New heavy duty knife maker

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Originally posted by JeffRandall
The only art I have ever seen associated with Simonich is that poster gal he has :D but I will credit him with a good scientific Chaos Theory. Have him explain it to you one day. Trust me, it's much better after he has a few beers and has Blues gouging him...
Oh well, not everyone can have good looks like me :D
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a. True
b. True
c. Me, give Rob a hard time? I'm shocked, dismayed and somewhat taken aback. ;)
d. You're kidding, right? :D


:cool:
 
Greg,

Give me until this weekend -- I'll be heading into the woods for some R&R and heavy-duty knife work...:D
 
Eric asked me to test and eval one of his knives -- I just received the 7.5" knife last night -- overall, great work!

First Impressions:
The fit is awesome, the balance is great. It's a very heavy knife overall, weightwise, for its length, and that will give it good chopping power. Some minor finish flaws (read: cosmetic only), but this is a prototype, and Eric told me to expect it on this blade.

The blade, when you look down toward the spine, has a taper that looks like the kind you see on tanto blades -- thicker tip for good tip strength. When you turn it to the side, then it becomes a drop point with a nice belly.

The handle is very comfortable and indexes very well in my hand. Using the finger choil and thumb ramp, I can easily choke up on the knife -- it'll give good control for finer cutting tasks.

I definitely see the TOPS, Simonich, and Rinaldi influences that Eric described in the blade now that I have it. Also a little Busse influence, although, it looked WAY more Busse in the pics than it does when you actually hold it, and has a different feel than a Busse, Simonich, TOPS, or Rinaldi. Don't ask me to try to put that "feel" into words: you just gotta hold it. It has to do with the weight, balance, and presence mostly. It's got that "Fehrman Feeling!" LOL! I find every good knife maker gives his blade their own presence/personality -- and this is no exception.

It appears to be a monster knife in terms of strength, and as I said, Eric has managed to give the blade that feeling of "presence" that makes an outdoor or tactical blade an instrument you can feel confident in. It's just feels really COOL when you hold it, and it begs to be used hard.

So far, it's really nice stuff!

Best,

~Brian.
 
Ryu,

You are certainly entitled to your opinions, even if they are unfounded. I admire your loyalty to Jerry's knives -- they are awesome.

This isn't the drama forum, however. If you feel the need to create drama, go join a local theater group. Just keep it out of here and keep your tone respectful. I guess you might want to consider switching careers out of electronics. Obviously not enough drama, adventure, and action for you.

I found this in your profile:

"I would like think I am an honorable person. I admire the Japanese Samurai for their code of Bushido. I try live my life with these five mrkers in place... Courage, Strength, Honesty, Patience, and Loyalty. Those are the traits I think make up honor."

From what you wrote, you obviously think about this stuff alot. It's good stuff to live by. Isn't it about time you stopped thinking about it and started practicing it? You wrote you try to live by it -- stop trying and start doing it please, if you're gonna hang out in this forum. You are welcome here anytime -- your drama is not.

Peace,

Brian.
 
Hey, Ron's right. No worries about him.

He's young, and full of vinegar. Heck, when I was his age I was an a$$hole, too.

He'll grow up as life's experiences get on him. At least he's got a good philosophy in his profile.

Let's all take it easy. Me included.

Trace, start a separate thread on that new blade you collaborated on. it's **** hot (sorry Eric -- this is your thread, I know...)
 
With the exception of the Peace Maker, the blade profiles of the top three knives still look like Busses to me. :confused:

How does F-3V compare with other knife steels in head-to-head testing?
 
Doc Ron, your comment about air and dirt temps in the desert has me intrigued. Do these have an effect on blade performance? I would have thought that any temp below 3-400F wouldn't really affect the steel... or is this more a statement of how well the handles do in hot, sweaty hands?

thanks
 
Hi Erik: Nice looking hardware there.. I noticed , Simonich, me and Tops mentioned, and I can see elements of all 3 styles in your blades.
Nothing wrong with that, not like we invented anything.. Welcome to the Melee we call knife making.:p Dont let the BS get to ya..
Anyone that calls me and Simonich artists cant be that bad..:D:D
Watch out for Randall though, he's not right in the head..;) Luv ya Jeff:p
 
Jeff you look like a break dancing Wigger in that get up..HAHAHA... I see white kids roaming around playing Rap music that look JUST like you!!!:p
THATS what you get for calling me UGLY....LOL...
Now you just need a hat on sideways and you could be the next Vanilla Ice!!

Ron I can see how the integral guard is similar, but slightly different.. I didnt need no steenking Cad program neither..HA!!! Hell if I had $20K in machinery let alone computer crap, I would be STOKED!! :D :cool: I can do everything I do with under $1500 worth of stuff, least I used to do it that way.. Now I am up to about $8K in equipment, and think I am walking in TALL COTTON..
We poor suckers in garages, and small buildings will just have to suffer along, sweating, and doing things the ole fashion way:)
 
I wish I could afford all that stuff, and had the smarts to use it!! Hell its HARD doing it the Ole Fashion way!!! Makes ya sore and cuts into beer drinking, and fishing time..;)

I wasnt meaning to bust yer balls Eric, and I appreciate the kind words.

Jeff I agree with you, the knives have a much more Tops look than Busse, I just called Mike and HE's Pissed OFF!!!!..HAHA... Just kiddin..:p
 
PERFECT example of a Jerry Krishna.. Hey RYU HK does a pretty good copy of a Glock with SOME differences, but you have no problemo there.
And to compare Tops knives to United Cutlery just shows your a f'ing moron..
 
Uncle Screw: No problem man... Nothing wrong with liking Busse blades... But at least you arent a dick about it!!:D Glad you found a bit of humor in my rantings... I MAY have been a bit harsh on the lad...
 
Those look awesome, and the steel and three day tempering have really got me interested!
 
It's too bad the cat is out of the bag so soon. It would have been nice for Eric to have our testing results (and Photos) in hand before the discussion and speculation started.

I've been running tests on all four of the Fehrman blades for a few weeks now and the results are in. I subjected the blades to hard use during filming our "Desert Survival" video and I used the Fehrman blades exclusively. This means that you will be able to see the blade in action shortly. We have also completed the "Frozen Elk Leg bone" test which it passed with ease. Any of you who have seen Volume 12 will know what that means.

Meanwhile I will be posting a short evaluation of the blades on the Hoodlum Forum in the Bladeware section shortly.

I will say this. This blade is more than robust. It held an edge better than any blade tested so far. The handle is comfortable and fits my hand so well I had no problem using it for hours at a time. The fit and finish are airtight and the attention to detail on the blades is excellent.

The balance is excellent as well and gives the user the control needed for any job.

The smaller blades are Sweet and light. Karen exercised her rights and chose two of the blades for her own use.

Once we settle back in and start capturing the video to our editing suite (system) I'll pull a few of the frames for an evaluation I will put up on our site in the knives section.

Ron
 
Hey Jeff... Don't sweat it. Ya did good... as always. I appreciate your staying with this thread as you have. We've been in and out of the field all summer so it's tough to sit and write.


So... What happened? I received the blades a few weeks ago and went right to work with them. With all the activity around here in the summer it isn't hard to put blades to work. One went out with one of the local outfitters, one went to work with a friend who is a carpenter (he likes to finish jobs with a small fixed blade knife) one went into the kitchen and I went to work with the big chopper.

People can say all they want about it looking like a Busse. If having a cutting edge makes a blade look like a Busse then TS. I have several Busse's and there is no "in hand" similarity.

These blades have great balance, terrific edge retention, wonderful control and a handle that is comfortable after long hours of hard use. You'll see this thing digging holes, chopping bone and a ton more in the Desert Survival video due out in a couple of weeks. When I was done, the satin finish didn't even show wear. Amazing...

We spent a week in harsh desert conditions with air temps at @115f and dirt temps at @155f. The blade was one of the best performers I've had the pleasure to work with.

Once Erics blades are available you WILL have a problem....Decisions.

I've had the Initial impressions back from the two remote sites and they are very positive. For most blades the user interface (handle) is the most critical part. A man can sharpen a soft steel and do work but if the handle is poorly designed it is difficult to get any significant work done. Most blades don't see enough real field use for the owner to identify "good" or "bad" handles. These blades have extremely well designed, rugged and functional handles. I am very happy with my personal experience and that of my associates.

Karen's blade has seen kitchen duty for a couple of weeks. As most guys know, kitchen use is some of the toughest use a blade can see. The blade cuts meat on tile, chops bone and gristle, slices through high acid foods and then lingers uncleaned for hours. That is why kitchen knives need such frequent cleaning.

Karen is thrilled... a knife that keeps an edge and is easy to use even in greasy/wet conditions....

I'll try to get photos and text up in an evaluation on the site this week. Meanwhile.... Save your money boys and girls.

Ron
 
Good comment Joel.

Blade performance isn't usually effected by high temps. Where I have had problems is with the bolts and adhesives some manufacturers used. In a couple of incidents one of my blades (which shall remain un-named) became "wobbly" in my hand so I checked it out. It was already missing one scale screw and the other two were loose. The heat allowed a differential to build that effectively loosened the screws in much the same way you might use a torch on a rusted nut to expand it from the bolt. Most makers use Locktite or rivets now.

Another area where problems occur in high dry temps is with the Kydex sheaths. Kydex is molded under fairly low heat and with summer surface temps in the 150f-190f range the Kydex can soften, sink and grip the blade so it cannot be withdrawn. I've had sheaths deform under the heat and the pressure of the ties I use to hold my survival kit to the sheath. This is one reason I now cover all my Kydex sheaths with leather.

My Ferhman blades came with Saddle grade leather sheaths. These Do Not deform. Saddles are exposed the huge extremes of temperature and humidity and they do not fall apart.

I hope that helps.

Ron
 
Originally posted by matthew rapaport
You mean the leather prevents the kydex from heating enough to deform even in 150 deg. temps and exposure to direct sunlight? How thick does the leather have to be to do this?

I'm not sure exactly what mechanisms are at work. I never ran a probe down behind the leather. The thickness doesn't seem to matter too much though. Most of my covers are full grain, home tanned Elk or deer hide. The leather certainly acts as an insulator. The dark color of the Kydex is probably part of the problem. I am speaking of this from an experiential point of view rather than a theoretical. The worst melt down I've had was on a case that was covered with black canvas and attached to my 4 wheeler. I literally had to heat the thing in an oven back home to break the blade out of the case.

The simple solution of course is to keep the knife in the shade and not let it sit on a hot surface, such as a rock, for any period of time. High air temps have never effected the cases, just direct exposure to the sun.

The grade, color and thickness of the Kydex probably has some bearing on the durability of the material in direct high temperature sunlight. I've never had a problem with the cases on the ATAX though they've been exposed to everything imaginable.

Again... this is just my experience with the material and I did not note specific conditions or circumstances that might have created the problems. Leather works...

I hope that helps. Sorry I couldn't offer more hard info.

Ron
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Don't worry about that RYU guy folks. Most everyone knows he's a shill and a troll. His dishonorable and misinformed allegations about people and gear are legendary. A good example is his meagre collection shown under "mygear" and the flamboyant blade he has for sale. Both are indicators of the fantasy land he lives in. Once he grows up he may broaden his horizons and become a contributing member of this body. Until that time his opinion is simply the whining of an adolecent looking for his voice and an identity.

Ron
 
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