Neck Knife

[maxkimber]

Couple of questions:

What is the "best" neck knife?
When do you guy/gals wear it?
Is it part of your EDC, or just when out in the woods/mountains/etc.?
Show'em if you have'em, please label with type.

I want one, but have not been able to find a nice one - yet.

Thanks...

 

[pitdog]

Check out the TOPS Knives website !

 

[aceofblades]

I think a Hoffman harpoon would work well,but thats just me.
.

 

[ROCK6]

I don't use neck knives as often as I use to...mainly because I did a lot of traveling via helo in Iraq and I avoided anything around my neck. When around the house or bumming around the camp site, I do like a neck knife for quick access when needing a blade. My prefered method of carry is a Fallkniven WM-1 with a figure-eight 550-cord MercHarness. Now this is an easy way to carry/conceal a small fixed blade, yet is still quick to access. If under a shirt, you avoid the possiblity of it snagging as well.

Here's a few, some are no longer made (Left to Right):

TOPS Ferret
TOPS Sparrowhawk
Benchmade Snody
AG Russels Woodswalker (probably the best little neck knife for the money)
Benchmade's Tether knife (not sure if still made?)
REKAT Hobbit's Fang (no longer made)
Buck's Mayo Kaala neck knife (excellent knife for the price)
Fallkniven WM-1 (pricey, but a great small fixed blade)
BRKT Necker
Gene Ingram's Naked Hippo
Runningdog Pup (no longer made that I know of)
RJM Handiman

At the top (Left to right):

Buck Hartsook (small!)
Bark River's Slither
Some variation of the Bird and Trout finger knife
Emerson's LaGriffe
J.W Wharton Stag & Steel (more of a "pocket" knife as it has a thick handle)

Here's a Polkowski Dingo and my WM-1 in the MercHarnesses...

ROCK6

 

[Dannyboy Leather]

Couple of questions:

What is the "best" neck knife?
When do you guy/gals wear it?
Is it part of your EDC, or just when out in the woods/mountains/etc.?
Show'em if you have'em, please label with type.

I want one, but have not been able to find a nice one - yet.

Thanks...

I am of the opinion that there is no "best" when it comes to cutlery. What may be best for me will not be best for the next fella. I think the "best" neck knife for you, will be the knife you can tolerate wearing throughout the day. And, the knife that will accomplish those tasks that a small, light weight knife is expected to accomplish with ease. I have been wearing mine mostly on the trail...and snowshoeing here lately.

Currently, I am using Scott Gossman's excellent PSK with one of my own neck sheaths. Really a tough, sharp, light weight knife with lots of user options.

 

[lumpymike1]

My 1st one was a Becker Necker and I still have and love it. Sheath on it was crap and quickly lost its retention ability when hanging upside down. I would often carry it in a pocket and it was great for that. Mostly wore it on day hikes or camping, not EDC, however it does ride in my sunvisor in the car so it is quick to hand.
Currently I use a WM1 that I think is fantastic on day hikes (no overnights with it yet) Stock sheath is better than the Becker so far, but I don't like the webbing on it. I have asked Nomark to make me new sheaths for both, and I am eagerly awaiting them. He did some for my F1 and CS Bushman that are great.

Here is a pick of the Becker after opening a coconut on my trip to Maui. That was a lot of fun.

 

[mtnfolk mike]

I don't use neck knives as often as I use to...mainly because I did a lot of traveling via helo in Iraq and I avoided anything around my neck. When around the house or bumming around the camp site, I do like a neck knife for quick access when needing a blade. My prefered method of carry is a Fallkniven WM-1 with a figure-eight 550-cord MercHarness. Now this is an easy way to carry/conceal a small fixed blade, yet is still quick to access. If under a shirt, you avoid the possiblity of it snagging as well.

Here's a few, some are no longer made (Left to Right):

TOPS Ferret
TOPS Sparrowhawk
Benchmade Snody
AG Russels Woodswalker (probably the best little neck knife for the money)
Benchmade's Tether knife (not sure if still made?)
REKAT Hobbit's Fang (no longer made)
Buck's Mayo Kaala neck knife (excellent knife for the price)
Fallkniven WM-1 (pricey, but a great small fixed blade)
BRKT Necker
Gene Ingram's Naket Hippo
Runningdog Pup (no longer made that I know of)
RJM Handiman

At the top (Left to right):

Buck Hartsook (small!)
Bark River's Slither
Some variation of the Bird and Trout finger knife
Emerson's LaGriffe
J.W Wharton Stag & Steel (more of a "pocket" knife as it has a thick handle)

ROCK6

great looking collection rock.... you have some nice ones....:thumbup:

you have great taste my friend.... i have a few of thoe same knives...

 

[baldtaco-II]

On the whole I'm not really a fan of neck knives as I don't like the dangle round the neck aspect. Further, many of them would be of less use to me than something much more simple. The reason being that I ascribe them to two camps: A] The ones with grinds very much more suited to something larger, designed to take punishment. As such they seem to be just another layer of comfort blanket for the last ditch, beyond bedlam, super-dooper turd hits some unlikely POW, SHTF, the Meakon has landed and the sea is rising round my feet tale of daring-do. And B] Something that is just small, sharp, and instantly handy.

Also add the fact I'm highly suspicious of many of the skeleton handles that are marketed. I don't buy the bit missing in the middle of a Polo mint makes it taste better either. G10 is thin, strong, and weighs less than your tobacco, and handles make a knives nicer work with. I'll accept there are reasons why some skeleton handled offerings should be designed that way, but for the most part I find it a silly marketing thing that gets you to pay more the more the knife resembles a blade blank. And as for wrapping string round it for comfort, I just don't get that. That often takes what could be a discrete handy little blade and trebles the thickness. It is also damp here most of the time if not wet, and cord wrap isn't ideal for that unless you're a maintenance masochist.

That said, I've had my eye on the Japanese Takumi – Carpenter's Knife at A.G.Russell for conversion to a neck knife. The Wharncliffe appears outstanding value at only $47.95 for a simple sharp at 64-66 Rc. Whether that value would be preserved by the time I got one to England is the only reason for my hesitance. I'd seldom carry it and it could cost me much more. As it stands in the US, it looks like a real performer for neck knife conversion.

 

[IUKE12]

I use the Bark River PSK as a neck knife, not bad in the pocket either. I usually toss it around my neck if I'm wearing longer length coats that might restrict convenient access to my pockets or anything I might have attached to my belt.

 

[Quirt]

Start with your purpose...why do you want a neck knife?...what is your primary and secondary purpose for it...then make the selection upon that determination and not based upon the CDI (Chick's Dig It) or WoW factor.

If you ask for an opinion here you'll get 217 different opinions and choices.

A knife is a tool (like a box end wrench, crow bar, or ratchet) that has a general purpose...so select it according to the mission. If you need an all around knife (like a cresant wrench) then narrow your selection down to a GP knife, if it is for midnight self defense while you sleep then select something else.

By the way - you might want to seriously consider getting a neck lanyard that breaks away under tension in event someone or something gets ahold of it...you don't want to become a human Yo Yo if someone during a scuffle gets ahold of your sheath!

But what do I know?

 

[baldtaco-II]

I'd think that a fine choice. I'd personally like a bit more pointy, but that is only because when I use something as a neck knife I'm usually out after rabbits and a fine point suits my method of getting them apart better. I think the design of that is lovely – no surprises that it's a BRK.

 

[Return of the J.D.]

One option I prefer with "neck" knives is just carrying them over one shoulder and under the opposite arm. That could prevent some of the accidental-strangulation scenarios, and it essentially leaves the knife with roughly the same accessibility as if just around your neck.

My reservations about around-the-neck wear I've mentioned before. First, in a disaster, you are almost by definition needing to do things you didn't expect, and are likely to find yourself in physically-unusual and dangerous positions. Things like climbing a tree, or sliding out of an SUV that's on its side in the bottom of a canyon, or climbing out a window, or hanging upside-down, are much likelier in a SHTF situation than in ordinary life. Not to mention fighting with someone. Why opt for a setup where somebody with an evil mind has an instant leash/noose already on you for the grabbing? A setup where, if you happen to lose your grip on a branch and descend from a tree a bit fast, your knife gets caught on the wrong side of a fork between limbs, could break your neck? A setup where, if you're rolling down a hill, or hanging upside down, will leave your knife flapping around all over an area that includes two feet behind you, two feet to either side, and two feet over your head--or all of the above? Even just putting the knife cord over one shoulder and the knife under the other arm will drastically cut down the number of places the knife can flop to.

Even if you aren't making your sheath fight gravity to keep the knife in (with the risk that, if the knife comes out, you'll suddenly have a razor-sharp piece of steel skittering around inside your shirt and near parts of you that you may need a well-staffed hospital to repair--something that may be unavailable if you're really in a disaster situation), and you're using a sheath that keeps the point down, am I the only one who gets a little nervous about dropping a razor-sharp knife into a scabbard that's positioned at the exact center of the front of my body? I mean, if I drop the knife in the process, its point-down fall straight down the front of my body is going to take it disturbingly close to some vulnerable parts of one's anatomy. You're a lot likelier to hit a foot or thigh or . . . whatever . . . with a knife that's falling straight in front of your chest, than if the knife is falling past a sheath that's on your side, hanging from a belt.

 

[baldtaco-II]

Is part of why I shy from them. I'll happily have one for specific tasks but not as a general carry method. And although I can slip one in the pocket, if I go with that I can have something a tad bigger.

 

[Andrew Colglazier]

This is my current one, I like it a lot:

It's the one in the middle of the second pic. It's made by Scott Gossman and I like it quite a lot. I put the paracord wrap on it. It is his PSK model, and he produces them periodically for sale.

I wear mine all the time as part of my EDC. I don't use it much, but always have it.

Andy

 

[baldtaco-II]

Andy, hola

Not that I want one of those for the reasons above, but I admire pretty much everything I've seen of his. May I ask what it cost? Just tryin' to get a ballpark for other ideas.

'taco

 

[Buffalohump]

I have a Pat Crawford Legionnaire. Really good slicer. Quite big for a necker but after a while you forget its there.

Bill Siegle was offering one piece neckers a little while back for a great price.

I think the Bark River PSK is another good one... And the Swamp Rat Warden, if you can find one.

 

[orrey45]

I'm a big fan of neck knives a lot because of their size and useful-ness. I dont carry them on my neck though, just bothers me. I either use a figure 8 shoulder harness or clip it on.

The top one is a cheap one I got at academy to clip to my lifevest. Middle one is a new one that I havent figured what I'm gonna do with. Bottom one is a CRKT Dogfish that I carry on a harness while I'm out running and such.

 

[Andrew Colglazier]

Andy, hola

Not that I want one of those for the reasons above, but I admire pretty much everything I've seen of his. May I ask what it cost? Just tryin' to get a ballpark for other ideas.

'taco

Taco, I don't remember off hand exactly what it cost, but I do think it was in the $60-$100 range? I really don't remember....

Scott has kind of a running thread over in the Fixed Blade For Sale area, he uses the same thread every time he has some for sale, should be some prices in that thread......

Andy

 

[JD Mandrell]

Charles May FifeAnts

Gossman Knives EDC/Necker

 

[Will Power]

The above are VERY nice Confed. Never seen these before!

Would suggest looking into Bark River, PSK, Mikro Slither, Mikro Canadian. Don't like them round my neck at all...but in a pocket with a lanyard etc most useful.