Fallkniven H1 knife & sheath question

TAH

TAH

Joined
Jul 3, 2001
Messages
6,138
I'm considering an H1 for a general purpose camp knife. What are your thoughts on this knife?

Also, the Fallkniven website says that the H1 is also offered with a Zytel sheath. Is this true? I can't find any Zytel sheaths through U.S. dealers. What do you like better - the leather or Zytel sheath?

Thanks for your help!
 
I own the F1, and love it.:D

I am pretty sure almost everyone here will agree that you can't go wrong with a Fallkniven. ;)

As far as I know the H1 only comes with an open-ended black leather sheath (although I could be wrong)

You could always buy an after market sheath if you are looking for a "plastic" type, check out eric at On/Scene Tactical (do a google search) their sheaths are 36.00 and are some of the best. :D

:thumbup:
 
the leather sheath is pretty good, only thing im not 100% happy with is the inlay of Zytel. the edge hits it and may dull it
 
I have an H1. I can't comment on the standard sheath, since the man I bought it from had a Dozier Wilderness sheath made for it. Awesome upgrade! :)

The knife itself really impresses me. The design is a skinner more than a camp knife, but the blade is so strong, it will do fine. It's too thick for real precision food prep, but I've had no problem with fruits and vegetables and meat.

I was unsure about the handle, since I don't like rubber handles generally, but I've been happy with this one. It's not squishy at all, but grippy, and an extremely comfortable shape. It even has a bit of the tang sticking out the end of the pommel for a striking surface.
 
H1

I’ve been playing with an H1 (on loan) for a few weeks, and am planning to do a comparison with my Roselli erapuukko, but I haven’t enough data yet. But here are some preliminary impressions:

The H1 is a hand-filling chunk of a knife with a laminated blade (420-J2 sides, VG-10 core) 4 mm or .2” thick at the spine and about 4” long. The laminated blade is supposedly even stronger than a non-laminated VG-10 blade. Check Fallkniven’s website for tech data on independent testing. It’s not a paring knife, but the thick blade works pretty well in the kitchen. It tends to pop apart hard veggies like carrots, but slices softer fruit like tomatoes, no problem. It works great on dismembering chickens, and the blade is long enough for that most useful survival exercise, scraping peanut butter from the bottom of the jar. It is handy in the garden, cutting vines, digging into old wood and disturbing fire ants (run!). The tang extends through the butt as on the F1 so you can pound on it. Falkniven calls the H1 a specialized blade designed for experts; I’d call it a good all-round knife, a variation of the tried and true puukko. The Kraton grip has no guard other than a small lip, but it is well shaped and textured. It feels a little harder than the Kraton on my Master Hunter and SRK, and almost as firm as the Thermorun on the F1. On a draw cut or slice, which is what this blade is mainly designed for, I don’t see the lack of a guard as a problem. If I have any criticism of the grip, it is that it is a bit short if you’re wearing heavy gloves. The H1 came with an open-top swinger sheath of good thick black-dyed leather, fitted with a hard plastic liner. It doesn’t grip the blade particularly tightly; by comparison, my F1 came with a similar dangler sheath that was so tight you had to use two hands to draw the knife. If wearing it in thick brush I’d tie it down with a lanyard through the lined lanyard hole. In short, a handy, all-round knife, not too big to tuck into the back pocket of your jeans, and big enough for about any task for a hand cutting tool.
 
Hey Guys...

Thanks Waba...

TAH

I do make a Custom Kydex sheath for the H1

The H1 is an awesome knife.. Get VERY,,Very sharp and holds an edge...

I wouldn't hesitate to take it afield what so ever...

If I can help you with a sheath or answer any questions,, please feel free to drop me a note. I have my own, so no need to send anything..

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
Alberta Ed :

Nice to see it getting some use. Any comments on the steel in comparison to the puukkos you have used extensively. Would you want such a spine thickness on that type of knife in general?

-Cliff
 
Hey Guys...

Cliff..

Not to answer for Ed or anything..

I personally like a stout hunting knife myself.. It'll take some abuse, and you won't be afraid to really get in there and use it..

One thing you have to remember is that it's guardless, which can be a problem with your hands elbow deep in a chest cavity..One must just be a little more careful your hand doesn't slide up..

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
Yes, I can realize that, but it takes some effort to even break a 1/16" thick knife. I can't imagine doing it on game unless you do something like put the blade in a kneecap and then wrench on it to bust the joint apart. There isn't a real need to do that though.

I like the H1 though not for the use it was designed, more for a survival type knife which can be used roughly as you described. That being said, a lot of people to favor really thick knives for that type of use (animals). The Boye hunters for example were over 0.2" with a very similar edge geometry. I think there though the main reason was the casting.

-Cliff
 
Hey Cliff...


Cliff Stamp said:
Yes, I can realize that, but it takes some effort to even break a 1/16" thick knife. I can't imagine doing it on game unless you do something like put the blade in a kneecap and then wrench on it to bust the joint apart. There isn't a real need to do that though.

I like the H1 though not for the use it was designed, more for a survival type knife which can be used roughly as you described. That being said, a lot of people to favor really thick knives for that type of use (animals). The Boye hunters for example were over 0.2" with a very similar edge geometry. I think there though the main reason was the casting.

-Cliff
Click to expand...

Yaa there are times when a joint does need to be cut and pryed apart..Not often,, nit I've done it for sure...Especially if the animal is to be quartered in the field..
Usually you'd bring the proper tools for this job...

Thanks

Eric
O/ST
 
You actually pry it with the knife? I have done it on fairly large animals like caribou with just cutting away the tissue. The inuit traditionally (ok, used to) bone knives for this so prying was not an option. That being said, it is much faster if you can just power through it so there is an arguement there for a heavier knife if you want to do that.

-Cliff
 
Hey Guys..

Cliff....

Well I don't know if prying would be the correct word for it I guess...

Powering through the cut would be better...

By prying I meant getting right in there to separate to joint, a little twisting action maybe to help things along... It's not like you cut all the way around and the leg falls of either...

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
Cliff, VG-10 is one of my favorite stainless steels. It seems to have more 'bite' than ATS-34 for instance. My buddy and I once skinned a black bear together; I used my F1 in VG-10, he used a CS Elk Skinner in Carbon V I had given him. I was surprised to see that the VG-10 edge held up just as well as the Carbon V, although it took longer to resharpen on diamond hones. The H1 sharpened more readily than my F1, maybe because of the softer 420-J2 side panels. My Roselli cuts better than the H1, I think because of the thinner blade -- 1/8" -- and the more acute convex bevel you put on it (thanks!), and I suspect that the W75 high carbon steel is even tougher than VG-10. Roselli's blades are die forged, I believe, and maybe that adds to the edge-holding qualities. In actual use under non-controlled conditions it would be difficult to say which works better. Frost's high carbon laminated steel blades are quite thin and work great for tasks like skinning and general camp use. Ericksson's high carbon blades are excellent steel, very tough, but not quite as good edge holders compared to the Roselli and Frost's -- probably a tad softer. One of these days I'm going to get my hands on a Kellam, and with luck one of the Roselli UHC/wootz blades. Now, if I can find an armadillo for a field test... gotta be some down here in sweaty Texas.
 
Thanks for the extra information. It would be very interesting to see those Wootz/UHC blades in some serious use.

-CLiff
 
All the Fallkniven knives are top notch knives (Maybe I have at leat 20 Fallknivens), However, I don't think the H1 would make the best general camp knife you are looking for.
For you best bet on a camping and trail knife I would recommend the F1 for a smaller package or the A1 for a camper/chopper knife.
I have 2 of the H1's and they are basically made to be used as a hunting knife instead of a general purpose knife.
As to the leather "dangle sheath", all I can say is I LOVE THEM! they never get in the way when you are getting in and out of the car of sitting down in a chair...they just swing out of the way.

You can't go wrong with whatever Fallkniven you choose!

Ciao
Ron
:thumbup:
 
Just ordered a H1 (w/leather sheath) and a F1 (w/Zytel sheath) to compare them side by side. From your comments, I'm leaning towards the F1, but I will know for sure after they arrive on Wednesday. :)
 
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