Chopapalooza

[ivan51]

heck ya! good pick for sure:thumbup:

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

i think you could still salvage it though. send it out and have them grind a new edge just above the break line. I don't think it'd look too bad.

 

[DavidZ]

i think you could still salvage it though. send it out and have them grind a new edge just above the break line. I don't think it'd look too bad.

You are correct - And then the edge would probably be the right thickness as well. And since I sent it back to Dan for his review and he has agreed to replace it as it was his error, he can do just that and resell it if he wants to. I just want it to be what it was supposed to be. This is just proof, that you do not really know if something is good, until it is tested, and it works.

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

You are correct - And then the edge would probably be the right thickness as well. And since I sent it back to Dan for his review and he has agreed to replace it as it was his error, he can do just that and resell it if he wants to. I just want it to be what it was supposed to be. This is just proof, that you do not really know if something is good, until it is tested, and it works.

i thought the same thing about the edge. well, good for you!

 

[JGON]

Well I have a surprising update to this review. As noted, I sold all of the other knives in this review, and was pleased with my Koster monster nessie during my daily treks on the trail, hiking and walking our pooch. It did a great job of clearing our way through the dense vegetation as needed on our trail. Do not get the wrong impression however, I am not cutting new trails. This is not real heavy use. I just hack the wayward branch that gets out of place on the ATV / hiking / horse trails we use. It was not long after, that I did however begin to notice some "waviness" on the edge began to appear, and it got worse as you would expect as time went on. I just kept an eye on it, and let it go. It continued to work just fine. I am one of those if it ain't broke, do not fix it! Note that I did comment that this blade had the thinnest edge of all of the blades I tested. Well, while that thinness was it's advantage initially, it proved to be it's downfall in terms of reliability. One day, while hiking the trail, I went to chop a small hemlock branch out of the path. I hit slightly high, and went into the bark above the branch. See pic below. No problem, just pull it out and swing again. Something did not feel right on the second swing. I looked at the blade, and WOW - a chunk was missing! The pics below tell the story. I went home to study the disaster after our walk. OH, - and in case you were wondering, I now walk with confidence with my Busse NMFBM LE.

Here you can clearly see the waviness

Sorry that these two above are out of focus.

Here is the tree and the trail!

Here you can see the high hit above the limb. And the piece of the blade stayed in the tree!!!

So you can see the perspective, That is a three quarter inch chunk missing

So I've got a question for you, although unless you've handled one you may not be able answer, but your thoughts would be appreciated.

You can order the Monster Nessie from Koster with an upgrade to 1/4" CPM-3V steel, the same stuff that Fehrman uses in his blades. I own one, and their toughness is the stuff of legend. I know steel type is equally as important as the tempering and heat treating done to a blade, but do you think that if you had the Monster Nessie with a higher quality steel it would resolve the chipping issue you had? I'm very intrigued by this blade and would love to own one, but I have concerns about it's toughness.

 

[Mistwalker]

Ok, I have no input on the knives..never used any of these. However I do know from my own experiments in fire starting that the base of a Hemlock limb is a very VERY hard knot. It's hard enough to whittle them with the grain using a razor sharp knife with razor sharp serrations, I can only imagine how hard they are to cut cross grain as I'd never intentionally try it with a knife. I know your hitting that spot was an accident, I just thought I'd throw that in here.

 

[DavidZ]

So I've got a question for you, although unless you've handled one you may not be able answer, but your thoughts would be appreciated.

You can order the Monster Nessie from Koster with an upgrade to 1/4" CPM-3V steel, the same stuff that Fehrman uses in his blades. I own one, and their toughness is the stuff of legend. I know steel type is equally as important as the tempering and heat treating done to a blade, but do you think that if you had the Monster Nessie with a higher quality steel it would resolve the chipping issue you had? I'm very intrigued by this blade and would love to own one, but I have concerns about it's toughness.

That is a tough question to answer, but I think it would be better than the 5160 steel. As you noted, heat treat is also important, as well as the grind geometry. But even more important is the service you get if a problem arises. After what I experienced with Mr. Koster, I sold all of my Koster Knives, and will never own another! I will not even visit his forum. Very bad experience, but not to be detailed here.

 

[AF]

Good review. I also had a chopper get a wavy edge one time. It's a learning experience. Too thin of a grind and you can get a wavy edge or a blow out. Too thin an actual edge and it tends to indent.