Higonokami, Mercator, or Svord?

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SirSharpSauce

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Aug 1, 2013
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I might just buy them all, but I've got a few questions:

1. What are the stock thickness, thicknesses behind the edge and geometries of each compared to a benchmark, such as an Opinel, whose geometry seems almost optimal?

2. On the Higonokami, what exactly is the Hitachi Blue Steel and Warikomi?

3. What other knives have the slicing ability of an Opinel? In other words, real thin folders with some sort of carbon steel? Pocket (straight razors/kitchen knives)?

4. Which would cut best among the three, given they same angle cutting edge and sharpness?
 
Higo knives can vary quite a bit. It seems there are several manufacturers, and they vary from one to another.

1. I find their blades not especially thin, in the range of .080"-.090". Comparable with the Svord (mini Peasant is thinner than regular size) Additionally, they can have either flat or hollow ground primary grinds that can extend from about 60% to 90% of the blade.

2. The steels used in Higo knives are confusing, and I've found contradictory descriptions floating around. However, they can easily be found with both laminated and non laminated carbon steel. Non laminated blades are found in the least expensive knives. But by no means is it low performing.

3. Can't come up with many specific recommendations here. Maybe Case CV slimline trapper?

4. All can be made to cut extremely well. The Svord may need the most work to get there, as the grinds can be crude and insufficient out of the package. Higo knives, despite their sometimes narrow saber grinds, tend to have zero edges, or damn near close. This enables them to cut extremely well. And of course, Opinels with their full almost flat grind and thin blade stock perform excellently.

Low end Higo knives are very crude devices, even moreso than the Svord. I occasionally have to peen the pivot to tighten it up a bit, and always wedge a small piece of cork inside the handle so that the blade's edge doesn't make contact with the inside of the metal handle when closed. Still, I find them very usable and get plenty pocket time, where the Svord pretty much never ends up in the pocket.

There are high end higo knives, but I don't have any experience with them, and they shoot up in price very quickly.
 
Here are the specs on my "80mm" Higonokami if it helps any:

Blade thickness: 3mm
Blade grind: Scandi/Saber with secondary microbevel
Blade length: 73mm (blade is supposed to be 80mm)
Handle length: 97mm
Closed length: 108mm
Weight: ~2oz (rough estimate)

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Warikomi basically just means laminated steel, which the Blue Steel (Aogami #2; NOT Super Blue) is. Here's some info on Blue #2, but not sure how helpful it will be: http://zknives.com/knives/kitchen/misc/articles/kkchoser/kksteelp3.shtml

Can't tell you how the Mercator is, but I can tell you that the Higonokami and Peasant aren't all that EDC friendly without some kind of pouch or sheath. I would probably just go with the Mercator if I had to choose one.
 
Here is a review I posted, involving the Svord and the Opinel

The Svord Peasant has very good slicing capability; not exactly on par with the Opinel, but definitely no slouch. It's got 2mm blade stock. Most of it is flat ground, and the edge is convex. There is more steel behind the edge in the Svord, compared to the Opinel. It's common for edges to be uneven in the Peasant knife. Steel is better in the Svord, IMO. When making several cuts in cardboard, the Opinel had minor rolls in its edge (didn't affect performance because of fine blade geometry). Svord's L6 steel, on the other hand, did not roll.
 
Bear in mind that Svords have the worst fit and finish I've ever seen on any knife, if that kind of thing bothers you.
 
Bear in mind that Svords have the worst fit and finish I've ever seen on any knife, if that kind of thing bothers you.
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I have one, and it's fine. It's a 15 dollar knife, you can adjust if needed. The steel is solid, and it's such a simple design if you need to loosen or tighten it up it's easy.

I'd go with the Svord. It's a good gateway knife to get into friction folders.
 
XiaolongJackson said:
Can't tell you how the Mercator is, but I can tell you that the Higonokami and Peasant aren't all that EDC friendly without some kind of pouch or sheath. I would probably just go with the Mercator if I had to choose one.
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I find Higo knives very edc friendly without a sheath, unless for some reason you get a very large one. They can be pretty similar in size to a Mercator. Even the small Peasant gets a little bulky for pocket carry, true.
 
shecky said:
I find Higo knives very edc friendly without a sheath, unless for some reason you get a very large one. They can be pretty similar in size to a Mercator. Even the small Peasant gets a little bulky for pocket carry, true.
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I find that the Higo likes to open up when it's shaken a little. My Peasant can be tightened so that the friction from the scales keeps it closed, but the Higo uses rivets so that's not viable without expensive tools.
 
Thanks for the replies guys, but the question lies more about how each cuts, their grinds, how thin they are, suggestions for pocket razors, etc. I've got my Spydercos for edc :)
 
dogstar said:
To what are you referring?
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Probably how they come with uneven edges, blunt tips, and the stop pin isn't positioned right so the blade ends up hitting the rear screw.

Still, with all those problems it is still one of my favorite knives. The L6 steel was easy to fix up and the whole design makes the knife easy to work on.

I might be the only one but I find that the peasant is perfect for pocket carry. Slimmer knives tend to fall down and ride sideways in my pocket but the peasant stays in place.
 
SirSharpSauce said:
Thanks for the replies guys, but the question lies more about how each cuts, their grinds, how thin they are, suggestions for pocket razors, etc. I've got my Spydercos for edc :)
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The Opinel has mostly a full flat grind (I know, it's a bit convex) and is thin. It is the softest steel though. You can get it razor sharp the easiest and it will hold that fairly well under *light* use.

It's the best pocket razor but not for hard use unless you want edge rolling (which will steel out).

The Mercator has a fairly nice carbon steel and is a great knife but the tip hits a plastic stop when it closes instead of the kick hitting. The tip stays dull. An Opi does this too, but without a spring it's not as much of an issue. Full flat grind also but the blade is a bit thicker I think. If it weren't for the tip hitting it might win but that's a biggy to me.

The Svord needs serious work to profile and work to prevent the tip hitting one of the screws. The L6 steel is a pure joy though. Not full flat grind but that L6 will take a great edge *and hold it*. I like the Svord a lot 'cause of the steel and because it takes a lot of tinkering :)
 
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