Terrasaur or Leuku?

[fogdart]

I've been looking closely at both these models but haven't found a side by side comparison of the Terrasaur vs Leuku. Does anyone have a side by side photo of these two models. Also, would like to hear any opinions regarding likes or dislikes from folks who've owned/used them. I really love my Recluse so am drawn to the Leuku because of that but the Terrasaur has appeal of it's own. Any opinions, photos, recommendations? Thanks...

 

[catalystman80]

Working from home today, so thought I'd take some quick and dirty photos of my Leuku and Terrasaur. Doing this on the fly, so apologies in advance if some of it doesn't make much sense

Couple of shots: both are 5/32" 01, but as you can see the Terra is TT and the Leuku is SFT.

For me, they are two different models (well duh~ but please see below). Just some general comments for each model:
1. Leuku: Now I got this knife because like you, I love my recluse. I liked my recluse from the start because of its capability despite its relatively small form factor. I've found the contoured handle to be very comfortable for my larger hands (I wear between L and XL on most gloves), and I also found the primary convex grind to be quite shallow, making it an excellent cutter. Now they didn't necessarily translate directly into (my) Leuku. The convex'ing is a lot more pronounced on my version of Leuku (so steeper angle leading to the cutting edge), and the handle is also less contoured. Furthermore, the Recluse feels ever so slightly handle heavy vs. Leuku being ever so slightly blade forward in balance. These elements made it a completely different knife for me even though on the surface, they look like the larger (or smaller) versions of each other. Not sure whether you can tell, but I actually thinned out a bit of the primary grind on my Leuku (with my water stones) to make it a slightly better slicer. In all, its more robust construction, longer blade handle, and less contoured (relatively speaking) handle makes it a great small(ish) camp knife for me.
2. Terrasaur: Now I just got this couple of months ago, and will admit didn't get a chance to use it thoroughly enough to provide any solid comment. But relative to Leuku, the handles are more contoured, balance feels very centered (very nimble overall), shorter blade, and actually slightly longer handle. It's a drop point, but still has plenty of belly. And the primary bevel is shallower than Leuku (but possibly a stronger tip than Leuku). Just based on my personal experience, I know that, in general, I'll pick the Terrasaur over Leuku 9 out of 10 when it comes to practicing my bushcraft skills (unless I'm doing something heavier like shelter building). But I've also re-profiled the heck out of my Leuku to my personal preference, so both are excellent (for my purposes, mostly bushcraft/camping/backpacking/etc) in my opinion.

As you know, some of these elements will vary from knife to knife for a given model, so my comments are solely based on the specific Leuku and Terrasaur that I have.

Hope this was at least slightly useful.

Josh

Addition: Another view of the Leuku re-profiling from an older post

 

[Comprehensivist]

Hey Nathan,

I managed to get a few photos in before a rain storm hits this morning.

The handle on the Terrasaur is approximately 1/8” longer than the Leuku. The Leuku handle is taller at the front and back ends vs. the Terrasaur.



The center of the palm swell sits further back on the Terrasaur vs. the Leuku. This may be a factor in favor of the Terrasaur for folks with extra large hands. The Leuku feels just fine in my medium size hand.



Here is a bottom view of the handles. Notice where the reflection on the steel give another clue that the center of the palm swell is further back on the Terrasaur.



Of course J-Dog was around to supervise and approve this mini photo shoot.



If you have the Recluse and really like it, I would lean toward recommending the Leuku for you. The extra blade length on the Leuku vs. the Recluse makes it a better general purpose camp knife in my opinion. If you are looking for more of a dedicated bushcrafting knife, I can recommend the Terrasaur as an excellent choice. The choice will come down to your intended uses.

Please keep us posted what you think if you get one or both of these models.

Phil

 

[fogdart]

Josh/Phil, Thanks very much for the photos and information! Very helpful... The 'belly' contour on the Terrasaur looks similar to the Bear Paw which I find very comfortable. Seeing the two side by side helps a lot. I think I'd probably find the Terrasaur more useful but might just have to eventually 'compare' them for myself. Thanks again, guys! And thanks for including J-Dog, Phil... she's so cute!

 

[catalystman80]

Glad I could help, yeah, it's fun to do the comparisons, but we all know it's even more fun to just get them all They're like pokemons (catch'em catch'em gotta catch'em all)