JK Knives - Three will enter, one will leave

katanas said:
RAIN! You quit? Wuss! :eek: A few feet of snow, maybe, but RAIN. :rolleyes: You must have had young and/or delicate family with you. You could NOT have been alone..."say it ain't so Joe (TVPT)" :(
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nope. just me and the missus. but, been there, done that. pouring all day. what's the point? (plus sox yankees sunday night :rolleyes: ). i guess that does kinda take away this review's credibility, huh? :D
 
Oh well, a bad day camping is still better than a good day at work. :) I spend more time in the woods than most people I know and I wouldn't have been out there this past Saturday. It was 50 degrees and rained from sunup to sundown. Yuck!

Hopefully you will get a chance to get out again soon.
 
bearfacedkiller said:
Oh well, a bad day camping is still better than a good day at work. :) I spend more time in the woods than most people I know and I wouldn't have been out there this past Saturday. It was 50 degrees and rained from sunup to sundown. Yuck!

Hopefully you will get a chance to get out again soon.
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yuuup. 45 and steady rain where i was. and yup, i'll get out soon. thanks for checking in man.
 
well...ahem...here i am? :rolleyes: apparently, i shouldn't promise reviews. sorry everyone for the delay.

DISCLAIMERS: i knew pretty much going in the knife (knives) i preferred. you will notice this didn't end up being a real technical review. frankly, it's mostly just pictures of me using the knives. :D i will provide commentary where i can. i did try to rate the knives when i tested all together.

also, i added a 4th. i added a mora. over the years, some of the blowback i hear regarding custom knives is this: "yeah, but a mora could do that for a fraction of the price." i am certainly not here to argue that sentiment. i like moras just fine. AND i like customs. it's ok. :) i included it because it is a familiar knife...both for me, and others. consider it "the placebo". ;)

so, with all that said...here are the updated contenders....

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from top to bottom (i will add more knife details later. i want to at least get something on paper, for now):
  • JK Rule #9
  • JK Twig Mangler
  • JK Vermont Camp Knife (VTCK)
  • Mora Companion
 
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as you all know, i did most of this camping (over a couple different weekends). the first thing i do (once setup) is prep for a fire. this includes splitting wood; browsing for usable sticks and blowdowns; and seeing if i can find some birch for firestarter.

this was the first group challenge: harvest some white birch bark.

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Rankings: JK Rule #9, Mora, JK VTCK, JK Twig Mangler.

Notes: this test is all about tip penetration. the Rule #9 has a nice tapered tip. it's nice and thin at the end. the VTCK was surprisingly good, but the larger size makes it a bit harder to control. the TM also worked well, but it does have a thicker tip. also, if you look at the pics, the Twig Mangler is (mostly) a "straight-back" blade. i think a dropped point aids in this task.
 
Next challenge: try sticks (my version)

I actually did the try sticks last, but it's really the only other task that i really did all at the same time, in the hopes of comparing them. Now honestly, i shouldn't have done all the sticks back-to-back, as i was concerned hand-fatigue would get in the way of a fair evaluation. but, i did anyway.

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these pics are in the order that i performed the sticks....

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Rankings: Mora, JK Rule #9, JK Twig Mangler, JK VTCK

Notes: let's face it, this is what the mora is good at. i did notice some hotspots with the mora. however, it was the last knife i used, so i am guessing that was due to the fact it was the 4th stick i did in a row. i do not recall getting hotspots in times past.

the #9 was not that far behind the mora. i really liked how this knife carved (great grind), and it has a very comfortable handle.

the Twig Mangler performed admirably. if i were to rank handle comfort, i think the TM would be at the top of the list for this task.

i was surprised how well the VTCK did, but i guess i shouldn't be. it has a thin saber grind and "bit" the wood very well. but, it lost points due to the handle. it was a bit too blocky for it to be comfortable (i developed some hotspots). PLEASE NOTE: i put this handle on. John (JK) provided the blade blank. so, this was my fault. but, this is why i perform this test with my knives. now i know i need to thin down this handle.
 
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ok, so now i'm going to post some pictures and provide a little commentary. i will summarize my thoughts on the knives (in general) at the end.

there were several of these little fellas this past weekend camping. pretty colors, but kinda weird looking. a real "bulbous" looking backside.

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a friend we camp with had just caught some haddock. this might have been my favorite night. :D
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and camping pics would not be complete without a campfire.

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i did some scouting on a couple of different occasions at a place new to me. apparently, there is a bunch of public land not that far from me, that i wasn't even aware of. i went on two separate occasions. one day i brought the JK Rule #9. the other day, i brought the JK VTCK. i meant to take a day with the JK Twig Mangler, but i have not been back. i have had the TM a bit longer than the previous two...so, i do know how it performs.

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some interesting things i came across during my walk...
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i forget what this said, but i think it was a lightning rod of some sort (middle of the woods)
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this isn't that interesting necessarily, but i found it a bit unusual that there was such an old cement marker in the woods. and even moreso that the flagging on it is fresh.
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this was also in the middle of the woods. hard to tell if it used to be for a treehouse or a treestand. my guess is that it was for an old treestand, as this was in the middle of an incredible oak grove/stand. i mean, it was like nothing i have ever seen. acorns everywhere. good sign for hunting, and i think i found an area where a couple deer bedded down not that far from there.

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this was cool, and i couldn't quite explain it. it is a round, wooden platform. my best guess was perhaps it was the floor of an old silo? but, i don't really know anything about that.
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i didn't really know where i was going, so i blazed some of the trees on the way through (and i forgot a compass - tsk, tsk). both knives performed well. i would give the advantage to the JK VTCK.

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more recently, i used the big VTCK for some duck blind building. i used it to harvest some cattails...tough stuff.

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Final rankings (i said i'd do it):
JK Rule #9, JK VTCK, JK Twig Mangler, Mora.

Conclusions:
the above rankings reflect my overall preference. each knife has it's uses. for example, as shown above, if i have a duck blind to build, i choose a bigger knife for hacking and chopping (along with the other cutting chores).

one thing i want to call out is knife grinds. to me, with all things being equal, it is the critical, deciding factor of whether i will or will not use a knife. with that said, i really like the grinds on the Rule #9 and the VTCK. however, i don't find the grind on the Twig Mangler as useful. it is a modified scandi. it's a bit "hippy" above the apex, and the grind only goes up about a quarter of the knife. it is is good at "splitting" type cuts. e.g. cutting potatoes, batoning, etc. but, it is not a grind i would choose for my everyday cutting uses. i mention this because if this knife had a similar grind as either the Rule #9 or the VTCK, it may move to the top.

now, with all this said, it is important to note that i am a "thin grind" kinda guy. that is my preference. if you like a more "hard use" knife, you may prefer the grind on the TM. (keep in mind, these are all details you can specify when ordering a knife from John).

ok, so the grind is not the only deciding factor to me. the handle has to be comfortable. i think it goes without saying that a knife that is not comfortable to use will not be used. the Rule #9 wins here. however, if i could take about a 1/4 off the height of the Twig Mangler, i think that one would win. i already mentioned that i would thin down the VTCK, and i will. i would also note that i would probably extend the handle just a touch. i think that would give it a better balance. or actually, now that i think about it, getting it in a 5/32" stock would accomplish that as well (i have the 3/16" version). and since i added the mora to this review, i will also say i am not a fan of the rubberized handles. ;)

please note that it is tough to do reviews of handles. everyone's hands are different shapes and sizes. therefore, handle comfort is subjective. so take my comments as such.
 
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Thanks for all the fun "stuff". :thumbsup: Glad you named the "orphan". ;) I still prefer Guido, but admit your name is more "bushcrafty" :cool:
 
Rankings: JK Rule #9, Mora, JK VTCK, JK Twig Mangler.
Rankings: Mora, JK Rule #9, JK Twig Mangler, JK VTCK

Final rankings (i said i'd do it):
JK Rule #9, JK VTCK, JK Twig Mangler, Mora.

Thanks so much for the write up and the pictures. I'm very confused though by our rankings... in the two ranking lists on your tests the Mora comes in at #2 and #1, but then you rank it #4 overall. Seems like its a dead heat between that and the Rule #9. What am I missing?

Thanks again. Really enjoyed hearing your insights.
 
geargarcon said:
Rankings: JK Rule #9, Mora, JK VTCK, JK Twig Mangler.
Rankings: Mora, JK Rule #9, JK Twig Mangler, JK VTCK

Final rankings (i said i'd do it):
JK Rule #9, JK VTCK, JK Twig Mangler, Mora.

Thanks so much for the write up and the pictures. I'm very confused though by our rankings... in the two ranking lists on your tests the Mora comes in at #2 and #1, but then you rank it #4 overall. Seems like its a dead heat between that and the Rule #9. What am I missing?

Thanks again. Really enjoyed hearing your insights.
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thanks and fair question.

that's precisely why i said my final rankings reflected my preference for a particular knife. for example, if i'm leaving the house to go into the wild, what knife would i choose? the mora is last on that list for me. YMMV.
 
Great thread. I must say that it wasn't fair. The Rule #9 was designed to do just what it did. Thank you for testing it.
BTW, I love the handle on yours. I bet it feels as good as it works.
 
protourist said:
Great thread. I must say that it wasn't fair. The Rule #9 was designed to do just what it did. Thank you for testing it.
BTW, I love the handle on yours. I bet it feels as good as it works.
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sure does. looove the handle. :thumbsup:

thanks for checking in Mack. (aka the designer of the JK Rule #9).
 
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