Garrett Wade "Sailor's Knife?"

[Donn]

http://www.garrettwade.com/images/us//product/family/18M0801.jpg

$40 seems cheap for GW, especially when you look at their $639 Damascus pocket knife:

http://www.garrettwade.com/images/us//product/family/96K0510.jpg

Has anyone seen the Sailor's Knife? It looks nice, but is it any good?

[Jonathan Kabak]

The knife is okay. And when I say okay I mean just that. We have a couple crew that have had it over the years and it does the job, however my personal thought is that there are other knives that do it better. The biggest issue is that the finger guard sticks out miles beneath the blade making cutting on a surface that is not a counter edge or similar very difficult.

Another issue is that the steel in the knife is not the best quality either.

My name is Jonathan Kabak, and I approve this message

[Donn]

I imagine the finger guard could be easily ground away, but that wouldn't help the quality of the steel.

Thanks. I thought the price looked too good.

[Thorne]

I know they are cheap and fragile, but I really love my Opinel!

http://www.premiumknives.com/knifefiles/Opinel/opinel_OP00982_op6_with_walnut_handle.jpg

I was reading some book on wooden boatbuilding in Maine and the author described one builder as permanently attached to his Opinel. They take an edge and keep it, but are very brittle and not for prying.

The closest thing I've ever been able to put an edge on that meets the old criteria of pressing through line to cut without sawing.

[Donn]

I have a couple of Opinels in my mess kit. They must be 30 years old, and aside from being a little loose in the mechanix, they're still giving good service.

[Rick Starr]

I like garrett wade's french utility/marking knife with the ebony handle and brass rivets, fwiw. It sits in the top drawer of the bench and sees use far more often than the utility knives it replaces. It stays wicked sharp but is correspondingly brittle so probably shouldn't see service in the field.

edited for picy

http://www.garrettwade.com/images/us//product/family/19S0301.jpg

[Kim Whitmyre]

How about this one:

David Boye Dendritic Cobalt Knives (http://boyeknives.com/Index.cfm?CFID=599417&CFTOKEN=33533326&jsessionid=a43011d1a39a5b322065)

http://boyeknives.com/images/knives-map-04.jpg

Bit stiffer price, but uber steel and non-magnetic to boot.

[Donn]

No...I've got enough serrated edge folders. I'm looking for a stubby blade, in a stout handle, which I can whack with a mallet on the back of the blade. It wants to be a sheath knife, as well.

[Woxbox]

http://www.myerchin.com/Resources/RIG%20FIX%20GROUP75LARGE
I'm too cheap to buy one, but I've seen these Myerchins abused and the knives seem to take it in stride. You can wack the back of the blade with a mallet to chop through the heavy stuff (one good swing does it) without fear of damaging the blade.

[Benchdog]

My wife gave me a Myerchin around 8 years ago. It's held up very well and has seen lots of abuse. If I ever grind this one down to nothing, or Davey Jones takes it, I'll get another.

[kc8pql]

The Linder is hard to beat, though the sheath needs help.

http://www.worldknives.com/images/1680102.jpg

[shark_ef]

i've got the sailor's knife, it is my "backup knife" my good one is being taken apart and given a new handle, i swear i'll finsih it. but my good knife is an old dive knife, i've seen one other one, i've never sharpened it in three years of working aboard trad. ships and if i'm not careful i cut my self testing its edge, super super sharp, and no rust, great, shealth is nylon, fine, but again, i'm making a different one. but that's my suggestion, look for old dive knives, they are sturdy and before serration, awesome metal

[Hughman]

One of the requirements of a sailors knife is it ability to make water music (*bloop*) and not break the bank. accidently disposable and replaceable.

I found a chefs knife (SS!- a plus for salt water), ground the blade into a sheeps foot, wrapped the handle with hide for non-slip when wet (a dangerous situation, especially when hands are cold!) and have used and abused it for years.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid133/p90a057dd1a23f59cefad8653c695c98a/f78709c0.jpg

The homemade spike is useful, too!

[Bob Smalser]

The Linder is hard to beat, though the sheath needs help.

http://www.worldknives.com/images/1680102.jpg

I've used my Linder in the woods harder than most sailors ever will and have been delighted with it. Blade thick enuf to pry with. Easiest SS to hone I've seen, and takes an excellent edge for SS. Lies nice and flat for hitting with a mallet. One tough knife.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/4921404/62497596.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/4921404/62497930.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/4921404/113166240.jpg

[joeha]

It's a little more expensive than the GW but, it will last you a lifetime.

http://www.fallkniven.com/a1f1/f1_en.htm

Now back to lurking.

Joe

[donald branscom]

Has anyone seen the Sailor's Knife? It looks nice, but is it any good?[/QUOTE]

Check out article in WOODEN BOAT issue #39 page 84
on Making a beryllium-copper knife.

[Donn]

Update:

I just bought the Linder on Ebay, for $66, delivered.

[Ben Fuller]

Wander around in Scandanavian knife land. Simple, tough and ones like the Swedish Mora cheap.

http://www.ragweedforge.com/NorwegianKnifeCatalog.html

[Vince Brennan]

http://www.frayedknotarts.com/images/knives/dupree/6046caseoleanknife2.gif

http://www.frayedknotarts.com/images/knives/dupree/6047linderoleandupree1.jpg

It's an old Olean Metals copy of the Linder (I think...) with a rosewood haft that is strangely rectangular, rather than shaped to the hand.... it actually gives a good grip, although it takes some getting used to, as does the case.

Main hassle were the squared-off corners on the tang guard... they tend to get caught in the case until you learn the trick of getting it out fast... they do provide a little extra help keeping the knife in the sheath, but can be quite a pain to accustom oneself to.... I'm enured, so I like 'em.

Good thick blade, SS (which does NOT hold an edge thru a lot of work but which steels nicely and hones back up easily when heavily used, so....) and a decent spike. Weighs quite a bit, but the heft is reassuring. If nothing else, I can scare the object to be cut!

[WX]

Stainless steel Currey Lockspike Bosun does it for me, had it 20 odd years and it stays sharp...though I've had to sharpen it once or twice since then :D

[Peter Eikenberry]

Just about every sailor I knew in the Coast Guard carried a Buck Sailors Knife. It's not a sheath knife (we weren't allowed to carry sheath knives) but sturdy, keeps a good edge, has a spike, and will stand up to abuse. Mine is over 30 years old. I checked their web site and couldn't find it so I don' think they make them anymore.

[JimConlin]

There's a Buck sailor's knife now on Ebay. Item 140055479258

[Clyderigged]

I use a brick layers knife that I reground with a bit of a bevel. The brick layer style knife has a very thick back and hardly any bevel and takes a lot of abuse when cutting large line and hawser by striking the back with a mallet or hammer. This knife has lasted me through the re- rigging of the ship BALCLUTHA's mizzen and foremast, as well as the rigging restoration of the barque GLENLEE in Glasgow back in 1998.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid220/p31d5457de6e8221531096a4bf398bfb0/ebe1d123.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid220/p96dfca30af9b2f18545e0bfcf8f4ded9/ebe1d1ff.jpg

[SV Papillon]

For a cheapy deck knife you can't beat the vicky:). Cuts through spectra and crab line like butter.

http://i5.ebayimg.com/01/i/02/e9/fb/c1_1.JPG

Jake

[Sailor]

All these posts and not a single mention of the Russell (SP?)? Mine is a few years old now. The sheath is nearly the full length of the knife, handle and all. It came with a spike/shackle key and has served me for at least 8 years now. It doesn't hold an edge as well as I would like but it sharpens easily and that more than makes up for it. You can bang on it with a mallet it it will take the abuse. Don't pry too much with it but I assume it would stand up to some gentle prying once in a while. Mine is the #3 Anyone else have this one?

[Bill Perkins]

Here's the Curry knife that WX mentioned .

http://relimg.reliancemarine.com/52829926.jpg It's a type I like , maybe I'll check shipping cost .My last knife like that froze up (different brand ).

[Vince Brennan]

I use a brick layers knife that I reground with a bit of a bevel.

Now THAT is just the sort of rig I'd expect to see around Clyderigged's waist.... beautiful (as always) work on there of which I stand in awe.

That is one serious looking blade on that honker, too! Great idea!

[WX]

Bill that is exactly it, it will take amazing abuse. Once in PNG we used the spike to wind up a car jack after getting a puncture.

[Clyderigged]

Vince, thanks for the kind compliment on my rigging kit. The rig has served me well, and the handy tallow horn on the belt is great for rendering difficult lanyards. I got back from working as a ship rigger on Pirates of the Caribbean 3 a couple of weeks ago, and I have to admit my "traditional" knife did not work well :( on all the high tech spectra/Kevlar cored shroud and cable laid line that was manufactured by Randers for the Black Pearl and Flying Dutchman.


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid220/p55fdc81dc5cb091b86c3066d4449d8d0/ebe1a4ed.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid220/p07e7ac8bad9d89a1e23ccb4343e47e4a/ebe1a315.jpg

I ended up using a fancy dancy Spyderco knife and one like the Victorinox posted by Jake. It was quite an adventure - Keith Richards was a handful for a couple of days to the assistant directors trying to keep him only 2 sheets to the wind ;)- but that is another post.

Fair leads,
Jamie

[Peter Eikenberry]

I did some further looking. We always called it the Buck Sailor's Knife but it actually the Buck Yachtsman and is Model 315 and has been discontinued. But there are actually 3 for sale on ebay. One is up to $31.00 which is pretty cheap.

[paladin]

I gots a Buck in me ditty bag...along with a curry.....both work well..

[shark_ef]

the sailor's knife doesn't keep an edge, i forgot about htat part of it until recently, but a knife the niagara crew all swear by is the old hickory, it's a kitchen knife, kinda thin, but good steel, but the tip needs to be broken off or ground down, after that, they all think they are wonderful, (i already had a knife, but i admit it is a nice knife, the handle is a good size, everything is well proportioned) and a plus, they are generaly $7

[shark_ef]

sorry for the double, that swedish knife looks very similar to mine, i can't tell if it is or not tho

[bott]

Well, if we're sharing our rigs, I'd like to chime in too...

One tall ship I crewed on a lot had a pro-deal with Myerchin, so thats what I got.

Here's my main knife and spike (not the Myerchin one, thats nearly useless on the ship) and homemade sheath (not too pretty, but ultra rugged).

http://staff.washington.edu/bott/rig1.jpg
http://staff.washington.edu/bott/rig2.jpg

I also got a "Shark knife" from them as well... I made it into "Mini-Rig". Really handy pocket rig/knife.

http://staff.washington.edu/bott/rig3.jpg
http://staff.washington.edu/bott/rig4.jpg

[shark_ef]

(nice showing off your ropework as well :) )

[bott]

(nice showing off your ropework as well :) )

To be frank, all other horizontal surfaces on my boat were cluttered with dishes, magazines, and other junk in a very unseamanlike fashion. So I took the pictures on the 'doormat' just below the companionway, which has to be clear lest I fall and die when I get home...

...you can also see little red padauk shavings stuck in the mat as well... ;)

[Vince Brennan]

Bott: Still a nice mat, whatever.... and a nice knife and rig as well.

Charlie Brewer sent me a pic of his little knife and sheath: http://www.frayedknotarts.com/images/cbrew/Sheath-s-combo.jpg

[Thorne]

Not to derail the thread but it seems related -- it looks like some of the folding rigging knives have locking spikes, but not all have locking blades, correct?

Long ago I swore a Great Oath (tm) to never again use non-locking blade knives -- the scars on my fingers are hardly noticable these days.

So, does the Buck Yachtsman blade lock? How about the Camilus -- from the photos on eBay it looks like the blade has a locking tab/cutout but I'm not sure.

[Donn]

The Linder arrived today, and is a very nice knife. I don't know what the problem is with the sheath. It seems as sturdily made as the knife.

Now for a restraint system. I note many of you use either wrist loops or lanyards of braided cord. I'm leaning toward a black coiled cord (telephone handset cord), which is what I've used on my Wave, and on both my pliers (Van Staal) and knife (Kershaw Amphibian) on my surf belt. The 2 on the belt have been in service for ~7-8 years without a malfunction.

Is there a benefit to wrist loops or lanyards?

[bott]

Is there a benefit to wrist loops or lanyards?

A number of people I've sailed with had fairly short lanyards on their knife and spike, spliced to a one-hand-operated clasp. When not in use, both tools were clipped to a ring on the sheath, but when they were using them, they were clipped (*before* removing them from the sheath) onto a turks head on their working hand.

The advantage with this is with a lanyard permanently on the belt/sheath, its hard to have it a manageable length when showed, but still allow you to easily cut something over one’s head (thus the phone cord arrangements… or the hitching I have on my knife cord so I can pay some out when needed)…. But you gotta deal with the hassle of clipping it on and off…

I (obviously) prefer having a moderate lanyard permanently attached to the sheath with enough ‘room to grow’ so that I can hold my knife all the way over my head.

[Bob Smalser]

The Linder arrived today, and is a very nice knife. I don't know what the problem is with the sheath.

The one that came with mine simply didn't fit, and obviously wasn't made for that knife. It was also chrome-taned shoe leather that couldn't even be soaked and molded to fit.

Maybe Linder fixed the problem.

[shark_ef]

please please please don't put telephone cord on your knife, it just looks silly, lanyards are easy to daisy chain to keep them out of the way, and look sooo much better, telephone cord really looks wrong especially on a nice knife, like putting pigtail braids on a lady at the opera

[Don Z.]

Donn,
My beef with the sheath deals with the metal link between the belt loop and the sheath proper. Instead of laying by my side, where it belongs, it flops all over the place. I suppose that's an advantage from someone's point of view, but it's so not like my K-Bar that I can't get used to it.

But it does fit the knife well...

On the subject of lanyards, I know I need one, but I haven't started tying one yet. Half because I have too many other marlinespike projects to do, and half because I haven't figured out a design that will work well. I don't think I'd do the phone lanyard though. While I'm a firm believer of Murphy's Law of Combat #6 (if it's stupid, but it works, it's not stupid), I don't think I can go quite that far. To have a knife like that and put a phone cord on it? Like Yosemite Sam mud flaps on a Porsche...

[kc8pql]

Donn,
Like Yosemite Sam mud flaps on a Porsche... It would make a statement though. Reminds me of a cabinet I saw in Fine Woodworking years ago. Guy had done a beautiful job. Excellent craftsmanship. He used a bent 16d nail for the door pull.

[shark_ef]

the brick layer's knife, any sites for that?, i couldn't find anything on it, i like the lookof it, always looking at/for good knives

[Donn]

Donn,
My beef with the sheath deals with the metal link between the belt loop and the sheath proper. Instead of laying by my side, where it belongs, it flops all over the place.

Ahh..I see. There is a subtle but elegant utility to the hinged belt loop. You can fold it down when placing it on the belt, causing the knife to ride high on the hip, or leave it long, so the sheath can ride in a pocket. Folded down, it needs to be tied with a piece of thong, or a velcro strip. Left long, I can clip the sheath to my bibs, and carry the sheath in the tool pocket of my bibs.

As for the lanyard, I learned with my surf belt the coiled cord keeps me attatched to the tool, without getting in my way. It doesn't get snagged by my rod, because it rests close to the body.

[Donn]

I like the look and especially the utility of the coiled cord lanyard. Here's the Wave:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v54/donnwest/IMGP0657.jpg

And the Van Staal Surf Pliers:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v54/donnwest/IMGP0659.jpg

The lanyards reach beyond the end of my arm, and have saved both tools from the drink on numerous occasions.

Rob, the former owner of Van Staal, liked the idea, and even uses it on his top-of-the-line Titanium Big Game Fishing Pliers, at $314.

http://www.anglerscenter.com/Merchandise/Reels/Van%20Staal/FP7000Setsm.jpg

Mine are a pair of his original model, much less expensive, and 8 years old.

[shark_ef]

if you splice you lanyard onto your tool, or do some other attachment knot, then you don't have to worry about the ring rifing your knife out of its sheath

[shark_ef]

http://www.knivesplus.com/QN-76-Old-Hickory.HTML
this is the old hickory, nice knife
w tip ground

[shark_ef]

(this is an experiemnt in getting a pic up)
http://www.knivesplus.com/media/QN-76.jpg

[dredbob]

Thorne,

I have several of the Buck Yachtmans, the Case and the Camillus marlinspike folders ( all are essentially the same) and none of them have locking blades, only locking spikes.

---
Bob

[Vince Brennan]

Thorne,

I have several of the Buck Yachtmans, the Case and the Camillus marlinspike folders ( all are essentially the same) and none of them have locking blades, only locking spikes.

---
Bob

I can only remember one rigger that I had with a locking blade... it was made in Italy and I bought it "somewhere" in the Med, if I remember.... it's long gone, along with the rest of my mind, but it didn;t hold an edge worth a (****) so it got relegated to the ditty bag real quick. I've never seen another with a locking blade, although it's not such a bad idea.

The locking spike is an absolute necessity... if it starts wiggling, it gets donated to Mr. Jones real quick.

Incidentally, I took some of the pics of the knife rigs and stuck 'em on a page here (http://www.frayedknotarts.com/knifetool.html)... something for the punters to oogle.

[bott]

Thorne,

I have several of the Buck Yachtmans, the Case and the Camillus marlinspike folders ( all are essentially the same) and none of them have locking blades, only locking spikes.

---
Bob
doesn't the Myerchin folder have locking spike and blade?

I also believe that it is able to 'one hand close' where the lanyard attaches to a little lever on the knife. If you straighten your arm and pull on the lever against the lanyard, the lock releases...

[David W Pratt]

the David Boye, great knife, one handed opening and closing (either hand), sharp, locking blade, and a nice titanium marlinspike.
Another nice one is the Buck Crosslock. One handed oopening, but only right handed, locking blade, half serrated, and locking tool embodying shackle key, paont can opener, bottle opener, wire stripper and deck plate key.
It comes with a belt sheath and a lanyard with a slide to go around your wrist. The blade and the tool have different serrations on the back at the pin end so you can select what you are going to open without looking.
So far I am happy with it.

[Clyderigged]

the brick layer's knife, any sites for that?, i couldn't find anything on it, i like the lookof it, always looking at/for good knives

Sorry for the long delay in replying. The "bricklayer" style knife is available from McMaster-Carr. I have used both style handles, since I remove the handle and replace it with my own (usually lignum vitae) anyway.

Item # 3956A12[/URL]

from the web site: [URL]http://www.mcmaster.com/ (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:TargetLink%28%27TR2659%27,%27tr%27,%27PT26591 %27,%273956A12%27%29;)

Heavy Duty Hammer Knives
Blades are carbon steel and extra heavy on top, so you can easily drive these knives in with a hammer. They're great for hard-to-cut materials, such as tires and similar rubber products. Blades are approximately 4 1/4" Lg. x 1 1/4" Wd. and secured to the handle with rivets. Choose from a shock-absorbing leather handle and a wood handle.

Each


Leather Handle without Finger Guard
3956A11
$17.19


Wood Handle without Finger Guard
3956A12
10.27



Hope this helps,

Jamie White
Clutha Fecit

[Vince Brennan]

.... McMaster-Carr...Item # 3956A12 from the web site: http://www.mcmaster.com/

Sure, and it's a darlin' lad y'are entirely then.