• The SH Membership has gone live. Only SH Members have access to post in the classifieds. All members can view the classifieds. Starting in 2020 only SH Members will be admitted to the annual hunting contest. Current members will need to follow these steps to upgrade: 1. Click on your username 2. Click on Account upgrades 3. Choose SH Member and purchase.
  • We've been working hard the past few weeks to come up with some big changes to our vendor policies to meet the changing needs of our community. Please see the new vendor rules here: Vendor Access Area Rules

Gear you liked/disliked 2023

If you want to ruin the temper on your good knives, stick them in the dishwasher. Prolonged and repeated exposure to super hot dishwasher temps, constant pattering of spray and degreasing agents, and it won’t be long before you’re wondering why your hardened steel Japanese santoku knife won’t hold an edge anymore and chips or rolls at the mere sight of an onion skin.
Anything tamped out of sheet steel and used for basic cooking chores (peeling potatoes, cutting sandwiches, etc), and costing less than $10 per knife might get put in a dishwasher on the regular because it’s already cheap and not necessary to sharpen.
Anything over $10 that required a legit forging process and a human bladesmith (or at least a competent mechanical bladesmith) doesn’t even hear me utter the word dishwasher around it.
 
DelaWhere_Arrow said:
If you want to ruin the temper on your good knives, stick them in the dishwasher. Prolonged and repeated exposure to super hot dishwasher temps, constant pattering of spray and degreasing agents, and it won’t be long before you’re wondering why your hardened steel Japanese santoku knife won’t hold an edge anymore and chips or rolls at the mere sight of an onion skin.
Anything tamped out of sheet steel and used for basic cooking chores (peeling potatoes, cutting sandwiches, etc), and costing less than $10 per knife might get put in a dishwasher on the regular because it’s already cheap and not necessary to sharpen.
Anything over $10 that required a legit forging process and a human bladesmith (or at least a competent mechanical bladesmith) doesn’t even hear me utter the word dishwasher around it.
Click to expand...

My dishwasher heats to max 161F. What is the temp that alters temper?
 
Plebe said:
My dishwasher heats to max 161F. What is the temp that alters temper?
Click to expand...
I get answers ranging from 150F up to over 1000F. Lots of factors to consider. But tempering can start at like 175 I believe, so altering the temper could reasonably start at that temp. The steel itself will likely be raised to a higher temperature than the water in the dishwasher as well, and the temperature inside the metal would be nearly impossible to measure but likely higher than the surface of the steel as well. So if your DW is pumping 161 for a long period, the knife’s surface and edge will be at least that hot but likely hotter, and the inner steel structure hotter than that. Let’s say even just a 20 degree increase like you might see on a steak or something from surface to inside; at 181F you could reasonably expect to “alter” the temper, if not ruin it outright. But repeated hits in the DW like that? Deterioration inside the blade would be impossible to detect until it’s too late.
Then add in corrosive detergents, pressurized water, your edge has little chance of surviving several runs of that.

Now, I welcome a knife maker to refute anything above.
 
Last edited:
Cotehex said:
I looked in to those fixed blade and noticed it wasn't the same steel as the flip and zip. Mine really holds and edge well and I was afraid the fixed blade might not.
Click to expand...
You are correct, the folders (non-replaceable blades) like Flip n Zip all seem to be 8cr13mov and the fixed blades are 420j2. No wonder the FnZ is like twice the price of a full set of fixed blades. Thanks again for the heads up.
 
DelaWhere_Arrow said:
Continuation…

Like:
Swapped my 8mm to tether and 11mm to lineman’s like I threatened to do; man, so much better. My fingers are happier when I climb and my dump pouch and stopwatch are happier when I setup/tear down. Also, the RM1 was not really my thing on a tether but it’s A1-A on the lineman’s. Seriously, almost 5 years in the saddle and I just now figgered this out.

Dislike:
This pains me to say, because I really enjoy gutting deer with it, but I’m starting to get exhausted by my Outdoor Edge Flip ‘n Zip. It’s hella sharp, easy to resharpen, packs great, works easily…but it is a major PITA to clean. I have gutted three FAT deer (like literally fat, filled with white gobs and grease) and cleaning that crap out of the hinge and inner channels of the handle makes me question my sanity. I love the zipper blade portion especially, but I may try a set of OE fixed blades instead.
Click to expand...
Boil some water and let it cool for about a minute or so and then flush your knife with it and a drop of Dawn dish soap in the water. Take it out and rinse it with hot tap water then do it again in the pan of boiled water and dish soap, rinse again and if you still see some, do it one more time. This usually gets rid of all the caked on fat. Be sure to rub your wood handled knives with some boiled linseed oil so the hot water doesn’t dry the wood out too much.
 
I'm going to use the last 2 years findings.

Likes:
Cut throat 3 blade broadheads
1/2" webbing for pull up rope- no tangles
Noc 2 it
Beast Sticks
Kifaru Shape Charge pack
BOG trail cams

Dislikes
Black diamond 200 & 250 headlamp - too dim at times
Several broadheads
Timber hitch used to secure platform
 
Liked:
  • Pants with vents built in (Kuiu Axis Hybrid) - being worth it for me
  • FirstLite Furnace base layer
  • Rick Young Bino harness
  • Permethrin (for ticks)
  • Exo Mtn k3 1800

Disliked:
  • rubber/neoprene boots (too warm for me)
  • Bolts as a climbing system
  • “Heavy duty” toboggan from Menards, shattered in the cold while dragging a deer
  • Tethrd HYS
  • Forgetting to put my sling back on my rifle, made me sit my happy ass on the ground while I could hear rutting bucks chase doe around me opening morning. lesson learned!
 
DelaWhere_Arrow said:
Louder, for the people in the back!
This was literally the first piece of gear the guy who taught me to hunt made me buy. Before the bow he set up for me, the camo, anything, he said come back with a bottle of permethrin and I’ll set up a bow for you.
Click to expand...
I spent what felt like 15 minutes picking ticks off my cousin this rifle season. I hate ticks, that’s one creature I would endorse going extinct
 
Likes:
One sticking - Built my own 15" one stick out of EWO parts and use my platform to hunt off of when I get to height. Used spurs for years but wanted something a little lighter and more compact. Tried one sticking and love it. I want to eventually buy or build an Ultimate one stick.

V3X/Axcel sight - Love this bow. I have been shooting Mathews for a few years (shot Hoyt for a long time) and picked up a V3X 29" over the summer because of the integrate stuff. I love the compactness of the setup I have. Paired it with a 3 pin Axcel sight and it is a killer that is a joy to shoot.

Cruzr XC- Fits me a lot better than other saddles I have tried. I have enjoyed hunting out of it this year.

Kodiak flexbow tent - I bought this Black Friday of '22. Still have not used it as much as I want but it is an awesome tent that checks all the boxes and will get a lot of use over the years from me.

Kifaru shape charge - I have used this pack for a couple years and I love its versitility

Kuiu kutana pants/gaiters- Awesome pants for early/midseason here in Ga. I use the gaiters so that I can walk through shallow creek/mud that is over the top of the boots. If you go quick enough, you don't get wet.

Chota hippie waders - I love these waders. We have a lot of small creeks that are over knee high and these allow me to get through those creeks without getting soaked. I have the boots too and they are great. Best part is when you get to your tree, the waders roll down to gaiters. Cannot recommend these enough.

Dislikes:
Tethrd One sticks - I forgot how much I hated climbing with multiple sticks. I have used spurs for the last 4 years and I guess I am just very use to that method of climbing. I hunted with the One sticks one time and hated them. Now, that is not a slight on the One sticks as I think any sticks would have yielded similar feelings. I actually liked the sticks and this they are a great option if that's your style, I just did not want to keep using them. I was ready to sell them before I got set up in the tree. :tearsofjoy:
 
Liked -
Latitude X-wing platform
G3D - HPE https://genesis3dprinting.com/products/hip-pinch-eliminator-bar
Kuiu - Venture 1800 pack ( purchased from here )
Bow Spider - https://bowspider.com/ - best purchase after pack.
Abowyer Broadheads- awesome SB.


Disliked -
Amsteel aiders in general, just don’t get the warm fuzzys when climbing beyond 1st stick.
Interchangeable Knives and blades- just felt like the blade would go dull as soon as I started cutting with it.

Neither Like/Dislike -
Still on the fence with my SS Sticks, I do love the light weight feel but I’m still finding myself not as comfortable using them on any kind of rough bark tree.
 
LIKED:
Sitka Tool Belt- By far my number one this year
Code of Silence Verdigre top and bottom
Killdeer treestand harness
Sitka Ambient

DISLIKE:
Latitude SS Climbing sticks
Asio Sherpa stuff was a little over rated and over priced
 
Liked:
Legend Tomahawk Saddle w/ one stick pouch-best designed one stick pouch in my opinion
Marsupial Gear Hand Muff-attached to the bottom of my bino harness and it was a game changer. Much warmer than the Sitka muff built into my Fanatic Jacket. It allowed me to ditch the jacket (hand muff was one of the only reasons I kept it) and now I don't need to deal with that bulk.

Disliked:
Innovating Outdoors Dewclaw Bow hanger with rope attachment. Absolutely a sh*t show trying to get this tied in the right place and tight enough. Ended up going back to my EZ hanger but will revisit options for next season.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top