Hard Choice Fallkniven Thor or Fehrman Extreme Judgement

Will Batayte

Will Batayte

Joined
Jan 8, 2007
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640
Ok, I'm Trying to decide between these two knives. I'm looking for a bombproof large camp knife. These two being my two favorite and at the top range of what I'm looking to spend. So what do you guys think? I know there's another obvious brand for just a little higher (Busse). But I'm not interested in waiting around until they start making a model I want or looking for one second hand. Don't flame me or anything but this one model at a time thing is quite frankly annoying. I'd much rather be able to buy what I want when I want. And then all it does is push up the prices on the secondary market when that model is not currently being made:jerkit:. A pain in the ass if you ask me. So anyway which one do you guys prefer out of just those two?
 
i don't own either but I have handled the Fallkniven, so take these comments for what they are... my 2 cents worth:

1) Leather stacked handle of Fallkniven for looks and a tough stainless blade (reportedly some microchipping in the VG10 edge - although it is laminated so unlikely to fail) but but but it has an aluminium butt (not likely to respond well to hammering on that). It is a knife that oozes appeal.

2) From what I've read, Fehrman for bombproof.

Feel free to send either one to me :D

Please post pics when you land one!
 
The fehrman
Its handle material and design are the best for wet hands swinging a knife for chopping. it is full tang, and the thor is partial. The aluminun butt would suck for fear of hitting it with anything. nothing against the thor, it looks cool, but the fehrman is the real deal for hard use.
 
I have had both, I sold the Fallkniven because of the handle shape. It just was not good for a positive strong grip.

The Ferhman is a tough no nonsense knife made from great materials and designed well. I would rate it up there with my Busse knives.

In this case I say Ferhman all the way:thumbup:
 
I had a Thor - wish I still had it.

But, it is more of a classic Bowie knife and not what modern "knife nuts" consider a "hard use" knife. The edge is a bit thin, the grip a bit smooth. etc. I liked the slicing ability and its performance on soft wood, though.

As such, you'd probably be happier with a Fehrman Extreme Judgement.
 
One issue with the Thor is that it has quiet a small grip, and I have small hands. The laminated blade is excellent and handles and feels much smaller and lighter than it is. I havn't handled a Fehrman but am led to believe they have a large grip, so I think you will need to handle both to decide
 
Both are great blades having used both of them. The Extreme Judgement and Thor are two vastly different blades. A closer comparison would the the Final Judgement and the Thor. I would still choose the Fehrman hands down. To me it is the finer instrument. their handles fit me well and I have average size hands. The fit and finish on the Fehrman is a little better. It will hold an edge a lot longer and have a lifetime guarantee where Fallkniven is 2 years, I believe.

Remember the Extreme Judgement is a very large blade with a recurve, and a beast of a chopper. The final judgement edge is straight and I find it more versatile.

Hope this helps.
 
I own a Fehrman, Busse and a couple Fallknivens.

Don't blame you about the whole Busse thing. I agree with your points.

As far as the other knives go:
It really boils down to whether you want stainless or carbon steel. Only you know how important that is for your needs.

The quality and craftsmanship in both brands is stellar.
 
I own and use several Fallknivens and cannot fault them on quality or capabilty. I own, but currently do not use, several of the NL series knives including the NL1 Tor, it is a beautiful beast of a knife no doubt.

I have never owned or handled the Fehrman so can't comment personally, but judging by the advice and comments above it sounds like it is very much worthy of consideration.

Of the comments made above, the one that hits home is the fact the NL series do not have full tang handles. Generally speaking full tang construction is considered desirable on a hard use knife, although I have read reviews by others on the NL series knives and they claim the knives hold up fine as hard use camp knives, but I can't confirm that through personal experience.

Perhaps, for the purpose of a hard use camp knife, the A2 would be a better choice from the Fallkniven line?

Kevin

PS - Confirmation: Fallkniven is 2 year warranty only.
 
Go with the Fehrman.I have the discontinued 10" Hood Hunter and it is a very tough knife.I've hammered it through knotty green Hickory 8" diam. sections of firewood.I can't imagine being able to destroy it without help from powertools.

Another thing is that it is made from one of the toughest steels in existence and we may not be able to get CPM 3V much longer.
 
Ok, I had emailed Fehrman about time from order to receipt of knife and it's only about two weeks. That was the one other deciding factor, since I wanted to use the knife for this fall's backpacking season. So I'm putting in the order today! Now I just gotta decide if I want satin finish or a coated blade. Hows the rust resistance of CMP 3V? I know its not stainless but for those of you that own a Fehrman in SF hows it holding up in that regard?
 
I did it! Extreme Judgement, coated blade, kydex Sheath, and large Tek Lok. Should ship in a week or two according to Fehrman. I can't wait to bring this out on a backpacking trip and really put it to the test. I got really lucky yesterday and stumbled across a really nice frame pack for a great deal. It was at EMS and I paid thirty bucks!!! It's the ascent 4700, and is upward of $200 but I got one that was returned for having a .5" rip in the fabric. The rip will be mended perfectly by my own personal tailor (my Nana). lol. Now I've got all my gear set, Ultra lightweight tent, U.L.W. sleeping bag, U.L.W. sleeping pad. Hammock with bug netting for nice weather, pack, and one awesome piece of steel!! Now I'm fully prepared for some awesome fall/early winter backpacking!!!
 
Congrats on your purchase you will love it. The Extreme Judgement is a beast of a knife. CPM 3V is surprisingly corrosion resistant to not be stainless. Just make sure you wipe it off after use and oil it from time to time.
 
I decided to say **** it and get both! :D Because of the great deal I got on the pack, I had an extra couple hundred so I got both. I figure this, life's too short to not buy the stuff you want. Both of these knives will be used hard and I'll be sure to post my impressions. I can't wait to try them.

As far as that review by Cliff Stamp goes, it seems to go against the norm as far as these knives go. I think Cliff probably got a factory defect. Even so it states that he returned the knife and was given a full refund regardless of the abuse. Thats compelling proof that Fehrman stands behind his knives even though that knife was batoned with an axe and chopped into concrete. Personally I would not give a refund or replacement to someone who was intentionally trying to destroy the knife. Thats BS. If someone wanted to test a knife to destruction they should buy it and pay for the chance to do that. Thats like buying a car and purposely crashing it into a brick wall at 90 mph and then expecting the dealership to give you a new one. I wouldn't fault Busse or Fehrman if they didn't cover destruction tests. Don't get me wrong, I think those destruction tests are informative and do show just how much punishment a knife can take. But a tester should be truthful and ask the company for a blade to test or expect to buy one.

Chances are these companies have to raise their prices to cover replacement of purposely destroyed knives. Who suffers for that? Us. A hard use knife should have a great warranty and should be able to be used MUCH harder than your average knife, but intentional destruction is a whole different story.
 
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coldblooded357 said:
I decided to say **** it and get both! :D Because of the great deal I got on the pack, I had an extra couple hundred so I got both. I figure this, life's too short to not buy the stuff you want. Both of these knives will be used hard and I'll be sure to post my impressions. I can't wait to try them.

As far as that review by Cliff Stamp goes, it seems to go against the norm as far as these knives go. I think Cliff probably got a factory defect. Even so it states that he returned the knife and was given a full refund regardless of the abuse. Thats compelling proof that Fehrman stands behind his knives even though that knife was batoned with an axe and chopped into concrete. Personally I would not give a refund or replacement to someone who was intentionally trying to destroy the knife. Thats BS. If someone wanted to test a knife to destruction they should buy it and pay for the chance to do that. Thats like buying a car and purposely crashing it into a brick wall at 90 mph and then expecting the dealership to give you a new one. I wouldn't fault Busse or Fehrman if they didn't cover destruction tests. Don't get me wrong, I think those destruction tests are informative and do show just how much punishment a knife can take. But a tester should be truthful and ask the company for a blade to test or expect to buy one.

Chances are these companies have to raise their prices to cover replacement of purposely destroyed knives. Who suffers for that? Us. A hard use knife should have a great warranty and should be able to be used MUCH harder than your average knife, but intentional destruction is a whole different story.
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Good choice :thumbup::D
 
coldblooded357 said:
Ok, I'm Trying to decide between these two knives. I'm looking for a bombproof large camp knife. These two being my two favorite and at the top range of what I'm looking to spend. So what do you guys think? I know there's another obvious brand for just a little higher (Busse). But I'm not interested in waiting around until they start making a model I want or looking for one second hand. Don't flame me or anything but this one model at a time thing is quite frankly annoying. I'd much rather be able to buy what I want when I want. And then all it does is push up the prices on the secondary market when that model is not currently being made:jerkit:. A pain in the ass if you ask me. So anyway which one do you guys prefer out of just those two?
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x 100. Busse knives are great but that marketing strategy just gets my goat. Go with the Fehrman bro. I have both Busse and Fehrman and my Fehrman does anything and everything I want it to do (I dont shoot my knives and crazy ideas like that) I'm trying to trade most my stuff at the min for Fehrman, I'll take a Busse too but Fehrman are much easier to acquire which means that when I do get one I'm not afraid to work that mofo :cool:
 
coldblooded357 said:
Now I've got all my gear set, Ultra lightweight tent, U.L.W. sleeping bag, U.L.W. sleeping pad. Now I'm fully prepared for some awesome fall/early winter backpacking!!!
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And a 2lb. knife!?!

Ah youth! I remember carrying a Buck 184 Trialmaster for years. What a boat anchor! I used to pack 60+ lbs then. Now I carry about 25lb.

My U.L set up includes a fixed blade.
A Fallkniven WM1. :D

Let us know how you like your new swords! I am interested to hear the reviews and compairisons beween the two.
 
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