KnifeCenter FAQ #90: Knives with Personality? + DCA Reveals His New Knife

Hello everyone, here comes David C. Andersen from KnifeCenter and welcome to episode nine zero of KniFAQs, the series where I answer some of your questions from the beginning, whether sharp or boring. And this week we're going to look at some ugly

knives

. But are they still charming? Some lunch box

knives

, you'll see a little bit of what I mean, and we're going to answer the question of what switchblade

knife

did I buy from last week's video. Let's get into it (KniFAQ) Alright everyone, welcome to the video. If you are not familiar, what you can do is leave your questions in the comments section below.

If it has anything to do with the topic of knives, and maybe even some unrelated things from time to time, we'll include one of those. But leave them down there, we'll go through and pick out some good ones to include in future episodes. This week, if you didn't notice on Tuesday, Thomas and I took a bunch of switchblades out of the warehouse there. And I looked through and chose one that I was going to buy. And part of the reason I wanted to make that video is that, you know, I was looking for an everyday automatic

knife

, something that was utilitarian for me, because I think automatic knives get a bad rap even. from among the people in the knife world, not just the outsiders looking in.

They think, oh, it's unnecessary, it's just scary. It's just a weapon, so they have a bad reputation. And really, a spring-loaded blade is just another way to open a knife. And they're not even always the quickest way to open a knife, if that's the objection. I mean, you can't tell me that, you know, a modern flipper is slower than the automatic knives out there. It's just one of those stigmas that needs to go because it's a useless distinction when there are so many other options that are perfectly legal and perfectly acceptable. So I wanted to do it from that perspective.

And I narrowed it down to these four. In the end we have the SOG TAC AU, a very nice knife that uses its XR locking mechanism and a very thin blade for cutting. Additionally, we have the Benchmade CLA, which has a fantastic little shape, handles very well, has a neutral feel and a very balanced blade shape, perfect for me for EDC, it's exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for. And also to the OTF. We have the Hogue compound with G 10 frame, S30 V blade and we have the Guardian tactical recon 35 with an Elmax blade, both also great knives.

The reason is that many people couldn't believe that I put Pro Tech and Microtech out of the competition. Part of it was that I was literally feeling what was in front of me and what my hands responded best to. And besides, I already have a pair of Microtechs and a Pro Tech automatic. So there was no need to own a third in either of those cases. So, but we also asked them to take or participate in the survey, which one do they think they would buy. And that's why I'm seeing the results right now. We're filming this at the beginning of the week.

So by the time this video appears, the results may have changed a bit with 1.8 thousand votes. Benchmade CLA leads with 34% followed by the label SOG a you with 25% recon 35 with 21 in the pig enclosure with 20%. So those are your predictions. And it's funny because the two main ones are the side openers, and I decided not to use a side opener and I'll tell you why here you know the wonderful CLA knife like I just said, but here you know the steel selection 154. cm perfectly service for useful. Well, perfectly useful stuff don't get me wrong, but there were other options here on the table.

But that's not why I chose it or didn't choose it. I mainly chose the OTF for that ease of closure. I mean, you guys know I'm a big fan of the crossbar lock and it takes something like this, like that OTF, to match the same comfort that I enjoy with a crossbar lock knife even though this Benchmade closes quite a bit. easily for automatic side opening. Likewise, the SOG TAC AU essentially has a crossbar lock with an attached spring mechanism that is easy to close. But this is where you would think that day by day I would get into trouble.

I am so used to this locking mechanism. I would take out the knife, do my slides and try to close it by doing this. And it wouldn't work for me. Once, yeah, here we go. You can do it if you really move it. But I feel like that would trip me up more often than not. So I didn't want to go that route either. That leaves us with two, we have the Hogue Tactical and the Guardian, I think I would have been perfectly happy with either of these knives. But in the end, these are the knives first, right?

And for me, it all comes down to the geometry of the edges. I'm not going to use any of these, as you know, the Balls to the Wall tactical knife, that's not what I'm looking for. I'm looking for daily transportation. And the Hogue. Not only does it come with a thinner blade, but it also comes with a higher sharpness than the Tactical Guardian, this will simply cut better. I've had a lot of 30V blades in my collection over the years, not so many Elmax, although it would be cool to experience a new steel. In the end, that actual cutting geometry will make a bigger difference.

And I also love the in-hand feel of this. It's definitely not as neutral looking as the Guardian Tactic, but it doesn't get in the way either. For me anyway, for my hand size. The other kind of thing that convinced me is that I can close this knife with my index finger a little easier than with the Guardian tactic. And that's because of the shape of the switch, which, as much as I like this shape of the switch on the Tactical Guardian when using my thumb, it doesn't quite work in that orientation. You may think, hey, what's the problem?

I actually found myself using that closing method with this knife because I've been using this a little bit now, if I'm doing some type of reverse cutting. Anything like this, it's actually very easy to orient and close with your index finger and you've got a nice spot here on the front of the handle for your thumb to keep it from sliding forward that way. And even that works for the index finger too. I'm usually a fan of things with subtle finger guards. So I have a little bit of that there. And then I could drown if I had to.

But yes, in the end I kept the hug and I'm going to carry this, I've already been carrying it. I think it's a great knife to do great work. And even though he received the fewest votes in the poll, it's like you guys don't even know me. The knife that is last in the poll will be the first to enter the pocket. Proverbs Thomas behind the camera, geometry chapter. The edge geometry is really like geometric cuts, and that's what you want. Plus, I love the stonewashed finish. You know that about a black cape. Apparently there aren't enough people.

Apparently it was not good, the CLA was in the lead. And to be fair, if this were an AXIS Lock knife or even maybe an axis auto, I had my qualms with the SOG in that regard, but if this were an AXIS Lock knife, I'd have a bite right now because that's me . I can't criticize them too much because this is my path in terms of profile. Good for you. But everyone was wrong, except for the 20% of young people who were right. So I hope it was fun. Maybe we'll do more things like that video in the future.

But yeah, I hope you enjoyed it. Alright, now let's move on to today's first proper question. Which comes from the knife type 2112. It is said that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. That being said, what are, in your opinion, some of the ugliest knives that have inexplicable charms? My choice is also the Spyderco Yojimbo. I could see that for myself. Let's look here and make sure I have my tab open correctly here. I think one of the things that frequently gets this accusation is the Ontario RAT, a KnifeCenter exclusive version here with micarta handle scales and a D2 blade.

I mean, this is not a pretty knife, but it is a working knife. And if you can appreciate the charm of something that is simply made to function without really paying attention to its aesthetics. There's a charm in that you can say the same thing because, you know, a lot of people have leveled that accusation at various Spydercos around the world. I mean, even thinking it was Eric Lesser himself. Really the story, where they design with the lights off, is the way they like to describe the way they work with their designs, because it's about how it feels and how it works, not necessarily how it looks.

I'm sure they really have their lights on when they draw things. But you know, it's an expression that sounds like an OSHA violation, it probably would be. Anyway, another knife that I think gives me this is on a personal note, because it's another knife that I recently purchased. This is the touch knife company, Rockwell, it's a $300 knife. And it's not something that jumps off the page, so to speak. It is well made, very well made and very well put together. But it doesn't have much

personality

. That being said, I kept coming back to this knife, kept holding it, appreciating its utilitarian nature.

And in general it has a more refined character. I wish it had maybe a little more

personality

, but it won me over, despite having tons of things that catch my eye. Like we make all these videos week after week. This is simply excellent. To give you an idea of ​​how great I bought this to fill my menswear niche, something I could wear if I'm wearing a suit, or a little dressier, on a slightly more formal occasion where I still want to wear a knife. Two of my favorites for a while now, been my Sebenza 21. My little cocobolo inlaid Sebenza, although I always say this, I always forget if it's actually cocobolo or bocote, but the brown wood inlays have one of those fantastic knives with class. , my Zieba ms three also fulfills that role.

I think this one is going to displace both. I'm not really blowing smoke about this even though it is kind of a game, but it plays in a way like an old school Jackknife, you know, an unassuming old school pocket knife. But when done at this level with MagnaCut steel, it's a nice bonus. This is a really hard night for me to ignore. So I wanted to mention again that they also focus attention. It definitely has a lot of charm. If you know how to look at it a little closer, I would say check it out.

Next question Daniel. Cubs F Hi DCA, what do you think of slip joint knives with detent? Thank you. I have sort of a love-hate relationship with the retaining joint, flip joint, or double retaining knife, whatever you want to call it. Because they typically require a little less pressure, sometimes a lot less pressure for the blade to close, even than a traditional slip joint. So if for me, a lot of them, I could honestly leave them, like they're not my bag, I'd rather have something with a lock or a real traditional spring back. I think the retainer joint knives I use shine and where I think they have a lot of value or value is something like this little Archaeo from ArtisanCutlery and other KnifeCenter exclusive patterns I should mention.

Although it does have this secondary locking pin that you can insert behind the tang of the blade to keep it open or closed. Even without it, I want a detent joint knife to have some kind of passive safety measure, and in this case, it's this fin tab here. So if you're cutting, if the blade starts to move, your fingers will keep it from moving any further. For me I think that is very important for this style of knife. I think it also works really well on a Wharncliffe or sheepsfoot style blade like this Wharncliffe mod you see here, because it maintains the pressure angle if you're using this to drill more pointed in the spine.

It can still come close to you if you're doing something like that, but it's a little less likely than if you have a tip swept up. Excellent knife, the S35VN you got in this particular one, the marbled carbon fiber is about 120 bucks and you get the convenience of a non-locking fin. I mean, you can open it as fast as anything here. It's faster than the SOG and the Benchmade automatic we just looked at. And this is a non-locking knife, and you can close it, no problem opening it, making your cut, closing it, if you really want to, you have that secondary pin, it can live here.

You can put it on your keychain if you want to keep it close at hand, but it doesn't interfere with the knife itself. That's where I think the retainer joint knife really shines and really justifies itself. Alright, next question comes from Marv Thomas. I'm thinking about changing my Delica for a slightly larger knife and I've decided to use the Endela, but made of steel. Very good, great. I talked a little bit about steel a couple of episodes ago, because it's a very broad topic and this is a perfect example of the type of tools that are the mentality that I was trying to convey in that video, which is, once you learn, of where are some reference points, especially if it is a steel that you have personally experienced, preferably if it is a steel that you have personally experienced, you can start to evaluate the differences between existing steels and, unfortunately, organize the Endela available, there are only There are three Steel to watch right now.Therefore, it is easy to compare within themselves who will be better at what.

So let's get started. Let's look at Mandela. He is a really cool knife. It's honestly,Although maybe it's not as successful as I thought it would be when they first released it, but it's perfect in between the size between Delica and Endura. And in fact, there are a lot of new knives being released these days. If they are not one of those less than three inch leaves, they are about this size. We have a 3.4-inch blade and a fairly spacious handle. Right size. If you want stainless steel, you basically have a choice right now. Again, there may be some sprints out there.

Some dealer exclusives may be different, but in terms of immediate availability, you have VG 10. So if you want a stainless steel blade, go for that. VG 10 is not the latest or greatest, but it is a really good steel, has a decent grain structure, sharpens very easily and performs quite well; It has better edge retention than many of the entry-level steals. It's a good mid-range workhorse. Absolutely. If edge retention is king, if you want the highest edge retention, you can also get an easy answer here. The K 390 version costs around 141 dollars, the base model 92 and some changes.

K 390 is something phenomenal. I have used one of these. I've used the delicate one on steel and it goes on and on and on. However, it's not stainless steel, so you'll have to keep that in mind. It's a funny story: I accidentally ran my K 390 Delica through the washing machine in the pocket of some shorts. Surprisingly it turned out well. No pitting or discoloration, I was a little stunned. So I don't know why I'm telling you this, it adds no point. Your mileage may vary, but your mileage certainly may vary because, again, it's not stainless steel and in fact, Seth, Seth V has a stretch to it and K390 that is used quite well or quite extensively has a really good patina.

Speaking of patina, the third option right now is our exclusive KnifeCenter in pakkawood handles with laminated blade with HAP 40 core. So, the powder metal tool steel is not stainless, the edge will not last as long as the K 390. But probably It should last a little longer than the VG 10. I would say it is also easy to sharpen and will have a patina as well. . The reason you might choose this one may or may not be based on the steel in this case because it's somewhere in the middle, which again could be that it leaves you flat or it's like that perfect bowl of soup. .

But if you want something that has a better set of handles than the lightweight injection-molded models, as far as I know, this is the only version of the Endela that exists with full overlays and solid one-piece scales. Pakkawood is laminated, of course, so it's essentially stabilized and won't warp or crack to the same extent as unstabilized wood, but it has that nice feel that blends in nicely when it also starts to patina. But it has all the other things that make the candle great and a lot of Spydercos Great Four Position pocket clip mounted in the middle with that dent, there is no lanyard hole on this particular one so keep that in mind.

But there is another fantastic option available right now for around 170 Right now, so I hope it helps the stainless steel with VG 10 to have more edge retention, go for the K390, the HAP 40 with good edge retention, not a stainless steel, a little stronger, which could be good. the edge of that steel itself, the stability there might be a little bit helpful. I hope that helps. Alright, now we come to our measured once cut twice segment from Carl K, he says regarding the moving thought process where I chose he was talking about the moving knives from last week's AQ series of knives.

Why not a fixed blade? Especially when it comes to reliability, respectfully carry your EDC and keep unpacking the utility knife and don't think about it too much. Without a doubt good options. A lot of people suggested that the utility knife be just a folding cutter essentially as an option and the reason I didn't choose this and maybe should have been clearer about it from the start was because everything was packing up. This was not just going to be the knife on the go, but it was also going to be the EDC knife during the interim period.

So I didn't want to just use a cutter. I was thinking about what EDC would work for that. And fixed blade. Honestly, that's a really fair suggestion. I don't have what I would have brought with me today because I still packed my North Smith listing. But the new MKM macro that was just released earlier this week would have been great. If you have enough rigidity, or have enough grip for a solid hold, you don't have to worry at all about any type of reliability issues because you don't have springs, pivots, or folding mechanisms to wear out. .

And here you have good edge retention with the em 390. The reason I probably wouldn't have gone back to my pocket fixed blade is because this will be the EDC. I'm not going to take out a fixed blade just to move it. The speed part is what I was talking about. It takes a little more deliberate action to receive this, especially in a pocket holster. Versus Why not have one? I only have a crossbar lock here. I talked about opening my blade, making a cut, closing it, and holding it in my hand while I moved a box to cut the other side.

In that case, it is much easier and faster to do it with the folder. Very good points, though. And I wanted to highlight that, you know, the pocket fixed blade is certainly a good option for something like that. Thank you so much. Alright, now we get to the lightning round of Werner Zero or Vernors. Werner, it's probably Werner Aught? No zero. Hi DCA, I'm looking for a cheap, sturdy pocket knife that I can use and abuse and won't hurt too much to replace when I break the tip or ruin it. Otherwise they may be obvious, but I would prefer a fin.

Any other suggestions? Yes. What about CRKT's Big Pillar? It costs around $35 for the stainless steel frame version. If you want G 10 on the front like five bucks or so, you've got your fin, which works great. You have a nice, strong lock, you have something like you're talking about being abusive or indiscriminate in its use. Here you have a thicker blade for a little more strength and a beefier tip than something like the dozer or some other designs out there. Maybe it will give you a little more fighting chance and make it last a little longer. Good knife, good work, for sure.

Alright, next question comes from black Hogarth. I sharpened my blades until the edges split my hair. But after passing through the cardboard, they lose their sharpness. They are still a little sharp, but they will no longer shave arm hair. This happens regardless of the type of 20 HP and 390 steel. It is the same S35VN The result is the same. Do I have unrealistic expectations? Or is it pointless to pay more for superior steel? This is one of those questions that we get questions about, you know, I'm sharpening and I can't do this. Unfortunately, it is difficult to diagnose this through texts on the Internet without actually seeing the sharpening process and what you are doing.

But to me, it almost sounds like you still have that wire edge. And what I mean by this is that you're essentially left with a little bit of burr when you're done sharpening, if you're not sharpening after you're done sharpening right now, I would recommend doing that because that would hit that wire. Burr-free edge. The thing about those wire edges is their crazy sharp arm, like hair splitting, no problem. They feel sharp under your fingertip. But as soon as you run it through something, it will break and you won't have the sharp edge anymore. Can I say for sure that's what's happening here again, not because of the warning at the beginning?

That's pretty much what it sounds like. If you have a wire edge, even on an expensive steel one, cut cardboard. You will no longer feel sharp. I hope that helps. Jamie Paradise has our next question. Can you recommend an inexpensive knife to carry in a lunchbox with more expensive fancy pants, cutting fruit sandwiches, avocados, etc.? Sure, it's now open number 12. This is now a $26 knife and while the handle is certainly more than you'll need, the blade here by three-quarters of an inch is a pretty appropriate size for a utility kitchen knife . and get it in super thin stainless steel or carbon blade.

Super fine edges ground completely flat. Very good option here. You can also get slightly smaller ones if the size 12 is too much for you and the fancy boy, the Liong Mah KUF V2 is the fanciest one we have in stock at the moment, although the V 4 is a tad bit larger. $415 though. So definitely fancy pants recommend titanium carbon fiber inlays on the M390 steel top fin and its offset to make it a bit of a kitchen, cutting board type. It will work well in your hand doing exactly what you were asking for. Or now that brings us to our final question, the most serious question of the day, which arises from the lack of an answer, and I see that you like to troll me with that, like daring me to answer.

She was like a great response there. I don't even look at people's names. Oh, that's a good question. I'll take that one, please. What knife would you recommend to attach to one of those little robot vacuum cleaners for home defense? Well, it must be said that this answer is for entertainment purposes only. This should not be taken or construed as any kind of real or workable advice. However, I remember the picture floating around the internet of your Roomba, we can use a brand name, it's okay with the Claymore mine attached to the top, you have Claymore Roomba.

Therefore, it is logical that we should add the Benchmade Claymore to said robotic cleaning device. And maybe if you have smart home elements installed, maybe if that can control the robot itself and maybe if you can trigger a little servo that connects to your home defense, you would click a couple of buttons or even set it up. it creates an automated process where when it goes into battle mode you have to press the servo a little and the blade is ready for action. That's thinking that they will probably void the robot's warranty almost definitely, almost definitely.

That is an option. But then I started thinking a little more. You have created a war robot. Then why not? The war robot with steel wheels will not be able to press the button with your smart home. But I mean, after all, it's a war robot. And that's what you've done here. You are pagan. Anyway, that's all we have for today. Be sure to leave your questions in the comments and we'll pick some good ones for a future episode. If you want to get your hands on any of these knives, we'll have links in the description that will take you to KnifeCenter.com and don't forget about our knife rewards program because if you're going to buy one. of these knives today, don't you want to earn some free money for next time?

I'm David C. Andersen from KnifeCenter. That's Thomas behind the camera. We are saying goodbye. See you next time. and I approve this message. Come on