Winkler II Belt Knife initial impressions and review

I went out last night with one thing to check out- handle comfort and grip.

I did 20 minutes straight of wood shaving with no gloves. The handle itself is great and had zero hot spots. I did find as time went on, the jimping on the thumb ramp started wearing away on the web between my thumb and index finger. Wasn't terrible, but was there.



For full power stabs and slashes- there was no slippage and the grip is wonderful! :thumbup: I didn't capture some of the stabbing photos or any of the slashes...but I have to say the knife is a beast in these applications.





Something I could never tell from photos over the years is that this is a great looking knife! I love the lines of the blade and handle. I don't know if the photos capture this? I've been taking the knife out just to admire it.



Does this knife scream to go with a hawk or what?!



That does bring me to the one glaring problem I've found with the knife. It's burning a hole in my brain making me look at Mr. Winkler's axes and hawks!! ;) :D I'll tell you- I can't stop looking at them and wondering..."If I sell this and that...I could get one without spending too much!" I don't even use hawks that much! Although I did use the SOG last night and forgot that it can be a useful tool.

I should add that I'm really not trying to critique the knife as a woods knife- that wasn't why I bought it. I wanted more of a tactical/utility knife and this knife is a monster in this category. I don't expect the same out of it performance-wise as say the Koyote LBK.

Also, I want to clarify a comment I made about the sheath and having some problems with the size and getting it on the belt. Reading the info that came with the knife states it's designed to place on your belt/gear and then screwed into place.
 
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Good looking blade man, I like small-ish stout blades that cut well. love that grind. What steel?
 
Probably my last additions to the thread...took it out with the Howling Rat to compare full power stabbing motions.

Grip on both was great.



I must have done 30-40x total and I don't remember how many times the Winkler just splintered the wood- it was impressive! A number of times the Howling Rat would penetrate about 1/4" while the Winkler simply destroyed the wood.



A downward strike with full power- great grip and hard to see, but the Belt Knife penetrates more.



Hard to see these slashes, but again the Belt Knife just lays it open..feels great in hand BTW...



Tried a little more "scientific" :foot: stab test...on a phone book. Confirmed what I thought in the woods- superior penetration. Page 443 vs 365.



Thought I would post the knife in vertical carry- carries high. Love the sheath, retention is stellar and it's a looker. Plus being able to choose between vertical and horizontal carry is great.



What else from the 1st month of ownership? The Winkler has some intangible...some character to it that I love. It looks like old world meets new world to me and the design is just so functional. It's a beast as a utility/tactical blade IMHO and fits in nicely with my Koyote and Swamp Rat.

Even being so thick behind the edge, it can cut...



I'm very pleased with the purchase and look forward to using it for years. :thumbup:

 
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Rockywolf said:
Researching places to purchase. Without derailing thread...wood or micarta?
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I've carried both wood and micarta. No issues with wood for the average user; the wood is beautiful and feels great as well.
I went towards a micarta handled model for professional purposes.
 
Rockywolf said:
Good additional info. Ugh, now I really want one.
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Let me see...something negative...I got it! The knife can be viewed as a gateway drug to his axes and hatchets! ;) :D

For the handle, I am liking the micarta a lot. :thumbup:
 
I really like Micarta and TBH I have my belt knife in rubber and although its less aesthetic to my other knife sensibilities it's probably the best handle material I've ever used. His micarta is superb though.
 
Since the thread came up...maybe one more post! ;)

I did get a sweet hawk to go with this. I did try a Winkler Sub Compact RnD, but it was just too small for me. Picked up this RMJ Shrike S13. Bad a** knife and a bad a** hawk! :cool:

 
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I got a Belt Knife with the rubber scales and love it. I'm getting ready to grab a matching Combat Axe to go with it. Nice pictures and review rpn.
 
Thanks guys. :thumbup:

I should have added to my post above that I continue to really enjoy the knife. Balance and feel in hand is just great. I'm working on thinning out the edge a bit- it is thick behind it!

If it wasn't soo much $$, I would love to get a Winkler Compact RnD. Congrats on the decision on the Combat Axe M.o.M...post a write up and pics when you get it!
 
I guess that I'll weigh in on this (as my first post). Especially since I haven't come across one of mine yet.
I was going to be bringing my winkler axe and knife on this recent outdoor's trip I was on to get some much needed "hard use" since school was preventing me from doing that. But as luck has it, I have had several things taken from my bag when flying and USPS turned my luminox watch into slag on its way to get repaired (and is arguing the worth of the watch). So....I elected to bring along much cheaper and long time favorites the ESEE 3mil and Junglas that have flown to a few continents with me.


When I was looking at winkler's I was really deciding between the field, hunter's and the belt. I didn't need the extra length so it boiled down to the hunter's and the belt. Honestly, to me, they look to be almost the exact same knife save the blade shape and the tip. In the end, the Hunter's was more aesthetically pleasing, so I got that, with the wood grips

I got it, boy is it a real beautiful knife. (I can post some non-current pics later of the two later). That said, there is a real "hand-made" roughness to it that may or may not turn off some to it due to it's price. It's jimping is off-centered to the left, but is some of the most comfortable and effective I have used. The scales are two different shades, and the right one has lightened significantly with use, so I might have to give Daniel a shout and ask him if there is anything he suggests to fix that. But that aside, they look and feel gorgeous.

There is quite a bit of metal behind the edge. A thickness that I have yet to personally see or use before that. Dumb me, it sliced my finger something mighty nasty the fist time I put my finger on the edge. It tends to tear paper more that something you'd get from Microtech or Benchmade, but I'll attribute that to thickness of the edge itself. But it has had no problem processing beef steak and heart along with fruits and veggies. The tip of the blade isn't very sharp. but it'll be a cold day in heck if you'll break it. I don't find myself needing to use the tip, so it is really a non-issue to me.

Sheath. It is the same you get in the belt knife. I really like how he sandwiched the kydex between the leather. Its isn't the most the most efficient sheath to get on/off but it is simple and effective. Retention is great, there is no way that it will happen to fall out.

I like how Winkler opts for very discrete with his markings. However, there is one real problem with this, it doesn't mention what steel that he used for that particular blade. It was quite bothersome when doing my research and 5 different sites had 4 different steels listed as being used. The knife was 5160 and my camp axe was 52100 if memory serves. I'm far from a steel snob and I trust Daniel Winkler to not use bad steel.
 
I too did a lot of looking and reading before picking up a Winkler SAR from another forum member. Yeah it can be a bit confusing when figuring out what model is made with what steel as some sites list older information and there have hade changes / improvements. I haven't put hands on the knife yet, my wife has it and I'm in Afghanistan but from the detailed pictures she has sent it looks just as it should and yes the one I have has the maple grips. They are a little rough / not presentation grade but it's not meant to be a show piece, it's a hard use / working tool. I explained this to my wife as she questioned me on it and once explaining this she understood. Yes the price a bit higher than some and it does turn off some people but this is how it goes, not every thing is for everybody and there's blades available to fit everyones uses, needs and most importantly for some, budget.......

Thank you for the review!!
 
I went with a Winkler after reading this, and other reviews. Chose a used Hunter off seabay. A bit small if you are used to larger Busse's, but a fine knife in its size range. Has the pleasing looking maple handles - which I sought after. Best sheath that I have yet seen come with a production knife.

All told, a good purchase. Fit finish on mine is excellent. Knife feels well balanced and great in hand. And the final good point? I want another of Mr. Winkler's products. Perhaps the SAR, or one of his larger, custom made knives...Cheers.
 
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