Randall #18 Attack-Survival Knife

C

Cutme

Joined
Nov 20, 2006
Messages
5
Any one have a good or bad opinon of the Randall#18 Stainless Steel 5 1/2"? (ie. toughness, edge profile, pommel, guard/hilt, sawteeth)
It's a hollow handle knife that appears to be well made and tough.

It's soon to become my survival knife for the outdoors; used for chopping, prying, skinning, cutting, slicing and hammering.

Any one have an opinion of the brass pommel being used as a hammer? Anyone test/try it as a hammer? How well does it stand up to abuse?

Anyone ever break the blade at the handle where it is soldered? Ever break the sawteeth in any way? Ever dent the handle itself? Brass rust/tarnish easily?

Inquiring minds want to know....
 
you should try the Randall forum, those guys know quite a bit about anything pertaining to Randall made knives.
 
If I'm recalling correctly, a forum member named Spearhead accidentally broke his during use. You might want to look him up and contact him.
 
I had the same questions when I bought mine recently. I own a 6" #25.

The blade comes with an apple seed grind. Roughly 20 degrees per side, a fine general utility edge.

A good rust resistant coat you can apply is paste wax (Minwax is what I use, Renaissance is what others have recommended).

I bought mine for hunting and general outdoors utility to accompany a Wilson Silver Peak skinning knife.

As far as the use you've described, they state in their literature shipped with the knife that they don't recommend the knife as anything but a cutting instrument but from what I've experienced, these are hard use knives.

Their O-1 steel they use in their knives is extremely tough stuff.

Their knives have been used in several wars with nothing but praise for their construction.

I'd suggest that if you have other specific questions you call them. They are very friendly and more than willing to talk about their knives limitations.

I personally am extremely impressed with their knives.

Good luck.

NJ
 
A hollow-hilt knife was never designed to be as strong as a knife with a full tang hilt. The Randall catalog used to describe the origin of the #18 as saying that it had been designed in co-operation with, IIRC, an AF medic/pararescueman who wanted a knife with a hollow hilt in which he could carry emergency survival supplies such as benzedrene tabs, water purification tabs, fish hooks, etc. He intended to wrap the hilt with nylon fishing line and then with paracord. He asked that the back of the blade have saw teeth so that he could use it to saw into or out of the aluminum cockpits of helicopters and/or airplanes. But he and Bo Randall never intended the knife to be used as an axe, IIRC. If you want something for that, buy a different model or consider one of the Chris Reeve designs where he machines the entire knife, hollow hilt, blade and all out of one piece of steel. I have never held or used one, but I cannot believe but that must be stronger.
 
You mentioned the brass pommel. Bear in mind that brass is a very soft metal.
While it may fly in an emergency ,a brass hammer is not going to go the long haul.
 
I used mine quite a bit. Great knife! No problems.

Picture040.jpg
 
FullerH, it was an Army helecopter pilot flying "dustoff" missions in Vietnam, but same deal.

I had the 7" model in my past. I called Gary Randall and asked him how often he got these knives back to reattach the handle to the tang. He told me it was a very rare event. Usually whatever force separated the handle from the tang also destroyed the knife, as it would any knife. I quit worrying about it.
 
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