Temperance 2 and the Fallkniven F1. HELP ME!!!

C

cab10

Joined
Nov 6, 2007
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Hi,

I have come along a bumpy road of scouring forum posts, videos and online reviews. I now am looking specifically at 2 blades and want to drum up a bit of a debate to help me make my final decision before parting with my cash!

I want a new blade in my collection, something I will be working hard and using till it either breaks on me or it outlives me. Please don't interpret this like I will abuse the knife - I just won't be tiptoeing around like a fanny.

Primary uses besides a general utility cutter will be preparing firewood and small bushcraft tasks like carving, making traps, building pot stands and the like.

I don't need machete like chopping power but will be batoning down wet wood in to dryer match (not big diameters).

I like the fallkniven f1 for its utilitarian style and blade strength - but I LOVE the look of the temperance 2, almost a custom blade in my opinion. And the handle wins over the f1 hands down.

I am leaning towards the spyderco at the moment, by the looks of it it's about as thick as the fallkniven for the most part of the blade so I would think batoning would be fine if I use the back end of the blade and don't go whacking the tip off the knife like some brainless oaf.

...but perhaps the steel will be too brittle?

....and then do I want a flat ground blade???

I'm well aware the spiderco comes from a fighting/defence design but it looks like it would make a great all rounder, I mean... A baseball bat was built for sport but 9 out of 10 people have one behind the front door!! .


SO... What are your experiences with these blades?? Has anyone had the guts to go out and use the temperance 2 the way we all want to (and are probably too afraid to do!!)

has anyone got both?? I would love to see some side by side photos as I can't walk in to a shop and look at them where I love.

I'm in the UK and there's £50 between the two knives so money isn't really a factor in my decision making process.
 
I have an F1 and a Temperance 1 (I know it's a little different than the 2) and am familiar with the 2s materials and dimensions. Non of these would I recommend for batoning however all of them are, or would be effective for basic camp chores, carving, or trap making.

I love the way the Temperance 2 looks, those natural Micarta scales make it quite the looker in my opinion. I also love my f1 and feel like its a little better suited for the goals you have in mind (just not as pretty).

If you are looking to baton firewood and such, maybe something a little more brutish would be best. Becker and Esee both make some capable blades for extreme hard use chores. I dont know if vg10 (f1 and temperance) is the best steel for slamming into wood, but I have no doubt that 1095 is up for the task!
 
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+1 on the Esee and Beckers for the listed chores. Esee 6 would be choice #1, then a Becker BK2.
 
I have had better experience with the F1 so I'll say go with that, but for batoning wood id say go for a Becker of some sort or even a Glock 78, love this knife both for the utilitarian purposes and the price....>$40 bucks for a knife that has surpassed abuse tests that broke my first BK2, can't beat it haha


That test made me a bit of a loyalist to the 78
 
I also love that Temperance 2, but would be reluctant to beat on it much because it's so darned expensive! Def on my short list of future knives though. I think it'd be a good slicer and maybe field knife for deer/hog hunting. I think the question also might be dependent on whether you want the F1 in VG-10 or 3G. I have an F2 in VG-10, and while I like the steel a lot for fishing/hunting, cutting the hard stuff (wood, bones, etc.) usually requires it to have a touch up shortly after. I hear the 3G has outstanding blade retention, but that's just internet hearsay. :-) I think either way, for what you want it for, I'd go with the F1.
 
I have both and find each to be excellent all-around knives but I don't baton with either one. I leave that task to my bushcraft style knives in 01, A2, and CPM-3V or just use an axe. That being said I don't think the light batoning you mentioned would be an issue for either one. The F1's versatility and quality is well known. Lesser known is the qualities of the Temp2, which has one of the best designed handles in a production knife of this size and is a very well made knife. I find the F1 better than the Temp 2 for more detailed work such as carving and game processing due to the more narrow blade width and the Temp 2 to be a superior slicer and camp chef knife. I'm a strong proponent of the 2 knife solution for outdoor carry needs in order to help eliminate inevitable single blade shortcomings, but if I had to go with one or the other I would opt for the F1 due to bang for the buck and the detail work advantage. Both are keepers though.

Here are some size comparison photos.

F1 & Temp 2 spine.jpgF1 & Temp 2.jpg
 
I've got both knives, and they are amongst my favourite users. They both have a lot going for them and I'd feel quite happy with either of them for the tasks you listed. I know I'm not helping you out very much, sorry.

The Temperance 2 is a great design, the handle is super comfortable (I've got big hands), the sheath is great and the blade geometry is very useful. It has a thinner tip than the F1, a bit better for detail carving. Its biggest drawback is that is costs more than $200.

The F1 has a shorter, but thicker (4.5mm), blade. It's convex ground, which I love (especially in a thick knife). The handle is almost too small for my hands, not in length but in thickness (I guess that's very personal). What I like about the F1 is that the design is very streamlined and compact. It's very low key and comfortable to carry everyday. Both types of F1 sheaths (leather and zytel) are functional if a bit bulky, but I'd love to see a simple molded kydex one. The zytel sheath just looks horrible, so I went with the enclosed leather sheath.

My photography skills are rather poor, but here are some side by side pictures of mine. The micarta handle on the Temperance 2 got darker after a few months of use (I'm sure I can clean it up, but I like it that way).

In their sheaths.
DSC02355.JPG


Side by side. Notice how much larger the Temperance 2 is, it's not just the extra blade length. Something I love about the F1 is how small a package it is.
DSC02362.JPG


Temperance 2 on the left, F1 on the right. The Temperance 2 has a much more pronounced blade taper. The stouter F1 blade only gets a little thinner towards the very tip.
DSC02360.JPG


Spine comparison. The F1 is half a milimiter thicker.
DSC02359.JPG
 
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I love the Temperance 2, but my experience with VG-10 in general tells me that if you plan to beat it with a stick, there are better choices available.
 
Have the F1. It is in my roll out bag and sometimes on my belt in a Kydex with TEKLOK sheath. It is the one utilitarian knife I will always keep. Inn fact I got rid of most of my others after using it.
 
If you're in the UK I'd say that there is a third much more attractive choice: the EKA H8 has a blade very similar to the F1 in shape but slightly shorter and full flat grind. It's 12c27, which is a very well proven steel for tough jobs. The H8 isn't much of a bargain, but several UK sellers have the blade only for around thirty pounds. Sticking one between two pieces of micarta dremelled to the shape of a Temperance handle would be idiot simple (the H8 tang wouldn't run the full length of the handle but you'd just epoxy a piece of 4mm micarta into the gap.)

An H8 with its own handle in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9JWwCKvNZg
 
If looking at the description of the suggested use: neither knife looks like a good choice to me. Falkniven or Temperance are less than adequate substitution for a hatchet in my opinion. I think you better consider something fool-proof: like ESEE or Becker - they are probably not that good at cutting but they will do the tasks that you have got on your mind.
 
If not a survival situation and you have time to plan ahead, or unless weight is an issue, by all means use a hatchet/small axe and saw for wood prep. Faster and easier than any knife, and the knife is spared. And a smaller knife is more suitable as a rule for most other camp chores, including food prep.
 
I'm only going to be batoning down sticks about 1-2 inch diameter guys!! Like I say big stuff gets the hatchet treatment.
 
Maybe your trees are a lot softer than ours. I've chipped enough VG-10 on the wood around here to believe that beating a blade of that steel through a 2 inch branch qualifies as a Bad Idea.
 
I'm surprised no one's commenting on the VG-10 vs. 3G on the Fallkniven. I agree with the comments that VG-10 in general isn't a good beating steel, but what about the F1 in 3G? It's nearly double the price of the VG-10 model, so I'd hope that it's a better all around steel for that knife.
 
Planetcat said:
I'm surprised no one's commenting on the VG-10 vs. 3G on the Fallkniven. I agree with the comments that VG-10 in general isn't a good beating steel, but what about the F1 in 3G? It's nearly double the price of the VG-10 model, so I'd hope that it's a better all around steel for that knife.
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There is no such thing as an best all around steel. Everything comes with trade offs. Some are harder (hold an edge longer), some are softer (take more of a beating). Price is also a trade off.

@OP, same advice I give to every other bushcrafter. Get a mora for the dirty jobs.
 
Planetcat said:
I'm surprised no one's commenting on the VG-10 vs. 3G on the Fallkniven. I agree with the comments that VG-10 in general isn't a good beating steel, but what about the F1 in 3G? It's nearly double the price of the VG-10 model, so I'd hope that it's a better all around steel for that knife.
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The F1 3G would be even less suitable for batoning that VG-10. High hardness steels are generally great for edge retention but no so great for impact toughness. Steels like 01, A2, 1095, and CPM-3V heat treated for impact toughness are much better choices for batoning than VG-10 or 3G.
 
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cab10 said:
I'm only going to be batoning down sticks about 1-2 inch diameter guys!! Like I say big stuff gets the hatchet treatment.
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You were very clear about this, yes.

However, some Americans have a religion based on buying large quantities of poorly made exepsnive knives. These get damaged when baton cutting or chopping, and the manufacturer and congregation therefore declare these tasks are forbidden. I suggest just carrying on.
 
Brisket said:
The F1 3G would be even less suitable for batoning that VG-10. High hardness steels are generally great for edge retention but no so great for impact toughness. Steels like 01, A2, 1095, and CPM-3V heat treated for impact toughness are much better choices for batoning than VG-10 or 3G.
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Ignore this too. The knife is 5mm thick and it is being batonned into wood; impact toughness isn't really a factor - any correctly manufactured knife in this class will be fine.

The "even less suitable" is especially silly. The F1 is designed to baton, it is widely used to baton, and this guy clearly has no understanding of what he is talking about - considering a blade material separately from the thickness and cross section is meaningless to begin with, but doubly so in this case because the blade is LAMINATED - it has a core of VG10 to provide the cutting edge but is clad in, what, 440C? 12c27? Something like that. Anyway, just ignore these people and google "Falkniven F1 batoning."

That said, I wouldn't buy either knife because the prices for them are crazy in the UK. I'd go with a Mora 2000 or MTech Rescue team or that H8 blade.
 
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