- Joined
- Feb 14, 2008
- Messages
- 1,093
Well, "review" might be a little bit of a stretch - more like a little gloating that I got to handle this one. I did play with it though, as Bryan twisted my arm pretty hard to get me to try it out.
Check out the Peacemaker. This is a knife very much at home outdoors.
I didn't get to keep this one but I will be getting one that I can keep - my own. I am not a big fan of knives much over 4" and use knives less than 4" more than anything. When I saw the Peacemaker, I got a bit excited. When I got it in my hands, it was not really excitement I felt so much as just a sense of comfortable familiarity. The handle, in all its plain shape, the weight, balance and dimensions all just sort of "fit." It is an easy knife to pick up and use. It's sort of a "plain Jane" and has a simple, natural beauty in its defining of a purposeful and useful tool. Ah, the aesthetic creeps in every time. The "look" fits in well with the "feel." As I had stated in another post, one could envision this one tucked into a long-hunter's sash for a game-gathering foray in the early virgin forests of the Eastern Woodlands or in a Trapper's belt headed for the Rockies,... or hanging off the strap of my Timbuk2 Messenger Bag.
Yeah, that's Cherry again and I did do the obligatory batoning of a dead "stick" (not a four-inch saw-cut log) that I wrenched out of the ground.
Workmanship complements the material - Osage Orange and nice, even and consistent shaping and "finishing." The metal work exhibits the same mildly rustic look with the same consistency and evenness.
Quarter-sawn grain is more stable (grows and shrinks at a lower rate) than flat-sawn and is desirable in the absence of synthetics and stabilizers. It also looks better.
While it is a sizeable knife, it is not unwieldy. It is not overly large and balances well enough that it feels light a lighter, smller knife.
Plenty of handle but not excessively large that it poses any portability issues.
Comparison shot with it's "cousin." This Pathfinder is one of two "first knives" built by Bryan's nephew under Bryan's supervision. I am particularly impressed with the high convex edge, which, when stropped lightly was SHARP. Bryan seems to be a pretty good teacher among other things.
Comparison shot with another familiar face.
In use, it handles about anything you would expect with its 6" x 1 1/8" x 1/8" blade. I remember that but can't remember the actual length of the handle but it seemed to be about 4 1/4" to 4 1/2". It handled the rougher chores of harvesting 1 1/2" to 1" saplings, batoning deadwood and the more intricate tasks such as food prep, fuzz sticks and general cutting chores easily. The flat-grind is complemented by a secondary convex edge, which was sharp and stayed that way. What is most notable is that it never felt like a "big" knife - a six-inch knife is a BIG knife to me. The edge is ground almost to the handle, which makes a lot of finer work more controllable - there is effectively no ricasso. As a natural all-'rounder, the Peacemaker would get my vote and I plan on having one of these around. I am also more of a spearpoint fan, at least a drop-point, but this didn't seem to be the place for that - not having a clip was good enough. Had there been a swedge or a clipped point, I don't think I would have been drawn to it like I was - which is what led me to want to get my hands on it.
Thanks for watching.
Check out the Peacemaker. This is a knife very much at home outdoors. I didn't get to keep this one but I will be getting one that I can keep - my own. I am not a big fan of knives much over 4" and use knives less than 4" more than anything. When I saw the Peacemaker, I got a bit excited. When I got it in my hands, it was not really excitement I felt so much as just a sense of comfortable familiarity. The handle, in all its plain shape, the weight, balance and dimensions all just sort of "fit." It is an easy knife to pick up and use. It's sort of a "plain Jane" and has a simple, natural beauty in its defining of a purposeful and useful tool. Ah, the aesthetic creeps in every time. The "look" fits in well with the "feel." As I had stated in another post, one could envision this one tucked into a long-hunter's sash for a game-gathering foray in the early virgin forests of the Eastern Woodlands or in a Trapper's belt headed for the Rockies,... or hanging off the strap of my Timbuk2 Messenger Bag.
Yeah, that's Cherry again and I did do the obligatory batoning of a dead "stick" (not a four-inch saw-cut log) that I wrenched out of the ground.
Workmanship complements the material - Osage Orange and nice, even and consistent shaping and "finishing." The metal work exhibits the same mildly rustic look with the same consistency and evenness.
Quarter-sawn grain is more stable (grows and shrinks at a lower rate) than flat-sawn and is desirable in the absence of synthetics and stabilizers. It also looks better.
While it is a sizeable knife, it is not unwieldy. It is not overly large and balances well enough that it feels light a lighter, smller knife.
Plenty of handle but not excessively large that it poses any portability issues.
Comparison shot with it's "cousin." This Pathfinder is one of two "first knives" built by Bryan's nephew under Bryan's supervision. I am particularly impressed with the high convex edge, which, when stropped lightly was SHARP. Bryan seems to be a pretty good teacher among other things.
Comparison shot with another familiar face.
In use, it handles about anything you would expect with its 6" x 1 1/8" x 1/8" blade. I remember that but can't remember the actual length of the handle but it seemed to be about 4 1/4" to 4 1/2". It handled the rougher chores of harvesting 1 1/2" to 1" saplings, batoning deadwood and the more intricate tasks such as food prep, fuzz sticks and general cutting chores easily. The flat-grind is complemented by a secondary convex edge, which was sharp and stayed that way. What is most notable is that it never felt like a "big" knife - a six-inch knife is a BIG knife to me. The edge is ground almost to the handle, which makes a lot of finer work more controllable - there is effectively no ricasso. As a natural all-'rounder, the Peacemaker would get my vote and I plan on having one of these around. I am also more of a spearpoint fan, at least a drop-point, but this didn't seem to be the place for that - not having a clip was good enough. Had there been a swedge or a clipped point, I don't think I would have been drawn to it like I was - which is what led me to want to get my hands on it.
Thanks for watching.
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. I like it alot. The handle looks very comfy:thumbup:
And for anyone else who is in the area stop in and say Hi. LOL