- Joined
- May 4, 1999
- Messages
- 534
Hello...
I don't write a review of every knife I buy, but my most recent acquisition exceeded my expectations so much that I have to write a little something about it... it's a 9" Combat Patrol Bowie by Allen Blade. I got mine with a single guard (double guard is standard). The blade is 5160, differentially tempered with a very distinct tempering line (hamon, whatever you want to call it).
Fit is excellent; the buttcap, handle, spacers and guard feel as if they're one piece of material. There are no gaps at all between the blade and guard. The blade is ground extremely well, with the flat grind all the way up to the spine but not breaking the spine, and the shoulders match up perfectly. The spine is rounded to increase the blade's flexibility. Finish on the blade is a grey coating. I usually don't like blade coatings, but it looks appropriate on this knife somehow.
The blade came shaving sharp with one of Allen's famous Kydex sheaths (famous on Bladeforums, anyway
) Compared to my Broadwell PDK, the only other fixed blade knife with kydex sheath that I have, the Combat Patrol Bowie's sheath is very tight; it takes a good yank to get it out of the sheath and snaps into the sheath with a loud snap. At first I thought it was a bit too tight, so I took both knives by the sheath and tried to loose the knives with a flick of my wrist. The PDK flew out of the sheath with a light flick, whereas I couldn't get the Combat Patrol Bowie out of the sheath using two hands and swinging the knife over my head and down to the ground. Needless to say, the only way you're getting this knife out of the sheath is if you intend to, which I'm inclined to believe is a good thing.
I just got the knife last week, and don't intend to do any testing for testing's sake, but the knife did stand up very well to some yard work I put it through. Some of you may have read my "tree stump" thread a few weeks back; as it turns out, the largest of the stumps had exposed roots and was already rotting, so I decided to sever the roots and drag the thing out of the ground myself. The tree was right next to a concrete patio, with the largest of the roots going under the patio. I noticed right away that though the stump was rotting and coming loose in the ground, the roots were very much green and still hanging on. After a good long while, a few blisters and a lot of cussing, I managed to chop through the root; I'd guess the diameter was about 6", all extremely hard, dense wood. I don't know what type of tree it was, but the wood feels every bit as hard as the ironwood I have in my shop. The blade stood up very well, despite two full-on chops into the concrete patio (accidental). The blows to the patio were near the tip of the knife, and messed up the edge just a bit. There are a few tiny chips in the edge, but nothing a quick sharpening won't take care of. As for the rest of the blade, the part of the blade that bore the brunt of the chopping won't shave anymore, but still cuts cardboard. (I know, I said no testing for testing's sake, but I had to try it.)
The handle proved to be comfortble; from the pictures I saw before I received the knife, it looked blocky, but Allen grinds in a palm swell that you can't really see in the pictures, which makes it fit the hand pretty well. I did get a blister on my thumb, but I probably need to toughen up my hands anyway.
All in all an excellent knife; I've got an order in for a 13" model and that won't be my last, either... Allens knives are fantastic buys.
Did I mention that this knife only cost about $150? I've seen lesser knives sell for more than twice that much! But don't you all go ordering at once and push the wait time to five years, alright? There are still a few more Allen Blade knives I want first!
Ryan
I don't write a review of every knife I buy, but my most recent acquisition exceeded my expectations so much that I have to write a little something about it... it's a 9" Combat Patrol Bowie by Allen Blade. I got mine with a single guard (double guard is standard). The blade is 5160, differentially tempered with a very distinct tempering line (hamon, whatever you want to call it).
Fit is excellent; the buttcap, handle, spacers and guard feel as if they're one piece of material. There are no gaps at all between the blade and guard. The blade is ground extremely well, with the flat grind all the way up to the spine but not breaking the spine, and the shoulders match up perfectly. The spine is rounded to increase the blade's flexibility. Finish on the blade is a grey coating. I usually don't like blade coatings, but it looks appropriate on this knife somehow.
The blade came shaving sharp with one of Allen's famous Kydex sheaths (famous on Bladeforums, anyway
I just got the knife last week, and don't intend to do any testing for testing's sake, but the knife did stand up very well to some yard work I put it through. Some of you may have read my "tree stump" thread a few weeks back; as it turns out, the largest of the stumps had exposed roots and was already rotting, so I decided to sever the roots and drag the thing out of the ground myself. The tree was right next to a concrete patio, with the largest of the roots going under the patio. I noticed right away that though the stump was rotting and coming loose in the ground, the roots were very much green and still hanging on. After a good long while, a few blisters and a lot of cussing, I managed to chop through the root; I'd guess the diameter was about 6", all extremely hard, dense wood. I don't know what type of tree it was, but the wood feels every bit as hard as the ironwood I have in my shop. The blade stood up very well, despite two full-on chops into the concrete patio (accidental). The blows to the patio were near the tip of the knife, and messed up the edge just a bit. There are a few tiny chips in the edge, but nothing a quick sharpening won't take care of. As for the rest of the blade, the part of the blade that bore the brunt of the chopping won't shave anymore, but still cuts cardboard. (I know, I said no testing for testing's sake, but I had to try it.)
The handle proved to be comfortble; from the pictures I saw before I received the knife, it looked blocky, but Allen grinds in a palm swell that you can't really see in the pictures, which makes it fit the hand pretty well. I did get a blister on my thumb, but I probably need to toughen up my hands anyway.
All in all an excellent knife; I've got an order in for a 13" model and that won't be my last, either... Allens knives are fantastic buys.
Did I mention that this knife only cost about $150? I've seen lesser knives sell for more than twice that much! But don't you all go ordering at once and push the wait time to five years, alright? There are still a few more Allen Blade knives I want first!
Ryan
