Please help me ID one of my favourite knives.

D

DPC

Joined
Dec 28, 2013
Messages
479
As strange as it sounds, I dont really know much about one of my favourite knives. It is a good user, but I dont know the maker or the model.

I can tell you what I have been told about it, which is:

. It's been made in the USA

. s30v steel

.Could be custom or semi-custom

.Has wood scales on, but also came with g10 ones

For what I can see, I can also tell you the following:

.What was probably a sharp peak or back guard (or is it called hilt?) has been ground off where the back hole on thop of the handle is, and it looks like this has been done afterwards.

.It has asymmetrical features, such as an unintentional uneven grind on both sides and uneven grind of the wood scales

.The slight change in color from the blade portion to the handle looks to me like it is some kind of oil residue from quenching, although I may be looking too far into this

.It came with a Spec-ops sheath, which further reinforces my idea that it is indeed legit and either some kind of hellish commission or perhaps a discarded knife.

The weird thing is that there are absolutely no markings at all in the blade or inside the handle.

What could it possibly be?

1431346130101.jpg


And the other side

1431346233828.jpg


Thanks in advance.
 
Forgot to mention it is 6in long and 5mm thick, from butt to end of grind near point.

Here's a size comparison with well known models.

1431363520916.jpg
 
Just curious how you are sure of s30v and being usa made if there are no markings?
 
I'm not sure at all, that's just what I've been told.

As uncertain as that may be I still post it in the hopes that someone may identify it by whatever clue is available, but I'm very aware of how shady this whole affair is.

I just thought someone would be able to ID it from the shape or whatnot, if it was actually a custom or semi custom, as surely it would ring a bell, but as far as I'm concerned, none of the first points I list may be true at all.

The only thing certain is that it came with that sheath, that it is 6'' and 5mm thick.

I'm prepared for the worst.
 
Not sure what it is but you should hang on to it. Looks like a quality setup to me. The knife is nice looking, the sheath isn't shabby either. Hope you let us know when you get the info on it.
 
I'll let you guys know if I can contact the guy that sold it to me.

This is an odd ball just because if you overthink too much, by looking closely you could say it is some china made nameless knife in some unknown steel. This is because:

- it has no markings whatsoever (anywhere, not even initials or steel)
- the grind is asymmetrical unintentionally (you can kinda tell comparing both pictures)
- the grind of the wooden scales is also asymmetrical (although it looks like someone tried to make them look the same)
- everything I know about the knife (except the directly observable) I've been told about and I take their word for it.

But on the other hand, the guy that sold it to me is an avid knife collector with respectable taste and has already personally sold to me some of his solid mid to high end knives without a problem, so I see no reason to distrust this particular knife, other than the apparent oddity.

Also:

-it is very sharp (despite the convex edge and thickness)
-the point is wicked, and actually well designed
-it is very comfortable (which makes me think someone has put time and effort into its design)
-the previous owner had it in that spec-ops sheath, which is great quality and a solid choice for knives that don't come with a sheath. It may have even come stock with it.

As amateurish as it may look, it can very well be precisely that; a commission to an amateur knife maker, so I'm quite literally torn.

And to clarify, I do indeed love this knife regardless, a great user, and if the maker sees these posts, he shouldnt feel insulted because of the comments of its flaws, i really like it indeed.

I'll do my best to gather info and post it here.

Many thanks.
 
Thank you, thank you very much,

I have news from the seller, it looks like it is indeed a Mil-tac fighter with a ground off back guard, new wood grips and most importantly, a ground off tip.

woods-HF.jpg


That explains the weird assymetry of the grind, which is actually an aftermarket flat, since after the acute tip was cut down, it was finished a bit roughly.

The weird thing is the lack of markings, so I will try to contact Mil-Tac directly and see if they know what is up with this issue.

Thanks again, I'll post the final conclusion once I get a positive (or negative...) answer.
 
DPC said:
...The weird thing is the lack of markings, so I will try to contact Mil-Tac directly and see if they know what is up with this issue.
Thanks again, I'll post the final conclusion once I get a positive (or negative...) answer.
Click to expand...
If I remember correctly, it was something between SW and the Mil-Tac, particularly with the markings.
Woods later dropped his business with them.
I'm glad I was able to help and also I'm curious to find out what they'll tell you :D
 
I've got some updates. I've contacted Mil-Tac and Steve Woods respectively, and what do you know? I STILL dont know if it is legit or a fake (yes, this enigma is bigger than I thought it would be).

In summary:

Mil-Tac said it looked like a knock off, or it could be an early model

Steve said it looked like a knock off, but it could be an early model.

The weird thing is that they said it looked like a knock off for reasons that I stated are negligible, such as the wood scales, since I know for a fact the knife came with the black g10 ones, and thus these wooden scales don't constitute proof of fakeness.

Not getting a definitive answer, I then contacted Steve Woods, the designer, as a last resort. He got into more detail, and told me it looked like a knock off (but again, because it didnt come with those scales, which I already stated is not proof of fakeness of authenticity). He also said he didnt make Hide Fighters with the hole in the front guard since forever, meaning that my knife , if legit, should be an early model. This is supported by the fact that , as he told me, he did make some HF-1s without markings for Mil-Tac. He also said he has never seen a fake of a Hide Fighter, and I too dont understand very well why someone would copy such a niche knife.

I'm awaiting more details from the previous owner, but seeing that not even the designer can give a definitve answer (something I completely understand, btw), I have elaborated a theory combining what I've been told and what I know about the knife.

. The knife is legit, albeit extensively modified.

.It is a first run, explaining the hole in the front guard. (as Steve said, he didnt make front hole knives since a long time ago)

.This is backed by the fact that the previous owner stated he got it a long, long time ago.

.It has been reground, the original tip cut off, and worked up accordingly

.To hide the regrind marks, and keep that greyish matte look, it has been drenched in ferrous chloride, which has erased (or hidden) the Mil-Tac markings.

.Thus, it is a Mil-Tac (not Steve Woods) because of this (because I believe Hide Fighters from Steve Woods are all engraved, whereas Mil-Tac marks are etched or stamped)

.This drench also explains the clear change in color between the blade portion and the handle portion.

.HF-1s now come with a tan SPEC-OPS sheath, but I've not been told anything from Mil-Tac or Steve about the fact that mine came with a black one, thus I take for granted that it came as is with the knife

Adding to this, it is a great user and the steel looks hard (understand me, hard in comparison with a 1095 TOPS i have). The only thing I could possibly do with my resources it to run a rockwell hardness test, and see if it matches or looks like s30v

As a partial conclusion, I dare to say that the knife is authentic, but extensively modified, and with a finish quality so dubious it actually looks like a fake, but I still lack definitive proof

The last part of this weird adventure will be when I hear back of the previous owner.

Thanks to everybody.
 
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IMO, just as I mentioned, it looks like an early model, cut for Mil-Tac, and they didn't put any markings on it.
I will assume that someone was throwing the knife or some how forcing the tip of it and because it wasn't HT by Woods,
it was probably too brittle (another guess ), broke off and was modified.
I also did not see any knock offs on the Chinese Express and DX sites but you never know.
This gets interesting, if nothing else, you'll end up with a one of a kind mod of a knife you like, with history... :D

Few questions:
Did you find what steel Mil-Tec was using for their run ?
Did you find the hardness they got on the blade after their HT ?
This would be complete shot in the dark, but did you try to sharpen the knife,
and if you do, did you feel the material harder to sharpen than the same material on a knife from known manufacturer ?

I don't know to what RC hardness SW is treating his knives, but knock offs ( usually Chinese),
are around 56-58 HRC and I never seen a broken Chinese fixed balde from being too brittle from higher HRC...

Most likely your knife is one of the Mil-Tec runs but of course I could be mistaking...
 
Sorry for the late reply, also, it may be dissappointing (not surprising).

1432577852535.jpg


For what I've gathered, I've come to the solid conclusion that it is indeed a legit early run of Mil-Tac.

I now have the original g-10 scales, that I will use for my own project.

Thank you kindly POCEH KOCEB, you where spot-on. Not even Mil-Tac or Steve Woods have been able to give me as direct and precise an answer as yours.

I guess I have a peculiar knife with a story, that's all.

It's all too bad that I just recently got a CRK Pacific and I'm drooling all over it, forgetting about this one a little bit.
 
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