Simonich Bitteroot

dewingrm

dewingrm

Gold Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2001
Messages
1,451
This is my first knife review and I hope I do it justice. I've been looking for a good neck knife for the better part of two years. I've tried quite a few neck knives that were in the $50 price range. The knives that I've tried include; CRKT F4, Spyderco Delica in Sastre neck rig, Spyderco G10 Harpy in Sastre neck rig, Emerson La Griffe and an R.W. Clark mini MAU. I found that all of these knives worked pretty well for neck carry but none of them were quite what I was looking for.

I decided to set a few requirements before I purchased my next neck knife. Here were my requirements in order of importance:
-fixed blade w/blade length under 3"
-thin profile
-lightweight
-no chisel grind
-VG-10 or S30V steel
-kydex sheath
-aesthetically appealing
-max price of $80


Well after a little searching I finally found the one neck knife that fit into my criteria, the Simonich Bitteroot. I had read about the Bitteroot in the Simonich forum and decided that it was the best bang for the buck. I purchased my Bitteroot from notdos here on the forum and recieved it in a couple of days.

My first impression: How do I get this damn thing out of it's sheath! I had to use a pen tip to wedge in the opening so I could yank the Bitteroot out of it's sheath. At first I thought this was going to be a problem but once I pulled it in and out of the sheath a couple of times some of the kydex got worn down enough to remedy this situation. The knife is tiny, at first I thought too small. After I handled it a little I really started to realize how well it sits in your hand. The traction grooves are perfectly placed, one set top of the handle for your thumb and the other on the bottom of the grip towards the rear of the handle for your middle finger. The blade itself was not shaving sharp but that was quickly remedied on my Sharpmaker. After close inspection of the blade I found a slight trace of a temper line. I don't know why but I just love seeing the temper line! I also found the handle holes to be aesthetically appealing. I really like the arrowhead hole and the three different sized holes, they're just something different.

I've only had the Bitteroot for one day so I really can't comment on how well it works on different material. The only thing that I've used it for was opening my mail and a cardboard box so I don't have any hard use tales. What I like most about the Bitteroot is it's very slim profile, it's extreme lightweight and aesthetics.

Overall I really like this little guy and I have no complaints. I think I finally found my perfect necker. I plan on using the Bitteroot for normal daily tasks and I may update this post in the future if I have any more comments. I hope I did this little knife justice. If anyone has any questions or comments please reply or send me an email.

*edited for grammar*
 
Thanks for the initial impression review. I can't wait to read your future ones for this knife. After looking at teeny-sized knives, I begged my wife and Santa both for a Bitterroot.
 
Thom, I hope you get a Bitteroot for Xmas cause I'm sure you'd like it.

I probably should have stated in the subject line that this was an initial impression of the Bitteroot and not a long drawn out professional review. I hope to update the post with more impressions as I use this necker. I'd also like to hear what others have to say about their Bitteroots. Any modifications?

Thanks
 
Hate to burst your bubble, but you're not seeing a hamon on a S30V blade. Probably, it's a buffer line where they put the edge on, but no temper line.

The Bitteroot is a great knife, though. I own one, and am looking for more.
 
I can always pretend that I see a temper line! :rolleyes:

I guess it was just wishful thinking since I have a fascination with differentially hardened blades. I've got a lot more learning to do when it comes to blade steels and heat treatment. Thanks for the info Danbo.
 
I was lookng for the perfect necker for a few years before I got my Bitteroot. It's everything I was looking for. Great cutter too, just ask my thumb (6 stitches:eek: ).

Paul
 
As a necker, pulling it out of its sheath is a bit hard, but clip that sheath onto your split-ring keyring, static-line it to your pocket, or wear it on a break-away chain around your neck -- you'll have no problems drawing the blade, and will appreciate the security/tightness of the Concealex/Kydex fit.

:)

Better yet, get the sharkskin Snoody Bitteroot Sheath Belt.

:)

I love my Talonite Bitteroot, it's among my compliment of true "everyday" EDCs (it's wonderful in situations where you're among a group of sheeple; you'll be amazed at how many go "what a cute little knife!"), and gives me a direct link to a man I would have loved to meet and shake the hand of.

Allen
aka DumboRAT
 
My Bitteroot was a little tight coming out of the sheath too. It looks like the corner of the front of the finger cut out was left a little too squarish. Nothing a little 600 grit paper didn't take care of quickly. Just knock the corner off a little, and your sheath will fit much better. Mine was so sharp, it was actually shaving a little kydex off each time I pulled it out. Love this little knife though. Thinking about putting some thin handles on mine.
 
That would work nicely, and I would think a fob like on a Sebenza might be a nice touch too. I was considering using stainless screws to hold on some thin micarta, wood, or ivory slabs.
 
I also thought about cord wrapping the handle of mine but decided not to because I don't want to lose the thin profile. I might add a little paracord fob to give me a little more grip though.
 
That's how I cut myself with mine, putting a cord wrap on it. Yanked it right out of the sheath.:grumpy:

Paul
 
Originally posted by dsvirsky
Has anyone tried cordwrapping their Bitteroot?
Click to expand...

There's variations on cord-wraps, pictures, on the Simonich sub-Forum.

:)

I tried a few, none seemed to fit me just right, and I felt they took away from the natural lines of the Bitteroot. I finally put a CRK noose knot of about 2-inch length on it through the second round hold, which gives me more than enough leverage to assist draw from my Snoody belt.

:)

Allen
aka DumboRAT
 
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