BlackRockBigfoot Posted April 16, 2020 Posted April 16, 2020 Birthday knife. I have gotten a knife for my birthday every year since I was a young boy, and big folders are a passion of mine. This year's birthday knife is the Cold Steel Large Espada. 5.5 inches of S35VN steel. This won't be a woods carry knife, but you can bet that it will be in the EDC rotation. It carries exceptionally well for a folder that has crossed the line from large into semi-absurd territory. 1 2
BlackRockBigfoot Posted April 16, 2020 Posted April 16, 2020 57 minutes ago, Airdale said: Happy Birthday BRB! Thanks!
BlackRockBigfoot Posted April 16, 2020 Posted April 16, 2020 15 minutes ago, norseman said: Happy Birthday! Thank you, sir! 1
NorthWind Posted April 16, 2020 Posted April 16, 2020 Sweet! Cold Steel makes some decent stuff for sure for factory stuff. How do you like it? I've kind of wanted another Bushman, or a spear. One of these days. And happy birthday!
BlackRockBigfoot Posted April 16, 2020 Posted April 16, 2020 49 minutes ago, NorthWind said: Sweet! Cold Steel makes some decent stuff for sure for factory stuff. How do you like it? I've kind of wanted another Bushman, or a spear. One of these days. And happy birthday! Lol. I love it. I will be the first to admit that it is over the top, but I love a big folder. I have pretty much gravitated towards Cold Steel for folders. I have a few Zero Tolerance knives that I still carry...and my Buck 110 still gets use. But, I have sold off my Striders, most of my Spydercos, and Benchmades. In the process of selling some of my Emersons. I know that Cold Steel doesn't carry the prestige of those other knife companies, but I am over liner locks and most frame locks. The Triad lock wears in very smoothly and locks up like a bank vault. I don't care how big or heavy a frame lock knife is, its lock is only as strong as the thinnest piece of the lock bar. Now that Cold Steel is using better steels I think that they pretty much have the hard use folder market sewn up. Taiwan is the new Seki City. The fit and finish that is coming out of there is insane. For fixed blades I am still mostly using my Winklers, ESEEs, Bucks, or customs. Although, I did pick up an Cold Steel SRK in 3V and have been very impressed with it. Most of their fixed blades don't appeal to me, but you have to admire their willingness to push the envelope. Thanks for the birthday wishes, you all!
wiiawiwb Posted April 17, 2020 Posted April 17, 2020 No question there is an attraction to knives as they serve many purposes while out in the woods. For many years, I've carried a neck knife (ESEE IZULA) on a lanyard which is always accessible. Considering that most of my excursions are backpacks into an area, weight is a consideration. I've opted for smaller knives, like the ESEE-4, which does an excellent job with the survival activities I ask it to do. For a long time, I've had a hankering to get a large knife and am looking at several. ESEE has been good for me so the Junglas is one, Tops Armageddon is another, and the final one is the Tops El Chete. I think I've narrowed down to the last two as the Junglas is only .188" in width versus .250" for the other two. We'll see.
Madison5716 Posted April 19, 2020 Posted April 19, 2020 (edited) I just received this one. I love it! Edited April 19, 2020 by Madison5716 2
BlackRockBigfoot Posted April 20, 2020 Posted April 20, 2020 6 hours ago, Madison5716 said: I just received this one. I love it! That is a good looking blade! What is that handle made out of?
Madison5716 Posted April 20, 2020 Posted April 20, 2020 (edited) Reindeer antler. It's from Knives of the North, the Erapuu Puukko. Blade is 4 1/2 inches. I also have a bigger knife from them, but it's huge and I have small hands. I bought it so I could process wood, but i guess I'll use my saw or axe, and use this smaller knife for daily hiking use. Edited April 20, 2020 by Madison5716 2 1
wiiawiwb Posted April 20, 2020 Posted April 20, 2020 Wow, Madison, those are beautiful handles. How are they when you work with the knives? Are they slippery at all? Over 25 years ago, I had a woods knife that had a rubberized handle. My hand stuck to it so that even in the rain, there was no slippage. It wasn't attractive looking but my hand was not moving. If I knew where to go, I'd have the micarta handle removed from my ESEE and replaced with that sticky rubberized handle I remember so well. 1
MIB Posted April 20, 2020 Moderator Posted April 20, 2020 ^^^^ That is why my go-to gutting / skinning / quartering knife for a long time was a Buck Vanguard with the rubber grip. Seems to ignore rain, doesn't ever get slippery. More recently I've switched to a Benchmade "Steep Country". Mostly similar features, better steel, and lighter. It's also why I like Cold Steel fixed blade knives. I don't do heavy work with a folding knife. They're finesse tools, not pry bars. Where I grew up there was no value to batoning to split wood. We got over 120 inches of rain per year. There was no such thing as dry wood unless you'd set up a cache in the dry season. We would generally carry a road flare or some "black tradin' wood" (pitch soaked fir) if we thought we might need a fire. Y' had to provide heat long enough to boil the water out of the sticks so they'd burn. We learned to think very carefully about staying dry so that drying out did not become a necessity. MIB 2
BlackRockBigfoot Posted April 21, 2020 Posted April 21, 2020 On 4/20/2020 at 10:36 AM, MIB said: ^^^^ That is why my go-to gutting / skinning / quartering knife for a long time was a Buck Vanguard with the rubber grip. Seems to ignore rain, doesn't ever get slippery. More recently I've switched to a Benchmade "Steep Country". Mostly similar features, better steel, and lighter. It's also why I like Cold Steel fixed blade knives. I don't do heavy work with a folding knife. They're finesse tools, not pry bars. Where I grew up there was no value to batoning to split wood. We got over 120 inches of rain per year. There was no such thing as dry wood unless you'd set up a cache in the dry season. We would generally carry a road flare or some "black tradin' wood" (pitch soaked fir) if we thought we might need a fire. Y' had to provide heat long enough to boil the water out of the sticks so they'd burn. We learned to think very carefully about staying dry so that drying out did not become a necessity. MIB I carry a Cold Steel SRK in rainy weather for the same reason. That Kray-Ex (rubber) handle is super secure in wet weather.
MIB Posted April 21, 2020 Moderator Posted April 21, 2020 1 hour ago, BlackRockBigfoot said: I carry a Cold Steel SRK in rainy weather for the same reason. That Kray-Ex (rubber) handle is super secure in wet weather. Yep. I have one. I've thinned the blade slightly because I'm more inclined to use it for skinning deer than fighting grizzly bears or building shelters. Darn nice knife. It replaced an old "first gen" Gerber LMF for that size range. The SRK is a little lighter and a little smaller, but tougher because of the full tang. I have an 5.11 Tactical "Rush 24" pack which has 2 slot pockets, one on each side somewhat hidden under the molle patch. The SRK will just barely shoe-horn into one of those pockets and a Nissin Pocket Mini 270 collapsible tenkara rod slipped inside a short section of PVC pipe to protect it in the other with room for a spool of line, a few flies, and some matches. Nothing much more fun than in impromptu fish lunch. I also have a pair of Cold Steel Master Hunter knives, same handle, 4 inch blade, one in stainless, one in chro-mo steel. Don't rightly know what I'll do with them, I sometimes carry the stainless version, guessin' the chro-mo is going to wind up in my deer/elk disassembly bag that stays in the truck during hunting season. MIB
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