Does anybody have experience with Bryan Breeden's knives? They look like great no frills outdoors knives. I've read some reviews here on W&SS, but they're all by the same person, and I'm wondering if anybody else has real world experience with these knives.
Thanks.
At least one other person that I know of personally - me!
I own a PSKKII and a Pathfinder (5/32") and am very pleased with the performance of both. I had his personal Kelly knife for a bit while making a sheath for it and got to play with it and agree 100% with Bear' on it. Bryan's knives are unique (per my experience) in that he tends to suggest/use slightly thinner stock than a lot of people are asking for. My PSKKII is .093" - slightly thicker than my Mora - and is still plenty stiff. It cuts better than many of my thicker knives and makes woodsy tasks much less tiring. While thinning out a hedge row, I have used it to cut a lot of 1" to 1 1/2" saplings by bending them over to create tension on one side and pushing the blade into the strained side of the tree (ala Mors Kachanski) and have removed quite a number of these invasive boogers just "playing." The Pathfinder sliced them so easily it was simply scary. They are both flat-ground and have a secondary bevel edge. Due to my own personal preferences in edges, I convexed the edges on both so, if I get around to posting photos, bear in mind that mine look slightly different than what the mail lady delivers. Bryan's work exhibits a lot of attention the most important details specific to function - the spine is left sharp, symetry in the grind of the blade and handle is excellent, there are NO gaps between handle material and steel, etc. His finish has what I would call a "brushed" look. If one were to want a highly polished blade or handle, it could be achieved with some minor effort but there is no "gleam" to distract your eye from the important details. His knives balance well and feel good in the hand. I have worked them hard and am quite tickled with them. All that aside, with some care and effort, one can take a slab of steel, grind it to look and feel nice, add some purty handles and, if the heat treat isn't good - it's just junk. Remember I said I changed the edge from bevel to convex? My convexed edges are not blunt. I knew when I did it that the heat treat would have to be right or I would chip or roll the edge because my edge does not have the support the bevel edge, which was more obtuse, had when I got it. Now, I don't just beat the snot out of my knives but I wanted to know how Bryan's were going to hold up before I decided they were keepers. I batoned (BEAT) both into seasoned Maple sticks (1 3/8" diameter) as far as I could and wiggled them back out, made the opposing cut and continued until I had a few short lengths to play with. The edge was still shaving sharp with no chips, no rolls. Understand that I would not come onto a forum visited by many more experienced knife enthusiasts than myself and start pumping up some guy I don't even know. I have talked to Bryan quite a bit and I like his ideas and his work. The PSKKII has some grind marks in unimportant places but, if I wanted to, I could remove them. The handles are sanded to a satin look and are symetrical and uniform and, I could polish them up if I wanted - but the important part is that all the important parts have recieved the attention they require. I am not hinting that the finish is poor, rather that it suits my preferences and dose not draw your attention away from substandard work in areas that I could not correct myself. I am not a knife-maker but I can run a piece of sandpaper. A knife with asymetrical handle scales or gaps irks me to no end. An added bonus is that Bryan's knives are a very good value. They perform for me as well or better than many of my higher-priced knives. If you have specific ideas you wish to have addressed, Bryan listens but I chose for my own first two "Breedens" to go with his designs. I wanted the full flavor of what he brings to the table and I am happy with what I got. I think that with Bryan's desire to provide value, his blossoming skills and his humility, he could potentially be a recognized name among knife users - if he keeps it up. These are not "safe queens" but they tickle the snot out of me for their raw functionality and value. They really do look good too, I just don't put that much stock in that aspect. I've sold or traded a lot of very attractive (and well-made) knives that just didn't work for me like I wished they did. Bryan's do. The Pathfinder is a no-nonsense workhorse, the PSKKII performs well beyond what its negligible heft would indicate and the Kelly is a sweet little "bushcrafter" that I find hard to describe. His forthcoming "little" knife (details undisclosed to me) will be something to look forward to.
Thanks again, Bear' for introducing me to Bryan and his work.
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