best pen knife for farming

ltec

Bought a opinel for my father for Christmas due to good reviews on internet. Its pure scrap. Came blunt, sharpened it and after opening 3 round bales and sitting in tractor for 2 weeks handle was swelled up with damp and couldn't open by hand and blade was dull again. What knifes do you's all use for round bales. We were using an old serrated kitchen knife till it got lost which seemed to hold its edge far better

Miname

ltec wrote: »

Bought a opinel for my father for Christmas due to good reviews on internet. Its pure scrap. Came blunt, sharpened it and after opening 3 round bales and sitting in tractor for 2 weeks handle was swelled up with damp and couldn't open by hand and blade was dull again. What knifes do you's all use for round bales. We were using an old serrated kitchen knife till it got lost which seemed to hold its edge far better

A good retractable or folding Stanley knife is as good as youll get. Around 12-15€ for the good ones and blades can be changed easily and nice and neat in your pocket. Unless your smoking a pipe I can't see any benefit of a pen knife.

Genghis Cant

Miname wrote: »

A good retractable or folding Stanley knife is as good as youll get. Around 12-15€ for the good ones and blades can be changed easily and nice and neat in your pocket. Unless your smoking a pipe I can't see any benefit of a pen knife.

A lidl one will do the trick too. Great for bales of silage. Not great for other jobs, like cutting tails.


As for knives. I've a Mora Companion, it's an excellent knife all around.

yellow50HX

ltec wrote: »

Bought a opinel for my father for Christmas due to good reviews on internet. Its pure scrap. Came blunt, sharpened it and after opening 3 round bales and sitting in tractor for 2 weeks handle was swelled up with damp and couldn't open by hand and blade was dull again. What knifes do you's all use for round bales. We were using an old serrated kitchen knife till it got lost which seemed to hold its edge far better

Gerber make great knifes and I have one at home but it's not really suitable for farming. Stanly knife is ideal and your normally using a short blade. Ideal for cutting silage bales, netting and plastic. Also as blade runs right up to the handle, issue with pen knifes or long blade knifes is that the sharp side stops just short of the handle and can often not get cut. Also it's easy to open and close and stick in your pocket.

http://www.caulfieldindustrial.com/stanley-10099-heavy-duty-utility-knife/p-121605pd.html

Brown Podzol

I find this type of Stanley better, folds neater and easy to change the blade.

http://www.caulfieldindustrial.com/bessey-dbkpheu-folding-pocket-utility-knife/p-e02054pd.html

Kovu

I've a Leatherman Wingman, just handy for carrying round all the time.
I do have a preference for locking blades though so maybe that's why I like it so much.

Farrell

Swiss army will get you out of any situation, especially the bottle opener (on those long nights)

smokey-fitz

Cant beat the stanley knife for bales. The folding ones are handy. I also have a leatherman wave which I would be lost without. Everything on it, pliers, screwdrivers, knife, saw, first bought it for handyness when I was working on the planes but find I use it every day on the farm now. Has a leather pouch that goes on the belt. Really solid made, lifetime guarantee on them too.

Mad4simmental

Kovu wrote: »

I've a Leatherman Wingman, just handy for carrying round all the time.
I do have a preference for locking blades though so maybe that's why I like it so much.

+1 on the Leatherman, very handy tool to have in the pocket. The one with the pliers and all that.

I use the stanly for bales all the time you won't get a better or stronger knike for bales.

Suckler

Picked up a good Martini Finland knife at the ploughing one time, good utility knife to have around. Never be as sharp as a stanley but they can be dangerously sharp. Aul lad had an old kitchen knife that he kept a good edge on for bales.

Gerber & leatherman always handy to have in the pocket. Have had a couple of Opinel's, handy hobby knife I fond, fishing etc.

Wingful

Mad4simmental wrote: »

+1 on the Leatherman, very handy tool to have in the pocket. The one with the pliers and all that.

I use the stanly for bales all the time you won't get a better or stronger knike for bales.

leatherman skeletool or leatherman crater.

Mad4simmental

Wingful wrote: »

leatherman skeletool or leatherman crater.

The skeletool. A good one is expensive but the quality is in them.

ganmo

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stanley-Folding-Pocket-Knife-598/dp/B0001IWDBU

That's the one I use. It's about 2 inches long and light. Blades are very sharp when new

Connemara Farmer

Don't have silage but disagree about Opinels being scrap. Always carry one, takes a good edge when I sharpen it, cheap so don't care if I lose it, light weight so don't mind it in my pocket - often find it there when it shouldn't be as I'd forgotten it was in there. Use it here for anything from paring the odd ewes hoof, to cutting twine or net wrap, to cutting spear thistles and everything in between.

onyerbikepat

Use a Stanley one like above. I always take out the spare blades to stop them rusting when at the silage. Rub a little bit of grease too inside to keep it right. When it falls in the sh1te, wash and leave on the radiator to dry.

joejobrien

The best penknife imo is a victorinx.
Have one 6/7 years at this stage. super knife to take sharpening and more importantly hold edge.
All round knife has various items on it that you will use aroud farm, unlike a stanley!
And it fits into pocket but a penknife holder on your belt is the job.This is my second knife, lost the other one. Didnt have to think about it twice.

johnny122

joejobrien wrote: »

The best penknife imo is a victorinx.
Have one 6/7 years at this stage. super knife to take sharpening and more importantly hold edge.
All round knife has various items on it that you will use aroud farm, unlike a stanley!
And it fits into pocket but a penknife holder on your belt is the job.This is my second knife, lost the other one. Didnt have to think about it twice.

Definitely corrected on this one all round job

Kevhog1988

I have an opinel.

johndeere3350

A beet knife

Cattlepen

Connemara Farmer wrote: »

Don't have silage but disagree about Opinels being scrap. Always carry one, takes a good edge when I sharpen it, cheap so don't care if I lose it, light weight so don't mind it in my pocket - often find it there when it shouldn't be as I'd forgotten it was in there. Use it here for anything from paring the odd ewes hoof, to cutting twine or net wrap, to cutting spear thistles and everything in between.

I have to agree. I think the opinel are great. If the edge goes you can just sharpen them off a wall or a curb and they are like a razor again

Markcheese

Cattlepen wrote: »

I have to agree. I think the opinel are great. If the edge goes you can just sharpen them off a wall or a curb and they are like a razor again

That's because they're carbon steel -not stainless- easy to blunt but easy to sharpen - I like the simple blade lock on them as well - but the handle can swell a bit -

MickeyShtyles

This is what I have. Twas terrible cheap. Does everything I need up to cutting broccoli!

Nekarsulm

MickeyShtyles, agree 100%. Have two of them. One on digger and one in jeep. Two years opening bales for the digger one, no effect on edge. 3€ each in local hardware store. Good lock on the blade. If you lose it, not the end of the world.

Sam Kade

MickeyShtyles wrote: »

This is what I have. Twas terrible cheap. Does everything I need up to cutting broccoli!

Where did you get that wee-pon?

Nekarsulm

The local Arro Hardware has little buckets of them. Best Chinese Make.

MickeyShtyles

Sam Kade wrote: »

Where did you get that wee-pon?

Got it in Whytes Agri, Blakes Cross.
Wosh I gotta few more actually. €2.50

Connemara Farmer

Yeah get them all over the place.

farawaygrass

MickeyShtyles wrote: »

This is what I have. Twas terrible cheap. Does everything I need up to cutting broccoli!

Same here. Takes a sharpening well and for the price of them if you lose it you don't mind. 3e k think aswell on co op

patjack

I use the stanley as well. I used to have an old hay knife lying around the yard. It actually got robbed would you believe it. Master job for opening bales, splices the plastic and netting, it was very handy.

Genghis Cant

I mentioned this knife earlier. I came across it on this site.

http://activehuntingireland.ie/mora-knives-of-sweden-hunting-knives.html

The Black/Green Mora Companion is the one I have and can recommend. Small money and a knife!

lefthooker

I have a blue mora and would highly recommend any of the mora range.

Opinel are ok, the carbon steel holds a good edge and not too bulky in the pocket but the timber can swell and make opening impossible. Hard to beat a good stanley too, especially one of the folders.

About the only thing I don't like is an over pronounced gaurd or serrated blade, find both only snag and drag on net wrap.

blue5000

Leatherman wave here, but a Stanley in the tractor toolbox is handy for fert bags and balewrap too. Pliers on the leatherman is a big plus, but they're not cheap. You'd buy a lot of tools at a car boot sale for the price of one.

lakill Farm

I have 2 Irwin knifes. they fold in half and you get to swap the blades around. serious good knife and about 20 euro with 10 spare blades

Kevhog1988

blue5000 wrote: »

Leatherman wave here, but a Stanley in the tractor toolbox is handy for fert bags and balewrap too. Pliers on the leatherman is a big plus, but they're not cheap. You'd buy a lot of tools at a car boot sale for the price of one.

How much did u pay?

Genghis Cant

theemigrant wrote: »

How much did u pay?

The Leatherman Wave is around €125 from flashlights.ie
I've the Supertool 300 it's a shake cheaper.

blue5000

theemigrant wrote: »

How much did u pay?

It was a present, but they are well over the 100.

micraX

MickeyShtyles wrote: »

Got it in Whytes Agri, Blakes Cross.
Wosh I gotta few more actually. €2.50

Jesus Pat White wouldn't like you spelling his name that way:0
I got a multi tool in tk maxx cheap enough handy to have

MickeyShtyles

micraX wrote: »

Jesus Pat White wouldn't like you spelling his name that way:0
I got a multi tool in tk maxx cheap enough handy to have

Bit of a plug for him!