- Joined
- Mar 8, 2008
- Messages
- 25,970
Biggest disappointments: Cold Steel Survival Edge and Two Handed Katana Machete, Condor 12" Sabertooth, and Ontario "Camp Knife" (clone of the old Camillus "DEMO" military SAK-like folder)
The Survival Edge had the potential to finally be a practical application of a hollow handled knife. Doing it on a partial tanged Mora-esque knife that would be unlikely to get beaten on and pried with like other more robust hollow-handled designs was something that made sense to me. Unfortunately the execution of the concept SUCKS. Crappy floppy poorly-designed sheath, square edges on the guard that makes it really uncomfortable, and the handle is literally round which they could have avoided thanks to the miracles of injection molding. They could have made the handle oval but the hollow round still, but I guess they didn't bother to think of that.
the factory edge was pathetic as well, and the bevel rounded by heavy buffing.
The Two-Handed Katana Machete was too long in the handle with a short tang and overly thick polypropylene at the top of the grip. The harmonics and balance are the worst on any machete I have ever used. If held like an actual katana the point of balance is inside your top hand which makes cuts anaemic and handling incredibly bizarre, as if you were pushing the machete around in zero gravity or something. In order to get any real cutting power out of it you have to hold it at the very end of the handle, and then the poor harmonics transfer massive shock to the hand when striking resistant targets. Awful as a machete, awful as a sword. Good thing they redeemed themselves with the Cutlass Machete, Jungle Machete, and the revamped Barong.
The Condor Sabertooth was a big disappointment partly because of how good it could have been. It's a good machete, and the saw has potential though they need to set and sharpen the teeth much better--but at least it has teeth that are settable and sharpenable! I consider the blade itself the best saw-backed machete available on the market right now because while the Gerber/Fiskars ones have the best saw they're barely usable as actual machetes and the Sabertooth is the best fusion of the two I've seen other than the saw needing some attention from a sawyer. The disappointment MOSTLY comes from the handle and sheath. The handle is uncharacteristically clunky and blocky--it's just really quite a mediocre handle. The same goes for the sheath. The material is fine--the nylon is nice and heavy duty, and they had the cool idea of putting a strip of leather down the spine on the inside to give the saw something to chew on instead of the nylon though I would have preferred a strip of thin high density polyethylene (the stuff used for cutting boards). But again, the form is awkward and the belt loop is thin and in a weird spot. The whole thing seems just kind of slapped together from a design standpoint, which is unlike them. Big letdown.
The Ontario Camp Knife was a knife I really wanted to like. The design is a classic and I love that it's still being made by a USA company. However, steer clear. The QC is the worst I have seen on any knife. Consistent problems (to the point of it being more normal to find them than not) included overground kicks that cause the tip of the knife to slam into the backspring on closure, inconsistent spring strength (with some being floppy and some being literal nail-breakers) burnt tips, CRACKED back springs, and the bale being over-tightened during riveting so that it pinched the operation of the tools on that end if rotated a certain way. I had to drop them from my line because I literally couldn't get more than one good one out of a dozen and then I was worried about problems I couldn't see and didn't want to damage my relationship with my distributor with sending all of them back. Not worth the trouble at all. Worst knife I've ever had the displeasure of experiencing.
Biggest surprises: Svord Von Tempsky and M.C. Cognet (Douk-Douk) "Le Thiers"
The Svord VTB was a surprise for me since I normally don't care for "tank knives" and the price it commands made me suspect it to be of poor value. To my surprise, while still of a primitive aesthetic, the VTB has great fit and finish with beautiful scales secured with Loveless bolts. The guard is comfortable and substantial but doesn't get in the way for the overwhelming majority of tasks. The sheath is well made from thick leather with a stud-based retention strap and copper rivets/burrs at wear points, and the blade, while thick, is sufficiently thin at the edge to make for a good workhorse of a woods-duty knife. After I got to see one in the flesh the price seemed quite fair.
The same goes for the M.C. Cognet "Le Thiers" (I just got a few examples of them in a couple of days ago and need to take product shots before they go up.) I was a bit nervous about what I would think of them, as they're so much more expensive than the Douk-Douks that they're so famous for. They do have a few quirks that keep them "peasanty" but certainly upscale--like a gentleman's knife for a working man. The backsprings are not "watertight" in their fit but not atrocious either, and the springs have enough snap to them that if you let them snap closed the edge will "love-tap" the back spring a little at the belly so you have to guide the blade closed rather than letting it snap. However, the polish is gorgeous, as is the grind. It's a full-height hollow grind, much like a straight razor! It's almost like the opposite of Opinel's full-height convex, and it's a slicing MACHINE. The factory edge angle is nice and thin as well, and the walk and talk is very lively and pleasant. Blades perfectly centered, too. All in all I consider them a fantastic value in spite of being about $95-$130ish. They're a "dressy" knife that still has plenty of rustic charm and you won't feel bad USING it.
The Survival Edge had the potential to finally be a practical application of a hollow handled knife. Doing it on a partial tanged Mora-esque knife that would be unlikely to get beaten on and pried with like other more robust hollow-handled designs was something that made sense to me. Unfortunately the execution of the concept SUCKS. Crappy floppy poorly-designed sheath, square edges on the guard that makes it really uncomfortable, and the handle is literally round which they could have avoided thanks to the miracles of injection molding. They could have made the handle oval but the hollow round still, but I guess they didn't bother to think of that.
the factory edge was pathetic as well, and the bevel rounded by heavy buffing.The Two-Handed Katana Machete was too long in the handle with a short tang and overly thick polypropylene at the top of the grip. The harmonics and balance are the worst on any machete I have ever used. If held like an actual katana the point of balance is inside your top hand which makes cuts anaemic and handling incredibly bizarre, as if you were pushing the machete around in zero gravity or something. In order to get any real cutting power out of it you have to hold it at the very end of the handle, and then the poor harmonics transfer massive shock to the hand when striking resistant targets. Awful as a machete, awful as a sword. Good thing they redeemed themselves with the Cutlass Machete, Jungle Machete, and the revamped Barong.
The Condor Sabertooth was a big disappointment partly because of how good it could have been. It's a good machete, and the saw has potential though they need to set and sharpen the teeth much better--but at least it has teeth that are settable and sharpenable! I consider the blade itself the best saw-backed machete available on the market right now because while the Gerber/Fiskars ones have the best saw they're barely usable as actual machetes and the Sabertooth is the best fusion of the two I've seen other than the saw needing some attention from a sawyer. The disappointment MOSTLY comes from the handle and sheath. The handle is uncharacteristically clunky and blocky--it's just really quite a mediocre handle. The same goes for the sheath. The material is fine--the nylon is nice and heavy duty, and they had the cool idea of putting a strip of leather down the spine on the inside to give the saw something to chew on instead of the nylon though I would have preferred a strip of thin high density polyethylene (the stuff used for cutting boards). But again, the form is awkward and the belt loop is thin and in a weird spot. The whole thing seems just kind of slapped together from a design standpoint, which is unlike them. Big letdown.
The Ontario Camp Knife was a knife I really wanted to like. The design is a classic and I love that it's still being made by a USA company. However, steer clear. The QC is the worst I have seen on any knife. Consistent problems (to the point of it being more normal to find them than not) included overground kicks that cause the tip of the knife to slam into the backspring on closure, inconsistent spring strength (with some being floppy and some being literal nail-breakers) burnt tips, CRACKED back springs, and the bale being over-tightened during riveting so that it pinched the operation of the tools on that end if rotated a certain way. I had to drop them from my line because I literally couldn't get more than one good one out of a dozen and then I was worried about problems I couldn't see and didn't want to damage my relationship with my distributor with sending all of them back. Not worth the trouble at all. Worst knife I've ever had the displeasure of experiencing.
Biggest surprises: Svord Von Tempsky and M.C. Cognet (Douk-Douk) "Le Thiers"
The Svord VTB was a surprise for me since I normally don't care for "tank knives" and the price it commands made me suspect it to be of poor value. To my surprise, while still of a primitive aesthetic, the VTB has great fit and finish with beautiful scales secured with Loveless bolts. The guard is comfortable and substantial but doesn't get in the way for the overwhelming majority of tasks. The sheath is well made from thick leather with a stud-based retention strap and copper rivets/burrs at wear points, and the blade, while thick, is sufficiently thin at the edge to make for a good workhorse of a woods-duty knife. After I got to see one in the flesh the price seemed quite fair.
The same goes for the M.C. Cognet "Le Thiers" (I just got a few examples of them in a couple of days ago and need to take product shots before they go up.) I was a bit nervous about what I would think of them, as they're so much more expensive than the Douk-Douks that they're so famous for. They do have a few quirks that keep them "peasanty" but certainly upscale--like a gentleman's knife for a working man. The backsprings are not "watertight" in their fit but not atrocious either, and the springs have enough snap to them that if you let them snap closed the edge will "love-tap" the back spring a little at the belly so you have to guide the blade closed rather than letting it snap. However, the polish is gorgeous, as is the grind. It's a full-height hollow grind, much like a straight razor! It's almost like the opposite of Opinel's full-height convex, and it's a slicing MACHINE. The factory edge angle is nice and thin as well, and the walk and talk is very lively and pleasant. Blades perfectly centered, too. All in all I consider them a fantastic value in spite of being about $95-$130ish. They're a "dressy" knife that still has plenty of rustic charm and you won't feel bad USING it.
