- Joined
- Feb 28, 2007
- Messages
- 9,786
I just received this knife on Thurs. night before my trip and took it out as my main belt knife.
Usually, I wouldn't do such a thing on an untested blade, but this being my 3rd B. Andrews, I have full confidence in Brian's skills on a knife. The blade is a combination of two of his regular models. The handle is the same handle from the Terrasaur designed by Joe Flowers. The blade is the same profile as his bushcrafter model (his first knife design) except it is a flat grind rather than scandi. So you might call this one a Terracrafter
Specs:
Blade length is 4.5" x 5/32" thick in A2.
Grind: Flat grind with V-edge
Handle - same length as blade, natural micarta scales.
I think this one is very pretty, but it wasn't designed to be so. I wanted a plain Jane, all utility blade reflecting what I have distilled to be a perfect knife for my purposes. This has to be close to it! Thus I avoided all the aesthetic trappings. No liners, micarta handle rather than exotic wood etc.
The Terrasaur handle is absolutely perfect ergos for my hand. This handle is slightly extended from the regular model to match the extended blade length. I just love the simple contours that are comfortable in a variety of grips and have just the right degree of hand filling volume to keep fatigue at bay. After more than hour sitting by the fire and crafting a spoon I had no hot spots on my hands.
The blade profile is taken right from his bushcrafter knife. I have one of his scandi bushcrafters and I love the spear point profile and amount of belly it offers. It behaves just like my regular bushcrafter I have from him and coupled with an even more comfortable handle, this knife feels like I've been using it for years rather than days!
As much as I like a scandi for making fuzzies, I really do prefer flat ground knives for overall utility. The flat ground performed just the way I like. The edge is V-ground and extremely sharp. Hair wiping sharp and easily push cuts paper. I will very likely knock the shoulders off at some point and convex the edge because that is my preference. However, this thing really bit into wood and excelled at carving, from making fuzzies to notching and making the spoon.
This is only my second knife in A2 and I can't say I have enough familiarity with it to objectively compare it to O1. It seems as easy to sharpen (but I haven't sharpened this one yet, basing this on my other knife) and is definitely more stain resistant than O1. So far I like A2 quite a bit.
As to the length, 4.5" is a sweet spot for what I like in a belt knife. It has just that extra bit of length to help baton split wood (I tested this on maple, birch and oak at home) but is short enough for it to handle very delicate chores. I can easily grab the blade and work just with the tip as I did so when carving the bowl of the spoon. The spear point makes a natural extension of the hand. You can close your eyes and instinctively know where the point is.
I didn't get a shot of the sheath, but it is a wax impregnated leather pouch sheath. Simple in appearance but completely bomb proof. The wax impregnation makes it very hard and the knife clicks in like kydex. I have gained a lot of trust in Brian's sheaths and they don't loosen up over time.
Overall, I'm very pleased with this knife. Fit and finish is great as are all of Brian's knives. I haven't used it enough to say it is 'the one' but I can tell already that this one is going to be a trusted go to blade for quite some time. It is simplicity distilled to the elements I like best!
Usually, I wouldn't do such a thing on an untested blade, but this being my 3rd B. Andrews, I have full confidence in Brian's skills on a knife. The blade is a combination of two of his regular models. The handle is the same handle from the Terrasaur designed by Joe Flowers. The blade is the same profile as his bushcrafter model (his first knife design) except it is a flat grind rather than scandi. So you might call this one a Terracrafter
Specs:
Blade length is 4.5" x 5/32" thick in A2.
Grind: Flat grind with V-edge
Handle - same length as blade, natural micarta scales.
I think this one is very pretty, but it wasn't designed to be so. I wanted a plain Jane, all utility blade reflecting what I have distilled to be a perfect knife for my purposes. This has to be close to it! Thus I avoided all the aesthetic trappings. No liners, micarta handle rather than exotic wood etc.
The Terrasaur handle is absolutely perfect ergos for my hand. This handle is slightly extended from the regular model to match the extended blade length. I just love the simple contours that are comfortable in a variety of grips and have just the right degree of hand filling volume to keep fatigue at bay. After more than hour sitting by the fire and crafting a spoon I had no hot spots on my hands.
The blade profile is taken right from his bushcrafter knife. I have one of his scandi bushcrafters and I love the spear point profile and amount of belly it offers. It behaves just like my regular bushcrafter I have from him and coupled with an even more comfortable handle, this knife feels like I've been using it for years rather than days!
As much as I like a scandi for making fuzzies, I really do prefer flat ground knives for overall utility. The flat ground performed just the way I like. The edge is V-ground and extremely sharp. Hair wiping sharp and easily push cuts paper. I will very likely knock the shoulders off at some point and convex the edge because that is my preference. However, this thing really bit into wood and excelled at carving, from making fuzzies to notching and making the spoon.
This is only my second knife in A2 and I can't say I have enough familiarity with it to objectively compare it to O1. It seems as easy to sharpen (but I haven't sharpened this one yet, basing this on my other knife) and is definitely more stain resistant than O1. So far I like A2 quite a bit.
As to the length, 4.5" is a sweet spot for what I like in a belt knife. It has just that extra bit of length to help baton split wood (I tested this on maple, birch and oak at home) but is short enough for it to handle very delicate chores. I can easily grab the blade and work just with the tip as I did so when carving the bowl of the spoon. The spear point makes a natural extension of the hand. You can close your eyes and instinctively know where the point is.
I didn't get a shot of the sheath, but it is a wax impregnated leather pouch sheath. Simple in appearance but completely bomb proof. The wax impregnation makes it very hard and the knife clicks in like kydex. I have gained a lot of trust in Brian's sheaths and they don't loosen up over time.
Overall, I'm very pleased with this knife. Fit and finish is great as are all of Brian's knives. I haven't used it enough to say it is 'the one' but I can tell already that this one is going to be a trusted go to blade for quite some time. It is simplicity distilled to the elements I like best!
But, at least I know it didn't go too far 
