Stay Sharp

There are only like a Bajillion brands of knives out there. Yeah, I know, Bajillion ain’t a word. See what I did there?

In all seriousness, there are a LOT of knives available on the market, and all knives are not created equally.

Now, I own a lot of knives. I mean, Freddie Kruger ain’t got nothing on me.

Why?

Simple, they have different purposes, applications, and worth. My work knife is not of the same quality as my Bush knife. Quite frankly, if I destroy or lose a knife at work, I won’t be as upset if I lose a cheap on.

The Bush knife, on the other hand, may very well be a tool for survival. Can’t get cheap with survival.

I used to be a huge Gerber guy. For the longest time, every knife I owned was a Gerber. They used to be made in the good ole U.S. of A. However, they’ve since shifted their production overseas, and it shows.

Call me anti-globalist if you want, but I’ve noticed the legitimate difference in the metal working in China, versus home.

I had my main, USA Gerber, for years. I finally broke it in an unfortunate incident we won’t discuss here. Only took 10 years. And I was using it in a fashion it was not designed for.

After that, I had a series of Gerber knives, all made in China. They just did not hold up and the blades would constantly fail.

A few years back, I made the switch to Buck, and never looked back. I have other knives, sure, but I enjoy the simple aesthetics and time tested value of Buck knives.

More importantly, they’re made in the U.S. of A. However, be warned, they still make things overseas, and sometimes they’ll sneak them in there; Especially during the holidays when they off those too good to be true value packs.

There are other very notable brands out there, many of which are domestic. I don’t purport to know them all, or their attributes.

When looking for a good knife, reviews are both your friend, and enemy. Unfortunately, the internet has given literally everyone, with internet access, on the planet a platform. Good, bad, or indifferent, everyone is able to publish their option to the world (like me).

So, when reviewing a product, or a skill, confirm it with other sources. If you find it on Amazon, check reviews on Bass Pro, REI, Cabelas, Gander Outdoors, etc. Better yet, if you have a local Mom & Pop outdoors shop, go talk to them. They’ll have more direct feedback which is more likely to have been verified.

Unfortunately, some companies engage in iffy business practices. It may not be the retailer, but the product producer, that engages in online propaganda campaigns which can range from simple advertising dishonesty to engaging Bots to influence reviews.

However, they can’t get everywhere. Somewhere there is going to be some information out there.

For that matter, if you review a product, don’t just throw up your claims, add pictures, if possible. Broken blade? Show everyone, gives it some validity.

What kind of knife is your favorite? My everyday carry is a Buck 110. I have several. I love them. They’re simple, inexpensive, and reliable. However, there are times I carry a fixed blade instead.

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