Model 5 vs model 15

Matt81818

Matt81818

Joined
Mar 30, 2015
Messages
65
Just looking for some input on people who have handled both the model 5-5 and the 15 airmen. It will be my first Randall user knife used for hunting and camping just a all purpose knife, everything from food to firewood. Well light firewood work I don't Batton my knives I use a hatchet for that but I would like to know it could take it if it had to be used for that.
I have had a 14 for a few years now and i am still in love with that knife I have used it a few times but it is not the ideal knife for my needs.
Also will Randall make a model 5 with a 5.5 inch blade ?

Thanks for the suggestions
Matt,
 
Highly unlikely that Randall will make a model 5 with a 5-1/2 blade. I think that a model 15 CDT would be best option.
 
^ exactly. The Model 15 Cut-Down Tang (CDT) can be had with all the Model #5 handle options, including single hilt (guard), and will be a more robust knife for your intended use.
 
Matt, I would suggest you go with a 5-5 for your intended use. The #15 might be too heavy and slow in the hand for skinning, feather sticking and food prep.

IMO, the #15 is an overbuilt survival knife for someone whom do not know what might be thrown at him yet but need something really well built to prepare him for it. Eg someone who needs to operate deep behind enemy line for weeks/months. For general camp, hunt or hike, the 5-5 is more than capable of handling what you are going to throw at it.




Don
 
Thanks for all the replies but honestly i will probably end up with both eventually but I think i will order a stock 5-5 and maby down the road a personalized 15 with a cut down tang an no top guard.
But is a 15 with CDT any different from a 5-5 other than the extra .5" blade length?
 
One key different I noticed is the way the clip point is executed. The #5 has a much longer tapered false edge that stretches all the way to the ricasso. This reduced quite a lot of metal on the blade and made it light and fast in the hand.



Don
 
Hmm see that is really good to know because here I am thinking the blade is the same thing but looking at the pictures it's much more obvious like I should have seen that.
 
Matt81818 said:
It will be my first Randall user knife used for hunting and camping just a all purpose knife, everything from food to firewood.
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I'd go with the 5-5. It was specifically designed for these activities. Bradford Angier carried a Model 5 and he knew a thing or two about backcountry living. ;)

Matt81818 said:
But is a 15 with CDT any different from a 5-5 other than the extra .5" blade length?
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The 15 blade is a little wider and it comes with a sharpened false edge, which is not really necessary for civilian use. I believe the false edge can be ordered unsharpened.
 
Yes, you can request the shop to not sharpen the false edge. I have done it on a few of my orders.




Don
 
I'm just gonna go back to Matt's original post for a second, and not to take away from anything written above - but, I strongly believe in the 'a little more is better than a little less.' theory. From that stand point, a #15 CDT is going to weigh an ounce to two more, max, and will provide that much more heft that a #5-5 can't. Again, just a personal opinion, but I've actually found myself in a desperate cold-weather situation where I was hoping to God that I could make this fire-starting thing happen, and did (using a pocket axe). Unrelated, this was up on California Hwy 299 headed west in the winter up near Willow Creek; we had a ranger pull in around midnight in a blizzard to tell us we were the only people he'd found up on the mountain that night. Warm fires are good. So, there is that. If your axe is sharp and your fire-making skills good, a lessor knife would probably do...
 
Melvin-Purvis said:
I'm just gonna go back to Matt's original post for a second, and not to take away from anything written above - but, I strongly believe in the 'a little more is better than a little less.' theory. From that stand point, a #15 CDT is going to weigh an ounce to two more, max, and will provide that much more heft that a #5-5 can't. Again, just a personal opinion, but I've actually found myself in a desperate cold-weather situation where I was hoping to God that I could make this fire-starting thing happen, and did (using a pocket axe). Unrelated, this was up on California Hwy 299 headed west in the winter up near Willow Creek; we had a ranger pull in around midnight in a blizzard to tell us we were the only people he'd found up on the mountain that night. Warm fires are good. So, there is that. If your axe is sharp and your fire-making skills good, a lessor knife would probably do...
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All good points, Shel. I think I read the OP's post differently. It sounded like the knife would be used in a controlled setting for general use, like camping or hunting. The #15 would definitely be better in a survival situation, which I guess could happen during hunting depending on where you go.
 
If you want a #5-5.5 which you most likely will not be abel to order, why not a #5-6, love mine..

bPBd3Ral.jpg
 
TAH,the Royal Coachman is a lot like the model 5, a timeless classic.Is the hook forged?Just kidding,nice knife.
 
willis said:
TAH,the Royal Coachman is a lot like the model 5, a timeless classic.Is the hook forged?Just kidding,nice knife.
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Thanks willis. You must be a fly fisherman to notice! Not forged, but it is handmade. :)
 
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