- Joined
- Oct 26, 2001
- Messages
- 1,438
Hello all,
I realize that the Prodigy has been reviewed before, but I had a few new twists to add that I hadn't yet seen. First off, for those of you who haven't read the other reviews, this is basically a scaled down and more affordable version of the LMF II, but it is not an exact copy. The handle is thinner, and the hammer pommel has been done away with, making the knife 5 ounces lighter in weight. The blade is also slightly narrower. The knife does, however, retain the same half serrated profile as the LMF II, which is both helpful and annoying at the same time. Further, in place of the hammer pommel the Prodigy has a serious glass breaker/ skull cracker. Basic specs are 4.75 inch half serrated blade, 9.5 inch overall length. Full tang, rubber overmold handle, 420 HC steel. My specimen came shaving sharp out of the box. The sheath is similar to that of the LMF II as well, with an included leg strap, however, the sharpener has been removed from the sheath. I know a lot of people don't like additional items in the sheaths, but I've found that Gerbers built-in one on the LMF II does actually work really well for retouching the edge, so I know I'm going to miss this feature.
Moving on to the testing, I first used the knife to peel an apple, one of my standard kitchen tests. No problems here. I then used it to prepare some chicken for (barbecueing? Barbequeing?), burning on a grill. This is where the half serrated blade is a bit of a detriment. I was able to cut the meat well, but I feel that a fine edge would have done a much better job. Next, I cut rope to make a lanyard for the knife. The serrations ate right through the paracord with no trouble.
Batoning is definitely a bit of a problem for this knife. I was able to get the Prodigy through a log just fine, but here again the serrations are a bit of an impediment, and in fact, I managed to blunt several of the teeth. They just weren't meant to be driven through solid oak. In terms of carving, the knife did great. I made several fuzz sticks and chopped through two 1" diameter pine limbs. This was made more difficult by the fact that I was trying to use the fine edge only, but otherwise the knife went through them like butter. Lastly, I tested the glass breaker in an actual survival role. Being in possession of several pieces of obsidian I used the pommel as a hammer stone and successfully struck off several large flakes from the obsidian core. (See attached pics). At least two of these flakes were large enough that I could work them down into small PPK's or micro-burins, though I haven't yet gotten out my pressure flakers and done so.
One other modification I made, which I think others could benefit from, is to the sheath. I recently purchased a leatherman sidekick/crock combo at Home depot. The croc is basically a Piranha II, without the included bits. Using the velcro straps I attached this to the outside of the Prodigy sheath, thereby giving me some ability to undo basic nuts/bolts or open bottles. I think that this makes a great combination for a vehicle borne survival blade or outdoor knife. Overall, I'd give this knife a four star rating, and most of that is,again, due to the combination edge. That's all for now. I'm off to pick obsidian chips out of my buttocks.(Never, ever, knap where you sit...d'oh) I hope you all found this helpful.
Lagarto
I realize that the Prodigy has been reviewed before, but I had a few new twists to add that I hadn't yet seen. First off, for those of you who haven't read the other reviews, this is basically a scaled down and more affordable version of the LMF II, but it is not an exact copy. The handle is thinner, and the hammer pommel has been done away with, making the knife 5 ounces lighter in weight. The blade is also slightly narrower. The knife does, however, retain the same half serrated profile as the LMF II, which is both helpful and annoying at the same time. Further, in place of the hammer pommel the Prodigy has a serious glass breaker/ skull cracker. Basic specs are 4.75 inch half serrated blade, 9.5 inch overall length. Full tang, rubber overmold handle, 420 HC steel. My specimen came shaving sharp out of the box. The sheath is similar to that of the LMF II as well, with an included leg strap, however, the sharpener has been removed from the sheath. I know a lot of people don't like additional items in the sheaths, but I've found that Gerbers built-in one on the LMF II does actually work really well for retouching the edge, so I know I'm going to miss this feature.
Moving on to the testing, I first used the knife to peel an apple, one of my standard kitchen tests. No problems here. I then used it to prepare some chicken for (barbecueing? Barbequeing?), burning on a grill. This is where the half serrated blade is a bit of a detriment. I was able to cut the meat well, but I feel that a fine edge would have done a much better job. Next, I cut rope to make a lanyard for the knife. The serrations ate right through the paracord with no trouble.
Batoning is definitely a bit of a problem for this knife. I was able to get the Prodigy through a log just fine, but here again the serrations are a bit of an impediment, and in fact, I managed to blunt several of the teeth. They just weren't meant to be driven through solid oak. In terms of carving, the knife did great. I made several fuzz sticks and chopped through two 1" diameter pine limbs. This was made more difficult by the fact that I was trying to use the fine edge only, but otherwise the knife went through them like butter. Lastly, I tested the glass breaker in an actual survival role. Being in possession of several pieces of obsidian I used the pommel as a hammer stone and successfully struck off several large flakes from the obsidian core. (See attached pics). At least two of these flakes were large enough that I could work them down into small PPK's or micro-burins, though I haven't yet gotten out my pressure flakers and done so.
One other modification I made, which I think others could benefit from, is to the sheath. I recently purchased a leatherman sidekick/crock combo at Home depot. The croc is basically a Piranha II, without the included bits. Using the velcro straps I attached this to the outside of the Prodigy sheath, thereby giving me some ability to undo basic nuts/bolts or open bottles. I think that this makes a great combination for a vehicle borne survival blade or outdoor knife. Overall, I'd give this knife a four star rating, and most of that is,again, due to the combination edge. That's all for now. I'm off to pick obsidian chips out of my buttocks.(Never, ever, knap where you sit...d'oh) I hope you all found this helpful.
Lagarto
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) and stabbed it into a metal filing cabinet. No damage whatsoever, although it did need a bit of a touchup on the tip. Haven't used it lately as I lost it for a few years after I painted my room and cleaned it all out, but I found it a few months ago and it is just as amazing as I remembered. Did some work in wood and the tip strength is amazing.
). Let me make it clear that I have not tested or used the knife in an urban environment, but this is what I think. In my opinion, this knife is more of an "urban survival knife", something you'd want during a natural disaster for example. In an urban environment, mostly everything (if not everything) is man made, so this is were the serrations would excel. Cutting ropes, cords, straps, seat belts, the seats of a car, you name it, having a serrated blade would be better than a plain edge. Then there's the glass breaker. Why would you ever need to break glass in the woods? But if you're in an urban environment there's glass everywhere. With the glass breaker you'll be able to break a car window and access the inside of the car in an instant (or escape from it). The glass breaker also might even help you open a can of food you find or something (something you won't find in a natural environment). It's also a nice small size (you won't need a big blade for chopping in the city), and it's concealable so people won't get freaked out.