It took awhile but I finaly used my Randall model 12. Don't regret it abit.




Bors

Messer, +1 on the little stainless scrapper..

bld552 - my school of thought is that you never know when you're going to NEED a knife - and when the situation arises, the knife you'll have is the one you've got on you, and that is why I EDC that 1/4" Ranger RD4.

It does OK. I was cutting some cardboard down to size last night to put in the trash - it doesn't cut as well as my RAT3, just because its so thick, but, I was suprised at how well it did. I got that Leatherface sheath for it last week, so I've only been EDC'ing it since then. I'll have some more difinitive results on how well it handles small tasks over the next couple of weeks. If I know that I'm going to be doing a whole lot of cutting, I'd definately use a thinner blade. If I don't know what the day has in store for me, I strap on the RD4!

If you didn't see my Leatherface sheaths in the other thread, they're below:

A 3" blade has to be strong enough to pierce the base of a skull at the spinal cord. and baton through a pelvis bone.....you know I have been thinking about becoming a mortician?

HAHAH good one gf

Anything from SYKCO will be 3/16" or better if you ask me. Dan may find some of the anorexic slabs around and get down to 0.15" or so. I wouldn't try to pry a staple out of a board with my Al Mar Mini SERT auto but in ATS-34 at .075" x 2.6" it slices like a darn laser. I don't own a Busse product that wouldn't perform that duty without question. I wouldn't call all of them 'splinter pickers' though. Even the "splinter picker' (Assault Shaker, 1/4") could pry out a staple with a cheater bar. So, I agree, it boils down to ,what do you want a 3" blade knife to do.

Bruce, you have hit on a topic that is near and dear to my heart. The perfect blade is a three inch knife.
No you can't chop with it. No you can't split wood with it.No it is too small to be a effective tree knife at all. But as far as hunting... yes. Fish and foul, yes. And skinning but of course! The three inch blade is perfect for all food prep in the kitchen or on the trail. Easily carried on the hip for visible self defense it is a wonderful deterrent for the crime minded fools.
It is very maneuverable for precise cutting and trimming. It is also effective as a life stopper for a myriad of creatures. Legal I'd guess in all 50 of the United States. And it just feels so good and stable with the right size handle, it gives the user the impression that any other blade is unnecessary.
I have about 10 three inch fixed blades and a few three inch folders as well.
To address the strength issue. I use mine every day of my life. I cut thread and rolls of carpet. I cut steak and shave the bark off trees for whittling. I have no intent to hold back on any blade I own save one. Art knife,that I am careful with , all others act like knives.
I expect every one of my blades to NEVER fail. I lean hard on custom blades for the individual attention each one gets during manufacturing. I choose mainly customs because of the attention and care that the maker gives to it. Therefore they tend to be a bit more reliable in my mind to me. Every three inch blade should be as tough as a Scrapper 4 or a Dog Father in my humble opinion. They should be tough as nails and pry,chop, cut, trim,shave and do any thing I ask of them with failure never entering my mind. And it never does assure you.
I am soooo stoked about Dan and Patti putting a three inch blade out I'll probably buy a dozen and give them to family members for Christmas. A Scrap Yard three inch is one I can afford to buy without a second thought and I will assume so reasonable that I could indeed buy a dozen and give them to my loved ones.
A three inch Scrap Yard blade is my ideal blade. But I'd like to see one other model even more.

The Scrap Yard Automatic Folder. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif" alt="" />
A switchblade made of SR-77 about 5/16th thick and 4 1/2 inches long with a set of Res C scales to grip on to. Bruce... can you picture it? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" />
Black blade too.

I just drooled on my keyboard. time to shut up and quit rambling.

Peace.

there ya go.