The right to wield??

[British Red]

How surprising that you have learned so much so soon

I'm still learning how different types and heights of grinds, different blade shapes and thicknesses, different steels, heat treatments, and tempering, diatal tapers and tapered tangs, handle shapes and materials, bolsters and polls affect a knife in use.

I guess I am a slow learner not to have garnered all that from using a mora

Still, I'll plod on

 

[Wilderbeast]

How surprising that you have learned so much so soon

I'm still learning how different types and heights of grinds, different blade shapes and thicknesses, different steels, heat treatments, and tempering, diatal tapers and tapered tangs, handle shapes and materials, bolsters and polls affect a knife in use.

I guess I am a slow learner not to have garnered all that from using a mora

Still, I'll plod on

I was talking more about blade shapes and handle shapes really, I still have alot to learn obviously but I feel I know enough to know what I want (handle and blade and grind wise) and let the knife maker do the rest in terms of heat treatments etc

*Opinion withdrawn*

 

[sapper1]

On form today Red.LOL

 

[Wilderbeast]

*Will have to withdraw my opinion from this thread because I'm having trouble conveying it in the passive way I want and people are taking it the wrong way, and I don't wished to be viewed in a negative light*

 

[sapper1]

Lighten up Will,If you ask for opinions you will get them ,some you'll like and some you won't.It's no good running away because people answer your posts with answers you don't like.

 

[British Red]

No-ones having a dig Wilderbeast (or at least I'm not).

I think any "strong" reaction is more to the concept of what people are "allowed" to do rather than the notion that you don't need fancy tools which all can subscribe to.

In many aspects of life people enjoy things that are superior to what they actually need. Many times people would be better driving a cheap car for 5 years before buying a luxury model - but if they can afford it, they often buy the luxury one.

Many and most purchase are driven by "want" not "need". They are often ill advised - but thats about an individuals right to use their money as they want - and the right to make mistakes (which we all have done).

Almost all of this hobby for me is escapism

I don't "need" to be in the woods at all

I don't "need" to cook on a fire

I don't "need" to sleep under the stars

I don't "need" a comfortable mat to sleep on

But I want them the same way as I want a nice knife.

My money, my choice, my mistakes to make

 

[Hoodoo]

Look good.


apart from aestetics and longevity theres no difference.
a well made custom knife will outlast a cheap Mora. I use a homemade custom knife, I made it for me and designed in stuff I like such as hollow pins for easy atatchment to a pole,just in case I need to cut a chicken of the woods 6M up a tree but I still have a Mora No1 with the wooden handle.

Let's pass a law...

 

[Nagual]

Heh, I think perhaps the term 'earn a right' was what made people react in such a manner, as you noticed, it's sometimes hard to convey what you really mean in a short space using words alone - words only make a small amount of language after all. I got my Mora mainly because it was cheap and was thought of to be a good knife. If it was cheap and though of to be a poor knife I wouldn't touched it with a 10 foot barge pole. I have a custom made knife too, made by my brother, some 40 odd years ago at school - it' a lovely knife,slightly too soft metal I think, but handles well and all that. Never taking it out due to it's personal history / significance to me though.

I'd love to get another knife at some point, one that really fits the hand and has a blade the size and shape I want, but for now I'll stick to using my wee Mora. The question for me becomes, if I had the cash would I have gone for an expensive model to begin with? Probably not, I would not have wanted to spend that kind of cash without knowing if I would continue my hobby. However thats me, many many others want to have something that looks and feels whats they want from the word go.

As far a bushcraft snobbery goes, we talked briefly about that at the Ayrshire meet. There is an aspect to that, in both camps. Some people feel that they need the best of kit, others take to opposite view, and say get the cheapest, functional kit. Others don't really care, as long as what they have works.

Lifes to short worry about things that don't really matter. If you take things too seriously you won't get out alive..

 

[Chris the Cat]

No dig,no negativity bushcraft bro!
Its all good stuff.
(p.s,Like your style British Red!)
Peace out.
Chris

 

[rawshak]

I don't think you can ever really tell if a knife is ideal for you until you have handled it and used it for some time. I have carried a knife of some sort for over thirty years and am also a collector, I have hundreds of knives ranging from the cheapest (though still decent steel), like Opinels and Moras, to some expensive custom knives.

I have my favourites, but tend to chop (no pun intended), and change depending on what I am doing. One thing is very clear though, price is irrelivant. I will hold an expensive knife and apprieciate it for its beauty and asthetics as well as its functionality, but it wouldn't be the knife I would choose if I was intending to prise limpets from rocks. Likewise, I appeciate the beauty of a Mora, but also love its 'disposable' functionality.

I think the point (again, no pun intended), I am making is that we are talking about one of the most versatile tools on the planet. There are so many reasons why you might buy a knife that it is impossible to say when the 'right' time is. Maybe the beginner wants to buy an expensive knife to impress his friends, in which case a Mora wont fit the bill. I know that this is a pretty silly reason in most peoples eyes, I'm just illustrating the point that it is an extremely personal choice. Besides, no single knife will ever be the ideal tool for all your bushcraft needs, so most people end up with a combination anyway.

 

[MartinK9]

No no we should apply the logic by extension.

You should not be able to drive a car that exceeds your abilities as a driver.

You shouldn't be able to subscribe to a TV package with more channels than you watch

You certainly shouldn't be able to waste money on a double bed when you haven't got someone to fill the other side

You should not be allowed to order more food in a Chinese restaurant than you will actually eat

sheesh.

I break all those rules and own an AW:sulkoff:

 

[spamel]

Seems to me that mankind has been trying to impress since time immemorial with fancy kit that shows they have status. How much would a fine white skin have been worth in a land where all the animal skins were brown or black? How much wealth did a man who wielded a copper axe have when all about him had stone axes? By carrying an expensive knife, you are showing you have status. It may not be a concious decision when you ordered the knife, you wanted it for the looks. Sub-conciously, man is a bloody magpie and likes shiny things!

 

[Toddy]

Says it all really

Kipling wrote , "These are the four that are never content: that have never been filled since the dew began-- Jacala's mouth, and the glut of the Kite, and the hands of the Ape, and the Eyes of Man...."

Doesn't seem like much changes.

atb,
Toddy


p.s. So long as the knife is fit for the task what does it matter what it cost

 

[bushwacker bob]

consider your knife as a companion to take with you. Lavish her with respect, a little care and attention and she will return your favour.

You just have to decide if you want to wake up with Angelina Jolie or Ann Widdecome.

 

[Toddy]

Yeah, but at least the ladies get a choice who they're snuggled into

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Wilderbeast]

consider your knife as a companion to take with you. Lavish her with respect, a little care and attention and she will return your favour.

You just have to decide if you want to wake up with Angelina Jolie or Ann Widdecome.

 

[British Red]

Euuuuuuuuu

Now I won't sleep

Cheers Sean

 

[Dougster]

Be careful, you could end up in the camp I'm in - I have shelf fulls and still can't work out if I want the Stuart Mitchell, Guy Stainthorpe, Spyderco, Shing.... or a variety more normally......

 

[rik_uk3]

Buy what you fancy if you have the dosh to spare. I use a Mora knife, but also have an F1, and the reason for the F1 is that I got it for £30 new, I would not pay the full asking price because I don't 'use' knives much other than for cutting cord and prep work with food and could quite happily manage most camps with the blade on my Leatherman to be honest. I don't much see the point of spending a lot on a knife if you just want to carve a spoon.

Lets be honest though, there is a lot of peer pressure from the bushcraft fashion victims to buy this or that bit of kit, sensible folk will weigh up the options, the timid types will believe the hype and buy/spend more than they need.

That said, I admire the work and quality of a good knife, I just can't self justify buying one (same with other bits of kit).

 

[Rob Tangtent]

In my opinion, it depends on the circumstances...

for example, i couldnt justify paying £270 on an AW when i didnt have any knowledge of bushcraft/knives at all. itd be pretty ridiculouse

now if i was a beginner and i wanted to do a bushcraft knife making course, that would be a differnt matter.

see, then i would have the knowledge to make a knife and have a custom made knife aswell.

Also you could design your knife 100%...
still i think buying a mora first (so you have an idea of what you want) is best.

basically i think everyone should start with a mora, after that they should do what they please with there money.

thank you