Fallkniven F1 vs. Bark River Highland?

S

SkaerE

Joined
Sep 9, 2001
Messages
428
I'm sure you all are familiar with these two. think i got it narrowed down to these for my small fixed blade camping/woods knife.

any input? seems the F1 will be a bit more $$, but if its that much better I dont mind.

both are full tang, made of good steels (although i dont know of the true rust resistance of A2 steel)

gotta say, think I prefer micarta to rubber grips though.

anyone? thanks!
 
I can't speak on the Fallkniven, but it seems that most everyone that has one likes it. I own a BRKT Northstar with the micarta grips and they are fairly sticky in wet conditions, but not as sure a grip as the rubberized type grips of my Mora's. The steel holds up well where I live, which is 12 miles from the coast. A little maintenance care and the highland should do very well for you.
 
I'm not familiar with either knife, but I know a little something about A2. It is NOT stainless steel so you shouldn't expect any of the corrosion resistance that you'd get with stainless. That said, with minimum care you shouldn't have a rust problem with it. Just clean it before storing and while storing it, take it out and wipe it down every so often just as you would a firearm.

I'd be concerned about A2 only if I was going to use the knife in a very high-humid environment, such as on the ocean or in the American south where they grow really big swamps.

Have you considered the Bark River Northstar? That's probably my next knife purchase. It's a little bit heavier and thicker than the Highland, but I like that in a knife. Plus you can attach a lanyard to the knife; I don't see a way to do that to the Highland.
 
A2 is not stainless steel though an excellent knife steel. I just got an S-1 Fallkniven. Very well made ,laminated VG-10 which is an excellent stainless steel , rubber handle [thermorun] which is harder than krayton. I'm not familiar with the Bark River but you wouldn't be disappointed with the F-1.
 
I don't have the F1, but the Highland is my present belt knife of choice, and I had an A1 at one time. I like the blade shape of the Highland, as it has plenty of belly for opening a critter up, and enough point for carving. I also prefer the handle (mine is "bonestag", not Micarta) as I've never grown used to "rubber" handles. I find that A2 is easier to sharpen than straight VG-10, though I haven't tried the laminated VG-10 in the newer Falkniven line. My Highland gets wicked sharp and stays that way, using just plain stones and sandpaper. You'll likely need diamond rods for the F1.

The biggest thing, though, is how they feel in your hand. If a knife doesn't fit you, it doesn't matter what the steel or handle material is, you won't be able to get your best work done with an ill-fitting knife. One area where he F1 will likely kick the Highland's butt in is sheaths. Unless they've changed drasticallly lately, BRKT is notorious for poor sheaths, whereas the Falknivens have always gotten praise for their sheaths. But it's a minor matter to get a new sheath made for either knife, so that shouldn't be a major deciding criteria.
 
SkaerE said:
...i got it narrowed down to these for my small fixed blade camping/woods knife.
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Bark River in general runs significantly thinner edge profiles so offers higher cutting ability, where Fallkniven has better durability for really heavy work around knots. This general ideal is fundamental to Fallkniven who switched to laminated steel as the blade will bend further before they crack so they have advantages for really heavy prying. The knives are also designed to take very heavy impacts on the end of the handle to drive the points hard into woods to weaken them so they can be cracked off. A2 is in general a better steel for that type of work unless you need the corrosion resistance of stainless, which means it is either really humid or you leave the knife sitting wet in the sheath.

-Cliff
 
I too had narrowed it down to those two knives, and chose the F1. I really like the thermorun handle, as it is very tough yet easy to grip and stays in your hand. The blade is much thicker than the Highland, but still a very good cutter. It feels much stronger than it looks. The F1 is my primary fixed blade and I have never regretted the choice I made. On the other hand, I really do want a BRK&T Woodland for a slightly smaller knife. I have heard many great thinks about the Highland and all the BRK&T knives. Mike Stewart is a top notch guy and runs a very respectable knife company.

I would not hesitate to buy either one.

Ready
 
If you are leaning towards the Fallkniven F1 but like micarta instead of rubber for your handle, then order the model F1GM which comes with green micarta handle and a stainless steel finger guard. I has 2 F1's with rubber handles and 1 F1GM with the laminated blade also. The F1GM has become one of my favorite EDC's, but I am going to have to switch off now that I got a Bob Dozier Arkansas Toothpick. Maybe a week with the Fallkniven and the next week the Dozier.

I don't think you can ever go wrong quality wise with any of the Fallkniven knives! I have somewhere between 12 and 15 Fallkniven models.(I forget what all I have sometimes)

Ciao
Ron Cassel
:thumbup:
 
The Micarta F1 (Now available in black too) is absolutley beautiful. Its about as good as it gets in that class of knife, definately a fav of mine.
:thumbup:

Hey Ron, how do you like the NL models?

I spoke to Peter earlier in the year and some new models and sheaths are in the pipeline.
 
I highly recommend Bark River, I own a highland and it is superb, love this blade, very handy and very strong and cuts very very well...never had a problem with rust or staining on there A2 blades...
 
Temper,
I have an NL-3 and it is extremly sharp with the laminated blade. The only thing I have against it is the sheath. Don't get me wrong, it is very well made but for some reasond it does not ride well on my belt. My F1GM came with a full cover sheath but I took one of my other F1 sheaths that was a dangler and added a little bit of leather to the mouth of it and now that is how I carry my GM. I love dangle sheaths!

For the price, I think it is hard to beat the Fallkniven line of knives and Peter is very good to talk to and listens to what his knife owner have to say. I am sure glad that Peter is still involved with Fallkniven and the company has not sold yet, but I also hope Peter's healt is a lot better now too.

Ciao
Ron Cassel:thumbup:
 
bulgron,
The A2 that I have has a laminated blade with VG-10 as the core steel and 420J2 as the side supporting material.
VG-10 is considered one of the "almost" stainless steels and the 420J2 backing steel is very high in chrome/nickle so it is very stainless (lousey as an edged blade but it take a high polish and is quite stainless).
However, as you said one still has to care for their blades and keep them wiped down or coated with Ren. Wax.(mine is).

Ciao
Ron Cassel
;)
 
Ron,
Yes its a shame that the Northern Light series dont get more air time here on BF. I think the F1 or Idun are one of the best out there for bushcrafters.
 
are the leather handled Fallkniven's as durable as the rubber ones?

hell, to be honest - I'm really leaning towards getting the F1 blade blank and putting my own slabs on it (i have a LOT of micarta, G10, and other crap layin around)

:)
 
I have no idea as their durability, they are certainly well made. I too have been thinking on getting some blanks and having my knife maker put Micarta scales on them and a hybrid Kydex sheath.
 
I cary an F1 with me when I hike and I can't say enough about it.I find it to be very lightweight but really strong at the same time.
 
After having a regular F1 for some time, I ended up with an F1GM that just arrived yesterday.

As much as I liked the F1, I love the F1GM. The handle feels so much more natural in my hand, and the mirror polished blade and guard are beautiful.

It's almost too pretty to use. Almost. The better (for me) ergonomics of the handle made the decision for me. It'll be a daily user and the other F1 will probably go in my trunk or in a BOB.
 
I had both and found the grip on the Highland too small. The F1 tip is also just a bit pointier.
 
SkaerE said:
any idea where to get the blanks from? so far i can only find them at www.knifecenter.com and they're $77!
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That's actucally not that bad, they are not that cheap to buy for dealers either.


The Micarta model is truely a thing of beauty, almost too pretty to use...almost ;)
 
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