I am participating in the JK Viktim Pass-around. In order to provide an accurate evaluation I believe you need to know something about the reviewer regarding their personal experience with the subject matter,, their intended use of the item/subject discussed, specifications of the item and finally their review. That being said, I am breaking the review into three categories Design/Ergos, Specifications and Intended Use by providing a 1-10 grading scale(10 being the best). My ramblings of these three categories make up the review. I am doing this to establish a base line for any reviews I may do in the future. This being my first review, I expect commentary and or controversy, so throw stones if you need to.
Personal Experience
Experience with knives – roughly 30+ years–Eagle Scout so I have handled blades for some time, I am 41 yrs old now. Found this forum a year ago and this is the only knife related forum I belong or participate in. I have used a knife to clean a minimum of 5 animals a year and up to 100 (MLD permits) over the past 20 years. Favorite to date is the Schrade Sharp Finger for blade shape.
What I own- before the forum my most expensive knives were KOA’s, a D2 Alaskan Hunter and a few Schrades. Before that the most expensive folder I owned was a Camillus Sizzle for $35. The 10+ others were a mix a match of small folders and fixed blades for hunting or fishing.
Since joining the forum I have owned and sold 1 Busse SAR 6, 3 SYKW Regulators, 1 dumpster mutt, 1 SOD, and 1 Dogfather.
I have purchased and decided to keep 1 Kershaw Blur S30V, 1 BHK Woodsman Pro, BK9, BK14, Busse CABS, SAR 5, Swamprat RS, SKYW Regulator LE, Ontario Rat 3, Condor Bushlore, 5 Mora’s (wife loves them in the kitchen), 12” Ontario Machete and a half a dozen small folders under $25, with the CRKT Drifter as my favorite EDC.
Sharpening skill- before the forum non–existent. I burned at least $200 on ever pull through or slide down the blade model you could buy, including a Smith set and was never satisfied. I considered myself a “2” on sharpening. Occasionally I got lucky and created enough of an edge to cut myself.
Since joining the forum, I have purchased the Works Sharp mini belt grinder and a Richard J’s paper wheels set up. I am no expert and still cannot sharpen by hand; however, I am moderately pleased with my skill level with these tools and can sharpen a blade well enough to shave arm hair and cut paper or myself easily. My friends give me their knives to sharpen now. I figure I graduated to “6” on the sharpening scale.
Metal and grinds- I came in as a “2” and consider myself a “5” now as I know just enough to sound smart around the less experienced and dumb around someone who really knows what they are talking about. I still do not understand micro bevels or their real purpose and question how anyone who hand sharpens can always manage a 17.5 degree angle on each side every time. Don’t they call those guys brain surgeons? I know just enough about metal composition to know there is no “one super metal” that will do everything I want well so I settle for what works best for my needs.
Ergonomics- Since joining the forum I realized for me the handle is the most important portion of the knife with the blade shape and geometry second and third respectively. I prefer large handles due to arthritis in my hands.
Sheath- If the sheath comes with the knife great, if not no big deal to me. If the sheath keeps me from cutting myself until I have a custom built like I want then it is fine. I did not review the sheath.
My Intended Use
Hunting - ability to clean multiple deer or hogs in a day without needing to be heavily sharpened. Sharpening, if needed should be VERY easily. Must be able to generate a working edge with minimal effort.
Ranch work- cut feed sacks, bail twine, dig out staples for a fence tool to pull, scrape gaskets from a tractor, cut any number of types of hoses, act as a screwdriver, get washed in every chemical imagined(blood, bleach, diesel, gas, WD40, tranny fluid etc.) use to cut rope and an occasional small pry bar.
General camping- camp utility, food prep, wood processor (no need to baton until I got here and learned about it). When combined with hunting duties, I need a blade to spark a ferro rod and stand up to abuse to save my bacon the day the SHTF while hunting elk.
Specifications
Specs by manufacturer:
9 1/2" overall length
5" blade
1/8" O1 tool steel
Oak handle
Finally the Review:
(Assuming 10 is the perfect light-saber that extends in usefulness with only with my thoughts)
Design & Ergos
Personal Experience – 9+7+6= 22 22/3= 7.3
Blade Design – 9
Handle – 7
Ease of Sharpening- 6
What I liked– Ergo’s- The blade design was a surprise for me, I realized I can work with a 5” blade just as easy as the 3-4” length. The upswept portion of the spine made battoning, chopping or hammering down into a piece of wood for a notch easier. The weight and heft of the knife were good for all my needs.
The knife performed in every task I asked and more. I really like the blade edge following all the way to the handle, basically no ricasso. I prefer this type of design as I see no real use for a choil no matter what the size and I like the edge as close to the handle for close up work for more control. Also, there is not an area of the blade to hang up on animal parts. The tip is fine enough to drill or carve and the width of the spine is thick enough I am not concerned with breaking it. The height of the blade surprised me as well as I normally prefer a narrower design, around 1”. I did not think I would be as accurate in my cuts with a tall blade due to being farther away from the feel of the cutting material. I attribute the fact this design works well due to the makers experience and knowledge of the intended use. You don’t ask your mechanic to perform brain surgery, same thought with my knives. I enjoy the fact this was designed by hand through feel and eyeball vs. a CAD designed in a factory by an offshore tech that has never cleaned an animal or spent a night in the woods. I have no reservations taking this knife into the woods for any hunting trip or working on the ranch with it on my side. I am 100% confident this blade will “CYA” me in the event I need it to. I rate the design as a 9, very usable.
The handle left me a little short as it starts to narrow quickly at the bottom of the slabs; however, the length was GREAT, finally a knife that has enough handle length. To date only the Regulator or a machete actually filled my hands. This is why I provided more detailed specs on the handle. Since this is a personal issue I did not rate the knife’s overall design/ergos rating any less as I am sure JK will make adjustments to one when you order.
The handle material left me lacking, when it arrive the wood was clearly damaged somehow and as I am one to neglect a knife I am unsure how the wood will hold up to continuous washings, sitting in bleach water and general abuse so I would order one with micarta or g10 if available. Also, the rear pin was cut a little long and was out of place upon arrival. A quick hit with a punch and hammer put it back in place, but the pin is still a touch long. Hope the pics demonstrate this as it was just long enough to feel with a naked hand. Overall, I rate the handle as 7 as the pin issued generated a slight concern. EDIT- After discovering the handle was run over by a car, I can see why there was damage and why the pin shifted. Pic is of the Viktim in between Busse SAR 5 and Rodent Solution.
The edge was wrecked/rolled when received and I knew this was the case as this is what happens when a blade is pounded through a brick. I knew the edge was arriving this way and wanted to try and sharpen it back to workability. I considered this a test of the makers’ ability to provide a tool even I could use for years to come. Refer back to my sharpening prowess rating previously. I was VERY impressed with the blades ability to regain a hair shaving edge in no time. A total of 20 passes on the 220 grit(red) belt on the Works Sharp and 6 passes on the paper wheels and I was shaving arm hair. This is from a blade that would not cut paper when it arrived.
I did not have a chance to clean a hog with the Viktim which was my main goal of the review; however, I did try a little Texas bush-craft by battoning and whittling. I chose an old aged piece of live oak as a baton and to split. The knife worked great and I appreciated the 5” length. The photos show I had the blade in a small bind once, but it bounced back to form. Overall, with my very limited baton experience, this knife worked well for my needs. My needs being only to baton this size knife in a SHTF situation, which I hope to never need. I then went to town on a few finger size cedar that I would use for bedding or to clear a shooting lane. The knife worked well, with 10 “chopping” hits at the base and the branches peeled away. I then moved onto splitting old dead cedar, which I believe a much more practical method to finding dry tinder for a fire. The cedar was so old and brittle, little to no twisting was required to break the wood into tinder size pieces. I tried wrist size mesquites as well and had no issue with pushing the blade 1” into the wood and twisting to break it apart.
I did shoot a hog later in the week and had a chance see if it cut well against the hogs hide as evident in the photos. The fact is I never clean a boar this size, they taste terrible and considering the weather (raining in the dark) and being by myself with no method to pick him up, this boar is destined to become coyote bait. I judge a knife’s sharpness in a number of ways; one is how easily it will cut through the hide of a hog. A second is my rope test. I place a length of 5/8 poly rope from Depot in a vise, pull tight and if the blade cuts the rope in half with a single pull from the blade then I consider it sharp. Lastly, if it will shave arm hair, I consider it sharp. The Viktim was that sharp before I left for the ranch.
Although I had run the blade through battoning the 5”oak, splitting 4 wrist size pieces of mesquite and cedar, chopping 3 thumb size limbs, scrapping a quarter size pile of magnesium shavings, stripping 2 ends of 12/2 wire and prying the rope lose from the hitch the blade did not cut the hide easily. In fact the large cut on the belly took at least 10 strong pulls against the hide. The small cut made by my freshly sharpened RS took one. (shorter cut in the pic). Once the hide was pierced the Viktim did cut on average with other blades I have used.
I will say this, when the knife was fresh from the grinder I did have an opportunity to remove the old hide at the base of the tusk of a hog I shot this winter. Check the photos of the remains of a 250lb boar shot in December. The blade performed very well, slicing right through the old dried hide and scraped heavily against the skull. I did not notice any edge loss after this effort at that time. Even before I went to cutting this live hog, I felt the edge was sharp enough to cut my finger if I ran along it. I knew it was not a fresh edge, I just thought I had not dulled that portion of the edge as 90% of cuts were close to the handle. I assume the chopping motion on the cedar and mesquite, about 50 total hits, dulled the edge. As I have not really chopped before I am unfamiliar with the ability of an edge to stay sharp after this type of use. I know the Viktim had been through a full day worth of work, however, I expected more from O1 steel. This may also be attributed to my lack of sharpening ability. Remember I am not an expert so the edge may not have been perfect to begin with.
The ease of sharpening in the field or at home is very important to me. If it dulls quickly, but can be brought back to 90% of the original edge with a strop then I like. If I have to work at it, then the steel or blade design is not for me. Again, I am no expert as I do not know if this is related to heat treat or geometry, but this is what I seek in a knife. I abuse the knife and it willingly comes back to a useful edge with minimal effort.
After I ran it through the paces I used a strop at home and the edge sharpened up enough to cut the rope ¾ of the way. I rate this as average a 6 for ease of sharpening as I would have performed the same method in the field.
After all the testing I sharpened the Viktim through the Works Sharp 6 passes and the paper wheels 4 more before sending it on. It shaved hair and passed the rope test after with no issue. I am curious to know if the next tester considers the edge to be sharp when they receive it.
Personal Experience
Experience with knives – roughly 30+ years–Eagle Scout so I have handled blades for some time, I am 41 yrs old now. Found this forum a year ago and this is the only knife related forum I belong or participate in. I have used a knife to clean a minimum of 5 animals a year and up to 100 (MLD permits) over the past 20 years. Favorite to date is the Schrade Sharp Finger for blade shape.
What I own- before the forum my most expensive knives were KOA’s, a D2 Alaskan Hunter and a few Schrades. Before that the most expensive folder I owned was a Camillus Sizzle for $35. The 10+ others were a mix a match of small folders and fixed blades for hunting or fishing.
Since joining the forum I have owned and sold 1 Busse SAR 6, 3 SYKW Regulators, 1 dumpster mutt, 1 SOD, and 1 Dogfather.
I have purchased and decided to keep 1 Kershaw Blur S30V, 1 BHK Woodsman Pro, BK9, BK14, Busse CABS, SAR 5, Swamprat RS, SKYW Regulator LE, Ontario Rat 3, Condor Bushlore, 5 Mora’s (wife loves them in the kitchen), 12” Ontario Machete and a half a dozen small folders under $25, with the CRKT Drifter as my favorite EDC.
Sharpening skill- before the forum non–existent. I burned at least $200 on ever pull through or slide down the blade model you could buy, including a Smith set and was never satisfied. I considered myself a “2” on sharpening. Occasionally I got lucky and created enough of an edge to cut myself.
Since joining the forum, I have purchased the Works Sharp mini belt grinder and a Richard J’s paper wheels set up. I am no expert and still cannot sharpen by hand; however, I am moderately pleased with my skill level with these tools and can sharpen a blade well enough to shave arm hair and cut paper or myself easily. My friends give me their knives to sharpen now. I figure I graduated to “6” on the sharpening scale.
Metal and grinds- I came in as a “2” and consider myself a “5” now as I know just enough to sound smart around the less experienced and dumb around someone who really knows what they are talking about. I still do not understand micro bevels or their real purpose and question how anyone who hand sharpens can always manage a 17.5 degree angle on each side every time. Don’t they call those guys brain surgeons? I know just enough about metal composition to know there is no “one super metal” that will do everything I want well so I settle for what works best for my needs.
Ergonomics- Since joining the forum I realized for me the handle is the most important portion of the knife with the blade shape and geometry second and third respectively. I prefer large handles due to arthritis in my hands.
Sheath- If the sheath comes with the knife great, if not no big deal to me. If the sheath keeps me from cutting myself until I have a custom built like I want then it is fine. I did not review the sheath.
My Intended Use
Hunting - ability to clean multiple deer or hogs in a day without needing to be heavily sharpened. Sharpening, if needed should be VERY easily. Must be able to generate a working edge with minimal effort.
Ranch work- cut feed sacks, bail twine, dig out staples for a fence tool to pull, scrape gaskets from a tractor, cut any number of types of hoses, act as a screwdriver, get washed in every chemical imagined(blood, bleach, diesel, gas, WD40, tranny fluid etc.) use to cut rope and an occasional small pry bar.
General camping- camp utility, food prep, wood processor (no need to baton until I got here and learned about it). When combined with hunting duties, I need a blade to spark a ferro rod and stand up to abuse to save my bacon the day the SHTF while hunting elk.
Specifications
Specs by manufacturer:
9 1/2" overall length
5" blade
1/8" O1 tool steel
Oak handle
Finally the Review:
(Assuming 10 is the perfect light-saber that extends in usefulness with only with my thoughts)
Design & Ergos
Personal Experience – 9+7+6= 22 22/3= 7.3
Blade Design – 9
Handle – 7
Ease of Sharpening- 6
What I liked– Ergo’s- The blade design was a surprise for me, I realized I can work with a 5” blade just as easy as the 3-4” length. The upswept portion of the spine made battoning, chopping or hammering down into a piece of wood for a notch easier. The weight and heft of the knife were good for all my needs.
The knife performed in every task I asked and more. I really like the blade edge following all the way to the handle, basically no ricasso. I prefer this type of design as I see no real use for a choil no matter what the size and I like the edge as close to the handle for close up work for more control. Also, there is not an area of the blade to hang up on animal parts. The tip is fine enough to drill or carve and the width of the spine is thick enough I am not concerned with breaking it. The height of the blade surprised me as well as I normally prefer a narrower design, around 1”. I did not think I would be as accurate in my cuts with a tall blade due to being farther away from the feel of the cutting material. I attribute the fact this design works well due to the makers experience and knowledge of the intended use. You don’t ask your mechanic to perform brain surgery, same thought with my knives. I enjoy the fact this was designed by hand through feel and eyeball vs. a CAD designed in a factory by an offshore tech that has never cleaned an animal or spent a night in the woods. I have no reservations taking this knife into the woods for any hunting trip or working on the ranch with it on my side. I am 100% confident this blade will “CYA” me in the event I need it to. I rate the design as a 9, very usable.
The handle left me a little short as it starts to narrow quickly at the bottom of the slabs; however, the length was GREAT, finally a knife that has enough handle length. To date only the Regulator or a machete actually filled my hands. This is why I provided more detailed specs on the handle. Since this is a personal issue I did not rate the knife’s overall design/ergos rating any less as I am sure JK will make adjustments to one when you order.
The handle material left me lacking, when it arrive the wood was clearly damaged somehow and as I am one to neglect a knife I am unsure how the wood will hold up to continuous washings, sitting in bleach water and general abuse so I would order one with micarta or g10 if available. Also, the rear pin was cut a little long and was out of place upon arrival. A quick hit with a punch and hammer put it back in place, but the pin is still a touch long. Hope the pics demonstrate this as it was just long enough to feel with a naked hand. Overall, I rate the handle as 7 as the pin issued generated a slight concern. EDIT- After discovering the handle was run over by a car, I can see why there was damage and why the pin shifted. Pic is of the Viktim in between Busse SAR 5 and Rodent Solution.
The edge was wrecked/rolled when received and I knew this was the case as this is what happens when a blade is pounded through a brick. I knew the edge was arriving this way and wanted to try and sharpen it back to workability. I considered this a test of the makers’ ability to provide a tool even I could use for years to come. Refer back to my sharpening prowess rating previously. I was VERY impressed with the blades ability to regain a hair shaving edge in no time. A total of 20 passes on the 220 grit(red) belt on the Works Sharp and 6 passes on the paper wheels and I was shaving arm hair. This is from a blade that would not cut paper when it arrived.
I did not have a chance to clean a hog with the Viktim which was my main goal of the review; however, I did try a little Texas bush-craft by battoning and whittling. I chose an old aged piece of live oak as a baton and to split. The knife worked great and I appreciated the 5” length. The photos show I had the blade in a small bind once, but it bounced back to form. Overall, with my very limited baton experience, this knife worked well for my needs. My needs being only to baton this size knife in a SHTF situation, which I hope to never need. I then went to town on a few finger size cedar that I would use for bedding or to clear a shooting lane. The knife worked well, with 10 “chopping” hits at the base and the branches peeled away. I then moved onto splitting old dead cedar, which I believe a much more practical method to finding dry tinder for a fire. The cedar was so old and brittle, little to no twisting was required to break the wood into tinder size pieces. I tried wrist size mesquites as well and had no issue with pushing the blade 1” into the wood and twisting to break it apart.
I did shoot a hog later in the week and had a chance see if it cut well against the hogs hide as evident in the photos. The fact is I never clean a boar this size, they taste terrible and considering the weather (raining in the dark) and being by myself with no method to pick him up, this boar is destined to become coyote bait. I judge a knife’s sharpness in a number of ways; one is how easily it will cut through the hide of a hog. A second is my rope test. I place a length of 5/8 poly rope from Depot in a vise, pull tight and if the blade cuts the rope in half with a single pull from the blade then I consider it sharp. Lastly, if it will shave arm hair, I consider it sharp. The Viktim was that sharp before I left for the ranch.
Although I had run the blade through battoning the 5”oak, splitting 4 wrist size pieces of mesquite and cedar, chopping 3 thumb size limbs, scrapping a quarter size pile of magnesium shavings, stripping 2 ends of 12/2 wire and prying the rope lose from the hitch the blade did not cut the hide easily. In fact the large cut on the belly took at least 10 strong pulls against the hide. The small cut made by my freshly sharpened RS took one. (shorter cut in the pic). Once the hide was pierced the Viktim did cut on average with other blades I have used.
I will say this, when the knife was fresh from the grinder I did have an opportunity to remove the old hide at the base of the tusk of a hog I shot this winter. Check the photos of the remains of a 250lb boar shot in December. The blade performed very well, slicing right through the old dried hide and scraped heavily against the skull. I did not notice any edge loss after this effort at that time. Even before I went to cutting this live hog, I felt the edge was sharp enough to cut my finger if I ran along it. I knew it was not a fresh edge, I just thought I had not dulled that portion of the edge as 90% of cuts were close to the handle. I assume the chopping motion on the cedar and mesquite, about 50 total hits, dulled the edge. As I have not really chopped before I am unfamiliar with the ability of an edge to stay sharp after this type of use. I know the Viktim had been through a full day worth of work, however, I expected more from O1 steel. This may also be attributed to my lack of sharpening ability. Remember I am not an expert so the edge may not have been perfect to begin with.
The ease of sharpening in the field or at home is very important to me. If it dulls quickly, but can be brought back to 90% of the original edge with a strop then I like. If I have to work at it, then the steel or blade design is not for me. Again, I am no expert as I do not know if this is related to heat treat or geometry, but this is what I seek in a knife. I abuse the knife and it willingly comes back to a useful edge with minimal effort.
After I ran it through the paces I used a strop at home and the edge sharpened up enough to cut the rope ¾ of the way. I rate this as average a 6 for ease of sharpening as I would have performed the same method in the field.
After all the testing I sharpened the Viktim through the Works Sharp 6 passes and the paper wheels 4 more before sending it on. It shaved hair and passed the rope test after with no issue. I am curious to know if the next tester considers the edge to be sharp when they receive it.
Last edited:
