Randall No. 11-5 Initial Thoughts

Mistwalker

Mistwalker

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Dec 22, 2007
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I got a Randall Alaskan Skinner with a 5 inch blade back at the end of the summer, and liked it a lot on first sight. I have a fondness for staked leather handles and silver soldered brass guards, I like the old scholl look of them. I have carried it a good bit and used it a little bit since then.
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Given it's a hollow grind knife intended for big game processing, the first test was to process a steak.
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Obviously it passed that test with flying colors, and thus the patina began
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With the forward weight, high hollow grind, and thick spine, it just flick-cuts right through even thick hard briers and small sapplings
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And it slices wild root vegetables up nicely.
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I do like the textured thumb ramp and the finger choil just forward of the guard I think it will aid in finer tip work and stuff. I want to get out and make a fishing spear out of river cane, and some trap triggers just for the notching work, and hopefully some firecraft. So far I love it. All in all in all I think it's perfect for my primary uses out in the field.
 
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foxdoublegunner said:
I acquired a Randall 11 4.5 several years ago with black micarta grips and a JRB sheath in excellent used condition. I agree with you that it is a great design and is unmistakable when worn on a belt.
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I traded a friend who lives in Alaska out of this one. He ordered it through Nordic Knives, and then just never even carried it for several years. I finally put enough nice bushcraft knives in a pile to leverage the trade.

We talked about it being carbon steel, and I said no worries, I'll rush/force a patina to protect It, and he said "use a rare steak" I said okay. Then it came on a day when my daughter and I were on our way out to eat. So the closest thing to a glamour shot of it is pre-patina laying on the plate.

I sent him the pics of the box, and of developing patina while still at the restaurant, Lol, he replied "d@mn I just polished it up the night I wrapped it!" I said yeah, I saw that... sorry, that's just how this one went 🤣
 
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Nice knife.

Randall gets a lot of attention for their fighting knives. But they do thin knives especially well too. Here are a couple of pictures of my little game trying to capture how thin the blade is. It’s really amazing. IMG_5865.jpegIMG_5864.jpeg
 
Nice 'daily use' review.

Fantastic knife!

Interesting that you were told to use steak to get a patina started. I've used Catfish and lemon. Maybe too harsh. I'll use steak sometime. Both are good eats!
 
eveled said:
Nice knife.

Randall gets a lot of attention for their fighting knives. But they do thin knives especially well too. Here are a couple of pictures of my little game trying to capture how thin the blade is. It’s really amazing.
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Yes, I've only owned a couple but I've handled several. I like the execution of this hollow grind. It'sdeep enough and thin enough that it can exploit the mass and forward weight distribution to awesome effect, without feeling so thin it feels fragile.
Delgadonine said:
Nice 'daily use' review.

Fantastic knife!

Interesting that you were told to use steak to get a patina started. I've used Catfish and lemon. Maybe too harsh. I'll use steak sometime. Both are good eats!
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There have been times in my life when this would have literally been a daily user, back in the trapping and commercial living days of primitive living for weeks at a time on the sides of rivers in secluded areas. He said it has to be a rare steak, and now I'm craving steak again.
 
snow and steel said:
Awesome!
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Thank you!

Wild Ben said:
Classic!
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That's exactly the look I was going for. I wanted a knife that had the classic Randall look to it, that wasn't a dedicated fighter, but was a woodsman's knife that could cross the line if it needed to. I think it's a perfect knife for my uses in the field.
 
Mistwalker said:
Thank you!


That's exactly the look I was going for. I wanted a knife that had the classic Randall look to it, that wasn't a dedicated fighter, but was a woodsman's knife that could cross the line if it needed to. I think it's a perfect knife for my uses in the field.
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Great knife! I may order one like it next. I somehow missed that the 11-4-1/2 and 11-5 models were made thicker that the 11-4.

For anyone on the fence about ordering a Randall. Now is the time. There usually is a price increase around January first.

The base price will go up and the price for each option too. Your order locks in today’s price.
 
Since it's a user, you may want to check this out - make it even more usable?

 
TC said:
Since it's a user, you may want to check this out - make it even more usable?

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Thank you for that. I can see his points, I don't dislike the guards as much as he does, I do like them to hang down a little because I absolutely loath exposed integral guards. It's one of the reasons I got away from nives made by three of the companies I used to work for; TOPS, RMJ Tactical, and stopped carrying Fiddleback Forge knives even though I love everything else about Andy's knives. And it's one of the reasons I've declined testing and reviewing some knives online over the years, especially if the knife was presented as being a tactical style knife.

I fractured my pinkie twice on older TOPS knives doing tip work in frozen wood in Michigan in 2013 when my hands were cold.

I never had any such issues with the Spartan Defensa doing the same things and more
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And I knew I wouldn't because I didn't have that issue in 2010 when I repeatedly punctured a fuel tank with a Spartan Hunter for a T&E article I did for Tactical Knives Magazine
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I think Bill Harsey is among the few who sees the dynamic the same way I do.

One of the reason the RMJ Tactical Peregrine has the handle it has, is because when Jonathan was designing his first knife, I said "let me give you a little input" And I fixed a 2x12 on the wall of the shop, and stabbed the Spartan Hunter into it full force in a reverse overhand grip. Then pulled it out and handed it to him and said now you. And he did.

Then I handed him another of my favorite knives, made for a completely different purpose, a Fiddleback midtech Kephart and said now this one. He looked at the knife and lack of guard, looked at the target, looked at me, handed the knife back and said "I get your point".

The Peregrine is a a fine combat knife in my opinion, and does well in bushcraft. But then I love recurves in the bush also.

Liking soldered brass, stainless, and nickle silver gueards is one of the reasons I paid as much as I did for this knife and for the EMK Rio Real I bought that was right at $500. I see them as more complete and more functional than most knives woth slab scales and exposed integral guards.
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But as you can see with the EMK Martin Rio I also wouldn't mind the guaed being just a little bit shorter. So after the sentimentality wears down a little I may remove a little of it.

But even with my bushcraft knives I may do tip and boring work with, I prefer the handle scales come further down around my forefinger and spread the pressure across my entire finger instead of just pushing on an integral guard.
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LOL my dad started my training with a Buck 119 and in the field I just had to learn to pull the cutting board tp the edge of the picnic tables around Tampa Bay that we cooked on in the 70s, so it would work better in food prep. Where there is a will, and an appetite, there is a way :)
 
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