- Joined
- Mar 19, 2007
- Messages
- 7,443
First I would like to extend my apologies for how long this took me. I had six knives arrive on one day - all needing sheaths but one. I had forgotten that I had signed up for it - I set the knife aside to make a sheath for it (I was confused - as the sheath was fine) and tried to find who sent it to me.
I got a PM asking me to hurry up with the review - then it all became clear to me - I was a moron.
Then I had a sewer break in my backyard and finals. In short, this took WAY too long - I am sorry. I hope you all understand.
JK Bushcrafter:
Blade Length: 4.131
Blade Height at Choil:0.994
Blade Height at Recurve:0.967
Blade Thickness: 0.118
Handle Length: 4.181
Handle Thickness at the Butt: 0.933
Handle Width at Divot:0.807
Handle Height at Butt:0.889
Handle Height at Palm Swell: 0.994
Handle Height at Finger Divot:0.846
Initial Impressions:
There wasn't much I liked about this knife when I pulled it out of the sheath. The handle seemed blocky, the convex grind seemed too steep. The wooden scale color reminded me of Chicago steak knives. The handle divot seemed ill placed, the balance was handle heavy, and the finger guard seemed small.
Fit and Finish:
With this said - however - the fit and finish were very good. The grinds on both sides of the blade were even - the tip of the knife was well placed - the hand rubbed finish was very even and well done - the handle was smooth and symmetrical - the pins were even and well finished - the lanyard tube and pins were well ground with no burning in the wood surrounding, and the makers mark was well struck.
Everything that John seems to have done seems to be on purpose. I got to thinking about this fact. This knife was no mistake, nor was it a product of poor craftsmanship. Upon much examination - the craftsmanship was excellent. I could find nothing about this blade or handle that I thought needed touching up or work. It wasn't how I would have made it (if I had the skills - which I do not) but it was VERY well made. I had made a mistake before when I underestimated Coyote's knife and I wasn't eager to do it again. This knife likely needed the benefit of the doubt - and I had only been judging on aesthetics and not how it WORKED. Bushcraft is not a beauty contest (or Magnussen would have died on his first hike) - so I needed to set this aside and get to work using the knife.
Using the Stomper Bushcrafter:
I compared this knife to a Koster Bushcrafter (for length purposes) and a Walt Bushcrafter knife (I had just put a convex edge on it and wanted to compare them).
I put a fresh edge on the blade when I got it and set to testing the knife. The convex grind surprised me - it was plenty sharp - but what I thought about the edge grind being too steep seemed unfounded. It didn't 'skip' out of the cut like other grinds I have experienced have. It was fine and I was mistaken by my initial impressions. It made curls and handled the bushcrafting chores I put it through.
The tip made great drill points and is perfect for a bushcraft blade. The thickness of the blade was more comfortable when choked up on. The simple handle allowed for a multitude of grips with ease.
It is on the thick side though - so it did not slice as well as the Walt blade which has thinner metal and a more fine grind. It also did not push cut as well - but there is an advantage to this grind as well. It has a lot of meat behind the grind - and it is VERY tough.
I liked the thickness of the blade. It was a compromise between the 1/8th stock knives I have been using (Say - like the BRKT Kephart) and the thicker knives I am used to (like the BRKT Aurora for instance). It made for a light but VERY strong knife. It begged to be battoned - so I obliged it and was not disappointed. It slide right through hard wood and could have done this all day.
In terms of the handle - it was surprising to me as well. It was not uncomfortable. It looks blocky - but it handled fine. I liked the taper toward the blade that allowed you to choke up on the blade without having a finger swell in the way. I had no hot spots not pain.
However, this knife did not fit my hand very well. It could be a little longer in the butt - or a butt swell would be in order to allow me to have a little more control and leverage when making thick and hard cuts. My hand seemed to lack the support it needed when really getting serious because of the lack of butt swell or length. My Koster did not feel this way. It was a little short for me.
The finger guard was a little small as well. It is more for looks as opposed to really guarding me from anything.
With this said - however - this seems more personal preference than problems with design. I could see, and have seen, many people rave about how much they like the feel of Stompers knives. So - I can chalk this up to personal feel - and that is always going to be subjective.
I think the choil is a bit long - but it is not obscene nor out of control - this too could be preference. If I had my druthers - I would take up the choil area with a little more handle like the Kosters seems to do in the picture above.
The blade held a great edge and performed very well - a little touching up after the day - and all was well - it popped hair with little problem. This is really the star of this blade. The steel is well done, well formed, and would last forever.
More Below...
I got a PM asking me to hurry up with the review - then it all became clear to me - I was a moron.
Then I had a sewer break in my backyard and finals. In short, this took WAY too long - I am sorry. I hope you all understand.
JK Bushcrafter:
Blade Length: 4.131
Blade Height at Choil:0.994
Blade Height at Recurve:0.967
Blade Thickness: 0.118
Handle Length: 4.181
Handle Thickness at the Butt: 0.933
Handle Width at Divot:0.807
Handle Height at Butt:0.889
Handle Height at Palm Swell: 0.994
Handle Height at Finger Divot:0.846
Initial Impressions:
There wasn't much I liked about this knife when I pulled it out of the sheath. The handle seemed blocky, the convex grind seemed too steep. The wooden scale color reminded me of Chicago steak knives. The handle divot seemed ill placed, the balance was handle heavy, and the finger guard seemed small.
Fit and Finish:
With this said - however - the fit and finish were very good. The grinds on both sides of the blade were even - the tip of the knife was well placed - the hand rubbed finish was very even and well done - the handle was smooth and symmetrical - the pins were even and well finished - the lanyard tube and pins were well ground with no burning in the wood surrounding, and the makers mark was well struck.
Everything that John seems to have done seems to be on purpose. I got to thinking about this fact. This knife was no mistake, nor was it a product of poor craftsmanship. Upon much examination - the craftsmanship was excellent. I could find nothing about this blade or handle that I thought needed touching up or work. It wasn't how I would have made it (if I had the skills - which I do not) but it was VERY well made. I had made a mistake before when I underestimated Coyote's knife and I wasn't eager to do it again. This knife likely needed the benefit of the doubt - and I had only been judging on aesthetics and not how it WORKED. Bushcraft is not a beauty contest (or Magnussen would have died on his first hike) - so I needed to set this aside and get to work using the knife.
Using the Stomper Bushcrafter:
I compared this knife to a Koster Bushcrafter (for length purposes) and a Walt Bushcrafter knife (I had just put a convex edge on it and wanted to compare them).
I put a fresh edge on the blade when I got it and set to testing the knife. The convex grind surprised me - it was plenty sharp - but what I thought about the edge grind being too steep seemed unfounded. It didn't 'skip' out of the cut like other grinds I have experienced have. It was fine and I was mistaken by my initial impressions. It made curls and handled the bushcrafting chores I put it through.
The tip made great drill points and is perfect for a bushcraft blade. The thickness of the blade was more comfortable when choked up on. The simple handle allowed for a multitude of grips with ease.
It is on the thick side though - so it did not slice as well as the Walt blade which has thinner metal and a more fine grind. It also did not push cut as well - but there is an advantage to this grind as well. It has a lot of meat behind the grind - and it is VERY tough.
I liked the thickness of the blade. It was a compromise between the 1/8th stock knives I have been using (Say - like the BRKT Kephart) and the thicker knives I am used to (like the BRKT Aurora for instance). It made for a light but VERY strong knife. It begged to be battoned - so I obliged it and was not disappointed. It slide right through hard wood and could have done this all day.
In terms of the handle - it was surprising to me as well. It was not uncomfortable. It looks blocky - but it handled fine. I liked the taper toward the blade that allowed you to choke up on the blade without having a finger swell in the way. I had no hot spots not pain.
However, this knife did not fit my hand very well. It could be a little longer in the butt - or a butt swell would be in order to allow me to have a little more control and leverage when making thick and hard cuts. My hand seemed to lack the support it needed when really getting serious because of the lack of butt swell or length. My Koster did not feel this way. It was a little short for me.
The finger guard was a little small as well. It is more for looks as opposed to really guarding me from anything.
With this said - however - this seems more personal preference than problems with design. I could see, and have seen, many people rave about how much they like the feel of Stompers knives. So - I can chalk this up to personal feel - and that is always going to be subjective.
I think the choil is a bit long - but it is not obscene nor out of control - this too could be preference. If I had my druthers - I would take up the choil area with a little more handle like the Kosters seems to do in the picture above.
The blade held a great edge and performed very well - a little touching up after the day - and all was well - it popped hair with little problem. This is really the star of this blade. The steel is well done, well formed, and would last forever.
More Below...
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