Looking For Pocket Knife

[bjohn34]

I want to buy a good quality pocket knife as a gift for a friend. Anyone know of a store in town that has a decent selection?

thanks

[Mahseer]

Quality at a price:

http://dawhois.com/www/piakbowieknife.com.html

Around 5,500 for a small folding knife.

[Dante99]

Archery shop at Star Dome Golf Course has a good selection

[jij]

There's a military supply store on the ground level of 'Tesco'.

[Dante99]

There's a military supply store on the ground level of 'Tesco'.

which tesco?

[elektrified]

There's a military supply store on the ground level of 'Tesco'.

which tesco?

Kamthieng. I'm pretty sure everything he has there is the real thing; Wenger Swiss Army, Maglite, Buck Knives, etc. The owner is well-spoken and educated and I believe him to be honest. I've bought a couple things there and they were 100% real, not Chinese copies. Not cheap by any means.

[FolkGuitar]

The Military supply shop outside the moat near the north-east corner. Lots of large plastic water barrels out front. They carry 'Benchmade' (a top-shelf brand and my own personal favorite,) S&W, Buck, Mircrotec (overpriced but top quality,) Swiss Army Knives by Victorenox, and a few other lines.

[Johpa]

The Military supply shop outside the moat near the north-east corner. Lots of large plastic water barrels out front. They carry 'Benchmade' (a top-shelf brand and my own personal favorite,) S&W, Buck, Mircrotec (overpriced but top quality,) Swiss Army Knives by Victorenox, and a few other lines.

If you read Thai, the name of the shop is Kuntirapan. It has been there for decades, as long as I can remember, and is still run by the same family. The large plastic water barrels are great for using as solar water heaters. Before we had electricity in the village, the barrels provided me with lukewarm water in the winter.

[thrilled]

^{They have switch blades in chinatown area in Bangkok}

[xen]

I am not sure if this is relevant to you but i bought a swiss army knife once for a Thai friend and he freaked out saying that it is considered very bad luck to give a knife as a gift to a Thai. He is quite well educated and travelled and it surprised me that he had that superstitious reaction .

[candypants]

not so unusual, my mother believed the recipient of a knife as a gift had to pay the giver a penny so the gift would not cut the freindship

Edited February 1, 2013 by candypants

[FolkGuitar]

The Military supply shop outside the moat near the north-east corner. Lots of large plastic water barrels out front. They carry 'Benchmade' (a top-shelf brand and my own personal favorite,) S&W, Buck, Mircrotec (overpriced but top quality,) Swiss Army Knives by Victorenox, and a few other lines.

If you read Thai, the name of the shop is Kuntirapan. It has been there for decades, as long as I can remember, and is still run by the same family. The large plastic water barrels are great for using as solar water heaters. Before we had electricity in the village, the barrels provided me with lukewarm water in the winter.

Very nice folks! Always helpful when I've been in there. The shop has a huge variety of goods, not just military needs, and the prices are good!

I am not sure if this is relevant to you but i bought a swiss army knife once for a Thai friend and he freaked out saying that it is considered very bad luck to give a knife as a gift to a Thai. He is quite well educated and travelled and it surprised me that he had that superstitious reaction .

not so unusual, my mother believed the recipient of a knife as a gift had to pay the giver a penny so the gift would not cut the freindship

This is a common superstition spanning the globe. When I give a knife or sword as a gift, I always ask for a small coin. I don't know what would happen if I didn't ask, but there is little harm in following traditions, and often a lot to gain. Frequently, traditions arise from knowledge.

[Ticketmaster]

I am not sure if this is relevant to you but i bought a swiss army knife once for a Thai friend and he freaked out saying that it is considered very bad luck to give a knife as a gift to a Thai. He is quite well educated and travelled and it surprised me that he had that superstitious reaction .

Well isn't THAT nice. I use my pocket knife everyday and think everyone should have one. I noticed that Thais never seem to. So four years ago when I was last in the States, I bought bunch of Buck pocket knives and dutifully distributed them to all my Thai friend back here in LOS. Well, at least none of them have died yet.

[FolkGuitar]

Well isn't THAT nice. I use my pocket knife everyday and think everyone should have one. I noticed that Thais never seem to. So four years ago when I was last in the States, I bought bunch of Buck pocket knives and dutifully distributed them to all my Thai friend back here in LOS. Well, at least none of them have died yet.

The superstition doesn't suggest that people will die as a result of being gifted with sharp cutting objects, only that 'friendships may be severed.' Are you still in contact with all the people you gave these knives to, or have some of the connections gotten quieter over time?

Edited February 2, 2013 by FolkGuitar

[KRS1]

It's also a redneck rule back in Texas to give your friend a penny if he gives you a knife.

[hellodolly]

The Military supply shop outside the moat near the north-east corner. Lots of large plastic water barrels out front. They carry 'Benchmade' (a top-shelf brand and my own personal favorite,) S&W, Buck, Mircrotec (overpriced but top quality,) Swiss Army Knives by Victorenox, and a few other lines.

Very nice folks! Always helpful when I've been in there. The shop has a huge variety of goods, not just military needs, and the prices are good!

I am not sure if this is relevant to you but i bought a swiss army knife once for a Thai friend and he freaked out saying that it is considered very bad luck to give a knife as a gift to a Thai. He is quite well educated and travelled and it surprised me that he had that superstitious reaction .

not so unusual, my mother believed the recipient of a knife as a gift had to pay the giver a penny so the gift would not cut the freindship

This is a common superstition spanning the globe. When I give a knife or sword as a gift, I always ask for a small coin. I don't know what would happen if I didn't ask, but there is little harm in following traditions, and often a lot to gain. Frequently, traditions arise from knowledge.

Thank all three of you for the information. Good stuff to know.

Just goes to show don't judge a book by it's cover. At first I wasn't going to bother with this thread. That would have left me without some good information that I can use.

Edited February 2, 2013 by hellodolly

[Pikey]

OP, you might also want to check out TCK - Thai Custom Knives on Chiang Moi road. Their opening hours are a bit flaky but afternoons are best. My wife has comissioned them to make a pocket knife as a gift for me (didn't know about the coin thing - good to know). Tip top quality starting at around 3K I believe. Bone, wood and abalone shell used in the handles, brass bolsters e.t.c. The guys who run it are personal friends and stand up blokes. It's about 300m down on the left from Mike's Burgers - orange frontage.

Cheers,

Pikey.

[FolkGuitar]

OP, you might also want to check out TCK - Thai Custom Knives on Chiang Moi road. Their opening hours are a bit flaky but afternoons are best. My wife has comissioned them to make a pocket knife as a gift for me (didn't know about the coin thing - good to know). Tip top quality starting at around 3K I believe. Bone, wood and abalone shell used in the handles, brass bolsters e.t.c. The guys who run it are personal friends and stand up blokes. It's about 300m down on the left from Mike's Burgers - orange frontage.

Cheers,

Pikey.

Pikey, do you happen to know what kind steel they use for their blades? Nice handles are pretty, but D2 steel performs very differently than AUS-8 or 440C, and 1095 carbon takes a wicked edge easily but doesn't hold it as long as 154CM. (The typical steel used in locally made knives, machetes, sickles, mai-pa and e-nep seen being sold on the side of the road and in Warrarote Market is 5160 or 1055 carbon.)

Also, do you know what point they harden the steel to, and which method they use to do so?

Thanks.

[Pikey]

FG - I was in the shop yesterday and saw that at least some of the blades had "440C" stamped on them. For the other stuff, I really don't know but the guy that runs the place is very knowledgeable.

Cheers,

Pikey.

[dave2]

re

It's about 300m down on the left from Mike's Burgers - orange frontage

hes right : )

dave2

[rene123]

There was a vendor selling a variety of knives at the flower show/market today on the inside of the moat, at the south west corner. Traffic is closed in that section during market hours. The variety of orchids and bonsai plants is worth seeing even if you don't find anything worth buying.

[FolkGuitar]

FG - I was in the shop yesterday and saw that at least some of the blades had "440C" stamped on them. For the other stuff, I really don't know but the guy that runs the place is very knowledgeable.

Cheers,

Pikey.

Thanks, Piley. It's the steel that made the Victorinox and Wenger Swiss Army knives so popular. Easy to sharpen, takes a good edge, and doesn't chip easily even when sharpened to a 15 degree bevel. Very good edge retention and is an affordable choice. 440C was the first generally accepted knife makers' stainless and remains quite popular, particularly since the sub-zero process was developed to add toughness.

(By the way, both Victorinox and Wenger are owned by the same company... Both shared a contract with the Swiss Army. A compromise between the two companies gave Victorinox the right to advertise as the Original Swiss Army Knife, while Wenger laid claim to the title of Genuine Swiss Army Knife. Victorinox took over Wenger in 2005.)

[Ticketmaster]

Well isn't THAT nice. I use my pocket knife everyday and think everyone should have one. I noticed that Thais never seem to. So four years ago when I was last in the States, I bought bunch of Buck pocket knives and dutifully distributed them to all my Thai friend back here in LOS. Well, at least none of them have died yet.

The superstition doesn't suggest that people will die as a result of being gifted with sharp cutting objects, only that 'friendships may be severed.' Are you still in contact with all the people you gave these knives to, or have some of the connections gotten quieter over time?

We're absolutely tight. Best of friends. Other than my wife's family, most of them are the closest thing I have to actual family. We've been tight over 6 years and I handed out the knives to everybody some four years ago.

By the way, I mentioned this thread to my Thai wife, and she was surprised. She said she had never heard such a thing. Also, most of the people to which I gifted knives are quite superstitious (including two of them that must wear at least 100 pounds of amulets around their necks). I suggested that maybe they just took them in silence to be polite, but she assured me where such a superstition is present they would have said something -- somebody would have. I handed out over over 13 nice pocket knives (OMG! 13!). My wife said many of these superstitions are regional and the vary as you move around the country and. of course, through different strata of education.

By the way, my USA-made Buck Chairman Series Cadet is 420HC stainless. It is much more difficult to sharpen that carbon steel, of course, but takes on a keen edge and holds it for a long time. Good for me, because I like a sharp knife but am lazy about sharpening often.

Edited February 3, 2013 by Ticketmaster

[FolkGuitar]

We're absolutely tight. Best of friends. Other than my wife's family, most of them are the closest thing I have to actual family. We've been tight over 6 years and I handed out the knives to everybody some four years ago.

Glad to hear that not all superstitions are accurate, or at least, not in your case. Or maybe just not in Thailand. It's a fairly common superstition, more so than saying 'God bless you' when someone sneezes. Knife Knuts will be Knife Knuts.

By the way, my USA-made Buck Chairman Series Cadet is 420HC stainless. It is much more difficult to sharpen that carbon steel, of course, but takes on a keen edge and holds it for a long time.

420HC has a higher carbon content than regular 420 stainless. The HC stands for "high carbon" and it can be brought to a higher hardness than 420. Buck Knives use this steel in a large number of their production knives. If I'm not mistaken, Buck uses a cryogenic freeze as part of their finishing process. 420 modified stainless has been successfully used by several commercial knife producers, but availability is not practical for us hobby knife makers since darn few of us order steel in mill rolls.

Edited February 3, 2013 by FolkGuitar