Fallkniven A1

L

Livebythesword

Joined
Aug 1, 2008
Messages
76
How hard is it to sharpen the Fallkniven A1 using a stone? I mean, can you get a sharp edge quite easily without marring up the rest of the blade (you know the way it is with convex grinds) Also, the blade looks really chunky, can it slice tomatoes and that kind of thing? Thanks for the help.
 
Why would you be using something the size of an A1 to slice tomatoes? It's a survival knife, made for heavy duty use.

Fallkniven sells sharpening stones and will even tell you how to do it. Otherwise, their blades can be easily stropped with charged leather.
 
You can use a V grind if you like .For various methods of sharpening a convex grind look at the Fallkniven forum.
 
I know, I know it's pretty stupid. I will probably never have to use it to chop a tomatoe in my life. I just think that a good knife should be as versatile as possible, especially when its a survival knife. Thanks for the help.
 
Livebythesword said:
I know, I know it's pretty stupid. I will probably never have to use it to chop a tomatoe in my life. I just think that a good knife should be as versatile as possible, especially when its a survival knife. Thanks for the help.
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No, it's not stupid. You ask a perfectly valid question. Yes, you CAN slice tomatoes with it. Even a "thick" blade can be incredibly sharp, but they're generally not made for delicate slicing. They also have to chop.

Don't let anyone sell you a survival knife that's thin and "ground to full height".
 
Nothing wrong with wanting to slice things with you A1. You have to eat to survive. ;)
 
Halbie said:
No, it's not stupid. You ask a perfectly valid question. Yes, you CAN slice tomatoes with it. Even a "thick" blade can be incredibly sharp, but they're generally not made for delicate slicing. They also have to chop.

Don't let anyone sell you a survival knife that's thin and "ground to full height".
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The A1 is not a good chopper either.
 
It would be reasonable to use your EDC pocket folder to slice your tomatoes and not worry about that characteristic in an 8" laminated blade.
 
I own 2 A1's and I sharpen them with a diamond rod (super fine) or my sharpmaker.For a 1/4 inch thick blade I find they slice quite well and chop way out of their size range.
 
I have a whole bunch of Fallknivens and Yes there are no problems peeling a tomato, slicing it however might be a bit harder, or not. It is an aestetic thing.
lst christmas I tried to slice the christmas ham with a Fallkniven S1. It was sharp enough but it wasnt easy anyway. The reason was that the meat didnt compress "sideways" enough to let the knife into the cut. It got jammed in the cut. A Mora 2000 solved the problem, just because it was thinner. You can cut any type of food item with a Fallkniven but you will get an A in effort but an F for presentation.

Chooping tomatoes will not work well I guess. The knife is so wide it "splits" the tomato by brute force. It will look like when you split wood, eventually it is the sides of the axe that split, not that you have cut through it.
 
Not hard to sharpen at all. :thumbup: And no, the blade can't slice tomatoes like a thin kitchen knife, but most survival type knives can't. It will do such things, but it won't look too good. But then, the looks of the food probably don't affect the taste all that much, even in a survival situation. :D

Outdoors Fanatic said:
The A1 is not a good chopper either.
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Well, no, it's not, not compared to something like a 11.5" Busse NMFBM. But for a 6" knife, the A1 chops very well, while still being able to handle use slightly more delicate than wanton chopping. I find the A1 a good choice for those times when for some reason just one knife is taken along.
 
I know some of you guys really like to chop stuff. Yes it is fun to release your frustration on a poor piece of firewood, but what if you miss?

I like the batoning thing much better though.
You dont need an 12" super heavy knife for that and it is safer if you are tired and it is wet. You also dont need some kind of safety zone around you when you work.

I only use smaller Fallknivens, like F1, H1 and WM1. I would like to use an S1 though. However around here people think it is a BIG knife and that is not really PC to have big knives.

The A1 was initially developed as a survival knife for the Swedish Army, like the F1 is for the Airforce. It is in the Military inventory, but not issued in bulk, like the F1.
 
I guess I won't need it to prepare food because that is what Opinels are for. What is the VG10 steel like anyways. I always just assumed it was great stuff but but I find stainless steels generally don't perform as well as carbon steels.
 
VG-10 is good steel. Easy to sharpen, holds a good edge, and it's very stain resistant. The only downside is that it's pretty brittle, and will chip a lot if you start banging rocks with it. But it's not that hard to not bang rocks with a knife. :D
 
LOL I have the same A1 that he tested.It sits in a little wooden box on top of my computer.Crazy tough.
 
Elen said:
I find the A1 a good choice for those times when for some reason just one knife is taken along.
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I'm sorry to be digging this up again. I was about to order this morning when I started having second thoughts. I will always be able to carry more than one knife so maybe the A1 isn't the best choice after all. I just get the feeling that VG-10 will dull quickly cutting ropes and that kind of thing. I'd probably be better off getting a big chopper in 5160 and a small utility knife in D2 or something. Am I right or should I just go for the A1. Thanks.
 
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