I just returned from a backpacking trip in the Tahoe National Forest and wanted to post my impressions of my new Steel Heart's performance...
Overall, I am extremely pleased with the SH-E's performance. Over the course of the trip, I used the SH-E to tackle a variety of chores including digging, chopping, prying, and clearing brush. We also used the SH-E as a make-shift wedge to split portions of a fallen tree for firewood.
I was particularly pleased with the SH-E's chopping abilities. We used the Steel Heart and a small, Craftsman hatchet to cut a downed tree branch that was aprox. 7 to 8 inches in diameter into two smaller logs for our fire. In this task, the SH clearly out chopped my buddies hatchet making cleaner and deeper cuts. In all, it took us about ten minutes to chop the log in two with each of us taking turns working on the log.
As for its prying and log splitting abilities, we used the SH-E to split smaller portions of wood from a fallen tree that was aprox. two feet in diameter. To do this, we used the flat side of the hatchet to repeatedly drive the SH-E into the tree trunk and then pryed sections of the tree loose.
The SH-E was also used for light digging (whenever nature called
) as well as to split kindling and clear branches from the trail.
After all of this use, the SH-E was still sharp enough to shave hair with portions of the blade and was relatively unscathed. The krinkle coat is slighlty worn off of the butt end of the blade from being struck by the hatchet and is also slightly worn near the cutting portions of the blade. The blade is also slightly deformed in three places from the chopping. ( There is a 1/2 inch section on the belly of the blade and two 1/4 inch sections neart the tip.) Surprisingly, the blade is still straight after repeated use as a prybar, and the tip is undamaged after being repeatedly used as a wedge.
As for the sheath (from O/S Tactical), it also lived up to my expectations. I changed the position of the Tek-Lok so the sheath could be used for inverted carry on the strap of my pack and horizontal carry on the belt. Throughout the duration of the trip, the knife remained securely in its sheath. The sheath also withstood a fair amount off rough hanlding.
Excellent job Busse and On/Scene Tactical! I truly beat on the SH-E this trip and it took everything I could throw at it. Your products are definetly well deserving of their reputations as rugged, hard-use tools.
