bowie knives?

[howlinghudson]

Went to wal-marx today and bought a Winchester bowie for about 20bucks. took it out in the woods thinking it would be everything i needed. at best i was able to shave some kindling and chop as well as notch wood. is there any other practical use for this bowie? ie skinning game? btw I'm new to the outdoor lifestyle and i hail from the city to boot

 

[billyboyr6]

Would you trust your life on that knife if the situation ever presented itself? Honestly.

If you answer yes right way, then end of thread.

If you hesitate with answering, either way, end of thread.

Only you will know the answer to your question. So what do you think?

 

[tom1025]

Paper weights. They make good paper weights.

 

[PointFiveO]

Bowies are good for one thing, and one thing only: Drunken, bare-chested, manly knife fights to the death!

 

[jdfast]

With one hand tied behind your back.


Seriously though. I'm not a fan of bowies...but its what fits you is important. You can make a sharp rock do everything you described. Its your skill level that makes it possible. More importantly is what kind of steel is it? That will tell me how long it will hold and edge, how easy it is to sharpen and what kind of care it needs to stay that way. If your new to this kinda thing..no big deal. Your smart for starting cheap and working up.

 

[cubby]

It's not the design of the Bowie, here, that is terrible. It's the knife.

 

[Dtrap]

Paper weights. They make good paper weights.

What he said.
They really aren't gonna hold up to the type of abuse associated with wood processing and all around survival needs. You gotta start somewhere though and for $20 if it breaks your not really out much. At least you can get a feel for what great and useful tools knives are.

 

[tom1025]

It's not the design of the Bowie, here, that is terrible. It's the knife.

This right here. There's a reason why it's only $20.00. In the knife world you get what you pay for.

 

[giovani]

Went to wal-marx today and bought a Winchester bowie for about 20bucks. took it out in the woods thinking it would be everything i needed. at best i was able to shave some kindling and chop as well as notch wood. is there any other practical use for this bowie? ie skinning game? btw I'm new to the outdoor lifestyle and i hail from the city to boot

You have probably already figured this out but you are gonna get hammered by the knife snobs for a post like this.
They think that everyone is betting their life on every blade they buy.

Good luck with you purchase.

 

[PointFiveO]

You have probably already figured this out but you are gonna get hammered by the knife snobs for a post like this.
They think that everyone is betting their life on every blade they buy.

Good luck with you purchase.

I think this is an instance where the snobs are correct. If he's going to use it to process wood it's going to be subject to stress and abuse. For something you are going to be whacking or beating with/on, you don't want a blade that will snap. Cheap blades snap when they get abused, expensive blades tend to not have this issue.

You whack a piece of wood wrong and a cheap clip point is suddenly a sharp projectile aimed straight for your eyes.

I agree that cheap knives can do a ton of jobs, but when it comes to using a knife for something that honestly has a better applicable tool, you want to make sure you have a solid piece of steel.

 

[giovani]

I think this is an instance where the snobs are correct. If he's going to use it to process wood it's going to be subject to stress and abuse. For something you are going to be whacking or beating with/on, you don't want a blade that will snap. Cheap blades snap when they get abused, expensive blades tend to not have this issue.

You whack a piece of wood wrong and a cheap clip point is suddenly a sharp projectile aimed straight for your eyes.

I agree that cheap knives can do a ton of jobs, but when it comes to using a knife for something that honestly has a better applicable tool, you want to make sure you have a solid piece of steel.

Yeah thats exactly how I lost both of my eyes.

 

[tom1025]

Yeah thats exactly how I lost both of my eyes.

Are you sure your eyes was the only thing you lost? All his points seemed valid to me.

 

[Dtrap]

Yeah thats exactly how I lost both of my eyes.

Your posts seem so informative.
I have witnessed first hand a few knives breaking, grunt soldier can break anything, and it can be very dangerous. Not just cheap knives break but they sure are a lot more likely to under repeated hard use like the op stated he was using it for. Even if you take the danger out of it the knife in question isn't designed for the type of uses the op is looking to do with it.

 

[cubby]

You have probably already figured this out but you are gonna get hammered by the knife snobs for a post like this.
They think that everyone is betting their life on every blade they buy.

Good luck with you purchase.

Poorly made knives cause injury. Sometimes SEVERE injury. Lose of fingers, severe lacerations, or the possibility of putting a piece of broken steel through an artery is serious business.

 

[howlinghudson]

I am looking for an all inclusive knife lol. something big enough to work with and get things done but not weigh a lot. the knife is stainless steel and heavy. shaving the wood was a pain. i need something lower maintenance and something i can put my life on. any suggestions.i need survival type

 

[jd4320t]

What is your budget?

 

[howlinghudson]

budget

What is your budget?

+\- Fifty bucks

 

[Dtrap]

In that price range I would look at Becker knives. The Companion is a nice size blade for an all around type knife and is a solid knife. They are a bit over $50 but for the money they are hard to beat. I personally would reccomend saving up a bit more money and looking at the Esse line of knives. The Esse 3 and 4 are a great value for the quality of knife with an amazing warantee and superior construction, plus Knife Lady here on the forum can get you a great price on one if you send her a pm.

 

[Caleb]

In that price range I would look at Becker knives. The Companion is a nice size blade for an all around type knife and is a solid knife. They are a bit over $50 but for the money they are hard to beat. I personally would reccomend saving up a bit more money and looking at the Esse line of knives. The Esse 3 and 4 are a great value for the quality of knife with an amazing warantee and superior construction, plus Knife Lady here on the forum can get you a great price on one if you send her a pm.

As an owner of an esee knife, I love it but one thing I dislike about an esee knife is that rust if exposed to moister or water. I yet to find a coating to keep mine from rusting...

 

[DaKruiser]

As an owner of an esee knife, I love it but one thing I dislike about an esee knife is that rust if exposed to moister or water. I yet to find a coating to keep mine from rusting...

You just don't use em enough if your having rust problems!

No really, all four of my kids have an ESEE, no of em have rust problems and we never oil em or coat em with anything, matter of fact my oldest boys Junglas is stripped.