my callow youth I used to.collect knives. The epoch I searched for was a Chris Reeves Jerboam.
I've since been cured by ill health and no cash. In all fields of things there are aspirational items. We wouldn't progress otherwise. In all the knives, swords, axes and general pointy things I've owned I think my Opinel #8 is what I've reached for most. Doesn't stop me wanting a bronze age replica sword, a Papa sheperds axe, that elusive Jerboam or a simple Shefield pen knife. I've owned most types of cutty thing in my life. Have fought with rapiers and ******* blades. Have thrown axes in serious competition. Have prepared slides with infantesmaly sharp blades. And have never knowingly battoned a knife.
Blades have names. Sagas are told for them. Kingdoms have been won and lost over them.
At the end of the day(please shoot me know for saying that) they are just a tool.
As a bloke I can say a sexy one. If I can justify it to SWMBO then I can spend a small house worth. But I can also spend £8 and get an Opinel that'll "see me out"


Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[sunndog]

I can make a (pretty accurate) judgment on how good a knife will be for a particular task based on pictures let alone actually having the knife in my hands.........just me?

 

[crosslandkelly]

Quote Originally Posted by Goatboy View Post
Mr. Kelly. In my callow youth I used to.collect knives. The epoch I searched for was a Chris Reeves Jerboam.
I've since been cured by ill health and no cash. In all fields of things there are aspirational items. We wouldn't progress otherwise. In all the knives, swords, axes and general pointy things I've owned I think my Opinel #8 is what I've reached for most. Doesn't stop me wanting a bronze age replica sword, a Papa sheperds axe, that elusive Jerboam or a simple Shefield pen knife. I've owned most types of cutty thing in my life. Have fought with rapiers and ******* blades. Have thrown axes in serious competition. Have prepared slides with infantesmaly sharp blades. And have never knowingly battoned a knife.
Blades have names. Sagas are told for them. Kingdoms have been won and lost over them.
At the end of the day(please shoot me know for saying that) they are just a tool.
As a bloke I can say a sexy one. If I can justify it to SWMBO then I can spend a small house worth. But I can also spend £8 and get an Opinel that'll "see me out"




My argument is not a question of owning such a tool, for tool is all it is, but to paraphrase Mr Shakespear, "to use or not to use, that is the question."

 

[Squidders]

I know I'll take flak for this but here goes. I've seen a few very expensive, Ray Mears, Alan Woods et al knives offered for sale on the forum recently. Now don't get me wrong, they are great looking knives, and I'm sure they are as capable as all the claims made for them. But who is making these claims? All the knives offered for sale, claim to be great hunting, skinning, camp and all round bushcraft knives, but are they. They have all obviously not been used. How can you make a judgement on how good a knife is, if all it's done is sit in a drawer. I have a Mora Triflex, which which is my go to knife on 99% of occasions. It is, a great hunting, skinning, camp and all round bushcraft knife in my opinion. I also have a Hillbill woodlore clone, which, once handled will be my go to knife. Do folk buy these very expensive knives as an investment or as collectors pieces, or does anyone use them. Please don't get me wrong, if you can afford it and want one of the knives, then fair enough, it is your choice, and I'm not criticising you, but please don't say how good a tool it is, unless you have actually used it.


View attachment 35812

How can you berate those who claim an unused knife is great while also claiming that a knife you own which has yet to be handled will be your go-to knife?

 

[sunndog]

Well, some use, some collect, and some just admire......same with anything collectable. Some folk buy wine thats not for drinking

 

[crosslandkelly]

How can you berate those who claim an unused knife is great while also claiming that a knife you own which has yet to be handled will be your go-to knife?

You're quite right, once handled and used, I will be able to form an opinion of the knife, but used it will be.

 

[crosslandkelly]

W Some folk buy wine thats not for drinking

That's just wrong on so many levels.

 

[Goatboy]

Quote Originally Posted by Goatboy View Post
Mr. Kelly. In my callow youth I used to.collect knives. The epoch I searched for was a Chris Reeves Jerboam.
I've since been cured by ill health and no cash. In all fields of things there are aspirational items. We wouldn't progress otherwise. In all the knives, swords, axes and general pointy things I've owned I think my Opinel #8 is what I've reached for most. Doesn't stop me wanting a bronze age replica sword, a Papa sheperds axe, that elusive Jerboam or a simple Shefield pen knife. I've owned most types of cutty thing in my life. Have fought with rapiers and ******* blades. Have thrown axes in serious competition. Have prepared slides with infantesmaly sharp blades. And have never knowingly battoned a knife.
Blades have names. Sagas are told for them. Kingdoms have been won and lost over them.
At the end of the day(please shoot me know for saying that) they are just a tool.
As a bloke I can say a sexy one. If I can justify it to SWMBO then I can spend a small house worth. But I can also spend £8 and get an Opinel that'll "see me out"




My argument is not a question of owning such a tool, for tool is all it is, but to paraphrase Mr Shakespear, "to use or not to use, that is the question."

I say use and be damed!
Not PC I know but I've always loved the mechanical stress of an edge. The sharp 90 degree return. The smell of hot metal and of machine oil. My Dad said once after I broke a rather expensive antique that "...if people didn't break things, no-one would have a job." Now I was expecting a thumping but it still rang true. (it may have been a fake or he was slightly merry!)
I say use it unless you bought it for other things. Which is sad as knives are meant to work.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[Robson Valley]

I'm interested in the composition of the steel and the finished hardness. Kitchen, wood carving or camping, they are all just edges.
Some people are collectors, I'm a user. In that sense, I like to think that I am competent to sustain all those edges, straight,
crooked and the sweeps of adze blades. Some times, it was a crap-shoot ( a "punt" to you?) with both delights and discouragements.
I'm reminded of some sage advice: "If you can't determine that it is 10X better than what you have already, keep walking."

 

[British Red]

If you use it then this


PFK by British Red, on Flickr


Becomes this


PFK Now by British Red, on Flickr


Which is fine by me

 

[sunndog]

If you use it theres always a chance of losing it in the snow



old vs new

 

[GGTBod]

I don't own any really expensive knives, my most expensive one is my Sabatier chef knife that cost me just under fifty quid about 16 years ago, it's got all the trimmings (shameless punning) the full tang, brass pins and nice wooden scales and it literally gets used for every single kitchen task and looks as good now as the day i bought it.

Having said that though i do like most folk have the odd (odd as in peculiar not numbered) expensive overindulgence in regards to 4 bikes i own that never ever get ridden (selling any one of them would easily get me enough cold hard cash to buy a ray mears knife with change), they are mancave ornaments that live under dust covers which i remove occasionally to oggle at them and once a year to perform a routine maintenance on each one, at times i feel this is easy as bad a hobby as folk who buy wine not to drink or fancy knives not to use, so sitting here in my glass house i can't throw any stones.

 

[HillBill]

Cos i made it. And while my knives, have a decent rep, but may not be the best in the world.... (way too many opinions for that) I can safely say.... they work, and work well!.

How can you berate those who claim an unused knife is great while also claiming that a knife you own which has yet to be handled will be your go-to knife?

 

[GGTBod]

Everytime i see your blades Mark i try to juggle funds and make myself buy one, they look great but i am such a blimmin miser when it comes to spending on a knife i haven't managed it yet, the latest two you linked have had me checking the penny jar repeatedly