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- Jun 12, 2013
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As I arrived back from the Spring Gathering, I found myself with two more blades, the Bk16 from Ethan, and a Custom from Matt Tackett. This morning I decided to go out and do a proper shootout.
The contestants were the BK16 with a striped and convexed blade- An ESEE 4 with liners and I striped and convexed blade - and a Custom Scandi from Matt Tackett, with Jade green G-10 scales.
The test were thus: (in order) Handle comfort, Chopping, cross-grain batoning, with-grain batoning, feathersticking, carving, and edge retention/ ease of sharpening.
Group shot:
First Test: Handle comfort
The pics don't say much, but I do.
The Bk16 feels the best in my hand, very, very, closely followed be the Tackett, and then the EsE 4.
Second: Chopping (I like my blades to get a chance to get dull before I de carving)
The test was a Poplar sapling, about 2.5" in diameter. Counting the strikes
First strike, BK16:
First 40:
First 100:
Aaaaaand done! At 153:
First strike E 4 (well, second but the first wouldn't stick
)
First 40:
First 100:
Aaaand done! At 152!!!!
First 3 strikes (first two didn't stick)
40:
Aaaand done!!! at an astounding 121!!
That was a very interesting test. The ESEE 4 has more weight to it than the 16, but there's nothing to grab with the 4. The Tackett usually isn't very good for me because the scandi doesn't want to bite deep.
Winner: Tackett, the 16 coming in second, and the 4 in last, the 16 is much more comfortable.
Third: Cross-grain Batoning.
First whack for Tackett:
12th:
Aaaaand done! At thirty.
First whack, 16:
12:
Aaaand done! At 18!!
First whack, ESEE 4:
12th:
Aaaand done!! 21 whacks of the batton.
The Tackett was at a disadvantage because the scandi didn't want to sink in as well as the FFG 4 and 16. The 16 did better than the ESEE because of thinner stock me thinks.
The 16 wins this, if I was doing this a lot, I'd pick the 4, tougher.
Fourth: Battoning
No in-progress picks.
Done with ESEE 4:
Done with 16:
The Tackett:
The 4 took two whacks a piece, the 16 took two whacks a piece, and the Tackett took two whacks a piece.
If I was doing this a LOT, I'd pick the 4, toughest. They all did just fine though.
Five: Feathersticking/ carving.
The wood I was using was wet-ish poplar, not very good for feathers, but easy to bite into.
ESEE 4 feathers:
4 shavings, as deep as I could make them:
16 Feathers:
Bites:
Tackett feathers:
Bites:
The ESEE didn't do to well, I don't know why. I felt the 16 wanted to curl better, but the wood was wet and didn't want to. The Tackett was the best, It was designed for this task specially.
Sixth: Edge
The ESEE 4 held the best edge, I think because of the best HT and thicker edge. The 16 and Tackett were still shaving.
My favorite: The Tackett, very closely followed by the BK16, and then the ESEE 4. The Tackett chops better, and carves better. That's what I do most, second is Cross grain batoning, but to have to chop a baton first.
Enjoy!
The contestants were the BK16 with a striped and convexed blade- An ESEE 4 with liners and I striped and convexed blade - and a Custom Scandi from Matt Tackett, with Jade green G-10 scales.
The test were thus: (in order) Handle comfort, Chopping, cross-grain batoning, with-grain batoning, feathersticking, carving, and edge retention/ ease of sharpening.
Group shot:
First Test: Handle comfort
The pics don't say much, but I do.
The Bk16 feels the best in my hand, very, very, closely followed be the Tackett, and then the EsE 4.
Second: Chopping (I like my blades to get a chance to get dull before I de carving)
The test was a Poplar sapling, about 2.5" in diameter. Counting the strikes
First strike, BK16:
First 40:
First 100:
Aaaaaand done! At 153:
First strike E 4 (well, second but the first wouldn't stick
)
First 40:
First 100:
Aaaand done! At 152!!!!
First 3 strikes (first two didn't stick)
40:
Aaaand done!!! at an astounding 121!!
That was a very interesting test. The ESEE 4 has more weight to it than the 16, but there's nothing to grab with the 4. The Tackett usually isn't very good for me because the scandi doesn't want to bite deep.
Winner: Tackett, the 16 coming in second, and the 4 in last, the 16 is much more comfortable.
Third: Cross-grain Batoning.
First whack for Tackett:
12th:
Aaaaand done! At thirty.
First whack, 16:
12:
Aaaand done! At 18!!
First whack, ESEE 4:
12th:
Aaaand done!! 21 whacks of the batton.
The Tackett was at a disadvantage because the scandi didn't want to sink in as well as the FFG 4 and 16. The 16 did better than the ESEE because of thinner stock me thinks.
The 16 wins this, if I was doing this a lot, I'd pick the 4, tougher.
Fourth: Battoning
No in-progress picks.
Done with ESEE 4:
Done with 16:
The Tackett:
The 4 took two whacks a piece, the 16 took two whacks a piece, and the Tackett took two whacks a piece.
If I was doing this a LOT, I'd pick the 4, toughest. They all did just fine though.
Five: Feathersticking/ carving.
The wood I was using was wet-ish poplar, not very good for feathers, but easy to bite into.
ESEE 4 feathers:
4 shavings, as deep as I could make them:
16 Feathers:
Bites:
Tackett feathers:
Bites:
The ESEE didn't do to well, I don't know why. I felt the 16 wanted to curl better, but the wood was wet and didn't want to. The Tackett was the best, It was designed for this task specially.
Sixth: Edge
The ESEE 4 held the best edge, I think because of the best HT and thicker edge. The 16 and Tackett were still shaving.
My favorite: The Tackett, very closely followed by the BK16, and then the ESEE 4. The Tackett chops better, and carves better. That's what I do most, second is Cross grain batoning, but to have to chop a baton first.
Enjoy!
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I have I very hard time picking a winner in each test, but I hate it when reviewers say "any knife will work, I can't pick one over the other," it bugs me, like they're wasting my time. 
