Koyote Piggyback Pair.

[Big Mike]

Koyote Knives Piggyback Pair Review.

Thanks to my friend Tony (tonym) I have had the opportunity to test a fine pair of knives made by Christof Harper of Koyote Knives.

The pair consists of a large Camp Chopper (a.k.a. Sierra Machete) and a leuku pattern bushcrafter known as the Model 1 Wilderness Knife.

The knives are made from differentially tempered Uddeholm 15n20, a Scandinavian bandsaw steel similar to L6, and feature Osage Orange scales with an attractive flamed finish.

Here are the dimensions on this pair.

Camp Chopper:
Overall Length = 13.75”
Blade Length = 8.5”
Max. Blade height = 2.1”
Blade Thickness = .107”


Model 1 Wilderness:
Overall Length = 9”
Blade Length = 4.75”
Max. Blade height = 1.3”
Blade Thickness = .097”

Balance on the smaller knife is right on the first finger, and is just in front of the handle on the bigger knife; these balance points seem about perfect to me.

They felt very natural in action and seemed to become a natural extension of my body; as any good tool should.

The handles on both these knives felt very good in my large hand, and at no time did I develop any hotspots, even with extended use.

As is my custom, I started out using this pair in the kitchen.

They worked well on meats and vegetables, and would be all I need in a camp kitchen.

Next I was off to the woods, where I was anxious to see how these tools would take the abuse I tend to give my field tools.

Being these knives are Tony’s and not my own I started out with light work, but as I continued to push the envelope these blades took all I could throw at them.

The Wilderness Knife worked well as a bushcraft knife, and tackled chores like fuzz ticks and notching with aplomb.

The blade stayed fairly sharp even when working with hardwood, and was easy to strop back to scary sharp.

 

[Big Mike]

But the knife I really came to test was the Camp Chopper.

Those of you that know me know that big blades are my favorites, and camp knives and Bowies are the knives I live to test.

I was a bit concerned by the thin steel used in this chopper, and the first few times I used it on light vegetation I was a bit disappointed by its performance.

Of course my recent testing had been done with heavy tools that where three or four times thicker then this blade, and once I cleared my mind of these preconceived biases and reminded myself that this blade was only as thick as some of my machetes, I was able to see this tool for capable lightweight chopping tool that it is.

In fact once I convinced myself that I was not going to damage the edge, I pushed it to the limit on thicker and harder wood; the harder I worked it the more I liked it.

The edge on this thin blade took it all in stride, and throughout the chopping and batoning it showed no signs of chipping or rolling, and held its edge quit nicely.

Pound for pound this knife would be hard to beat; a backpacker looking for maximum performance in a light package would be hard pressed to find a more capable tool.

I had contacted Christof several times during the period I was testing this knife, and even talked about him making me a thicker version of this chopper, but in retrospect my request might have been premature.

From the comfortable contours of the coffin shaped handle, to the very useful shape of the awesome blade; I found this to be a tool that I could enjoy using and trust to perform in the field.

The leather sheaths provided are nicely done in a rustic style that fits very well with the character of these knives.

They are both set up for horizontal or vertical carry; as I received them from Tony they where fastened securely together.

I carried the combo on an over the shoulder Sharpshooter Sheath Systems Baldric Rig, but could have just as easily carried them on my belt; there is not a lot weight in this set-up, many of my big field knives weigh more then these two.

The only issue I can think of with the sheath set-up is the retaining strap on the Camp Chopper; I felt I had to take care not to cut it when drawing or re-sheathing the big blade, but this is a very minor complaint.

The bottom line is this pair of knives impressed me, both in performance and in their rustic appearance; as I have said before, I see a Koyote Knife (or two) in my future.




"If you're not living on the edge, …you're taking up too much space."

Big Mike

 

[Andrew Colglazier]

Nice knives, Mike, and good review as usual. Thanks!

Andy

 

[koyote]

Looks like the osage is aging well. One of our kitchen knives has darkened up to a classic deep orangey brown after 18 months of daily use.

Glad you liked the performance :thumbup:- I struggled a bit with the idea of a thinner blade that big, but wanted to have a sort of north american maxi-machete build.

And that short scandi handle works out in your big mitts, too

 

[BarberFobic1992]

great review! i also have one of each of those knives and have a very high opinion of them both.

 

[tonym]

Glad you liked them Mike! They are easily 1 of my favorite combos. The thin light 1/8 thick chopper does surprisingly well at heavier tasks eh.

 

[Big Mike]

Here are a few more shots of the Wilderness Knife and the Sheath set-up.

"If you're not living on the edge, …you're taking up too much space."

Big Mike