Siegle Test and a Question :)

WILLIAM.M

WILLIAM.M

Joined
Apr 14, 2006
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Siegle Test and a Question :)

Got a used Siegle Survival Knife in Trade

Polished it up-Sharpened it and Tested it

First in the kitchen on an apple and a pear
and then in the Backyard on a 2x4 and then on some logs

Then I made a few feather sticks

And then last in my garage on boxes and a few milk jugs

It worked a lot better in the Kitchen than I expected a 1/4" thick knife would.

It does not chop as well as some of his others but that is a design trade off from a knife that might be called on to do more than just chop.

Not sure if I'm going to have the handle replaced as I'm not a fan of exposed pommels

The question is this

Do you use your pommels or are they overrated for Wilderness/Survival use???
The Photos
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Nice pics and review Dr Bill! I spend as much time as possible in the woods and have never had a need yet for an exposed tang. Then again I also carry a hatchet strapped to my pack that can be used for pounding.
 
That's quite a bit of pommel! Is it uncomfortable to use? does the knife have good balance, if so, maybe you won't want to change/mess that up. And, as of now, I've not used an exposed pommel much, if at all. The times I have used one was during "simulated" fighting. You could break rock, ice or heads with that one. I see that knife as more of a military survival knife, meaning, it would be good for fighting, and the pommel is your hammer.
Even the BK2 from Becker has an exposed pommel, some grind it off, some like it. It's partly there for weight distribution and balance, not just smashing.

Is it in your way for chopping? How often will you chop with this knife? Maybe, just round it off, so it doesn't dig into your palm so much? Then again, maybe ask Bill to do it?
 
Hi Bill, I myself like exstened tangs not as much as that one lol. You can just grind it down if you wanted not big deal. It will not hurt the handle at all.
I like the over all shape of that knife. What is the handle material?

Bryan
 
sicily02 said:
Hi Bill, I myself like exstened tangs not as much as that one lol. You can just grind it down if you wanted not big deal. It will not hurt the handle at all.
I like the over all shape of that knife. What is the handle material?

Bryan
Click to expand...

I'll wager that it's Micarta

Feels Warmer and is slightly more "grippier"(for lack of a better word) than G-10
 
Nice knife. I personally like the mid-sized ones better than the choppers.

As for extended pommels, I'm not a fan of them. I like pound the knife with the palm of my hand on the handle when making kindling and an extended pommel interferes with that. The extended pommel does allow you to pound them tip first with a baton without risking loosening the scales. Personally, I think a pommel plate provides better functionality for this, albeit at much extra effort for the maker and cost of the knife as well.
 
I like the profile of that knife but IMO it's got to much "Tang" exposed. I don't mind a little exposed, never know when you might need to bust Ice or Break out some glass...etc but so far I have never had to use mine. If you don't like it, then you can just send the knife to me...my Birthday is next Sat....Hint Hint :rolleyes:
 
Great knife William! Don't know what you traded for, but that's one nice chunk 'o steel.

As to your question, i'm an extended tang/pommel user. For my purposes, i use a baton with them for driving the tip into material. Also, i've used a pommel to help set signalling/anti-personnel 'stuff'. I know some Folks look to break/shatter glass in an escape/evade scenario as well, though i've personally not needed that use, but i'm sure it would excel in that implementation.

All that said, I agree with some of the other posters in that this particular tang seems a little long to *me*. However, if you're comfortable with the balance of the knife (whether for martial use or in a tool role) enjoy! Otherwise, as Bryan advised, you could grind some off (though i'm not good at stuff like that, you probably are). To me, an extended tang isn't a significant aid in martial roles, but is quite nice to have for all other uses.

As to general blade profile, it certainly is a long knife. Probably great as a "draw-knife", though i'm surprised you found it not to be a particularly good chopper. I personally prefer a knife with 'belly' for cutting/slicing, but to each his/her own. I'm sure Mr. Siegle has forgotten more about knife design than i'll learn in the remainder of my life so take my observations for what they cost....

As usual, you've given us a very nice review.
 
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Here is the reply I got from Mr.Siegle himself

That design came about from input from Greg Davenport. He was teaching
survival classes in my area and we were going to offer that design as the
" official" school knife. Unfortunately, the local forest management folks
decided at the same time to turn up the costs of permits to use the local
woods for businesses which killed the school. Greg has put out several
books since then and probably reached more students than the school ever
would :) Back to the pommel question. Greg liked the idea of an extended
and exposed pommel for hammering in the woods. He used it for small
hammering jobs such as hammering open wild nuts or shells and busting ice
off gear in winter. Ice is known to build up on snowshoes in particular.
Especially overnight. I had mentioned to him that the spine of the blade
could be used for that but he had seen a guy do that once and somehow
managed to cut a strap accidentally. Hence the reason he wanted a hammer
on the non cutting end of the blade :)
------------------------\
my reply

AS ALWAYS

There is NO right or wrong here

Just find out what works for you and stick to it But not so HARD that you refuse try other ideas and concepts as well
 
btw - I like the fact that you made fuzzies from a seasoned piece of wood rather than a green stick. Tougher to do and your fuzzies look good on a piece of wood where it was probably a challenge to do.
 
you really went postal on that box :p i like that blade shape (spear point or maybe that's what they call a drop point?) - it looks symmetrical. as for the exposed pommel, i've had several knives with it but i haven't found the need to use them. if you do grind it off i bet it'll make that an even better chopper if that is what you want.
 
I use my pommel a lot in the woods. Not a lot of hammering but more for pushing or tapping the point into something to either anchor the knife in place or make accurate splits in wood. The large tang even helps protect the handles when folks throw their blades. I personally don't recommend it but I know it does happen. This particular design is at least fifteen years old. It has a lot going for it. Mainly it is big enough but not so big as to be left back at home when you are out there. It does a lot of tasks well enough without being too specialized in design. The pommel does seem a bit extreme but it worked for me and I had never received any negative feedback from users. I have done a few of this pattern where the tang was either completely covered or partially covered. I always prefered the original design myself.
 
I use them quite a bit, mainly for pounding the blade into something to pry apart. I've also used them to break open nuts that I find. Although for me to want it, I want it on a thicker knife. Thinner knives I don't like them as much, but anything 3/16 or over I like them.
 
kgd said:
btw - I like the fact that you made fuzzies from a seasoned piece of wood rather than a green stick. Tougher to do and your fuzzies look good on a piece of wood where it was probably a challenge to do.
Click to expand...


Coming from you that means a LOT to me-as I'm sure you get a lot more time in the woods than I ever will

Thanks for the kind words
 
Use of the extended tang to pound the blade into something is valid.

Having the tang extended both protects the handle slabs as well as the hand being used to secure the knife while the other hand is pounding on the tang or hitting it with a baton or whatever. I find this useful because if one were to be tired (likely in a survival situation) one's aim would be less accurate and the likelihood of hitting your own hand may increase. Of course we all agree that injury is a bad thing. :D

-Stan
 
WILLIAM.M said:
Back to the pommel question. Greg liked the idea of an extended
and exposed pommel for hammering in the woods. He used it for small
hammering jobs such as hammering open wild nuts or shells and busting ice
off gear in winter. Ice is known to build up on snowshoes in particular.
Click to expand...
Ice isn't much of a factor in Alabama, but for cracking nuts, pounding tent pegs, etc. I prefer a flat butt. It's easy to miss with an extended tang, especially if you're bent over driving a tent peg that you can't actually see at the moment of impact. My pinky finger has seen an aluminum tent peg at the moment of impact a couple of times, though:(
 
OwenM said:
Ice isn't much of a factor in Alabama, but for cracking nuts, pounding tent pegs, etc. I prefer a flat butt. It's easy to miss with an extended tang, especially if you're bent over driving a tent peg that you can't actually see at the moment of impact. My pinky finger has seen an aluminum tent peg at the moment of impact a couple of times, though:(
Click to expand...

Tent pegs are perfect target's for nice, sturdy batons. I've also smashed a finger a time or two using a knife in a hammer role - never a good thing. Nowadays I'm more into using a baton or rock if a hammer isn't available.

For my purposes, I do think a pommel should be flat instead of pointy or even rounded. To me, a pommel is a striking surface and flat just works better.
 
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