KNIFE RESEARCH Legion OR Mil Tac HF-1, or Hogue EX F-01?

D

DBAR

Joined
Aug 14, 2011
Messages
52
I'm new to this forum, and I'm wanting to get some opinions.

I've come to a decision.

Knife Research Legion, or Mil Tac HF-1. I'm intrigued by the Sleipner steel, and the quality that I can see on the internet of the Legion. The videos on youtube with the Legion are pretty impressive.

I'm also drawn to the Mil Tac HF-1, it's about the same size, and is made of S30V. I haven't seen or heard much about the Mil Tac HF-1, but it sounds good.

I'm also considering the Hogue EX F-01, as I've had knives that were designed by Elishewitz, and I liked them just fine.

I don't know much about the steels, but from what I've read the Sleipner is the better of the three. S30V is the second best of the 3, and A2 is suppose to be pretty good, but prouned to staining? I wish I could handle each one, to make a better decision, but I don't have a Cutlery store around here to go check them out in person, so the internet is all I can go by.

All have blades that are 6" give or take, and all look good. Prices are comprable.


Any Suggestions?


Thanks,

DBAR
 
Sleipner is suppose to basically be D2, so S30V and Sleipner should be pretty equal, with Sleipner having a slight lead in edge holding and S30V in stainlessness. A2 will be tougher than either. I don't have any of the knives but got to hold both the Legion and Hogue at BladeHQ, really liked both, the hogue came with a mirror polished edge which was impressive. The hogue as you probably know comes in two different sized 5 and 7. Just my opinion, but the Mil tac would be my last choice, one because of the recurve blade, which is more difficult to sharpen especially in the field, and two I don't really like all the pointy corner, seems like it could be uncomfortable to carry if those are jabbing you when crouching or bending, also I think S30V generally does better in smaller blades. Overall I'd say get which ever you like the best, the steels shouldn't be too big of a difference, as in you would probably only notice a difference if you were testing them side by side cutting rope or cardboard but just using them day probably not that much. As for the rust resistance of A2, I have a Bark River in A2 and its gotten two small spots of orange that took about 15 seconds too sand out because I've never put a coating on it (oil or tuf glide) and I put it away wet in sheath. The Sleipner if it has the rust resistance of D2 you probably won't have a problem with as its just barely a non-stainless steel. Good luck with your decision.
 
michaelm466,

Thank you for your reply. I never considered the complication of the recurve blade before. Thank you for pointing that out to me. You've helped me narrow it down to either the Hogue EXF-01, or the Knife Research Legion. I've been reading what little is out there about A2 and Sleipner Steels, and your probably correct about me not being able to tell the difference with my intended use. I just wish I could handle both of them before making a decision. I'm just getting picky because this will be my first "real" fixed blade knife of any quality. I've researched folders in the past, but the options with fixed blades are more complicated than I thought. I'm probably just putting too much thought into it, but I learned a long time ago with firearms purchases, buy the right one the first time, and only spend the money once.


DBAR
 
I'll throw a 4th option out there just because I've been eyeballing it lately... the Zero Tolerance 0170. It's kind of a sleeper. Most folks generally agree that 14C28N steel is good. Ankerson's edge-holding tests rank it right up there with 154CM and S30V (actually ranked higher than S30V @ 58.5 Rc). It's easy to sharpen to a keen edge. Rust resistance is high, certainly better than A2 (5% Chromium) or Sleipner (7.8% Chromium). The Zero Tolerance warranty is good to go. And the 0170 is considerably less expensive than all 3 of the other knives listed. Sorry to play devil's advocate. I just love knife shopping.
View attachment 234481
 
Dorito Monk said:
Can't go wrong with the Hogue. Very hard working knife.
Click to expand...

Dorito,

Have you put the Houge EX-F01 through some Hard work? I'm leaning towards the Houge, and I'd like to hear your experiences. Damn, I wish I could find a shop around here that had some good knives in it.


DBAR
 
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