Advice for beginner - Fallkniven TK3

[British Red]

Quite the reverse of my problem

 

[Mattp]

Too slow to always respond individually but thanks to all for the very useful comments. Plenty for me to think about! That paperclip tip sounds like pure genious!

 

[British Red]

Not strictly relevant but I remember admiring the grain on the wood of my dad's shotguns and proudly oiling the stock of the air rifle I got on my 15th birthday. I'm a sucker for tools that also come with some beautiful wood, which might be why my preferences aren't as practical and cost conscious as they could be!

I know exactly what you mean

The design inspiration

The knife that came from it

Red

 

[Mattp]

Wow, beautiful! The bladed equivalent of a Holland & Holland eh? A Purdey next perhaps?

(btw @post #20 I meant TK3 not TK4)

 

[falcon]

Let's hope it's with you at the Gathering this year ....forgot to ask last year

 

[h2o]

personally i wouldnt pay £100 for a folder.But £10 on a fixed blade mora a bargain!!! you could always wrap tape around the sheath and knife to show the police you dont intend using it for violence.If its in a rucksack containing camping gear it shouldnt be a problem plus youll have £90 left to pay for your train ticket.

 

[Glen]

I have to admit though, as an object the TK4 looks like it would be a pleasure to own, I just love that wood. Its the sort of knife I wish my dad had passed on to me (although to be fair on the old chap he is very much alive so I'll give him some time).

Not strictly relevant but I remember admiring the grain on the wood of my dad's shotguns and proudly oiling the stock of the air rifle I got on my 15th birthday. I'm a sucker for tools that also come with some beautiful wood, which might be why my preferences aren't as practical and cost conscious as they could be!

Have you though of making new wooden scales for the folders you do have?

 

[sargey]

welcome aboard matt,

I'd be interested to hear what you think the difference is between a beginner and someone more experienced that should dictate their choice of knife. I'm a keen photographer and could explain why a "beginners" camera might be more suitable than a pro - could someone help me out by doing the same for pocket knives?

lots of good points made so far.

i don't have a TK3 or TK4 myself, but i am very tempted. i'm also a fan of folders for bushcraft. one of the most active "bushcrafters" i know, doesn't have the internet, so he didn't know it was called bushcraft, or that he needed a super fixed blade to it with! he only uses a "solingen" lock knife.

Typically, the ultramodern hightech stainless steels like the 3G laminated steel used in the fallknivens can be more difficult to sharpen than the bog basic carbon steels. you'll certainly want some hi tech diamond or ceramic sharpeners to go with it. your ceramic "steel" will certainly do the job, but might be a little unwieldy for the rucksack. the biggest factor on the edge retention on your knife is really due to how well you sharpen it in the first place. if your sharpening skills aren't already pretty good, you probably won't get the benefit from the super steel. that said, if you really want the fallkniven, get it.

the spyderco tenacious was also mentioned. after weeks of waiting my spyderco tenacious has finally arrived today, it was well worth the wait! and cost me just under 20 quid delivered. it's a fair bit bigger than the fallknivens mentioned. i reckon it'll handle a bit of light battoning no worries.

just to reiterate some of what red said, opinels are great, better for meat than for wood. you can never go wrong with a swiss army knife, it's a tool that will always be useful however far you progress in bushcraft. go for one that has a wood saw and an awl, it's handy to have a small blade as well as the standard blade. scissors and a magnifying glass are the next most useful tools. the corkscrew and bottle opener are so obviously very necessary that i won't even mention them!

cheers, and.

 

[sargey]

ah, i see that several posts have appeared during my typing and trip to the offy!

 

[fishy1]

go for one that has a wood saw

Am I the only one that thinks the SAK wood saw is dreadful? I can cut faster through wood with a knife than I can with the saw, but neither are very good.

 

[Bushcraft4life]

I am also a fan of folders, but just for starting out, even if you buy a folder as well, just get a Mora, they are well worth the money and they are good to practice with.

My two fave folders right now

Kershaw Blur

And Spyderco Dragonfly

 

[wildrover]

I must say that I do like the TK4. Very attractive in it's simple elegance.
I really like the Tenacious (for £20 ) if I may be so bold sargey, where did you get it from?

 

[Mattp]

Thanks again for so much great input. Some very good advice here. Still, the g friend just got home (rather p1ssed from a night with the girls to be honest!) so probably time to call it a night!
m

 

[Glen]

I'd be interested to hear what you think the difference is between a beginner and someone more experienced that should dictate their choice of knife. I'm a keen photographer and could explain why a "beginners" camera might be more suitable than a pro - could someone help me out by doing the same for pocket knives?

As far as knifes go I guess Id have to place myself in the only just leaving beginner stage, so take all my comments in that light.

Probably the bigest difference, in realty, is in the price it'll cost you to have used several knives, different blade material, grinds, handle shape and material, to find the one or two that your happiest with long term.

The Frosts Mora is a very good knife in its own right but also a very good reference point when discussing what you want from a knife, you can get both a carbon steel and a stainless one for less than £20, from that you can learn a lot about what you like, sharpening and what you might prefer and still end up with 2 very useable knives at the end of it.

Also it may possibly be something to do with not being too scared to do things like try out different sharpening tecnique on a inexpensive knife, hey so if its really bad itll only cost you a tenner to replace. eg a few weeks ago I made my first knife handle ( for a £3 BlackSpur knife ) Ive made it much thicker and somewhat more emphasised shape than most knives I''ve seen, but I carved and sanded it to fit the curves on my thumb, my palm etc, so much so that when I was oiling it it still felt pretty firm in my grasp despite being very slippery, actually I think I'd like almost half inch longer but Id have been afraid to find that out with a somewhat more expensive knife.

If your set on getting a folder the TK does seem like a good one though, maybe practise sharpening on the folders you already have

 

[sargey]

I must say that I do like the TK4. Very attractive in it's simple elegance.
I really like the Tenacious (for £20 ) if I may be so bold sargey, where did you get it from?

ah, well i blame the moderators at BCUK, specifically that chris claycomb bloke. because in an earlier (very similar) thread here about a folding survival knife he pointed out the following....

I would, without any hesitation, go for a Spyderco Tenacious. http://www.spyderco.com/catalog/closeup.php?product=294 Go over to www.britishblades.com and have a look. There is a review here:
http://www.britishblades.com/forums/... ht=tenacious

I don't know where you would get one in this country at this time, this is me being lazy, I reckon that is something you can search for if you want, BUT, I would also go without hesitation to see Charity Chimni, also on BB and buy from her. I bought a nice Kershaw folder from her and the service was first rate in every respect.
http://www.britishblades.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49761&highlight=tenacious

While some are sniffy about Chinese made knives, the ones that Spyderco are having made are very good, and I don't just mean good for the money! I have had a couple of their Byrd knives and they are solid, sharp, and hold an edge. I would say they are better made than some US knives I own which came in at double the price.

If isn't often that I feel that there is just one best option, but given your description of what you want, I can't think of a better one. Sure, this won't be the most comfortable thing for extended bushcraft carving, but then few folders are. I have several ranging up to a Sebenza and they all trade some handle comfort for packability. If you don't have a good folder (single blade, single handed, locking), then I would get one of those ahead of a fixed blade since while a fixed blade can do more hard work, the folder is more likely to be with you. A fixed knife in a pack might not be as handy as a folder clipped to your pocket.

i got mine from charity, and because she was out of stock i had to wait a while......

cheers, and.

 

[sargey]

I am also a fan of folders, but just for starting out, even if you buy a folder as well, just get a Mora, they are well worth the money and they are good to practice with.

he's not wrong.

cheers, and.

 

[British Red]

Thought this might be useful in terms of the larger Wenger Hunte I mentioned. Be aware that it is a large sized locking folder so definitely not EDC material, but if you don't plan to baton etc. and carry a light axe for splitting and rough work, it has potential - the saw is a beast for a "knife" saw (and I do use small saws a lot)

Compared to a normal Victorinox Hunter (standard sized SAK)

Its a heck of a size but a really good, strong folding knife. Replacement for a fixed blade? perhaps not but when weight and discretion are a factor there is enough in this package to built a very fair shelter for example.

Red

 

[seany boy]

Hey like the look of the Wenger Hunter BR Think this will have to be added to the 'to buy' list

I've got one of their older Ranger 05 knives (bottom one of the three in the pic), and know what you mean about the saw......

Well I must submit another 'thumbs up' for the Spyderco Tenacious. Mine arrived this morning and I'm very pleased with it.......

For approx. £20.00 you can't go wrong. I can see this getting carried and used alot.

 

[Mattp]

Ok, so I got myself a T3, just couldn't resist in the end...

...and yes, I love it. It is beautifully made, and has a good solid feel in your hand that makes you think it will last forever. Took it camping at the weekend and had great fun with it, as you can see...

Thanks for the great advice, even if I didn't take it ;-)

m

 

[wildrover]

The knife looks great Matt
I might need to get one myself

Where did you end up getting it from?