Alrighty! As usual, I wasnt very patient when I got this in the mail. Headed straight out and started cutting stuff!
A few things struck me out of the box. First, its got a pretty unorthodox design. When I first saw pics of the blade, I really couldnt decide how it would fit my paws. Turns out pretty well! Its very beefy and well rounded, just what a chubby chaser like me needs. One thing that can turn me off with a handle pretty quickly is an inverted hump at the blade-side of the handle, where it arches upward instead of downward like an egg shape. This handle sort of skirts the subject with the lightest inflection, but functionally feels pretty much straight. Or put another way, there are no odd curves that youre forced to adapt to or work around.
The micarta is smooth and warm in the hand, and the dropped edge gives good protection from the blade for even the most nervous of users. The filing at the spine is just what good filing should be, meaning not at all abrasive to the thumb but still giving a bit of security. The rest of the spine is left unrounded and edgy, which makes for a great firesteel or tinder scraper. The edge wasnt bad but needed to spend some time with a strop.
The leather is almost a whole other entity to be reviewed. Its almost ornate with the cross straps. The workmanship is really quite impressive and it gives a lot of carry options (alternate settings for the belt loop). The edges of the leather are all well polished, and the stitching is tight and strong. Its a bit weighty overall but not prohibitively so.
In use, the handle is as comfortable as Id hoped (most know me well enough to know that this is saying a lot). There were no real hotspots encountered. Most notably, it was comfortable in numerous grips, especially a side grip. Stuff like that is what makes a simple, well-rounded handle so important: there arent any goofy grooves or humps to dictate your grips. No one likes a bossy handle.
I made a few quick feather sticks (even my twigs/sticks were all pretty frozen and hardened, so this was smooth as always). I made these before spending time with a strop which was another drawback (gonna do it again after a quick sharpening). Batoning was likewise not an issue, the convex edge really helped it glide into a frozen piece of firewood.
Overall, Im really quite impressed with the knife. Id certainly be happy carrying this into the woods, or if it were my only knife. The 5 blade is pretty well into the upper limit of what I like to use, and would probably prefer something around 4. The extra inch can be helpful when batoning of course. But so far, thats the only thing Id have changed. Im gonna keep on using it and see what else pops up. But its really tempting to pick up one of these after playing with it! Thanks much for the opportunity!!
Actually these days I know in just a few seconds whether I like a knife or if I'll keep it, this made some good first impressions!
