- Joined
- Nov 25, 2003
- Messages
- 1,017
I recently stumbled upon this knife listed on an auction site only two hours before the the auction ended. The description was sparse and listed it as a "reverse tanto". The mark appeared to be geniune so I took a chance, registered on the site, made a bid, and won! 
After taking delivery of the knife I sent Jason a photo via email and asked if he would confirm provenance. He confirmed that he did make the knife, that it was L6, and that he made it around 2008. He said he's made a few of these for soldiers requesting a Viking seax-style knife.
This is my first knife from Jason, my first Mastersmith knife and the first knife I've owned in L6.
It's a substantial knife with a lot of presence. Measures .225" thick at the ricasso, is 12" OAL with a 6.5" blade. Weighs in at exactly 14 ounces.
It has a full height convex grind that at first glance appears to be brought to a zero. But there is a small micro bevel and I took a reading of .015" immediately above it (slightly thicker as it approaches the tip), so there's still plenty of meat behind the edge. I prefer lean grinds and this one passes the pinch test with flying colors (pinching at the spine and pulling down and off the edge). When it comes to cutting performance, a tough steel that offers superior edge stability with a lean convex grind is truly hard to beat!
The "broken back" portion of the blade is ground to full sharp, making it useful for scrapping or backcuts as the need arises.
The handle is shaped in the classic palm swell that we all know and love. The handle is somwhat tall, but also thin, and is comfortable being held in all of the common grip postions with my medium-large hands. The center of balance is right between the forward tube and the front of the scale, and the mass is distributed such that the knife settles in the hand securely but is also quite quick and feels lighter than it really is.
There's a very small thumbrest, more for indexing than anything else. The thumbrest combined with the small guard, forward choil, and fine tip, makes for very precise cutting ability that isn't commonly seen in knives this size.
I haven't used it as much as I'd like, but that's primarily because it doesn't have a sheath yet and I haven't had time to make one. But I'll recitfy that shortly and get some kydex pressed for it.
Photos!
After taking delivery of the knife I sent Jason a photo via email and asked if he would confirm provenance. He confirmed that he did make the knife, that it was L6, and that he made it around 2008. He said he's made a few of these for soldiers requesting a Viking seax-style knife.
This is my first knife from Jason, my first Mastersmith knife and the first knife I've owned in L6.
It's a substantial knife with a lot of presence. Measures .225" thick at the ricasso, is 12" OAL with a 6.5" blade. Weighs in at exactly 14 ounces.
It has a full height convex grind that at first glance appears to be brought to a zero. But there is a small micro bevel and I took a reading of .015" immediately above it (slightly thicker as it approaches the tip), so there's still plenty of meat behind the edge. I prefer lean grinds and this one passes the pinch test with flying colors (pinching at the spine and pulling down and off the edge). When it comes to cutting performance, a tough steel that offers superior edge stability with a lean convex grind is truly hard to beat!
The "broken back" portion of the blade is ground to full sharp, making it useful for scrapping or backcuts as the need arises.
The handle is shaped in the classic palm swell that we all know and love. The handle is somwhat tall, but also thin, and is comfortable being held in all of the common grip postions with my medium-large hands. The center of balance is right between the forward tube and the front of the scale, and the mass is distributed such that the knife settles in the hand securely but is also quite quick and feels lighter than it really is.
There's a very small thumbrest, more for indexing than anything else. The thumbrest combined with the small guard, forward choil, and fine tip, makes for very precise cutting ability that isn't commonly seen in knives this size.
I haven't used it as much as I'd like, but that's primarily because it doesn't have a sheath yet and I haven't had time to make one. But I'll recitfy that shortly and get some kydex pressed for it.
Photos!
:thumbup:
