On knives and rust.
Tools are what they are, but I'm asking myself more and more frequently, if I'm not hunting, why am I carrying a knife? A tomahawk is more useful.
Anyway.
Without question, after many years, I can say that for butchering and drying whole animals, the choke knife (or ulu) is a near indispensable design. You really must have a choke knife for field meat preservation and home drying. Though I have never owned one, forget these jerky slicing kit tools.
Having said that, however, in terms of a traditional knife, if all you carry into the field is one tool, carry a tomahawk.
Stainless steel is too brittle for outdoor tasks. Chromium has also been linked to mental issues, but realistically, you are unlikely to consume so much from using the knife to have a major effect.
You never need to oil a knife, like many outdoorsmen on YouTube have mentioned. Let them stain and tarnish; this is not just a personal aesthetic preference but a practical, realistic stance to accept. I don't live in fear that I will use a knife, and the next time I unsheathe it, it will crumble like the rusted siding of a VW vehicle, and hopefully, neither do you.
I like high-carbon, chrome-free steel for cutting tools; they are strong and can tend to take a heck of a beating. Because stainless steel is composed of around 15% chromium, they aren’t affected by water or acids like carbon steels, but they are brittle and can break easily if used for chopping wood or battoning and thus should stay in the kitchen.
If you get a knife, but not a filleting, paring, or other kitchen-style thin knife. A knife you can jam between a testing crevice and pry with is what you need to eliminate other tools you would need to carry otherwise; this is why 1095 spring steel is best. However, below -15°C, this steel gets brittle, and thin areas can snap, whereas in warmer conditions, they just spring back.
A heavy knife does have the advantage of being a chopping tool. For many other tasks, the big heavy knife is simply a more reliable companion.
My preference is for paint-free, as I don't have to worry about chemicals in my food, and the stained darkening of the metal can indicate whether the tool is sharp and ready to go.
I don't have many cutting tools on the go at once. I have one, use it, and stick to it until I move on, so the tool is used on a regular basis.
You will use a knife or get bored with a purchased knife long before rust will affect the functional value of the tool. The patina that collects is like the knives' battle scars, sometimes tattooing beautiful, wholly spontaneous designs and images, reminding you of events you completed as a team. They make a knife look good with age.
Just wipe after use and let air dry before returning to your sheath. Oil the wood handle when desired, but this always, eventually, washes away.
Never wear a knife to sleep anywhere on your body.
Don't be afraid to modify a knife that doesn't fit right in the hand and has a poor design of a handle, which is often the case. The tool will be your companion for years to come, so make it yours.
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