Mineral Mountain White River Bowie

J

Josh Feltman

Joined
Feb 12, 2001
Messages
4,501
I just got my Mineral Mountain White River Bowie on Tuesday. For the money, I don't think it can be beat. I got the twelve inch blade without the brass guard. This is one huge, wicked looking blade, and I must say that the pictures on the Mineral Mountain website don't even come close to doing this knife justice. The website describes the blades as working grade, and I would have to agree. The blade is parkerized, and I can tell that the flats of the blade are not highly polished underneath. However, the grinds are all very clean, and the micarta handles fit the blade tang perfectly and are very comfortable in the hand. I guess you could say that the overall level of surface finish on the knife is not particularly high, but the underlying craftsmanship is superb. The kydex sheath is also very nice. If you want an incredibly sturdy working knife, you won't be disappointed, but if you want to sit on the couch and look at your knife with a magnifying glass, you will be able to find things to nit-pick. So far I really haven't had time to do too much cutting. I sliced through a couple water-filled 2-liter bottles for fun, then did some thrusts and back cuts into a large carboard box before it went into the trash. Then I sliced some limbs off the gray oaks around my dome-- the white river bowie removed small limbs effortlessly. Next I chopped through a 14 year old 2x4 (tougher than some oak I have chopped) and hacked on some firewood I had laying around. I also managed to cut my index finger on the false edge while cutting some paracord, leading me to wonder why they call it a false edge. :) The White River bowie perfomed all these minor cutting tasks admirably and is still shaving sharp, but I really need to get out into the woods to see how this thing performs.
--Josh
 
Hey Josh. I just found this thread and wanted to say thanks for the review. I think your assessments are all right on. Ted makes great working blades- nothing fancy but nice designs and well executed. I'm also glad you brought up the edge retention issue; I think his stuff excells in that area. Also, contrary to what Cliff will tell you, I've never had an issue with the blade binding excessively. Long hollow grinds are the way to go for choppers!
 
Hey, John, I don't think I've even started to test edge retention on this beast:) I'm going to try to head up the ridge this weekend and get out on some of the logging roads so I can cut some branches and small trees. The neighbors are beginning to wonder why I am chopping firewood into little pieces with a big bowie. Fools-- let them wonder...:D With the limited cutting I have done so far, I have experienced no binding or edge damage whatsoever, but I've mostly been cutting 3-5" diameter seasoned oak firewood. I don't know for sure how the White River bowie will perform on larger wood, but I don't forsee any problems, and to be honest, I don't see myself cutting wood much larger than that with a knife; I would probably resort to a saw of some sort (assuming one was available) for the really large wood.
--Josh
 
Quiet Storm-- I also prefer the knife without the brass guard, though if/when I get another Mineral Mountain knife, I may opt for the brass guard just for some variety. As it is, the White River bowie fits my image of what a big knife should look like almost perfectly; it's rugged and utilitarian, but not ugly.
--Josh
 
In regards to binding, first off it is not as simple as one blade binds and another doesn't. All blades bind to some degree, regardless of their shape and the material that they are cutting. Sticking to just wood working, the optimal shape to reduce binding is quite obvious, it is a dual convex grind such as found on a splitting wedge and is the third grind from the left in the following picture :

http://www.physics.mun.ca/~sstamp/images/grinds.xfig.gif

The next binding blade is the hollow relief which is found on hard wood axes (soft wood axes are ground similar to splitters). The primary profile will be either convex or flat, and basically has the middle scooped out of it to enhance penetration, the forth profile in the picture. This is a hollow grind, but isn't similar at all to the hollow grinds commonly found on knives. That profile is illustrated in the second image and is basically a "T" shape. This is a very highly wedging profile because the top of the grind actually mashes the wood down increasing the wedging action intead of driving it out to the side. The flat grind is better, but significantly below the hollow relief grind. The no-grind blade (traditional stamped machetes), is much worse than a flat grind, but a little better than the "T" hollow grind. Such blades are traditionally used on vegetation that doesn't bind very much for obvious reasons.

Of course the grind isn't the whole picture, there are lots of other effects to be considered such as steel finish, edge geometry, and even edge to handle angle as well as of course the type of wood you are cutting, knotty spruce will bind many to one times stronger than clear pine which basically falls apart even with a stamped machete (which will get nowhere fast on the spruce). User skill is also a critical factor. Where you place your hits, how consistent your angles are in the wood, even wood selection (grain, knot placement), can all make just as much or more of an effect as the way the blade is ground. Watch an axe competition, they all use the same blades, yet some of them will be very fluid, while others waste time and effort in freeing stuck blades.

-Cliff
 
I recently purchased a MMHW combat bowie with a 10" bead blasted blade and brass handguard.It is very comfortable for chopping and seems quite durable.The main reason i purchased this knife was because i needed a durable big knife to use for clearing trails while dualsporting.It is a big robust heavy knife, but still fits in my pack.
I do not like the kydex sheath.The sheath is too thin and ugly.This knife deserves a better sheath.The knife is hard to get back into the sheath.
The handguard is a nice option, but in my opinion is not worth the extra $50.The brass is rough like a sandcast.
Does anyone know of a good leather sheath maker that makes sheaths at a reasonable cost?
 
I would recommend Duayne Puckett (Bladeforum's own "leatherman"), who can be found here.

And, of course, there's always Kenny Rowe. Some info on him and price ranges can be found here.

You're getting a superior product from either, and they're both just as happy to do simple/functional instead of fancy.

Best o' luck. :)
 
I own, or have owned a few MMHW knives, and they are all great. The knives are pure performers without any fluff, and the prices are extremely reasonable. I doubt you could find another handmade, large Bowie from another custom maker for under $200. The Deep Woods Bowie is next on my list.
 
Hey Josh, good thread.
Recently traded for a MM that is now discontinued, and was called a "cane cutter", but looks more like the Ozark brush cutter. Both of these now are listed as 20" blades. Mind has a 16" cutting edge, 24" OAL. The 7 5/8" black micarta handle is a nice size for two handed chops. It's sharp enough slice paper, but haven't done any cutting with it yet, and am in the process of taking the finish of the blade "V" as the kydex sheath at the mouth rubbed the finish off along the sides. A good, and simple thing to check when getting a new knife with a kydex sheath, so you don't have this problem. I relieved the throad so I can slip a business card on both sides without binding. It weighs 2 lbs, and too heavy IMO to put on your web belt etc. Trying to figure out a sheath sling so I can carry it on my back. Not sure about the $330. price tag for a new one, but I really like this chopper.
 
Caine--Sorry, I don't have any pics. It looks a lot like the one on the Mineral Mountain website, but some of the finish is worn off from use and sharpening.

Herbieduke--thanks for bringing this thread to my attention.

--Josh
 
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