I had a 1-inch keychain boxcutter on my keys that I wore for almost a decade. In the past year I've had to fly for work four times and then once on a vacation. This keychain went through every single TSA checkpoint without a second glance. The first few times I forgot, then I just kept doing it since they never seemed to notice or care, and if they ever would catch it I'd just say I forgot about it and have them bin it.
You know who finally caught it and made me throw it away before I was allowed in? Event staff at Blizzcon.
It's official: rent-a-security-staff in polos at a convention are better at catching potential "weapons" than the fucking TSA.
The cuticle layer is an absolute bitch to get off. Get a SHARP, stout knife. Something like a Mora wood carving knife works well. Go slow and just keep taking small slices of it off.
Once you get the cuticle layer off, you get to do the pore layer. This is also a bitch. I'd recommend a hook knife for this, also sharp as hell, to scoop it out, up to the trauma layer.
After that you'll probably want to process it to make it a little more workable, probably by soaking or boiling. I would make or get a wooden, head-shaped form and a mallet and use that to shape the trauma layer into more of a hat shape.
I've worked with amadou before to experiment with it as a fire starter and was pretty unimpressed. It sort of works but is definitely not worth the pain in the ass of processing it.
A couple years ago I had a couple of these https://www.amazon.com/Gerber-GDC-Zip-Blade-31-001742/dp/B00AU6AVM6 which I got for $7-ish each. Was great. I think it's ergonomically far superior to the Bug since you can pinch the big screw and apply pressure really precisely. The Bug is a lot slipperier.
Sadly, I lost two of these to the TSA and stopped pocket carrying knives entirely after that.
Some of them are still ~$10 on amazon. I just got one for $8-9 last month when there was a discount available.
I regret not buying a more than one, I want one in each car with the first aid kit/break down kit and one more in my desk drawer.
In any case, good steel is more expensive these days, as is shipping from Europe. Not surprised prices are up. Prices are up in general, global supply chains are not keeping up with demand for many consumer goods.
I started with this. Pick a piece of soft wood with little fiber like basswood and look for some basic tutorials so you know how to work safely. Those Wood Spirits people make are a good start to learn the different techniques.
Something I also like to recommend is to keep your eyes peeled for shisels and gouges in second hand stores and flea markets, if you would like to work with them in the future. Gouges especially are hard to find (at least where I'm from) and are quite expensive to buy new.
Keep your tools sharp, it's more dangerous to work with blunt tools, and good luck with your first carvings!
You can geek out on knives, super steels, etc. to your heart's (and wallet's) content. But the short answer is "buy a Mora".
I have a suggestion for you. It’s a neck knife. You wear it around your neck like a necklace and it’s hidden under your shirt. You can sleep with it and nobody would know you have it.
I could easily recommend getting an esse in the future if you actually end up using your knife.
For now i would say the cold steel srk would be everything you need at a price below your budget.
If you want a knife with a little more history to it then the glock field knife is the way to go
Just get a practical 4" knife, like a blaze-orange Morakniv Companion, $15 on Amazon. Beat the living shit out of it batoning wood, who cares.
Give your wife the impression that you can kill snakes ... carve a pointy stick really fast.
No. Check out this thread
The Mora 120 is affordable and on Amazon
Water, high calorie food, full tang survival knife, fire starting materials (I have flint/steel, lighter, and waterproof matches), basic first aid kit plus anti-diarrheal tablets, gauze, medical tape.
That was how I started my kit and looking back I think I'd start with those same basics again.
I'm sure you'll get a million opinions on a starter knife, but this was super cheap and the first knife I got in my kit. It's a beast for the price: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009NZVZ3E/
Looks like it's back up to 27, at least for me. They have a slightly more fairbairn styled knife for 20.42 but it's 7Cr17MoV instead of 8Cr13MoV (not sure how much of a difference this would make but 8Cr should be harder and last longer edgewise)
I think for the money the Morakniv Companion Heavy Duty is one of the best you can get.
The SRK seems pretty equivalent to the one OP is looking at.
You don't need to spend much at all. Mora makes a great carving knife for around 15$
Not sure if it's the same in the US, you can spend way more money if you want just like any other hobby. But you really don't need to.
It was a bit more expensive in the US, here is a link
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004GATX62/ref=emc_b_5_mob_i
I've been using these for a long time and they are easy to sharpen and retain their sharpness well. Especially the laminated blades. They have both laminated and carbon steel blades.
WELL You NEED TO DESCRIBE ITS FUNCTION.
COOKING WOOD SPLITTING GENERAL EVERYTHING TOOL CHOPPER WHITTLER Last OPTION WEAPON POCKET SHEATH ATTACHED
YOU SEE EACH OF THOSE HAS A SPECIALITY STYLE BLADE AND CAN DO SEVERAL TASKS WELL
I CAN RECOMMEND ONE KNIFE THAT CAN DO IT ALL AND SURVIVE TO CUT ANOTHER TEN YEARS.. AND ITS LESS. THAN $50
U CANT BREAK IT YOU Can't WEAR IT OUT IT HOLDS A WICKED EDGE ITS USED BY NAVY SEALS THEY LOVE IT
I HAVE ONE NOW FOR 10 YEARS ITS JUST AWESOME ( UOU CAN STRIP THE BLACK COATING OFF EASILY WITH STANDARD PAINT STRIPPER) IF U CHOOSE TO. VERY NICE BLADE UNDER IT.
ITS A BEAST...
Cold Steel SRK Survival Rescue Fixed Blade Knife with Secure-Ex Sheath - Standard Issue Knife of the Navy Seals, Great for Tactical, Outdoors, Hunting and Survival Applications, SK-5 Steel, Compact https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0851Q2PVX/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_B456H900X4NYMFT84Q8B?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
This is great to have around for $10. Made in Sweden. Grab the stainless version if you don’t want to worry about rust.
Morakniv Craftline Basic 511 High Carbon Steel Fixed Blade Utility Knife and Combi-Sheath, 3.6-Inch Blade, Red and Black, One Size (M-12772) https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01N2ISF1D/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_D9T3K4BHF6AMN5MBBP7G?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Mora Companion HD is a great starting point. Most survival instructors use Moras for their students and many have mora as their primary knife.
Best bang for your buck, period. Great size and shape, comfy handle, good steel.
if you have places on the bike where i should have specific wrenches, i'm happy to hear. i carry a 'full' complement of trailside tools but don't want to miss something specific
as far as the hatchet goes i carry a morakniv that works well for batoning wood into kindling
It's maybe not as long as you would prefer, but a Morakniv Craftline Robust is cheap, has a pretty pronounced guard, and is thicker than most Moras. If it's used mostly against wood, you would probably have a hard time breaking it even if you tried. It's probably cheap enough that if you have the tools you could try reshaping the tip/edge how you like and not have to worry if you mess it up.
Another cheap option might be a Cold Steel GI Tanto. It's even thicker, longer, has a pointier tip, and also has a large guard. It's $25+ instead of $15, but it's still a great value for what you get. It's not quite double edged, but it has a swedge on the back that you could probably sharpen up with a bit of work.
Been super impressed with Morakniv
The Basic has a narrow blade that I can keep sharp for skinning small animals.
Also been rocking this one as a property-EDC [Heavy Duty(https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B009XDR0NK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_Z7EQPQSAR4SJD1Z2X38D)
Two solid choices for around $30 that I can beat the hell out of.
There is a little woodcarving group that meets at my church. They were having a class on Dala horses and I went from there. It turns out there are these little clubs all over the place, I had no idea. I don't know where to look for them but maybe if you asked in something like Nextdoor someone would know. They are full of the nicest old people you'll ever meet. I started with a Mora knife, it's just a basic knife, I bought it for $35 on Amazon but I just looked and it's on sale apparently. This is the one I got. I just started with scrap 2x4s I had laying around but I don't really recommend it because they're pretty hard to carve because they chip easily lol. Hobby stores and places like Lowes often have basswood blanks for carving. (Not to be confused with balsa wood which will just leave you sad) I like to find wood around for two reasons, one is that I'm cheap and two is that sticks are everywhere and beautiful and I like it when the wood tells you which project it's for, like the story of Michelangelo and the marble. There are a few subreddits like r/woodcarving that are fun for inspiration and help. Woodcarving people, in my limited experience tend to be just super kind and helpful, they can be a bit used to each other in a club so my advice to break into the group would be to ask lots of questions and gush over their creations, everyone loves to show off their creations. I hope you have fun trying it out!
Shit a 10S Mora knife (fixed blade though if that matters) is probably one of the best bang for your bucks you can get.
https://www.amazon.com/Morakniv-Carving-Knife-Laminated-2-4-Inch/dp/B004GATX62/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?dchild=1&qid=1619860721&refinements=p_n_shipping_option-bin%3A3242350011&s=outdoor-recreation&sr=1-6 this one looks pretty good but costs like 25 dollars
Like, a hospital ICU?
I'd feel more than a little judged if I were to bust out an OTF at the hospital. I have the super small and inoffensive Gerber Zip Blade hanging from my badge for my workplace cutting needs.
Deal link: Amazon
Category-wise subreddits for Amazon Deals:
Is your reddit feed getting flooded with deals for products you are not interested in? Below are our category-wise subreddits where I crosspost from the main sub.
Category | Subreddit |
---|---|
Electronics | /r/Deals_Electronics |
Computers and Accessories | /r/Deals_Computers |
Video Games | /r/Deals_VideoGames |
Home Improvement | /r/Deals_HomeImprovement |
Clothing and Accessories | /r/Deals_Apparel |
Grocery | /r/Deals_Grocery |
Discord Server: Instant deal notifications on our Discord Server!
Amazon Canada Deals: /r/OnlineDealsCanada
Disclaimer: The deal links are affiliated. We may earn a small share on qualifying purchases. It does not affect the deal price in any way.