Brush Demon Hossom Outdoor Edge?!?!

I kinda dig it, has a lot of potential if the user thinks it through.

I've had a lot of positive experiences with Outdoor Edge products, occasionally thought some were a little high priced, but never had a quality issue.
 
On the ergonomics of handles there are very few makers who i think actually shaped theirs in pitch dark; it just fits into your hands like buddies.

Dan Keffeler comes to mind. Jerry Hossom is another.

* I would like to add another maker on that list. Shawn Hatcher. Dude makes excellent handles on his excellent knives.
 
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I like it from what I am seeing. Would love to get one in hand and try it out. I have experience Jerry's designs in custom and factory form and they all feel great. While this offering has a design differing from most traditional machetes, it still has a great shape. It looks to me like it is a nice mix of tool and weapon with some design flair that does not impede either use. I'd like it see a pic of the handle showing the contours from the top view.
 
I like the looks of it, and can see where it could be of benefit.
Either I missed it, but what is the price point?
 
Jerry Hossom said:
Let me suggest something. Superimpose your golok or parang profile over this blade and tell me how much cutting is done by the area that is occupied by the point on this knife. What does the spine shape have to do with function? What makes you think the handle would abrade your pinky? Have you held it to know? Most of the assumptions and opinions in your opening post are uninformed nonsense, based on nothing but having seen a photo of a blade you've never touch, used or know anything about.
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Perhaps I've missed the meaning here so forgive, but dimension for dimension your knife is too small to be a golok which I have carried through Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho for many years. Valid question that should someone's opinion on a knife not handled be taken seriously. Good point. I do appreciate your passion for your work and that lends merit to the knife itself. Hope it fairs thee well both in accredition AND financially.
 
I think the knife would be fun to work with for a couple days in the woods; there's really no other way to critique it with any certainty. It does look like it would be very lively and fast in hand, which is something Jerry is known for. I suspect it would slash and chop quite well against various sorts of materials.

I'm curious, how hard is the steel tempered? I'm not personally familiar with 65Mn, but on paper it looks like a good choice for a blade like this... seems like it should be good and tough.

All I have to say about the "conversation" on the first page is that Mr. Hossom is highly respected throughout the knife world, and has been extremely open and helpful about sharing his knowledge and findings with others. I had the pleasure of meeting him briefly in the Pit at BLADE last spring, and he was very gracious and friendly to me... even though I'm a no-name schmuck :)
 
I just did a quick check on prices. The MSRP is $69.95, but it's selling for around $50 in most places and I'm sure that will come down after it's been around for awhile. The steel is about Rc54/55, high enough to be useful and soft enough to be easily sharpened, a bit more than most machetes. On the whole I'm pleased with the feedback we've gotten so far from people who have used them. James, at some time in all our careers we passed through the "no name schmuck" phase, all with the same trepidation and angst. I don't think you fit in that category today, having moved on, but many of us remember that time in our lives and most enjoy helping others through it. I can well recall my first Blade Show. Back row, facing the back wall, completely intimidated by the luminaries I saw there, and going home with 29 of the 30 knives I'd brought with me. And just to keep the reality check alive, the first knife I ever made sits in front of me next to the monitor so I remember... :)
 
I don't see the negative fuss. It's not that far off from a lot of the Filipino designs, which seems to be fairly widely regarded as good choppers. Jerry is definitely inspired by Filipino designs (no, I've never met him or talked with him online, but I've seen his work on his table at Blade as well as in various publications). They are often used as both tools and weapons. Why's that a problem, exactly?

You have the same sine curve that drops the chopping sweet spot below the level of your knuckles that you see in a lot of the Filipino choppers, and is something I incorporate in my own bush swords. The shape of the spine is to a large extent stylistic, though weight distribution is part of the function. I don't see the squarish angle on this spine to be that different from a khukuri, and don't see anything that would negatively impact weight distribution.

The point is definitely stabby (once again, I have no problem with a big blade having weapon applications as well as brush), but with the straight edge leading up to it would work nicely as a two-handed skew chisel. And I don't usually chop with the tip, m'self.

It's hard to get a solid idea of how a handle feels from a picture, but I've always thought that Jerry's handles look like they would lock solidly in the hand. I'd have to hold one to see for sure what I thought of it, but it looks good. The pointy pommel would sure poke a hole in a baddy's temple if need be, and I don't see it getting in the way during regular use.

There are a few things I'd do differently building something along those lines myself (and I do, which is one of many reasons no one would ever confuse something I make with something Jerry makes; the forge finish might be another thing :D ), but as far as basic design and physics, it would be pretty similar.

I understand if the style isn't someone's cup of tea, but I don't see anything that tells me, as a person who's cleared a lot of brush, that it wouldn't work well in that role.
 
Jerry Hossom said:
The steel is about Rc54/55, high enough to be useful and soft enough to be easily sharpened, a bit more than most machetes.
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That seems reasonable for an affordable knife like this... being easy to sharpen can be more important than super edge-retention. :thumbup:

Thanks for the kind words! Most of the first knives I made are buried in the swamp behind my old shop... I do have a couple unfinished ones from then though, just so I can look at them and go "what the heck was I thinking..." :p
 
Has anyone actually used this knife?
Looks a useful tool at a very good price

I would be interested to see how it compares to a BK4
 
From the POV of using it for brush the point does trouble me a bit,a little worried it might break off if you misjudge a strike and miss the "sweet spot" . I don't mind it having a point really,they can be useful,just wondering if it might be a weak spot. It does seem to have less of an offset then a parang ,which limits it's chopping efficiency. I'd prefer not to have a recurve in place where it couold have a straight section for planing. The handle I like. :)

I don't intend my comments to be criticism,if the design works for you then that's great.I do note ,rather gratefully,that it is made of carbon steel,and not some brittle stainless. Like a lot of utility tools it's made and designed for a number of functions,none of which it will fulfill as well as an assortment of purpose designed tools. That's perfectly fine though, it's a usable tool,not sure if I would swap it out for what I use now,but if it floats your boat.. :)
 
Knives are three dimensional objects and one of the problems with photos or renderings (this is the latter) is that you see just two of them. While the knife has a point and you are reacting to the 2 dimensions closest to that point, you are not seeing the third dimension which is the thickness of the spine as it approaches the point. It is rather thick, thicker than many blades with less of a point that could arguably be more prone to breakage than is this blade because they have a smaller cross-sectional area. As you and others have pointed out, it is not for everyone, but you can't meaningfully judge its chopping efficiency without having experienced its chopping efficiency. That is determined by a number of attributes, few of which are visible in a photo. I have no doubt that some will try this blade and declare that it absolutely sucks; others have tried it and think it works well. Such is the merry-go-round we live on; you can climb on any color horse that strikes your fancy and there's even lions and tigers for the adventuresome... :)
 
Jerry Hossom said:
Knives are three dimensional objects and one of the problems with photos or renderings (this is the latter) is that you see just two of them. While the knife has a point and you are reacting to the 2 dimensions closest to that point, you are not seeing the third dimension which is the thickness of the spine as it approaches the point. It is rather thick, thicker than many blades with less of a point that could arguably be more prone to breakage than is this blade because they have a smaller cross-sectional area. As you and others have pointed out, it is not for everyone, but you can't meaningfully judge its chopping efficiency without having experienced its chopping efficiency. That is determined by a number of attributes, few of which are visible in a photo. I have no doubt that some will try this blade and declare that it absolutely sucks; others have tried it and think it works well. Such is the merry-go-round we live on; you can climb on any color horse that strikes your fancy and there's even lions and tigers for the adventuresome... :)
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Jerry,
Don't forget that there are Bears too! LOL
 
My only criticism is with the execution. Visually problematic for me is the product name on it, the font they used, the terrible terrible maroon handle, they're crappy logo insert. Jesus just look at how awesome the combat kopis looks. It's classy and clean. It oozes quality. As for the design they missed the jimping if I'm seeing this picture right. And that choile is too small to be useful. It's like they copied the design element and didn't consider the function.

Jerry you need to be more involved in the whole design process. There is no reason this blade can't look as good as any of your custom knives even if sacrifices have to be made on materials to get to the right price point.

Don't take this the wrong way, I own three of your knives and they are some of my most cherished possessions.
 
Call me a fanboy if you want, but I love everything Jerry has designed! Maybe were just of the same aesthetic mind. I even have one on me now. I would love this new one with a Micarta handle and a N690co blade like my Retribution. Keep up the good work Jerry.
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Dino7813 said:
My only criticism is with the execution. Visually problematic for me is the product name on it, the font they used, the terrible terrible maroon handle, they're crappy logo insert. Jesus just look at how awesome the combat kopis looks. It's classy and clean. It oozes quality. As for the design they missed the jimping if I'm seeing this picture right. And that choile is too small to be useful. It's like they copied the design element and didn't consider the function.

Jerry you need to be more involved in the whole design process. There is no reason this blade can't look as good as any of your custom knives even if sacrifices have to be made on materials to get to the right price point.

Don't take this the wrong way, I own three of your knives and they are some of my most cherished possessions.
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OK, I understand what you're saying, but I am completely involved in this project - except the logo part. Form and function are what matter. For starters this is not a photo, it is a drawing. The photos are being taken as we speak. The Combat Kopis costs $1000 and this is $50 so that extra $950 should buy you some class along with my undying gratitude. Jimping is present on the real one and better than most I've seen, better than on the Spyderco's series made by Fox, not quite as good as the Retribution, also by Fox. Unless you have a seriously fat finger, the choil should be plenty big, 7/8" across. If not, that mistake is mine and we'll correct it on subsequent designs. The handle is brown, not maroon. I wanted rust brown, it isn't, so we can both complain about that.

BUT, we will not compromise on materials or function. Things you don't see in the rendering and most of which won't be visible in the photo are what matters most. I wouldn't trade a single feature you've complained about for the quality of the edge they put on this knife. It's as close to the edge I put on my knives as I've ever seen in a factory knife, and given a decent but not great steel that's more important than anything else. Since you own three of my knives you know better than most that you can't see them in a photo. You have to hold one to fully appreciate its merits. The same is true of this. At 17oz. it weighs about the same as a knife I'd make of this size. I was surprised by that, and with 0.160" steel running in a band 1/2' to 3/4" wide to within an inch of the point, it is plenty strong. The balance is good, and one of the most interesting pieces of feedback we have is how accurately it cuts. We've gotten that comment from three different people who used it, all of whom were experienced hunters who every year clear shooting lanes or cut back brush for their game cameras. The most common words used in the feedback were, "wow, this thing really cuts!," but the accuracy comment was a new one for me. Never heard that before. I'll take that over a tacky logo anytime. And yeah, I don't much like it either.

I will say this about working with Outdoor Edge, they have worked my ass off on this knife. Unlike other companies where I gave them a prototype and they made it like they wanted to make it, sometimes good, sometimes OK, OE has involved me in EVERY decision made in the manufacture of this knife and I've met with the Chinese engineer in charge of the project on three different occasions. The president of Outdoor Edge, David Bloch, is himself an engineer and grasps the details of what I tell him better than anyone I've worked with. He's also a very gifted knife designer in his own right and has done some amazing work to build his line of hunting knives into a considerable success, substantially based on the functionality of this designs. We have four more projects in the works, one of which will be launched and two - maybe three previewed at the SHOT Show in January. They are also working with another knifemaker on a series of knives, on which I assisted with some aesthetic design tweaks. I am so damned INVOLVED with this and other things at OE that I had to tell David, just a week ago, that I needed to back off so I could get some of my own work done, which is what I should be doing now instead of hanging out on my PC. :)
 
OK, now I have a serious reason to complain. They just sent me the video for a commercial they are doing on the knife, and it mispronounces my name. :)

My moment in the sun and there's a total eclipse...

http://vimeo.com/107950573
 
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