Spring 2013 Wilderness Custom Knifemaker's Challenge UPDATE, PICS PAGE 5

[Moosez45]

This year, we hosted the Custom Knifemaker's Challenge at our biannual Beckerhead Gathering, in East Tennessee. It was an honor and a privilege to do so.

A brief foreword regarding how I went about getting this setup, and hopefully share my thoughts in preparing for this honor.

When Chris (KFU) contacted me about hosting this Challenge, I was really excited to get a chance to play with several custom knives. I wanted to make sure we put them to the test, played fair, and gave honest, no holds barred feedback. If anything I "say" in this review seems negative, it is not intended so. I have the utmost respect for those that can do something that I simply cannot do. I just want to offer honest, point blank feedback.

The knife will need to be a bushcraft/camp knife, 4.5" to 5.5" blade geared towards slicing. It will be used for food prep, bushcraft tasks, etc. everything else is open to the maker.

Based on this statement, Ethan and I decided that fresh cut green bamboo would be our medium of choice for the bushcraft/camp knife. Slicing was considered a secondary function, that fell under the guise of carving/cutting. With that, we setup our challenge.



Our testers and people onsite had a wide variety of backgrounds, as well as physical builds. How does this transfer to the Challenge? Some guys would rate a knife ergonomics a 5, others would rate the same knife a 1. Each person is different, and we tried to incorporate that diversity in the testers. The background ranged from weekenders to retired 7th Group Special Forces, to 30 year veterans of knife designs. As broad as a spectrum as I could arrange.

Each knife was individually numbered, with each maker's name being left off the identification of the knife, some were known instantly on sight, some were not discovered until we set down to discuss each knife in our round table meeting.

We basically tested each knife in two categories, Form and Function. How it looked, and how it worked. I broke each category down into sub sections, which are as follows:

Form
Aesthetics/Fit/Finish
Design
Overall Package (sheath, firesteel, etc.)

Use
Comfort
Edge
Edge Retention
Overall Package(culmination of all the knife's aspects for use)

Each category and subcategory was rated on a 1-5 scale, 1 being poor, 5 being excellent. I didn't see the need to get into more gradients than that.

Each knife was set out, used for two days, by all testers, for various tasks, with the most strenuous being used in the construction of a green bamboo bed/platform/shelter. Some knives were batonned, lightly, and by lightly, I mean used to score the bamboo rounds. Only 4 knives were "beat", and that came at the affirmation of the maker. We had 3 makers onsight, and the fourth was a friend of mine, that I could speak for in regards to the use of his knife.

We tried to cover the most basic of cuts that are used in bushcraft, push cuts, lever chest pull, snap cuts, and tip boring. I could not be everywhere, to take pictures of everything, and that is my greatest regret.

Regarding the pictures that will follow, as I said, my biggest regret, was not being able to photograph every knife doing everything. With 8 testers, 16 knives, and around 25 people on the hill, there was much going on, everywhere, everyplace, all the time. That is my fault, there were several people taking pictures throughout, and I will be in contact with them, to get as many pictures of the knives as I can.

In the following posts, the first will be the simple scores and winners of the Challenge, then, there will be an individual review of each knife, and slew of pictures of the entire event.

I hope you enjoy it, as we certainly enjoyed using these marvelous blades. Thank you.


Moose

 

[Moosez45]

Well, here we go......the part that everyone wants to see.

I bet the rest of my review won't be read after this post.

First Place Winners

Dave Behrens Dave Behrens(268/280) and Matt Tackett tacket113 (268/180)









2nd Place
Todd Hunt TMHunt(263/280)

3rd Place
Rob Battle Creek Knives(251/280)

4th place
Bruce Culbertson (233/280)

5th place
Adam Gray AAForge (227/280)

6th place
Peter PJM (223/280)

7th place
Chris KFU (219/280)

8th place
James Terrio (213/280)

9th place
Bill Akers bacustomknives (200/280)

10th place
Mitchell Shaw Shaw Blades (194/280)

11th place
Douglas Lanz el0147 (171/280)

Removed from testing due to damage
Daizee
Mudbug007
Big Chris
Rick Marchand

Gentlemen, congratulations. It was an honor using your knives.
These scores were based upon a single event, under specific conditions, and should be taken as such.

Every submission was excellent.

I used your stock photo's, mostly because I suck at taking pictures, and I failed to get individual pictures of each blade. That is my fault, and I apologize.

Moose

 

[Moosez45]

Dave Behrens

Form
Aesthetics/Fit/Finish (AFF) 5,5,5,5,5,4,4,5 Total 38

Very well done symmetric package. Fluid lines, even grinds on the handle, and blade. The micarta was left a little rough, which just grabbed in the hand. No gaps. The handle just fits the hand perfect, creating a natural comfortable grip.

Overall Package (OP) 4,5,4,3,5,4,4,4 Total 33

Stunningly tooled and stitched sheath, with double threading. Wide loop on the back for variety of belts. The knife sits deep, with stiff but smooth retention. The knife came in a package that could have been punted into the yard, and not moved the knife.

Design (D) 5,5,5,5,5,5,4,5 Total 39

Simple design, simple materials. Even convex/saber grind, with a strong tip. Slight relief behind the blade, allowing for a comfortable choke up on the blade. Contours of the handle are well placed and even.

Use
Comfort (C) 5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5 Total 40, aces

Prolonged and strenuous use was easy on the hands. A very natural grip.

Edge (E) 5,5,5,5,5,4,5,5 Total 39
thin edge, but nicely contoured to a microbevel. Created good seperation on splits, and held up to boreing holes.

Edge Retention(ER) 5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5 Total 40 aces
Never sharpened, still slices paper cleanly

Overall (OAL) 4,5,5,5,5,5,5,5 Total 39

Just a solid built knife and sheath, that can take some use, but slice thin veggies. The comfort and edge retention really made this one a pleasure to whittle and carve with.




Final total 268

 

[Moosez45]

Matt Tackett

Form

AFF 5,5,5,4,5,4,5,5 Total 38

No gaps, symmetric grinds. Handle was even, with a grippy finish on the wood. Pin placement and color choice, were well thought out. The hamon line is eye catching.

OP 5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5 Total 40 aces

Um, BaldingEagle sheath, left nothing to be desired in a knife scabbard. Excellent craftmanship, combination leathers, and an aged dye job. Really brought the right attitude with this knife. Knife sits deep, with a smooth draw. Very smooth.

D 5,5,4,4,4,5,5,5 Total 37

Simple, basic bushcraft design, with a good balance and well proportioned handle.

Use

C 5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5 Total 40 aces

No way, no how was this knife a chore to use. Very comfortable in the hand, powerful grip potential everywhere. No hot spotting on the front hollow pin. Thick blade, with a good high grind, and well balanced.

E 4,4,4,4,5,5,5,5 Total 36
Thin edge, but robust shoulders. High grind, and a strong tip.

ER 5,5,5,5,4,5,5,4 Total 38

Never sharpened, was still scary sharp at the round table.

OAL 5,5,5,5,5,5,4,5 Total 39

Colonel Defender picked this knife up, first thing, as soon as I set it out of the box. Once it was numbered, he put it on his hip. The only time he took it off, was for the the rogue's gallery photo, then it went back on. We had to go ask to use it. As soon as the round table was done, he paid Matt.



Final Total 268

Moost

 

[Moosez45]

Todd Hunt

Form

AFF 5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5 Total 40, aces

Todd's entry was a nice build. The added corian was nice. Flowing lines, symmetric grinds, no gaps

OP 5,5,5,4,4,4,4,4 Total 35

The sheath was simple, robust, waterproofed, with even stitching. Held the knife low and secure, with a smooth, but firm draw.

D 5,5,5,5,5,4,5,5 Total 39

Very utilitarian point, with a thick edge grind. Balanced well in the hand

Use

C 5,5,4,5,5,2,5,5 Total 36

Very well contoured handles, no hot spots at the corian transition. Bird's head makes tight grip area.

E 5,5,5,4,4,5,3,5 Total 36

Thick edge, but symmetric. Had to work the blade into the media sometimes.

ER 5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5 Total 40, aces

Hair popping sharp when it came, and left.

OAL 5,5,5,4,5,4,5,5 Toatl 37

Very solid, overall package. Simple sheath, fancy blade. The added corian over black, made for an eye catching combo. Nice, comfy handles, with a stout blade. Highly sought after throughout the entire ordeal. It left with Todd. :grumpy:

I did pick up a Yuma, though, and I do believe the final name for this blade, was the Tradewater.

Photo by Mistwalker

Total 263

Moose

 

[Moosez45]

Battle Creek Knives

Form

AFF 4,5,5,5,5,5,5,4 Total 38

Even grinds, no gaps. Nice selection of wood. The mosaic looks like a correction, but is well done. Slight raised areas on the pins and material transitions.

OP 5,4,4,4,4,4,4,4 Total 33

Simple, but rugged sheath. Knife sits deep with loose retention. Nice even stitching, but matching firesteel.

D 4,4,5,4,4,3,3,4 Total 31

Basic bushcrafter with some flare. Round "broomhandle" style handle, and pointy tip.

Use

C 5,5,5,5,5,5,3,3 Total 36

Broomhandle style handle was first met with criticism, but grew on the testers for a comfortable cutter. Rear weighted and balances well.

E 5,5,5,5,5,5,5,4 Total 39

Scandi grind with a stropped microbevel. Cut like a laser

ER 5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5 Total 40, aces

Poppin' hairs coming in, and going out.

OAL 4,4,4,5,5,4,4,4

Taken from the bushcrafter basic design, Rob hands off a tough, no nonsense package. Rugged scandi grind, with round, filling handle, and a basic sheath that till take you right to the woods, right out of the box.



Total 251

Moose

 

[Moosez45]

Bruce Culberson

Form

AFF 4,4,3,4,5,5,5,4 Total 34

Slight gap in the handle, between the spacer and stock, one scale's contours are deeper than the other. Other than that, I thought it was well done

OF 3,4,4,4,5,5,5,3 Total 33

Separation of stitching material at 4 points of the loop through, and a few more on the belt loop. Some type of adhesive on the stitching on the back. Knife retention strap wraps around 180 degrees of the handle

D 4,4,4,4,4,4,3,4 Total 31

Simple wood handle, with a "nessmuk" feel to the blade shape. Nice high grind, slight convex with a with a solid, strong tip. Reliefs cut at the top of the handles work great

Use

C 4,4,4,4,5,4,2,4 Total 31

Handle has a "square" feeling to it, but the reliefs at the top of the handle were perfect

E 4,4,4,4,5,5,4,5 Total 35

Nice thin edge, with robust backing, full rounded sweep made it a slicing monster

ER 5,5,4,5,5,4,4,4 Total 36

Still takes hair clean off your arm.

OAL 4,4,4,4,4,4,5,4 Total 33

I've only seen pictures of Bruce's work here on the forums, I was really looking to get my hands on one. I was impressed with the blade shape and design, as, I thought they worked real well. Slight convexing, full sweeping edge, thin, but well backed edge, this thing cut. I did find the "blockiness" of the handle to be a bit uncomfortable for prolonged work. But the whole package was real attractive, right out of the box.



Total 233














Adam Gray

Form

AFF 5,5,4,5,5,5,4,4 Total 37

Beautifully rendered wood over micarta handle. Symmetric grinds, flowing lines, brass hardware.

OP 4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4 Total 32

Simple, pouch sheath, but well done. Sinew stitching, "bushcrafter" squared bottom, with a dangler belt loop. Knife sits deep, with a firm grasp of the knife

D 4,4,4,4,5,4,4,4 Total 33

Saber grind, with a dramatic point. Reliefs cut at the top of the handle, with a wide bottom at the lanyard hole. Slightly "boxy" feel to the handle.

Use

C 5,3,4,4,5,4,2,4 Total 31

Squared off corners at the reliefs cut at the top of the handle, wore on the hand some. Smooth finished wood got slippery when wet. Fills the hand well, with slight contours

E 4,2,4,4,4,4,3,4 Total 33

The edge require an effort to get it and start cutting, which is strange, its a rather thin edge. Wasn't hair popping sharp, but had a toothier edge, which worked well in the bamboo

ER 5,4,5,5,4,4,3,4 Total 34

Drags hair off the arm, but it don't make it jump off

OAL 4,4,4,4,4,4,4,3 Total 31

I was surprised the scores weren't higher on this knife, as, my opinion was, it was well done. I do know that there were mixed feelings about the handle, and the edge geometry.



Total 227

Moose

 

[Moosez45]

PJM

Form

AFF 4,5,5,4,4,4,2,4 Total 32

Beautiful knife. Even symmetric grind and good choice of material

OP 4,5,4,3,4,4,4,4 Total 32

I don't understand these scores, but that's what came up, the sheath is gorgeous wood over moose antler(please correct me if I'm wrong!!) and a matching firesteel. There are some unenven stitch holes. I thought it should have scored higher.

D 5,5,5,4,5,5,5,5 Total 39

Nice even high grind, and the hidden lanyard hole is just awesome.

Use

C 3,2,3,4,2,4,1,2 Total 21

The sharp corners at the top of the finger relief under the ricasso, really dug into you. Rough and uneven edges between the bone and the wood. Hardware was surface mounted.

E 4,4,4,4,5,4,5,5 Total 35

Thin, made for cutting, and slid through with little effort.

ER 4,4,5,5,5,5,5,5 Total 38

Stayed sharp enough to cut with ease, throughout.

OAL 4,4,3,4,3,3,2,3 Total 26

What a stunning knife, all the looks are right on, but the squared, sharp handles where difficult to work with.



Total 223













KFU

Form

AFF 4,4,4,4,5,4,5,4 Total 34

No gaps, even grinds. Fully etched.

OP 4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4 Total 32

Basic Brown foldover sheath, with even stitching. There are a few off holes. Holds the blade deep and secure, with a smooth draw

D 4,4,3,3,3,3,5,4 Total 29

Contoured handles, with a basic spearpoint tip. Thick grinds


Use

C 5,3,4,5,5,4,5,4 Total 34

Nicely contoured handles, but the relief edges on the top of the handle were sharp. Heavy.

E 5,3,3,4,3,4,3,4 Total 29

Thick edge grinds, had to muscle it into the media.

ER 4,4,4,4,4,5,4 Total 29

Won't shave hair but will cut paper roughly.

OAL 4,3,4,4,5,4,4 Total 28

Overbuilt and rugged blade. After a good sharpening, and some slight sanding, its gonna be a beast of a bushcrafter. I retained this knife for services rendered and some cash.



Total 216

Moose

 

[Moosez45]

James Terrio

Form

AFF 4,3,3,4,4,3,4,4 Total 29

Even grinds, smooth lines, no gaps. Chipping around one of the pins, and the pins have a slight raise.

OP 3,3,3,4,4,4,3,3 Total 27

Basic pouch sheath, with even stitching. Some fraying of the stitches. Internal belt loop was nice touch.

D 5,3,4,4,4,4,4 Total 32

Good handle, full flat ground, with a thin edge, with a good balance

Use

C 5,4,4,3,4,4,4,4 Total 32

Thinner handle than some of the others, but with good contours. The micarta was grippy when wet.

E 4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4 Total 32

Thin edge, but with a deformed edge grind. Looks underground about an 1 1/4" out.

ER 3,4,4,4,5,4,3,4 Total 31

Won't cut hair, but will rough cut paper

OAL 4,3,4,3,3,4,4,5 Total 30

Nice blade, but the edge deformity and blunted tip are hard to overlook. Comfortable handles though.



Total 213












Bill Akers

*I did not have any interaction with this knife, other than holding it, and no longer have it in my possession to offer a fit and finish review. Therefore I will offer no comments on it, since I have no firsthand knowledge of the knife. I have no reviewer comments in my notes. This is my fault and I apologize.

Form

AFF 4,4,3,4,3,4,4,5 Total 31

OP 4,4,3,3,4,3,4,4 Total 29

D 4,4,2,3,3,3,3,3 Total 25

Use

C 4,3,4,4,4,4,2,3 Total 28

E 4,4,4,4,4,3,4,2 Total 29

ER 5,4,4,4,4,3,4,4 Total 32

OAL 4,3,2,3,4,3,4,3 Total 26



Total 200

Moose

 

[Moosez45]

Mitchell Shaw

Form

AFF 4,4,3,4,3,3,3,3 Total 27

No gaps, good grind. Lots of sharp edges.

OP 3,3,3,3,2,2,2,3 Total 21

Rough, unseale/tyed edges. Some uneven stitches. Knife sits deep, but loose retention. Just needs to be finished, really.

D 4,3,3,3,3,3,3,3 Total 25

Broke back Seax style knife blade, with a thin but grippy handle.

Use

C 4,4,2,3,4,3,4,3 Total 27

Thin handle with forward and rear contours, made it hard to get a grip on

E 4,4,4,4,4,4,3,3 Total 30

Thin tough edge. I personally think this one should have scored higher. High, full fat ground, cut like a laser for me.

ER 5,4,5,4,5,5,3,3 Total 34

Sharp in, less sharp out. Drags hair off, and smooth cuts paper

OAL 4,3,4,3,4,4,4,4 Total 30

The initial look of the Brokeback Seax, threw me off. But the distal taper on the tang was well done. Slightly too thin of a handle doesn't back up the blade.



Total 194
















Douglas Lanz

Form

AFF 4,4,3,3,3,4,2,3 Total 26

Uneven grinds, offset in plunge. Nice choice in wood, though

OP 3,4,3,2,4,4,3,2 Total 25

Western feel to the sheath. Uneven stitches, but well tooled. Tip of sheath has an area where too much leather was removed, and some over dye.

D 3,3,2,3,5,1,4,3 Total 23

Short grind, and the swedge was hard to understand. Short, thin handle

Use

C 2,2,2,3,3,1,2,3 Total 18

Thin, short handles. Hard to keep a hold of, and had some sharp corners at the finger relief.

E 3,3,2,3,5,1,4,3 Total 24

Rather thick, short grind makes it a hard edge to get in and cut with.

ER 3,4,4,4,5,3,4,5 Total 32

Drags hair and smooth cuts paper.

OAL 3,,3,2,3,4,2,3,3 Total 23

We just never seemed to get a handle (pun intended ) on this one. Its small size and thick grind really put it behind the rest. The swedge had us baffled and really broke up the flow of the blade. The tip is a needle picker, excellent for boring and piercing, and a fantastic choice in wood.



Total 171

Moose

 

[Psyop]

Subscribed

 

[bacustomknives]

MOOSEZ45:

Well, here we go......the part that everyone wants to see.

I bet the rest of my review won't be read after this post.

First Place Winners

Dave Behrens Dave Behrens(268/280) and Matt Tackett tacket113 (268/180)


SURE IT WILL BE READ PROBABLY OVER AND OVER BY ALL OF US! SO DONT THINK THAT, VERY GREAT JOB AND FAST RESULTS COULDNT ASKED FOR ANYTHING BETTER FROM ALL OF YOU!It just aint about photos an numbers, a learning exsperiece for the most part for us all!

 

[unit]

I'm in

 

[bacustomknives]

CONGRATS EVERYONE!!!! :thumbup:
From top right of the knife layout photo to my knife it was 9th lol, look how they lay pretty much in order

 

[Moosez45]

Chris Berry

Astoundingly beautiful knife, with excellent fit and finish. I mean, the micarta grain on the handles matches perfectly. No gaps, with even, smooth flowing lines. The word sexy comes to mind.

The entire blade was very thin, with a whisper thin edge. Slicing through the bamboo, was a breeze.

For the purpose of slicing, which is what the maker had in mind, there was only one other to be counted in the same category.

Well well one kydex sheath, with no belt attachments, but excellent retention, and a smooth easy draw.

I loved this knife, and I showed this knife especially when I told the guys no rough stuff with the thin knives.

This was the first one to go, then another, then another, and then another. We lost 4 knives in 15 minutes or so. I was literally sick to my stomach.

Chris makes a fantastic knife, this in no way should reflect poorly on his work.



Donald Lawson

I loved this knife. It was one I was really wanting to use. The burlap micarta is magnificent. The handle is a little square, but with the thin edge, thin grind, and thin stock, this one was the slicer. Nice coutours on the handle, and plenty of real estate to find a grip.

The edge rippled, which sucks. Honestly, you were able to really get a lot of leverage with that robust handle and get plenty of power in to the cuts.

No gaps, the hardware was well hidden in the color pattern of the burlap. The grind had one spot near the height of the plunge.

What a great knife, and Mudbugz007 will be getting a call from me in the future.



Rick Marchand

Easily the most sought after blade at the Gathering. I wanted it, Ethan wanted it, Derek wanted it. What a gorgeous knife.

If it hadn't chipped out, I do think it would have one. The handle is simply breathtaking, comfortable, and had plenty of real estate for your mitts.

It had a thin edge, with a robust convex grind behind it. Sticky sharp, and had some heft.

The sheath was a work of art. I'm not sure how he does it, but the leather is brilliant.

There was nothing about this knife I didn't like. Cut like it had a motor on it.

Damn.



Daizee

My knife. I threw it in the mix just because. Obviously, I'm gonna be biased, so, I'll spare you.

Thick high grind, with a thin edge. A grip that fits like a glove.

The edge chipped out on it, but it was so small, it will be gone on the next sharpening.

The guys were instructed to cease and desist immediately up noticing an issue. Once it chipped, it was taken out.



Moose

 

[Shaw Blades]

Looking forward to the detailed reviews.

Congratulations Dave & Matt. :applouse:

Thanks to everyone who made this happen.

 

[BaldingEagle]

Awesome congratulations to all the entries! Your are all to be commended. Woo Hoo! We finally know the results. For the record, I would be proud to own any of the entries. Beautiful work gentlemen. Congrats to the winners.
All the best
Balding

 

[DCL Knives]

Just competing with you guys was good enough for me! Congrats to the winners, and thanks moose for doing this! I look forward to seeing the individual write ups.

 

[BaldingEagle]

I am not quite understanding the scoring. It appears by the numbers that Dave clearly has more points than Matt. Am I missing something?

 

[bacustomknives]

i am not quite understanding the scoring. It appears by the numbers that dave clearly has more points than matt. Am i missing something?

typo ~