I wanted to try something a little different, and I ordered from a popular auction site, as an experiment, a Russian Kizlyar Colada. It arrived in around three weeks, which I think is outstanding. I have ordered things from Russia and while everything came in, it was much longer for the other items.
What appealed to me was the size and design of the blade. This is a handy, well balanced knife cuts well. I do not treat high hardness cutlery grade steel as splitting wedges, so I don’t batton these things. Instead of toppling redwood trees with my knives, my primary cutting tasks are food. Then boxes, and everything after that is third. This knife is a handy knife for cutting food. Cuts pork tenderloin well.
I know there are those who consider AUS 8 old hat, but it takes a great edge, cuts well, not impossible to sharpen, and is not over priced. I have a number of AUS 8 blades and they will cut. Edge retention is decent, so no real complaints. The handle is walnut, it was sort of a tan dusty brown, and basically, I like a little red in the wood. A bit of Rust-Oleum Cabernet wood stain, soaked with raw linseed oil, with a Varathan urethane coat, and the color is closer to the mahogany color I love.
So, having a positive experience with the Colada, I decided to get a couple more Russian knives.
This Finnic is not a Puukkos, not a true Scandi grind, not certain if it is a copy of any historic knife, or something with blend of features. The handle is a bit fat for me, but it is roomy and comfortable, the blade profile has been around forever, and it cuts. I used the same wood stain, a linseed oil soak, and varathane polyurethane on this handle, as well as the Strum. So the woods are a little redder than when they arrived.
Second to the Colada, I like this Strum. I would have preferred a four inch blade, but a five inch blade is not too big. I prefer drop points to swept points, because I have experienced a lot of hand cuts from the up lifted points of knife blades. I tend to stick myself less with a drop point. The handle is what really makes this an interesting, and supports my opinion that this a well designed knife. It is comfortable, roomy, easy to orientate due to the flat sides, and has a fore finger notch. I was not sure what to think of the fore finger notch till I tried it, but it works, and works well. The handle is not exactly flat sided, it is slightly concave in with those grooves, the balance point is right at the fore finger notch. It fits nicely in the palm of my hand, easy to orient, and is very tactile. (designed to be perceived by touch.)
While stamps are not knives, I liked the colorful stamps, and am wondering if the Romanov’s are on their way back in some fashion in Russia. Having lived through decades of the Cold War, I am totally surprised to see the Romanov eagle on Russian stamps. The Russian Czar and his family were assassinated in 1918, so the 2019 date is a bit of a puzzle. But, neat.
I did not find any techno warp speed steels, but I did find well made knives that are simple, and yet sophisticated. And they cut.
Thought I would share my experience.
What appealed to me was the size and design of the blade. This is a handy, well balanced knife cuts well. I do not treat high hardness cutlery grade steel as splitting wedges, so I don’t batton these things. Instead of toppling redwood trees with my knives, my primary cutting tasks are food. Then boxes, and everything after that is third. This knife is a handy knife for cutting food. Cuts pork tenderloin well.
I know there are those who consider AUS 8 old hat, but it takes a great edge, cuts well, not impossible to sharpen, and is not over priced. I have a number of AUS 8 blades and they will cut. Edge retention is decent, so no real complaints. The handle is walnut, it was sort of a tan dusty brown, and basically, I like a little red in the wood. A bit of Rust-Oleum Cabernet wood stain, soaked with raw linseed oil, with a Varathan urethane coat, and the color is closer to the mahogany color I love.
So, having a positive experience with the Colada, I decided to get a couple more Russian knives.
This Finnic is not a Puukkos, not a true Scandi grind, not certain if it is a copy of any historic knife, or something with blend of features. The handle is a bit fat for me, but it is roomy and comfortable, the blade profile has been around forever, and it cuts. I used the same wood stain, a linseed oil soak, and varathane polyurethane on this handle, as well as the Strum. So the woods are a little redder than when they arrived.
Second to the Colada, I like this Strum. I would have preferred a four inch blade, but a five inch blade is not too big. I prefer drop points to swept points, because I have experienced a lot of hand cuts from the up lifted points of knife blades. I tend to stick myself less with a drop point. The handle is what really makes this an interesting, and supports my opinion that this a well designed knife. It is comfortable, roomy, easy to orientate due to the flat sides, and has a fore finger notch. I was not sure what to think of the fore finger notch till I tried it, but it works, and works well. The handle is not exactly flat sided, it is slightly concave in with those grooves, the balance point is right at the fore finger notch. It fits nicely in the palm of my hand, easy to orient, and is very tactile. (designed to be perceived by touch.)
While stamps are not knives, I liked the colorful stamps, and am wondering if the Romanov’s are on their way back in some fashion in Russia. Having lived through decades of the Cold War, I am totally surprised to see the Romanov eagle on Russian stamps. The Russian Czar and his family were assassinated in 1918, so the 2019 date is a bit of a puzzle. But, neat.
I did not find any techno warp speed steels, but I did find well made knives that are simple, and yet sophisticated. And they cut.
Thought I would share my experience.