i'm the one who was asking a month or two ago if anyone actually had received one as of that time.
well,i got mine about a week ago and figured i'd better share it with you guys right?
i really like it,what can i say.its sweet,mean and nasty,all in one.
here's the head
here's the front of the sheath
here's the pointed pommel that unscrews to reveal a sharpening stone.
here it is unscrewed.i'm not sure what exactly the "sharpening stone" is made of.it doesnt really seem like a stone but will work.it also isnt attached to the bottom inside of the pommel and will rattle around inside the hollow handle and in fact mine broke in half from the vibration of impacts when striking objects with the SHRIKE.this pic is before the sharpening stone broke in half.
here is the SHRIKE next to some other pieces for a size reference
RANGER ENTRY TOOL,SHRIKE,SWAMPRAT,VTAC,RANGER RD-HAWK
what i like about it:
the geometry and angles of the grinds on both the front edge,the beard and the spike seem to be right.i took the SHRIKE to some pretty thick steel as hard as i could and it did real good.
actually it was a BRINKS key safe and it chopped it to shreds.there was absolutely no damage,chipping or even denting to the edge whatsoever an it actually held its edge really well.to me it seems the steel and the heat treat where done right as it better be for this price.i was impressed.
the micarta handle is nice.it is a one piece oval design and completely wraps around the tang.the grooves in the micarta work good for grip but will also tear your hand up if you had to use it without gloves.
i had a few complaints but they are pretty minor in my mind.
first one is the sharpener breaking in half.also the fact that it rattles around inside the hollow handle.the whole in the handle is maybe 3 inches deep and the sharpener is about 1 1/2 inches long so it slides up and down inside the handle a bit which i'm sure contributed to it breaking.
i think the pommel that screws on and off should have a rubber O-ring to help keep it from coming loose because with repeated blows the vibration loosens the pommel which also serves as the lanyard loop.i did have it come loose on me but it mever come completely off.i do not know if it would eventually come off completely or not as i didnt use it long enough to find out.
while i dont find the finish to be very important it isnt very resilient.it comes off extremely easily.RMJ states that these are either blued or coated in KG GUNKOTE.i suspect it to be KG as it can practically be worn off with a finger nail but again,to me that isnt important.troops ould always use krylon to fix any problems like that in the field if need be.
the SHRIKE came with a sheet of paper congratulating me and one of the things it said was how sharp the SHRIKE was and to be very careful.i understand their need to state something like that but i didnt find it to be very sharp at all.at the same time i dont think a tool like this,that will be striking hard objects should come with a razor edge.
i think the edge was proper for its intended duties.
i did try it on some wood and was surprised at how well it did and how far it bit in.the only draw back this tool would have for wood working is how small the edge is.
the sheath is incredible.it actually is way more than i'll ever need as a civilian but it wasnt designed for me.it is extremely secure in the .125 thick kydex by itself to the point it is a chore to pull it out or place it back in the sheath.to me that is a good thing and will ease up over time.
add to that the double nylon strap retention system and it is very secure not to mention the many places to triple secure it by using 550 cord.this thing is beyond jump capable.you could jump from the moon and not loose it.the plastic hardware/buckles arent generic either which is important.
it comes with a over-the-shoulder nylon strap carry system that works good but more importantly the sheath will accept a TEK-LOK but you need to supply your own,at least i did.
bottom line is there are endless carry options and ways to rig it to whatever with this sheathing system.
my only complaint with the sheath is that while it is hard to get it in and out and very secure while inside it rattles while in there.it is still very secure but rattles quite a bit.thats not a problem so much for me as it is annoying but may be a real issue for some.
one last picture i forgot.this picture shows how far down the tang reaches into the handle.where you see the point of this knives blade is approximately where the tang reaches to and ends at.
all in all i think this thing is incredible and will serve anyone well.any problems i had where minor and mostly fixable myself.the main things,the important things that effect actual performance seem to be on par.i have total faith in this piece as a tool and while i'm not a NAVY SEAL with forced entry and cqc experience i do have quite a few entry tools and tactical hatchets and this one really tops them all when you put it all together.
i do wish it had a little bigger blade edge.a little more cutting area would be nice in my eyes.also,with the 1 piece micarta handle design and the way it totally encapsulates the tang,according to RMJ it is totally insulated from electric shock which is important to some.after all,that is what micarta was originally designed,intended and used for in the first place.
the SHRIKE is great imo.
well,i got mine about a week ago and figured i'd better share it with you guys right?
i really like it,what can i say.its sweet,mean and nasty,all in one.
here's the head
here's the front of the sheath
here's the pointed pommel that unscrews to reveal a sharpening stone.
here it is unscrewed.i'm not sure what exactly the "sharpening stone" is made of.it doesnt really seem like a stone but will work.it also isnt attached to the bottom inside of the pommel and will rattle around inside the hollow handle and in fact mine broke in half from the vibration of impacts when striking objects with the SHRIKE.this pic is before the sharpening stone broke in half.
here is the SHRIKE next to some other pieces for a size reference
RANGER ENTRY TOOL,SHRIKE,SWAMPRAT,VTAC,RANGER RD-HAWK
what i like about it:
the geometry and angles of the grinds on both the front edge,the beard and the spike seem to be right.i took the SHRIKE to some pretty thick steel as hard as i could and it did real good.
actually it was a BRINKS key safe and it chopped it to shreds.there was absolutely no damage,chipping or even denting to the edge whatsoever an it actually held its edge really well.to me it seems the steel and the heat treat where done right as it better be for this price.i was impressed.
the micarta handle is nice.it is a one piece oval design and completely wraps around the tang.the grooves in the micarta work good for grip but will also tear your hand up if you had to use it without gloves.
i had a few complaints but they are pretty minor in my mind.
first one is the sharpener breaking in half.also the fact that it rattles around inside the hollow handle.the whole in the handle is maybe 3 inches deep and the sharpener is about 1 1/2 inches long so it slides up and down inside the handle a bit which i'm sure contributed to it breaking.
i think the pommel that screws on and off should have a rubber O-ring to help keep it from coming loose because with repeated blows the vibration loosens the pommel which also serves as the lanyard loop.i did have it come loose on me but it mever come completely off.i do not know if it would eventually come off completely or not as i didnt use it long enough to find out.
while i dont find the finish to be very important it isnt very resilient.it comes off extremely easily.RMJ states that these are either blued or coated in KG GUNKOTE.i suspect it to be KG as it can practically be worn off with a finger nail but again,to me that isnt important.troops ould always use krylon to fix any problems like that in the field if need be.
the SHRIKE came with a sheet of paper congratulating me and one of the things it said was how sharp the SHRIKE was and to be very careful.i understand their need to state something like that but i didnt find it to be very sharp at all.at the same time i dont think a tool like this,that will be striking hard objects should come with a razor edge.
i think the edge was proper for its intended duties.
i did try it on some wood and was surprised at how well it did and how far it bit in.the only draw back this tool would have for wood working is how small the edge is.
the sheath is incredible.it actually is way more than i'll ever need as a civilian but it wasnt designed for me.it is extremely secure in the .125 thick kydex by itself to the point it is a chore to pull it out or place it back in the sheath.to me that is a good thing and will ease up over time.
add to that the double nylon strap retention system and it is very secure not to mention the many places to triple secure it by using 550 cord.this thing is beyond jump capable.you could jump from the moon and not loose it.the plastic hardware/buckles arent generic either which is important.
it comes with a over-the-shoulder nylon strap carry system that works good but more importantly the sheath will accept a TEK-LOK but you need to supply your own,at least i did.
bottom line is there are endless carry options and ways to rig it to whatever with this sheathing system.
my only complaint with the sheath is that while it is hard to get it in and out and very secure while inside it rattles while in there.it is still very secure but rattles quite a bit.thats not a problem so much for me as it is annoying but may be a real issue for some.
one last picture i forgot.this picture shows how far down the tang reaches into the handle.where you see the point of this knives blade is approximately where the tang reaches to and ends at.
all in all i think this thing is incredible and will serve anyone well.any problems i had where minor and mostly fixable myself.the main things,the important things that effect actual performance seem to be on par.i have total faith in this piece as a tool and while i'm not a NAVY SEAL with forced entry and cqc experience i do have quite a few entry tools and tactical hatchets and this one really tops them all when you put it all together.
i do wish it had a little bigger blade edge.a little more cutting area would be nice in my eyes.also,with the 1 piece micarta handle design and the way it totally encapsulates the tang,according to RMJ it is totally insulated from electric shock which is important to some.after all,that is what micarta was originally designed,intended and used for in the first place.
the SHRIKE is great imo.
