Gerber Strongarm

[Slaphead]

Thanks again for all the replies.

I suppose I'm really looking for a general purpose fixed blade knife - 4" at a pinch but probably nearer to 5", hence my looking at the Strongaram in the first place. I don't live in N. America so a real survival knife is unlikely to be of any use to me.

I used to own a Fallkniven S1 Forest knife when I lived abroad, but I sold it before returning to the UK. Wish I still had it, as I can't justify the price of another new one. Also had the F1 but I never really took to it. Kept my Spyderco Endura though.

I've done a bit of research and watched one or two videos. I see what you mean about the Steel Will Argonaut. It is huge and clearly has a tactical use, and it isn't what I am looking for. One of the smaller Roamers would be a better size. But, being a novice at sharpening, I am not sure I would be able to keep a good edge on D2.

I was considering buying a basic Lansky system, but I think I am going to go for a Make Sharp Field Sharpener and use it to practise holding an angle. Ideally I would prefer to have three stones and a ceramic rod, but the prices for these seem to be very high. If there are more modestly priced decent quality ones on the market , I would appreciate a link.

Anyway, thanks again.

 

[C_Claycomb]

The first knives I carried for camping and bushcraft were of the 5 to 5.75 inch range. Sacrifice a bit of control for carving and field dressing for easier batoning, swing cuts and cutting food. I have since leaned towards shorter for my general use, down to 3.75 - 4.5"

On the Heinnie site there is some choice at around the 4.5" length, with good design, steel and under £100, even more if stretched to £150max, but take the blade to 5" and there is very little even with the extended budget.

With the constraint of length, price, is easy to sharpen and needing a good design that works, of the knives I have seen and that have been recommended, the Jaakaripuuko is the clear choice.

Varusteleka Jääkäripuukko 140, Carbon Steel - Varusteleka.com

Medium size general purpose utility knife, a solid choice for most situations.

www.varusteleka.com

Next would be the Roamer 305. You would just have to figure out sharpening...which really isn't that bad and should never be a reason not to avoid a tool. If you cannot hit an angle, just learn to love convex edges The other thing about D2 is that it works well with a toothy edge, so you can get good performance with a coarser stone and a quick wipe in a strop. No need to go finer and finer and try to polish it.

My recommendation for learning to sharpen is to buy a pack of

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another of

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some double sided tape and to get some wood that doesn't mind getting wet, then make your own sandpaper bench stones that you can mount to a bench or counter top. Bigger sharpening area with easier hand clearance will give better feedback and cause fewer problems when learning. Coarser paper that can be replaced to keep it cutting will waste less time if you really need to re-shape or repair an edge. My observation is that most beginner sharpeners have problems because they are using too fine a stone and do not get right to the cutting edge. 220 grit will quickly show if you are hitting the angle and getting to the edge, then everything else is just finishing. Once you have the feel and angle that works for you, you can carry on using the finer abrasive for maintenance.

Not generally a sharpening rod fan. I think flat stones are much better. I like the DMT duofolds, but got mine in the US where they are cheaper. The DC4 and CC4 are excellent value and work really well for field sharpening.

Fallkniven CC4 Ceramic Whetstone

The newly-developed CC4 whetstone consists of a super fine ceramic stone (white side) (0,1 micron) and a ceramic stone, made of synthetic sapphires (dark gray) (1 micron).

heinnie.com

 

[Slaphead]

Thank you very much.

Very useful tip about the use of sandpaper, and I rather like the look of that Finnish knife.

Kind of you to take the trouble.

Much obliged.

 

[Erbswurst]

The Terävä Jääkäripuukko is surely a sensible choice. I would take the 110 mm blade version with leather sheath.