A Knife for Every Season

Submitted by Dave

I have always owned and swore by Randall (#1) or Cold Steel (Wilderness Master). They got me through a lot of hairy situations and are tough choppers, hackers, and both slice Spam very well!

ED – Some additional info.

The Randall #1 all-purpose fighting knife is handmade by Randall Made Knives.  It is available in 5”, 6”, 7”, and 8” blade lengths, and all blades are constructed of .25” thick high carbon tool steel and feature a leather handle, brass double hilt and duralumin butt cap.  The current list price for the Model 1 is $330 and there is a 58 (yes, five eight) month back order on any knives ordered, so don’t expect to get yours until 2013.

I wasn’t able to find any Cold Steel knife listed as the Wilderness Master, but I did find a knife similar to the Randall, listed as the Trail Master.

The Trail Master is 9.5” long (14.5” overall), 5/16” thick, and weighs 17.5 oz.  It features a 5” non-slip checkered Krayton handle, and the blade itself is manufactured from Cold Steel’s own San Mai III steel.  The list price for this knife is $458.00.

Nikon D40x Digital Camera

Submitted by Marcello

Just to add a little "free market competition" here ;) The Nikon D40X is as good as the Canon above, costs more or less the same and, while being a little bigger, has the advantage that you can use almost any lens Nikon made since the 50's with it.

If you're buying everything from scratch they're pretty much the same. If you already own some lenses (EOS lenses with the canon) stick with the brand.

Check out the Nikon D40x here

Cool Tool: Spyderco SpydeRench T01

Submitted by Brizmo

Gotta talk about the Spyderco SpydeRench T01. Expensive as hell, but all the tools are actually usable: lockback knife, crescent wrench, pliers and real screwdriver bits that lock in to a full size handle. All folds to the size of a flip cell phone.

ED -- Taken from Spyderco’s website, the T01 has the following features.

· Made of investment-cast 17-4ph corrosion resistant stainless steel.
· An adjustable crescent wrench with an opening capacity of 9/16”.
· A 2-setting slip joint plier.
· A set of four screwdriver bits, including: a #2 and #3 Phillips-head and #1 and #2 flat-head. (The SpydeRench also accepts any standard 1/4" sized bit, including Allen and Torx®.)
· A diamond-coated file with concave, convex and flat sharpening surfaces with a small Phillips head on one side and a hole starter on the other end. A unique pivot pin allows the tool to rotate into an extended position that locks open creating a full-sized easy to grip screwdriver and crescent wrench. By releasing the pivot, the screwdriver and knife portion of the tool can separate from the crescent wrench allowing both tools to be used independently and/or simultaneously.
· AUS-8 premium stainless steel full-sized locking knife blade.

The MSRP for the T01 is $149 so as multi-tools go, it is on the pricer side (about twice as much as most other tools) but it does have the advantage of offering some real tools, as opposed to a bunch of awls and things you’ll hardly use.

Get The Spyderco SpydeRench T01 here

KLAAS Federal Armed Forces Pocket Knife

Submitted by Bruce Lancaster

I vote a different way. Multitools are clumsy when used as knives or screwdrivers, have pliers that are weak because of cast jaws and hinged handle, and generally have problems because most either lack blade locks or have blade locks that are difficult to unlock.

My solution I think gives you better tooling on all fronts, and is really about as compact. Get a pocketknife whose array of blades and screwdrivers suits you. My personal choice is a Bundeswehr pocketknife that is fairly common in surplus. Then get a small set of pliers, the Channelock general type with jaws tilted to size. Small for use in respectable society will differ from small for field use with big pockets...smallest will be sold as ignition pliers, next step up for capacious pockets is a couple of inches longer and capable of fairly heavy use. Good pliers, capable of use as wrench within their size range, and tip contact area usually serves as a powerful wirecutter. Real forged pliers that are almost unbreakable, if you get a respectable brand. Soup'em up a bit by grinding a handle tip to screwdriver, too.

ED – Bruce, I assume this is the style of pocketknife you are referring to (this one comes from KLAAS.)  With respect to the other tools you mention, do you have any brand recommendations?  Also, what to you use to secure the tools?  I would think a small leather or canvas tool roll might do the trick, but I was curious if you used anything in particular?

Check out the German Army pocketknife here.

Going Pro With Your Camera

Submitted by Nicholas

If you want to bump one step up and get "pro-level" photos with an idiot proof camera, Canon digital rebels are a good deal: I've done a lot of photography at the NTC (I'm a civilian photo dork/soon to be war photographer--long story) and that's camera I use. I can take around 1000 pictures on the memory card, and extra rechargeable batteries are relatively cheap. Plus, when you get back to the States you can enlarge those suckers up to at least 20x30" if you want.

ED -- Nicholas, what model Canon Rebel do you use? In looking over the offerings, it seems the "lowest" grade of digital Rebel runs about $450.00 (for the Digital Rebel XT.)  Are these cameras reverse compatible with standard SLR  (Single Lens Reflex) lenses or do you need to use new EOS auto focus lenses?  (I ask because while I do want to upgrade my current pocket digital to a 'real" 35mm digital, I also want to be able to use the SLR lenses I have for my manual Canon AE-1 camera.)

Also, something to bear in mind, especially from a tactical point of view, is that while the 35mm digital cameras take significantly better pictures than the smaller pocket cameras, they don't, especially with lenses attached, exactly fit in your pockets.  In the field I keep my little pocket camera in a Ziploc bag in my thigh pocket where I use it primarily for photographing evidence, documents, and persons of interest.

  Check out the Canon Digital Rebel here

Library of Alexandria

Submitted by Eric Daniel

In 1991 when I deployed to Saudi Arabia as part of Desert Storm, I was completely analog; my camera was a Canon AE-1 35mm SLR and all my letters were written on paper (or MRE box lids if I was feeling particularly “Sahara-ish”.)  What I didn’t pack was a walkman, or any sort of radio for that matter, books or literature, cassette tapes, CDs (DVDs hadn’t been invented yet) or anything else of the sort since all that stuff not only took up space, but it wasn’t very durable and it was expensive.

In 2004 I took a digital camera (I shipped my laptop over once I got established) and a 50Mb “stick” to store stuff on temporarily.  My line of thought here was I’d use the stick to move files around or to store pictures on.

Well, the reality is, that stick wasn’t quite big enough for all the pictures I was taking and so I had to start burning data to CDs, which was a rather scary proposition as I was hoping that my disks would survive the transport and storage process, not to mention exposure to the ever present and all invasive dust and sand of the desert.

Next time I go, though I’m taking the Library of Alexandria – a 250Gb Iomega eGo portable drive. 

This sucker literally holds everything.  Music, movies, games, photos, and even the odd operations order you have to crank out.  I’ve downloaded and run movies off of it (In this case I was using the Netflix “view instantly” feature.  In addition to needing the software loaded onto the hard drive, you’ll also need a high speed internet connection and a computer with a decent graphics card, but you can use the drive to ‘store” the movie) as well as computer games which saves you from having to lug disks around (though you’ll still need a boot up disk if the game requires it.)

Yet, I think the biggest benefit this drive has to offer is the ability to store and run specialized software.  Having dabbled in GIS (Geographic Information Systems) I’ve taken quite an interest in producing geo-referenced overhead images to supplant the more conventional maps we are given for conducting missions.  Unfortunately, the software for doing this is somewhat specialized, so it was originally loaded on laptop, which meant I had to lug the laptop with me when ever I went someplace to upload new data (the data files were way to big to fit on my “stick”.)  Now all my GIS tools are on the portable drive and I just plug it into a local computer and transfer and manipulate the data directly.  Or, if time is short, I just get the data and go back to my hooch to work with it.

In addition to storing a lot of data, the eGo drive is durable as hell.  Made from extruded aluminum the case is most resistant to crushing damage (I’ve sat on it, stepped on it, and kicked it) and it’s purpose built to survive a drop from 60 inches (the industry standard is 30 inches – I checked) and its operational temperature range is from –4 to +140 degrees, so it should function anywhere you can.  Also, when not in use, you might to keep the drive in a Ziploc bag.  Though the drive only has two openings (one for an optional external power supply and the one for the usb data/power link) they do not have covers, so to keep the dust out you’ll want to keep the drive in a bag or get yourself some Glad press-and-seal to cover the openings when not in use.

One thing though.  Don’t get it in camouflage.  Mine is and I nearly forgot it sitting on a pile of gear.  Get it in some day-glo color like red or orange.

Check out the eGo drive here

Blackhawk Nightwing

Submitted by Brenton

I imagine that knife would make an excellent survival knife. For general purposes and possibly knife fighting, I have been curiously eying the BLACKHAWK Nightwing, but I can't seem to find any reviews or comparisons on it. Would anyone like to help?

ED – Brenton, I’ve never used the Nightwing, but I’ll throw my two pfenning out.  Looking at the video in the link you provided, and looking at the construction of the blade (3V steel, multiple cutting surfaces, the option of one or two serrated edges) seem to make it a superior fighting knife.  However, in my 18+ years of military service, I’ve never, ever gotten into a knife fight but I have done a lot of hacking, chopping, cutting, probing, prying, and bashing, so when I look for a knife, utility and durability are at the top of my list.  I’m not a professional knife fighter and I never will be, so all those features the Nightwing offers for such professionals would be wasted on me (not to mention I would be truly terrified to have a serrated double edged utility knife) and while the construction of the Nightwing (with the 3V steel) makes the blade thin, quick, and light, I would think those impediments in the utility realm.

For me, if I had to choose, just looking at construction, features, and price, I’d take the Bark River Bravo-1 over the Nightwing.

Thoughts?

Bark River Bravo-1

Submitted by FNF165

I am a big fan of knives and just recently discovered Bark River Knife & Tool.  Located in the UP (Michigan’s Upper Peninsula - ED), they make fantastic, very tough knives at reasonable prices.

The 1st Force Recon Training Unit was looking for a "bushcraft" knife, not a fighter, and spent $5,000 of their own money buying numerous different knives from many different companies to test. None of these companies knew about this test, it was not a "government" test, just a bunch of the Recons looking for the best bushcraft blade. A year later the winner was the ONLY knife that was still in one piece and useable - a Bark River Gamekeeper.

These Marines contacted the owner, Mike Stewart, and requested some changes be made to the Gamekeeper and the result was the Bark River Bravo-1. It's made out of A2 tool steel and comes with a no-questions asked lifetime warranty - you break it or damage it and they will replace it, period. You can also send it back for reconditioning and all it will cost you is postage.

Here is a link to a Knife Website / Forum that explains the development history of this knife: It comes in numerous different handle types that you can choose from basic black Micarta (a resin impregnated fiber compound - ED) to exotic burl woods and can be found on the Net for $120 - $150. The knife comes with a Kydex sheath designed by the Marines with all kinds of attachment options.  In addition, a smaller "companion knife" can also be attached to the sheath along with a firesteel holder.

The real secret to this knife is the heat-treatment that Mike does to them, second to none and you know if Marines could not tear it up it MUST be sturdy!

Semper Fi bros!

Check out the Bark River Bravo-1 here