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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Official Pen Knife Review Thread
- Thread starter Daniel Koster
- Start date
- Joined
- Mar 5, 1999
- Messages
- 34,096
To date the Pen knife has been well accepted and may make it into the regular lineup.
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2001
- Messages
- 20,978
Rob, Mike and Bob - thanks for the reviews guys. I'm glad to share.
I sure do miss it though. At least 4 different times while on my Holiday Vacation I found myself saying "I'll just go get the..." followed by a long pause, a sigh, and then "Oh yeah... it's 'traveling' on a tour of its own."
I sure do miss it though. At least 4 different times while on my Holiday Vacation I found myself saying "I'll just go get the..." followed by a long pause, a sigh, and then "Oh yeah... it's 'traveling' on a tour of its own."
- Joined
- May 16, 2002
- Messages
- 4,437
Got the Pen Knife today. Came yesterday while I was out and I picked it up @ the post orifice 2day.
Man, you folks who had it before did such a nice job polishing and oiling this thing, it looks mint! I'm scoping it out now for the etching and carving based on Pen's original CAD drawings.
The shipping box is quite impressive, and is holding up well.
I'll keep everybody posted...this is a neato little khuk--i'd love to compare it to a bilton...
Keith
Man, you folks who had it before did such a nice job polishing and oiling this thing, it looks mint! I'm scoping it out now for the etching and carving based on Pen's original CAD drawings.
The shipping box is quite impressive, and is holding up well.
I'll keep everybody posted...this is a neato little khuk--i'd love to compare it to a bilton...
Keith
- Joined
- May 16, 2002
- Messages
- 4,437
and a bit of initial review of the Pen knife:
Well, I did some light cutting and slicing, beacuse I don't wanna abuse this little bugger like I do some of my heavier hkuks. THis thing is a bit delicate for my tastes, about 5 inches too short, point is waay too stubby for me. A knife at 12" should have a needle tip, in my book. I think I'd be better served in my personal tastes to have a 12" GS. It kinda reminds me of a YCS profile inn a smaller package, with less of a point.
Also, the handle is a bit too small for me unless i use Duvons' choked-up grip style. Then it all comes into balance.
with smaller blades, the Center of Percussion shrinks to less than an inch in width, (and it makes me wonder which parts of the blade are tempered and which are not. Do you chop with the belly, or behind it?) and the bigger khuks (18+inches) have a CoP in the 1-3inch range.
Clarification--the CoP is really only one point on a line, but the bigger the blade, the bigger the sweet spot, which has at its center the CoP. larger mass blades and longer blades tend to transmit little or no shock if you are within 1-2 inches of the CoP when striking.
Pen, it is a good looking and unnique knife, with some of the strengths of the khuk paired with some of the strengths of a camp knife and work knife.
As I said, tho, my personal tastes would makke me choose a Bilton, Large Kumar Karda, or 12" Siru, Kobra, or GS over the Pen Knife. If you want a hatchet of a short blade to fill a tool need, this is the knife for you. I remcomment this knife to those of you who want a compact axe-like profile to your khuk. Definitely more versatile than a hatchet.
Scabbard is one of the best I've seen come ouut of Bir Gorkha, with perhaps the exception being the Berk Special scabbards.
The small but sharp karda is nicely shaped with a wide belly and enuf room for a 2-finger grip, with the thumb on the spine for stability. I'm adding a grip section to the spine of it to enhance the lock up in the hand.
Also, I like the thicker buttcap, the fit seem better than the domed thinner pommel material more commonly used on HI khuks. Also puts the balance back towards the hand a bit, increasing maneuverability.
Well, that's the operational review. I'll return with more when I finish arting this bad boy. Etching for the blade, Pinwork for the handle...
KEith
Well, I did some light cutting and slicing, beacuse I don't wanna abuse this little bugger like I do some of my heavier hkuks. THis thing is a bit delicate for my tastes, about 5 inches too short, point is waay too stubby for me. A knife at 12" should have a needle tip, in my book. I think I'd be better served in my personal tastes to have a 12" GS. It kinda reminds me of a YCS profile inn a smaller package, with less of a point.
Also, the handle is a bit too small for me unless i use Duvons' choked-up grip style. Then it all comes into balance.
with smaller blades, the Center of Percussion shrinks to less than an inch in width, (and it makes me wonder which parts of the blade are tempered and which are not. Do you chop with the belly, or behind it?) and the bigger khuks (18+inches) have a CoP in the 1-3inch range.
Clarification--the CoP is really only one point on a line, but the bigger the blade, the bigger the sweet spot, which has at its center the CoP. larger mass blades and longer blades tend to transmit little or no shock if you are within 1-2 inches of the CoP when striking.
Pen, it is a good looking and unnique knife, with some of the strengths of the khuk paired with some of the strengths of a camp knife and work knife.
As I said, tho, my personal tastes would makke me choose a Bilton, Large Kumar Karda, or 12" Siru, Kobra, or GS over the Pen Knife. If you want a hatchet of a short blade to fill a tool need, this is the knife for you. I remcomment this knife to those of you who want a compact axe-like profile to your khuk. Definitely more versatile than a hatchet.
Scabbard is one of the best I've seen come ouut of Bir Gorkha, with perhaps the exception being the Berk Special scabbards.
The small but sharp karda is nicely shaped with a wide belly and enuf room for a 2-finger grip, with the thumb on the spine for stability. I'm adding a grip section to the spine of it to enhance the lock up in the hand.
Also, I like the thicker buttcap, the fit seem better than the domed thinner pommel material more commonly used on HI khuks. Also puts the balance back towards the hand a bit, increasing maneuverability.
Well, that's the operational review. I'll return with more when I finish arting this bad boy. Etching for the blade, Pinwork for the handle...
KEith
- Joined
- Mar 5, 1999
- Messages
- 34,096
Hot dog.
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2002
- Messages
- 3,930
I think the Pen Knife would be about perfect for big game hunters if paired up with a smaller knife that's a bit more substantial than the karda that comes with it. Maybe this pic will help explain what I'm yammering about.
Sarge
Sarge
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2001
- Messages
- 20,978
I agree 100%.
Actually I see it 2 ways...
I'd love to have a Pen Knife set like that Leuku/Puukko set.
I'd also love to have a Pen Knife paired up as the karda to a bigger chopper like the 22" GRS or 20" AK.
Actually I see it 2 ways...
I'd love to have a Pen Knife set like that Leuku/Puukko set.
I'd also love to have a Pen Knife paired up as the karda to a bigger chopper like the 22" GRS or 20" AK.
- Joined
- May 18, 1999
- Messages
- 15,395
Well Greg it took me a little while, but I found it, meanwhile cruiseing the rest of the site as I always enjoy doing.
This is on my list of must haves before the knife fund runs completely dry, a little while yet.
This is one I've had bookmarked before it seems and it's always been pushed to the back burner for whatever reason, usually a new khuk got in the way methinks.
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2002
- Messages
- 3,930
I'd like to get one too Yvsa, I've never actually owned a Leukku. I have ordered several Leuku blades from Ragnar and reground them into small (7" blade) bowies. I like bowies, to me they're a very familiar and instinctive style of knife. But, I grow more comfortable with khuks every time I use them.
Greg
Greg
What do you think of this one?
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=206155
I've special ordered one
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2002
- Messages
- 3,930
Ics37,
That's an awesome looking knife, but a bit exotic for my tastes. I've got a big, and very old, Nicholson "Black Diamond" file that a friend gave me for my blade, and another friend gave me antler for my handle. My "Bowie" is going to wind up looking something like this when I'm done;
Greg
That's an awesome looking knife, but a bit exotic for my tastes. I've got a big, and very old, Nicholson "Black Diamond" file that a friend gave me for my blade, and another friend gave me antler for my handle. My "Bowie" is going to wind up looking something like this when I'm done;
Greg