- Joined
- Jul 22, 2005
- Messages
- 4,360
(This is my first pass-around experience and first review! I hope it helps someone!)
Here is my humble opion of the Boker A-F Smatchet
My first impressions of this knife out of the box:
$178 dollars for a knife with a thermoplastic handle. Sheesh.
The handle is the major downfall of the smatchet. It feels very hollow, and doesn't fit the tang very well.
The first place I took the smatchet was in the swamps of SC. It chopped through cypress knees well, and the light blade went through light vines very well. The sheath did not strap well to my side down there, and got caught on some vines. The sheath seemed like it would come apart at any moment, and I didn't see the practicality of the Velcro underneath the button that holds the handle.
In the mountains of NC I got to see it's true colors. The knife was light for a large blade, and well balanced, so I couldn't help but throw it. Out of the two times I did throw it, it stuck. The first throw was of the "Mcevoy" throw, with one rotation. It sank into the wood about 2 inches. The second throw was straight blade throw style, also yielding two inches of penetration on an old pine round. At that point I decided to call the throwing quits. The second test I wanted to put it through was the tough rhododendron branches that are all over the place. After the first 30 mins, the pins came loose on the handle and I had to stamp them back in using a jewler's hammer.
I'm no knife fighter, but this knife's design and lightness would seem great for a fast paced Filipino style. The leaf shaped design is a fun design and I like the overall balance of the knife, I just wish they would make it in carbon steel with rivets and a micarta handle. Personally I wouldn't even pay $40.00 for this knife. I put it up against Ontario's RTAk and the RTAK shined through and through, destroying the rhododendron.
Here is my humble opion of the Boker A-F Smatchet
My first impressions of this knife out of the box:
$178 dollars for a knife with a thermoplastic handle. Sheesh.
The handle is the major downfall of the smatchet. It feels very hollow, and doesn't fit the tang very well.
The first place I took the smatchet was in the swamps of SC. It chopped through cypress knees well, and the light blade went through light vines very well. The sheath did not strap well to my side down there, and got caught on some vines. The sheath seemed like it would come apart at any moment, and I didn't see the practicality of the Velcro underneath the button that holds the handle.
In the mountains of NC I got to see it's true colors. The knife was light for a large blade, and well balanced, so I couldn't help but throw it. Out of the two times I did throw it, it stuck. The first throw was of the "Mcevoy" throw, with one rotation. It sank into the wood about 2 inches. The second throw was straight blade throw style, also yielding two inches of penetration on an old pine round. At that point I decided to call the throwing quits. The second test I wanted to put it through was the tough rhododendron branches that are all over the place. After the first 30 mins, the pins came loose on the handle and I had to stamp them back in using a jewler's hammer.
I'm no knife fighter, but this knife's design and lightness would seem great for a fast paced Filipino style. The leaf shaped design is a fun design and I like the overall balance of the knife, I just wish they would make it in carbon steel with rivets and a micarta handle. Personally I wouldn't even pay $40.00 for this knife. I put it up against Ontario's RTAk and the RTAK shined through and through, destroying the rhododendron.
