Northwoods Mini Moose

2Dead

2Dead

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Jul 30, 2009
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The mail lady dropped off a package today with the Northwoods Mini Moose I recently ordered. This one has nice black Ebony scales. Its 3 1/4" closed with a 2 1/4" clip and 2 1/8" wharncliffe blade. The blades are ATS-34 and share a single backspring. The pull is about a 3-4 on the clip and a 4 on the wharncliffe. Nice walk and talk on both blades, no half stops. Both blades are a little shy closed but flush open. They were convexed by Bark River and came extremely sharp.

2 small things I've noticed. I feel the wharncliffe rides a little high... There is plenty of room to lower it as the tip rides just below the liner. Actually, both tips sit just below the liner which is part of the second thing. When opening one of the blades, it raises the other blade a bit exposing the tip. I haven't caught myself yet and it probably won't be an issue.

I plan to carry this one exclusively for the next few weeks and give it a thorough tryout. Right now I see it completing most against my Queen small stockman. I'm not sure if Queen made this one but it looks close to me.

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A couple comparison pics with Case Peanut, Northwoods Mini Moose, Queen Small Stockman, Queen Senator.
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It seems like it would be a very handy size for a office knife. I like the blade configuration and I've always been a big fan of ebony. Nice score!
 
That sure is a nice looking folder you got there Trand. I'm looking forward to your thoughts after a few weeks of pocket time.

Was it sharp out of the box?
 
Thanks guys. They also are available in cocobolo and smooth bone. It came extremely sharp. It can easily shave hair and I can push cut printer paper but its not tissue paper sharp.
 
That's a neat pattern. With a single backspring, couldn't it also be considered a mini hawbaker muskrat? Mini moose sounds cool though.
 
Interesting. The wharncliffe blade does seem to ride a bit high, though, for my preferences. Thanks, Trand, for the pictures.
 
That's a nice looking knife. Looks very thin and pocketable, plus it has stainless blades and, by the looks of it, stainless liners and bolsters. I may have to get one of those. Are the blades rubbing the liners?
 
Cisco, the clip blade is rubbing a bit but there aren't any marks on the blade. The blades have a ground finish that would mask any marks.
So far I've used the clip to cut up some apples and other fruit. It was a little small for a sandwich. The wharncliffe has been used to open packages and break down some boxes which it had no problem doing.
 
I had forgotten to include a GEC #33 Conductor in the comparison shots. I have a few GEC #33s already but for the most part they remained unused during the humid summer months. I recently scored another on the Exchange (Thanks Jake!!) that had been carried and used and I thought its about time I did the same. I had the moose in my hand as I opened the package for the conductor and realized these two would be great to compare against each other.

As you can see from the shots, they are the same size closed. The conductor has rounded bolsters as opposed to the square moose so it may look smaller in some pics. I like the rounded bolsters a little better. They are both single spring but the GEC is slightly thicker and rounder. The moose is flatter. The conductor's blade is 2 1/2" while the moose's clip is 2 1/4". The moose cuts better as it is much thinner and came with a great convex edge. I have to admit I like the conductor's shape a little bit better though. The moose's tip is just a little too thin for my tastes (even though I'm sure it would be fine with proper use.) The conductor feels better when using the main blade but the moose feels better when using the secondary (I love the knife profile with the wharncliffe open too.) The conductor's pen blade is great for opening mail or cutting open a package at the office but its not something I would use if I had a lot of boxes to break down. The moose snaps open and shut nicely while the conductor doesn't really snap open but will snap shut nicely. I would also like to point out that the moose only comes in ATS-34 for now. The conductor is only available in 1095 but I have seen rumors that GEC will be releasing 440C versions.

I plan switch back and forth between these two for the next few weeks. I can already see that there won't be a clear "winner" here. They are both fine knives that can cut well. It will all come down to individual preference.

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Thanks for the review, Trand. Judging by your photos I think my preferences for each knife would be about the same as yours. It's a tough call indeed.

Nice review. Thanks for posting it.
 
Thanks for the comparison photo's. I like the shape of the conductor pattern better, but wish it had the warncliff blade instead of the spear secondary.
 
That's a nice knife. I think maybe they should have called it a Wharnrat instead of mini-moose.:p
 
I've been interested in Northwoods for some time now but I wasn't quite sure what kind of quality to expect but after seeing this I may give one a try in the future I really like slipjoints with premium or above average blade steel so this knife really appeals to me.
 
Interesting model, nice to see a company issuing something different.

As for the Conductor, it my favourite small knife- very well made and has a lot of blade on that Clip in a small frame. There is word that a stainless version is in the offing, I'm up for one of those!
 
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