A word or two on sharpened crowbars

I have a question about edge geometry and sharpened crowbars.

I don't have anything against sharpened crowbars for the hacking, poking, chopping type of applications - in fact I have a few. However, in my experience (I will admit here that I have never had the opportunity to work with a Strider knife) they haven't been so good for cutting and slicing.

For example, I have an SOG Bowie, which is plenty sharp, but because of the thickness, if I am trying to cut through something a little thick, or trying to skin something out, the thickness of the blade tends to limit the depth of the cut. Essentially, if a "chip" has to form off of the edge, I have found that a thinner blade works better.

Again, I have nothing against thick knives, and I understand you design them for a purpose where the thickness is important.

My question is - for your customers who need a knife as you make, do you recommend they carry something smaller for the more routine cutting chores? Or have you found a grind or edge profile that allows your knives to cut better than others starting with the same thickness?

Thanks.
 
qwertyname,

Great question, thank you. Your absolutely correct. A thin blade will always out cut a thick. Period. End of story.

Would I recommend that someone carry a secondary blade, other than their fixed blade? Yes. Without a doubt. A folder is a good example. Large blades don't lend themselves to fine cutting tasks. Sure they will do it. But not as well as a finer blade. Just as a small folder won't chop as well as a large fixed blade.

I know that's all a bit obvious, but I wanted to answer your questions before moving forward with this in another topic.

Thanks

SK
 
I have to put my two cents in here. I work as a helo door gunner where anything without a "sure" grip disappears out the cabin door. I own three Striders. All have para-cord grips. One more is on the way. It too has para-cord. Is there a trend developing? The other knife on the way is one of their custom folders. Bulletproof is a good word that comes to mind when describing all their tools. I have a story about a Newt Livesay knife that applies here as well. On the helo I fly on, we use the GAU-2B mini-gun. For those who have heard this tale before, SHADDUP! Well, when this gun jams itself, metal is twisted up inside the gun housing causing a serious problem. You have to rotate the barrels to get the live ammo out of the housing. If you don't, things go bang. The Air Force gives you a "safing bar", i.e. a small crowbar, to manually rotate the gun. The amounts to slamming the gun barrels back and forth until they rotate, there by crushing the metal inside. Well, one of my buds was flying with a Newt knife as his backup tool. One night, he lost his safing bar out the door. Go back to the grip comment. He had a nasty gun jam that required him to rotate the barrels. He thought his Livesay would be up to the task. His Livesay is now about two inches shorter. That means he broke it for the slow ones out there. (Tom Mayo) I passed my Strider WB across the cabin to him and he manhandled the gun clear. The damage to my Strider: one small nick in the blade. I mean real small. Strider-1, Mini-gun-0. I have also put an SA model Strider through a trauma plate in our body armor as a buddy didn't believe it was possible. Result: the black coating got scratched a bit. Both myself and Nyeti, another helo guy, use our Striders as our primary egress tool. That entails cutting away aircraft skin and all manner of other nasties that are determined to keep you in the fire after a crash. I really have an objection to burning to death, so I carry a Strider. So, in conclusion, the handle works, PERIOD. The knives are bulletproof, PERIOD. As to ergonomics, I love my tools and don't really care what arm chair experts have to say about the matter.

------------------
Ryan Renuart
Aerial Gunner
"That Others May Live"

[This message has been edited by KnifeBomber (edited 10-18-2000).]
 
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