WARNING: Pekko Nilakka Folder!!!!

[hollowdweller]

You didn't read the little warning card about the edge in the box did you.

Well I'll be damned!

No I didn't! I'm gonna have to go back and look in the box!

Well they're 100% right but I'm not sure what the intended purpose would be then?? Fillet knife?

To me puukko means especially a woodcarving blade.

I've been working on mine since last night and got all but 2 of the little dimples out of the blade after I took it back about a 32nd. Put a convex secondary on it and took it out today and carved some oak and the same sycamore limb and it seems to be doing fine now.

I like a thin edge and don't mind taking it back to the min thickness it is sturdy at. But I think they should put that in the ad for these.

[yablanowitz]

Guys, you can't expect every single Spyderco knife to be able to handle every single cutting chore equally. Knives are like any other tool. You pick a tool to do a job based on its capabilities and your requirements for that job.

In this case, Spyderco has been extremely forthcoming in the product literature that this knife was DESIGNED for a specific type of task. If you aren't going to be using the Nilakka for those types of tasks - there are plenty of other models to choose from.

Nobody goes around busting Striders' chops because their blades suck at carving detailed ivory figurines. Geeesh.

TedP

If you don't mind, and have some time, could you please detail just what the intended scope of use would be for this knife? I don't expect it to do everything, but I thought making a few straight cuts on soft wood should be within the capabilities of a knife. If this is supposed to be a straight razor rather than a knife, I would appreciate knowing that.

[pap11y]

I would be seriously upset if in your situation.

When a Pukko design is essentially (to me) a carver, this is pathetic.

I think that Phillipstead's post is a little too one sided for the manufacturer. If you were trying to Baton that would be different.

Thanks for the warning, I'll stay clear of this design...

[yablanowitz]

I'm not upset at all. I put a 20° secondary bevel on mine and it is working just fine. I just don't believe in pretending there is nothing wrong when I'm pretty sure there is something amiss. If shaving arm hair is the intended scope of use, they need to say that. If cutting anything harder than balsa wood is to be considered abuse, they need to state that. While I admire the courage it took to market a production full flat zero grind folder, I believe Sal needs to rethink this. Or at least change the drop-out card to better reflect the limitations of the blade.

[videl]

that this knife was DESIGNED for a specific type of task. I\\

That's the thing though, what IS the specific type of task? "Using the Nilakka in ways that are inconsistent with the intent of the design" / "If used within the scope of design intent" What is the intent of this design????? Pekka, Sal? Surely the intent is not to have the ELU re-profile the knife to an edge that can handle more than opening letters, a traditional wood crafting design that is clearly not up for the task, some clarification is needed on the intended use of this knife. A high performance cutting tool, but only when cutting certain material in a certain way?

[Dan57]

I'm not really surprised by this. A full zero grind, and on a fairly wide blade, too.

[pwet]

i'll take a look at my takeda if i have time today, with a ruler and a caliper. i said i had no knives that acute but i think that my gyuto is in line with what i read. it's sharpened flat on the grind, the grind is quite highand the thickness on top of the bevels is way less than on the nilakka. this knife is very delicate but still handles chopping food on a cutting board all day long.

so maybe the problem is more the steel than the geometry. the takeda is aogami super (super blue)at 63hrc.

[Lycosa]

A properly executed zero grind would not do this and I have zero ground blades. Spyderco will remedy this one.

[hollowdweller]

Here's mine before reprofiling

[Lycosa]

whoa... bumpy.

[23698012]

Wow Hollow, I didn't think it would be that bad. You made a serrated knife out of that.

[hollowdweller]

The bad part was this was nothing a $20 Mora couldn't cut. In fact I cut the same limb with my Enzo Birk Folder just to test and no problem.

See here:

http://www.hollowdweller.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=2298

[Lycosa]

Man, thanks for those pix. That's a Block of a folder!
Could there be a HT problem?

[hollowdweller]

Lycosa,

I mean, I GUESS they could have got it too hot grinding it since the edge is so thin, but my guess it that the edge is just too thin and the tempering is OK. But time will tell.

[Lycosa]

HD- I have thin edge blades and they don't roll. I'm sure Sal will chime in soon.

[hollowdweller]

HD- I have thin edge blades and they don't roll. I'm sure Sal will chime in soon.

Me too. But I'm not sure I got any this thin.

[Fanglekai]

Do any other knives have s30v that thin? I wonder what kind of testing Spyderco did because that damage from a little whittling is unacceptable.

[CapitalizedLiving]

I can't wait for a blade redesign. This is an awesome folder just waiting to happen!

[Talley1013]

Wow. Glad I saw this. I almost bought one last friday at a local knife shop. I think I'll wait and see how this plays out first before pulling the trigger on this guy. It looks and feels AWESOME but I know I'll want to use it so I'd better wait.

[jtoler_9]

Thanks for the posts all. This type of discussion makes the forum so informative. I would hope that either something was off and needs to be adjusted, or "intended use" needs to be much more defined beforehand. Keep us posted Yab..