...just wondering whether anyone has any opinions on the loveless clones made by beretta (quince drop point) and lone wolf (green micarta skinner) as a hunting tool...

...tia...

I'm not familiar with the Beretta knife, but the Lone Wolf fixed blade semi-skinner is a pretty good knife. Workmanship is quite nice, though the steel is just average, IMO, and the handle is considerably thicker than I like. Just my take on things, though, your mileage may vary.



Fallkniven of Sweden offers a knife that is quite similar, but uses a little better steel

(VG-10 stainless), has a convex ground blade, is a bit lighter in weight, and sports a slimmer handle, for about the same price. It is made in Japan. (I believe the Lone Wolf is made in Italy.) You can see it here:

Fallkniven F1 - green micarta



..... and they offer this one, with a little thicker blade, a stick tang, and a leather washer handle, also for about the same price:

Fallkniven NL5



If interested, here's more info on the Fallkniven line of knives:

Fallkniven Knives

...thanks for the response...

...the beretta sports su8 steel...holds its edge fairly well...

...don't know what type of steel is used in the lone wolf loveless clones...tho its made in italy the steel quality does not seems as high as the beretta's steel...

Thomas,
I did a search and found the Beretta knife on the Cabela's website. According to the ad, the steel used is AUS-8, which is a Japanese steel, similar to our 440B. It can be a very decent knife steel, if the heat treat is done properly.

I don't know this for a fact, but would suspect that the steel in the Lone Wolf version is not much different. The heat treat process can make a world of difference in the performance of the end product, however. Neither knife is ugly, that's a given. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Here's the Cabela's ad:
Beretta "Loveless-style" Drop Point

...thanks again for the response...

...i actually have two beretta loveless clones...the quince drop point and the zytel skinner...you are correct, both supposedly use aus8 steel...but when comparing the two, the quince steel seems much better in terms of quality and edge-holding ability than the zytel...must be the $150 price difference...

...also have the lone wolf loveless city folder...supposedly made of something called 'lv-03' steel (0.95 carbon, 13.5 chromium, 0.65 magnesium)...don't really know what that means...

Lone Wolf - Loveless "City Knife"

( from A.G. Russell )



Had to pin that one up, ... neat little knife!

...thanks...the city knife makes for a great letter opener...

...lone wolf also has some loveless clone folders (drop point and skinner) that look quite good, especially for field use...

...what do you think of the steel lone wolf uses?...or the fact that they are produced in italy?...thought the great steel/knives were all made here or in japan, as in the case of the beretta loveless clones...

Yeah, they do look nice. I see they're using 154CM steel in those, too, rather than the LV-04 stuff of the fixed blade models. Could be that the folders hold an edge a bit longer. Maybe. (Just thinking out loud.)


Looks like Lone Wolf uses about 14 different kinds of steel in their blades, and I've never heard or read about who does the heat treating on any of it. Wish I had a Lone Wolf variety pack to test drive, but I don't <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> , so I really can't even make a meaningful guess as to their performance. In fact, some of the steels they use, I've never heard of. Apparently, 3 of them are new recipes from Sandvik:

Lone Wolf Blade Steels

I have no doubt that there are several Italian knifemaking concerns that have the facilities and know-how to be able to crank out some excellent cutlery on a production basis. Lone Wolf makes some of their knives in Oregon, too, I guess, and some in Japan. Its all good, I reckon, as long as they don't outsource to France. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

...again...appreciate your thoughts...

Here is a true Loveless clone - at least the blade is marked with his name. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2235325377&category=1403

This is a "Stewart 52-100 steel" Marbles, not the alchemite stuff the current Marbles corporate heads decided to go with. I have this same knife and it is an excellent shape for a hunting knife, and that convex grind blade stays extremely Sharp!

Almost did not post this as I was thinking of bidding on it, but as I already have one plus a quartet of Bark River knives made by Mike Stewart...

Thought I would pass this along if someone wants a really useful hunting knife.

Jim In Idaho, have you had a chance yet to test those Bark River knives out in the field, on game, or in camp?? Just wondering as they look like they'd be very useful. I've seen some of the "tests" on B.F., but would appreciate another viewpoint.

Thanks. L.W.

I have an old Schrade-Loveless hunter style knife that I bought around 25 years ago and can't find any info on it.



Is it worth anything or is this version a dud?

I would forward Walker's recommendation of Fallkniven. I have several of their knives and like them very well. After dressing a 6x6 Elk my F-1 would still pop hairs off your arm. They make several versions of the F-1 -The green Micarata is by far the most expensive (and best looking). Some of the other F-1's are under a $100. The NL-5 is a extremely nice knife that gets scary sharp - haven't used it in the field yet though.........DJ

WMacD,
I really don't know squat about collector values, but I have seen the Schrade/Loveless drop point hunters offered for sale in the $60 to $100 range, roughly (mint condition). Blade steel is 154CM, IIRC. Would likely be a good user, should you ever get the notion to muck it up. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for the reply. I paid $100.00 when I bought it new, so it looks to be a real dud from the standpoint of any collector value. It's still in the box and has never touched a stone.

The Loveless design is beautiful and this is probably one of the better knives that Schrade made.