- Joined
- Feb 4, 1999
- Messages
- 5,786
I haven't had this knife for long, but it's a small knife, so it didn't take long to get a decent impression of it...;-) Let's start with a general description...
The knife is small with maybe a 3" blade and probably just over a 3" handle. If you want exact specs you can go to <a href = "http://www.rekat.com"> REKAT's website</a>. The handle is reminiscent of Fred Perrin's (or Emerson's) LaGriffe, but without the finger hole and it doesn't drop quite as much. It's basically a compromise between the gun-style handle and a regular shaped knife grip. There are five evenly spaced countersunk holes in the handle for lightness, I assume, and there are also shallow finger notches present. The blade seems to be a miniature version of the Swept-Point Pioneer that REKAT makes and the tip looks quite strong. It's almost full thickness. The shape gives quite a lot of belly for a blade of that size, which is cool. It appears to be hollow ground, and the REKAT logo is nicely stamped in. I assume mine is 1095 steel, although some were made in ATS-34 (wouldn't that be lucky!?). The entire knife (minus the edge of course) is coated in Black T, a Teflon coating. It is much
nicer than what I expected, and is definitely higher class than the epoxy powder coat found on knives like Ontario's Spec-Plus line. It is very uniform, has smooth feel, and is matte for less reflection. Who knows about durability? There are a few spots where the coating has been worn off by the Kydex sheath, and it doesn't seem like the knife has seen much use, so...let's move onto the sheath.
Being a maker of Kydex sheaths myself, I liked REKAT's design. It is thin and well though out for belt carry (horizontal) and neck carry. The hardware holding it together seems to be of sturdy quality. The belt loop itself is a novel approach I'd never thought of, much in design like a pager clip. Allos you to take it on and off your belt without undoing your belt and threading it on. That said, the sheath is fairly loose and the knife rattles noticeable inside. The retention is good, but that rattle could've been reduced altogether.
The knife itself is thin (no measuring tools, but probably 1/8"?). This thinness, plus the fact that there are no handle scales, makes for an uncomfortable knife to hold. It is simply too thin to have much of a grip on it. Of course, this knife is intended as a "last-ditch" or backup knife, so it need not be a comfy all-day user. If that's what you want, then buy a knife that doesn't have this purpose! Also, I fell that the handle would've benefitted from another 3/4" in the handle length. I have a 1/4" thick Perkins Scaetha with a 3" handle that is plenty to grab onto, but without the added thickness of the handle, it feels a bit uneasy on the Fang. The shape of the handle does a nice job of bringing the blade into a good slashing position, and the dropped design probably puts a little extra power behind the defender's moves. The knife has a nice edge and is well-made, for the most part.
For its purposes, the Fang is a great knife. It is not a utility tool, and therefore has none of the same design principles as one would have. This is a knife meant for concealment, and it does this well. It is simple but well thought out, and well made. Now that they are not being produced anymore, I am proud to own one! Hopefully I won't have the chance to use it much! ;-)
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My Custom Kydex Sheath pagehttp://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Lab/1298/knifehome.html
Palmer College of Chiropractic
On Two Wheels
The knife is small with maybe a 3" blade and probably just over a 3" handle. If you want exact specs you can go to <a href = "http://www.rekat.com"> REKAT's website</a>. The handle is reminiscent of Fred Perrin's (or Emerson's) LaGriffe, but without the finger hole and it doesn't drop quite as much. It's basically a compromise between the gun-style handle and a regular shaped knife grip. There are five evenly spaced countersunk holes in the handle for lightness, I assume, and there are also shallow finger notches present. The blade seems to be a miniature version of the Swept-Point Pioneer that REKAT makes and the tip looks quite strong. It's almost full thickness. The shape gives quite a lot of belly for a blade of that size, which is cool. It appears to be hollow ground, and the REKAT logo is nicely stamped in. I assume mine is 1095 steel, although some were made in ATS-34 (wouldn't that be lucky!?). The entire knife (minus the edge of course) is coated in Black T, a Teflon coating. It is much
nicer than what I expected, and is definitely higher class than the epoxy powder coat found on knives like Ontario's Spec-Plus line. It is very uniform, has smooth feel, and is matte for less reflection. Who knows about durability? There are a few spots where the coating has been worn off by the Kydex sheath, and it doesn't seem like the knife has seen much use, so...let's move onto the sheath.
Being a maker of Kydex sheaths myself, I liked REKAT's design. It is thin and well though out for belt carry (horizontal) and neck carry. The hardware holding it together seems to be of sturdy quality. The belt loop itself is a novel approach I'd never thought of, much in design like a pager clip. Allos you to take it on and off your belt without undoing your belt and threading it on. That said, the sheath is fairly loose and the knife rattles noticeable inside. The retention is good, but that rattle could've been reduced altogether.
The knife itself is thin (no measuring tools, but probably 1/8"?). This thinness, plus the fact that there are no handle scales, makes for an uncomfortable knife to hold. It is simply too thin to have much of a grip on it. Of course, this knife is intended as a "last-ditch" or backup knife, so it need not be a comfy all-day user. If that's what you want, then buy a knife that doesn't have this purpose! Also, I fell that the handle would've benefitted from another 3/4" in the handle length. I have a 1/4" thick Perkins Scaetha with a 3" handle that is plenty to grab onto, but without the added thickness of the handle, it feels a bit uneasy on the Fang. The shape of the handle does a nice job of bringing the blade into a good slashing position, and the dropped design probably puts a little extra power behind the defender's moves. The knife has a nice edge and is well-made, for the most part.
For its purposes, the Fang is a great knife. It is not a utility tool, and therefore has none of the same design principles as one would have. This is a knife meant for concealment, and it does this well. It is simple but well thought out, and well made. Now that they are not being produced anymore, I am proud to own one! Hopefully I won't have the chance to use it much! ;-)
------------------
My Custom Kydex Sheath pagehttp://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Lab/1298/knifehome.html
Palmer College of Chiropractic
On Two Wheels
One thing to add to my review: I used some regular paracord I had and did a handle wrap sorta thing and that aided the grip of the knife a hundred percent. I wrapped the paracord in a pattern threading it from the holes to the edge of the tang and back again (tough to describe w/o seeing it). I tried just wrapping it around the handle, but the finger grooves are too uneven to get a good wrap. I didn't leave the handle wrapped as I didn't like my knot at the end and it doesn add to the "signature" of the knife under clothing, but for grip's sake it was a huge difference.
