# Consider hoarding folding knives.



## The Tourist (Jun 9, 2016)

I'm not one to scream "the sky is falling," but I did get hit in the head with a piece of falling stratosphere. Let me explain.

From both the standpoint of a user and a supplier, there is no better folding knife for a prepper than the _*Kershaw Barge*_. It's simple, it's tough, and it can be polished to the extreme superior edge of a Japanese folded steel gyuto. (Most Japanese kitchen knives are polished from 15K to 25K--my Barges can leave here at 3.2 million grit.)

Yikes, Kershaw must be up all night making these, right?

Well, no, they are phasing them out--no kidding. Several weeks ago Blue Ridge told me that they were discontinuing their support for this folder and once the 1,000 pieces were gone, they would not re-stock. I bought five of them, and if my allowance holds, I will buy five more. They have lowered the price to us vendors to eight dollars per folder. This fine knife is also periodically located in their monthly catalog. The end is near.

There must be several other Blue Ridge representatives here who can buy around 12 Barges for 100 bucks. If there's one in your area, and you're building BOB for a TEOTWAWKI scenario, this knife (and a spare) should be in your kit.

I polished one for a moderator here, simply because I knew well in advance I was supplying a superior product to someone with a better background in prepping. Consider the same criteria before they are all gone.

Yes, I know this is probably a "second warning." It's a good folder for us.


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## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

Makes great sense to stockpile blades for use or barter.


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## The Tourist (Jun 9, 2016)

Camel923 said:


> Make great sense to stockpile blades for use or barter.


I agree. Think at what an "eight dollar knife" will fetch in Bartertown. As I remember the script there was even talk of, oh, never mind...

If it was me, I'd ask for pure water and two bags of groceries.

BTW, I sheepishly began to take my own advice:


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## stevekozak (Oct 4, 2015)

Tourist, from your description, this seems like a really good GHB and BOB knife. Given that the rest of us are not polishers, what is the stock edge like? Sufficient?


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## The Tourist (Jun 9, 2016)

stevekozak said:


> Given that the rest of us are not polishers, what is the stock edge like? Sufficient?


Yeah, it's sufficient, but refining the knife is going pay dividends down the road.

For example, the "polishers" at the factory are like most folks, they have a dominant hand. It shows up on the bevel. That Barge I'm doing now had an almost perfect right side bevel, the left side however was all over the map.

The knife got sharper when I made only two passes with a 140 Atoma shaping stone on that bad edge.

If surviving is an interest of yours, to be sure then a cutting device is part of the plan. I'll bet there are polishers in your area, and even here. I'd go to PM, start a thread entitled something like, "_I need a local polisher_" and lots of qualified sharpeners will respond. It's the nice thing about forums, it's not a client, it's a family.


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## 1skrewsloose (Jun 3, 2013)

I understand polishing is your thing, Edgepro.com has the same equipment you have from viewing some of your posts. 2 bills and someone with some time can do the same, Just wanted to rattle your cage.  Peace.


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## stevekozak (Oct 4, 2015)

I ordered a couple of these for $10 a piece. I will throw one in the car for funsies.


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## The Tourist (Jun 9, 2016)

1skrewsloose said:


> I understand polishing is your thing, Edgepro.com has the same equipment you have from viewing some of your posts. 2 bills and someone with some time can do the same, Just wanted to rattle your cage.


Oh, it's no problem, I even do tests for new products Ben Dale intends to bring out. I think the Edge Pro is an excellent machine for keeping a bevel straight.

The wrinkle here is that I like knives polished with Japanese waterstones. When these are used, you can take edges to silly extremes. That takes Ken Schwartz, a salesman who made inroads with the Japanese salesmen directly. He then used these superior stones to build my stones and aluminum mounts in the 1x6-inch size for the Edge Pro. I now have a few grand in Schwartz stones and can push edges even farther into the bragging rights.

We also use glass for polishing.

BTW, you'll find the cutlery industry to be the most helpful and honest of any hobbyist practice. I have never signed a contract or asked for one from a client. If the guy's word isn't any good, it becomes apparent to everyone. And I've been doing commercial polishing for over twenty years.


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## stevekozak (Oct 4, 2015)

So, my two Barges arrived today. Interesting knives. They certainly seem robust. Pocket clips seem a bit frail, but I don't anticipate ever clipping these my pocket anyways. For $10 per, I think these are a good bargain for a utility type knife. I might dress down the pry bar edge a bit to make it more useable as a screwdriver, as it is a bit thick for that function. 

On another subject related to Kershaw, I emailed the company and asked them to send me two sets of pocket clips for a couple of folders I bought a few years ago that the pocket clips broke on (I feel the clips may be a weak point for Kershaw). They happily and speedily sent me two clips with corresponding screws for free, did not even charge shipping. Topnotch customer service!! I like Kershaw knives and will continue to buy them, knowing that they stand behind their products!!


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## AquaHull (Jun 10, 2012)

Been buying and stocking blades for over 50 years. I think I'm covered.


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## The Tourist (Jun 9, 2016)

Guys, I also stocked up. They are good knives and I never had a problem with their pocket clips. I don't see why they are being phased out. But between a Boker and a Barge, I pretty much have everything I need for slicing.


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## Alteredstate (Jul 7, 2016)

I seen the neatest knife made out of an old bastard file. Good steel to start with.


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## The Tourist (Jun 9, 2016)

Alteredstate said:


> I seen the neatest knife made out of an old bastard file. Good steel to start with.


I'm also a fan of this type of knife. Periodically they appear in knife or gun magazines. However, I'm a "folder guy," primarily because my right side kidney space is taken by the P238. I can comfortably carry a knife in each of my front jeans pockets. I did have two Bradford fixed blades in my inventory, but after watching them gather dust, I sent them down to North Carolina and a woman who appreciated them.


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