Koster's Fixed Blade EDC

[SPXTrader]

Since I was lucky enough to be in the right forum at the right time, I have the honor of testing out 2 of Dan's new Fixed Blade EDC's. They arrived yesterday, so today this thread will be some pics and initial impressions as I haven't had the chance to work them yet. I'll update this thread over the next week or so to add additional pics and thoughts.

First, they are beautiful! Pictures just don't do them justice. The fit and finish of these are perfect! The difference in the scales on v.1 and v.2 is impressive, not only in size, but the wood used. v.1 has rich, deep tones that contrasts with and sets off the blade finish, while v.2 has a lighter overall appearance. The handle size really makes the blade appear smaller than they actually are.

For reference, the v.1 has the darker of the two handles.

The v.1 came with a very nice leather sheath (don't know who made it, but its top quality!) and a kydex sheath. v.2 came with the kydex. Both knives are very snugly held by the kydex, and there's a little "click" when snapped in.

My hand span is almost 10" across, and the v.1's thicker slabs seem to feel better in my hand.

The v.1 has black liners while the v.2 has red liners. Both match the wood selected perfectly. Both have tapered tangs, with the v.1 being thicker.

The swedge gives the v.1 a very sleek look, and the lines flow great. Even tho both blades are the same length, the swedge creates a shorter appearance. Both are flat ground, and extremely sharp!

My first impressions are WOW! This is going to be a great knife, whatever the final blade shape may be. I'll spend the next week using both, but right out of the box, with my large mitts, the nod goes to v.1.

Of course, this may change! Stay tuned...

 

[powernoodle]

I'm hoping this/these get a production run. I especially like the look of the v.1.

:thumbup:

 

[pitdog]

That handle on the V1 looks perfect.
Now if only that handle was on the Bushcrafters and Nessmuks !!!!

 

[Magnum22]

i like V1. that's the one i'd buy.

 

[Can-Am Joel]

I like V1 also... Looking forward to your impressions!

Joel

 

[Wakayos]

Another nod for the v1

 

[Bigfattyt]

Super sweet. That swedge does it for me, that is for sure.

 

[ombrapelone]

I'm in love with the V.1.
Really.
It's the best of my next knives.

 

[SPXTrader]

I had them both out this morning thinking about the EDC tasks I usually put a knife thru, deciding on which one to try first. Sandy took a look at them. Now remember, she's a Kentucky mountain woman, so she's not unfamiliar with knives and guns. In fact, she carries both on a daily basis and is proficient with them.

She was impressed with both, and went for v.2 right off the bat. Chick hands...I should have expected it! But she didn't like the idea of calling them v.1 and v.2. So she named them. v.1 is now going to be referred to as "Fat Man" and v.2 will be called "Little Boy". I kinda like these names, considering their reference to two historical weapons that changed the course of mankind. We'll see if they are as impressive as their namesakes!

Today, I'm going to put a water pump on a friend's 1970 MGB, and then we will do the celebratory cookout thing afterwards. So Little Boy is going to see some garage and kitchen time, along with anything else that happens to pop up during the day. It is an EDC, correct?

BTW, if there are any tasks you guys would like to see done with these while I have them, post up your suggestions.

Stay tuned...

 

[Martin Swinkels]

BTW, if there are any tasks you guys would like to see done with these while I have them, post up your suggestions.

Carve a Canoe?






No serious..
Great pics, and I admire your selfsacrifice to supply us with solid data..

 

[Daniel Koster]

Great review thus far...keep it coming! :thumbup:


Dan


p.s. great pics!

 

[SPXTrader]

As I mentioned, I put a water pump on a buddy's old MGB yesterday. Since he bought new hoses and a belt, there was no need to disconnect them in order to remove the alternator and radiator. Little Boy dispatched the belt in a second, with a clean pull-cut all the way thru. Once the coolant was drained, I cut thru the three hoses (non-steel reinforced). Here's where the stout handle and short blade came in handy. I don't know if any of you have ever worked on an MGB, but there's not a lot of room up front to work. The blade was short enough to allow me to get it in between the block and radiator. Having a handful of grip was great, too. It took a bit to pull-cut thru the radiator hoses, but Little Boy did it with no problems. I can only think of one other folding knife line I would feel comfortable doing this with, and that would be the ZT 0200, 030x and MUDD. We are comparing this knife to an EDC folder, correct? About 2 hours, and that job was finished.

Instead of a cookout, we decided to do a stir-fry instead. I cleaned Little Boy up and headed to the kitchen. I used it exclusively. I sliced a pork tenderloin, mushrooms, carrots, and chopped onions, celery, broccoli and all the fixings for a salad. The knife worked extremely well, and was very controllable even using it as a pairing knife.

After dinner and a few drinks, I cleaned it up and gave it a good wipe-down with mineral oil. It's out again today, and has gone thru a pile of envelopes already.

The knife must have a micro-bevel on it, as after all that use yesterday it still pops hair.

This is a great knife! Tuesday, we have to do some electrical work in the rental house...the bathroom needs a new sink, vanity, mirror, light fixture and ceiling fan. We also have to put a new ceiling fan in the master bedroom (the low-life renters took the bathroom mirror, light fixture and bedroom ceiling fan with them when they left!).

More to come...

 

[Daniel Koster]

Did you get v.3?


Any more testing to report on?


Dan

 

[SPXTrader]

It wasn't here Friday. I didn't get a chance to stop by the PO today.

I have some more stuff to put up. I'll do that tomorrow evening. v.2 aka Little Boy will be on its way back to you Monday or Tuesday. I'll send it Priority - insured, and I'll drop ya a note when it goes.

Thanks again Dan for the chance to give these two a try! :thumbup:

 

[SPXTrader]

UPDATE:

I've spent the past two weeks using v.2 and v.3. I've carried them in the front pocket of my cargo shorts, and they fit very well. Nothing sticking out, and you really don't notice they're there. They're a little too big for jeans, but the correct sheath system will fix this. I have folders that feel heavier and bulkier in my pocket than these do. The Kydex still fits snugly with a "click" when you sheath them. The leather sheath I got with 1 fits 3 perfectly.

I've used both in the kitchen a lot, and 2 is beginning to patina a little. I'm not sure how this happened, as I cleaned each after use and wiped them down with mineral oil. Both performed great, and cut up and peeled all sorts of fruits and veggies, meat and chicken, and I even used 3 to clean and fillet a few good sized bluefish a buddy brought me back from Hatteras. Other tasks were cutting up some cardboard shipping boxes, cutting strapping tape, skinning wire, and 3 was excellent when I needed to poke a hole in the drywall in the rental house. It made short work of that task! The low-rent renter left a bunch of stuff in the house when she left, and I had fun with some paperback books. All 3 would push cut the corners off as far as I wanted to push. I've played with them at the farm, cutting bailing twine and some 1/2 inch hemp rope. No problems at all. Clean, easy cuts.

1 has the spine jimping, and IMO that is a must have for this knife regardless of the blade shape. It gave me a more confident grip on the knife when planting my thumb on the spine. All 3 cut extremely well, but 1 and 3, with the thicker handles felt more secure in my hand. No hot spots from any of them even when I sat down with a green maple branch and made some fuzz sticks. 3 must have a thinner grind angle, as it by far seems to cut better than 1 or 2. The blade shape between 1 and 3 are similar, with 3 having a shorter, steeper swedge that created the spear point.

This is a perfect blade for EDC. The problem Dan has now (other than making them by the dozens, as they are a must have knife!) is to come up with a sheath system/combo that will let you clip it to your pocket (Kydex, deep enough to allow the clip to attach at your pocket without any handle sticking out) or attach it to your belt. I'd be interested in seeing these with more utility type of scales, such as Micarta, as these would be great knifes for construction work. In the field, they perform great. As I mentioned earlier, spine jimping is a must on these knives. The jimping on 1 could even be extended another 3/8ths of an inch or so out the spine. They may not have a long blade, and that was the intent of these knives, but with the thick handles and thick blades, they give you a very confidant feel of a hunk of steel in your hand. I did some light battoning with 1, as it's mine and I treated it a little rougher than 2 or 3. I used it like a hatchet, and hacked into a 2X4 with little effort.

I must admit I am partial to 1, mainly because of the jimping. But cut the spine on 3, and it would be a very tough decision to make. 3 looks a little more sheeple friendly, because of the reduced swedge grind I believe. I took all 3 to a friend who works for the FD. Everyone at the station house said they would carry these, with more duty oriented slabs. Regardless of the final version, these are fantastic knives. The fit and finish are perfect. I own other fixed blades, both custom and high dollar production, and this knife is every bit as good as some, and better than most. This one should be on everyone's must have list. They are that good!

Thanks Dan for the opportunity to test these out! :thumbup:

Top to Bottom: 3, 2, and 1:

Top to Bottom: 3, 2 and 1:

Top to Bottom: 3, 2 and 1:

Left to Right: 1, 2 and 3:

Front to Rear: 1, 2 and 3:

Left to Right: 3, 2 and 1:

 

[Chibbi]

V.3 definitely gets my vote. The spearpoint design just completes the handle better imho.

Where do I sign up ?

 

[moonwilson]

I'm digging V2, personally. It looks like quite the handy little unit!

 

[Daniel Koster]

Thanks for the review - do you have a preference for either of the 3 handles?

v1 is taller
v2 is thinner/shorter with more palm swell
v3 is thick like 1, but has palm swell like 2


Dan

 

[SPXTrader]

Both 1 and 3 felt good to me. I didn't notice that the palm swell made much difference. As mentioned, none of them developed any hot spots when cutting green Maple. They just feel natural in your hand. But personally I like the thicker/taller handle - I just found it more comfortable than the thinner v2.

These things are beasts! Great designs Dan!

 

[Daniel Koster]

If you look at this pic:

...compare the one on the left to the one on the right....the part of the handle above the first pin. See how it "dips"? Does it make any difference for you?

Dan