Fears Survival by Foster

[Normark]

Hey Guys....

Just got my Fears Survival Knife made by Foster Knives yesterday,, and boy am I impressed with this knife...

The knife was a little smaller thatn I thought..Sorry I don't have the specs on hand.

However what a nice medium sized field/camp knife is going to be.
Knife came Wicked sharp,, as the cut across my finger will prove.

Fit and Finish are very nice, over all appearance is very professional and nicely finished,clean and neat.. Nothing fancy,, no bells and whistles to get in the way..

Handle is very comfortable, grippy G-10 with thumb trackion on the spine.

Overall,, everything I like to see in a camp/hunting and survival knife...
Well worth the money, and a knife I want another one of...

Check them out:

http://www.fosterknives.com/

It'll soon be one of your favorite knives...

ttyle

Eric

 

[Gossman Knives]

Eric, they look like a good solid knife for the outdoors. What steel type?
Scott

 

[Normark]

Hey Scott..

Yaaa it is a really nice blade..Would be an excellent field dressing knife..

Opps forgot to add..

Blade is 440C

S30-S60V would be interesting..

As a matter of fact,, I had two Does at my rabbit bait pile 22 yards away this morning while I was working in my shop..Crossbow Locked,Cocked, and Ready to Rock, Doc! I should had let some High Speed Aluminum Fly, but I didn't..
Would have been an excellent Opp to try the Fears for field dressing!!

Doh!!!

ttyle

Eric....

 

[Cliff Stamp]

This seems a bit pricy considering :

http://www.ragweedforge.com/680.jpg

is carbon steel with a differential hardening and $9. Various handle configurations and materials if you don't like that one, stainless is available as well and scads of blade lengths from 1-10". The Mora 2000 being an "upscale" offering.

I would be interested to see where the Fears would be a superior knife, most of the reviews center of tasks which are readily performed by the above knife, and on many such as wood craft it is probably superior.

The Fears would be stronger due to the thicker stock (0.140") so it would have an advantage there, but at that stock you could still break it by wrist strain anyway plus it isn't like you want to be prying with 440C.

Blade angle is odd, I would want it the other way or straight. Plus for that price, get a full grind, which would allow for greater strength and more cutting ability, as for S30V, ease of field sharpening and edge durability is one of Fears requirements after doing things like digging in the ground, neither are strong points of S30V.

-Cliff

 

[frank k]

Eric thanks for the excellent review!

I agree that the Fears would make a great medium sized hunting/camp/survival knife.

BTW, here’s a link to a short article on survival knives from SCI’s Hunt Forever Magazine by J. Wayne Fears:

http://www.scifirstforhunters.org/static/index.cfm?contentID=443


We have a Fears Survival Knife currently making the rounds on the passaround circuit - everyone seems to have a lot of good things to say about the knife. The only complaints center on the sheath, which definitely deserves to be upgraded to match the quality of the knife. I am sure that the sheath is something that you have taken care of already!....would love to see what you have come up with.

Cliff, The handle is very comfortable and secure with a full tang and bolted on G10 scales - nothing like the balance of typical Scandinavian knives with partial stick tangs and thinner blade stock.



- Frank

 

[Cliff Stamp]

The handle is very comfortable and secure with a full tang and bolted on G10 scales - nothing like the balance of typical Scandinavian knives with partial stick tangs and thinner blade stock.

The balance of such knives is typically on the index or middle finger so they will float in the open hand which is where you want it for utility work. The larger ones are balanced more forward such as the Leuko's for more power when chopping and they generally work well with impacts all along the blade from the tip for speed chopping to power cuts near the choil.

In regards to the tangs, some of them are partial, some of them run all the way through and are capped at the end, you can get them either way. It doesn't effect the function, they won't break there anyway, the arguement for full tangs for strength is more myth than reality, you are usually better off with a tapered tang for versatility and balance.

As for the blade stock, that is the primary problem, sabre grinds are inefficient from the perspective of strength/weight and cutting ability, they are fine on cheap knives, a $5 puukko is one thing, however use a thicker steel and a higher grind on more expensive grinds, you can improve cutting ability and overall blade strength.

-Cliff

 

[frank k]

The cheap Scandinavian knives are light and cut very well, but the handle construction can be a weak point. I have seen and heard of the wooden handles on stick tangs breaking or twisting off if they are not used with care. The plastic handles are a little better but they won’t take much pounding on the pommel end before they will break off.

http://www.knifeforums.com/forums/showtopic.php?tid/174738


The thin laminated blades are another potential weak point for a survival knife since they are so easily to bend.


I generally prefer full flat to either sabre grinds or Scandinavian grinds. But for a hunting knife I don’t think it makes much of a difference since you are making mostly shallow cuts not deep slices. And for a survival knife the argument could be made for a decently thick, ridged sabre grind.


The Fears is basically a full tang hunting knife beefed up slightly for survival. It looks a little like some of the Scandinavian knives but it’s not the same design or construction.




- Frank

 

[Cliff Stamp]

I have seen and heard of the wooden handles on stick tangs breaking or twisting off if they are not used with care.

I have broken a few, the blades go before the handles when prying, it isn't difficult to break a piece of 1/8" steel by hand, just twist with your wrist. However if you want to be able to beat on the handle directly then you either want a slab construction or a more durable grip material. However this line of use seems illogical to promote for a 440C knife, this isn't a steel you want to be pounding on especially when it is cold.

The plastic handles are a little better but they won’t take much pounding on the pommel end before they will break off.

No, generally not something you want to do with partial tangs unless the grip is enclosed Hytrel like Mission, or thick rubber like the Rat's or like Fallkniven you simply run the tang out through the handle. The F1 is similar to the Fears in design and intended use with a more efficient primary grind and is $75, there are a couple of Rats in the same size range.

The thin laminated blades are another potential weak point for a survival knife since they are so easily to bend.

Yes, the sides are essentially annealed steel, so you basically have the strength of the core, wonderfully flexible, but will bend with little force, use the solid forged ones instead.

But for a hunting knife I don’t think it makes much of a difference since you are making mostly shallow cuts not deep slices.

Even then why carry the weight, and long term you are looking at poor edge stability because the low grind means it thickens faster and ease of sharpening is reduced. Plus thicker knives are more awkward to use dejointing and cutting large sections of meat, butchers don't use blades with similar cross sections.

And for a survival knife the argument could be made for a decently thick, ridged sabre grind.

The arguement would be for a grind which has a lower strength/weight ratio and cutting efficiency, an odd perspective. If you want the strength then use thicker steel and a higher grind which will be stronger, cut better, with a more stable edge profile.

-Cliff

 

[Thomas Linton]

Went to the site (Thank you for the link.). They illustrate a 50/50 saber grind that they descubed a "full flat" grind. What did you get?

 

[Normark]

Hey Thomas...

I believe it is a Saber grind...

ttyle

Eric...

 

[Gryffin]

Went to the site (Thank you for the link.). They illustrate a 50/50 saber grind that they descubed a "full flat" grind. What did you get?

I don't see that phrase on the Foster Knives site, but I do see "steep flat grind", and it's definitely a saber grind. In this case, I think they're just saying that it's not hollow ground; "full flat ground" would mean it's ground all the way up to the spine, which as you can see in the photos, is certainly not the case.

 

[Gryffin]

I'm signed up for the passaround of one of these, but haven't had a chance to handle on in person yet...

This seems a bit pricy considering :

http://www.ragweedforge.com/680.jpg

is carbon steel with a differential hardening and $9.

I would agree with you, if it was made from run-of-the-mill 440C; but I'm sure you know that with some extra effort towards a proper heat treat, 440C can perform very well. If their 440C is treated as well as, say Benchmade's or Spyderco's, the price seems a bit more reasonable. Plus, the Foster Fears has a much sturdier tang and G-10 handle. Seems to me it's built comparable to Bark River's knives, which are priced similarly.

Blade angle is odd, I would want it the other way or straight.

I dunno, it looks like a great design: it gets the (possibly gloved) hand up out of the way, so cutting with the flat of the edge right down onto a flat surface would be a lot easier than with most knives of this size.

Plus for that price, get a full grind, which would allow for greater strength and more cutting ability

Better slicing, sure, but greater strength? No way. In fact, the main weakness of a full-flat grind is that it leaves a thin, weak tip. A half-inch back from the tip, that blade would be half as thick as it is with the saber grind.

I don't think it has anything to do with price: the saber grind makes for a stronger blade at that size, and since it's marketed as a survival knife rather than a dedicated slicer (kitchen knife, skinner), I think it's the right choice, regardless of the price.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

I dunno, it looks like a great design: it gets the (possibly gloved) hand up out of the way, so cutting with the flat of the edge right down onto a flat surface would be a lot easier than with most knives of this size.

With the blade tilted up, it is harder to cut to a cutting board because you have to angle your wrist to compensate. I was thinking more of leverage issues on wood and chopping, I noticed right away when using the WB which isn't nearly as dramatic, it has the exact opposite edge presenation as compared to McClung's ATAK for example.

[strength]

In fact, the main weakness of a full-flat grind is that it leaves a thin, weak tip.

This is dependent on the taper and grind of the tip, not the primary grind, I have flat ground blades with tip tapers that are hollow, flat or convex, they can be very pointy or very robust. When I remarked it could be stronger with a flat grind I noted with a thicker stock. Strength is non-linear with cross section thus you can get it stronger and cut better at the same time, you can even have it lighter, be stronger and cut better.

-Cliff