Is the Fallkniven Modern Bowie worth it?

Y

y53p

Joined
May 11, 2022
Messages
314
I'm looking for a roughly 10 inch blade high end bowie in the $300-600 range that has a pommel/exposed tang and a durable synthetic handle and no coating. The 1909 Michigan Bowie by Bark River was and still is my top choice as it comes with micarta/g10 for the handle, but I'm kinda concerned about the A2 possibly rusting on me on a camping trip if I encounter rain (yeah, oil, I know, but it wears off after some use, so I'd have to carry oil around on every trip). So I came around the Modern Bowie and it seems to mostly be well liked by the people who bought it, though it seems kind of overpriced for what it is (CoS steel and rubber handle) and I've seen accounts of people chipping the hell out of it when quartering game and going through bone (
). So I decided to go down the custom route and the best thing I found here in Europe would be an Elmax bowie with a 10 inch blade and synthetic handle, for about the same price of a Modern Bowie but 5.2mm blade thickness, which wouldn't be as durable as a full 6mm (1/4 inch) especially for a stainless.

What do you think, should I go with the 1909 and stop being so concerned with A2 possibly rusting in rainy weather or pull the trigger on either the modern bowie or custom? How in the hell is there not a large bowie in a high end stainless/semi stainless steel and micarta/g10 handle that isn't made in Taiwan or China on the production market?
 
Bill Siegle Bill Siegle will make you a custom Bowie that will last your lifetime and will have a proper warranty (unlike Fallkniven)

He will do it at a price that will surprise and delight you and you will have a tool that is built properly and heat treated correctly.

Siegle Knives

Designer and builder of quality, affordable cutting tools meant to be used. http://www.siegleknives.com
www.bladeforums.com www.bladeforums.com
 
y53p said:
How in the hell is there not a large bowie in a high end stainless/semi stainless steel and micarta/g10 handle that isn't made in Taiwan or China on the production market?
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Good budget for a 10” blade. Try to find yourself a MountainManDu or Eraticator in S7 or INFI; either should run below $400.

i-kxJDR4g-X2.jpg
 
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Short answer: No.

Long answer: You're overpaying it, you can get 3V Trail Master which is better or SanMai Trail Master which is basically the same as fallkniven - for way less than fallkniven.
Or get 52100 Trail Master for fraction of the price...
Or get a custom for that money and have something really special.
- So the answer is - No!
 
Only you can decide what's too much!!! Find one second hand.....like C Cryptyc did.....

C

Thread 'Fallkniven Modern Bowie Knife'

Long time no post! Glad to be back around. I hope you guys are ready for some review action from me again. I was recently able to score a Fallkniven MB10 for a cheap price of $375 USD (still expensive as heck for a factory Bowie). I had gotten it off of eBay brand new, made a bid and was lucky enough that the seller accepted it. The waterproof box it comes in is great, sheath is strong (would have preferred a zytel over the leather one), and I enjoyed the extra dc4 sharpener stone.

Theory of use and why I purchased this knife: stainless, tough, convex grind, ease of maintenance, do all...
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They make a great tool though..👍
 
The MB10 is very well made but for less the CS TM in 3v with a custom handle would be better. The CS Laredo 3v has a nice handle already as does the CS Natchez in 3v. So many good options even some Ontario are very nice for little money.
 
Fallkniven knives have always been beautiful -- especially the Northern Lights series -- but they have gotten really expensive.

I've always wanted the Modern Bowie, but I remember someone having taken off the handle and the tang underneath was pretty sketchy. But I can't find that thread anymore.

I did get the Tor (NL1) years ago on the secondary market when prices were much, much lower. It's an unbelievable knife -- basically a Bowie with a 10-inch blade. It's Crocodile Dundee-esque.

2v2ZwE5r4xAWtWs.jpg
 
Twindog said:
Fallkniven knives have always been beautiful -- especially the Northern Lights series -- but they have gotten really expensive.

I've always wanted the Modern Bowie, but I remember someone having taken off the handle and the tang underneath was pretty sketchy. But I can't find that thread anymore.

I did get the Tor (NL1) years ago on the secondary market when prices were much, much lower. It's an unbelievable knife -- basically a Bowie with a 10-inch blade. It's Crocodile Dundee-esque.

2v2ZwE5r4xAWtWs.jpg
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That was the volcano......I love mine but was pretty shocked at the size.of the tang...😱

rodriguez7

Thread 'Fallkniven volcano tang!!! Weak?'

So the other day I was batonning with my volcano, when I heard what sounded like a hollow sound, I stopped to check and realized the cocobolo handle had split length wise the whole way down! So rather than send it back to Sweden, I decided to buy a block of g10. So today I took apart the wood handle, and got down to the rather disappointing tang! I'm really surprised it's this thin, and rather flimsy for a 500$ knife. Pics to follow from my phone. I'd like to see what others think, is this flimsy, or am I being paranoid? Thanks.
 
HexY3co said:
The MB10 is very well made but for less the CS TM in 3v with a custom handle would be better. The CS Laredo 3v has a nice handle already as does the CS Natchez in 3v. So many good options even some Ontario are very nice for little money.
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I had honestly considered that, but around here a 3v TM is around $350, add another 100 at least to customize the handle, and another 50ish to make a new leather sheath and I'm at 500 at minimum, all for a Taiwan made knife. I'll get the 1909 (they sell at around 350) and let it patina naturally by cutting food with it so that it's more rust resistant. At some point I'll probably buy a BRK Black Bear in 3v as soon as they come up (should be later this year), looks bowiesque and has a big sexy fuller; people say 3v isn't stainless but in my experience it holds up in absolutely any weather with little to no care; great stuff.
 
jfk1110 said:
That was the volcano......I love mine but was pretty shocked at the size.of the tang...😱

rodriguez7

Thread 'Fallkniven volcano tang!!! Weak?'

So the other day I was batonning with my volcano, when I heard what sounded like a hollow sound, I stopped to check and realized the cocobolo handle had split length wise the whole way down! So rather than send it back to Sweden, I decided to buy a block of g10. So today I took apart the wood handle, and got down to the rather disappointing tang! I'm really surprised it's this thin, and rather flimsy for a 500$ knife. Pics to follow from my phone. I'd like to see what others think, is this flimsy, or am I being paranoid? Thanks.
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Oh my howling yikes! I checked out that thread and when I saw the size of the stick (maybe twig) tang, thought I've seen nails bigger than that! Too bad. It really is a swell looking knife. (And makes me think again, were I looking for a big honker of a Bowie knife, I'd probably go with Mike Wallace's Apoc knife.)
 
y53p said:
I had honestly considered that, but around here a 3v TM is around $350, add another 100 at least to customize the handle, and another 50ish to make a new leather sheath and I'm at 500 at minimum, all for a Taiwan made knife. I'll get the 1909 (they sell at around 350) and let it patina naturally by cutting food with it so that it's more rust resistant. At some point I'll probably buy a BRK Black Bear in 3v as soon as they come up (should be later this year), looks bowiesque and has a big sexy fuller; people say 3v isn't stainless but in my experience it holds up in absolutely any weather with little to no care; great stuff.
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I see the TM and RS 3v on ebay for around 200 consistantly. Just missed an RS for 175obo so was less. And for sure a TM for near that. When they show up you can't hesitate.
 
HexY3co said:
The MB10 is very well made but for less the CS TM in 3v with a custom handle would be better. The CS Laredo 3v has a nice handle already as does the CS Natchez in 3v. So many good options even some Ontario are very nice for little money.
Click to expand...
The only problem is that GSM Cold Steel's 3V knives have a justified terrible reputation for their fit and finish and grinds.
I had to sort through TEN 3V Trailmasters and only one was what anyone with a good eye would state was a well made knife.
The Sanmai blades have a VG1 core and are now very poorly made in Taiwan, and that's not to say Taiwan blades are all bad, because they're not, it's just GSM are now having their knives made in the cheapest facilities in Taiwan, and I'm not even certain they have their knives made in Taichung anymore where the best knife makers of Taiwan are located.
Just make darn sure that a close inspection of any Cold Steel knife is made before parting with hard earned cash, infact any cash for that matter!
 
Haggler said:
The only problem is that GSM Cold Steel's 3V knives have a justified terrible reputation for their fit and finish and grinds.
I had to sort through TEN 3V Trailmasters and only one was what anyone with a good eye would state was a well made knife.
The Sanmai blades have a VG1 core and are now very poorly made in Taiwan, and that's not to say Taiwan blades are all bad, because they're not, it's just GSM are now having their knives made in the cheapest facilities in Taiwan, and I'm not even certain they have their knives made in Taichung anymore where the best knife makers of Taiwan are located.
Just make darn sure that a close inspection of any Cold Steel knife is made before parting with hard earned cash, infact any cash for that matter!
Click to expand...
I've had very good luck with several 3v CS models fortunately. The handles are trash but that's normal for CS except the Laredo and Natchez in the big blades.
 
Steven65 said:
Bill Siegle Bill Siegle will make you a custom Bowie that will last your lifetime and will have a proper warranty (unlike Fallkniven)

He will do it at a price that will surprise and delight you and you will have a tool that is built properly and heat treated correctly.

Siegle Knives

Designer and builder of quality, affordable cutting tools meant to be used. http://www.siegleknives.com
www.bladeforums.com www.bladeforums.com
Click to expand...
Second this. Bill makes Some of the best knives money buys. I hardly ever regret letting stuff go, but I have regretted selling even one of his knives. There are people using crazy supersteels, laminates, and all manner of stuff; but a lot of the time his 5160 will embarrass it in the woods. Also, you can sharpen 5160 with a flat rock pretty effectively.
 
AriesTheCam said:
Second this. Bill makes Some of the best knives money buys. I hardly ever regret letting stuff go, but I have regretted selling even one of his knives. There are people using crazy supersteels, laminates, and all manner of stuff; but a lot of the time his 5160 will embarrass it in the woods. Also, you can sharpen 5160 with a flat rock pretty effectively.
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I agree. I've never been impressed with the laminate steels from Fallkniven. In my experience they are very brittle, chip easily, and the full zero edge geometry they come with exacerbates the existing issues with their material choice and heat treats. Non PM high carbon stainless steels are just not very tough. Anything from 5160 up to 3V etc... will smoke those steels in real world use.

Basically, VG10 and CoS are just not good choices for a knife that sees impact.

On the plus side, those laminate steels sure are gorgeous.
 
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