CampingGearReview » review

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I have gained experience after several trips to the woods, that would not have come any other way.  One of the most used tools is a camp knife.  In the beginning, I thought bigger is better, and started with a Cold Steel GI Tanto.  At first it seemed to make perfect sense: large heavy blade for camp chores, paracord wrapped handle in case it needs to become a spear head, inexpensive, to take abuse, etc.  All these ‘features’ turned out to be useless: large blade is a pain to carry, handle is uncomfortable, cheap steel dull easy, and it looks scary, when you run into other people on the trail.  So… the GI Tanto has been replace with a Buck Omni Hunter 12pt with gut hook.

The Omni Hunter has a large curved handle, made of black Kraton.  It is textured for good grip, and is not slippery even with blood on it.  There are ridges on the top and bottom of the handle to increase traction in all conditions.  A lanyard hole is in the back, you can easily feed 550 cord through it for extra lashing.  This handle is large, even someone with large hands should find it comfortable.  If you have smaller hands, the curve of the handle makes it easy to use in every situation.  It is a full tang knife, as you can through the lanyard hole.

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Update 5/31/2011: Just after a few weeks of use the pocket clip has lost most of it’s spring.  I had to use pliers to compress it again, so that the knife would not fall out of my pocket.  This really undermines my good overall opinion about the blade.

After a few years, the time has come to replace the Gerber AR 3.0 with something better.  Specifically, a better blade.  Numerous times I have sharpened my EDC knife, and wished I did not have to do it so often.  The carbon blade sharpens easily, but also dulls easily.

The new CRKT Vertex has a stainless steel blade, similar to AUS-8 steel.  It’s a Chinese steels that gets mostly positive reviews on various internet forums and other sites.  The blade is spring-loaded for one handed operation.  Depress the locking stud and nudge the blade forward, and it springs and locks into place.  Liner lock secures it into place for sure-handed operation.  This blade is extreme hollow ground for smooth penetration into whatever you are cutting.  The drop point version has black Micarta inserts, and the clip point sports cocobolo wood inserts.

CRKT Vertex drop point CRKT Vertex CRKT Vertex closed CRKT Vertex review

Review coming ASAP, this post is a placeholder for now…

This multitool came as a part of Winchester 6 piece gift set from Wal Mart. For $10 for the whole set, I could not pass it up. The craftsmanship and materials do not feel as good as my Gerber and Leatherman multitools, and that’s ok. I beleive that tools should be used and abused, and for the price the Winchester can be beat up without breaking the bank.

It is made from stainless steel, and blades feel sharp enough to do small tasks. There are inch and centimeter markings etched into both sides of the handles, to measure something shorter than 8″. On one side there is a standard blade, a saw blade, can/bottle opener and a flat screwdriver bit. On the other side there is a nice serrated blade, a short blade, and a phillips screw driver bit. All the blades swing out when handles are fully closed, and pliers are not exposed. If you swing the handles open, the multitool becomes needle nosed pliers. This design is comfortable because the inside of the handles are smooth, and edges do not cut into your skin.

I purchased the Gerber AR 3.00 folder after a camping trip to Red River Gorge, when I thought I lost my Gerber Gator. I later found the Gator, but the AR 3.00 stayed with me because I like the pocket clip for every day carry. The blade action is incredibly smooth, and it has a satisfying “click” when locked into place. This is thanks to two Teflon washers on either side of the blade. Opening it with one hand is a breeze for me, thanks to the two thumb-studs. I have seen knives with better studs; some were simply larger, some had checkering to increase friction. I got the black non-reflective blade version from Wal Mart for about $30. The handle is not as comfortable as the Gerber Gator, but fits my hand well enough. I have used this knife on more than one occasion at work to cut fruit, bread, and meats, and it has retained the edge very well. Some purists may say that Gerber knives are not what they used to be, but for the price, AR 3.00 is a good purchase.  This model sports a drop-point blade without serrations.

Gerber AR 3.00 knife Gerber AR 3.00 pocket clip Gerber AR 3.00 open Gerber AR 3.00 liner lock
Gerber AR 3.00 thumb studs Gerber AR 3.00 and Gator 625 Gerber AR 3.00 and Gator right Gerber AR 3.00 and Gator open