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Posted: 12/22/2023 5:51:55 PM EDT
[#1]
I like my SRK and SRK Compacts but be prepared to do some work on the sheath. I run a file on the inside on both sides as they can dull the edge and I had one that somehow chipped the spine.
 I haven't figured out how to fix the lackluster retention yet.The Demko Armiger 4 is interesting. |
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Posted: 12/22/2023 10:59:29 PM EDT
[Last Edit: armoredman]
[#2]
I use a thin file on the inside of the blade edge inside the sheath? I had heard that the Secure Ex sheath could do that, but I didn't think of that solution. I have a set of thin files around here somewhere.
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Posted: 12/23/2023 12:38:30 AM EDT
[#3]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By ROCK6: This sounds more like knife snobbery than a knife user. Is 1095 dated? Sure. With good heat treatment from a reputable maker (ESEE, TOPS…), they’re far from garbage and quite useable and functional. There are better steels out there, but for the price point, you’re getting a quality blade for actual use. 99.9% of knife users aren’t going to notice much difference between 420HC, AUS8, or 1095 and upper tier steels like Elmax, Magnacut, M390, CPM 3V, S35VN, S90V, S11V, etc., when in the field short term. As long as the knife is made from a reputable company/maker, has ergonomics that fit you, a blade profile that meets your requirements, and a good sheath system, the steel is really not that important as long as you can sharpen a knife and do basic, routine maintenance as you would with most field equipment. Now, a fair point is that I wouldn't be paying $200+ for a custom or small production knife with 1095 or any number of low to mid-tier steels. You can get better steel, but it's going to cost you more, you just have to determine if you're actually getting $100+ worth of better performance. ROCK6 Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By ROCK6: Originally Posted By tsg68: 1095 is garbage. I cant believe people still tout a junk steel knife in a nlade thickness that’s only good as a prybar still. Are you cutting shit or “batoning” firewood? If you’re batoning then get a froe, not a knife. Froes are made for splitting wood…. 1095 is a compromise steel meant for those who either A ) aren’t very good at sharpening steel or B) are so far off the in the jungle they are forced to have to sharpen their knife on a rock… This sounds more like knife snobbery than a knife user. Is 1095 dated? Sure. With good heat treatment from a reputable maker (ESEE, TOPS…), they’re far from garbage and quite useable and functional. There are better steels out there, but for the price point, you’re getting a quality blade for actual use. 99.9% of knife users aren’t going to notice much difference between 420HC, AUS8, or 1095 and upper tier steels like Elmax, Magnacut, M390, CPM 3V, S35VN, S90V, S11V, etc., when in the field short term. As long as the knife is made from a reputable company/maker, has ergonomics that fit you, a blade profile that meets your requirements, and a good sheath system, the steel is really not that important as long as you can sharpen a knife and do basic, routine maintenance as you would with most field equipment. Now, a fair point is that I wouldn't be paying $200+ for a custom or small production knife with 1095 or any number of low to mid-tier steels. You can get better steel, but it's going to cost you more, you just have to determine if you're actually getting $100+ worth of better performance. ROCK6 Well said... I like 1095 steel. |
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USA
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Posted: 12/26/2023 11:51:34 AM EDT
[#4]
Just saw this on TTAG. Seems a bit pricey for 1095 though.
https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/things-that-dont-suck-tops-modern-gladius/ |
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Posted: 12/27/2023 3:47:39 AM EDT
[#5]
That's interesting, but would that blade profile be as useful for what one might call normal camp/survival duties?
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Posted: 12/27/2023 6:40:19 AM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By 10mmillie: ESEE 3,4,5,6, Izula, Izula II Bingo! |
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Posted: 12/27/2023 6:57:53 AM EDT
[#7]
I’ve been on a Joker knives kick. In my opinion they are the best value going.
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Posted: 12/27/2023 11:36:39 AM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By tsg68: 1095 is garbage. I cant believe people still tout a junk steel knife in a nlade thickness that’s only good as a prybar still. Are you cutting shit or “batoning” firewood? If you’re batoning then get a froe, not a knife. Froes are made for splitting wood…. 1095 is a compromise steel meant for those who either A ) aren’t very good at sharpening steel or B) are so far off the in the jungle they are forced to have to sharpen their knife on a rock… Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By tsg68: Originally Posted By 10mmillie: ESEE 3,4,5,6, Izula, Izula II 1095 is garbage. I cant believe people still tout a junk steel knife in a nlade thickness that’s only good as a prybar still. Are you cutting shit or “batoning” firewood? If you’re batoning then get a froe, not a knife. Froes are made for splitting wood…. 1095 is a compromise steel meant for those who either A ) aren’t very good at sharpening steel or B) are so far off the in the jungle they are forced to have to sharpen their knife on a rock… It’s not a junk steel that’s nonsense. Is cheap yes is it a high tech absolutely not, but it has its place as a field knife. I have knives in CPM-M4, 3V, RWL34 etc etc. I would not want to have to keep one of those sharp in a limited resource situation. I made a lot of 1080 fixed blades due to the easier HT and they preformed very well. The 10xx steels are old reliables that have reasonable toughness and are extremely easy to sharpen. Both traits you want in a survival knife I do emphasize survival vs brushcraft style knife. They should be one and the same, but that’s another conversation. No before we argue I will 100% agree on some of the brands specifically their price with that steel. 1095 ESEE knives have gotten very expensive for such a basic blade. I’ll cut them some slack since they are made in USA but it’s about $3 worth of steel. They do preform well so they deserve a reputation for being reliable. Their cult like status not so much. For what it’s worth my field knife is CPM3V and I have several DMT pocket size stones in my pack glove box etc. My camp chopper is 5160 that I made. |
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Posted: 12/27/2023 11:45:11 AM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By tsg68: More from use than snobbery, average rockwell scale 1095 is gonna be 56-58 which is edge rolling territory with any kind of decent sharpening. It lacks enough manganese to have any real toughness and even cheaper stainless like 440C is more abrasion resistant with it’s chromium content. It’s easy to sharpen because it’s soft. I have uet to be impressed with any 1095 knives I’ve owned. Part of the reason they seem to make thicker blades with 1095 is to compensate for the lack of sectional durability. I don’t like thicker blades with shallow grinds because it increases drag and affects their performance as slicing instruments which is their overall task. If I remember correctly from their early writings the Randall Adventure crew valued field expedient sharpening for their knives over edge retention and it was part of the criteria they used for their collaborations. They seemed to care more about whether you could sharpen the knife without a sharpening stone over how durable was the sharpened edge. The absolute worst of the 1095 blades I’ve used are the USGI issue blades. Pretty much barely representing edged implements. You can bend and snap many of them with your bare hands and the edge retention is awful. It’s kinda sad if this is alot of people’s first exposure to a fixed blade of any size. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By tsg68: Originally Posted By ROCK6: This sounds more like knife snobbery than a knife user. Is 1095 dated? Sure. With good heat treatment from a reputable maker (ESEE, TOPS…), they’re far from garbage and quite useable and functional. There are better steels out there, but for the price point, you’re getting a quality blade for actual use. 99.9% of knife users aren’t going to notice much difference between 420HC, AUS8, or 1095 and upper tier steels like Elmax, Magnacut, M390, CPM 3V, S35VN, S90V, S11V, etc., when in the field short term. As long as the knife is made from a reputable company/maker, has ergonomics that fit you, a blade profile that meets your requirements, and a good sheath system, the steel is really not that important as long as you can sharpen a knife and do basic, routine maintenance as you would with most field equipment. Now, a fair point is that I wouldn't be paying $200+ for a custom or small production knife with 1095 or any number of low to mid-tier steels. You can get better steel, but it's going to cost you more, you just have to determine if you're actually getting $100+ worth of better performance. ROCK6 More from use than snobbery, average rockwell scale 1095 is gonna be 56-58 which is edge rolling territory with any kind of decent sharpening. It lacks enough manganese to have any real toughness and even cheaper stainless like 440C is more abrasion resistant with it’s chromium content. It’s easy to sharpen because it’s soft. I have uet to be impressed with any 1095 knives I’ve owned. Part of the reason they seem to make thicker blades with 1095 is to compensate for the lack of sectional durability. I don’t like thicker blades with shallow grinds because it increases drag and affects their performance as slicing instruments which is their overall task. If I remember correctly from their early writings the Randall Adventure crew valued field expedient sharpening for their knives over edge retention and it was part of the criteria they used for their collaborations. They seemed to care more about whether you could sharpen the knife without a sharpening stone over how durable was the sharpened edge. The absolute worst of the 1095 blades I’ve used are the USGI issue blades. Pretty much barely representing edged implements. You can bend and snap many of them with your bare hands and the edge retention is awful. It’s kinda sad if this is alot of people’s first exposure to a fixed blade of any size. Fair point and had I read ahead I may not have posted quite the same as you obviously understand 1095s place. Truth is most people can’t sharpen a blade very well. The larger the blade the worse they are. I still sharpen freehand since that’s what I was taught. I have some large bench stones for big knives. Again most people don’t own those. |
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Posted: 12/27/2023 8:56:58 PM EDT
[Last Edit: armoredman]
[#10]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By mc556: Fair point and had I read ahead I may not have posted quite the same as you obviously understand 1095s place. Truth is most people can’t sharpen a blade very well. The larger the blade the worse they are. I still sharpen freehand since that’s what I was taught. I have some large bench stones for big knives. Again, most people don’t own those. And I'm gonna segue right into this thought here - I know damn all about knife sharpening. The only sharpener I have is one of those dirt-cheap yellow Smiths deals, the little one with rubber feet and carbide rods one on side and ceramic on the other - it HAS done a decent job over the last several years with basic blades. I am about to pull the trigger on this one from MidwayUSA; https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1015580176?pid=620135 Smith's Adjustable Angle Knife Sharpener Product #: 620135 Manufacturer #: 50264 UPC #: 027925502648 Now, considering I MOST likely am not going to beat this knife to death any time soon, it probably won't need anything but light touchups for a very long time. (1) Good buy (2) Waste of money (3) Go beat yourself over the head with a shovel? |
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Posted: 12/27/2023 11:06:14 PM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By mc556: [snip] For what it's worth my field knife is CPM3V and I have several DMT pocket size stones in my pack glove box etc. My camp chopper is 5160 that I made. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By mc556: Originally Posted By tsg68: Originally Posted By 10mmillie: ESEE 3,4,5,6, Izula, Izula II 1095 is garbage. I cant believe people still tout a junk steel knife in a nlade thickness that's only good as a prybar still. Are you cutting shit or "batoning" firewood? If you're batoning then get a froe, not a knife. Froes are made for splitting wood . 1095 is a compromise steel meant for those who either A ) aren't very good at sharpening steel or B) are so far off the in the jungle they are forced to have to sharpen their knife on a rock [snip] For what it's worth my field knife is CPM3V and I have several DMT pocket size stones in my pack glove box etc. My camp chopper is 5160 that I made.  |
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Posted: 12/27/2023 11:08:56 PM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By armoredman: And I'm gonna segue right into this thought here - I know damn all about knife sharpening. The only sharpener I have is one of those dirt-cheap yellow Smiths deals, the little one with rubber feet and carbide rods one on side and ceramic on the other - it HAS done a decent job over the last several years with basic blades. I am about to pull the trigger on this one from MidwayUSA; https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1015580176?pid=620135 Smith's Adjustable Angle Knife Sharpener Product #: 620135 Manufacturer #: 50264 UPC #: 027925502648 Now, considering I MOST likely am not going to beat this knife to death any time soon, it probably won't need anything but light touchups for a very long time. (1) Good buy (2) Waste of money (3) Go beat yourself over the head with a shovel? Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By armoredman: Originally Posted By mc556: Fair point and had I read ahead I may not have posted quite the same as you obviously understand 1095s place. Truth is most people can't sharpen a blade very well. The larger the blade the worse they are. I still sharpen freehand since that's what I was taught. I have some large bench stones for big knives. Again, most people don't own those. And I'm gonna segue right into this thought here - I know damn all about knife sharpening. The only sharpener I have is one of those dirt-cheap yellow Smiths deals, the little one with rubber feet and carbide rods one on side and ceramic on the other - it HAS done a decent job over the last several years with basic blades. I am about to pull the trigger on this one from MidwayUSA; https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1015580176?pid=620135 Smith's Adjustable Angle Knife Sharpener Product #: 620135 Manufacturer #: 50264 UPC #: 027925502648 Now, considering I MOST likely am not going to beat this knife to death any time soon, it probably won't need anything but light touchups for a very long time. (1) Good buy (2) Waste of money (3) Go beat yourself over the head with a shovel?  What A Pull Through Knife Sharpener ACTUALLY Does To Your Knife | SUPER CLOSE UP |
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Posted: 12/28/2023 12:09:50 AM EDT
[#13]
 WOW!Ok, thank you, I won't bother with THAT toy - what do you recommend to keep my new blade in good shape? |
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MI, USA
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Posted: 12/28/2023 1:00:43 AM EDT
[Last Edit: bluemax_1]
[#14]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By armoredman: WOW!Ok, thank you, I won't bother with THAT toy - what do you recommend to keep my new blade in good shape? They aren't $25, but I usually either recommend a Spyderco Sharpmaker, or the WorkSharp Precision Adjust.  
There's also a $249 Pro version of the WorkSharp, if you have bigger, heavier knives to sharpen (or you can just 3D print the stabilizer, or buy one on eBay for ~$20, to mitigate the flex in the non-Pro model). FWIW, I have the Spyderco Sharpmaker, and have tried the Precision Adjust Elite, and also own the much pricier TSPROF KO3. The Sharpmaker is simple to use for the KISS types, but is not angle adjustable. The Precision Adjust Elite is like a TSPROF-lite. Similar principles, but the main reason I got the TSPROF, is because it's easier to use on larger blades than things like the Wicked Edge, or Apex, and I have quite a number of 10" or longer blades, from large camp knives, to my 270mm Gyutos (not even counting machetes, barongs, kukris and swords). While the Precision Adjust Elite isn't as simple to use as the Sharpmaker, it's more versatile and can even be used to fix damaged edges and even reprofile an edge, and is as much as anyone who's not a crazy knife/blade/sword nut would need. The Sharpmaker is my recommendation for folks who just want something simple to touch up kitchen and pocket knives. *** I also learned to hand sharpen a long, long time ago, and keep these handy. 
These are THE best field sharpeners (IF you can hand sharpen). They're very light. Fold down small, use diamond abrasives so they can handle even super steels, and I've sharpened and even reprofiled the edges of friend's VERY dull knives, machetes and axes, in the field. The Coarse side reprofiles even butter knife dull edges quickly. The Fine side gets them shaving sharp. |
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Posted: 12/28/2023 12:28:13 PM EDT
[#15]
Great ideas, thank you, and 88 bucks isn't too much for quality.
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Posted: 12/30/2023 6:37:38 AM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By tsg68: The absolute worst of the 1095 blades I’ve used are the USGI issue blades. Pretty much barely representing edged implements. You can bend and snap many of them with your bare hands and the edge retention is awful. It’s kinda sad if this is alot of people’s first exposure to a fixed blade of any size. The redeeming quality of 1095 is only in the blade geometry and quality, differential heat treatment. I agree that most 1095 "USGI" steels weren't/aren't' the best, not differentially heat treated and either too soft or brittle enough to snap a blade. There are better steels, but it's if heat treated properly, 1095 is more than serviceable. On the flip side, with many of the newer CPM steels, once sharpened properly, they're pretty easy to maintain in the field with the right sharpener and that's only if you're in the field for a lengthy time and using your knife a lot. ROCK6 |
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