I just received Scott Gossmans PSN knife. Upfront, I want you to know I am not a small blade guy, this is why I wanted to be on the passaround. Recently, I've picked up a few but my experience is limited. Please keep that in mind when reading.
Stats:
Blade steel is CPM 154 and the scales are green canvas Micarta. The handle is thick which makes for a comfortable hold, but for my mitts it is a tad short, I can just get all 4 fingers on the handle (measures 6 1/2" overall, 2 1/2" spearpoint blade, 1/8" thick by 1" wide), my normal grip is a little longer then what is available. It is a convex ground blade with a convex micro bevel.
Kydex neck sheath, really nice job. While I prefer the look and feel of leather, for the size of this knife the sheath is a perfect fit. As mentioned in the previous review, the inside needs to be worked a bit, there's some markings on the handle. I carried it around my neck and side pocket. I had no problems around my neck, light enough to walk with while never becoming too heavy (tucked into a sweatshirt while outside). It did feel a little bulky in my pocket, I would preferred either on the neck or on my belt.
I sliced through an apple to get the feel of the knife, a bit cramped in the handle but the blade slid right through. There's a few markings as seen below but other then that clean and ready for use.
SOOO I learned a very important lesson after having the knife with me outside. While it was only a light rain, apparently digital cameras really really do not like that. Sadly the following review will contain zero pictures due to a problem with the camera...please do not tell the wife. When asked what happened, I blamed everything on her. That should cover me for the next few days while I figure out what I need to do to fix the camera.
Outside
I gave up waiting for the sun and took the knife outside, I figured a little rain would not hurt it. First thing I did was create a tent peg. When making the point, the knife felt "weak" in my hand. It may have been due to the wood being wet, also again my hand felt cramped with four fingers on the handle.
I moved on to make a marshmallow stick. Here I moved my pinkie back, riding up the tail end toward the lanyard, what a difference. I sliced through with no problems and had a lot of control. The knife impressed me with it's cutting edge. When carving out a notch or removing bark, I had great control, also I felt this knife cut as well if not better then some larger ones I have used.
I then made a fuzzy stick. While I am not an expert, the knife created one of my better attempts. With my new grip, I was able to make very fine long shavings, (this really burns me because I did take several pictures). The knife really melted through the wood, not once did I feel the need to really push on it. No batoning was done, with a knife this size I would not use it for that and so I did not do any.
While outside, the handle became wet but I never felt a problem with the grip.
Summary
Back inside I cleaned the knife up and now getting it ready to ship. Except for some markings from the sheath, knife is as I received it with a light touch-up on the edge, that was needed. Overall I enjoyed the control given by the smaller blade size and when available I will get one. The thick handle felt great in the hand and I had no hotspots. A tad longer handle would have made me happier but really was not a big issue. Since I am just starting to play with smaller knives, maybe this is something I just need to get used too. Very nice job done by Scott and I would like to thank him and Dan for allowing me to test the knife. It will go into the mail tomorrow, tracking and emails will be sent then. Coming your way swoop.
Stats:
Blade steel is CPM 154 and the scales are green canvas Micarta. The handle is thick which makes for a comfortable hold, but for my mitts it is a tad short, I can just get all 4 fingers on the handle (measures 6 1/2" overall, 2 1/2" spearpoint blade, 1/8" thick by 1" wide), my normal grip is a little longer then what is available. It is a convex ground blade with a convex micro bevel.
Kydex neck sheath, really nice job. While I prefer the look and feel of leather, for the size of this knife the sheath is a perfect fit. As mentioned in the previous review, the inside needs to be worked a bit, there's some markings on the handle. I carried it around my neck and side pocket. I had no problems around my neck, light enough to walk with while never becoming too heavy (tucked into a sweatshirt while outside). It did feel a little bulky in my pocket, I would preferred either on the neck or on my belt.
I sliced through an apple to get the feel of the knife, a bit cramped in the handle but the blade slid right through. There's a few markings as seen below but other then that clean and ready for use.
SOOO I learned a very important lesson after having the knife with me outside. While it was only a light rain, apparently digital cameras really really do not like that. Sadly the following review will contain zero pictures due to a problem with the camera...please do not tell the wife. When asked what happened, I blamed everything on her. That should cover me for the next few days while I figure out what I need to do to fix the camera.
Outside
I gave up waiting for the sun and took the knife outside, I figured a little rain would not hurt it. First thing I did was create a tent peg. When making the point, the knife felt "weak" in my hand. It may have been due to the wood being wet, also again my hand felt cramped with four fingers on the handle.
I moved on to make a marshmallow stick. Here I moved my pinkie back, riding up the tail end toward the lanyard, what a difference. I sliced through with no problems and had a lot of control. The knife impressed me with it's cutting edge. When carving out a notch or removing bark, I had great control, also I felt this knife cut as well if not better then some larger ones I have used.
I then made a fuzzy stick. While I am not an expert, the knife created one of my better attempts. With my new grip, I was able to make very fine long shavings, (this really burns me because I did take several pictures). The knife really melted through the wood, not once did I feel the need to really push on it. No batoning was done, with a knife this size I would not use it for that and so I did not do any.
While outside, the handle became wet but I never felt a problem with the grip.
Summary
Back inside I cleaned the knife up and now getting it ready to ship. Except for some markings from the sheath, knife is as I received it with a light touch-up on the edge, that was needed. Overall I enjoyed the control given by the smaller blade size and when available I will get one. The thick handle felt great in the hand and I had no hotspots. A tad longer handle would have made me happier but really was not a big issue. Since I am just starting to play with smaller knives, maybe this is something I just need to get used too. Very nice job done by Scott and I would like to thank him and Dan for allowing me to test the knife. It will go into the mail tomorrow, tracking and emails will be sent then. Coming your way swoop.