Chris Reeve or Fallkniven?

TAH

TAH

Joined
Jul 3, 2001
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I have a bunch of 3.5 -4" blade knives. I want a bigger knife to do a little chopping! :D Got it down to a Chris Reeve One-Piece Knife (Mountaineer 2) or a Fallkniven A1.

Any thoughts?
 
I have an A1 and really like it, very capable knife. I have recently ordered an A2 based on my favorable experience with the A1.

I have no experience with the Chris Reeve knife, so can't make a recommendation based on comparison. But will give the Fallkniven :thumbup::thumbup: two thumbs up.

Kevin
 
Go with the Fallkniven, because if you get the Chris Reeve and don't like even a little part about it, you will always kick yourself in the ass for spending a few extra bucks on it when you could have got away with the sturdy little A1. Fallkniven's are just great knives for a good price.
 
A CR will not lose its value that bad. If you do not like it, you can sell it.
 
Dag-nabit said:
I have an A1 and really like it, very capable knife. I have recently ordered an A2 based on my favorable experience with the A1.

I have no experience with the Chris Reeve knife, so can't make a recommendation based on comparison. But will give the Fallkniven :thumbup::thumbup: two thumbs up.

Kevin
Click to expand...

Same thing for me. Fallkniven:thumbup::thumbup:
 
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Why buy a cheap knife if you can buy an expensive one. :-)

Seriously, you just missed on a great chopper with the Scrap Yard SOD, beyond that an A1 is a fine tool. No experience with CR but lots of people swear on it. I think it boils down to the money that you can afford to spend. Doubt either one will disappoint.
 
I'm leaning towards the Fallkniven. It seems the A1's Kraton handle would be a plus in cold weather.
 
Well if you've narrowed it down to those two I'd go with the Fallkniven.
But the prices for Fallkniven have gone up and up- I think for the budget minded, the Kabar Beckers or Heavy Bowie make a lot of sense.
 
Out of those two, I would go with the A1. Of course, you could always go to even cheaper knives and get the same or better performance for chopping, if that is all you want it for.
 
good question.
As I'm the happy owner of some CRK ( MKII and MKIV) and Fällkniven (NL1 and NL3) here are my thoughts :

CRK :
+ tough one piece knife
+ hollow handle for matches firesteel etc
+ razor edged blade
+ very well made sheath
+ resale value

-the handle texture hurts the hand after 30 minutes of chopping
-the handle is cold in winter

Fällkniven :
+ great look for the NL series
+ very tough san mai blade with a VG10 core
+ convex blade geometry : perfect on wood and easy to resharpen in the field with sand paper
+ very comfortable leather handle for the NL series but the thermostuff of the A1 is still more comfortable thn the CRK handles
+ these knives seems light in hand

If you need a chopper, I would recommend you the NL1 or A2 models by Fällkniven : they're more confortable in hand and their convex blade geometry is perfect for working on wood.
If you need an all rounder survival knife you can carry outdoors, put in your car or whatever, I would recommend you the CRK MKIV. He's very tough and you can hide nice stuff into the handle.

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My 2 cents.
 
As the owner of a NL2, I have to vote for Fallkniven. It's just my opinion/personal view, but the Laminated VG-10 is worth every penny and, to me at least, better than A2... but that's just me.

CRK makes a good knife, but I still have to give Fallkniven the edge. I especially like the dimensions of the NL2, but the A1 and A2 are good too.
 
TAH said:
I have a bunch of 3.5 -4" blade knives. I want a bigger knife to do a little chopping! :D Got it down to a Chris Reeve One-Piece Knife (Mountaineer 2) or a Fallkniven A1.

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

That you're not making a mistake with either of these.

I've used both, though I've moved both along ... and I was quite happy with both.



This does remind me I really should pick up another Fallkniven.
 
id take a cs trailmaster or kabar heavy bowie for use over those, but of the two, definitely the A1. although id prefer an A2
 
Of the two I'd definitely go with the A1. I'm not a fan of metal handles, they're abrasive and cold in the winter.

If youre after something to do chopping with personally I'd get something entirely different. I've found vg10 to chip rather easily compared to steels known for their toughness.

A Ranger (5160), Scrapyard (s7) or a RAT (1095) would be worth considering if youre not dead set on a Fallkniven or CRK.
 
If you use is chopping/ hacking, as in clearing trails, I actually prefer the Busse Battle Mistress. I say this from many years of working in the field. As a practicing field archaeologist, I have found the Battle Mistress to be pretty comfortable to work with (literally hours in the field hacking through trees and dense brush to get from point A to point B). The 9 1/2 " blade is INFI steel, well balanced, and holds a great edge. You cant kill it in the field. I have two, both users.

BMistress.jpg

Busse Battle Mistress

That said, I also have The Falkniven A1, mine is older out of VG-10 steel. Another great knife. I also use it for hacking and chopping. Personally, I dont think the A-1 compares to the Battle Mistress for cutting trails, simply because it doesent have the mass of the Battle Mistress. The A-1 holds an edge well, and is more a light chopper, and a really good sharp cutting tool.

IMG_2271.jpg

Falkniven A-1

I've never used a CRK fixed blade.

Hope this helps,
Jay
 
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I vote for Fallkniven. The CRK one piece series are beautifully crafted, but in my opinion the Fallknivens are just a more practical design.

Kind regards,

Jos
 
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