"Hoffman Harpoon" & Wilderness/Survival Kit

HTMD

HTMD

Joined
Feb 15, 2002
Messages
1,705
This is one incredible deal right here! And it was conceived and designed by Terrill Hoffman, professional knife photographer, big-time hunter and all-around nice guy. Hopefully Terrill will come along and provide the inside scoop but my understanding is that Tactical OPS USA (aka TOPS) picked it up from Terrill with the intent to produce, package and market it. And they've done an outstanding job. For $79 you get the cord-wrapped 'poon', a sturdy kydex and cordura sheath, a Lansky field sharpener, a Strike Master fire igniting tool(s) AND a small bottle of rust inhibitor and lubricant. Also shipping with the above items is a Lansky catalog, a TOPS catalog, warranty card, instructions for care and handling as well as a certificate of authenticity. Mine even arrived with a brief hand-written note thanking me for my purchase and wishing me a satisfactory experience with this TOPS product! All for - like I said - $79. Here are a few pics:

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The blade is 2 1/2 inches of 3/16ths 1095 steel, OAL 8 inches. As you can see there is paracord galore and everything snugs up tight for secure carry. The small items come with thier own snap chains for retention so they'll be there when you need them.

I love the harpoon design. Feels great in hand for all manner of tasks and can be easily tied to a stick for spearing your next meal and roasting it over the fire you just started with the aforementioned items! Very cool. I think every US deployed soldier should be issued one of these, every Boy Scout too as well as me, you and everybody we know! According to TOPS demand has been so great that if you order one you may have a (short) wait before receiving it. $79 - hard to believe one can get this much quality stuff for that little price! www.topsknives.com
 
I love the deign of the harpoon. A very handy littl epackage indeed and quite a bargain.

Roger
 
I just bought one. It should be a nice addition to keep with my Becker Brute when camping. I'll let people know what I think (FWIW) when I get it.

KR
 
Ever since I seen the original one made by Jerry Hossom Ive wanted one. At this price, combined with the extras its hard to beat. :thumbup:
 
I finally received it Friday. It came with a nice note from the owners. I ordered it on 7/20 and received it 8/5. I am trying to get some pictures of it but I don't have a camera good enough to show the problem. Everything is as advertised except, the grind on the blade is very uneven. I don't know whether to try to fix it myself or send it back. The picture shows a perfectly straight cutting edge but mine is like a sine wave. I like the feel of the knife and everything else seems fine. If I keep it I'll try to write a little about what I did with it. If someone has an opinion on whether to keep it or send it back let me know. I have to admit that I am somewhat disappointed. I was like a kid with a Christmas package when I opened it and then the blade edge really was a let down.

KR
 
I think you should tell them about the problem and they'll probably offer to make it right. If you try to fix it yourself and are unsuccessful, I don't think they'll fix it since you won't be able to show them what the original problam was. Just my opinion...
 
Whats the black thing on the sharpener?

I dont know if i would call this a real sirvival kit though.
Knife = good
Chord on knife = good, could take it off the handle and use it for various survival tasks.
Fire starter = Very good, i dont need to explain why.
Sharpener = Eh, not bad but kinda takes up space

I think it would be an even better deal if it also included say a small LED, maybe a signal mirror, fishing hook

http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/sports-imports_1905_2796898
I got this for my christmas, many of these things would easily fit inside a sheath without adding much bulk.

Actually, why not just bundle them? Make the sheath hold the sardine can survival kit!
 
The black thing on the sharpener is a rubber grip and is present on both sides - seems pretty functional in terms of preventing slipping of the fingers. The Lansky catalog accompanying the Hoffman Harpoon illustrates its use: sharpener stationary - drag the blade through the "V."

KR - Are you talking about the bevel of the edge being uneven? - or the edge itself not being straight? If the bevel is uneven then that would be a defect and I'd send it back. However, at least on mine, the edge is not straight. It's got a slight "S" curve to it and drops down a little just before the finger choil. It shows somewhat in my picture above.

I'm not sure why it's there exactly but I'm guessing it has several uses including being more effective as a fish spear, essentially preventing the point from slipping out of the flesh when retrieving the fish from the water. Additionally, the S curve gives a slight belly to the knife which might be useful in caping as well as other tasks.

I agree there would be other, possibly 'better' ways to package all of this together but this works for me because a) in carry mode as a neck knife or on the belt or whatever, I'd remove the sharpener and fire starter anyway, and b) in stow mode I'd probably put the whole thing in a zip-lock baggie to keep it dry. The other items mentioned by eyeeatingfish are definite musts and already part of my outdoor 'kit.'

I apologize for using the term 'survival kit.' You are quite right, eyeeating fish. The Hoffman Harpoon is it's official designation - not in need of any elaboration by by me. My mistake.....

I'll report back in a day or few as I brought mine with me up to the mountains for a short get-a-way in hopes of testing it out more thoroughly.

I'm still amazed one can buy this little set-up for less than the price of dinner and a movie for two.

Did I mention the butt of the handle makes a pretty nice 'skull crusher' or window breaker? Yup - it sho' do.
 
Kind of cool - not sure if it'd be able to replace the knife I currently carry or not though. And while this would undoubtly be better in survival situation, I'm not sure the extra weight is worth it for the relatively light backpacking I do. Nice little package though.
 
HTMD said:
KR - Are you talking about the bevel of the edge being uneven? - or the edge itself not being straight? If the bevel is uneven then that would be a defect and I'd send it back. However, at least on mine, the edge is not straight. It's got a slight "S" curve to it and drops down a little just before the finger choil. It shows somewhat in my picture above.

I'm not sure why it's there exactly but I'm guessing it has several uses including being more effective as a fish spear, essentially preventing the point from slipping out of the flesh when retrieving the fish from the water. Additionally, the S curve gives a slight belly to the knife which might be useful in caping as well as other tasks.
Click to expand...

That is what I am talking about. The slight S curve on the blade. I didn't originally see it in your picture but I do notice it now. If I put the blade sharp side down on a flat surface it is obvious that it isn't straight. I guess it is by design. I can probably live with it like that. I am suprised that it isn't a little sharper but it does seem like a good piece of steel. I am going to try it out and keep it.

I don't know if I would consider it a survival knife but it is a good addition to my survival and camping kit.

Thanks for the information.

KR
 
KR - I had to tune the edge on mine but the Lansky is perfect for the job - given the curvature of the blade. A few swipes of the fine rods and it met my expectations.
 
HTMD said:
I agree there would be other, possibly 'better' ways to package all of this together but this works for me because a) in carry mode as a neck knife or on the belt or whatever, I'd remove the sharpener and fire starter anyway, and b) in stow mode I'd probably put the whole thing in a zip-lock baggie to keep it dry. The other items mentioned by eyeeatingfish are definite musts and already part of my outdoor 'kit.'
I apologize for using the term 'survival kit.' You are quite right, eyeeating fish. The Hoffman Harpoon is it's official designation - not in need of any elaboration by by me. My mistake.....

I'm still amazed one can buy this little set-up for less than the price of dinner and a movie for two.
Click to expand...

Not on my butjet. I wonder though if we could get a few pictures of something to show more scale?

The little package i posted is a great deal at $10 I am actually thinking f getting like... 5 for various storage needs.

Also you said it comes with an antirust stuff. Do you think this knife would fair badly in more humid environments?
 
I wonder how well it throws, be it by itself as a throwing knife (or more likely dart), or affixed to a shaft (long or short) and used as a spear/harpoon? I could see some definate advantages it might have for being used as a spear.
 
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