Suggestions On A Round Knife...

[tanda4]

Somewhere between Tandy junk and the beautiful work of art from Leather Wranglers?

I would love a Leather Wrangler round knife, but it's a little expensive for a beginner.

[J Hayes]

Check Bruce Johnson's website, he usually has them in the $120 or so range for a nice vintage well made one.

I have a new Osborne, eh its ok. Took a lot of time to get it sharp and one side stays sharp longer than the other, again its ok.

I'm not sure what you make, I mainly do holsters and having that round knife good and sharp allows me to cut right on the line nice and clean and saves a ton of sanding time. Worth the money IMO.

Jeremy

Edited October 21, 2013 by J Hayes

[Pablo27]

I have bought a couple of CS Osborne knives on Ebay at a decent price, but they need some work, and the learning curve is beating me up! I understand that the Ones Bruce has are real nice and are ready to use when you get them. Just giving you a couple of options. Personally I would love to buy one from Bruce but the funds aren't there right now. Good luck. I would love to see another video or two on sharpening round knives, the one from Leather Wranglers is good just would like to see some other ideas.

[tanda4]

Being a noob, I don't really have a style or concentration yet. It will be more of small items such as wallets, straps, journal covers, etc.

I wonder if this style of knife would be a little more manageable ... Leather Wrangler Mini Lui

[Cyberthrasher]

Depends on how big your hands are. I talked a lot with Paul at Leatherwranglers before getting my full round knife, and was actually considering either the mini-lui or mini-sam. He recommended the full size for me since I have larger hands. Plus, I LOVE the style of Paul's knives and they are really easy to handle.

If you're looking for a good knife at a lower price point, ART Knife And Tool from Josh Fields is a good choice I hear. He's coming up in the knife world and EVERYBODY I've talked to who has tried one of his knives has nothing but good to say.

http://www.artknifeandtool.com/

You can also look him up on Facebook. I'm a huge fan of Paul Z. and Leatherwrangler's knives, but I gotta give a hand to Josh and the work he's doing as well. Seems to be an excellent choice for a slightly less expensive knife.

[Spinner]

I have a Mini Lui arriving in the next week or so and a ART Knife & Tool Hybrid arriving next month. I have tried the LW rounds knives before and own a Tandy round knife but even with good sized hands (Large glove size) the way I hold the knife the smaller ones work better for me.

I was able to try both knives at the Denver IFoLG show and due to handle shapes, etc. they do fit differently in the hand but both feel very nice. I ordered the Hybrid from Josh because I do quite a bit if skiving and being able to cut and skive without switching tools will be very handy.

The quality on both is top notch and both offer customizations if there is something different you want out of your knife.

[Spinner]

side note for the budget conscientious folks, a Tandy round knife will work. They come with a crappy edge and need to be sharpened correctly and then maintained but they will work. I took mine to a shop near me that has an amazing Japanese guy (swear he is at least 100 years old) that just sits in a closet sized room in back sharpening knives. Took him the Tandy set and a few days later had razor sharp blades. I simply strop them before each use and they work well, can even skive 3/4 chrome tan to about 1oz with the round knife when I need to. The drawback is they don't stay sharp for more than one sitting whereas the LW and ART knives hold an edge much longer and have a few more handy innovations.

[Cyberthrasher]

I got my LW round knife in April I believe. With constant use, it's NEVER seen my stone. I just strop it after each use and it's good to go when I need it.

Just to add to the "sharpening" aspect. There's a lot to be said for how much time we have to spend sharpening our tools vs. using them. I've talked to a lot of people who end up with a cheap knife and just go back to the razor blade because they can't keep it sharp and just assume that they're all crap because of it.

[J Hayes]

If all you are cutting is straight lines I think its impossible to beat a rotary knife, olfa mat and quilters straight edge. I cut all my straps with my wife's quilting stuff (shhhh) it glides through 8/9 oz veg tan with ease. Just my overpriced .02

Jeremy

[lwm803]

As far as round knives go the Tandy "junk" works fine for me. I keep it sharp and honed, and it cuts effortlessly. But I understand sharpening knives and leather working is not an everyday event for me. It is easier to justify the smaller investment in suitable equipment that sees limited use, especially when a bit of work (sharpening/stropping) results is better than satisfactory results. Sure better steels hold an edge through more cutting, just as a Ferrari will cut through the wind more easily than my Silverado (either one can get me to my destination).

[silverwingit]

I have a bit of a different take on round knives and leather knives in general.

Yes, one can buy a $250 round knife that is already razor sharp, one that only stropping will get you by for some period of time. But what happens then? You'd better know how to sharpen it!

That's why, for entry into the leatherworker realm, I recommend getting an affordable round knife (e.g., C.S. Osborne) and to then spend the rest of your $250 on some sharpening tools and whatever time you need to learn how to use them effectively.

You could go one of several ways with this; either a set of diamond sharpening stones or possibly a motorized "paper wheel" sharpening setup (http://www.grizzly.com/products/G5937), and then a good strop or two. I ended up with all of the above. There are also high-end sharpening systems that can cost hundreds of dollars.

You will accumulate several different knives on your journey and knowing how to achieve and maintain razor-sharp edges on them will serve you well. Your work will be cleaner and your shop safer.

At least that's the way I see it.

Michelle

http://youtu.be/9i4AIo-O9So