Would you rely on the Fallkniven F1 in the Wilderness?

T

TonyC

Joined
Jul 23, 2003
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Have any of you used one of these knives in a Wilderness/Survival situation and if so how did you rate it's performance? I'm looking to evaluate a number of different knives in the F1's price range but wanted a bit of background information first. I'm aware that the knife is used by the Swedish military but at the end of the day this doesn't mean the knife is ideal for the job it just means the company got the contract for a product they produce at the right price. I would like to hear comments, good or bad from those of you who have used this knife in the wilderness.


I have to say I'm not sure about laminated blades, I've heard rumours of bending but have not experienced it myself. I also would like to know if there are any problems with edge maintenance etc.

Any information would be much appreciated.

Tony
 
I've never had the opportunity to use one, Just wanted to say that you shouldn't exclude knives that are lower priced. There may be one or two that are as good as the F1, if not better in some areas.
 
The F1 is a great knife. It will do just about everything a medium sized blade could be asked to do. I don't think you need to worry about the laminated blade bending. It should serve well as a field knife in practically any survival situation.
 
That's a good point Longbow there certainly could be a suitable knife in a lower price range. In actual fact I've already tested the Helle Eggen for suitability and it turned out to be far better than I had anticipated, it was only ruled out due to the handle not being strong enough (It split in two) and t also that I found the handle was a little too short for my hands which I have to say aren't exactly enormous.

If you or anyone else have any suggestions for a no nonsense knife suitable for outdoor wilderness use, with a blade of 3.5" - 4" long, I would be very interested and would certainly try them out and if found suitable, add them to my short list.

Thanks for the info Loki. I have to say I did try bending the above mentioned Helle which also has a laminated blade and I couldn't get it to budge.


Thanks,

Tony.
 
The Swedish Army Knife fits that catagory. As does the Mora 2000. Plus, they are relatively cheap. The SwAK sells for under 15.00 and I've seen the Mora 2000 for under 20.00. Everyone that owns them have nothing but good to say from what I've seen. I've got my order in for a few of the SwAK's and at least 1 M2K. Plan on using them for different packs and kitchen duty.
 
Tony-

I have an F1, it was my first fixed blade and it's a nice knife. However I bought a Swamprat Bandicoot because...well I'm one of the swampers :D . I have to say that I prefer the Coot to the F1 in every way but one; the coot doesn't have a sharp edge a the back of the blade, so I can't strike my firesteel with it. Discounting that, and the rust resistance (which isn't a huge factor with the Swamprats anyway) the Coot beats the F1 in every way as far as I'm concerned.

I'm not saying everyone will see it this way, but I prefer the feel of the Coot, the handle, the profile, edge holding (mine's actually INFI but SR101, their usual steel, is better too), and balance.

In the end the choice is yours, and the F1 is a very nice knife, but do your research and check out the swamprats.

Come visit the site, www.swamprat.com (I don't work for them but it does sound a bit that way), I'm sure you'll like what you read. :D

Matt
 
I'd take the F-1 as an only knife. It's a great design, sharp, ergonomic and comfortable.
 
Originally posted by TonyC
If you or anyone else have any suggestions for a no nonsense knife suitable for outdoor wilderness use, with a blade of 3.5" - 4" long, I would be very interested and would certainly try them out and if found suitable, add them to my short list.
Click to expand...


My personal favorite that fits that description is the Spyderco Moran Drop Point (FB02). I also like the Camillus Talon.


The Spyderco Temperance is also a great knife, although a little over your specified blade length (4 7/16"). If you need a neck knife or something cheap, light and compact for a survival kit, the Camillus ArcLite is a very good choice.


The A.G. Russell Deer Hunter and the Canadian Grohmann/D.H. Russell knives may also be worth a look.






- Frank
 
Have any of you used one of these knives in a Wilderness/Survival situation and if so how did you rate it's performance? I'm looking to evaluate a number of different knives in the F1's price range but wanted a bit of background information first.

Until recently I did own a Fallkniven F1, the solid VG10 model with the secondary bevel. (They are now convexed). I did like this blade a lot and I still consider it a very good and strong wilderness/utility blade.

Besides taking it on several backpacking trips, I did use it on two bushcraft/survival courses and it did very well, even on prolonged use. It is not as good a cutter as a Nordic/scandi ground blade like f.e. a Mora but it was certainly good enough.

Overall it is a very strong blade and the spine is very sharp, which is good for firesteels. Actually the spine is a bit too sharp right after the handle, which led to small cuts in the thumb when applying directed pressure cuts.

The reason I sold it was the switch to using scandi-ground blades in bush-/woodcraft.

-Emile
 
I would have no hesitation choosing an F1 as my only knife in a survival situation. The only caveat would be that I would want a DMT hone along as the VG-10 steel responds best to a diamond hone.
 
Wow! There's a fair few ideas here already for other options.

Emile I have to agree with you in your new found love of the scandi grind for bushcraft. I've been carrying a knife for five years now that I had made on roughly the same design as Ray Mears Woodlore knife and that design works a treat. I'm a great beliver in not re-inventing the wheel.

I must explain that the reason I posted this question was that I take groups of people into the outdoors and show them basic skills. I'm often asked to recommend a knife that is suitable for what we will be doing and also one which is of an affordable cost. If I finally come to a descion I hope to hold a stock of the "winning" knife.

I'm getting together a few knives which may be suitable and then evaluating them on their performance in the "real world", no arm chair camping if you know what I mean.:D

I have already tried a Helle Eggen, I have just ordered a Fallkniven F1 and I am seriously considering a Swamp Rat Howling Rat, although with the Swamp Rat I don't know if I will be able to get them in for s low enough price. The problem being I'm based in the UK and we have to take into account stoncking huge import tax.:( boo!

Still if any of you guys have any further suggestions please keep em rolling in.

Thanks for the help,

Tony.
 
Check out Cliff Stamps reviews. He's done some on knives that fit right into what you're looking for. One of his reviews is why I chose my go to knife. It reviewed well against the knives it compared against and for the 35.00 I paid, the Becker has proved to be a good knife for me. Am going to rough the scales and paint em green though. :p
 
Originally posted by TonyC I'm aware that the knife is used by the Swedish military but at the end of the day this doesn't mean the knife is ideal for the job it just means the company got the contract for a product they produce at the right price.
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If "the job" means your job, that's of course right, as it's not likely to be as demanding. Or it could be a totally different job due to geographical, training or other (lack of size and weight restrictions for example) reasons.

As for "the right price", well, you can't even get the aircrew helmet visor *fitted* for what a knife costs (much less buy one), so believe me, that really wasn't much of a priority. (It's issued in hundreds, not millions.) Performance was the priority, and when it was being developed nothing on the market fulfilled the requirements (the best ones didn't handle extreme cold very well).

That said, I've used it in training and it worked well, but many survival instructors here recommend thinner bladed carbon steel knives.
 
TonyC :

... I take groups of people into the outdoors and show them basic skills. I'm often asked to recommend a knife that is suitable for what we will be doing and also one which is of an affordable cost.
Click to expand...

That is easy then the Mora 2000. There are lots of upgrades possible, the Temperance, Deerhunter, and several blades from Swamp Rat Knives, but as an introductory piece the Mora 2000 is an excellent choice as it is versatile and functional and *very* cheap.

-Cliff
 
Well a brand new Fallkniven F1 arrived in the post yesterday.

I opted for the satin blade with the leather flap sheath to keep the costs down and I am not disappointed, the sheath is of exceptional quality.

My initial thoughts.... Not bad! Not bad at all. It has the laminated blade VG10 with a slab of J2 on either side so time will tell regarding the blades performance and re-sharpening qualities.

The knife is a super design as a lot of you have told me on this forum. It matches all my criteria, blade length, shape and the spine is perfect for striking sparks off a firestick. I must say the only thing I would change and this is a personal thing is the grind I'd prefer a Scandi-grind, but that's just me.

Anyway I'm off into the wilds at the weekend to give it a good field test so we'll see how it fares, but to be honest I don't think it's going to have much trouble with anything I'll throw at it.

I'm still going to test some other knives including the Mora and the Swamprat. I'll write and let you know my findings once all the testing is complete.

Thankyou to everyone for all there advice and suggestions.

Cheers,

Tony.
 
Here's another vote for the Mora 2000. Not only because it's a knife that's inexpensive (as opposed to "cheap") enough to outfit a large number of people, but simply because it WORKS. You've already expressed a preference for the Scandi grind, and the M2K has a Scandi grind on the rear 2/3 of the blade, while the tip is flat ground for easier preparation of animals for the pot. The M2K is a great skinning knife, as well as general utility.

The sheath is another big factor in favor of the M2K. It's a well-designed, simple sheath that has 2 drain holes in the bottom. This not only helps keep the 12c27 blade dry and rust free, the holes are also handy for use a "bellows" for blowing a fire into life, or burning a coal to make a spoon or bowl. The sheath is also ambidextrous, maybe not such a huge factor for the right handed majority, but for we lefties findng knives with "usable" sheaths is a big deal.

The M2K's sheath can be used as a neck sheath, attached to a button in the normal Scandanavian manner, or attached to a belt under 1.5" wide. I usually just add a short piece of paracord, hang the loop of paracord over my belt and drop the sheath in my left front pocket. That keeps the knife readily accesible, yet out of sight and away from anything that might "snatch" the knife out of the sheath.

The spine is generaly sharp enough to use as a ferro rod striker, but if not it's easy to remedy that with a bit of file work. Also, given the design of the sheath it would be a simple matter to wrap a bit of light cordage around the sheath itself, and use a ranger band to attach a BSA Hot Spark ferro rod, giving a pretty decent little mini-kit in one package.

The Mora 2000 isn't as sturdy as the F1, but it's light and super sharp, and I'd be willing to bet a MUCH better choice for woodworking and bushcraft chores, given the differences in edges and edge/blade thickness.
 
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