Bushcraft STYLE Knife Passaround

[kgd]

Hey great job on the passaround. Totally understandable about the border issues - I'm dealing with it often enough! Landar's stuff does look really good. I'm looking forward to reading all the reviews. Since I'm excluded, that means I get to pester everybody on the list for more details, information and testing requests

 

[tonym]

Thanks for understanding.

There are some great guys up there(including you) that I would love to participate, but its just a PIA to get the knives there.


Here is an FYI for all.

Landar15 has changed his username to his real name!

Walter Davis

 

[IUKE12]

These look like some purpose built bushcrafters:thumbup: I'm looking forward to all the feedback from the passaround. This is going to be fun

 

[tonym]

OK the passaround is full. The knives will be off to Talfuchre in the morning.

If any of you can't wait to here the reviews and want the knife, Walter has one available on the exchange w/ natural canvas & blackliners

Those of you who own Walter's knives are welcome to post your thoughts and pics of them here as well.

Let the fun begin!

 

[Big Mike]

Here is an FYI for all.

Landar15 has changed his username to his real name!


Walter Davis

That's cool.

Walter deserves some name recognition.

“Landar15” must be his “Star Trek” moniker.





"If you're not living on the edge, …you're taking up too much space."

Big Mike

 

[PB Wilson]

Tony, thanks for getting me in on this.

They look like great users and it'll be cool to see if size really does matter.

 

[WalterDavis]

That's cool.

Walter deserves some name recognition.

“Landar15” must be his “Star Trek” moniker.





"If you're not living on the edge, …you're taking up too much space."

Big Mike

Close...very close I used to be big into D&D, and when I originally signed up for BF I figured some anonymity was in order, so... Hey, we all get older and wiser, right

 

[tonym]

Here is the shipping order.


1. Talfuchre
2. WadeH
3. Tknife
4. Udtjim
5. Barberfobic1992
6. Spooky Pistolero
7. Hollowdweller
8. Sharpeye
9. PB Wilson
10. Siguy

Try to figure every one will have it about 8 days including shipping. This will give you an idea of when you should recieve the knives.(give or take a week or so)

If you think you will be out of town around then, let me know and I'll move stuff around now.

For any reason something pops up that will cause you to delay the passaround, please let me know ASAP.

Thank you

Talfuchre should have the knives by Sat, Monday the latest.

Remember to Oil the knives when ready to ship!!

 

[j williams]

Man you all are in for a treat. I cut up 4 lbs of sirloin with mine the other night and the damn thing was still shaving sharp afterwards, and that handle is soooo comfy. Walter makes a kickass blade!!

 

[tonym]

One last bump before I compose the shipping list!

Please let me know now if you need me to move things around now.

Thanks

 

[Diomedes Industries]

Walter,

Please use a random number generator that always comes up with 1 okay?

You know what - I am going to save you some shipping and just send one knife on. I mean - that would tell you enough!

TF

 

[Diomedes Industries]

Large Knife

Steel Type: 1075
Blade Length: 4.281
Blade Width at Choil: 1.177
Overall Length: 8.987
Blade Thickness at Choil: 0.125
Blade Thickness at Tip: 0.031
Tang: Exposed
Handle Length from Choil to Butt: 4.707
Handle Width at Palm Swell: 0.880
Handle Width at Front: 0.550
Handle Width at Butt: 0.900

Initial Impressions:

Sheaths (Both): Walter will be the first to tell you that he is not a sheath maker – and that he is still very much in the learning process of making sheaths. This is very apparent by looking at his leather work.

His knots are huge and not necessary, his welts are far too large and run into the blade, the drain hole is massive and bulky, his stitching is not great looking, and I think he is using hot glue to hold the parts together before he can stitch them.

On the smaller blade, he made a sort of dangler type sheath. In my opinion he folded the leather the wrong way – and because of this he had to sort of flatten the leather to get the knife to lay flat.

There is also another odd choice where he added a welt to the dangler where it was not needed.

With all of this said – the sheath was VERY solid, very burly, well formed, well stained, well stitched (in terms of strength) and well finished. I wore both for almost a day in all sorts of situations (sitting, standing… I even rode a bike once) and I found them to be comfortable and very stable. All of the critiques of mine are merely cosmetic (with a little functional) and I have got him on the right path with some great books. Expect his leather work to improve. Walt seems like a great guy who genuinely wants to make a great product and has no shame when it comes to getting advice.

I was not looking forward to pulling the blades out – until I did. The large blade simply fell into my hand and I literally said ‘Wow’. It was extremely comfortable. I hefted the blade – moved it around and thought was impressed.

Comfort:

The handle was the right length for my hand, the palm swell, and heel swell were perfect, and the finish was very grippy while not being rough to the touch. The linen micarta was left matte (perhaps a little to rough when you get to the lanyard tubes) which makes for a VERY positive grip.

(Please excuse the stain on my fingers in this picture - I was making a sheath)

The front portion of the handle sweeps toward the blade – which I didn’t think I would like – but with the finger guard toward the blade – I decided I liked it very much. It is not too small when you get toward the handle as to be unsafe and when you switch positions on the handle and go from a traditional grip to a more whittling grip – it allows you to choke up on the blade easily and comfortably. In fact, this was one of the things I really liked about this blade. Wide enough to have good control – and get your hands WAY up the steel with little issue.

Steel:

The blade is ground very evenly – there is a little ricossa at the handle and then the blade starts. It sweeps nicely and evenly toward the tip in a cross between a Kephart and a Spearpoint style. It is a compromise shape to be sure – but I don’t think it compromised on performance – more on this below.

cont...

 

[Diomedes Industries]

Both knives came ungodly sharp and easily wiped away hair and sizzled through magazine paper. Don’t let it near an Ikea catalog… whew – it HATED last years fashions! The large knife was a full convex grind (very very mild convex) with a more serious convex nearly double bevel at the blade edge. This was just fine – but I wanted a full convex for the real tests – so I took it over to the sharpening bench. About fifteen minutes later I had a very well blended edge that was mirror sharp and like a friggin razor. This steel was a pleasure to sharpen and you could work it very easily. I see why Walt picked it.

The only thing that worried me about the steel is that Tony had put a gang of oil on the blade when he shipped it and it still had a little surface rust. It buffed out with a little work and some 2000 grit – but I worry it may rust too easily in the field. If you don’t mind a blade that takes a little maintenance – and I don’t – this steel type is for you. I do know this – it held and edge like a champ!

EDIT:

After discussing this with Tony - we have concluded that storing it in the sheath was what likely caused this rust. As I mentioned above - Walt made the welt too large in the sheath and it contacts the blade. It is easy to surmise that the welt simply had a little moisture in it - laid on the steel while in transport - and rusted the blade. The pattern and how little is a testament to the oil it was sent it - but many knives are advised not to be stored in the sheath for this reason.

I think this steel would rust as easily as other steels of the same kind - BRKT's D2 included. I am much less worried about the steel with this discovery.

Fit and Finish:

There is nothing fancy about these knife… and that is exactly what I like about it. It is not rugged like the Koyote knife that I reviewed and it is not highly polished like a production knife – it is right in between. It fit my fashion very well. The handle blends perfectly into the steel, all of the grinding is top notch, the finish on the handle is grippy without being rough, and my favorite part was the steel on the blade. It is hand rubbed to be spiffy – but rough enough that when you sharpen it on some wet dry and leave a few scratches – they blend right in. I like Walt’s simple engraving on the handle too – has his name and the date – simple and it looks good. The only thing I would have changed on this knife was to put a little less grit on the grinder when touching up the lanyard tube - it is a little rough. That is it - the rest is great.

Using the Large Knife:

I made tent pegs, built a bow drill kit, batoned some kindling, made a bunch of curls for our family fire out back, and generally puttered around with the knife for a day. I kept my Aurora on hand as well to compare it to. I like to make a few cuts in a piece – switch knives and see if there is a difference. I did this all day with my Aurora and the larger knife.

Every thing I gave to this knife went extremely well. I made a pile of fuzz sticks – no issue. It bit well, not deep like my Kosters scandi – but almost as deep as my Aurora and made VERY thin curls on the sticks. I think the BRKT has something on the Large Knife in terms of how much material you can remove – I think this has something to do with the thickness of the blade – but the Large Knife can compete for sure.

Slicing was little issue. In fact, this knife sliced as well, if not better, than any knife I have used. It treated leather like butter, ran through paper, and push cut into soft wood very easily. It was frankly a joy to slice with. The tip drilled admirably compared to a spear point. You run out of ‘tip’ quickly but I had no problem making a top bearing and hearth with this tip.

The day I carried this knife I found myself really coming to treat it as an extension of me. I choked up easily – felt confident while batoning – and made any cut I wanted. There is something in my Aurora that I like a little more in terms of comfort – but that may simply be because I am used to it.

The handle gave me no trouble – the finger guard was positive without being intrusive – the butt swell is large enough to be comfortable without being bulky – for my hands it fit perfectly. I also liked how the handle blended into the finger guard – nice touch!

One of the final things I did with it that day was to start a fire. I took out a little fat wood and made a bunch of small curls. I flipped the blade and grabbed my firesteel – one sweep and the largest fattest spark every came off my steel. I literally said ‘Woah!’ outloud. The care that Walt takes in squaring up the spine of this blade is to be commended. It dropped molten lava on my pile of fatwood. I said to myself ‘alright you little bastard… try this’ and I grabbed my fatood again. I took the SPINE to it this time. No problem – little curls came off and I added these little fuzzies to the pile. A couple of scrapes later and I had a fire. Nice.

The steel was no worse for the wear and a few swipes on the strop and you can’t see where the steel was drug to make fire. At the end of the day I brought it to my strop. I grabbed some magazine paper to see what it needed. I was whittling oak with it and had not touched the blade up all day. It blazed through the paper with no heisitations. I could not see any marks, rolling over, or imperfections in the edge. I decided not to strop it. It simply didn’t need it. I was very impressed by the edge retention.

Final Impressions:

Frankly, I am going to be sad to see this one go. I really came to enjoy this knife in the small amount of time I had it. I am going to work on getting one for myself. I really can’t give a knife a higher review. However, until Walt get’s better – I will be making my own sheath. That is fine though – when his leather work get's better - you will be paying more in my opinion. The blade is MORE than worth the price of admission. Besides I certainly can’t make a blade like he can. Good show!

TF

 

[Diomedes Industries]

Small Knife:

Steel Type: 1075
Handle Material: Natural Canvas Micarta
Weight: 5.7 ounces
Blade Length: 3.733
Blade Width at Choil: 1.140
Overall Length: 8.108
Blade Thickness at Choil: 0.100
Blade Thickness at Tip: 0.028
Tang: Exposed
Handle Length from Choil to Butt: 4.405
Handle Width at Palm Swell: 0.910
Handle Width at Front: 0.535
Handle Width at Butt: 0.850

Additions to Large Knife:

There is not a lot to add here. The knives fit an finish are the same, and noted above. The steel is the same - and the double bevel gave the same sharpness out of the box.

I will say here - that of the two sheaths I like this one better - but many of the same problems, as noted above, were with this sheath.

Handle Length: The handle is a bit shorter. This was not uncomfortable, by any means, but I liked the additional length of the Large Knife. A change that I would make to both handles, if it were my knife or I was ordering one, was to make the butt swell a bit larger. It is about 0.100 short of perfect for me. This is subjective and may not be a problem for you.

With that said - if Walt decided to keep the shorter length on the Short Knife I would advise giving the butt swell a little more girth. I think this would give a little more feeling of security on the handle.

Handle Material: Both handles were well shaped and felt very positive in the hand. No hot spots and little issues. This is subjective - but I liked the look of the handle on the Large Knife. That is just me.

Handle Pins: The middle handle pin was slightly off line with the other two. I liked the look of the four pins on the Large Knife - but if you are going to have the middle pin off center line - make it well off line so that it looks intentional.

Double Bevel: I would love to tell you that the convex edge made a massive difference or that the double bevel was superior in some way. I cannot. Both were ungodly sharp and even when I gave the Large Knife a little more of a pronounced convex - the both cut nearly identically. They both battoned well, although the thinner blade has trouble with splitting - it has to cut more than split. I gave both some NASTY oak and they came out with no edge problems and still scary sharp.

Comparison to Koster Bushcraft: I compared the Small Knife to the Koster Bushcraft as they are nearly the same size. The Scandi grind wants to cut deeper with less work - but the Walt Knives made thinner cuts easier. This is where the need for a longer handle on the Short Knife became a little more apparent. If I had one request to Walt it would be to make the Large and Small handles the same - and the blades different lengths. Some like a shorter blade - and for hiking (which is how I would use the Small knife) you need a legal length. The handle should be the same in my opinion.

The blade is VERY light but the sheath makes the entire package bulky. If it were me - I would make a THIN sheath that had the optional of a dangler to make this package hiker friendly. A kydex option may give a realistic option to hikers that like to clip their knives to their packs.


Blade Width: The blade width is slightly thinner than the Large Knife. It is not much - but with this thin of a knife - I would emplore Walt to keep a thicker blade. With that said - I had no problems with flex or rounding over.

Edge Retention: I was deeply impressed with the edge retention on both of these blades. Very sharp and stayed sharp. A little touch up wasn't even necessary - but I did it anyway. Both knives are really sharp.

Final Thoughts: I did not put this knife through a food prep test. Both blades sliced leather so thinly that I didn't feel I needed to. It would make a great knife in the kitchen and the camp.

I would love to have both of these knives. I liked the Larger profile and handle a little more - but the size makes it illegal for the trail. The profile of the blade - a near Kephart - was a very nice profile. It made nice dimples, allowed you to choke up to make thin curls and carve, and was wide enough to even use as a spatula if needed.

The fit and finish was fabulous and the edge was one of the sharpest I have had out of the box, including two other Custom Knives I had. I was really impressed with the care Walt put into the hand rubbing, sharpening, and finish.

I am sad to see both go. I feel like I am loosing two buddies...

Both are well oiled - packaged and ready to go. Tony - send me the lucky next address!

 

[Diomedes Industries]

Extra Pictures:

TF

 

[WalterDavis]

Whew! Thanks TF! I'm glad you like it:thumbup: And I do appreciate you not pulling any punches, especially on the sheaths I'm sure the advice you've given me will help, and I'll have Stohlman's book on order before the week starts. I only hope the smaller knife holds up as well for you

 

[Diomedes Industries]

You are welcome Walt. It is odd - I feel like I know you a little more now that I have handled your work. It is cool like that!

TF

 

[tknife]

Great write up and pics.

 

[WalterDavis]

You are welcome Walt. It is odd - I feel like I know you a little more now that I have handled your work. It is cool like that!

TF

And I don't even know your first name

I know what you mean, though. My favorite part of buying a handmade knife (or anything, really) is that so much of the maker comes through in their work. I don't think it matters what materials you work or how you work them, if you make a knife you expect it to perform, and perform with a bit of finesse and class. While I'll always admire the perfection and symmetry that you can get with machine production, it'll never beat handmade for personality

 

[tonym]

Great review TF. (What did I tell you Walt )

Something I noticed on the steel. I allready have one and I never had the rust problem w/ mine. JWilliams has it now, and he doesn't have the problem either. When the knives came there were no rust issues, but they were shipped seperate from the sheaths. On arrival I put them in the sheaths. The next day I went to Marcelo's house to show him the knives. Pop the big one out of the sheath and bingo, Rust spots! Marcelo and I seam to think there is something in the sheath that is reacting with the metal. Is there any chance that is possible? By the way, the original knife I had was not in Walt's leather sheath...

Either way, like you I was shocked at how well the knife cut and even more so on its edge holding capability.

Again T.F. thanks for taking part in this passaround, you did a great job!