Hossum: I changed my mind

J

JD Spydo

Joined
Nov 20, 2004
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When Spyderco first came out with some of the Hossum fixed blade models my first impression was that they were a nice looking knife but I couldn't imagine what use I would have for one. I have 2 Gurkha Kukri blades for high impact cutting/chopping so I couldn't at the time realize what use I would have for one. However I did run into a situation where I work in the wetlands. One of the guys I work with shot a big snapping turtle ( about a 30 pounder). Well for your information turtle meat is not bad eating. Especially the white meat around the neck. The rest of the meat makes great soup.

Well when I went to skinning/dressing out the beast I just realized that it had been years since I cleaned a turtle. Snapping turtles have a very thick shell and their hide makes leather look tame. Breaking the shell was a major chore needless to say. I immediately realized that if I had one of the Hossum blades and could hack the shell and other parts and it would have made the job a lot easier.

So with all of that being said I did find a real need for one of the Spyderco Hossum models and I will be adding one to my USER arsenal soon. I would love to know what other needs some of you may have found for a chopping knife like the Hossum? Especially in the survival sector?
 
spyken said:
will stainless steel hold up against turtle shell?
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Well I've yet to have a knife made with this particular steel but I'm sure that the Great Spyder Factory wouldn't use something that wouldn't perform superbly. I must admit that it amazes me just how hard and thick that old turtle's shell was :eek: .

But isn't it strange how many different needs you can find for all different styles of blades. As recent as a month ago I couldn't even imagine what possible use I would have for a Hossum model. Now I will admit that it will probably be many moons before I skin/dress out another snapping turtle. I even gave the meat away to an old country boy that lives up in that area. But it was an education in survival that I won't forget soon to learn to dress out that turtle. That was one mean job I'm here to tell you :eek: :D

The bottom line is this: From now on I can see that any knife will eventually have a valid use. The field of cutlery is a broad field indeed. And a knife is truly one of the most essential tools of survival. And leave it to the Great Spyder Factory to cover all the bases ;)
 
I've had a chance to see/ handle the Hossum knives, and they are GORGEOUS. Really, they are beautiful, well-balanced and finished pieces. I haven't picked one up yet, but I probably will eventually. I had thought that the Forester was sort of Spyderco's answer to the Battle Mistress, but it's a different beast entirely- much lighter and handier. I think the Forester may have a more comfortable handle, and would be better to carry for long periods, and may be better for a long day's work. But it doesn't have the raw chopping power of a Battle Mistress. I think the Forester may actually have better fit & finish than some Busses, (better than my FFBM, anyway) though the steel and construction is very different. I strongly doubt the steel Fox is using is anywhere near as tough as INFI.

I'm very glad Spyderco is making the Hossom knives, especially the Forester. I LOVE big choppers, they're far and away the most fun knives to use, and the most useful for me in the field. Very few knives give you that "hell yeah!" rush of adrenaline you get when you slam through something with a chopper. Few things in life feel more satisfying than clearing brush with a big knife. Very macho, very fun.
I used my battle mistress to chop open a coconut the other day, and it was beyond overkill- the damn coconut exploded in half- shooting the two neat pieces of itself away with great force- and was loud enough to bring my neighbors out, wondering what the hell was going on. A sledgehammer would have been less effective against the coconut's armor. Awesome!
 
schwarz.jpg

sorry, coudln't help myself
 
Andros said:
Do you think they could hold up against a turtle shell :confused:?
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Oh yes! In spite of our perception of a turtle's shell being hard it really isn't if you were to actually rank it on the Moh's Scale of hardness. Just about any cutlery grade stainless would hack through a turtle shell with no problem. Now I'm not saying that you wouldn't have to touch up the edge after doing such a job but a turtle's shell is not at all comparable to cutlery grade stainless or carbon steel either as far as that goes.

The Hossum being designed to be a chopper type knife would be ideal for such a job. The knives that I did use to complete the job didn't really require anything but just a touch up on the 204 Sharpmaker
 
this thread belongs over in Practical Tactical! Where the "what knife would you use against a turtle?" theads would be most likely to appear.:D

later
xdshooter
 
I'm 100% sure a turtle shell wouldn't be much of a challenge for the Hossom Forester, or any other largish chopper. A turtle shell is mostly keratin if I remember my biology correctly, which is what our fingernails and hair are made of. A turtle shell is essentially a thick fingernail. As said above, nowhere near as tough as high-grade steel. A turtle shell is probably about as tough as a coconut, which doesn't stand a chance against a chopper (or a machete, for that matter). Even a properly shaped-rock will do a number on a turtle if swung with enough force- depending on how big the turtle is. You might have some trouble with a big loggerhead, those things get huge, and they're plenty mean. I wouldn't get close enough to a loggerhead to use a knife on in the first place, not unless I'd shot him a couple of times first.
 
I got the dayhiker and I think its a beautiful knife. I dont know when i will use it. The teklok is cool but if i wear it EDC it kinda pokes my in the side. Its not super thick, but I think it could surely handle medium chopping
 
Hello All!
I picked up a Forester the beginning of April along with a Ontario RatII. I have had both out and about chopping pathways on our hunting property in Northeren Michigan. The Hossom Chops great and the N690C has held up very well. As I said it CHOPS well but does not cut worth a darn. Just for fun I tried to slice a tomato while grilling some steaks and it really sucked! I don't expect Large Chopping type blades to cut like a smaller blade such as my Bg42CF Military. On the other hand the RATII chopped up a storm and was able to slice the tomato quite well. Correct me if I am wrong, But I have put the Forester and the Rat in the same catagory. Another thing is that the Hossom's grip design leaves the hand getting sore from the upswept Butt. I did not have this issue with the Ontario. All in all I do like the Spyderco Forester and will never give it up because I am SpyderFan to the bone, but it like all other knife/tools has it,s specific niche. Medium to heavy Chopping for short periods of time with a glove is where the Hossom fits for me. P/S I think it is a very attractive piece as well, I just wish it had Black Micarta Scales instead of Green.... JMHO!!! ~baba~
 
I would like to hear some testimonies about what you all have used your Hossom models for. AS many of them that have already been sold I am sure that some of you have actually used them for different jobs. I am probably going to add one of the Hossom models to my field dressing kit that I take hunting with me.

But I was surprised that I actually found a valid use for a chopping knife like the Spyderco Hossom. That just goes to show you how many potential uses that different blades designs can be used for in a practical manner.

Plus I must admit that I have never up till now used a knife with N690co blade steel. I have heard that it is a good overall blade steel but personally have never did any cutting with it. So give me a report on the blade steel also please?
 
I've got the Forager and went out this morning to the mountain with it for the first time. The knife is great looking, well design especialy the handle for the exception of the end that is too pointy like Babakanoosh mentionned. I chopped a couple of trees (3'' to 5'') with ease and baton through it with the same ease but to my suprise after examining the edge their was about 10 dents in it wich all came out after sharpening it on the Sharpmaker but still, the angle was wrong so I reprofile it to 40. Then I went back at it and this time it hold up to the task. As for slicing well let say that it's a better chopper that slicer. Let's not forget the sheath...it's ok but not impressive and it sits way too high on my hip so I made another belt loop that sits 3'' lower. Overall I love this knife and I'm gonna use it a lot in the weeks to come...
 
These seem to be very cool, well-thought-out fixed blade designs; I've been meaning to pick up a smaller one for the hip belt of my framepack (as well as a Street Beat) but haven't been to any retailers to actually handle them before buying lately.

A sprint run in the CPM D2 tool steel or ZDP189 laminated (sort of like a San Mai Trailmaster, only a billion times better) would be absolutely awesome!

God bless you, America, and our men and women overseas.

KATN,

Wade
 
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