Thread: Good all-round knife

Hi Tiger,

Depends a bit on what you're looking for. Carbon steel these days is getting harder to find in a good pocket knife. Qeen Cutlery in Penn. USA make a good one as do Boker. (German) Both are hand made and have lifetime warrantys. Don't expect a lot of change out of $100. Can't speak about the Buck... only ever tried one of them and wasn't all that impressed but one trial probably wasn't a fair basis for evaluation.

Stainless steels have improved a great deal in the last few years. 440A and 440C are both quite good. There are a number of companies around using this steel. I've found the Frost Cutlery Company, Marbles and Rough Rider Knives are good in this category. Frost in particular offer a written Rockwell hardness rating of 56 -58 which is about as hard as 440 steels will go without getting brittle. Their major advantage is the price. Volume on the market means that these knives are around half the price of their equivilant in carbon steel.

Where possible, I recommend a 3 bladed knife simply because it offers more options.

Kershaw offer a couple of knives in AUS6A stainless which is Japaneese in origin although the knife is US made. They are called the 'Double Cross' and 'Double Duty' and I've written about both of them in a previous thread. https://www.woodworkforums.com/f10/ke...-knife-106937/
These knives aren't particularly cheap either and have only two blades which means fewer choices in the hand. You need to put some thought into how you want to configure the blade shapes and bevels so that they will do the optimum job for what you have in mind to carve.

Finally there are the Crucible steels such as CPMS30V and S60V which are very hard and tough... and expensive. They about double the price of the knife. I haven't seen any in multiple blade formats though, only in single blade.

I have used and can supply most of the above and talk more about the technical side of things if you want to private message me with a phone number. Its a bit laborious going through it all in print.

One last thought... I would strongly recommend you keep your carving knives for carving and get a separate knife for your general stuff. The geometrical requirements for the blade bevels are completely different for carving then they are for general purpose work. I've got some real beauties for that too if you're interested (Kershaw assisted openers... just a joy to use!)

Hope it helps...

PS When you're looking at knives... look very carefully at WHAT they are made of and HOW they are made. WHERE they are made is a lesser consideration these days. Even the top line companies such as Buck, Boker, Kershaw etc. have lines of knives that they have contracted China to make. The companies supply the materials, specifcations, and even the line supervision, to chineese factories. The savings in labour costs usually produces a 30 - 40% savings in retail price. In most cases they are still covered by the same warranty.

Thanks, Whittling for that comprehensive report on knives. I'm much better informed. I'd like to just go down to a store and pick one out, anyone had a knife they can recommend from places like Carbatec and other easily accessible places in Melbourne?

Try:
Pfeil Carving Knives : CARBA-TEC

Also consider the need to keep them sharp and be prepared for that to be more expensive than the knife, good luck on your journey

I just received my Kershaw Double Cross on Friday after checking out some of Whittling
's recommendations. Haven't had a chance to try it out yet, but it certainly sits nicely in the hand and fits very comfortably in my work pants. Just have to be careful it doesn't slip out and get lost

This will be my carving knife though, not going to risk damaging it cutting every day items, too expensive for that. I have a bunch of old generic pocket knives in stainless steel. They cut like a fork. I must get around to sharpening them properly one day.

Russell.

Originally Posted by BoomerangInfo

I just received my Kershaw Double Cross on Friday Russell.

You can't go too far wrong with that knife. I really like the edge-holding capabilities of the AUS6A stainless its made with. Better in my experience than the 440 range. It's combination of Clip point and Warncliff blades cover you for most styles of whittling.

Good luck with it. Enjoy...

Russell, who did you buy from your knife from.

Terry

Originally Posted by schaf

Russell, who did you buy from your knife from.

Terry

I got mine from Rick Weibe in Canada. Great customer service, and only about a week delivery. It was CAN$75. Got a carving glove, somce strop compound, and finger tape at the same time.

Russell.

G'day everyone

I also purchased a knife from Rick Weibe the other day after reading Whittling's recommendations. I purchased a "Double Duty" for $95.00 delivered and carving ready. It too, only took about a week to arrive.

I am very impressed with Rick's communication and service. He is great to deal with.

I started playing with the knife on a golfball face the other night and found it very nice to use.

I will definitely not be using it for anything other than carving. Too nice to risk for general use.


Cheers

Grant

Glad you guys have taken the punt and checked out Rick. He's a good bloke, knows a lot about carving, and has some of the best deals around on knives and Phiel chisels. I've been dealing with him regularly for about 7 years now and I've never had any cause to regret it.

I'm sure you'll like your 'Duty' Grant. It's a fantastic knife. I'm a little envious now... I sold mine about 6 months ago to a student who was really keen. I think I'll have to email Rick and get him to send me another one...

In the mean time I've been using the one illustrated. Not a bad knife. Not quite up to the Kershaw standard but close and it does have that 3rd blade which makes it versitile across a range of materials. The photo shows the gelding and spay blades unmodified. I always change the shape of those two blades to make them more suitable for carving. Bit cheaper than the Kershaw too... $55.00 Aust.

Does Rick Weibe in canada have a web site.
Any advice, I cannot find him.

Terry

Originally Posted by schaf

Does Rick Weibe in canada have a web site.
Any advice, I cannot find him.

Terry

Wood 'N Wildcraft

Russell

Rick Wiebe's site is www.woodcarvingbiz.com

Thanks guys.