I like it.

Looks like a hard use knife. How does it hold an edge? I guess the question is how hard is it? As you know hardness and ductility in a knife are a comprimise. I broke the blade on my first issue USMC Ka-Bar hammering on it, but if you could get it sharp it stayed sharp through a lot of hard use.
Luke

Luke,

The CS True Flight Thrower is made of Carbon V steel. Have you seen Cold Steel's video: "More Proof"? It seems like great steel. Takes a very sharp edge. I use a Ragnar diamond plate to get a sharp edge and then I use a leather strop from Sportsman's Warehouse to get a polished edge. I can hold the knife and pull paper through it. I have whittled wood and it still cut paper smoothly. I'd rather have steel that is easy to sharpen than one that is super hard and then a pain in the butt to sharpen again. I haven't seen where 154CM holds an edge a lot longer than Carbon V. But it sure is a lot harder to get a paper cutting edge. It is not stainless so it does not stay petty. It is also good around the camp kitchen. There is no finger guard to get in the way of a cutting board. It slices tomatoes and bread easily. You can hold the top of the blade and use it for chopping vegetables.

Was it a Ka-bar, or a kbar with the black handle? And what did you hit it with?

I ask becuase I've carried and used a Ka-Bar MkII for almost a decade and never had a problem, including batoning.

I choose ro trust resaerch that's already been established.
Glock Field Knives

(.......and sometimes I can spell too.......).
Here's a site that sells Glock field knives....Glocks are cheap compared to most "survival" knives".
With or without a sawblade spine.

5.25 inch blade enough? I should think so. What are you going to be doing? Can you accomplish your task with a shorter (and lighter) blade?

I have both a Glock combat knife and folding shovel (got them years ago - in the 80's - for free from a Glock rep trying to interest a local PD in Glock 17's). They are servicable military knives OMHO. The knife is well built, nicely balanced, and has a rugged, hard-plastic case. It can take a lot of abuse (I carried one on my LBE when I was in the Reserves.) However, the darn thing will lose it's edge if you so much as look at it funny. I was always re-sharpening it. Today, when I go camping/canoeing, I take my old (and I mean old!) Buck Folding Hunter. You can sculpt marble with it and it will still hold an edge.

As for the Glock shovel, it is cute, has some nice gadgets (saw blade in the handle), but the shovel lock would often slip when digging through hard soil, and the shovel blade would rotate past 90 degrees! I still carry the heavier, and more reliable, Ames (US Army) tri-fold shovel instead.

Hope this helps,

.....CLIFF

I have new respect for my fellow ETS Forum members after seeing how many posts have been made in response to this question without one lewd joke being tossed in...

I didn't toss one in with my post?
Oh, dear. You're right; let me remedy that. I have a reputation to uphold, you know.....

"Don't judge a knife's abilities just based on how long the blade is. You will miss out on much of the cutting pleasure. While length seems to be the concern most fixated on, blade width is just as critical a component. As is how well you wield your blade when the times comes to use it." <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

And then there's the whole issue of blade safety, and what type of sheaths should be used...... <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

Am I banned yet, Chris?

Bad batch of boudan? Maybe Peanut can give you some mineral oil for colic <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> The only time I personally found a larger blade usefull was studying Kendo in San Francisco. My Zen Roshi pretty well beat me to a pulp. So the next session I showed up dragging a huge two handed scottish Claymore. I subscribe to the two knife concept; one for fine work and a larger blade for Zen Masters, digging holes and splitting wood.

Be nice. Anything between 2.5 & 6" is reasonable. If thats the size, shape, balance and heft your happy with then go with it. Your only real considerations are strength , grip, ease of sharpening & how easy is it to clean. How important each of those factors is of course a personal choice. As for the sensi, try a shotgun... ( there speaks a true descenant of the English Bowman). No, seriously , if your interested in that sort of thing, take a look at what happened to the samurai at the end of the 19th Century.