- Joined
- Feb 4, 1999
- Messages
- 5,786
As some of you know I have a couple kit blades due from MadPoet, which I will discuss when I get them, but yesterday I received one of his finished knives on trade for some things I had. Here is a brief 1st impression:
The knife is one of his drop point hunters. On his webpage, there is a pic of four of these knives together, and mine is the top one. D-2 tool steel, probably a 4.5" blade and 5" handle or so. Steel is hardened to Rc 60-61. Handles are made of granadillo wood with brass pins.
I haven't really gotten to use the knife yet, but my first impression was that it is quite rustic looking (in a good way). Mel left a bit of the rough finish from the heat treating on the blade flats, but flat gorund the rest to a nice satin finish that still shows the original grind lines. His mark is fileworked into the spine, and is pretty cool-looking, too. The scales are nicely contoured, but absoultely functional with not a trace of fanciness included. This knife is truly made to be worked, and hard at that!
Despite the decidedly non-ornamental look of the handle, it is SUPER comfortable. The slabs are quite thick with a slight palm swell, and they just melt into your hand. You could use this knife all day without it wrecking your hands. The wood is nice looking, too.
I would say the blade is probably 3/16" thick at the spine, although that is an eyeball measurement. It has amazing heft to it, and you really know you have a tool in your hand when you hold it. I love the weight of this thing, and it has good balance, too. It is flat ground, and sharp as all get out! Point is pretty scary, too.
Another nice feature is the handmade leather sheath. Mine is a little loose, but Mel says it should tighten up as it dries out. It is built to last and is a nice change from the Kydex stuff I make for most of my knives.
All in all, this knife is really cool. Everything about it screams "Beat me! I can take it! Come on, Girlie-Man!" and the knife is obviously going to withstand a lot of abuse. I like the obvious freehand handmade look it has, and it is a really nice change from most of the knives I see today that are overfinished. I would not hesitate to take this knife into the woods and beat it to hell, because I know it would take more than I can dish out. Despite being a "hunter", technically (I don't hunt), this knife will serve well as a camp knife. I showed it to a friend who is a martial artist, and he loved it, then my fiancee even kind of dug it, too. That says volumes!
If you are considering a MadPoet knife, I would check out his website (I won't give it since I don't want to be accused of being a walking advertisement), which, if you can't find, just email me. He also has been really cool about making two custom knife kits for me which, if you knew the price, would make your jaw hit the ground (in a good way!).
The knife is one of his drop point hunters. On his webpage, there is a pic of four of these knives together, and mine is the top one. D-2 tool steel, probably a 4.5" blade and 5" handle or so. Steel is hardened to Rc 60-61. Handles are made of granadillo wood with brass pins.
I haven't really gotten to use the knife yet, but my first impression was that it is quite rustic looking (in a good way). Mel left a bit of the rough finish from the heat treating on the blade flats, but flat gorund the rest to a nice satin finish that still shows the original grind lines. His mark is fileworked into the spine, and is pretty cool-looking, too. The scales are nicely contoured, but absoultely functional with not a trace of fanciness included. This knife is truly made to be worked, and hard at that!
Despite the decidedly non-ornamental look of the handle, it is SUPER comfortable. The slabs are quite thick with a slight palm swell, and they just melt into your hand. You could use this knife all day without it wrecking your hands. The wood is nice looking, too.
I would say the blade is probably 3/16" thick at the spine, although that is an eyeball measurement. It has amazing heft to it, and you really know you have a tool in your hand when you hold it. I love the weight of this thing, and it has good balance, too. It is flat ground, and sharp as all get out! Point is pretty scary, too.
Another nice feature is the handmade leather sheath. Mine is a little loose, but Mel says it should tighten up as it dries out. It is built to last and is a nice change from the Kydex stuff I make for most of my knives.
All in all, this knife is really cool. Everything about it screams "Beat me! I can take it! Come on, Girlie-Man!" and the knife is obviously going to withstand a lot of abuse. I like the obvious freehand handmade look it has, and it is a really nice change from most of the knives I see today that are overfinished. I would not hesitate to take this knife into the woods and beat it to hell, because I know it would take more than I can dish out. Despite being a "hunter", technically (I don't hunt), this knife will serve well as a camp knife. I showed it to a friend who is a martial artist, and he loved it, then my fiancee even kind of dug it, too. That says volumes!
If you are considering a MadPoet knife, I would check out his website (I won't give it since I don't want to be accused of being a walking advertisement), which, if you can't find, just email me. He also has been really cool about making two custom knife kits for me which, if you knew the price, would make your jaw hit the ground (in a good way!).
