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NWA Sierra Scout Knife - anyone ....
- Thread starter fmajor007
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Here is a slideshow of another NWA knife I Tested
Nick makes a GREAT knife!!!!
http://s499.photobucket.com/albums/rr357/WILLIAMMARTIN46/NWA KNIFE TEST/?albumview=slideshow
Nick makes a GREAT knife!!!!
http://s499.photobucket.com/albums/rr357/WILLIAMMARTIN46/NWA KNIFE TEST/?albumview=slideshow
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I have two a standard size and a custom larger scout along with a standard Woodsman and custom larger woodsman. All great knives.
Hey Shaving Sharp, how much larger is your custom version?
What makes 'em great knives for you? I've done a seach on them and read as much as i can, but i'm really interested in *users* thoughts/opinions on the handle/blade design. I'm concentrating on the design because the steel a knife is made from can vary alot from maker to maker (heat treat, steel choice, edge grind, etc).
Thanks!!!!
What makes 'em great knives for you? I've done a seach on them and read as much as i can, but i'm really interested in *users* thoughts/opinions on the handle/blade design. I'm concentrating on the design because the steel a knife is made from can vary alot from maker to maker (heat treat, steel choice, edge grind, etc).
Thanks!!!!
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The 3rd one down is not the same one in the slideshow
But whatever knife we are talking about --If Nick made it--you will be happy
Thanks - I got it that it was a different knife (you've some blades in your tool box btw).
Without having ever seen the NWA Sierra Scout before, i've drawn something up that is quite similar - at least in the handle geometry anyway - while the blade is a bit different. Hence, my myoptic interest in how the knife handles in use.
Without having ever seen the NWA Sierra Scout before, i've drawn something up that is quite similar - at least in the handle geometry anyway - while the blade is a bit different. Hence, my myoptic interest in how the knife handles in use.
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The NICE thing about Nicks knife is you will be able to re-sell it and try another model of his if the first one you get is not what you need
He makes GREAT knives
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You talking about the third one from the bottom??
Info please on the knives 3rd, 4th, and 5th from the top!
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You talking about the third one from the bottom??
The third from the bottom is a Sierra Scout (5"). A Scout is similar but has a 4" blade with a little more drop point. I have the Scout. A great knife.
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My NWA Sierra Scout is still my favorite knife so far. It's the one fixed blade I've kept after selling off most of my small collection, and it's the one that's always on my belt when out hiking, camping, or backpacking. I'd say that its functionality definitely equals its good looks.
Let's start with what I like about it. First, Nick knows how to make a great handle. His handles are shaped so organically and ergonomically that they just melt into your hand and remain comfortable throughout use. I'm a big believer in well crafted handles. To me, a knife is worthless if the interface between blade and user is ineffective or uncomfortable. In the hammer grip, the handle design just locks the knife into your hand. And while the handle excels in hammer grip, it is surprisingly comfortable enough in the chest-lever grip (the two grips I employ the most). Good enough for government work anyway. I personally like the guard on the Sierra Scout as well; it's relatively unobtrusive and sculpts itself nicely to your index finger in a hammer grip, without protruding beyond it (at least, with my probably average sized hands). While perhaps improbable, I don't think it's impossible that I'd use my belt knife to stab anything. That guard provides a nice bit of insurance in that department, while not detracting from performance in normal utilitarian tasks. Having the edge lower than the handle, aligned with your fingers, also works nicely for food prep. It's not as big a space as with a typical chef's knife, but it's more than that provided by my Moras, and I can use the knife in pinch&claw well enough. I also like the birds beak on the butt. It can provide support on slicing cuts, I can hammer nicely with it, and if I want to move my grip down to do whatever chopping is possible with a 5" blade I can lock it into my hand with the bird beak between my pink and my ring finger. Anyway, I handled one of Nick's knives before ordering one my own (thanks MtnfolkMike), and it was the handle which instantly hooked me. The balance of the Sierra Scout, btw, falls right in the index groove, towards the butt on the inside of that curve. Perfect, doesn't fatigue your hand in longer use.
Second, Nick puts a fine grind on his knives. Even, crisp, and symmetrical grinds that come to a fine edge out of the box. The little choil on the Sierra Scout is nice for sharpening as well, letting no part of the edge go to waste. While this thickness and grind won't sail through wood like a fine scandi will, it still does the job well enough and is plenty robust for other tasks. I like the way a nice flat grind into V-bevel or convex secondary edge performs. And the Sierra Scout sharpens up easily (of course that gets into steel and HT). I might as well say Nick's heat treat works well. His O1 takes a fine edge easily and seems to hold it pretty well with the edge he ships em out at, in my limited experience of different steels. Furthermore, the differential heat treatment is supposedly beneficial for tough use where you'd be pounding on the knife. And the hamon is pretty!
Third, I like the overall shape of the blade. I get a nice long flat gently curving into a relatively shallow belly that both push cuts and slices well in my hands. The tip is dropped just enough to give you a pointy tip to work with, should you need it. The thickness at the spine is nice for putting my left thumb on it when doing fine work, and the jimping is a nice added touch for the saber grip. I think the knife also tapers nicely towards the tip, enough to give you plenty of strength through most of the blade while leaving you with a relatively fine and pointy tip that'll penetrate well or allow for fine work with the tip. That dropped point puts the tip right in line with the axis of the handle too, so if you are going to stab something or pound the knife into something tip first, the force is transferred through well. I also find that 5" is about the max I'd want to go for a belt knife. It's enough to give me some length if I want to baton small stuff, and it gives me a lot of useable edge. All without being unwieldy or clumsy in finer use (caveat: I don't hunt yet, but I'm sure a shorter blade works better there). Also the tougher section of the blade left by Nick's differential heat treat is about 3" on the 5" blade. And finally, the blade is wide enough that I can pinch the blade to make fine use of the tip or have added control in pinch&claw type food work.
What else. Nick's fit and finish is absolutely superb. Not only do you get a tough and well crafted knife, but it looks good to boot. Nick's knives give me this sense of organic slickness that has somehow been melded with these crisp straight lines. Symmetrical blade grind, symmetrical handle scales, no gaps or ridges in the scale attachment to the tang, aesthetically well-placed pins that are blended flawlessly into the scales, and an overall sense of proportion. Nick also provides a beeswax coated sheath that gives you the look and quiet of leather while locking the knife safely in like kydex. I prefer kydex in general and had one made for my Sierra Scout, but if I were more a leather man, then I'd have no problems with his sheath. On top of all this, Nick is an absolute gentleman and a fine man with which to do business.
Now, after all that extolment, what would I change? Really my only serious complaint about the knife is the O1 steel. It rusts like a ...., especially here in the relatively humid coastal or forest environments where I play. Scalloping the scales leading into the ricasso would be nice for the chest lever in addition to the scraping and pinch grips I sometimes employ; the thickness and abrupt edge of the scales there could be uncomfortable if you pinch the blade often. My buddy used his NWA for processing game, and his complaint was that Nick's relatively pointy guards would sometimes get in the way and get hooked while skinning or otherwise taking apart an animal. I'm sure the grip he'd use there would leave that guard more exposed to catch on stuff. What else. I think the handle could probably be shortened by 1/2" for my average sized hands (medium latex gloves) without losing any function. The blade would probably have to be shortened a little as well in that case for balance and overall proportion. The concave handle is probably a love it or hate it thing for most folks. I personally like it, I feel like it really locks my hand in. But others prefer a swell, barrel, or other convex contour. I could maybe use a little more thickness in the index groove. One of the reasons I got a Fiddleback Hunter is because of the thicker handle up in the index area. Having more thickness there lets me carve on something better/more strongly in the hammer grip, and doesn't let my hand get fatigued from "pinching" the handle. The cross-sectional thickness of the Sierra Scout doesn't really make this a huge problem, but I wouldn't turn down a little more width or thickness there. At the moment, that's really all I can come up with.
Anyway, I hope this helps. My apologies for the length. Nick's Sierra Scout is obviously a favorite of mine.
Give it a try; as William pointed out, if you don't like it, resale should be a snap :thumbup:
Oh yeah, what have I used it for. Carving (fig 4 traps, spoons, cleaning up hiking sticks, stakes, chopsticks, random things), fire prep (feather sticks, wood shavings both by gripping knife and by pounding it tip first into a log, batoning/splitting small stuff...including some aged and pretty gnarly seasoned oak), food prep (meat, veggies, fruit...no fish or butchering yet), cutting cord and fabric, fighting off mountain lions and black bears and killer mutants roaming the woods (riiiight...). Don't have many in-process pics of bushcraft projects...but who doesn't like food?
Let's start with what I like about it. First, Nick knows how to make a great handle. His handles are shaped so organically and ergonomically that they just melt into your hand and remain comfortable throughout use. I'm a big believer in well crafted handles. To me, a knife is worthless if the interface between blade and user is ineffective or uncomfortable. In the hammer grip, the handle design just locks the knife into your hand. And while the handle excels in hammer grip, it is surprisingly comfortable enough in the chest-lever grip (the two grips I employ the most). Good enough for government work anyway. I personally like the guard on the Sierra Scout as well; it's relatively unobtrusive and sculpts itself nicely to your index finger in a hammer grip, without protruding beyond it (at least, with my probably average sized hands). While perhaps improbable, I don't think it's impossible that I'd use my belt knife to stab anything. That guard provides a nice bit of insurance in that department, while not detracting from performance in normal utilitarian tasks. Having the edge lower than the handle, aligned with your fingers, also works nicely for food prep. It's not as big a space as with a typical chef's knife, but it's more than that provided by my Moras, and I can use the knife in pinch&claw well enough. I also like the birds beak on the butt. It can provide support on slicing cuts, I can hammer nicely with it, and if I want to move my grip down to do whatever chopping is possible with a 5" blade I can lock it into my hand with the bird beak between my pink and my ring finger. Anyway, I handled one of Nick's knives before ordering one my own (thanks MtnfolkMike), and it was the handle which instantly hooked me. The balance of the Sierra Scout, btw, falls right in the index groove, towards the butt on the inside of that curve. Perfect, doesn't fatigue your hand in longer use.
Second, Nick puts a fine grind on his knives. Even, crisp, and symmetrical grinds that come to a fine edge out of the box. The little choil on the Sierra Scout is nice for sharpening as well, letting no part of the edge go to waste. While this thickness and grind won't sail through wood like a fine scandi will, it still does the job well enough and is plenty robust for other tasks. I like the way a nice flat grind into V-bevel or convex secondary edge performs. And the Sierra Scout sharpens up easily (of course that gets into steel and HT). I might as well say Nick's heat treat works well. His O1 takes a fine edge easily and seems to hold it pretty well with the edge he ships em out at, in my limited experience of different steels. Furthermore, the differential heat treatment is supposedly beneficial for tough use where you'd be pounding on the knife. And the hamon is pretty!
Third, I like the overall shape of the blade. I get a nice long flat gently curving into a relatively shallow belly that both push cuts and slices well in my hands. The tip is dropped just enough to give you a pointy tip to work with, should you need it. The thickness at the spine is nice for putting my left thumb on it when doing fine work, and the jimping is a nice added touch for the saber grip. I think the knife also tapers nicely towards the tip, enough to give you plenty of strength through most of the blade while leaving you with a relatively fine and pointy tip that'll penetrate well or allow for fine work with the tip. That dropped point puts the tip right in line with the axis of the handle too, so if you are going to stab something or pound the knife into something tip first, the force is transferred through well. I also find that 5" is about the max I'd want to go for a belt knife. It's enough to give me some length if I want to baton small stuff, and it gives me a lot of useable edge. All without being unwieldy or clumsy in finer use (caveat: I don't hunt yet, but I'm sure a shorter blade works better there). Also the tougher section of the blade left by Nick's differential heat treat is about 3" on the 5" blade. And finally, the blade is wide enough that I can pinch the blade to make fine use of the tip or have added control in pinch&claw type food work.
What else. Nick's fit and finish is absolutely superb. Not only do you get a tough and well crafted knife, but it looks good to boot. Nick's knives give me this sense of organic slickness that has somehow been melded with these crisp straight lines. Symmetrical blade grind, symmetrical handle scales, no gaps or ridges in the scale attachment to the tang, aesthetically well-placed pins that are blended flawlessly into the scales, and an overall sense of proportion. Nick also provides a beeswax coated sheath that gives you the look and quiet of leather while locking the knife safely in like kydex. I prefer kydex in general and had one made for my Sierra Scout, but if I were more a leather man, then I'd have no problems with his sheath. On top of all this, Nick is an absolute gentleman and a fine man with which to do business.
Now, after all that extolment, what would I change? Really my only serious complaint about the knife is the O1 steel. It rusts like a ...., especially here in the relatively humid coastal or forest environments where I play. Scalloping the scales leading into the ricasso would be nice for the chest lever in addition to the scraping and pinch grips I sometimes employ; the thickness and abrupt edge of the scales there could be uncomfortable if you pinch the blade often. My buddy used his NWA for processing game, and his complaint was that Nick's relatively pointy guards would sometimes get in the way and get hooked while skinning or otherwise taking apart an animal. I'm sure the grip he'd use there would leave that guard more exposed to catch on stuff. What else. I think the handle could probably be shortened by 1/2" for my average sized hands (medium latex gloves) without losing any function. The blade would probably have to be shortened a little as well in that case for balance and overall proportion. The concave handle is probably a love it or hate it thing for most folks. I personally like it, I feel like it really locks my hand in. But others prefer a swell, barrel, or other convex contour. I could maybe use a little more thickness in the index groove. One of the reasons I got a Fiddleback Hunter is because of the thicker handle up in the index area. Having more thickness there lets me carve on something better/more strongly in the hammer grip, and doesn't let my hand get fatigued from "pinching" the handle. The cross-sectional thickness of the Sierra Scout doesn't really make this a huge problem, but I wouldn't turn down a little more width or thickness there. At the moment, that's really all I can come up with.
Anyway, I hope this helps. My apologies for the length. Nick's Sierra Scout is obviously a favorite of mine.
Give it a try; as William pointed out, if you don't like it, resale should be a snap :thumbup:Oh yeah, what have I used it for. Carving (fig 4 traps, spoons, cleaning up hiking sticks, stakes, chopsticks, random things), fire prep (feather sticks, wood shavings both by gripping knife and by pounding it tip first into a log, batoning/splitting small stuff...including some aged and pretty gnarly seasoned oak), food prep (meat, veggies, fruit...no fish or butchering yet), cutting cord and fabric, fighting off mountain lions and black bears and killer mutants roaming the woods (riiiight...). Don't have many in-process pics of bushcraft projects...but who doesn't like food?
Last edited:
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Always lusted after one of these, but new more urgent investments have always come first. The handles look so ergo and the blade profile is just a touch on the human side of perfect... it'd be a must have for any well-rounded survival knife collection, for sure. What's the blade immediately below the Scout? Looks like a custom rendition of the RC5, though I like the design better.
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Hey william, I used to own that siegal in the picture, the second one down with hand checkering in the scales. I miss that knife. Small world
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BTW, I have owned 4 NWA knives. Loved them all, the only two makers with true attention to details like this is nick and laconico.
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OK... I want one of those Sierra Scouts! Where are they for sale, and how much do they go for?
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NWA has a subforum on here...
I have not owned the Sierra Scout but I did own one of the earlier Sportsman knives. I will say that out of all the knives I have owned and passed on- I regret letting that knife go more than any other knife I have owned. I deeply and sincerely miss that knife and hope I get the chance to replace it.
My son still has his Hunter/Skinner and I will make sure he never lets it go.
bill
My son still has his Hunter/Skinner and I will make sure he never lets it go.
bill
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Thanks.