A few WSS reviews....(6 total)

[ROCK6]

Alright, I’ve been a little busy to post some reviews on some recent items I’ve had the chance to play with, so I’m going to just put them all in one post:

1. Ram Horizontal Sheath by Rob Marcinek for my SBT
2. Mora’s new Bushcraft knife
3. Rick Garcia’s sheath for my Valiant Parang
4. Wetterling’s “Bushcraft” axe
5. Vargo’s Hexagon backpacking stove
6. Leatherman’s “Premium” multitool sheath

First, let me start with Rob Marcinek’s horizontal Ram sheath. First impressions were “wow…this is well made!” Stitching is very robust; leather is well treated and great hardware. My only issue was the horizontal straps were a little tight; I know they will loosen up with more use, but I wish they had just a little more (about ½”) length, but that’s just a personal preference. The accessory pouch is excellent and can be used as a stand-alone. I currently have it setup with an older Going Gear firesteel, Fallkniven DC4 sharpener and a Buck Hartsook small neck-knife.

I used a small block of fat-wood to “block up” the bottom of the accessory pouch:

ROCK6

 

[ROCK6]

I finally got a chance to work with Mora’s new “bushcraft” knife. I was actually working more with Wetterling’s axe, but I did get to use it on my large wooden spoon, a little feather making and battoning

ROCK6

 

[ROCK6]

A while back I was looking for somebody to make a leather sheath for my Valiant Parang; it comes with a nice wood sheath, but I wanted something a little more secure, leather and with a should strap. Rick hit a home run on this one! He was super easy to work with and his quality is top notch…can I say it’s WSS-quality? The open back makes pulling out or putting back much easier. An often overlooked but great feature is a pivoting retention strap; it will secure when needed and will fold around to the back of the sheath when you’re constantly using, sheathing, etc. I’ll definitely be contacting Rick for future sheath projects!

ROCK6

 

[ROCK6]

I finally got a hold of the Wetterling’s “bushcraft” axe which is very close to GB’s SFA. Fit and finish out of the box was actually quite good; good alignment, even sharpening and a good edge profile. I did very little to get a better hone on the edge, but it did well to get me started on a spoon:

After the initial shaping, I used my “carving kit”, mostly my new Mora Bushcrafter and Mora’s spoon/bowl carver:

ROCK6

 

[ROCK6]

Here’s Vargo’s folding titanium wood stove. Actually, it fits both a Sterno fuel can, the Swiss surplus alcohol stove and Vargo’s smaller alcohol stove. I haven’t tried Trioxane or Hexamin, but they would work pretty well also. It’s well made (time will tell on how well). It folds quite flat which is good as it can fit into a number of bags (lumbar, small packs, shoulder bags, etc.).

After I collected a bunch of small, dead and dry branches to get the fire started, I actually used the chips from my spoon carving to get a good fire going. I used my Crusader cup to boil water (twice); first trying some dandelion tea (odd, but okay) and finally my favorite, licorice root tea.

I stared with a piece of roofing tile, but it started to melt with the heat, so I had to move it to the top of a couple of bricks. Just a good reminder to know what your fire is burning on top of…

ROCK6

 

[ROCK6]

WSS Review 6 of 6

Lastly is Leatherman’s “Premium” multitool sheath. Quality is really great (it’s made in Mexico, if that means anything to anybody). Stitching is great and the offset accessory pouches are better than their older sheaths that just had flat, elastic side pouches. The profile is a little wider and thicker, but it’s not too bad. It has both vertical and horizontal belt attachments which is nice. Like most of the Leatherman tools, it has an open bottom that allows you to carry the multitool folded or unfolded with the pliers-head poking out the bottom. The size fits all of my larger multitools, but I’m carrying my Victorinox Spirit since it’s my EDC. I’ve added a County Comm AAA LED light, TOPS fire starter (magnesium/ferro-rod) and a small DMT sharpener.

Hope you enjoyed the reviews!

ROCK6

 

[TheGame]

I haven't paid much attention to the multi-tool sheaths recently, but that one looks different then any I have seen.

The ram sheath looks really nice, too. Looks well made.

Great reviews overall :thumbup:

Thanks for posting.

 

[ROCK6]

Well, I’ll add a little chopper love as I did some tree/branch trimming with some of my larger choppers as I worked with my Valiant Parang…

A pretty massive thunderstorm moved in while I was trimming up these branches, but here are a few pictures of the “trimming tools”:

The work…

The fire and the downpour in the lake behind:

Here’s what go my fire going:

ROCK6

 

[grunt soldier]

rock 6 great reviews as always. is that golok the condor one and if so how did you like it. i have really been contemplating one

 

[ROCK6]

rock 6 great reviews as always. is that golok the condor one and if so how did you like it. i have really been contemplating one

Yeah it is. It's actually turning into a favorite. The taper makes it lighter than the Valiant golok, but it still has enough meat to be a good chopper. For the price, I would highly recommend it for both light stuff and medium chopping on thicker wood.

ROCK6

 

[valcas1]

Yeah it is. It's actually turning into a favorite. The taper makes it lighter than the Valiant golok, but it still has enough meat to be a good chopper. For the price, I would highly recommend it for both light stuff and medium chopping on thicker wood.

ROCK6

Rock6,

How would you compare it to the BRKT golok? I know fit and finish is night and day. I am really asking about balance and chopping ability.

Thanks

Paul

 

[ROCK6]

Rock6,

How would you compare it to the BRKT golok? I know fit and finish is night and day. I am really asking about balance and chopping ability.

Thanks

Paul

Based on the profile, the Bark River is better on hard woods, battoning or use as a draw-knife. The Condor could do all of the above okay, but really do well at clearing lighter vegetation. I’ll have to do a side-by-side comparison, but I think it really comes down to size; the BRKT is a little more compact…a little less leverage for chopping where the Condor is a little longer and better on lighter vegetation. It’s a tough call, but based on price alone, the Condor Golok would be a no-brainer.

ROCK6

 

[Mistwalker]

Nice reviews Rock, so would you be really happy with the Wetterlings in a bushcraft scenario? I'm thinking of getting a small axe for the truck.

Who makes that parang between the Condor and the BRK&T? I like that.

 

[ROCK6]

Nice reviews Rock, so would you be really happy with the Wetterlings in a bushcraft scenario? I'm thinking of getting a small axe for the truck.

Who makes that parang between the Condor and the BRK&T? I like that.

I really don't see much difference between the GB and Wetterlings...even fit and finish is minimal. The handle has a great grain and is fitted very well; I wouldn't hesitate to add the Wetterlings if that was the size and style you wanted.

Between the BRKT and Condor is the Martindale Golok...I should say it's golok-shaped, but thinner like a machete. I did some re-profiling so it has more of a convexed edge, but the steel is pretty soft and requires "touch-ups" a little more often. The original sheath sucks, but the plastic USGI machete sheath works great (I cut it down some to fit the shorter golok).

ROCK6

 

[schmittie]

Nice review Rock! I have a Ram sheath as well and its awesome! I'm super happy with it too and everyone else that has seen it is very impressed. (however I agree with you, the horizontal straps could use a little room) I'm glad Rob's work is getting around.

 

[untamed]

Good stuff Rock! That Leatherman pouch is cool and that Ti stove is just sick!

(Gets a pang of serious gear envy. . .)

 

[Raining]

What is the 3rd knife in the photo? Is it a mora...?

I like your "carving kit" - thanks for the pics and reviews!

 

[ROCK6]

What is the 3rd knife in the photo? Is it a mora...?

I like your "carving kit" - thanks for the pics and reviews!

Thanks! Yeah, that little guy is a great carver...it's by Brusletto and called the Profileringskniv; a little cheaper (less "polished") version of Brusletto's Troll model.

ROCK6

 

[PayetteRucker]

That bushcraft axe is sweeeet!

 

[GrinderMcgee]

The vargo hex stove is a great concept. thank you for sharing.