- Joined
- Jan 31, 2006
- Messages
- 11,712
I just received this knife and sheath from Rick Marchand who goes by Magnussen here on BFC. I purchased it a little over a week ago, but because Rick is in Canada and I am in Arizona, it took a little longer to get here despite Rick shipping it out to me almost as soon as I bought it. It was a hard wait that seemed like it was taking forever, but the wait was definitely worth it!
The knife sports a 12.25 edge of acid-etched 1075 that is 5/32 thick at the spine. OAL is 18. Despite the length of the blade, it is straight as an arrow. The grind is flat with a convex edge. It is even front to back and from one side to the other side. This is hand forging and grinding at its best.
IMO, the most salient feature of the knife is the epoxy soaked, hemp wrapped handle with leather backing. My hands lean towards the large side and I was not sure if the handle would be a good fit, but it turns out that my concerns were unfounded. Although it is not a thick contoured handle, it does feel very good in hand. There is also enough texture in the handle to convey a sense of security when swinging the blade like a crazed killer--no need to worry about it slipping out of your grip at all.
The knife came sharp enough out of the box to easily shave arm hair. It also handles amazingly quick for a knife its sizeyou would never know that it is as fast in hand as it is just by looking at it. The balance point of the knife is almost 2 in front of the ricasso area and that no doubt plays a role. Still, that light-in-hand feeling did not diminish this knifes chopping capabilities. At one point, I tested it a bit and found I was chopping out chunks of seasoned mesquite with every swing. Thicker knives I have sometimes tend to bounce off the real hard stuff but this knife took it all in stride. The last thing I chopped with this knife was an empty, free-standing one-gallon milk container. One swing was all it took to achieve the carnage below!!! That is a very clean, straight cut with no tearing whatsoever!
Lastly, the sheath is a hand-stitched, high quality, functional, ambidextrous piece that can be carried a number of ways. It utilizes the frog system, and additional frogs are available from Rick for even more flexibility. It is both rugged and graceful at once, and has sort of an old world look that compliments the knife very nicely.
To summarize, this is an exceptional package at a very fair price from a craftsman who does it right, does it very well, and is a gentleman to boot. If you dont have Rick on your radar as a custom maker who makes tremendous knives that you must absolutely have in your collection, then you are truly missing a very large boat. This is my first from Rick, and it most certainly will not be my last. :thumbup:
The knife sports a 12.25 edge of acid-etched 1075 that is 5/32 thick at the spine. OAL is 18. Despite the length of the blade, it is straight as an arrow. The grind is flat with a convex edge. It is even front to back and from one side to the other side. This is hand forging and grinding at its best.
IMO, the most salient feature of the knife is the epoxy soaked, hemp wrapped handle with leather backing. My hands lean towards the large side and I was not sure if the handle would be a good fit, but it turns out that my concerns were unfounded. Although it is not a thick contoured handle, it does feel very good in hand. There is also enough texture in the handle to convey a sense of security when swinging the blade like a crazed killer--no need to worry about it slipping out of your grip at all.
The knife came sharp enough out of the box to easily shave arm hair. It also handles amazingly quick for a knife its sizeyou would never know that it is as fast in hand as it is just by looking at it. The balance point of the knife is almost 2 in front of the ricasso area and that no doubt plays a role. Still, that light-in-hand feeling did not diminish this knifes chopping capabilities. At one point, I tested it a bit and found I was chopping out chunks of seasoned mesquite with every swing. Thicker knives I have sometimes tend to bounce off the real hard stuff but this knife took it all in stride. The last thing I chopped with this knife was an empty, free-standing one-gallon milk container. One swing was all it took to achieve the carnage below!!! That is a very clean, straight cut with no tearing whatsoever!
Lastly, the sheath is a hand-stitched, high quality, functional, ambidextrous piece that can be carried a number of ways. It utilizes the frog system, and additional frogs are available from Rick for even more flexibility. It is both rugged and graceful at once, and has sort of an old world look that compliments the knife very nicely.
To summarize, this is an exceptional package at a very fair price from a craftsman who does it right, does it very well, and is a gentleman to boot. If you dont have Rick on your radar as a custom maker who makes tremendous knives that you must absolutely have in your collection, then you are truly missing a very large boat. This is my first from Rick, and it most certainly will not be my last. :thumbup:
