Gear questions

Hi all!<br>I'm reading the huge amount of old posts and I have some questions about tools, I hope someone may answer me:<br><br>what about a solitaire maglite? a friend of mine gave me one, but I don't know pro and cons.<br><br>don't leave at hone knives:<br>beside my loyal Handyman SAK, I have a CRKT Kiss,I don't know what do you think about it, and I'm thinking about a neck knife, but I don't know what to buy: I see some Cold Steel's products, may you say me which is the right one? :)<br><br>Thanks in advance for the answers,<br>MacG<br>

Mac,<br><br>Although knife preferences are a pretty contentious issue around here, you should be able to get some very good advice. What would help though, is if you could say what sort of tasks you have in mind for the knife. No one knife will do all jobs well (although some will come close). Also, keep reading through the past posts; this particular issue has been discussed many times.<br><br>As for your knives, I still have about five SAK's, and although I no longer carry them, I still like them. I have come to prefer locking knives, and given that I carry a Leatherman, toting a SAK is TOO redundant. I don't care for the CRKT Kiss, I have a thing against chisel ground blades on anything but a chisel (It is a chisel grind, right? Or am I confused?) Cold Steel makes good knives. I think they're a little overbuilt, but good knives. Just make sure you get one appropriate for whatever it is you want to do. I can personally reccomend their Kukris and the smaller Voyager lockbacks. Their SRK has a lot of fans here, as well.<br><br>As for myself, I have settled on (for now, at least) an A.G. Russel Woodswalker, a Kershaw DoubleCut (Double cross? It's the smaller one), and a Leatherman Wave. At any given time, I have at least one of these on me. I still occasionally wonder at the safety of carrying a fixed blade in a leather pocket sheath, but no problems so far. And the Woodswalker is so handy. I have a Spyderco Wegner that I am inordinately fond of, but I no longer carry it daily, reserving it instead for hunting. I have never been able to settle on a single GP medium to large sized fixed blade knife, but it hasn't been for lack of trying. Oh well, it's fun looking....<br><br>Andy

Hi, MacG!<br><br>Since you have the Solitaire... use it, eh? I believe there are a number of folks here who carry one on their person. I have used MagLite products for a long time and find them useful and pretty rugged - and I've been glad more than once that they pack a spare bulb inside the case, as I've dropped them from time to time with the predictable consequence to the bulb. My personal daily carry is a turquoise Photon II in my right pocket and a red Photon II in my left pocket, plus a large Maglite in each vehicle (personal and work).<br><br>What sort of environment are you equipping yourself for? That would probably help the knowledgable folks here suggest some knives for your consideration.<br><br>Regards,<br><br>Tom

Mac, Richard Dean Anderson lives in my community. I have met him a few times, and yes, he carries a SAK ( discreetly to avoid the tedious jokes.) You need to consider what your tools will actually be used for, and what are the laws? We don't want the Carabiniery after you! Neck knives are a very convenient carry, and not just as a "hideout" option. I regulary carry an inexpensive Scandinavian blade of 4". Do not use any paracord or synthetic type lanyard! The small, but meaningfull risk of injury ( rope burn, strangulation etc.) is very real. I use a length of leather secured with a "breakaway string"- a few stitches that will snap under tension. Do not ignore the rich knife making tradition of Italy! Regional products have a rich association with their users. Think globally and buy ( and survive) locally.

I carried a Solitaire Magite for years on my keyring and used it quite often - it meets my criteria for a useful flashlight of carrying a spare bulb as well as a suspension point so it can be firmly attached and retrieved. I now carry a small LED because of the bulb and battery longevity. If you have one as a gift, you will probably go through about two batteries a year and maybe a bulb every two years, unless you use it a lot.<br><br>I happen to be a big fan of CRKT's stiff kiss - particularly the MDP which has the traditional grind and is about the right size for backpacking and other light weight uses. It is just barely possible that some members of the forum may have differing opinions. It all comes down to the situation in which you will employ the tool, which gives many of us an excuse to own lots of neat stuff...

<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr><p>It is just barely possible that some members of the forum may have differing opinions.<p><hr></blockquote><p> Gasp! Say it ain't so, Hikerdon! hehehehe<br><br>Knives bewilder me - there are SO many choices out there! I was doing fine all these years by being blissfully ignorant... now I find out there are more BRANDS than I ever dreamed of, let alone models...

Who could go wrong with a benchmade?

>Since you have the Solitaire... use it, eh?<br>Sure! I know my questions may be a little strange: since I already have a maglite why don't use it?<br>I ask this to know what about a maglite for a "don't let at home" gear.<br><br>Thanks for your answer.<br>It seems that a lot of you changed their maglite solutions for a led flashlight.<br><br>>What sort of environment are you equipping yourself for? <br>Oh, I'm re-thinking my all-day gear and I'm starting to build up a systematic PSK: I'm following the Doug's notes about it.<br>The neck knife question is for an outdoor environment: I don't think it may be safe for me to carry a neck knife in an urban environment.<br><br>thanks again,<br>Mac

You talked about laws: I'm thinking about them from a while: italian laws says that you can't carry a weapon unless you may justify the reason of. I ever walked care free with only my SAK, but since I have added a CRKT kiss (the biggest one) I wonder if a cop may say something on it..<br>So I think that for my urban day I have enough edges, but I wonder about neck knives for an outdoor environment: I trek often in my alps and beside my sak I carry a sheat knife: or a Martinii one or a Buck. But a neck knife may be more practice to carry: even if don't have a belt or a backpack to put it.<br>Do you carry the neck knife usually or only in the camp?<br><br>Knife traditions in Italy: there are so many knives in Italy that you can't count them! I tried to learn about them, but it seems to be a huge task! And I ever think about the law: italian knives seem too much weapons than useful knives (they are not huge or whatsoever, but for a "mental tradition", I don't know if I can explain it in english..)

Thanks hikerdon!<br><br>I like crkt knives too, but my love is for the tanto blade! even we two have different opinions about crkt ;)<br><br>

Ade,<br>I changed my sak two years ago, and before I had a quite simple one. I changed because I noticed it was useful to own pliers an a metal file. So I went quite straight to the handyman (the champ is to bulk for me..) I thought about a multitool, but I have a love for Sak and perhaps my SAK is virtually equivalent to a multitool, the pliers may be weaker..<br>I don't hide you that on this site I discovered the Leatherman wave and I think it's awesome, but buying it, it will only make my tools redundant, so I remain happy as I am ;)<br><br>Sorry for my english: I'm italian and now I can't go to a dictonary to control: I don't know what do you mean about the chisel grind: you mean the tanto blade?<br><br>I think a sheat blade may be too evident in the urban life: a folder knife and a multitool (or a sak ) perhaps are the best solution.<br><br>ps<br>I don't know your knives, tomorrow I'll surf to recognize them: this night it's too late! Today I had an exam and now I need to rest!<br><br>good nite to all!<br><br>Mac

Mac,<br><br>A chisel grind is where the blade edge (regardless of blade shape) is ground like a carpenter's chisel, on one side only. Anybody know the Italian word for chisel? Other posts on this thread have taught me that the KISS is also available with a more conventional grind, so my objections to the knife are moot (if they weren't already:)<br><br>Please don't apologize for your English, it's FAR better than my Italian.<br><br>One thing I forgot to mention: Use what works for you. You'll get great ideas here, but ultimately, it's your choice.<br><br>Take care,<br><br>Andy

Mac,<br><br>Well, I don't own a Solitaire, but I've seen them - nice and compact. As long as it suits you to carry it, it seems to me that it's a whole lot better than striking a match for illumination in a dark place... and it is probably less risky than many to use in an environment with a flammable or explosive vapor build up. Maglite does not rate it as "waterproof", and it in fact has a vent in it (I presume to vent Hydrogen gas), so I'd be careful in any situation involving potentially explosive vapors (and that goes for me and my Photon IIs as well, hmmm...)<br><br>However... Check here to see what several folks have to say about the Solitaire for daily pocket carry. It does not seem to be a very highly regarded MagLite, and many folks seem to prefer the similar sized AAA powered ARC or ARC LE, which is a very bright single LED light similar in size to a Solitaire (actually a bit smaller). Another highly regarded single LED light that is about the same size as the Solitaire is the Infinity task light - not as bright as the ARC, but a lot more run time on a single AA battery.<br><br>But I really like the Photon II for pocket carry. So do my wife and our 4 kids - everyone has at least one on them at all times. We collectively own all the visible colors except blue and green, and each color has its advocates in my household. The only one that all of us agree on is the white one - quite remarkable for its size. I slip a white one around my neck on a proper lanyard when I am going out of urban areas - it's handy there.<br><br>As for hiking, packing, and camping, up until now we've each always carried a Mini-Mag 2 AA - cheap, sturdy, and good enough for many tasks. But my wife and I are about to get rid of ours in favor of 4 LED Tek lights (use 3 AA). After using incandescant "spotlight" type flashlights all these years, it's a bit wierd using the very white and broad beam from an LED flashlight, but I'm about "converted". They are awesome for real tasks. They will not reach out like a laser beam - but that's not been important to me very often. I have 3 D Maglites for that sort of task, but they are far too heavy for my tastes when packing, so they stay with a vehicle.<br><br>If you can borrow a decent LED light to use, I think you will like it. There are a number of LED light reviews - starting here, with Doug's reviews. I'd also sugggest checking The LED Museum - it used to be called the LED Punishment Zone (Doug - change the link, please, sir - it's not going to keep re-directing forever).<br><br>As I wrote originally, though - since you have the Solitaire... why not use it? I think that some one has made an LED conversion for it - that would require some circuitry to boost the voltage - but I do not have any info on that.<br><br>Hope that helps and I apologize if I've sent you to the dictionary several times. I have no trouble with your english - hope mine is not too difficult for you <grin>.<br><br>Regards,<br><br>Tom

Tom (and all),<br><br>Thanks for the tip on the bad link. Fixed. Unfortunately, I don't get to stop by here as often as I'd like or to read all the threads completely, so it's always best to email me directly about any bad links.<br><br>Thanks,<br>

Just to clarify; the original KISS is a folder that sort of requires the chisel grind by design, since only one side of the blade is guarded when it's closed.<br><br>http://www.crkt.com/kiss.html<br><br>I don't think that any of these could be made with a conventional grind, but I know that at least some blade shapes of the "Stiff KISS", which is not a folder and may be worn as a neck knife, have a conventional grind. I have a Stiff KISS, but haven’t used it much. I have a “Sampson’s KISS”, the larger version of the KISS folders- I think that’s the one “McGuyver” has:<br><br>http://www.crkt.com/smsnkiss.html<br><br> I find it a very handy (very flat, hence easy to carry) and a pretty capable knife for it's size.<br><br>FWIW, I was hard to convince with regard to neck knives, but have been sold on the concept now for years. The traditional Eastern Woodlands Native American neck knife is carried point down in a loose pouch-sheath that comes about halfway up the handle, and I was afraid I would trip and pull a Marc Antony. In practice, that doesn’t seem to be a problem, though you might want to give preference to a rounded pommel…<br><br>No other carry works nearly as well in the woods for me. It’s out of the way of pack straps and hipbelts, it's not constantly jabbing me, it’s easily kept outside of your outermost layer of clothing (which is constantly changing), works without a belt, with little or no clothing, it's not always in another pair of pants, and is not even much of a hassle to sleep with. It can be drawn- and with the traditional sheath, returned- with one hand. Most modern variants try for a handle-down carry, which seems like it would be a faster draw, but the friction mechanisms combined with having to use two hands to return it quickly become tiresome in practice, especially when sailing where you don't often have a hand to spare. It may be fine for defense, but I find a very slightly quicker draw not worth the much greater hassle of returning it to it's sheath. In fact, I find the friction and trick-catch sheaths annoying enough to make me more hesitant to use the knife at all- not good.<br><br>I have a traditional-styled brain-tanned deerskin sheath with quillwork and red tassels, but it’s a little flamboyant for most occasions. :-) I’ve made a few plainer leather neck sheaths to suit myself over the years, still on the same basic pattern.<br><br>I have 3 or 4 mag-lite Solitaires around- I keep one hanging next to each door- but McGuyver is right, I’ve lost all enthusiasm for incandescent flashlights since white LEDs became available. I have both the Photon II and Photon 3, as well as a Princeton version, and of all I much prefer the 3. It’s clearly more water resistant (no hole for a switch), and requires no tools to change the batteries. The auto-off and flashing modes are just a bonus. I'd still pay twice as much for one that flashed an SOS automatically, but...<br>

I haven't visited the "LED Museum" in a while so your post prompted me to check it out. Did you notice the OUT-TEC Flashlight Tuner Mini? It's an aftermarket add-on for Mini Maglite 2 AA Cell flashlights. <br><br>It replaces the end cap on the flashight and has two LEDs in the butt, one white and one red. The whole unit acts as a multi-position switch. You can switch the MagaLite's lamp on, or the white LED, the Red LED, both LEDs and off. I particularly like the idea of having an off switch as I don't care for turning the lens housing as a switch as one must do with the standard MagLite and many others.<br><br>The manufacturer is in Germany and does not seem to have a US distributor yet, nor is their a US retail price set yet. The LED Museum seems to have a favorable impression, but has not completed his review yet.<br><br>Hey, Barry, maybe this is somethimg you could carry?

>>I particularly like the idea of having an off switch as I don't care for turning the lens housing as a switch as one must do with the standard MagLite and many others.<<<br><br>I'll second that. You're lucky if you have one hand free to hold the flashlight- demanding two hands just to turn it on and off is not a good feature, however much cheaper it makes them to manufacture and easier to waterproof. I understand from those who have been in that position that this goes double if you're being shot at in the dark- the light is making you an easy target, and you can't handle a weapon and fumble with the two-handed turnoff both. This severely limits it's functionality for going to see what's going "bump in the night", which is a key function for a flashlight...<br>

Camillus makes a "Cuda" neck knife in D2 steel with kydex sheath exclusively for A.G.Russell. IMHO it's a dandy. $50.00 plus $5.95 S&H (total S&H for any size order). _________________________________________________ PROVERBS 21:19

Well, that has to be the niftiest gadegt I've seen yet for a Mini-Mag! I didn't notice it until you pointed it out - thanks! There is a fairly interesting animation on the company's homepage, as well as some additional information. Wonder what they might cost? My guess is significantly more than the Mag-Lite itself... hope I'm wrong.

I know it varies from state to state but I believe that neck knives may present some legal problems. In Wisconsin we don't have a law that specifies the length of a knife that is legal to carry. It forces prosecutors to examine whether the tool is a pocket knife or a concealed weapon under the totality of the circumstances. Unfortunately it puts police officers under the same constraint.<br><br>It is easy to envision a simple pat down frisk where the knife is found. I personally believe most officers would make a decision to arrest after that. I would rarely charge such a case, but the issue is out there. Whether a legal case should be won or lost is really irrelevant. Once you've become embroiled in the legal system in most ways you've already lost. Court is a pain in the butt, expensive, and an insult to the common man's ego.<br><br>I carry a pocket knife all the time, in and out of court. Most of mine have a pocket clip and are pretty modest in size. My buddy is a dentist who has a pretty big pocket carry knife. I keep telling him that if it gets found during routine police contact he is probably going to get handcuffed and maybe arrested, but he laughs me off. I think a neck knife is even more problematic.

Well, in my defense…<br><br>First, I didn’t bring up the neck carry, my message was in response to McGuyver’s, who said he was thinking about one. Perhaps your message was in response to his and not mine? He didn’t specify context, I did say “in the woods”.<br><br>The legal situation with regard to backpackers and knives is no clearer than it is in civilization; perhaps less so, since you’re likely to be in a mixture of state parks belonging to different states, on federal land, perhaps in true wilderness areas, maybe even in towns and on private property. My limited experience, though, is that enforcement sort of expects a long-distance trekker to have some sort of knife, and doesn’t automatically regard it as criminal activity. Rangers, by and large, seem to care mostly about longarms and illegal hunting unless there's an incident.<br><br>I am not advocating, and would not advocate, a neck knife for civilization (where one is more apt to have pockets and a belt anyway). I’ve never carried one "in town"- not counting historical reenactment settings, where such cutlery is regarded as part of a costume. With black powder firearms and swords about, I doubt that a neck knife is going to be a bone of contention.<br><br>You mention that you carry a pocketknife in and out of court. That sort of behavior itself would make you a criminal in many areas of the East, where metal detectors are routine at courthouses, no knife of any size is allowed inside, and knives with blades over some arbitrary length- often three inches- result in immediate arrest. I doubt that you consider yourself a criminal for doing what you do, where you do it. Context is everything.<br><br>In a similar vein, I am unable to regard any encounter with police as “routine”. I suspect that if you are “patted down” there is an excellent chance you are going to be arrested no matter what they find. The police will search or arrest you if they feel like it, whatever the law may say about it- the only defense I'm aware of is not to give them an excuse to feel like it. I’m sure you know the meaning of the phrase “drop piece”. Those searched don't always have to supply what's "found". <br><br>I myself have never been searched or arrested (I did find myself staring down the barrel of a police officer’s revolver once, but he apologized later). On the other hand, I’ve had a the presence of a knife save me from beatings, robbings or worse more than once, at least once along with the lady I was escorting.. and it saved an unknown “lady” (there was room for doubt) in distress (I think being dragged by her hair qualifies), once. The police were not there to “protect” anyone in any of these cases. Adults have to balance risks and make their own choices. As undesirable as arrest and court may be, it’s preferable to death or maiming. IMHO, we should all be ashamed that Americans have to make that choice.<br><br>This sort of morbid discussion, however, is not what I’m here for.<br>

I'm not finding the one you're talking about on-line. I see several folding "Cuda"s (including, preserve us all, a "Cyber Cuda"), and some fixed-blade versions that are considerably more expensive. Could you be referring to the D2 Cuda Arclite?<br><br>http://www.agrknives.com/camillus/ca-cu120.html<br><br>

Hi Tom,<br><br><br><br>Thanks a lot for the link to candleforum: was very interesting, and full of informations. I think an arcAAA would be a nice solution, but until I don't find it in Italy, I think I'll use the maglite: I can't afford the cost of the arc and the shipping fee.<br>I start finding some type of LED stuff in Italy, but prices are still unreasonable..<br>I'll start searching the led conversion kit: I'm quite an engineer in computer science/electronics, so I hope to understand something! :)<br><br>please don't worry for the dictionary: if I'll use it is only good: I'll could only increase my vocabulary ;)<br><br>Mac

Andy,<br>ok, now I understood what a chisel grind is, thanks. However yes, my kiss has a chisel grind. I hope you'll keep writing to me even I have one ;)<br><br>I don't know if this is the right place (maybe if we are off topic, you could send me a PM), but may you explain me why you don't like the chisel grind? I'm curios: if there is a reason I think it may be useful for me to know it.<br><br>take care,<br>mac

Yes. Sorry, in my haste I omitted "arclite". _________________________________________________ PROVERBS 21:19

Mac,<br><br>My dislike of chisel ground knives is just a personal preference. In my experience a chisel ground blade can, in certain situations, wander when making a cut. I want a knife to go where I want it to, not where it wants to. This shouldn't be taken as an indictment against them, I know several people who swear by them. It just doesn't work for me. If it works for you, just smile and keep using it.<br><br>Take care,<br><br>Andy

You are right! :)<br>My kiss is a Samson's one, I couldn't remember the right name.<br><br>Thanks for the analysis on neck knives.<br><br>Mac

At home I have a catalog of www.globetrotter.de that sells online a lot of camping gear.<br>There is the OUT-TEC Flashlight Tuner Mini too and it costs 35.95 Euro that makes 31.30 US$ around.<br>I don't know if they sells in the states too.<br><br>However your guess is right......

I agree with you:<br>neck knives or sheat knives or whatsoever that isn't a SAK or a little folder or a multitool may be changed as a weapon and cops or police officiers may find trouble...<br><br>My question was only for the "woods", and if I'm walking to the woods, I'll carry my neck knife or sheat k. in the backpack, until I have reached the start point..<br><br>sorry for the brief post, but is too late,<br>regards,<br>mac

>>Sorry, in my haste I omitted "arclite". <<<br><br>No problem.<br><br>It does look pretty useful- only one personal gripe that I can see.<br><br>I accept that serrations are better for rope, and thus make plenty of sense for climbing, sailing or diving, and I own several.. but I don’t really like them. Yes, there are tools that make sharpening them easier, but I don’t generally carry one.<br><br>On the other hand, the non-serrated version has one of my other pet gripes- a convex edge. I just don’t see the utility of deliberately designing a knife so that it cannot be sharpened with a flat stone, even if that's not how you plan to do it normally.. and, in most cases, the reason for the convex edge seems mostly cosmetic. Just me, I guess.<br>

Mine does not have a convex edge. In fact my only complaint is that the edges of the handle are sharp. A little work with emery paper cured that problem. That same sharpness on the spine of the blade makes for outstanding sparks from a ferrocerium rod. I've seen paracord wrapped handle and belt sheath modifications with this blade. Renders it a relatively inexpensive sheath knife. BTW : razor edge using flat diamond stone followed by sharpmaker. _________________________________________________ PROVERBS 21:19