Fallkniven NL1 Quick Impressions

S

S. Brown

Joined
May 16, 2006
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356
Yesterday, my Fallkniven NL1 and my BM 710 came in the mail. My first thought for both of these knives was, "Whoa, that is a big one!" Anyway, my NL1 arrived. I pulled it out of the sheath and stood in awe, for a second, of it's beauty. The finish on the blade is an amazing finish and the blade is one of the smoothest blades I have seen. No rough edges. The broad 10" blade is absolutely hair popping sharp. It is the sharpest bowie knife I have out of the box. The laminated VG-10's line where the steel separates is also pretty sweet looking even though it is purely cosmetic. When I was looking at this knife online, I did not like how big the logo on the blade looked. Now that I have the knife, the logo is not at all an eye sore and is much smaller than I expected. The handle looks nice, seems solid, and is comfortable. The balance, although a little blade heavy, suprised me. It is good for a knife of its size being about 1 in. above the guard.

On the down side, the handle is a little bit small for my hands; however, I have huge hands. I might look into getting a custom handle put on the blade in the future. The aluminium buttcap is not the best buttcap I have ever seen. If for some reason it ever came off, it would not be a pain to replace. I do like the sheath, however, there is an annoying piece of plastic in the inside. This plastic was really starting to piss me off, but its not a big deal since I can take it out.

Overall, I feel like I scored with this one. I like it a lot more than the CS San Mai Trailmaster even though, unlike many people here, I like most of CS's products. This big blade is definitely going with me on my next boar hunt!

Questions are welcome!
 
Thanks for the impressions! I'd love to see some pictures of the NL1 if possible.
 
I didn't take these, but here's some pics of the knife for ya:

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FallknivenThorwithColdSteelTrailmas.jpg


FallknivenThor.gif
 
you really must have huge hands if that handle is small! haha. awesome knife. thanks for the pics. most of all, enjoy it! :)
 
tka1 said:
you really must have huge hands if that handle is small! haha. awesome knife. thanks for the pics. most of all, enjoy it! :)
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Lol yeah, thats not my hand in the picture, that is someone else's. My fingers wrap around the handle and hit the palm of my hand. My fingers are fairly big but my palms are as big and wide as heck. The handle is really not that bad, but a little bulkier would be just perfect.
 
Man! That is one fine looking Bowie! I particularly like the extended clip when compared to that other knife that looks like a Trailmaster.

Seeing that NL-1 made me go in to pull out my Marble's Trailmaker so I could indulge in a little knife-turbation. Ahhhhhh! Much better... :D :D :D
 
misque said:
Man! That is one fine looking Bowie! I particularly like the extended clip when compared to that other knife that looks like a Trailmaster.

Seeing that NL-1 made me go in to pull out my Marble's Trailmaker so I could indulge in a little knife-turbation. Ahhhhhh! Much better... :D :D :D
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Yes sir, clip is extended beyond that of a trailmaster. It is unsharpened, however, it would not be difficult to put an edge on it. It is oh so much nicer and more comfortable than the trailmasters.

The trailmaker is a fine bowie in itself. I've been doing a little of my own knifeturbating with the NL1 :)
 
I'm envious! It's a very fine looking knife. And, having it in clad VG-10 is having the best of both worlds. You get toughness that's possibly on par with edge quenched straight Carbon knives and VG-10's freaky sharp edge taking abilities.
 
misque said:
I'm envious! It's a very fine looking knife. And, having it in clad VG-10 is having the best of both worlds. You get toughness that's possibly on par with edge quenched straight Carbon knives and VG-10's freaky sharp edge taking abilities.
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The VG-10 is great. I did some chopping yesterday and it was shaving again after a semi-quick cardboard strop.
 
Can you elaborate on how much more comfortable the NL1 is compared to the Trailmaster? Are there any other performance differences?
 
PBJ said:
Can you elaborate on how much more comfortable the NL1 is compared to the Trailmaster? Are there any other performance differences?
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The trailmaster has a harder kraton handle which can be a little rough on the hands after use. I have pretty tough hands, but after a long usage, I will still get some blisters. The rough texture will keep in your hand no matter what, but if used for an extended period of time, it will start to get uncomfortable and blisters will start popping up.

On the NL-1, the handle is ox hide. The handle is smoother and the overall shape fits my hand better. It is not slippery or anything like that; however, I could see the NL-1 slipping out of your hand before the trailmaster. As far as handles go, I guess it could be seen as a trade off. More comfort and slightly more slippage, or blisters and less slippage.

The stainless trailmaster and the NL-1 both have convex edges so there is not too much difference as far as the grind goes. However, the VG-10 in the NL-1 is definitely superior to the trailmaster's VG-1. It has better edge holding capabilities and was actually slightly easier to sharpen.

As far as the blade shape goes, the NL-1 has an elongated clip as opposed to the trailmaster's shorter clip. This has not affected the performance of either knife.

Any other questions?
 
Here's another Q:D

How do they compare balance-wise? Is the NL1 weighted more towards the tip than the Trailmaster?

And you haven't given us your thoughts on the BM710. (Which I am seriously considering as a next knife purchase)

Might as well tell us everything. You'll tell us in the end.:D
 
PBJ said:
Here's another Q:D

How do they compare balance-wise? Is the NL1 weighted more towards the tip than the Trailmaster?

And you haven't given us your thoughts on the BM710. (Which I am seriously considering as a next knife purchase)

Might as well tell us everything. You'll tell us in the end.:D
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They are weighted at roughly the same point, about 1" in front of the guard. The trailmaster may be a little more blade heavy, but not enough to make a big difference though.

The BM 710 is the best folder that I have ever owned. The handle is very strong and the pocket clip does not get in the way at all. I really like the shape of the handle, it fits my hand well. There is absolutely no blade play at all.

The axis lock is pretty amazing, it is the first knife with an axis lock that I have owned. It opens quickly, smoothly, and is strong. The D2 definitely holds an edge extremely well and is a little difficult to sharpen. I am not a huge fan of recurve blades, but the recurve on this knife does not bother be at all.

Questions? let me know
 
thanx for the review and pics of the Thor S.Brown.... that's an impressive blade! :cool: I've often wondered how the double-edged Mine Clearance would compare with a Thor! ;) but yeah i know, apples vs. oranges... :)
 
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