Besides CPK knives, whaddaya like?

I was a bigger knife guy back in the day but these days I'm just looking for functional no-nonsense knives.

I have a bunch of folders. Nothing to really write home about. BM 710, Spyderco Sage 1 and PM2, and CRK Large
Inkosi.

I had an Esee Izula 2 + Junglas but sold both as I wasn't too crazy about 1095. While it was easy to sharpen, it rusted pretty easily and wanted something more stainless for taking into the field. I am just way too lazy to maintain my knives day in and out. I was also not very happy that the Junglas came with a laser etched logo on the blade - it was just another area I had to make sure I kept oiled or else rust would develop.

Next came the BRKT Canadian Special 3V that I've been using for camping/outdoor use for the last few years. Great little knife and it served me well but it's not perfect. First, this knife made me fall in love with 3V. It was first taste of this steel and it is now my preferred steel for outdoor use. Super tough, extremely corrosion resistant, and held an edge very well. However, I not too crazy with the square shaped handle. While it's comfortable in the hand in the standard grip, it's not the most versatile handle shape for bushcraft/batoning wood. I've learned to work around the handle to limit hot spots but I always wished it had better ergos. The blade also arrive imperfectly ground. A small section near the handle wasn't finished properly so you can see the original grind before BRKT put the convex edge on it with their belt sanders. For how expensive the knife was, that was a little disappointing but I do understand it's a hand finished knife and there could be imperfections.

Anyways, I've been keeping my eye open for 6" knife but never settled on one. The Esee 6 was tempting but, again, not crazy about 1095. I considered the BRKT Bravo 1.5 or 2 but never really loved how it looked.

Then I discovered CPK! I read all about Delta 3V, a bunch of reviews, and was sold. I have a HDFK on the way (currently in the mail) and I can't be more excited! I heard that Nathan might release more UFK's later this year and I'm sure I'll pick one of those up as well (if I'm fast enough at the draw).
 
Latest addition from SSL, in Elmax

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Been thinking about something from him in Vanax but I’m loyal to a fault toward CPK! It’ll feels like I’d be stepping out on Nathan :p

Cheap frills like cheaper knives won’t count count though, coz I feel that I have a hall pass on those in perpetuity :D
 
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as a personal rule, when I get paid for my design work, I reinvest some of that into my collection. I usually put those dollars in the hands of a knife maker because I like to spread it around a bit with knife makers I like and support and who might be willing to build a knife to my spec. Sometimes I come across a knife on the secondary market that's a great value and whose design I figure I can learn from. This knife here, (just showed up this morning from the UK) is a great example of what I'm talking about;
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I want
 
OK, my $99.95 Spydie (Junction?) fixed bald came in today. Nathan has me so spoiled that it's not funny anymore! I remember buying the OG-FK around $220 back in the day in its most basic set up when this Spydie also used to be in that same price realm :eek: Now, this thing is a cutting machine expected to perform well in the kitchen and all and just below a Benjy in price it's a great deal IMHO but in the 2 x Benjies price range, come on mang :D The handle scales are extremely thin, maybe as thin as the liners Nathan puts on his AECM... J/K... I think that Nathan's liners are thicker :eek: :p :D

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Got a Spydie Waterway in LC200N :thumbsup:
Had to sand the diamond G10 pattern a bit on the left side because it was too rough rubbing against my skin. They make it really rough so it won’t slip when wet. It’s still very grippy, and although the scales are thin, I find them comfortable. It has a nice guard too, so you’re hand will not slip forward when using it in a wet environment.
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OK, my $99.95 Spydie (Junction?) fixed bald came in today. Nathan has me so spoiled that it's not funny anymore! I remember buying the OG-FK around $220 back in the day in its most basic set up when this Spydie also used to be in that same price realm :eek: Now, this thing is a cutting machine expected to perform well in the kitchen and all and just below a Benjy in price it's a great deal IMHO but in the 2 x Benjies price range, come on mang :D The handle scales are extremely thin, maybe as thin as the liners Nathan puts on his AECM... J/K... I think that Nathan's liners are thicker :eek: :p :D

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I think that’s a design decision, not necessarily a flaw. I got one too for 99.95 and think it’s a nice knife for that price with a decent sheath but it doesn’t blow me away and for the MSRP plus MAP I don’t see a lot of Spydercos that I feel are competitive any more.
 
I've recently found that Dendritic Cobalt can be used to make a knife.

Very odd thing, a knife blade made with no iron. Just Cobalt and carbide.

Check out David Boye knives, he's been using it for years.

If that impresses you do some research on Talonite and Stellite 6k. They are not as common now as they once were because supply dried up on them. Partially because of the passing of Rob Simonich (RIP :() who was a pioneer in Talonite for the knife industry, and I believe the manufacturer of Stellite changed the way they did business making it all but impossible to get for knives. Again I could be off a bit on my info, been many years.

Minor trivia, Tom Mayo's famous TNT model stood for Talonite & Titanium, pretty rare now.

I still have an Alan Blade Chipmunk in Talonite, great knife but the older guys may remember that train wreck.
 
Check out David Boye knives, he's been using it for years.

If that impresses you do some research on Talonite and Stellite 6k. They are not as common now as they once were because supply dried up on them. Partially because of the passing of Rob Simonich (RIP :() who was a pioneer in Talonite for the knife industry, and I believe the manufacturer of Stellite changed the way they did business making it all but impossible to get for knives. Again I could be off a bit on my info, been many years.

Minor trivia, Tom Mayo's famous TNT model stood for Talonite & Titanium, pretty rare now.

I still have an Alan Blade Chipmunk in Talonite, great knife but the older guys may remember that train wreck.
Got lucky and traded a Hinderer I got a Blade for the Mayo a few years back.
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along with a few of its friends
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I have a John W Smith folder in Stellite, and it's an ok blade material. Not great tho

Back when Talonite and then Stellite were popular S30V was considered by many to be the end all be all super knife steel. A lot has changed since then :)

How great it is depends on your use. Talonite and Stellite were never known for their edge holding capabilities. I would rate Talonite about equal to 440c and Stellite slightly less. They excel in abrasion resistance as Stellite was developed for deep well core drilling. Where they were unbeatable, and technically still would be is they cannot rust because they have zero iron in them. Other alloys have come along since that are rust proof and have better edge retention, so any debate now would be for posterity.

Much like D3V is to 3V, Talonite is to Stellite. Stellite is the original product and Talonite improved on edge retention and hardness due to a change in processing the Stellite and aging it to gain hardness.

As far as sharpening goes, it benefits from a low grit edge, I would stop around 180 grit. A polished edge would decrease its cutting ability.
 
I am a fan of my Boye Dendritic Cobalt folder. It cuts fibrous things with ease. Also my fingers on a couple occasions.

It's got an odd texture also. Idunno. I just like the out of the box experience sometimes, and Boye folders fit the bill nicely.
 
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His Dendritic stuff in general is great for slicing through fibrous material, this reground Basic 4 in Boye Dendritic 440c is the most used knife in the kitchen. It hasn't needed more than an occasional touch on ceramic rods since I reground it last year sometime...

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