-
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Eka Nordic W12
- Thread starter fielder
- Start date
- Joined
- May 24, 2013
- Messages
- 406
I'm pretty sure the tang and the blade are the same for the two models, but the wooden one has a slightly beefier handle that covers the guard and the tang.
- Joined
- May 13, 2015
- Messages
- 841
Hi! At the time of my purchase, a couple of years ago, there were no differences between the models, beside the one correctly pointed out by Larcivs Lepidvs. The tang its exposed in both versions in the same way.
I have used this knife quite much, but much less than the F1
. Overall its a good performer, can be a beater. The tip is really very strong :thumbup:. The overall dimensions and geometry make this a good outdoor buddy for normal camping and hiking tasks. The sheath it's very well done.
The only thing I really had problems with it was the "obtuse" angle. EKA claims its 20°, but, to me (I havent measured it), seemed at least 30°. I had to reprofile the edge because it was very hard for me to use it as a decent slicer, both for wood carving and whittling (e.g. feather sticks) and food preparation. This done, it is a very good tool. The edge retention is decent but not great, and, specially when I process hard wood, it lose its edge relatively soon. Easy to sharpen it back in the field with a DC4, takes a good working edge. At home, with KAI stones, it takes a shaving sharp edge. Here you get some pics, for reference, from last year (I think), when I built up a Swedish torch my way
. Overall, if you ask me, I can recommend it. Don't expect miracle performances out of it, though 
.
Hope it can help!
I have used this knife quite much, but much less than the F1
. Overall its a good performer, can be a beater. The tip is really very strong :thumbup:. The overall dimensions and geometry make this a good outdoor buddy for normal camping and hiking tasks. The sheath it's very well done. The only thing I really had problems with it was the "obtuse" angle. EKA claims its 20°, but, to me (I havent measured it), seemed at least 30°. I had to reprofile the edge because it was very hard for me to use it as a decent slicer, both for wood carving and whittling (e.g. feather sticks) and food preparation. This done, it is a very good tool. The edge retention is decent but not great, and, specially when I process hard wood, it lose its edge relatively soon. Easy to sharpen it back in the field with a DC4, takes a good working edge. At home, with KAI stones, it takes a shaving sharp edge. Here you get some pics, for reference, from last year (I think), when I built up a Swedish torch my way
. Overall, if you ask me, I can recommend it. Don't expect miracle performances out of it, though .Hope it can help!
I got the G10 model. I studied both it and the wood handled model close up and realiced the wood model simply can`t have the full tang of the G10. There is no tang in the belly or fingerguard of the wood handle.
Anyway the grind of my knife is pretty thick, sharp but not quite a decent cutter. Wish it was full flat grind like the eka nordic h8, that would have been quite an improvement. As it is it`s quite overbuilt for most of the purposes I can realistically imagine.
Anyway the grind of my knife is pretty thick, sharp but not quite a decent cutter. Wish it was full flat grind like the eka nordic h8, that would have been quite an improvement. As it is it`s quite overbuilt for most of the purposes I can realistically imagine.
- Joined
- May 24, 2013
- Messages
- 406
that's because the wooden handle is beefier, and covers the guard and part of the tang.
I am certain the two tangs are different. Getting wood to fit around the tang of the synthetic version would be a minor wood working miracle.
If anything, it is probably a semi-full tang, as used in the Helle Temegami:
In this pattern, the single piece wood handle is slotted on top and the blade slid down into it, then secured with cross pins or screws.
I honestly do not see how it would matter, as it appears the steel disappearing into the wood handle version is stouter than the area where the plunge line meets the fuller. If the blade were to ever break in hard use, it is more likely there on either version than under the handles.
So if you are asking out of strength concern, I would say there is no important difference in strength and buy the handle you like better. The wood one would be more comfortable if the knife gets very hot or cold since it has less exposed metal.
If anything, it is probably a semi-full tang, as used in the Helle Temegami:
In this pattern, the single piece wood handle is slotted on top and the blade slid down into it, then secured with cross pins or screws.
I honestly do not see how it would matter, as it appears the steel disappearing into the wood handle version is stouter than the area where the plunge line meets the fuller. If the blade were to ever break in hard use, it is more likely there on either version than under the handles.
So if you are asking out of strength concern, I would say there is no important difference in strength and buy the handle you like better. The wood one would be more comfortable if the knife gets very hot or cold since it has less exposed metal.
- Joined
- May 24, 2013
- Messages
- 406
Actually not. because the back of the tang is still exposed, so the fitting of the wooden handle is simple.
- Joined
- May 24, 2013
- Messages
- 406
As anyone could see, the wooden handle is wider than the G10 scales, so it covers part of the tang. is this so difficult to understand?
RX-79G, that`s just how the tang seem to be. The g10 and wood handles is of the same size, there is no way the wood can cover the tang of the g10 model. Looking closely on the photos above show how the tang is different where it dissapear into the handles.
My only worry with the wood handle is the, small but real, possibility for the fingerguard, without tang inside it, to break.
My only worry with the wood handle is the, small but real, possibility for the fingerguard, without tang inside it, to break.
I don't see why it would. That is a pretty stout finger guard, finger guards don't receive much (or any) force, and the worst that could happen is that you wouldn't have a finger guard until you fixed or replaced the handle. But the knife would be fully functional even if it happened.
Wood is not as tough as steel and plastic, so if you need a bombproof knife, go with the synthetic. But I would happily take the wood one into the wild with me. Eka knows what they are doing.
Wood is not as tough as steel and plastic, so if you need a bombproof knife, go with the synthetic. But I would happily take the wood one into the wild with me. Eka knows what they are doing.
