New toy or tool? What to do with it....

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BillyJoeBobJim

Joined
Jun 14, 2007
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600
This arrived today.

It is tiny. It weighs nothing.

It is sharp. It is beautiful.

It will be great to make small fuzz sticks, to carve, and to perform minute detail work.

Is it really useful to carry and keep? Maybe I should get something larger, but this idea appealed to me greatly over the past several days.

Feel free to share your thoughts.
 

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Cougar Allen said:
[Voice of Ed McMahon]How tiny is it?[/Voice of Ed McMahon]

There is no indication of size in the pix....
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Bark River Mikro Canadian II in 154CM.

Specs
•Overall Length: 5.125 inches
•Blade Length: 2.19 inches
•Cutting Edge Length - 1.775 inches
•Blade Steel: 154CM @ 58 RC
•Blade Thickness: .125 inches
•Weight: 1.375 ounces

You're right, and I knew someone would say it. I (might have) intentionally done that to see what responses I received. It didn't take long did it? :)

The knife and sheath have been in my pocket for the past several hours, but I cannot tell. So far, I really like the length/weight. I'll know more after I've used it. It looks like a tiny toy since everything seems to be scaled proportionally as opposed to some of the smaller knives that might be called "chunky", but I am hoping I can really use this. I said it already, but it is beautiful. It is well made with good steel, great fit & finish, nice sheath with low profile belt loop. The relative size of the handle to blade and length to height is what makes it so pretty.
 
I have a few tinyknives, including a Micro Canadian at one tie which I gave away. I like the format and find myself using them a lot. I actually have a Leatherman micra on my keychain today.

"The smallest knife that will do the job is the largest knife appropriate for it."
-- me
 
Looks like something very useful to have in the pocket or on a belt. You won't notice it, but it will always be there if you need a knife.
 
If you can get a grip on the handle a 1.775 inch blade is big enough to do a lot of things.
 
I've been playing around with a Shrade Sharpfinger lately and love the design. Too bad it is made in China out of some generic stainless steel. I would gladly pay more for the knife if it was made in the U.S.A. again out of decent materials. It has taken this Neanderthal a long time to appreciate small blades.
 
upnorth said:
I've been playing around with a Shrade Sharpfinger lately and love the design. Too bad it is made in China out of some generic stainless steel. I would gladly pay more for the knife if it was made in the U.S.A. again out of decent materials. It has taken this Neanderthal a long time to appreciate small blades.
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My son (after graduating his hunter training course and being offered his pick of my hunting knives) picked my sharpfinger. It has removed the hides and insides of many a deer and not one of them complained about its ethnic origin :) I'm a firm believer that when dressing animals in sub freezing weather a short blade is a blessing. Having said that I think I'll try my pestilence chopper on the next one just to be different.
 
Jackfish said:
My son (after graduating his hunter training course and being offered his pick of my hunting knives) picked my sharpfinger. It has removed the hides and insides of many a deer and not one of them complained about its ethnic origin :) I'm a firm believer that when dressing animals in sub freezing weather a short blade is a blessing. Having said that I think I'll try my pestilence chopper on the next one just to be different.
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Ethnicity had nothing to do with my statement. I said that they are now made in China out of mystery stainless steel. I wish, as I said, that they were still manufactured in the U.S.A. out of better materials. I am happy to see that you are passing your outdoor heritage down to your son.
:thumbup:
 
upnorth said:
Ethnicity had nothing to do with my statement. I said that they are now made in China out of mystery stainless steel. I wish, as I said, that they were still manufactured in the U.S.A. out of better materials. I am happy to see that you are passing your outdoor heritage down to your son.
:thumbup:
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I buy the originals of these regularly in new to near new condition at "that place". Costs run from $25-65 depending on age and condition. So even though they are no longer made, there are still plenty of them available. The were made of 1095HC from 1974-2002 approximately. Then made a running change to 400 series stainless. I can teach you how to estimate the age and metal if you are interested. I have several dozen of them myself.
 
Due to worsening arthritis in my hands I have difficulty opening my EDC-[SAK Farmer] I have started carrying a small FB-[D. Farmer small Nessmuk] and found I actually use my knife more now that it is easily accessible. Carry it and use it!--KV
 
upnorth said:
I've been playing around with a Shrade Sharpfinger lately and love the design. Too bad it is made in China out of some generic stainless steel. I would gladly pay more for the knife if it was made in the U.S.A. again out of decent materials. It has taken this Neanderthal a long time to appreciate small blades.
Click to expand...

In case you would be interested, one of the makers here has been offering a knife in this design. They have been quite popular the past few weeks.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...rpfinger-style-quot-skinners-PRICE-DROPPED-65
 
Codger_64 said:
I can teach you how to estimate the age and metal if you are interested. I have several dozen of them myself.
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Codger, not sure about the others but I am greatly interested in learning.
I have one that was gifted to me by my thesis partner when we graduated from engineering school back in 93 and since it has sentimental value do not want to heavily used it. I just want one in carbon steel to take it to the field.
Thanks + Regards
 
The little Barkies are great, i have a PSK, which is a similar size, maybe a bit smaller.

its big enough to get a good firm hold, but small enough to dissapear in a pocket, and solid enough to do some real work.

I used to EDC mine, but am now carrying a swisstool as an EDC knife, and grab a BRKT Necker when i head out into the forest
 
BillyJoeBobJim said:
This arrived today.

It is tiny. It weighs nothing.

It is sharp. It is beautiful.

It will be great to make small fuzz sticks, to carve, and to perform minute detail work.

Is it really useful to carry and keep? Maybe I should get something larger, but this idea appealed to me greatly over the past several days.

Feel free to share your thoughts.
Click to expand...

Apologies for contributing to the derailing of your original question.

I have always wanted one of those little fixed blades from BRKT. Personally, I would much rather carry a small fixed blade than a folder. I'm not one of those guys who likes to sit for hours, taking a knife apart piece by piece to clean and oil then cuss when it doesn't go back together the same which inevidibly leads to hours of online research, YouTube videos of a bunch of tweens and their knives and how to assemble and disassemble (because they LITERALLY have NOTHING else to do) followed by contacting the manufacture for help where they inform you that you have voided the warranty, but yes they can correct it for a price.

Give me a small fixed blade and I'm happy. In fact, I just picked up a TOPS Sparrow Hawke. Seems to fit in a pocket nicely. I like sharp toys.
 
BillyJoeBobJim said:
This arrived today.

It is tiny. It weighs nothing.

It is sharp. It is beautiful.

It will be great to make small fuzz sticks, to carve, and to perform minute detail work.

Is it really useful to carry and keep? Maybe I should get something larger, but this idea appealed to me greatly over the past several days.

Feel free to share your thoughts.
Click to expand...

Apologies here also for the slight derail. I bought a similar knife years back which was made for a short while by Schrade. A "leaf blade" it has been called. As an experiment, I processed a deer with it. It was plenty of blade for that chore and much less tiring than using a pocket knife, though I do prefer the slightly larger 152OT mentioned above. You may have to adapt some of your knife chores to the blade, but large blades are not needed for most cutting tasks. I suggest that you carry and use it to see if it meets your needs. Quite possibly, it will. Nice knife!
 
Joe Real said:
Codger, not sure about the others but I am greatly interested in learning.
I have one that was gifted to me by my thesis partner when we graduated from engineering school back in 93 and since it has sentimental value do not want to heavily used it. I just want one in carbon steel to take it to the field.
Thanks + Regards
Click to expand...

Come on over to the Schrade Collector's forum and we can discuss your knife there. I have a "super-thread" going about this particular knife.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/803947-Schrade-152OT-Sharpfinger

You can start a new thread there or add to the existing one. Reading the existing one will give you the low-down on the history and identification. There are a lot of pictures of examples with hints about dating them.
 
I don't have the Micro, but I do have a BRKT Mini Canadian. It's a surprisingly stout, versatile little knife that is capable of doing a lot more than first impressions might indicate.
 
I'm constantly surprised by my own stupidity when I try to do things with an oversized blade. I still love huge folders and such, but I think my Spyderco Dragonfly is rapidly becoming my most used knife.
 
Old school bushcrafters (e.g. Nessmuk) used a one- or two-blade folder for their bushcrafting needs that were not suited for their hatchet — that is, most tasks. Since I like fixed blades better than folders (having almost nothing to do with the fact that I make fixed blades and not folders), I like to carry a small FB for whittling. Your new small FB looks like it fits this niche perfectly. Enjoy.

- Chris
 
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