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- Mar 18, 1999
- Messages
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Will do, thanks for the heads up.
-
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NWA knife passaround
- Thread starter tknife
- Start date
Will do, thanks for the heads up.
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2007
- Messages
- 1,607
I sent it to Snow a while back. Sorry for the lack of a review, but the thread I found for it was locked! Search was down and I couldn't find it in a google search, so I was wondering where it was hiding...
The knife is a great little blade. Came to me extremely sharp and had the high quality work that NWA is well known for. I really like the hamon line that he puts on his knives as it gives them a very cool look. The sheath held the blade very securely and made me confident that the blade would still be in the sheath after a long day of hiking.
I would like one without a choil just to have a bit more blade, but that was my only minor complaint..
The knife is a great little blade. Came to me extremely sharp and had the high quality work that NWA is well known for. I really like the hamon line that he puts on his knives as it gives them a very cool look. The sheath held the blade very securely and made me confident that the blade would still be in the sheath after a long day of hiking.
I would like one without a choil just to have a bit more blade, but that was my only minor complaint..
- Joined
- May 25, 2007
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- 15,113
I was wondering where the lil' NWA was as well !
- Joined
- Jun 3, 2001
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- 2,233
I'm here! Sorry guys. I had the knife sent to my parents' house since I was worried about it disappearing from my mailbox and I have had it for about a week now. I have been insanely busy lately and as a result, a bad participant of this passaround. Let me know where I need to send it and I can get it in the mail tomorrow.
- Joined
- Mar 18, 1999
- Messages
- 9,966
I just talked with jeepnut who has the knife now, and is the last member on the passaround. I posted Brian on the list too, this was before Kevin became co-mod, so hopefully the mods will want to play with it too. Then it's back to Nick to see how she held up 
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2007
- Messages
- 5,599
So I got a chance to use this blade last weekend (I suck as I didn't take pics), and being at the end of the passaround, this things has held up GREAT! Still relatively sharp and takes care of my little chores with ease.
It really is a fantastic size and fits perfectly in the hand. I would love to find out the availability of this thing down the road. GREAT EDC!! I hope to get this in the mail to the next recipient, which tknife said was talfuchre, this week or first thing next week (Monday). I may keep it to use this weekend one more time!!
Great knife Nick!!! :thumbup:
It really is a fantastic size and fits perfectly in the hand. I would love to find out the availability of this thing down the road. GREAT EDC!! I hope to get this in the mail to the next recipient, which tknife said was talfuchre, this week or first thing next week (Monday). I may keep it to use this weekend one more time!!
Great knife Nick!!! :thumbup:
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2008
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- 7,702
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2007
- Messages
- 7,443
I am not sure what I can add to the passaround - but let me give it a shot:
NWA Prototype Small Knife
Steel Type: O1
Blade Length: 2.705
Decorative Choil Size: 0.490
Blade Width at Choil: 1.102
Overall Length: 7.191
Blade Thickness at Choil: 0.153
Blade Thickness at Tip: 0.033
Tang: Exposed
Scales: Natural Micarta.
Weight: 4.2 ounces
Handle Length from Choil to Butt: 3.926
Handle Width at Palm Swell: 0.837
Handle Width at Front: 0.797
Handle Width at Butt: 0.826
Sheath:
The sheath is a pocket style sheath that is has a mid handle depth to it. It is 8 ounce leather with a welt installed. It has been wet formed, well stitched, and wax dipped to make a very hearty sheath that is nearly impervious to water. The bottom has two holes that were installed apperantly as a neck sheath addition. I agree with a previous user - it is too large to be a neck sheath.
However, as a belt sheath it is very nice. To fit this use, Nick installed fold-over style belt attachment that allows the blade to ride high on the belt. The sheath is comfortable and allows the end user to sit comfortably with the sheath. Knife makers tend not to be sheath makers - but Nick makes a fine sheath and I did not see any thing, besides little nit picks where the welt attached to the rest of the sheath - and his choice to use a small rectangular object to tap home the stitches, that raised concern.
The end user would have a lifelong sheath with this one - and the choice to make it a hot dip sheath almost makes it a weapon within itself.
A smaller leather sheath would be fine where the finger guard could be used to retain the knife in the sheath and a necker could be more easily obtained.
Handle:
Nick has a good eye for aesthetics - his knives have their own style to them. The handle, fitting his aesthetic eye, is not simply rounded off it is more like a diamond with the top and bottom point flattened off (as you are looking from the back).
This not only looks cool and angular but took nothing away from comfort for me. I found the knife to be very comfortable and I could use it for a long time without hot spots.
With that said - it's length was of some concern to me. It wasn't really long enough to be a comfortable primary knife - but not short or compact enough (especially with the sheath it was paired with) to be a small package knife. The knife, much like the choil, was a bit to small to be usable for really long stretches, but large enough that it can get in the way. The knife could be supplanted, without much more weight, with a larger knife (Koster Bushcraft and BRKT Northstar come to mind) that would give you a little more knife blade and handle for about the same size). More on this later.
One thing I liked about the handle was that the front swell was non existant. Much like the Koyote knife I recently reviewed - this made choking up on the blade much easier to do. When Nick couples this with a wider blade, like he does, it makes the knife almost easier to use with a finger on the blade or a thumb on the thumb notches.
One thing I didn't like about the handle is that there was no heel swell and this no pinky recess. I think this knife could be helped by adding a little pinky recess and give a place for the pinky to ride in a little more comfort and add a little more security to this small knife.
Blade:
Nick does great work. The blade lines, the grinding, the finishing, the makers stamp, the thumb notches, all of it - are top notch. He is a craftsman and his knives are always nice to look at. However, almost all of my knives are convexed now - so testing a double bevel is always fun.
The knife came to me pretty sharp the tip portion, though, was a bit roughed up in its travels and I wanted to take Nick up on his comment that he likes to sharpen his knives with anything available at a local sporting goods store. I set a 25 degree (it was very close to this already) bevel on it using a Lansky Kit. I took the polish to 2000 grit and then took some time cleaning up the steel. It had a little petina on it and a few scratches. What I liked about this blade was that after MANY users, many miles, and dozens of batttonings and fuzz sticks - a few minutes with a rag and some steel polish and it looked great.
01 is a great steel - it was nice to sharpen and nice to polish. Once I had it scary / shaving sharp I took it out into the yard and made some fuzz sticks, drilled some bow drill boards, battoned it a little to make a hearth, and made some tent pegs.
A couple of things struck me in this process that bear remarking on.
a) The knife is most comfortable with the thumb resting on the spine groves.
b) In this position the knife has a LOT of control when doing small work.
c) Because of the lack of size, it struggles with heavy work, but in a pinch it can do it.
d) It excels at detail work - especially when you choke up on it and draw it toward yourself with a wrist motion:
This got me thinking again about its size - but I will defer that until later. One last thing. Nicks tempering process, a differential temper that it looks like he does himself makes a VERY strong edge that is a bit tougher to sharpen than other 01 that I have encountered - but made for a longer lasting edge than I had encountered too. I like this is in a steel. Plus the temper line looks damned cool.
The coil ground out for aesthetic reasons, I think, is a mistake. Although it looks damned cool - you loose nearly 1/2 inch off a blade that is already small.
The Purpose of this Knife:
What is the market of this blade. It is too small to be a primary bush craft knife (again the choil decision does not help) and a little too large to be a necker (again the sheath does not help). I found myself wondering when I would ever choose this knife. For about the same weight and size - I can have a longer blade and handle and carry my Koster. For a little less weight and handle - I can use a pocket knife or something like a BRKT Mini Canadian.
When would I use this knife?
It has a lot going for it. It is extremely well made, and cuts like a lazer. It looks damned nice and would hold up to any abuse you might give it. However, when I look at the usable blade size and the overall size - something doesn't seem to match up.
2.7 inch blade and a little over 7 inch knife. When I compare this size to something like the BRKT mini-northstar it is nearly the same size overall (7.125) but has nearly 1/2 inch extra in the blade.
This is where I realized that the 1/2 of usable blade is lost to aesthetics. This is not a good thing when you consider it is designed to be a bushcraft style knife - marketed to bushcraft style users.
3.3 inches of blade is still a little short for a bushcraft style knife - however - when paired with a thinner sheath - or a necker - I think it is a winning combo.
Final Thoughts:
Nick makes a hell of a knife. He is attentive and has great attention to detail. This knife may not be my speed - but do not read me as saying I would kick it out of bed for eating crackers. It is damned nice and I would be proud to own one. I simply fear it would sit in my dresser for it not being my style.
With all of that said - I will be sitting with many sticks around the camp fire tonight with this knife. It is just a fun, super sharp, easy to use knife.
If you have smaller hands, or like a knife with these dimensions - this will not disappoint. I look forward to ordering a knife from Nick after this review.
TF
NWA Prototype Small Knife
Steel Type: O1
Blade Length: 2.705
Decorative Choil Size: 0.490
Blade Width at Choil: 1.102
Overall Length: 7.191
Blade Thickness at Choil: 0.153
Blade Thickness at Tip: 0.033
Tang: Exposed
Scales: Natural Micarta.
Weight: 4.2 ounces
Handle Length from Choil to Butt: 3.926
Handle Width at Palm Swell: 0.837
Handle Width at Front: 0.797
Handle Width at Butt: 0.826
Sheath:
The sheath is a pocket style sheath that is has a mid handle depth to it. It is 8 ounce leather with a welt installed. It has been wet formed, well stitched, and wax dipped to make a very hearty sheath that is nearly impervious to water. The bottom has two holes that were installed apperantly as a neck sheath addition. I agree with a previous user - it is too large to be a neck sheath.
However, as a belt sheath it is very nice. To fit this use, Nick installed fold-over style belt attachment that allows the blade to ride high on the belt. The sheath is comfortable and allows the end user to sit comfortably with the sheath. Knife makers tend not to be sheath makers - but Nick makes a fine sheath and I did not see any thing, besides little nit picks where the welt attached to the rest of the sheath - and his choice to use a small rectangular object to tap home the stitches, that raised concern.
The end user would have a lifelong sheath with this one - and the choice to make it a hot dip sheath almost makes it a weapon within itself.
A smaller leather sheath would be fine where the finger guard could be used to retain the knife in the sheath and a necker could be more easily obtained.
Handle:
Nick has a good eye for aesthetics - his knives have their own style to them. The handle, fitting his aesthetic eye, is not simply rounded off it is more like a diamond with the top and bottom point flattened off (as you are looking from the back).
This not only looks cool and angular but took nothing away from comfort for me. I found the knife to be very comfortable and I could use it for a long time without hot spots.
With that said - it's length was of some concern to me. It wasn't really long enough to be a comfortable primary knife - but not short or compact enough (especially with the sheath it was paired with) to be a small package knife. The knife, much like the choil, was a bit to small to be usable for really long stretches, but large enough that it can get in the way. The knife could be supplanted, without much more weight, with a larger knife (Koster Bushcraft and BRKT Northstar come to mind) that would give you a little more knife blade and handle for about the same size). More on this later.
One thing I liked about the handle was that the front swell was non existant. Much like the Koyote knife I recently reviewed - this made choking up on the blade much easier to do. When Nick couples this with a wider blade, like he does, it makes the knife almost easier to use with a finger on the blade or a thumb on the thumb notches.
One thing I didn't like about the handle is that there was no heel swell and this no pinky recess. I think this knife could be helped by adding a little pinky recess and give a place for the pinky to ride in a little more comfort and add a little more security to this small knife.
Blade:
Nick does great work. The blade lines, the grinding, the finishing, the makers stamp, the thumb notches, all of it - are top notch. He is a craftsman and his knives are always nice to look at. However, almost all of my knives are convexed now - so testing a double bevel is always fun.
The knife came to me pretty sharp the tip portion, though, was a bit roughed up in its travels and I wanted to take Nick up on his comment that he likes to sharpen his knives with anything available at a local sporting goods store. I set a 25 degree (it was very close to this already) bevel on it using a Lansky Kit. I took the polish to 2000 grit and then took some time cleaning up the steel. It had a little petina on it and a few scratches. What I liked about this blade was that after MANY users, many miles, and dozens of batttonings and fuzz sticks - a few minutes with a rag and some steel polish and it looked great.
01 is a great steel - it was nice to sharpen and nice to polish. Once I had it scary / shaving sharp I took it out into the yard and made some fuzz sticks, drilled some bow drill boards, battoned it a little to make a hearth, and made some tent pegs.
A couple of things struck me in this process that bear remarking on.
a) The knife is most comfortable with the thumb resting on the spine groves.
b) In this position the knife has a LOT of control when doing small work.
c) Because of the lack of size, it struggles with heavy work, but in a pinch it can do it.
d) It excels at detail work - especially when you choke up on it and draw it toward yourself with a wrist motion:
This got me thinking again about its size - but I will defer that until later. One last thing. Nicks tempering process, a differential temper that it looks like he does himself makes a VERY strong edge that is a bit tougher to sharpen than other 01 that I have encountered - but made for a longer lasting edge than I had encountered too. I like this is in a steel. Plus the temper line looks damned cool.
The coil ground out for aesthetic reasons, I think, is a mistake. Although it looks damned cool - you loose nearly 1/2 inch off a blade that is already small.
The Purpose of this Knife:
What is the market of this blade. It is too small to be a primary bush craft knife (again the choil decision does not help) and a little too large to be a necker (again the sheath does not help). I found myself wondering when I would ever choose this knife. For about the same weight and size - I can have a longer blade and handle and carry my Koster. For a little less weight and handle - I can use a pocket knife or something like a BRKT Mini Canadian.
When would I use this knife?
It has a lot going for it. It is extremely well made, and cuts like a lazer. It looks damned nice and would hold up to any abuse you might give it. However, when I look at the usable blade size and the overall size - something doesn't seem to match up.
2.7 inch blade and a little over 7 inch knife. When I compare this size to something like the BRKT mini-northstar it is nearly the same size overall (7.125) but has nearly 1/2 inch extra in the blade.
This is where I realized that the 1/2 of usable blade is lost to aesthetics. This is not a good thing when you consider it is designed to be a bushcraft style knife - marketed to bushcraft style users.
3.3 inches of blade is still a little short for a bushcraft style knife - however - when paired with a thinner sheath - or a necker - I think it is a winning combo.
Final Thoughts:
Nick makes a hell of a knife. He is attentive and has great attention to detail. This knife may not be my speed - but do not read me as saying I would kick it out of bed for eating crackers. It is damned nice and I would be proud to own one. I simply fear it would sit in my dresser for it not being my style.
With all of that said - I will be sitting with many sticks around the camp fire tonight with this knife. It is just a fun, super sharp, easy to use knife.
If you have smaller hands, or like a knife with these dimensions - this will not disappoint. I look forward to ordering a knife from Nick after this review.
TF
- Joined
- Mar 18, 1999
- Messages
- 9,966
Very nice review and pics. I as you noted, it may be a bit heavy for neck carry. i don't really like neck knives myself, so I asked Nick to make a belt sheath with firesteel loop when I ordered this knife. It's really a perfect little package to always have around.
NWA
Moderator
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2006
- Messages
- 848
Thanks for the great write up TF:thumbup: I really apreciate you putting this much time and thought into your testing.
I'm pleased with the results you found. Though, I faild, to score a 100% in your book
This is what will make me better in the future. Let me know if you have a design you would like to have made, I am always open for suggestions.
Thanks again
Nick
I'm pleased with the results you found. Though, I faild, to score a 100% in your book
This is what will make me better in the future. Let me know if you have a design you would like to have made, I am always open for suggestions. Thanks again
Nick
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2007
- Messages
- 7,443
I don't know Nick,
I have always dug your work. I am glad they are not 10 foot knives - you know - look great from 10 feet!
Yours are excellent as I said above. I think this style lends itself to two very cool ideas for people. A necker - with a mininal sheath (you may wand to come off the handle a bit for weight loss) or like the one T-Knife has - with a firesteel (cool way to mount that by the way) and dedicated belt knife.
I wouldn't change much. I tell you what - if you had this knife and say one of your larger ones - your 4 inch variety or even a little larger - you would be SET in the bush.
I liked the control the knife gave me - a very positive feel. It is just not something I (read I - meaning personally) can EDC or would find myself selecting for the bush... alone.
Matched with another knife - and I think you have a great compliment.
I was just happy to have quality in my hand.
May I ask what you hotwaxed the sheath with? And when your razor goes dull - do you use that to hot wax your mohawks for you and your son?
TF
I have always dug your work. I am glad they are not 10 foot knives - you know - look great from 10 feet!
Yours are excellent as I said above. I think this style lends itself to two very cool ideas for people. A necker - with a mininal sheath (you may wand to come off the handle a bit for weight loss) or like the one T-Knife has - with a firesteel (cool way to mount that by the way) and dedicated belt knife.
I wouldn't change much. I tell you what - if you had this knife and say one of your larger ones - your 4 inch variety or even a little larger - you would be SET in the bush.
I liked the control the knife gave me - a very positive feel. It is just not something I (read I - meaning personally) can EDC or would find myself selecting for the bush... alone.
Matched with another knife - and I think you have a great compliment.
I was just happy to have quality in my hand.
May I ask what you hotwaxed the sheath with? And when your razor goes dull - do you use that to hot wax your mohawks for you and your son?
TF