A knife question

[Moondog55]

Has anybody here any experience with the little Victorinox Venture knife?
I got a sales email today trying to sell me one at a discount price aaand then a similar add came up on Facebook.
I'd not normally want to spend over $50- or so on a factory knife these days but it has an interesting feature in the tang, a hex hole to take a drill or screwdriver bit.
It's a lot more than my usual Mora but those are starting to become stupidly expensive now.

[ChrisJHC]

Looks like a good solid offering.
Gets good reviews.
Not sure I’d ever use the hex hole function - certainly wouldn’t pay extra for it!

For the right price, definitely worth considering.

[Moondog55]

Well "The NILE" has them for $120- so I just ordered one.
I'll report back after it arrives, if I like it I'll sell the Moras, I don't really need more than one factory made bushcraft type knife, although everybody should perhaps carry a beater

[oldpiscator]

Just make sure you don't have one in your pocket next time you go to Corio Village !

[Moondog55]

Funny that as I always have a Swiss Army pocket knife with me, except when flying but it then goes in my checked bags. In 30 years of occasional shopping there I don't ever recall seeing a police presence, not like Northland with the dedicated police station and regular police walk-arounds

[Moondog55]

My order finally arrived. I guess a dropship due to the delay. I actually like it a lot.
A bit on the small side bladewise but the balance is reasonable and it is sharp out of the box. I had misgivings about the hex hole in the handle being useful but it does take all the driver bits in my ski repair kit and the tang is thick enough to give it a robust grip.
That said it is a lot heavier than my usual food prep knives but those do not have strong sheaths and my usual wrap with cardboard and foil doesn't last well.

[craigprice]

i spend a lot of time in the bush in the rivers fly fishing. I’ve honed my kit right down, here are some ideas to start people thinking.
For knives for fishing I have used these options depending on needs - all are folders and most with locks - for bushwalking I often carry a light 3-4 inch fixed blade knife with a make shift sheath, and there are lighter options with longer blades and handles eg repurposed kitchen knife, cheap but good for food and/or camp use and a handle of 4 in fits my hand better. But for everyday fishing, a folding knife in my belt pouch is best.

Top to bottom -
Gerber flat 2.5in blade 41g
Opinel #7 3in blade 33g
Small Gerber 2in blade 24g
Razor knife 2in blade 7g
Ceramic 1in blade 2g

For overnights/remote fishing I’d take the “larger” 3in folding knife or a fixed blade as the longer handles are more effective (for food and general use, including making tarp stakes).
For day trips I’d just take a small folding knife. I don’t like using the disposable razor knives even for food, I’m always worried about cutting myself with these razors as they are hard to hold and use safely. I’ve also recently been testing the teeny tiny ceramic knife. It’s proven surprisingly effective in many cases - in most outings I only use a knife for cutting food pouches - but I found I could actually use it to cut meat and even prepare a trout for dinner one night. But my preference is still a blade about 2-3in in a folding locking format - the longer handle is easier to use.

For interest at the bottom of the photo are two fire options and a light option. All waterproof - everything in my kit has to be waterproof. The flint rod and mini steel weighs 11g. The mini bic weighs 11g and can be dunked in water, dried on my pants and used. The fire starter is a makeup pad soaked in Vaseline, 3g . With either fire option and the starter I can and have lit a fire in the rain. The coin LED light with nylon neck loop (6g) is surprisingly effective for finding my way back from the river to camp in the bush at night.

[Bill P]

Thanks Craig, excellent post. I'll now have to go and weigh my knife.

[Moondog55]

While I carry a folder every day [ the green, older German army issue SAK] I don't really like pocket knives; although I admit they have their uses.
Pix attached of the new knife and one of the knives I usually carry bushwalking

[north-north-west]

That red one is cute. Like craigprice's small Gerber, too. But I mostly make do with a tiny folding knife for day use and an old folding tech divers unit for camp.

[Biggles]

Should be quite a hit (sort of...) on the shopping junket to that village place...Corio Village (?).
Otherwise, I don't carry any knife in public, not even the credit-card-sized Victorinox multitool set.

In all my camping/bushwalking/bicycle touring years, I have made do more than satisfactorily with the ubiquitous, multi-tool and edge, Swiss Army knife. Big knives...meh...

My photo pack has a Gerber mini folder knife attached (with a wire rope lanyard) in the event I get myself entangled in blackberry or stinging nettles! It is useful too for cutting up my lunch apple into petite quarters!

Police were stopping and randomly searching (for weapons etc.) at Southern Cross Station and Bourke Street Mall yesterday.

[Moondog55]

Maybe one day I'll just post a picture of all my knives; just for fun.
But as tools for doing a job, bigger is most definitely better, and safer, in many instances.
It depends on how many you are cooking for sometimes too.
EDIT
I've nieces and nephews who are simply terrified of blades but the pretend grandkids are quite happy to take their Moras and whittle marshmallow sticks or cut vegies and meat for dinner. The youngest isn't quite ready for boning chickens yet but that will be the next set of lessons, his preferred knife is about 11 inches and as sharp as a razor.

[Moondog55]

So far I am really liking this new small blade, it is almost as good as my old Gerber Deer Hunter with the cast aluminium handle but much lighter

[Kott]

I find a small Optinel is perfect for most outings but a small Victorinox with scissors is also good to have

[craigprice]

FYI I found I could (and did) buy a copy of the scissors that come in a victorinox card on eBay, and quite cheaply. The quality and cutting edge is good. A possibility for matching with an opinel if you want the added option of tiny scissors in your kit.