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JK Knives Viktim (Hunter) Review & Torture Test - Part One
Introduction
John Kiedaisch is the custom knife maker behind JK Handmade Knives. He moderates a subforum on BladeForums here and you can find him on the web here. John was generous enough to offer one of his knives as a pass around here and to take it one step further by asking participants to “torture test” the knife. Andy (mqqn) is running the pass around and explains:
“The idea of the pass around is that we will put the knife through the paces of a hard use knife to test the ruggedness of the knife. We won't be trying to purposely break the knife, no bending in vices etc., but you can do anything with the knife that one might find need to do with a knife. “
Knife Specs
As a knife made to showcase the rugged reliability of his knives, JK says the "Viktim" isn’t finished to his normal standards; it was built to be abused. It is a reworked version of JK’s Hunter model (similar to a Kephart, with a slightly clipped point.) I’m told that it started as a piece of O-1 steel scrap that John pulled out of his bin and finished off to 60.7 Rockwell Hardness (as measured by Andy.) The O-1 alloy is designated as a "tool" steel and known for its hardness, abrasion resistance, and ability to hold a cutting edge. The "O" designation indicates that the steel is oil hardened. All you closet metallurgists can read more about O-1 here.
Blade
The Viktim's blade is 4.9” long, 1.44” wide at its widest point, and .11” thick. It weighs 7.1 ounces and the included leather sheath weighs another 3.1 ounces. The full-tang handle is is 4.54” long and .92” wide at its widest point. For me, the blade is the best part of the Viktim. In keeping with its Hunter/Skinner origins, the flat ground and convex edged blade cuts like a smaller, thinner knife. Maybe it has to do with what looks like micro serrations, but the Viktim is one of the best slicing fixed blades I've ever handled.
Handle
The Viktim has contoured scales handmade from oak and secured by two pins. Whatever lacquer or varnish was applied to the wood, it was done with a light touch. You can feel the woodgrain, making the handle a little grippier than most. Handle feel is a personal preference, but the Viktim handle didn't fit my XL hands. For me, it is too thick around the middle where it swells and I'd like to see a more pronounced guard and pommel. The great thing about working with a custom knife maker like JK, though, is that you can ask him to change it for you.
Sheath
The leather slip-in sheath provided with the Viktim looks handmade from thick fold-over leather. One clever touch is a drainage hole at the bottom. Overall, the sheath matched the knife: well-made, tough, and durable, but not terribly elegant - more Ford F150 than Cadillac Escalade. It didn't come with any kind of retention system, either to hold the sheath on a belt, or to hold the knife in the sheath. The knife doesn't fit tightly, so if you turn over the sheath, the knife falls right out. Again, I'm sure you could have JK add a belt loop or retention strap.
Test #1 - The Ginsu Challenge
The pass around instructions were to “do anything with the knife you can think of that you might use a knife for, except for purposely breaking it,” such as batoning, chopping a brick, or shooting the edge with a firearm. So naturally, I tackled a tomato. The results were surprising. Having attempted to slice tomatoes with other hard use knives, I expected the Viktim to crush more than cut, but it handled like a large Chef’s knife. Slicing was easy. I did note, however, that a patina started to form on the blade almost immediately. Though corrosion resistant, O-1 carbon steel isn't considered stainless.
Before I went on to torture testing, I also cut a branch from a Drake Elm. I found that the Viktim wasn't my favorite chopper. It was a little too light and and a bit too short for me in both the blade and handle. In whittling the elm, however, the Viktim really shined. Stripping the bark and shearing off wood was as effortless as peeling a carrot. Shearing the corners off copy paper was also pretty easy for a 5" fixed blade.
Test #2 - Tough as Nails
It is said that a US Marine eats nails for breakfast and asks for seconds. I thought I’d see if the Viktim was up to that task, as well. My next test was to hammer a finish nail into 3/4" plywood using the spine and flats of the Viktim's blade and to then chop the nail with the edge. I wasn't successful in chopping all the way through the nail because the impact pulled it out of the wood. The nail was damaged and the blade edge rolled over slightly where it impacted. I expected much more damage to the Viktim, but it held up well. The bottom photo also shows some of the patina forming on the blade.
Test #3 - Screw You
After the finish nail, I decided to try cutting a #8 wood screw driven into the same 3/4" plywood. It only took two swings of the Viktim to cleave the screw in two. The blade edge nicked and rolled, but again, there was less damage than I expected. I also tried using the tip of the screwdriver to turn the screw, but it didn't fit well enough to provide a real test.
More tests follow in Part Two...
Introduction
John Kiedaisch is the custom knife maker behind JK Handmade Knives. He moderates a subforum on BladeForums here and you can find him on the web here. John was generous enough to offer one of his knives as a pass around here and to take it one step further by asking participants to “torture test” the knife. Andy (mqqn) is running the pass around and explains:
Knife Specs
As a knife made to showcase the rugged reliability of his knives, JK says the "Viktim" isn’t finished to his normal standards; it was built to be abused. It is a reworked version of JK’s Hunter model (similar to a Kephart, with a slightly clipped point.) I’m told that it started as a piece of O-1 steel scrap that John pulled out of his bin and finished off to 60.7 Rockwell Hardness (as measured by Andy.) The O-1 alloy is designated as a "tool" steel and known for its hardness, abrasion resistance, and ability to hold a cutting edge. The "O" designation indicates that the steel is oil hardened. All you closet metallurgists can read more about O-1 here.
Blade
The Viktim's blade is 4.9” long, 1.44” wide at its widest point, and .11” thick. It weighs 7.1 ounces and the included leather sheath weighs another 3.1 ounces. The full-tang handle is is 4.54” long and .92” wide at its widest point. For me, the blade is the best part of the Viktim. In keeping with its Hunter/Skinner origins, the flat ground and convex edged blade cuts like a smaller, thinner knife. Maybe it has to do with what looks like micro serrations, but the Viktim is one of the best slicing fixed blades I've ever handled.
Handle
The Viktim has contoured scales handmade from oak and secured by two pins. Whatever lacquer or varnish was applied to the wood, it was done with a light touch. You can feel the woodgrain, making the handle a little grippier than most. Handle feel is a personal preference, but the Viktim handle didn't fit my XL hands. For me, it is too thick around the middle where it swells and I'd like to see a more pronounced guard and pommel. The great thing about working with a custom knife maker like JK, though, is that you can ask him to change it for you.
Sheath
The leather slip-in sheath provided with the Viktim looks handmade from thick fold-over leather. One clever touch is a drainage hole at the bottom. Overall, the sheath matched the knife: well-made, tough, and durable, but not terribly elegant - more Ford F150 than Cadillac Escalade. It didn't come with any kind of retention system, either to hold the sheath on a belt, or to hold the knife in the sheath. The knife doesn't fit tightly, so if you turn over the sheath, the knife falls right out. Again, I'm sure you could have JK add a belt loop or retention strap.
Test #1 - The Ginsu Challenge
The pass around instructions were to “do anything with the knife you can think of that you might use a knife for, except for purposely breaking it,” such as batoning, chopping a brick, or shooting the edge with a firearm. So naturally, I tackled a tomato. The results were surprising. Having attempted to slice tomatoes with other hard use knives, I expected the Viktim to crush more than cut, but it handled like a large Chef’s knife. Slicing was easy. I did note, however, that a patina started to form on the blade almost immediately. Though corrosion resistant, O-1 carbon steel isn't considered stainless.
Before I went on to torture testing, I also cut a branch from a Drake Elm. I found that the Viktim wasn't my favorite chopper. It was a little too light and and a bit too short for me in both the blade and handle. In whittling the elm, however, the Viktim really shined. Stripping the bark and shearing off wood was as effortless as peeling a carrot. Shearing the corners off copy paper was also pretty easy for a 5" fixed blade.
Test #2 - Tough as Nails
It is said that a US Marine eats nails for breakfast and asks for seconds. I thought I’d see if the Viktim was up to that task, as well. My next test was to hammer a finish nail into 3/4" plywood using the spine and flats of the Viktim's blade and to then chop the nail with the edge. I wasn't successful in chopping all the way through the nail because the impact pulled it out of the wood. The nail was damaged and the blade edge rolled over slightly where it impacted. I expected much more damage to the Viktim, but it held up well. The bottom photo also shows some of the patina forming on the blade.
Test #3 - Screw You
After the finish nail, I decided to try cutting a #8 wood screw driven into the same 3/4" plywood. It only took two swings of the Viktim to cleave the screw in two. The blade edge nicked and rolled, but again, there was less damage than I expected. I also tried using the tip of the screwdriver to turn the screw, but it didn't fit well enough to provide a real test.
More tests follow in Part Two...
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that would truly be awesome
