To celebrate the 5th of January I ordered two batches of knives, one from Ragweed Forge and one from Smoky Mountain Knife Works. I scooped up quite a few that had been on my mind for a while, plus some irresistable closeouts.
Here's what to expect if you wish to celebrate January 11th in the same manner. First, the Ragweed order:
1) Okapi 907E, the large model with the ratcheting lock ring.
It's better than I expected, based on my past experience with Okapi knives, the price, and other reviews. The knife action is very firm and confident, no blade play at all. The overall construction is rather crude though - the pins, the inlay, and the ratchet device. This is my first knife from South Africa and the funny thing is, it's much higher quality than the historic German-made Okapi knives I own. Given the knife's reputation for arriving unsharpened or even unground, I paid the $3 extra for Ragnar to grind an edge on the blade.
2) Ahti Metza
This simple is very nice, especially the knife's fit. The handle is rather crudely finished - it's smooth but not varnished, and the staining is spotchy (probably birch wood doesn't take a stain evenly, a common trait among softwood species). The tang is hidden, as are most Scandinavian knives, but it runs the full length of the handle as evidenced by the pin on the handle butt. The handle shape allows a very secure grip, important since this knife is advertised as being designed for use while wearing gloves. It's an good specimen of Finnish craftsmanship, especially at the price.
3) KJ Eriksson #3, 6"
A decent knife, especially for only $13, but the price-saving features are obvious. The end of the tang is visible at the butt of the handle so it's full-length, but it isn't finished or capped. The red-stained handle is a bit cheesy, but the bright color would be useful if dropped. The fittings are steel, vs. brass or copper used on more expensive Scandanavian knives. It arrived only sort-of sharp, but the high carbon steel should sharpen right up. The low point of the knife is the hard plastic sheath. The sheath holds the knife well in the traditional manner, but it's not attractive at all.
4) Frosts Mora #7, 4"
Very similar to the above Erikson, only it has the laminated carbon steel blade and a leather sheath. Those two features probably explain the more-than-double price of the Eriksson. Still, it's so inexpensive at $28, that there's nothing to complain about. Again the tang goes completely through to the knife butt, but it's not finished or capped at all. The wood handle is unfinished, so the buyer has the final say in the knife's appearance. I also paid the $2 extra for the hot waxed sheath that's normally unfinished. This knife is also sharper than the Eriksson - it's sharp enough to use as-is, but would benefit from a touch-up before carrying.
5) Frosts #102-207, Mora knife with full guard
This is an incredible bargain for $14. It is similar in construction to the Frosts and Eriksson above, but has a full guard. It has a leather sheath, unlike the similarly-priced Eriksson. It arrived OK-sharp, but I'd want to touch up the carbon steel blade before using. I bought this to put away for the boy (he's only nine months old). I think the unfinished sheath and handle will make a good father-and-son project when the times comes.
Now to the Smoky Mountain order:
6) 7) 8) and 9) Wenger Swiss Army knives on closeout
Soccer, SwissRoller, Modified SwissRoller, and Snowboarder
I am super-impressed by these knives, and can't believe the giveaway closout prices. I mean, quality Swiss Army Knives for $1.99?!? (Two were $1.99 and two were $3.99). I can't speak for the usefulness of these knives in their target sports, but the knives are very well made. Absolutely no blade play, interesting and unique tools, and each spring has a good 'snap'.
10) and 11) Victorinox SwissCard and SwissCard Quattro
These models in these particular colors were $6, about half the price of other colors, and a third the price of the translucent models. Although too thick for carrying in my wallet, some people might find them useful. I think a very small SAK in the pocket would be more confortable though, and perform the same tasks. Overall they're OK for $6, but I'd of been less than pleased if paying for the more expensive colors.
12) Ka-Bar Dozier
This model has the hole for one-hand opening and a lockback. I've been wanting to try one of these for a long time, and at $20 there's no reason not to. Overall I like the design. Lightweight handles. Removeable clip. One-hand opening. And a lockback. I like this knife very much for the price, but would recommend the AG Russell FeatherLite instead unless $20 was a hard spending limit. The knife opens easily, the blade came pretty sharp, and the blade snaps loudly and securely into place. The low point, the fit and finish in the area around the pivot pin doesn't look pretty. But there's very little blade play, less than either of the Spyderco Natives I own. Overall it's a solid contender at it's price point, but there's nothing exciting about it.
13) set of 10 Opinel knives
An incredible bargain to be sure. Not just because they're carbon bladed Opinels, but because you get 10 of the them and a wooden display box for $60. I've been eyeing this set for a long time, but mostly bought them to reach the Free Shipping $100 threshold.
Of the ten, six have the ring locks and four (the smallest four) are slipjoints. The slight change in the ring design allowing the knives to lock open and closed is a big improvement over my older Opinels. The fit of all ten of these is very good - no blade play on any of them. Some of the rings are a bit stiff, but my experience indicates they would loosen up with use.
14) Opinel "My First Knife"
This is in a clam pack and I'm save it for the boy to open when he's older. The knife looks typical for an Opinel and has the standard ring lock. The difference, "My First Knife" has a rounded end. A hint for anyone considering one of these and wondering what size it is, it's based on the Opinel #7. I'd prefer a carbon blade, but for kids the stainless is probably better. One suggestion for Opinel, consider printing the clam-pack cards in English when exporting to the USA - I can't read a word of the advertising.
15) "My First Victorinox"
This isn't a real knife, it's a plastic toy Swiss Army Knife. Something that wasn't clear before ordering, it has the Victorinox logo on the side, but it's made in China for Klein toys; the Victorinox logo is officially licensed. It doesn't matter to me, but some folks might like to know that before ordering. It's also rated for children at least 3 years old, so it gets put away for a while with the real knives.
Well... I think that's it. I'd be happy to provide links or more info on any of these knives. I can't provide user reviews or comment on suitability for real-life situations, but I can give a good idea of what to expect when you buy these products. I hope that's useful.
Best Wishes,
-Bob
Here's what to expect if you wish to celebrate January 11th in the same manner. First, the Ragweed order:
1) Okapi 907E, the large model with the ratcheting lock ring.
It's better than I expected, based on my past experience with Okapi knives, the price, and other reviews. The knife action is very firm and confident, no blade play at all. The overall construction is rather crude though - the pins, the inlay, and the ratchet device. This is my first knife from South Africa and the funny thing is, it's much higher quality than the historic German-made Okapi knives I own. Given the knife's reputation for arriving unsharpened or even unground, I paid the $3 extra for Ragnar to grind an edge on the blade.
2) Ahti Metza
This simple is very nice, especially the knife's fit. The handle is rather crudely finished - it's smooth but not varnished, and the staining is spotchy (probably birch wood doesn't take a stain evenly, a common trait among softwood species). The tang is hidden, as are most Scandinavian knives, but it runs the full length of the handle as evidenced by the pin on the handle butt. The handle shape allows a very secure grip, important since this knife is advertised as being designed for use while wearing gloves. It's an good specimen of Finnish craftsmanship, especially at the price.
3) KJ Eriksson #3, 6"
A decent knife, especially for only $13, but the price-saving features are obvious. The end of the tang is visible at the butt of the handle so it's full-length, but it isn't finished or capped. The red-stained handle is a bit cheesy, but the bright color would be useful if dropped. The fittings are steel, vs. brass or copper used on more expensive Scandanavian knives. It arrived only sort-of sharp, but the high carbon steel should sharpen right up. The low point of the knife is the hard plastic sheath. The sheath holds the knife well in the traditional manner, but it's not attractive at all.
4) Frosts Mora #7, 4"
Very similar to the above Erikson, only it has the laminated carbon steel blade and a leather sheath. Those two features probably explain the more-than-double price of the Eriksson. Still, it's so inexpensive at $28, that there's nothing to complain about. Again the tang goes completely through to the knife butt, but it's not finished or capped at all. The wood handle is unfinished, so the buyer has the final say in the knife's appearance. I also paid the $2 extra for the hot waxed sheath that's normally unfinished. This knife is also sharper than the Eriksson - it's sharp enough to use as-is, but would benefit from a touch-up before carrying.
5) Frosts #102-207, Mora knife with full guard
This is an incredible bargain for $14. It is similar in construction to the Frosts and Eriksson above, but has a full guard. It has a leather sheath, unlike the similarly-priced Eriksson. It arrived OK-sharp, but I'd want to touch up the carbon steel blade before using. I bought this to put away for the boy (he's only nine months old). I think the unfinished sheath and handle will make a good father-and-son project when the times comes.
Now to the Smoky Mountain order:
6) 7) 8) and 9) Wenger Swiss Army knives on closeout
Soccer, SwissRoller, Modified SwissRoller, and Snowboarder
I am super-impressed by these knives, and can't believe the giveaway closout prices. I mean, quality Swiss Army Knives for $1.99?!? (Two were $1.99 and two were $3.99). I can't speak for the usefulness of these knives in their target sports, but the knives are very well made. Absolutely no blade play, interesting and unique tools, and each spring has a good 'snap'.
10) and 11) Victorinox SwissCard and SwissCard Quattro
These models in these particular colors were $6, about half the price of other colors, and a third the price of the translucent models. Although too thick for carrying in my wallet, some people might find them useful. I think a very small SAK in the pocket would be more confortable though, and perform the same tasks. Overall they're OK for $6, but I'd of been less than pleased if paying for the more expensive colors.
12) Ka-Bar Dozier
This model has the hole for one-hand opening and a lockback. I've been wanting to try one of these for a long time, and at $20 there's no reason not to. Overall I like the design. Lightweight handles. Removeable clip. One-hand opening. And a lockback. I like this knife very much for the price, but would recommend the AG Russell FeatherLite instead unless $20 was a hard spending limit. The knife opens easily, the blade came pretty sharp, and the blade snaps loudly and securely into place. The low point, the fit and finish in the area around the pivot pin doesn't look pretty. But there's very little blade play, less than either of the Spyderco Natives I own. Overall it's a solid contender at it's price point, but there's nothing exciting about it.
13) set of 10 Opinel knives
An incredible bargain to be sure. Not just because they're carbon bladed Opinels, but because you get 10 of the them and a wooden display box for $60. I've been eyeing this set for a long time, but mostly bought them to reach the Free Shipping $100 threshold.
Of the ten, six have the ring locks and four (the smallest four) are slipjoints. The slight change in the ring design allowing the knives to lock open and closed is a big improvement over my older Opinels. The fit of all ten of these is very good - no blade play on any of them. Some of the rings are a bit stiff, but my experience indicates they would loosen up with use.14) Opinel "My First Knife"
This is in a clam pack and I'm save it for the boy to open when he's older. The knife looks typical for an Opinel and has the standard ring lock. The difference, "My First Knife" has a rounded end. A hint for anyone considering one of these and wondering what size it is, it's based on the Opinel #7. I'd prefer a carbon blade, but for kids the stainless is probably better. One suggestion for Opinel, consider printing the clam-pack cards in English when exporting to the USA - I can't read a word of the advertising.
15) "My First Victorinox"
This isn't a real knife, it's a plastic toy Swiss Army Knife. Something that wasn't clear before ordering, it has the Victorinox logo on the side, but it's made in China for Klein toys; the Victorinox logo is officially licensed. It doesn't matter to me, but some folks might like to know that before ordering. It's also rated for children at least 3 years old, so it gets put away for a while with the real knives.
Well... I think that's it. I'd be happy to provide links or more info on any of these knives. I can't provide user reviews or comment on suitability for real-life situations, but I can give a good idea of what to expect when you buy these products. I hope that's useful.
Best Wishes,
-Bob