- Joined
- Mar 19, 2007
- Messages
- 7,443
I ordered a Bushcraft Blade (in the pattern of a Ray Mears Woodlore) after much research from Bernie Garland on 12/06/09. I hand picked the Box Elder Scales from a website Bernie sent me and sat down to wait for my knife to arrive.
Bernie was great with e-mail updates and photo's of the scales and the like, always answering e-mails very quickly and professionally. Bernie has been known to be an outspoken guy, but I received nothing but kind and helpful e-mails from him.
I saw pictures of my knife first on another Bushcrafting board and then here on BF WSS where Bernie is a member and knew that my wait was almost over. Well today I had to sign for a package from England and was very excited to see what was waiting inside.
Packaged in a VERY nice box and wrapping was a Certificate of Authenticity and a nice sheet for handling and protecting the blade. I checked the knife over, tested its sharpness (popping hair and plenty sharp) and set it work in the garage. I was happy with its sharpness and edge holding but knew that I was just scraping the surface of what it could do. I set to work on it with my Japanese water stones.
A few hours later, (to me the initial edge takes very long to set - but once it is set, sharpening takes minutes) I had a very very very sharp knife. Bernie's grinds were VERY flat, I did not have to take out any convexing or hollow grind and could simply set to work getting the most out of the blade. Toward the ricossa was a little thick and that area needed some attention, but nothing the 800 grit stone couldn't handle. Sharpening was a pleasure to do with the 01, it was hard, but took a polish very well.
I took the knife back out in the garage and was simply amazed by what I had in my hand.
Specs:
Blade Thickness: 0.160
Blade Length: 4.040
Blade Height: 0.933
Usable Edge: 3.860
Handle Length: 4.528
Overall Length: 8.568
Handle Thickness: 0.877 at palm swell 0.707 at front grip 0.925 at butt swell.
Fit and Finish:
Bernie's fit and finish is pretty much perfect. Everything is polished, mates well, and looks right. The blade is hand rubbed to a very fine grit, the spine of the blade and the portions exposed in the handle are at a high polish, and the handle scales themselves are very polished without being slippery. The brass pins are fit perfectly and a high polish. With a fine toothed comb there is only one small portion on the handle that I would not call perfect. Nothing to be upset about, more of a 'character' portion of the handle than an imperfection. This is the finest fit and finish I have handled in a knife.
Handle:
The handle is all very much styled after Ray's Woodlore with Bernies take on the specs and feel. I am VERY happy with the handle - it is a stout knife and when you have it in your hand, there is little room for extra handle, ricasso, or guard. Essentially, if you aren't holding it, you are cutting with it. No frills, just ready to work.
The shape of the handle is VERY comfortable in all positions. This is where, in my opinion, the Woodlore pattern comes into its own. It can cut comfortably in a myriad of hand holds with nothing that would ever resemble a hot spot. Bernie's finish is so well polished and rounded that every portion of the handle is comfortable to hold.
Blade:
Wheather it is the grind, the heat treat, the geometry, or all of the above - now that I have taken the edge to a 8000 grit polishing and then a strop - it is simply the sharpest most hungry knife I have used. It is bored with feather sticks, cuts notches with ease, is plenty beefy but nimble in the hand. I am VERY impressed with its ability to take and hold and edge as well as its ease in sharpening.
Next to the Bernie Garland Bushcrafter is the BRKT H&C knife - an Aurora Handled knife
01 is a great all around steel for bushcrafting, it has its compromises but I have really come to love it. Bernie's heat treat seems spot on. It is very tough without being brittle.
Overall Initial Impressions:
I have sold knives after one day of use and some with out any days of use that were comparable in price as this one. If it does not perform or is not for me - I sell it. I need to decide what to do with this knife. The question to answer is, who do I leave it to when they pry it from my cold dead hands.
TF
now that is a beauty TF... nice score..:thumbup: i love Bernie's work..
