CS master hunter vs Fallkiniven F1

Joined
May 30, 2002
Messages
57
Looking at the two knives they SEEM to be very similar(size and price as well as overall appearance).
Which is BETTER.....

GH
 
Never had the opportunity to handle the F1, but I do own the MH. I think in Carbon V it is an outstanding knife. I have had mine for years and probably of everysingle knife I own this is the sharpest day in and day out. Takes a wicked edge, the handle is ergonomic and the grip isn't slippery. I have the "old" style sheath and just plain like it. It has a distill taper towards the point and a very well done flat grind. I don't think you could go wrong with either one but my 2cents is for the MH.

I skinned and quartered 3 whitetails with it when I recieved it. This is going back maybe 7 years or 8 years and didn't need to sharpen it till about half way through the last deer. Anyways it is in an excellant knife for this type of work. So isn't the A.G. Russell Deer Hunter and the Puuko's that Ragnar sells. Just recently bought a Puuko and this will now be my main hunting knife. I just like the design a bit better. Ain't saying it is better just for me it is a little more traditional and goes with my osage self bow alot better. Go figure. Keep'em sharp
 
Unless you have small hands I would recommend the CS Master Hunter. The F1 is designed to be compact and the grip works pretty well except when you invert the blade to open a body cavity. With a hunting knife I like a little bit of finger guard and a wide enough handle for a secure grip when your hands are bloody. When I open a body cavity I turn the blade edge-up and hold the handle with three fingers while I guard the point with my extended index finger. On the F1 the guard is minimal and the thin handle doesn't give my 3 fingers a secure grip.

The VG-10 alloy blade on the F1 is generally better than AUS-8 stainless so I would opt for the Carbon-V blade on the Master Hunter rather than the stainless blade.

Actually what I would do is go to the AG Russell website and get his Deer Hunter with VG-10 or D2 alloy blade. This is thinner, but is a more efficient cutter than either the F1 or Master Hunter.
 
Longbow,

I have AG Russell Deerhunter and Bird&Trout in A8....BOTH great knives... as well as a number of Frosts Moras.

I have been thinking of DH in VG-10,though I have more fixed blades than I really need,ten or twelve and growing....(would be considered a "starter set" by some of the members standards).

GH

PS: Actual Longbow or Recurved ???
 
I don't have an F1 but I got a Carbon V Master Hunter a few weeks ago and I really like it. It came extremely sharp out of the box, fits my hand perfectly and just feels good to use. I like the concealex sheath too.

So I like the MH a lot. But that won't stop me from buying an F1 as soon as I can scratch up the $$$.
 
All excellent comments. I have one of each, the MH in Carbon V. The MH is a little bigger and the kraton grip is larger and more hand filling. It is very good under field conditions, such as when it is cold or wet and you're field dressing a large critter. The original leather/Cordura sheath it came with sucked, however, so it now resides in a leather one I made, which is sealed with SnowSeal so it doesn't absorb water. The F1 is more compact and its Thermorun grip is a little harder than kraton but still affords a good grip. The tang on the F1 extends through the butt so you could hammer with it, I guess. It came with an excellent leather sheath (the hanging one) which I switched for a totally SUPERB one in Concealex by Normark. This makes it a lot handier to pack on a belt than the MH. (I'll get around to ordering a Concealex one from Normark for the MH, too, one of these days.) The VG-10 steel of the F1 compares very favorably to Carbon V in edge holding (a side by side comparison using a black bear for the subject matter). It is a little more difficult to sharpen although that is not a problem with DMT diamond hones and it is of course highly stain resistant. You can't go wrong with either... so get one of each:)
 
I like Fallkniven knives, but my CS Master Hunter is the sharpest and easiest to keep sharp of any knife I've ever owned. Handle is hand filling without being too large. Feels like an extension of my medium sized, short fingered hand. Everything just feels "right". Carbon V only, of course. My 2 cents.
 
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