Fallkniven F1?

[Dag-nabit]

Yes, rubber like, not plastic feeling. Unless you purchase the micarta handles, which would be similar in feel to G10.

The handles are not as attractive as exotic wood but very functional. They provide good grip when wet or when wearing gloves, and with no exposed tang there is no metal to contact your hand if you have to grip the knife with a bare hand in extreme cold conditions.

In keeping with the rest of thread I will confirm the F1 is a great knife, well worth what you pay for it. I use several Fallkniven knives including an F1 Black Micarta and would not hesitate to recommend any of them.

I also own and use several BRKT knives and a RAT RC4. These knives are also very high quality, solid, capable knives. I personally don't care for the feel of the block like handle slabs on the RC4, but that is personal preference and does not mean the RAT isn't one tough customer, at a reasonable price.

The differences in steel has already been well covered, so suffice it to say, you can't really go wrong with any of those choices.

Kevin

 

[PropThePolecat]

The F1 is a great knife, small enough to handle delicate cutting tasks and sturdy enough for batoning if the need arises.

Zytel sheath is very light and has a slim profile, great for when you have to pack the knife away in your backpack.

IMO the handle feels more plastic than rubber, its pretty good for winter conditions.

Great knife, you cant go wrong here. In scandinavia almost every hiker/hunter owns a Fallkniven and you see them all the time on hikers.

 

[sixmoon]

Got mine after having an ontario rat 3 , gerber lmf 2 , and some other knives (benchmade , tops ...).... the F1 is now my favorite... that edge is nuts, the design is simple but its the most effective , and the Vg10 is an awesome steel , keep an great edge ,feel indestructiblem, and resist rust amazingly.. i LOVE this knife.

 

[Screwdriver]

Got mine after having an ontario rat 3 , gerber lmf 2 , and some other knives (benchmade , tops ...).... the F1 is now my favorite... that edge is nuts, the design is simple but its the most effective , and the Vg10 is an awesome steel , keep an great edge ,feel indestructiblem, and resist rust amazingly.. i LOVE this knife.

I see you revived an old thread.....

Anyhow....Just got my F1 last week....taking it on a camping trip to the Salton Sea area in two weeks. I really dig the utilitarianism of the knife. Almost like the VW of survival knives...

 

[Pointshoot777]

The F1 is a well recognized classic outdoor and survival knife. I prefer them to the RAT/ESEE - but I like those too.

 

[Franz_N]

double post

 

[Franz_N]

The F1 is a great knife, small enough to handle delicate cutting tasks and sturdy enough for batoning if the need arises.

Zytel sheath is very light and has a slim profile, great for when you have to pack the knife away in your backpack.

IMO the handle feels more plastic than rubber, its pretty good for winter conditions.

Great knife, you cant go wrong here. In scandinavia almost every hiker/hunter owns a Fallkniven and you see them all the time on hikers.

Do you have the SGPS steel F1? I found that those had a more plastic feeling to the grip, while the regular VG-10 ones have a more rubbery feel to them. At least with the numbered run of 1000, maybe they are different now. That was one thing i didn't like on my "3G" F1, that it didn't have a rubbery feel to the handle.

 

[Noddy]

F1s are OK - they really are

But I think the negative story comes from two possible routes

1) The blade is too thick some say (though not me now) and the convex too abrupt (which is true for some purposes but can be fixed easily as the cladding steel is very soft)

2) It was the Go To beginners knife about five years ago when it was a lot cheaper than it is now. You wanted to step up from a Mora or something in the Bushcrafting circles and were just saving for thinking about getting something really good and customy, the F1 was the answer. Tough, available, handy and affordable. Not so affordable now - there wasa big price hike I think four years ago

 

[Adam Buttry]

Not so affordable now - there was a big price hike I think four years ago

I agree with most of your reply, but I think affordability is all relative. After using mine for a couple of years now, I've come to prefer full convex grinds over all others. Considering the lack of readily available options using this type of grind, F1's are not that expensive imo. Even at today's prices, the F1 is a lot of knife for the money.