- Joined
- Mar 15, 2001
- Messages
- 314
My non-expert review of the Boker Applegate / Fairbairn Smatchet:
Here is the pass around thread Pass Around , as you can see, no one has signed up behind me so I get to keep it
for a while longer.
Somebody should be signing up, this is one seriousely cool piece of steel!
I think it would be better called a very short sword rather than knife, I feel a gladiatorish holding it. Like a sword it has similar drawbacks and strengths, it is good at slashing, choping, and thrusting, but not great.
I used it to do some light brush clearing, it made short work of dead and dried brush up to 1/4" dia, above that it slowed down. It choped green trunks up to 1/4" well, I had nothing thicker to try it on though.
So, I took it to the box it came in, a USPS box, about 4" in thickness (outside to outside), stuffed w/ newspaper. My first backhand produced a cut through 4" of flat cardboard face, and 5" through the carboard of both sides, clean cuts, at which point it took flight as it was unsecured.
I took a few more chops while holding it and produced similar results. At this point let me state that I am not a greatly experienced knife swinger so I was not swinging anywhere near full strength as I did not want to go through the box and into the ground or my leg.
I then stabbed the box, the smatchet glided in up to its widest point at which the resistance built quickly, again, these were not full strength stabs.
The fit and finish of the blade are good, Boker has done a good job. The handle feels great, very secure.
The sheath is pretty basic. I do not know the history of this particular knife and sheath, however there are many threads coming loose.
I have read that the smatchet is a hybrid jack-of-all trades design, and I believe that to be an accurate assesment. It is probably not the most practical EDC civilian blade, but for those in harms way I could see how it would be useful, if a bit overkill, both for the mundane and the unexpected enemy arm or leg amputation.
I will say this, were the dead to walk tomorrow, I would not feel underprepared with this bad boy hanging from my belt, assuming a .357 was hanging from the other side
YMMV
Pics:
Here is the pass around thread Pass Around , as you can see, no one has signed up behind me so I get to keep it
for a while longer.
Somebody should be signing up, this is one seriousely cool piece of steel!
I think it would be better called a very short sword rather than knife, I feel a gladiatorish holding it. Like a sword it has similar drawbacks and strengths, it is good at slashing, choping, and thrusting, but not great.
I used it to do some light brush clearing, it made short work of dead and dried brush up to 1/4" dia, above that it slowed down. It choped green trunks up to 1/4" well, I had nothing thicker to try it on though.
So, I took it to the box it came in, a USPS box, about 4" in thickness (outside to outside), stuffed w/ newspaper. My first backhand produced a cut through 4" of flat cardboard face, and 5" through the carboard of both sides, clean cuts, at which point it took flight as it was unsecured.
I took a few more chops while holding it and produced similar results. At this point let me state that I am not a greatly experienced knife swinger so I was not swinging anywhere near full strength as I did not want to go through the box and into the ground or my leg.
I then stabbed the box, the smatchet glided in up to its widest point at which the resistance built quickly, again, these were not full strength stabs.
The fit and finish of the blade are good, Boker has done a good job. The handle feels great, very secure.
The sheath is pretty basic. I do not know the history of this particular knife and sheath, however there are many threads coming loose.
I have read that the smatchet is a hybrid jack-of-all trades design, and I believe that to be an accurate assesment. It is probably not the most practical EDC civilian blade, but for those in harms way I could see how it would be useful, if a bit overkill, both for the mundane and the unexpected enemy arm or leg amputation.
I will say this, were the dead to walk tomorrow, I would not feel underprepared with this bad boy hanging from my belt, assuming a .357 was hanging from the other side
YMMV
Pics:
