The Zieg
Gold Member
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2002
- Messages
- 4,829
My Eland arrived within days of the order and I'm impressed by the size, cutting ability, grind, and comfort in the hand. It truly is a massive cutting instrument, and I'm used to large folders, having used an Opinel N°12 regularly for some time. At five-and-a-quarter inches, the blade is not as big as some of the big fighting navajas of Andalusia, but . . .
The ratchet lock and ring-lever action is positive, doesn't slip, and has no positive pressure failure some users have reported. It's a historical locking mechanism that goes back to the 1700s at least and a blade profile that shows up all over Europe and the new world when simple cutting tools had to do multiple tasks from whittling and opening bags to cutting rope and dressing game. Now, the one other word that describes this knife, besides the implied 'sturdy' which I make clear above, is 'cheap.' The plastic handle is substantial and won't bend, but it feels like the Cold Steel grivory plastic that it is. The steel is unimpressive, reminiscent of something hanging on a peg in the housewares aisle of your supermarket--the difference being that it's about three or four millimeters thick and shaving sharp. The Eland's grind is fairly even, done quickly but competently with a good curve from the sharpening choil to the point. The steel holds an edge for about as long as my Victorinox SAKs but is a bit more brittle feeling when I touch it up. Going through baling twine is a snap but the grass hay does make a impact on the edge after a while. A quick pass on a kitchen honing steel takes care of it, though. When grass and dirt get in the handle, it's easy to clean in the sink, stock tank, or with a hose. It doesn't need oiling and with a blade this long, it'll never get stuck.
These knives, the Eland and presumably the Kudu (which is the same knife, just smaller), will not close on you, won't bend, won't break unless you make that your goal, and will make jaws drop when you produce them. At the same time as impressing folks with their size, they dont appear terribly menacing because of their old fashioned lines and design. They straddle the tool/weapon divide perfectly because they hail from an era when the average knife had to be both.
Zieg
The ratchet lock and ring-lever action is positive, doesn't slip, and has no positive pressure failure some users have reported. It's a historical locking mechanism that goes back to the 1700s at least and a blade profile that shows up all over Europe and the new world when simple cutting tools had to do multiple tasks from whittling and opening bags to cutting rope and dressing game. Now, the one other word that describes this knife, besides the implied 'sturdy' which I make clear above, is 'cheap.' The plastic handle is substantial and won't bend, but it feels like the Cold Steel grivory plastic that it is. The steel is unimpressive, reminiscent of something hanging on a peg in the housewares aisle of your supermarket--the difference being that it's about three or four millimeters thick and shaving sharp. The Eland's grind is fairly even, done quickly but competently with a good curve from the sharpening choil to the point. The steel holds an edge for about as long as my Victorinox SAKs but is a bit more brittle feeling when I touch it up. Going through baling twine is a snap but the grass hay does make a impact on the edge after a while. A quick pass on a kitchen honing steel takes care of it, though. When grass and dirt get in the handle, it's easy to clean in the sink, stock tank, or with a hose. It doesn't need oiling and with a blade this long, it'll never get stuck.
These knives, the Eland and presumably the Kudu (which is the same knife, just smaller), will not close on you, won't bend, won't break unless you make that your goal, and will make jaws drop when you produce them. At the same time as impressing folks with their size, they dont appear terribly menacing because of their old fashioned lines and design. They straddle the tool/weapon divide perfectly because they hail from an era when the average knife had to be both.
Zieg
