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- Feb 10, 2000
- Messages
- 175
Matt Lamey Camp Bowie
Review by Kevin Pensinger
May 6, 2000
First, I must start by noting that Matt is a friend of mine. I am also a knife dealer and work with Matt in this. That being said, I was as impartial as possible in this review as I believe that any other approach is simply advertising and not a review (and hence, does not belong here).
Model: Camp Bowie.
Physical Specs: Overall Length 11 7/8 Blade Length 7 Blade Width (at integral guard) 1 ¾ False Edge Length 3 ¾ Blade Thickness3/16 Weight (dont know need some scales!)
Materials: Blade steel is 1095 heat treated to mid 50s RC according to Matt. Handle material is Green Micarta. Handle pins/thong hole liner are brass.
Sheath: Kenny Rowe Swinger model. Customized with thin kydex liner and initials. This sheath is the nicest leather sheath I have ever owned and a classic in its own right. Kudos to Kenny Rowe for this masterpiece.
Finish: The knife came with a very attractive hand rubbed finish. Primary edge was razor sharp. False edge was sharp (but not actually sharpened by Matt the bevels just meet). Handle scales are perfectly symmetrical and the Micarta is both attractive and well finished.
This knife came to be mine as a result of a post Matt made in the Makers For Sale Forum at Blade Forums. I contacted Matt and asked that he finish up the Camp Bowie model for me and have a sheath made with my initials. Matt agreed to do so and was extremely easy to work with through our numerous emails. I asked Matt to make the knife such that it would be a good general purpose camp knife. We decided, therefore, on 3/16 stock instead of ¼ and on 7 blade length as optimal. I asked Matt to heat treat the blade such that it would be easy to sharpen in the field and would be tough above all else. Matt agreed to make the blade a little less hard than his standard 1095 for ease of sharpening and enhance toughness. The kydex lined sheath, although more expensive than standard, was also chosen so that the knive can be stored in the sheath with no fear of problems due to leather which sometimes arise during long term storage. I am happy to report that this knife is not likely to see any long term storage!
Last week the big moment arrived and a package from Matt arrived containing two knives the Camp Bowie reviewed here and a black micarta handled Razorback. I eagerly, with trembling hands, unwrapped the very well packaged Camp Bowie and sheath. I have to tell you that it was love at first sight. Were it not for Matts insistence that I work this knife hard for purposes of giving him feedback on it the knife would still be a virgin! After much persuasion, however, I did undertake some non-scientific testing.
The knife handles quickly balance very close to the integral guard formed by the blade. This made precise stabs and chops very easy despite only just picking up the knife for the first time.
Wood chopping: I chopped twice through 2x4 pine. I noted that the knife was very accurate and that the handle ergonomics are excellent. During full power chops the knife was comfortable and grip secure. Matt prides himself on his handle design and rightfully so, I found. After making my way through the two boards I decided that 3/16 stock in a 7 blade is not optimal for heavy chopping chores. The same qualities that make the blade extremely quick and responsive also prevent the knife from being a great chopper. That being said, the knife had no problem cutting the two boards in half just required more chops than would a 9 ¼ stock knife or a H.I. Khukri for instance. After the two boards were done the knife would no longer shave hair but would scrape hair easily and still have a very usable edge. No edge deformation of any type was evident.
Tow strap: I next proceeded to steel the knife on a Henckels 4 Star kitchen steel: 10 strokes on each side. This brought the knife back to a razors edge. Then I cut an old style (thick fabric type) tow strap into pieces with the Lamey knife. The knife cut aggressively into the fabric strap as well as a razor sharp CRKT M-16 large Tanto folder with 1/8 stock blade. I was very pleased with this performance. After about 10 minutes of cutting on the tow strap the edge was still razor sharp. No edge deformation of any type was evident.
Cardboard: I then sectioned up numerous cardboard shipping boxes in which I receive inventory. I sliced cardboard boxes for approx. 30 minutes. The Bowie cut aggressively into the cardboard and sliced easily through the board much better than ¼ thick knives such as my MD ATAK for instance. This I attribute to the 3/16 stock. After this cutting the edge was blunted somewhat but not damaged in any way. I steeled the knife again (10 strokes per side) and proceeded to the:
Cardboard Slashing Tests: Here I took cardboard police pistol targets (standard box thickness cardboard) and performed slashing tests. The Bowie was extremely quick and accurate. The slashes were deep and effortless. The unsharpened false edge also produced some very deep cuts into the neck of the cardboard target 3 to 4 deep on backcuts. My impression from this test is that the Bowie, while a utility design, has definite potential in a defensive role should the need arise.
Wood Whittling: The Bowie took deep slices out of 2x4 pine pieces. The knife cut aggressively and deeply into the wood. This knife performed better on wood slicing tests than many of my 1/8 stock folders and as well as any of them.
Stabbing Tests: I finally managed to find a weakness in the Bowie! I stabbed the knife full strength into pine 2x4 boards and then pryed the tip out sideways. After the second stab I bent the extreme tip of the knife slightly by prying it free of the board. The bent portion is the last 2 mm of the blade. No further damage was caused by repeating the test 8 more times. I did not attempt to fix this due to wanting to show the tip to Matt as is. The tip on the knife is very fine and this test bordered on being abusive. The knife is very safe to use for stabbing due to the integral guard formed by the blade. You WILL NOT end up sliding onto the blade of this knife no matter how hard you stab into an object.
Meat Cutting: The Bowie was used to slice up several pounds of semi thawed frozen boneless chicken breast while assisting my wife with dinner preparation. The knife performed this task effortlessly. The Bowie will definitely serve well in its intended role as a food prep knife in the camp.
Brush Clearing: I took the knife/sheath on a 6 mile hike along a border trail at a local State Park and used the Bowie to clear small brush obstructing the pathway. The knife chopped effortlessly through branches (live and dead) in the 1 to 1.5 diameter range. The norm was 1 chop required to sever the branch. Here the speed and accuracy of the knife made up for a lack of mass as compared to a longer or thicker knife. The sheath was exceptionally comfortable on the hike and also on the ride to and from.
Sharpening:The Lamey Bowie responds extremely well to steeling with a standard kitchen steel. The knife also sharpens well with the Spyderco Sharpmaker ceramic stones and responds well to a final stropping after the Sharpmaker.
Conclusions: The Matt Lamey Camp Bowie is a very attractive knife. The knife and Rowe sheath have become favorites as I use them. The knife offers very good performance and will serve well as a utility knife which can double as a tactical knife if need be.
------------------
Kevin Pensinger
The EDGE Equipment
sales@theedgeequipment.com
Contact The EDGE for your custom cutlery needs!
Review by Kevin Pensinger
May 6, 2000
First, I must start by noting that Matt is a friend of mine. I am also a knife dealer and work with Matt in this. That being said, I was as impartial as possible in this review as I believe that any other approach is simply advertising and not a review (and hence, does not belong here).
Model: Camp Bowie.
Physical Specs: Overall Length 11 7/8 Blade Length 7 Blade Width (at integral guard) 1 ¾ False Edge Length 3 ¾ Blade Thickness3/16 Weight (dont know need some scales!)
Materials: Blade steel is 1095 heat treated to mid 50s RC according to Matt. Handle material is Green Micarta. Handle pins/thong hole liner are brass.
Sheath: Kenny Rowe Swinger model. Customized with thin kydex liner and initials. This sheath is the nicest leather sheath I have ever owned and a classic in its own right. Kudos to Kenny Rowe for this masterpiece.
Finish: The knife came with a very attractive hand rubbed finish. Primary edge was razor sharp. False edge was sharp (but not actually sharpened by Matt the bevels just meet). Handle scales are perfectly symmetrical and the Micarta is both attractive and well finished.
This knife came to be mine as a result of a post Matt made in the Makers For Sale Forum at Blade Forums. I contacted Matt and asked that he finish up the Camp Bowie model for me and have a sheath made with my initials. Matt agreed to do so and was extremely easy to work with through our numerous emails. I asked Matt to make the knife such that it would be a good general purpose camp knife. We decided, therefore, on 3/16 stock instead of ¼ and on 7 blade length as optimal. I asked Matt to heat treat the blade such that it would be easy to sharpen in the field and would be tough above all else. Matt agreed to make the blade a little less hard than his standard 1095 for ease of sharpening and enhance toughness. The kydex lined sheath, although more expensive than standard, was also chosen so that the knive can be stored in the sheath with no fear of problems due to leather which sometimes arise during long term storage. I am happy to report that this knife is not likely to see any long term storage!
Last week the big moment arrived and a package from Matt arrived containing two knives the Camp Bowie reviewed here and a black micarta handled Razorback. I eagerly, with trembling hands, unwrapped the very well packaged Camp Bowie and sheath. I have to tell you that it was love at first sight. Were it not for Matts insistence that I work this knife hard for purposes of giving him feedback on it the knife would still be a virgin! After much persuasion, however, I did undertake some non-scientific testing.
The knife handles quickly balance very close to the integral guard formed by the blade. This made precise stabs and chops very easy despite only just picking up the knife for the first time.
Wood chopping: I chopped twice through 2x4 pine. I noted that the knife was very accurate and that the handle ergonomics are excellent. During full power chops the knife was comfortable and grip secure. Matt prides himself on his handle design and rightfully so, I found. After making my way through the two boards I decided that 3/16 stock in a 7 blade is not optimal for heavy chopping chores. The same qualities that make the blade extremely quick and responsive also prevent the knife from being a great chopper. That being said, the knife had no problem cutting the two boards in half just required more chops than would a 9 ¼ stock knife or a H.I. Khukri for instance. After the two boards were done the knife would no longer shave hair but would scrape hair easily and still have a very usable edge. No edge deformation of any type was evident.
Tow strap: I next proceeded to steel the knife on a Henckels 4 Star kitchen steel: 10 strokes on each side. This brought the knife back to a razors edge. Then I cut an old style (thick fabric type) tow strap into pieces with the Lamey knife. The knife cut aggressively into the fabric strap as well as a razor sharp CRKT M-16 large Tanto folder with 1/8 stock blade. I was very pleased with this performance. After about 10 minutes of cutting on the tow strap the edge was still razor sharp. No edge deformation of any type was evident.
Cardboard: I then sectioned up numerous cardboard shipping boxes in which I receive inventory. I sliced cardboard boxes for approx. 30 minutes. The Bowie cut aggressively into the cardboard and sliced easily through the board much better than ¼ thick knives such as my MD ATAK for instance. This I attribute to the 3/16 stock. After this cutting the edge was blunted somewhat but not damaged in any way. I steeled the knife again (10 strokes per side) and proceeded to the:
Cardboard Slashing Tests: Here I took cardboard police pistol targets (standard box thickness cardboard) and performed slashing tests. The Bowie was extremely quick and accurate. The slashes were deep and effortless. The unsharpened false edge also produced some very deep cuts into the neck of the cardboard target 3 to 4 deep on backcuts. My impression from this test is that the Bowie, while a utility design, has definite potential in a defensive role should the need arise.
Wood Whittling: The Bowie took deep slices out of 2x4 pine pieces. The knife cut aggressively and deeply into the wood. This knife performed better on wood slicing tests than many of my 1/8 stock folders and as well as any of them.
Stabbing Tests: I finally managed to find a weakness in the Bowie! I stabbed the knife full strength into pine 2x4 boards and then pryed the tip out sideways. After the second stab I bent the extreme tip of the knife slightly by prying it free of the board. The bent portion is the last 2 mm of the blade. No further damage was caused by repeating the test 8 more times. I did not attempt to fix this due to wanting to show the tip to Matt as is. The tip on the knife is very fine and this test bordered on being abusive. The knife is very safe to use for stabbing due to the integral guard formed by the blade. You WILL NOT end up sliding onto the blade of this knife no matter how hard you stab into an object.
Meat Cutting: The Bowie was used to slice up several pounds of semi thawed frozen boneless chicken breast while assisting my wife with dinner preparation. The knife performed this task effortlessly. The Bowie will definitely serve well in its intended role as a food prep knife in the camp.
Brush Clearing: I took the knife/sheath on a 6 mile hike along a border trail at a local State Park and used the Bowie to clear small brush obstructing the pathway. The knife chopped effortlessly through branches (live and dead) in the 1 to 1.5 diameter range. The norm was 1 chop required to sever the branch. Here the speed and accuracy of the knife made up for a lack of mass as compared to a longer or thicker knife. The sheath was exceptionally comfortable on the hike and also on the ride to and from.
Sharpening:The Lamey Bowie responds extremely well to steeling with a standard kitchen steel. The knife also sharpens well with the Spyderco Sharpmaker ceramic stones and responds well to a final stropping after the Sharpmaker.
Conclusions: The Matt Lamey Camp Bowie is a very attractive knife. The knife and Rowe sheath have become favorites as I use them. The knife offers very good performance and will serve well as a utility knife which can double as a tactical knife if need be.
------------------
Kevin Pensinger
The EDGE Equipment
sales@theedgeequipment.com
Contact The EDGE for your custom cutlery needs!
