DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Knife Question for knife guys (or girls)

Hey everyone,

Quick question for you knife people out there. I'm gonna be on a ship for 45 days this summer and 90 days this fall. I also work at two yacht clubs during the summer (i'll be working during my free time this summer/spring when I'm not away on a ship.

I've bought a few things for my voyage, a Pelican Stealthlite 2400 Flashlight, Gerber Multi-Tool, and I'm looking to grab a good knife.

I'm considering buying the Kershaw Leek (Ken Onion), http://www.amazon.com/Kershaw-Onion-Fold...d=3HVQ6GMZZVD5O , knife. Does anyone know anything about it?

Do you guys have any other recommendations for a knife under 50$ with a blade no longer than 4 inches?

Also, is there a difference between stainless steel, titanium coated, or whatever coating a black knife would have? What are the advantages or dissadvantages to these?

And finally, and most important probably, what's the advantages to serrated verses a straight edge? And are there places that you can get your serrated knife sharpened (because I've heard they're hard to sharpen). I will need to cut a variety of things, including rope, which makes me think serrated is a good choice

There's gotta be a knife nut on this message board, help me out!

If we were talking kitchen knives, I'd be able to help a little

Serrated vs. straight however: Straight is typically more for chopping whereas serrated is better at slicing (although straight is also still quite good at slicing).

Serrated, IMO, tends to be more for more delicate slicing - like bread or tomatoes... things with a crust or skin and a soft interior.

In an outdoor knife, the same would probably hold true, but the serrated would likely be viewed as better for "sawing" (slicing).

Buck and Schrade are very good quality old school knifes.

Relatively unexpensive and easy maintennce.

There may be better knifes out there for less money or better quality, but these knifes are quit popular and easy to keep sharp with a simple knife sharping stone and a little oil.

I also believe that they are available at any Walmart or Kmart.....easy to find.

My own opinion is: a serrated knife would be the way to go - maybe. Maybe, because a serrated knife IS tougher to sharpen. They are good for tough cuts - rope, a deer's chest, etc.

Being gone for a while, and not being able to sharpen it yourself - well, maybe you want to go with straight edge though. Buy a hand held sharpener for $5. I don't care what anyone says - if you use it correctly, it WILL sharpen your knife, no problem. Sharp enough to slice whatever you want. The advantage this way is, you have your knife, you have your sharpener - sharpen it every night if you want.

Stainless vs. titanium vs. whatever else? Can't give any insight to that. For me, as a rule, the fancier the word, the more expensive it is. In some things, that's okay. With a knife, not so much. Especially if you have that cheap sharpener at your disposal.

I've taken my knives to a "pro" - and they dulled just as quick as when I did them my self.

Just my unprofessional opinion.

I have the Kershaw Onion and am quite happy with it. It has the half serrated blade and holds it's edge forever. That assisted opening works well, you can easily snap it open with one hand. The Leek is similar with a narrower blade. The Bucks and Schrades mentioned earlier use a common stainless steel blade. They are much more difficult to sharpen and don't hold their edge as well. They are well built, though. I think Kershaws give you the most bang for your buck. To get anything better, you'll have to spend a lot more money. To answer your other question, serrated edges are good if you have to cut rope or slice through heavy cardboard. You won't dull up the straight edge of the blade. I prefer the half serrated, half straight edge blades.

Used to crew on 10-meters in the Port Huron-Mackinaw and Chicago-Mackinaw races many summers ago. You might want to take a look at a good rigging knife (or at least make sure you get a knife with a marlinspike - useful for dealing with knots and splicing rope).

I used a smooth stainless blade when I sailed and had no trouble cutting rope. Serrated blades are OK, but if you go that route, make sure the serrations are scalloped (not notched). Notched serrations have a tendency to snag on nylon line and you just end up shredding it. Not good.

Finally, if you get a folding knife, make SURE you can open it easily with one hand. Chances are, you'll be holding onto something when you need to deploy your knife. You really don't want to be fiddlling with the thing two-handed in rough seas.

Good luck!

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Used to crew on 10-meters in the Port Huron-Mackinaw and Chicago-Mackinaw races many summers ago. You might want to take a look at a good rigging knife (or at least make sure you get a knife with a marlin spike - useful for dealing with knots and splicing rope).

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The general rigging knife I've seen (and used) is Wichard rigging knives, and I've found them to be garbage.

While the Marlin Spike is handy, I've found that if necessary, needle nose pliers (with small line) or simply the philips head screw driver on my multi-tool works fine for getting a little space in knots.

Plus i'm required to have this crappy knife on me with a marlin spike already on it (for when i'm on the ship this summer). Around the club though, the lines are small, and needle nose seems to always do the trick.

That's cool that you're into sailboat racing though, I used to do it a lot, but haven't found as much time for it in the summers lately. One day I'd like to own my own boat (like an Express 37 or something, PHRF about 72) and race around the buoys once or twice a week. This summer I raced on a less competitive C&C42, but we drink beers on the starting line and during the whole race (and generally still do pretty well! Plus it's a boat with no yelling, imagine that). I usually do foredeck or jib trim. I've never seen a "10 meter" though, when you first mentioned it, I thought you were talking about 12 meters, is a 10 meter actually 10 meters, or is it like a 12 meter and the name isn't the length? I live in CT, in the Fairfield County Westchester NY area and race on Long Island Sound.

How is the sailing in Chicago (and if you know it, Chicago in general), I've always wanted to visit that city. I'm thinking about trying to work on the Great Lakes, which would make Chicago an option as to where I would eventually live

If your ship is going to be anywhere near north africa, I'd get something much more powerful than a knife.

I had a Boye knife when I sailed and it was an excellent (but pricey) knife. Very useful tool.

We called the boats I raced "10-meters" or just "T-10's" back in the late 70's. They were actually Tartan Ten sailboats and were actually 10 meters long. I haven't raced in a very long time, but I know there are still a fair number of T-10s still on the water.

What made them fun to race was that they are usually run in "one-design" rule races with other T-10s. Limiting modifications within the class makes racing more about seamanship than who can trick up their boat the most performance-wise. Lots of fond memories. There is nothing like regatta days, a fresh wind and... well... a fresh wind.

Great Lakes sailing is a blast, IMO. In and around Chicago, the sailing is great (albeit a bit pricey for a club berth). Lots of boats, friendly people and plenty of races (official regattas and unofficial buoy challenges LOL). I grew up on Lake Huron as a kid and learned to sail there. Huron is where my heart is.

I absolutely LOVE my Gerber. It is not has slender as the Kershaw you are looking at. But it does have a rubberized grip(which I would think can be very advantageous in your situation). I also do not like the "speed safes" as it puts your fingers right in the path of blade to unlock the knife. So I like Gerbers "old Fashioned button on the back of the handle(at least on this model). Much like the older Buck knives. I can handle it one handed with ease. It comes both with a serrated and straight blade. I have had both and both are great... But as BrownLife said, serrated will catch in rope. I would suggest a straight blade.(and keep a sharpener) Unless it is scallopped (the blade teeth look like humps instead of spikes) You can find my Gerber in any Gander Mountain Store for about $35 (I have the Gator II but they have models with belt clips on them)

I love my knife....best Wedding Present I received!!!!!

Ive liked this knife for general utility. Small, light REAL easy to open with left or right hand. It holds an edge for quite a while and it's easy to sharpen with a small stone. It may be a shorter blade than you want, but I also payed about half what this link says.

Link

I carry a Leek daily. I love it! Easy to open and close one handed. It stays clipped on my back pocket, and doesn't fall out. It holds a good edge for quite a while.
I broke a blade on one once prying with it (completely my fault). I went out immediately and bought another.

Edit: Regardless of which knife you choose I would suggest you pick up one of these sharpeners. http://www.fishingtackleunlimited.com/p/fishing/c-tools-sharpeners/RAP-SH-2.html
It wont put the sharpest edge on a knife, but it does a good job for how compact and easy it is to use.

I have a similar sharpener....it's got the steel on one side and ceramic bars on the other. It puts a shaving sharp edge on the blades. About 5 bucks at Gander Mountain. I also have one of those Lansky sharpeners with the diamond stones, and this cheapo does just as good in about one fourth the time. If the knife is too far gone, the Lansky's extra course stone will put a new bevel on it so you can then get a razor edge.

I've had the Kershaw leek for over 3 yrs. I just now had to sharpen it, just because I tried to cut off a metal screw with it! Anyhow, it's easy to sharpen & the one handed opening is faster than the auto's I've had. I use a round med. cut sharpener & it takes no time to sharpen the serrated edge. about 3 passes back & forth & it took off the jagged metal that the screw dug up, & is just as sharp as before. I love this knife.

The sharpener makes tons of sense, thanks guys.

I think I might get a Spyderco Tenacious though instead. The blade looks thicker, it isn't as narrow, and it just looks like a stronger knife. It's also 30$ instead of 40$.

Size wise it's a little heavier and larger, but that's a good thing because I have a tendency to lose stuff. I've already lost two Gerber Paraframe knives (which I liked, but decided I wanted to upgrade). This one I think I might put a lanyard on as well with a tag that says my name and phone number. (I have a terrible habbit/problem of putting things down when I don't want to hold them, then I just walk away)

If on the water, a cork bobber might give you half a chance of grabbing it if it slips in to the water.



But you need to keep it sharp. Go straight blade.

A small stone with some cooking oil or spit is all you need, and as mentioned, the little kitchen sharpeners do a nice job. Maybe not stone sharp, but sharp enough to cut through any line or sails that might need tending.

If you're going to be on a ship I would recommend a Myerchin knife with a cheap Gerber ez-out as a spare. I've worked on ships in the Great Lakes and Gulf of Mexico. I have the Myerchin fixed bladed that comes with a sheath and marlinspike that I keep on my PFD. I usually carry a folding myerchin or a gerber ez-out in my pocket. The marlinspike will definitely be worth the money for splicing line and breaking free shackles etc.

The gerber ez-out is much lighter and cheaper, but the myerchin is full tang and you could split wood with it. It's also designed for water and has etching to prevent slipping while your hand is wet. I only buy half serrated- half straight blades. Enjoy your time on the water, you'll see things most people only see in pictures!

http://www.myerchin.com/Home.html

I totally never even noticed that this was for going to sea until just now.

If you are going to be working main deck, make sure the one knife that is *always* on your side is NOT a folding knife, and learn to use a whetstone and keep it SHARP... if you get tangled in a line, you don't ever want to have to be fumbling with trying to unlock a blade before you can cut yourself loose.

Back in my days as a Bos'n Mate, I had my leather sheath on my side that held my marlinspike/adjustable wrench (cut the head off a crescent wrench and weld it onto the head of your marlinspike) and my straight blade. It wasn't anything fancy, but I could sharpen it to an edge that I would shave with. It was barely classifiable as "stainless" steel and the metal was kinda soft and after about the 1000th time on the whetstone, the blade was only about 3/4" deep from edge to back, but it'd cut anything I needed it to when I needed it to.