BOSS1
Gold Member
- Joined
- Sep 16, 2008
- Messages
- 1,706
Greetings all,
As there isn't a ton of info on CF fixed blades on here, I'll post a brief overview of an Oberland model I obtained here recently. I didn't get a Certificate of Authenticity with it, but from my measurements (mainly blade length of approx. 5 1/2 inches), I'd say its an 01 model, though it has the shortened grip scales of the 02 shown on Crusader Forge's webcite. Crusador Forge normally fashions these from 1/4 CPM S30V steel, which should be triple tempered to a hardness 59-60. It has textured/scalloped G10 Scales. It also has the OD blade finish. The sheath is a nice digicam Kydex unit with a TekLok.
These knives are hand made customs by Crusader Forge's Maciej Szczerbiak. He's got a fairly extensive/impressive background posted on CF's webcite.
In any event, I haven't had this one too long, so no field time with it, but I'll give an overview based on my informal handling thus far.
Overall, the fit/finish are very good. It has one of the nicer edges I've seen on a thicker fixed blade in quite a while--it's quite sharp. As is encountered when you get away from CNC machinery and into that handcrafted skill and talent you're spending the extra cash for, the grinds are not absolutely perfectly flawless--the tip is off center just slightly, maybe a smidge over 1/32" from what I am able to measure rather crudely with a straight edge. I am not the original owner, but I'm not seeing any obvious evidence of prying or other types of significant use other than being in and out of the Kydex a bit. Some of the other grind lines are off about the same amount. Again, you want handcrafted? Then sometimes you get that extra little evidence that human hands, not precision guided computers, are what crafted your knife. You have to look to see it, and from a functional standpoint, its irrelevant.
I've got med-large size hands, so the grip on this knife fits me decently, but admittedly there ain't much room to spare. If you have dinner plate sized paws, you'd want to opt for a model with a bit more length in the grip. The sculpted G10 scales offer decent traction and durability, and the characteristic 'stepped' handle and mini-top choil make it functional in a conventional grip. It feels particularly comfortable/secure in a reverse ice-pick grip, but in reality, at least for me, that doesn't serve a normal practical purpose. In any event, I expect the grip would work well enough for routine field type tasks. Another nice touch is the exposed pommel--if you need it in a pinch its there, and its relatively dehorned...unlike some other high end knives where the tip of the pommel offers a serious injury hazard if it jabs you (ie you fall on it) or it'll tear up any clothes that have the misfortune of rubbing up against it.
The blade with its saber-type grind should offer plenty of strength, and it carries decent thickness towards the tip so that its not overly frail, but still quite sharp. It's a rather pointy design, with a slight drop-point profile. It should provide decent performance in multiple tasks...ie I expect it to be a good 'all-arounder.' Again, the S30V should provide top-notch performance with minimal maintenance.
I'm not a big fan of kydex in most cases...I've seen few things other than Tennifer and hard chrome that can stand up well to prolonged use with it (though with quality stainless, finish wear is less of concern unless the subdued/non-reflective characteristic is an operational requirement). But I admit, particularly in wet/humid/gritty enviroments, it can work well. That being said, this is one of the better kydex sheaths I've handled. It is made from thick material and Crusader Forge makes each sheath to the particular knife. The edges are nicely smoothed and the opening flared. It carries relatively high (out of the way) on the belt and with its angled/tapered tip should avoid alot of snags/etc. It's also fairly secure...when inverted and shaken, the knife shows no signs of falling out. The TekLok allows for multiple options as well. Other than a little rattle, its pretty good example of a kydex sheath.
When I first got my hands on the knife, I thought 'Hmmm, this ain't very big..." As you can see in the photos, its not a whole lot bigger than a standard Emerson Commander in terms of lengths/height. But looking at most of the users of this knife (probably mostly law enforcement/military), that compactness can be a positive. Men in uniform on the job are often loaded down with more than a little bit of gear, and the knife is a general purpose utility tool. Trying to find way to pack around that 15-inch bowie so that it can be readily accessible can be a challenge depending on the circumstances. This knife packs alot into a relatively small package. Truth be told, most folks are probably toting a knife that is bigger than necessary for most of their routine cutting tasks. That being said, the other side of the coin...'to have and not need is better than to need and not have' holds true with knives as well.
So in summation, what are my thoughts? Its a heckava stout, compact quality hand-crafted knife with a specific field oriented design/purpose. It reminds me a little of a Horton I briefly had in the same range (a TS1 IIRC). I like the overall profile and grind, tho I admit, if I were to put in an order direct with Crusader Forge, I'd bump up the overall size, particularly in the grip dept, a little bit. But I can live with this one. I like that its made of a top notch stainless (minimal maintenance) and I like the edge it has on it. I don't believe its the ideal first choice of a guy looking to take something on a camping trip to slice up hotdogs and other similar tasks (if you got an unfinish/uncoated version, that would make it a better choice). But if I were looking for a duty related field knife, IMHO this knife would serve very well.
If you have any questions, fire away.
As this one isn't mint/pristine I'm on the fence...I might keep it and make it a user. But I've already got others in this size range, so it might go. I dunno.
BOSS
As there isn't a ton of info on CF fixed blades on here, I'll post a brief overview of an Oberland model I obtained here recently. I didn't get a Certificate of Authenticity with it, but from my measurements (mainly blade length of approx. 5 1/2 inches), I'd say its an 01 model, though it has the shortened grip scales of the 02 shown on Crusader Forge's webcite. Crusador Forge normally fashions these from 1/4 CPM S30V steel, which should be triple tempered to a hardness 59-60. It has textured/scalloped G10 Scales. It also has the OD blade finish. The sheath is a nice digicam Kydex unit with a TekLok.
These knives are hand made customs by Crusader Forge's Maciej Szczerbiak. He's got a fairly extensive/impressive background posted on CF's webcite.
In any event, I haven't had this one too long, so no field time with it, but I'll give an overview based on my informal handling thus far.
Overall, the fit/finish are very good. It has one of the nicer edges I've seen on a thicker fixed blade in quite a while--it's quite sharp. As is encountered when you get away from CNC machinery and into that handcrafted skill and talent you're spending the extra cash for, the grinds are not absolutely perfectly flawless--the tip is off center just slightly, maybe a smidge over 1/32" from what I am able to measure rather crudely with a straight edge. I am not the original owner, but I'm not seeing any obvious evidence of prying or other types of significant use other than being in and out of the Kydex a bit. Some of the other grind lines are off about the same amount. Again, you want handcrafted? Then sometimes you get that extra little evidence that human hands, not precision guided computers, are what crafted your knife. You have to look to see it, and from a functional standpoint, its irrelevant.
I've got med-large size hands, so the grip on this knife fits me decently, but admittedly there ain't much room to spare. If you have dinner plate sized paws, you'd want to opt for a model with a bit more length in the grip. The sculpted G10 scales offer decent traction and durability, and the characteristic 'stepped' handle and mini-top choil make it functional in a conventional grip. It feels particularly comfortable/secure in a reverse ice-pick grip, but in reality, at least for me, that doesn't serve a normal practical purpose. In any event, I expect the grip would work well enough for routine field type tasks. Another nice touch is the exposed pommel--if you need it in a pinch its there, and its relatively dehorned...unlike some other high end knives where the tip of the pommel offers a serious injury hazard if it jabs you (ie you fall on it) or it'll tear up any clothes that have the misfortune of rubbing up against it.
The blade with its saber-type grind should offer plenty of strength, and it carries decent thickness towards the tip so that its not overly frail, but still quite sharp. It's a rather pointy design, with a slight drop-point profile. It should provide decent performance in multiple tasks...ie I expect it to be a good 'all-arounder.' Again, the S30V should provide top-notch performance with minimal maintenance.
I'm not a big fan of kydex in most cases...I've seen few things other than Tennifer and hard chrome that can stand up well to prolonged use with it (though with quality stainless, finish wear is less of concern unless the subdued/non-reflective characteristic is an operational requirement). But I admit, particularly in wet/humid/gritty enviroments, it can work well. That being said, this is one of the better kydex sheaths I've handled. It is made from thick material and Crusader Forge makes each sheath to the particular knife. The edges are nicely smoothed and the opening flared. It carries relatively high (out of the way) on the belt and with its angled/tapered tip should avoid alot of snags/etc. It's also fairly secure...when inverted and shaken, the knife shows no signs of falling out. The TekLok allows for multiple options as well. Other than a little rattle, its pretty good example of a kydex sheath.
When I first got my hands on the knife, I thought 'Hmmm, this ain't very big..." As you can see in the photos, its not a whole lot bigger than a standard Emerson Commander in terms of lengths/height. But looking at most of the users of this knife (probably mostly law enforcement/military), that compactness can be a positive. Men in uniform on the job are often loaded down with more than a little bit of gear, and the knife is a general purpose utility tool. Trying to find way to pack around that 15-inch bowie so that it can be readily accessible can be a challenge depending on the circumstances. This knife packs alot into a relatively small package. Truth be told, most folks are probably toting a knife that is bigger than necessary for most of their routine cutting tasks. That being said, the other side of the coin...'to have and not need is better than to need and not have' holds true with knives as well.
So in summation, what are my thoughts? Its a heckava stout, compact quality hand-crafted knife with a specific field oriented design/purpose. It reminds me a little of a Horton I briefly had in the same range (a TS1 IIRC). I like the overall profile and grind, tho I admit, if I were to put in an order direct with Crusader Forge, I'd bump up the overall size, particularly in the grip dept, a little bit. But I can live with this one. I like that its made of a top notch stainless (minimal maintenance) and I like the edge it has on it. I don't believe its the ideal first choice of a guy looking to take something on a camping trip to slice up hotdogs and other similar tasks (if you got an unfinish/uncoated version, that would make it a better choice). But if I were looking for a duty related field knife, IMHO this knife would serve very well.
If you have any questions, fire away.
As this one isn't mint/pristine I'm on the fence...I might keep it and make it a user. But I've already got others in this size range, so it might go. I dunno.
BOSS
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