Swivel knife recommendations?

[AdamDavis]

Hey guys, I was wanting to try my hand at carving but wasn’t sure what knife or tools to buy. I was looking at Berry Kings as I have some edgers from them that I like. Any opinions about these? There are multiple size options as well, is one better? I appreciate any and all input! Thanks!

[tsunkasapa]

I have a King knife and I like it. But I don't think it's really any better than the Craftool Pro I have. Either one is a fair outlay of cash. You might consider a more economical option until you decide if you like carving.

[AdamDavis]

@tsunkasapa Thanks and you’r right; I may  not like it. I was thinking buying a decent one now would save me from having to upgrade later. Perhaps they are all pretty similar ?

[fredk]

They are all quite similar, but the top makes use ball bearing races to make the swivel smooth whilst the cheaper ones just rely on the yoke turning in a drilled hole. If you buy one of these; first, dismantle it and put some toothpaste into that hole. re-assemble and work the yoke turning in the hole. the toothpaste will smooth the action. dismantle, clean out the toothpaste and apply a light coat of 3-in-1 oil

[AdamDavis]

@fredk thanks for the tip! I may still have some lapping compound from brownells;; might be worth a go.

[billybopp]

If you want to go inexpensive at first to see if it's something you're interested in, poke around on eBay.   I've bought five or six swivels for $15 or so.   Nothing fancy, but good enough to experiment and learn with!  If you like it, get something better later.  You'll also start to have an idea about what you look for in a swivel!

- Bill

[battlemunky]

I have 4 different swivel knives, one BK, one Tandy basic, and two no name/unidentified knives. To me they are all similar enough to where I have different blades on each and use them for the blade and not the knife so much. If I had to do it over again I think I'd opt for the route @billybopp suggested and then when you determine whether or not carving is your thing or not, then invest in a better name unless you like the cheaper ones. The blade is the important part unless the yokes don't turn well but @fredk's advice should limit that too.

Let us know which direction you take. It's always cool seeing other folks' directions in the journey.

[AdamDavis]

Right on guys! Thanks for the advice!

[kseidel]

Professional's perspective:  While the swivel knife body is not really that critical to a beginner, the blade can make or break your experience.  A sharp blade ground at the correct angle and polished to a mirror surface is important for smooth cutting in the leather.  Most budget blades are ground on coarse wheels and are impossible to make satisfactory cuts.  You will not be able to create a design that looks anything like you want and you will get discouraged real quickly.  I have found it impossible even for a professional to get satisfactory results from hobby stamping tools.  I know it is a significant investment, but quality tools are worth what they cost.  On a side note, you can always recoup your investment in quality tools, while cheap tools have little to no resale value.

What style of carving and stamping are you wanting to try?

Keith

[Leescustomleather]

Check out these, he is on Etsy LeatherStampsTools He has a lot of top-of-the-line tools, I own quite a few of them but have yet to spring for a swivel knife body. I realize that my comment is not very helpful but if you go look, I bet you will enjoy seeing what he has to offer. He is also a sponsor on this site