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- Jun 3, 2015
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This knife seems to have generated some interest in another thread, so I thought I would post a quick review and some photos.
I bought this a while back during a debate about making a cheap high quality sodbuster. This knife came up when I went looking to see if there were such a knife, and I bought one. This was mainly on the appealing quality of the rosewood handles - the knife clearly isn't high quality in other areas.
Terroir is a French word meaning earth or soil, and also a reference to the natural environment a thing comes from. This is either apt, when you hold this knife in hand and admire its utilitarian aesthetics, or ironic, when you consider its place of manufacture (You can choose your reaction here).
The knife comes at an attractive price of $11-$12 shipped from a variety of retailer. For this you get:
A rosewood or olivewood handle
Steel liners
Brass pins
440c steel blade
It also comes in an upscale box which is surprisingly nice at the pricepoint.
From what I can work out, the knife is made in China or Pakistan. The things you notice about it are it has a nice heft - its very thick for its length for those of us used to GEC aesthetics. Also, the rosewood on mine is gorgeous and its not even as nice as some I have seen posted online.
The size is about the same as a GEC #71 bullnose sodbuster at 4 1/4" closed, as you can see its a little larger overall. It has a good chunky feel in hand.
The fit and finish is not good, but it reminds me a lot of imported teak furniture that has the same characteristics. Its not trying to be perfect and doesn't try and hide its imperfections. Its comforting knowing that if you put an extra ding in the knife, you really just add to the character that is already there.
As you can see there are noticeable gaps between the liners and handles particularly at the butt of the handle. The backspring and liners also need a bit of a sanding or polish - or some pocket time would do just as well.
The blade snap is strong and there is no half stop. See video here
The blade is pinchable and the nail nick does its job. Walk on mine is a little rough, even with a load of oil in the joint. This is an area where the lower quality is noticeable and not pleasing or redeemable.
The blade is fine, a fairly standard pattern. The quality of the 440c stainless steel is clearly low, but I have no comparative assessment to offer - I understand many Chinese-built knives would come with this type of steel and really this is the competition for a knife at this pricepoint. I think even Opinels are priced a little higher.
Here it is compared to the GEC bullnose sodbuster #71 and an upscale equivalent size knife in the stainless chestnut #42. I would prefer to carry the #42 if I had a choice in this field - but its my favourite GEC so I am a little biased!
Back to the Terroir, I like it. Its got its drawbacks, but I would prefer it over an Opinel if only because its a bit different, has more character and its a bit more rugged, qualities we outdoors guys like to aspire to!
I bought this a while back during a debate about making a cheap high quality sodbuster. This knife came up when I went looking to see if there were such a knife, and I bought one. This was mainly on the appealing quality of the rosewood handles - the knife clearly isn't high quality in other areas.
Terroir is a French word meaning earth or soil, and also a reference to the natural environment a thing comes from. This is either apt, when you hold this knife in hand and admire its utilitarian aesthetics, or ironic, when you consider its place of manufacture (You can choose your reaction here).
The knife comes at an attractive price of $11-$12 shipped from a variety of retailer. For this you get:
A rosewood or olivewood handle
Steel liners
Brass pins
440c steel blade
It also comes in an upscale box which is surprisingly nice at the pricepoint.
From what I can work out, the knife is made in China or Pakistan. The things you notice about it are it has a nice heft - its very thick for its length for those of us used to GEC aesthetics. Also, the rosewood on mine is gorgeous and its not even as nice as some I have seen posted online.
The size is about the same as a GEC #71 bullnose sodbuster at 4 1/4" closed, as you can see its a little larger overall. It has a good chunky feel in hand.
The fit and finish is not good, but it reminds me a lot of imported teak furniture that has the same characteristics. Its not trying to be perfect and doesn't try and hide its imperfections. Its comforting knowing that if you put an extra ding in the knife, you really just add to the character that is already there.
As you can see there are noticeable gaps between the liners and handles particularly at the butt of the handle. The backspring and liners also need a bit of a sanding or polish - or some pocket time would do just as well.
The blade snap is strong and there is no half stop. See video here
The blade is pinchable and the nail nick does its job. Walk on mine is a little rough, even with a load of oil in the joint. This is an area where the lower quality is noticeable and not pleasing or redeemable.
The blade is fine, a fairly standard pattern. The quality of the 440c stainless steel is clearly low, but I have no comparative assessment to offer - I understand many Chinese-built knives would come with this type of steel and really this is the competition for a knife at this pricepoint. I think even Opinels are priced a little higher.
Here it is compared to the GEC bullnose sodbuster #71 and an upscale equivalent size knife in the stainless chestnut #42. I would prefer to carry the #42 if I had a choice in this field - but its my favourite GEC so I am a little biased!
Back to the Terroir, I like it. Its got its drawbacks, but I would prefer it over an Opinel if only because its a bit different, has more character and its a bit more rugged, qualities we outdoors guys like to aspire to!
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