Your opinion on this knife.

I haven't handled the Hossom Spyderco, but Fox also made the Hossom Retribution folders for Ontario -- big recurved blade, same style handle, same steel, same green Micarta slabs. Immense. Beautifully done.

I am also happy with the steel from my Extrema Ratio experience with it. I found the Retribution handle is VERY BIG, which I can handle easily but might be a problem for someone with small hands. Try before you buy. It's an outstanding design if your hand is big enough.
 
sputnick said:
Uh, No. Thanks though. My grasp on geometry is just fine.:jerkit:

A wide blade can indeed be a bad thing depending on application. That wasn't my point, just that I am not a big fan of the proportions of that particular knife. I'm not arguing the performance of the knife as I have no idea how thick it is and have only seen it in the press images. Based on those pictures it looks about 2 inches wide, which is about as wide as the dogfather. I also find the HRLM a little too wide for me. YMMV. I've never skinned an animal before, perhaps if I had the HRLM and the spyderco woodlander would be more appealing. As it is though I generally prefer less belly in my woods knives.
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Wide blades are rarely a bad thing- a narrow blade can be. (unless you are talking about stabbing) And they almost always have better geometry for cutting. On the other hand, if I didn't like wide blades, and knew nothing about the specs of a knife, I probably wouldn't make silly comments about spatulas and digging holes. :yawn:
 
Rat Finkenstein said:
Wide blades are rarely a bad thing- a narrow blade can be. (unless you are talking about stabbing) And they almost always have better geometry for cutting. On the other hand, if I didn't like wide blades, and knew nothing about the specs of a knife, I probably wouldn't make silly comments about spatulas and digging holes. :yawn:
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The original poster asked for opinions on the knife in regards to its use as a woods knife. I provided my opinion. I didn't know Rat Finkenstein was the levity police? :confused: At 3/16" it is very likely to be an excellent cutter considering its width. Still (my OPINION), the price is high, the handle is long, and its a recurve (which is not my first choice in design). The scale material looks rather nice though. It does indeed look like it would dig a rather fine cat-hole or flip a piece of meat on a fire heated rock although this, of course, is not proper use of your knife...
 
Saw and handled one in Indy a coupel weeks ago.

Very well made, designed, and executed.

Great feel in the hand.

May have to get one to field test it....
 
Ha Ha LMAO... it can't be a good survival knive if its sheath doesn't have a thigh strap!!! that was a funny video!!! I guess blade geometry, steel and construction have nothing to do with a good survival knive... as long as it has a lanyard hole its good to go!!!!:D
 
barny said:
Ranger! How could I forget about those! I eard you can get them off other sites than through him, is this true?
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Yes, heres a link to links of other sites that you buy Ranger knives from: http://www.rangerknives.com/Links/index.html

To be honest with you it's better to just contact Justin directly. He's a real nice guy and has extremely quick turn around times. Oh and he can make you anything you want.
 
I've handled all of the Hossoms at the Spyderco outlet and the woodlander I liked the least. The blade was too thick in relation to the length. The woodlander is 6 3/32" long and weighs 13 ounces. The smaller dayhiker has a 4 3/4" blade and weighs 7.6 ounces. I thought the forager was the best of the larger blades. It is 7 1/2" and weighs 14.7 ounces. The woodlander to me just seemed awkward, not long enough to be a great chopper and too heavy for delicate cutting.
 
not a fan of recurves +1. i like a lot of belly on a knife but i just don't "get" recurves.

and once a knife starts costing as much as a rifle i tend to scratch my head. i understand that the workmanship that goes into a custom justifies the price - it's just my set of priorities that doesn't want to afford such an expensive knife.

I sure do like looking at them though :D
 
I like the look, but yea, too much for 440C. for that money something from Fallkniven, heck one of the the RAT's in D2 would be the way to go in my book.
 
Fonly said:
I like the look, but yea, too much for 440C. for that money something from Fallkniven, heck one of the the RAT's in D2 would be the way to go in my book.
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Spyderco only uses 440c on a couple of the Byrd knives. The Hossoms are N690Co.

1.07 Carbon
17.00 Chromium
1.50 Cobalt
.40 Manganese
1.10 Molybdenum
.40 Silicon
.10 Vanadium
 
The recurve and height of the blade, not to mention thickness would not do well for fine work.
 
Seems closer to VG10 than 440C. But not my thing, I don;t prefer recurves or stainless for a chopper.
 
It is very similar to VG10.
The 3 largest blades are 3/16" thick, the Dayhiker is 5/32". The Forester and Forager are the only ones large enough for chopping. The woodlander just doesn't make any sense and feels very awkward.
The Dayhiker model in this line is usually overlooked. It is half the weight of the others. After handling one I thought it would be a decent camp blade. The choil and thumb ramp give you a good close up grip. I have one on the way so I'll be sure to test it out. People seem pretty keen to trash these knives, but I haven't heard from anyone that has actually used one or owns one.
 
tknife said:
These knives are made for Spyderco by Fox knives in Italy. N690Co has been said to be an Italian steel similar to 440C. I have an Extrema Ratio folder form it, and it seems like a great steel.
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Can I ask what kind of criteria you base that on? No disrespect intended. It`s just that I`m not a fan of any of the 440 series steels, although 440c is the best of the series for a knife.They generally don`t hold an edge well inmy opinion.
 
I'm waiting on a dayhiker also which I hope will arrive by the end of the week. That's slightly thinner at 4mm (0.160") - the 3 larger models are 5mm (0.200"). Hope to be able to test it soon alongside some knives of similar size.

barny said:
I'm looking at this since it is cheaper than a Chris reeve Mountaineer II, which I really want.
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I wouldn't recommend a Mountaineer II if you want a semi-chopper - and that happens to be my oldest mid sized fixed blade. The one piece contruction and metal handle mean that the balance point is just to the rear of the forefinger so you can't get any weight on it, and the hollow grind bites too much. The 5" blade length is neither here nor there either. Personally I prefer to keep the knife around 4.5" and balanced and focussed on cutting/slicing/whittling/carving/batoning - all the regular "knife" things and then carry a dedicated chopper or axe depending on the situation.
 
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