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actively parsing hurf durf
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- Nov 28, 2006
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Did the title wrong... I keep getting bear and wolf mixed up, this is the finn wolf.
one of the things thats common in a lot of tactical knives these days is the the knife is more then 50% handle, even when it's a large knife. the tiny little finn wolf next to the busse batac actually has almost as much cutting edge, while the long hunter, with the same length from pommel to tip, has way more cutting edge then then batac. the difference in distribution from what I'm used to is refreshing.
The long hunter feels large in the hand, but only (for me) because I have to be aware of size when using knives round other people, especially fixed blades. as a camp knife, this isn't to large at all, but as a edc user, it's a touch to big. the handle is secure, though it feels like it would be fairly slippery when greased up because of the smooth hard plastic (though there is plenty of texturing). the ricasso serves as a guard, and it does it's job okay.
The blade is 1/8" [edit: 3/32"] thick, all edge, full flat grind and plenty stiff with a thin edge and tip. It reminds me of the wood handled old hickory knives I bought a long time ago attempting to buy a knife of this category, but this one is head and shoulders above them. The edge and tip indexes well when blind, and it looks great. the blade profile and pleasent sheen from the satin finish reminds me of much higher end much more expensive bowie profiles.
The finn wolf has less of a gaurd, feeling as though in a hard stab it would slip backward in the hand, exposing the fingers to the edge. If you grip hard, it feels secure enough, but not so secure that you can forget about edge safety.
This little thing has a LOT of edge, and a very fine tip. it's 1/8" thick, stiff, with a hollow grind. I'm really suprised at how thin the edges are on these. it has the same smooth hard plastic handle material as the long hunter, but with a more contoured shape.
when choking up on the finn wolf you can get a very tight control of a very thin sharp edge, making it good for fine carving and detailed tasks.
food prep position 1, fine chopping/shaving. the long hunter is a bit wide for this, and the finn wolf handles better in this position, but id does well for it's size.
food prep position 2, chocked up chefs knife position. handles like a charm.
the sheaths that come with this are basic canvas pocket stile sheaths, where the edge is kept stable by a strip of rubber at the seem where the two edges of the folded canvas/cardboard (orwhatever it is) meet. I wear fairly tight clothes, a pair of dickies and a plain black shirt, so anywhere where I wear this it shows noticeably, including IWB (which is quite uncomfortable). It wears just fine on the belt, though it's a bit floppy being low ride. if I could wear them on the belt, they would be fine usable sheaths.
the way I carry the finn wolf is just in a pocket. dickies pockets are quite large, and I can push the finn wolf inward and completely conceal it in pocket.
Here are some modifications I'd love to see on these knives. for the long hunter, I'd love to see a version that has a good half gaurd, a shorter 5" version (I'd use the 5" version over the finn wolf, but not the 7" version), and a longer machete version. the handle and blade shape combination on this thing is really awesome, and I'd love to see how it handles with a longer 1/8" blade.
and for the finn wolf, I'd just like the gaurd to be a little more pronounced.
overall first impressions:
These things are awesome. the handles are usable but don't wear on the hand, the blades are thin, stiff, and with thin SHARP edges right out of the box, not just shaving sharp but actually sharp where if they dull the edge is still thin enough to be usable. The fit and finish is high for the price range, with a nice satin finish that doesn't quite get rid of the larger belt marks on the flats of the grind, but is very consistent and even. The profile cominations ares are fantastic, the handles and blades fit together very well to make what feels like a finished thought out knife. The sheaths are very usable though simple.
overall the only thing I can really complain about is that they aren't made of a higher end steel. I'd LOVE to see either of these with a2 or 52100 heat treated by mike steward. But at around 20$ a peice, these things are unbeleivable deals. the finn wolf makes for a fantastic edc knife that does just fine at food prep duties, and the long hunter would make for an AWESOME camp knife. long enough to do some brush clearing, short enough to be easy to handle, light weight and with a blade to handle profile that makes it almost made for food prep.
these are light weight dirt cheap knives that honestly impress me at every turn. 45$ (after shipping) well spent.
one of the things thats common in a lot of tactical knives these days is the the knife is more then 50% handle, even when it's a large knife. the tiny little finn wolf next to the busse batac actually has almost as much cutting edge, while the long hunter, with the same length from pommel to tip, has way more cutting edge then then batac. the difference in distribution from what I'm used to is refreshing.
The long hunter feels large in the hand, but only (for me) because I have to be aware of size when using knives round other people, especially fixed blades. as a camp knife, this isn't to large at all, but as a edc user, it's a touch to big. the handle is secure, though it feels like it would be fairly slippery when greased up because of the smooth hard plastic (though there is plenty of texturing). the ricasso serves as a guard, and it does it's job okay.
The blade is 1/8" [edit: 3/32"] thick, all edge, full flat grind and plenty stiff with a thin edge and tip. It reminds me of the wood handled old hickory knives I bought a long time ago attempting to buy a knife of this category, but this one is head and shoulders above them. The edge and tip indexes well when blind, and it looks great. the blade profile and pleasent sheen from the satin finish reminds me of much higher end much more expensive bowie profiles.
The finn wolf has less of a gaurd, feeling as though in a hard stab it would slip backward in the hand, exposing the fingers to the edge. If you grip hard, it feels secure enough, but not so secure that you can forget about edge safety.
This little thing has a LOT of edge, and a very fine tip. it's 1/8" thick, stiff, with a hollow grind. I'm really suprised at how thin the edges are on these. it has the same smooth hard plastic handle material as the long hunter, but with a more contoured shape.
when choking up on the finn wolf you can get a very tight control of a very thin sharp edge, making it good for fine carving and detailed tasks.
food prep position 1, fine chopping/shaving. the long hunter is a bit wide for this, and the finn wolf handles better in this position, but id does well for it's size.
food prep position 2, chocked up chefs knife position. handles like a charm.
the sheaths that come with this are basic canvas pocket stile sheaths, where the edge is kept stable by a strip of rubber at the seem where the two edges of the folded canvas/cardboard (orwhatever it is) meet. I wear fairly tight clothes, a pair of dickies and a plain black shirt, so anywhere where I wear this it shows noticeably, including IWB (which is quite uncomfortable). It wears just fine on the belt, though it's a bit floppy being low ride. if I could wear them on the belt, they would be fine usable sheaths.
the way I carry the finn wolf is just in a pocket. dickies pockets are quite large, and I can push the finn wolf inward and completely conceal it in pocket.
Here are some modifications I'd love to see on these knives. for the long hunter, I'd love to see a version that has a good half gaurd, a shorter 5" version (I'd use the 5" version over the finn wolf, but not the 7" version), and a longer machete version. the handle and blade shape combination on this thing is really awesome, and I'd love to see how it handles with a longer 1/8" blade.
and for the finn wolf, I'd just like the gaurd to be a little more pronounced.
overall first impressions:
These things are awesome. the handles are usable but don't wear on the hand, the blades are thin, stiff, and with thin SHARP edges right out of the box, not just shaving sharp but actually sharp where if they dull the edge is still thin enough to be usable. The fit and finish is high for the price range, with a nice satin finish that doesn't quite get rid of the larger belt marks on the flats of the grind, but is very consistent and even. The profile cominations ares are fantastic, the handles and blades fit together very well to make what feels like a finished thought out knife. The sheaths are very usable though simple.
overall the only thing I can really complain about is that they aren't made of a higher end steel. I'd LOVE to see either of these with a2 or 52100 heat treated by mike steward. But at around 20$ a peice, these things are unbeleivable deals. the finn wolf makes for a fantastic edc knife that does just fine at food prep duties, and the long hunter would make for an AWESOME camp knife. long enough to do some brush clearing, short enough to be easy to handle, light weight and with a blade to handle profile that makes it almost made for food prep.
these are light weight dirt cheap knives that honestly impress me at every turn. 45$ (after shipping) well spent.
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