Subwoofer, Author at TACTICAL REVIEWS

Dive Knives 2016 – Mega Test Review

6 November, 2016

Knife blades and seawater are usually something I do my best to keep apart, but when diving a knife must survive some of the most hostile conditions and its performance can be a matter of life and death.

This Mega Test Review brings together twelve knives from five leading knife brands and puts them to the test in real world conditions covering geometry, corrosion resistance, ergonomics and wet cutting performance, as well as comparing steel to titanium, serrations to plain edges, fixed blades to folders and dedicated line cutters to standard knife blades.

The selection of knives was specifically put together to show as many different aspects as possible and considerations which could be applied to knives not in this review.

Here we go!

The contenders:

First up, the contenders one by one. Due to the sheer size of the Mega Review and the testing, I’ve had to create are additional supporting reviews, knife brand by knife brand, concentrating on some more specific details of each knife. These are now all completed and can be found through the following links:

Benchmade 122S H2O – REVIEW ONLINE
Spyderco Assist Salt – REVIEW ONLINE
Promate Barracuda Blunt, KF593 Ti, KF090 Seal Folder Ti, KF505 Blunt, KF001 Line Cutter – REVIEW ONLINE
Whitby DK9, DK11, DK511/14 – REVIEW ONLINE
Cressi Giant Knife, Alligator – REVIEW ONLINE

These are the ones that arrived before a diving trip to the Ionian Sea.

The last minute entries which unfortunately didn’t get to travel as much.

The following photos are of each knife tested.

Benchmade 122S H2O

Correction: in the data tables later in the review the 112S is incorrectly named the 112B.
The H2O fixed was originally developed for an elite military program. The knife features a blunt tip, opposing bevel for torsional strength and an integrated cutting hook.
Blade Steel: N680 (57-59 HRC)

Spyderco Assist Salt

Not specifically a dive knife, the Assist Salt combines the multi-functional versatility of the Assist model with the rustproof qualities of H-1 steel. The defining feature of the Assist Salt is its H-1 steel blade and lock bar. This material uses nitrogen instead of carbon to create a steel that is tough and completely immune to corrosion.

Promate Barracuda Blunt

Made for the professional diver, the Barracuda has a Titanium blade and Titanium hammer on handle bottom. There are quick-release adjustable straps, and though the knife is easy to disassemble it requires little or no maintenance.

Promate KF593 Ti

Designed by scuba diver’s for scuba divers, the light weight Titanium blade with easy-grip rubber molded handle requires little or no maintenance. The full tang protrudes through the handle providing a narrow Titanium hammer on the handle bottom.

Promate KF090 Seal Folder Ti

Light weight Titanium bladed folder requiring little or no maintenance with an adjustable lanyard for easy carrying.

Promate KF505 Blunt

Using a 420 stainless steel blade there is a hammer on the handle bottom and easy-grip rubber handle. The KF505 is easy to disassemble for cleaning and maintenance.

Promate KF001 Line Cutter

Heavy-duty line cutter with easy hold handle. Disassembles to replace the blade and includes 2 replacement blades (standard utility knife blades).

Whitby DK9

2.75” Stainless steel double-edged serrated/plain blade and Stainless steel handle.

Whitby DK11

The Whitby Divers’ Knife DK11 features a double-edged blade with one edge being serrated and the other is a fine edge. In addition to its multi-purpose blade, the Whitby Divers’ Knife DK11 features a hammer hilt, situated within the rubber handle.

Whitby DK511/14

This Diver’s Knife has a 6.25-inch stainless blade and an overall length of 11 inches. The handle of the Whitby Diver’s Knife DK511/14 is contoured moulded black plastic and the knife is supplied with a plastic sheath with arm/leg straps. A big, traditional, diving knife design.

Cressi Giant Knife

This knife has large dimensions that make it particularly effective during use. Perfect as a work tool or for particularly intensive use. Featuring a Japanese 420 Stainless Steel blade with black coating treatment for corrosion resistance.

Cressi Alligator

The CRESSI Alligator is a unique tool offering the function of a Knife and Scissors. The 420-Stainless Steel Blade has a Straight and Serrated Edge plus a cutting hook and shears. It comes with a Hose Mount Sheath.

The Blade and Handle Geometry:

Most knife specifications have a basic description of the blade geometry, but in this section I will be taking a more detailed look at geometry and balance.

Using a set of gauges and precision measuring equipment including a Vernier protractor, callipers, fixed radius gauges and the unique Arc Master adjustable radius gauge (the one that looks like a crossbow).

Key aspects such as the primary bevel angle, grind type, blade depth, blade thickness, length, weight are detailed, along with balance information.

The ‘Balance relative to the front of the handle’ tells you if the knife will feel front heavy, or if the weight is in your hand (a positive value means the weight is forward of the front of the handle). The ‘Balance relative to the centre of the handle’ indicates how close to a ‘neutral balance’ the knife has in the hand.

In the case of full convex grinds the approximate centre of the grind is used for the primary bevel angle estimate.

These measurements have been tabulated and are presented in smaller bite size chunks and also in one overall table.
Important – there are critical performance indicators here, in particular the edge angle of the plain edges, serrated edges and cutting hook edges. A larger angle reduces the cutting ability significantly.

The first four knives.
Please note the Benchmade 112S is incorrectly named the 112B in the tables.

The next four.

And the final four.

For a direct comparison this is the entire table. You might need to zoom in or save the image and view it separately to see all the details.

Corrosion tests:

In this Mega Test Review you get an insight into the full process I carry out for all my reviews, but in particular here we have very specific stages. You have already seen some of the studio photography, and technical testing (the parameters), and now we move onto a critical part of the performance testing preparation.

I have chosen to run the corrosion testing before any measured cutting tests, for the specific reason that you will not normally take a dive knife out of the box and immediately ‘need’ to cut ropes and line with it. It is far more likely you will carry it on a few dives before you really need it to cut anything or free yourself from an entanglement. So the idea here is to look at the cutting performance AFTER the corrosion tests, as if the cutting edge is actually damaged by corrosion, it may well fail you when you really need it.

As it turns out, the initial testing site in the Ionian sea, is one of the saltiest seas in the world with a PSU measurement of 38. This is where we digress into the subject of salinity, but I’ll just mention a few key points in the preparation of the corrosion testing.

The chart below (from World Ocean Atlas 2005 data) shows how the salinity of the sea varies across the globe.

The units are shown in PSU which stands for Practical Salinity Unit. The PSU is derived from the ppt (parts per thousand) value of the salts dissolved in a kilogram of water. On average, seawater in the world’s oceans has a salinity of about 3.5% (35 g/L, 35 ppt, or 599 mM). This means that every kilogram (roughly one litre by volume) of seawater has approximately 35 grams (1.2 oz) of dissolved salts (predominantly sodium chloride NaCl). Average density at the surface is 1.025 kg/l. Seawater is denser than both fresh water and pure water (density 1.0 kg/l at 4 °C (39 °F)) because the dissolved salts increase the mass by a larger proportion than the volume.

And breath….

So, due to not receiving all the test candidates before the trip, I needed to replicate the conditions of the initial corrosion tests to keep everything consistent. What I needed was seawater with the same salinity as the starting conditions (also to then be used for the wet cutting tests). This is not as simple as taking tap water and adding salt to it, as the chlorine in the water affects corrosion, and the salts in seawater are not just NaCl. So as a starting point I went to collect some local seawater (from the English channel). This typically has a salinity of 35 PSU, but I was collecting from a beach where rainwater runoff would likely be diluting the salinity.

Fortunately thanks to people keeping fish as pets, there are a lot of easy tools for checking this, and the simplest being a hydrometer to measure specific gravity. The one I have used is for owners of salt-water fish and has a green section indicating the correct salinity range. As you can see here, the hydrometer is showing the salinity is at the lower end of the range (as not much green is showing). Reading off the specific gravity, and crucially the temperature as well, a temperature/specific gravity chart was checked showing that this seawater was measured as 29 g/l or 29 PSU.

This meant that to get to 38PSU I needed to increase the salinity. Fortunately pet shops sell ‘Aquarium Salt’ (which is basically dried seawater and contains all the salts in seawater). All I had to do was add a further 9g/Kg of aquarium salt to bring it to 38g/l. After adding the additional aquarium salt and re-measuring, the salinity was indeed at 38PSU.

Now I had suitably salty seawater, I proceeded to replicate the series of immersion tests carried out over the initial two week test period. This was based on the example of a diver spending around 2 hours in the water each day and then taking their gear out and letting the knife drip dry until the next day (or not quite dry). The knives would have a mixed exposure to air and seawater (which as it dries becomes a much higher salinity). Of course the original tests were carried out in much higher temperatures, so an aquarium heater was used to heat the seawater to match the original temperature.

After the full set of corrosion testing, the knives were soaked in freshwater, then the water was changed for a further soak to bring out the salts. The knives were then dried and inspected.

This post from my Instagram feed shows the results in a ranked order. It must be noted that some results were very close, so the top 5 had virtually nothing between them.

In the final results table, each knife has been given a score out of 25 for its corrosion resistance, so you can find the exact rating in that table, but as a brief description in ranking order:

The Promate Titanium knives were spotless (including the sheaths), the Spyderco had only a single spot due to the black text on the blade, and the Cressi Giant was the only standard stainless steel knife to have no visible corrosion. The Benchmade has some light staining, with the Cressi alligator having only light signs of rust. Then things started to ramp up in corrosion. The Promate stainless knife actually had quite heavy corrosion on the guard but very little on the blade. The Whitby knives all had blade and edge rusting. Worst of all was the Promate line cutter, but this used only standard non-stainless utility blades, so no surprise there. These utility blades can of course be easily and cheaply changed.

A look at serrations and edge geometry:

There are a few aspects which are important to understand which relate to the design of the serrations and the edge geometry, and which affect cutting performance drastically. Though this is a slight digression to talk about the subject, it will help to explain the cutting test results.

You might have skipped over the ‘The Blade and Handle Geometry’ section, but it is worth noting the details in that table. The edge angle used will give a mixture of ‘sharpness’ and ‘durability’, and the smaller the angle the sharper but less durable it is. In the case of the dive knives here, ‘Chisel’ vs ‘Standard’ grinds have a huge effect for the plain and serrated edges, as well as the cutting hooks.

To visualise this, here is diagram of a Single bevel (Chisel grind) and Double bevel (Standard Grind) edge, and both these edges cutting into some material. The Chisel Grind has been sharpened at 22° and as it is a single bevel edge, the total ‘included’ angle is also 22° (22° + 0°). A Standard double bevel edge also sharpened at 22° has an ‘included’ angle of 44° (22° + 22°) and though still sharp, this edge has to part the material much more as it cuts resulting in a much higher cutting force being required to complete the cut.

After looking at the edge angle and its effect on cutting force we also need to consider how the size of serrations can make another huge difference in how well the edge cuts.

Let’s start by looking at two of the blades on test, one with large scallops for the serrations, and one with two sizes of scallop that are much smaller than the first. Between them are a series of different size rope cross-sections.

Coming from the Latin word ‘serra’ meaning saw, for a serrated edge to start cutting it needs to move over the surface of the rope to allow the teeth to start working, but if the serrations are too large, then instead of moving over the surface and sawing into it, the rope can stick in a single serration making the sawing action difficult. Here we can see how the four smallest rope sizes will catch in these large serrations and only once the rope size increases can the serrations teeth start to work on the rope surface.

A blade with smaller serrations is able to ride over the surface of much smaller ropes and allowing the sawing action to work. Only the very smallest rope here will catch in the teeth, with the second smallest the smaller teeth can get to work and the cut will progress.

Smaller serrations are definitely more versatile, but are harder to maintain, so you need to find the balance that works for you. In the cutting tests, the size of serrations does have an impact on the results.

Cutting tests:

The testing in this group review is actually my first direct cutting comparison between steel and titanium blades. I had thought there would be a big difference between these blade materials, but in the experimental cutting tests, the Titanium Vs Steel aspect was not directly evident.

If more extended testing had been carried out, where edge durability starts to come into play, then steel would begin to take the lead, but starting with the factory edge and dealing with a reasonable amount of cutting, edge retention was not a factor.

Being a Dive Knife group test, all cutting tests were carried out in seawater with pre-soaked materials. The list of materials to be cut was chosen after consulting active divers to cover the most common cutting scenarios.
To represent discarded and lost fishing hazards the cutting test includes 15lb and 50lb Monofilament plus 15lb and 115lb Dyneema braid (for fishing lines) as well as 2mm Nylon Braid (netting).
3-4mm Nylon Braid represents cave line, 50mm (2″) webbing as if you were having to cut away a BCD, and cable-ties for cutting away items attached to your gear that might be snagged. Lastly a medium 8-10mm rope as this is a very common size.

With the vast majority of my cutting experienced being with dry cutting tasks, the effect of wet cutting on the different materials was actually shocking. Materials that cut so easily when dry became difficult with the lubricating effect of the water. For some fibrous materials there seems to be a strengthening effect as well (which is difficult to explain scientifically), though this might simply be due to the lubrication making them more abrasion resistant. When wet, the materials are more difficult to grip and in the water the entanglement will often be free floating so needs to be gripped to be cut. Altogether this adds up to a challenging cutting experience and one which shows any weaknesses of the tool being used.

Another Instagram feed image which shows some of the cut materials with the knives.

The totals for each knife’s cutting performance are shown in the final full and summary results tables, but here, just the cutting performance of each knife with each material is shown. The score is a 5 for a very easy and clean cut, down to a 0 for a failure to cut the material. A few of the knives were clear leaders in the cutting tests. Remember, this is also with blade edges that have been through the corrosion tests. The Cressi Alligator has two sets of results to allow the knife blade and shears to be directly compared. The shears were top performers in the cutting test, but were also matched by the Benchmade H2O.

What are they like to use?

A much more subjective section as it is difficult to quantitatively score how each knife is to use. We have considerations such as the leg straps, opening and closing a folder, unsheathing and re-sheathing the fixed blades, size and weight, grip and ergonomics. All of these factors needed to be considered with bare hands and diving gloves, and then translated into an ergonomics score.

There is far too much to cover in this group review, so you will need to refer to the individual reviews referenced at the beginning of this article.

When comparing leg straps, the choice of quick release or buckle fastening will come down to a matter of personal preference. I found that as you need to the fix the strap length for the quick release type, that sometimes the fit was not so good (perhaps if changing leg or even just depending on the temperature), so the standard buckle fitting worked better (despite being slower to fit and take off) as the fit was adjusted for each and every dive.

For the fixed blades, retention methods varied with rubber straps, clips and sprung plates all be used. More information on this will be seen in the individual reviews. On dry land all the knives are easy to unsheathe, but once strapped to you and you are free-floating in water, this changes significantly and shows the strengths and weaknesses of each design. Critically can you access the knife with either hand as your handed hand might be the one that is entangled.

An important consideration is the ease of re-sheathing the knife. This is where you will want to decide if you really need that sharp point or if a blunt tip knife is better.

Once in the hand, how good is the grip.

If choosing a folder, how easy is it to open, especially with gloves. Is it a two handed operation?

A lot of factors and only a score out of 25 to work with. These scores are included in the overall results table.

Overall results:

With so much information to present, unfortunately the only way is with a couple of results tables. There are two tables included here, one is the full results table with detailed cutting test results. This is packed with information and you will need to view the image separately (click on it) to expand it and read all the detailed results.

Please note the Benchmade 112S is incorrectly named the 112B in the tables.

Taking out the detailed cutting test results makes for a more manageable results table, and here the scores have been put into ranking order with the top scores at the top of the table.

Review Summary

Normally I include a Pros/Cons table in the summary, but in this case it is not appropriate (this will be included in the individual reviews). Instead I wanted to mention how to look at these results. You will all have specific needs, you may want a large or small knife, you may absolutely want a knife needing no maintenance (apart from sharpening), you may have a strict budget, or dive in conditions where you often lose knives, so despite what looks like a clear winner in this test you might chose another option.

All the tests in this Mega Review have been carried out with the knives treated as equals, using the same conditions and testing criteria throughout. You may not be surprised to see that the two top scores are from the two most expensive knives, (you really do get what you pay for) which also happen to be from specialist knife manufacturers. Also scoring well are the Titanium blades, even up against steel blades.

I’m purposefully avoiding making absolute conclusions here as the experimental results speak for themselves. The individual reviews will be completed and published as soon as possible and the links will be included at the beginning of this article.

This information should allow you to form your own opinions about what you might look for in a dive knife.

Though I didn’t want to pick one out of these as a winner, there is the question “Do I have a favourite?” – Yes I do. Quite simply for the complete lack of care required in maintaining it, the light weight, the sheath retention and overall package, for me it is the Promate Titanium KF593 Scuba knife. Others come in very close seconds, and are also excellent choices, but if I had to pick one, and have in fact been doing that since the initial testing, it is the Titanium KF593. I also have to give a mention to the Benchmade 112S H2O as if I knew I was going to be doing a lot of cutting, then this knife would overtake the Titanium blade for quality of cut and edge retention. If you follow the philosophy that “one is none, two is one” then, like me, you might carry both of these.

It’s been fun…….

Discussing the Review:

Please feel free to add comments to the review, but the ideal place to freely discuss these reviews is on a forum. If you started reading the shorter forum version of the review, but followed the link this full exclusive review, please return to that forum to discuss the review there.
If you read the review entirely on Tactical Reviews, please consider one of the following to join in any discussion.

EdgeMatters – Sponsored Reviews (UK based Forum for Knife Makers and Collectors)

BladeForums – Knife Reviews (US based Forum for Knife Discussion)

CandlePowerForums – Knife Reviews Section (Largest and Friendliest Flashlight Community Forum)

Light Review: Surefire Sidekick (Compact Fob Light)

13 October, 2016

Though not the first to make a USB rechargeable keychain light, Surefire have applied their philosophy of ‘excellence in illumination’ to this EDC essential.

Taking a more detailed look:

The Sidekick comes in a cardboard blister pack.

Inside is the Sidekick itself, a short USB charging cable, a metal clip and the instructions.

The underside of the Sidekick has a metal heat sink panel with the model engraved onto it.

At the top is the power button and a moulded Surefire logo. The main body is a tough plastic and has a split ring at the rear.

On the angled corner at the front you can see the micro-USB port for charging.

I only noticed the small piece of plastic case under the micro-USB port was cracked when I was preparing these photos. This has not affect the function at all.

Set into the front is Surefire’s MaxVision Beam reflector assembly. This has a multi-faceted reflector surface to smooth out the beam without the losses of a textured reflector.

Looking straight into the faceted reflector at the Cree XP-G2 LED. (For some reason Surefire don’t specify the actual LED anywhere in the documentation.)

Plugging in the micro-USB cable to charge the Sidekick.

Even the compact metal clip has ‘SF’ on it.

The split ring is very stiff, so getting the clip on isn’t easy, but its not going to come off by mistake.

The beam

Please be careful not to judge tint based on images you see on a computer screen. Unless properly calibrated, the screen itself will change the perceived tint.

The indoor beamshot is intended to give an idea of the beam shape/quality rather than tint. All beamshots are taken using daylight white balance. The woodwork (stairs and skirting) are painted Farrow & Ball “Off-White”, and the walls are a light sandy colour called ‘String’ again by Farrow & Ball. I don’t actually have a ‘white wall’ in the house to use for this, and the wife won’t have one!

Since the days of the Solitaire keychain light, I’ve always had a compact EDC light on my keys. This shrunk to the photon size button cell type, but those really only served as a last ditch light, so the size I used grew again to include a USB rechargeable or AAA powered light. The beam of the Sidekick is a revelation in keychain lights, with its wide floody beam (with no glare) and plenty of power.

Just look at this beamshot and you probably think we were looking at something you wouldn’t attach to your keys. A really excellent EDC beam.

Modes and User Interface:

The Sidekick has three output levels Low, Medium, and High.
From OFF, press the power switch to select Low, press again within 2s to change to Medium, press again within 2s of the last press to get High, and once more cycles to OFF.
If you are using either Low or Medium, if you wait over 2s before pressing again, the Sidekick will turn OFF (instead of going to the next mode and then OFF).

There are no indicator lights on the Sidekick, so no charge or low battery indicators. Instead the Sidekick uses its main LED. For low battery, the output simply reduces sharply to a lower level and starts to fade out. There is no sudden turn off, so while there is no actual ‘warning’ it is clear you are low on power.

For charging, the main LED is used as the indicator. With the USB power connected, the LED blinks to indicate the Sidekick is charging. During the charging process the LED sometimes comes on steadily for a few seconds then has a series of blinks. I’ve not so far managed to determine if there is an actual pattern to this. Ultimately, once fully charged the main LED comes on steadily at the low level and stays on as long as power is connected.

The default order of the modes is L-M-H, but this can be reversed to H-M-L by carrying out the following steps:

1. Plug in the charger.
2. Press the switch three times until the High level is activated.
3. Leave the Sidekick On for 5 seconds or more, then press the switch once to turn Off.
4. Unplug from the charger and test the sequence.

To return to L-M-H, repeat the previous steps except in step 2 you press three times to activate Low.
(Stopping on Medium at step 2 does not do anything.)

Batteries and output:

The Sidekick runs on a built-in 640mAh Li-ion battery.

Surefire have commented that the charge rate is fixed around 450mA, but it always seems to charge faster than the instruction manual, or this information, would suggest. In my experience (with a good charger) even fully depleted, it takes less than an hour to charge.

To measure actual output, I built an integrating sphere. See here for more detail. The sensor registers visible light only (so Infra-Red and Ultra-Violet will not be measured).

Please note, all quoted lumen figures are from a DIY integrating sphere, and according to ANSI standards. Although every effort is made to give as accurate a result as possible, they should be taken as an estimate only. The results can be used to compare outputs in this review and others I have published.

___________________________________________	________________________________	________________________________
Surefire Sidekick using built-in cell	I.S. measured ANSI output Lumens	PWM frequency or Strobe frequency (Hz)
___________________________________________	________________________________	________________________________
High	320	0
Medium	60	0
Low	3	100

* Beacon and Strobe output measurements are only estimates as the brief flashes make it difficult to capture the actual output value.

There is parasitic drain but as the light is sealed this could not be measured. During normal use over a period of over 6 months, the Sidekick has never noticeably self drained.

For such a compact lightweight light, the Sidekick has a fantastic performance on High. Not fully regulated, the output does however remain above 250lm for a full 45 minutes – very impressive for a keychain light.

Troubleshooting

This section is included to mention any minor niggles I come across during testing, in case the information helps anyone else.

No issues were encountered during testing.

As per the description of this section, this information is provided in case anyone else finds a similar ‘issue’ that might be fixed in the same way.

The Sidekick in use

Though it is compact, the Sidekick is relatively large for a keychain light. It gets away with this thanks to not being heavy and the plastic housing seems to help reduce its overall presence. Here it is shown next to a AAA keychain light and a photon button cell light.

With this extra size and relatively high cost (compared to its rivals, and especially in non-US markets), the Sidekick needs to work well to justify itself. The excellent beam and 300lm output do just that.

Ideally I prefer a smaller keychain light, but the extra size does make it more stable to hold, and you just don’t get that kind of output and runtime from something smaller and lighter.

If the housing were 100% plastic there would be heat issues, but Surefire have used a metal side panel which allows it to conduct heat out of the Sidekick. When using the High output this can get quite hot to the touch.

Perhaps the biggest annoyance for me has been that it is very similar in size to my car key, and when reaching into my pocket I now have to do the ‘pocket juggle’ of my keys to identify if I’ve grabbed my car key or the Sidekick.

The power button is quite stiff and has little feel to the click. The stiffness is an advantage in not having accidental activations (none so far, which I cannot say about other keychain lights), and eventually you do get some feel for the subdued click.

Not being a tactical light, the modes being L-M-H is ideal as for general EDC you most often only need a little light. One disappointment is the use of visible PWM in the Low mode. Medium and High have no PWM, and if only that Low mode was the same it would be much better.

Battery capacity is really great with the 640mAh cell always having plenty of output and runtime for everything I’ve thrown at it. Even with some unexpected night time strolls needing the path to be lit, using the full 300lm and plenty of other On/Off cycles to check things, and I’ve not needed to keep on recharging.

Recharging is one of those ‘love it or hate it’ things due to the main beam being used as a charging indicator. As it has never taken more than 1 hour to charge I haven’t needed to charge it overnight, so it is not that the main beam flashing and then going onto Low disturbs my sleep. However, the flashing can be annoying if you are in a room with lowered lighting. I was surprised by the Sidekick turning on the Low output once charging is complete, but actually it is a very clear indication that charging has finished, and even with a good charging circuit, it is never a good idea to leave any device on charge for a long time for no reason. The Sidekick tells you clearly to take it off charge. You can look at this either way, and to start with I thought it was not good, but having got used to it find it works pretty well.

The beam is very good, with a smooth floody profile and a neutral tint, which makes it so much better to use than lights with a 5mm LED or those with a more focused hotspot. This combined with the 300lm output, which is reasonably well maintained for a full 45 minutes of constant runtime, make this a really strong performer and the slight size penalty you pay is worth it.

Review Summary

_______________________________________________	_______________________________________________
Things I like	What doesn’t work so well for me
_______________________________________________	_______________________________________________
Excellent MaxVision Beam.	Bigger than most keychain lights.
300lm output.	Easily confused for a car key.
USB rechargeable.	Built-in non replaceable cell.
Lightweight.	Main beam flashes then comes on constantly while charging.
45 minutes runtime on High.	Visible PWM used in Low
L-M-H mode order.
Comfortable and stable to hold.
Strong, small, metal clip.

Discussing the Review:

Please feel free to add comments to the review, but the ideal place to freely discuss these reviews is on a forum. If you started reading the shorter forum version of the review, but followed the link this full exclusive review, please return to that forum to discuss the review there.
If you read the review entirely on Tactical Reviews, please consider one of the following to join in any discussion.

CandlePowerForums – Flashlight Reviews Section (Largest and Friendliest Flashlight Community Forum)

EdgeMatters – Sponsored Reviews (UK based Forum for Knife Makers and Collectors)

Technical: Chris Reeve Knives Large Inkosi – Strip Down and Washer Replacement

10 October, 2016

Although the Large Inkosi was only recently launched at Blade Show 2016, in their mission for continual improvement, Chris Reeve Knives have slightly updated the washer design for this knife.

If you want to swap your own washer or give the Large Inkosi a deep clean, this is how to do it.

Step-by-step Strip Down and Washer change:

Here we are, ready to go. Working on a suitable surface we have all the things we need laid out – Large Inkosi, new washers, Allen keys for pivot and spacer blots, pivot grease and thread-lock.

Before going on, something I did spot was that in their approach of using the best quality parts, CRK supply WIHA branded Allen keys – just thought you should know.

Using the pair of larger Allen keys, fit them into each side of the pivot bolt and start to loosen. Depending on how much thread-lock has been used this might be a bit stiff to start with.

One side of the pivot bolt will start to come out. This side will come out completely, leaving the pivot bolt tube in place. The Allen key from the remaining side of the pivot bolt can come all the way through.

The only other bolt that needs to be removed is from one side of the handle spacer. The blade stop pin is only bolted on one side and will slide out.

With two bolts removed, the Large Inkosi can be taken apart.

Start to work the pivot bolt tube out. You might open the blade and use the Allen key to help this slide out. Tolerances are so good, the fit is snug without being too stiff. Don’t leave the blade in the locked open position as the lock pressure will make it difficult to remove the pivot tube.

With the pivot bolt mostly out, the blade can be removed and put to one side. (I have skipped over an attempt I made to separate the handles with the blade and blade pivot still in place. With the pressure of the lock-bar and the extra resistance due to the blade pivot, this was not possible. It is much easier to take out the blade pivot and remove the blade.)

Having taken the blade and blade pivot out, the handles can now be gently worked apart. I found that popping the spacer out and gently working back and forth at the pivot end I was able to get the blade stop pin to start sliding out. You can really appreciate the fit of the pieces that make up this knife.

Looking a little closer at the stop pin sliding out.

And there we are, the knife is apart. Two bolts and a little wiggle!

All the parts that make up the Large Inkosi laid out.

Old and new washers next to each other. Here the old washer is still in place. The difference can be seen with smaller holes towards the front to prevent dirt/grit ingress when the blade is folded.

With the old washer removed, apply some grease to the handle (not too much) which will keep the washer in place, and provide the blade lubrication once trapped in the washer holes.

The washer in position and held in place by the grease. Make sure it does not cover the stop-pin hole.

Do the same for the other side.

With the stop-pin already in place, the washer sits against this.

In preparation for reassembly, the blade pivot tube has been inserted into the side it was originally fitted to (the solid handle side).

Just to ensure we have grease on all surfaces, apply a little to the blade tang before sliding it over the pivot tube.

The blade has been put onto the pivot tube in the open position, but will not be reassembled like this. With some sort of tool (here some plastic nose tweezers) keep the washer from turning round while you rotate the blade to half open.

Check the washer is still in the correct position and apply a little grease to the blade tang. NOTE: the blade has been positioned at half-open to ensure the lock-bar presses onto the side of the blade and does not try to lock the blade or slip into the detent, either of which would make it harder to reassemble.

Carefully lining up the blade pivot tube, blade stop pin and spacer, push the handles back together. This does not require much force once you are lined up. Start gently to ensure you don’t catch any edges, and beware of the open blade.

Start with the spacer bolt which will keep the knife together while you adjust the pivot.

Although not absolutely necessary, CRK recommend using thread-lock, so that is what I’m doing.

Apply a small amount to one side of the thread. (I should have applied it a bit lower down the thread, but this worked fine for me.)

Start to tighten the pivot. This process is important to take a little time over. What you are looking for is the point at which there is no side to side play in the blade at all, but where the blade still rotates smoothly. You should be able to open it with the thumb stud easily – if not, you have gone too tight. Personally I went to the point of being too tight, then loosening it slightly. Doing this ensures settling of the washers, blade tang and grease so your final adjustments will be effective. Final adjustments were made with the Allen key’s end moving only 1/4-1/2″ each time (5-10 degrees) and testing the blade movement. The thread-lock will cure over time and should not affect this adjustment process.

All ready to go, fitted out with its new washers. The old ones can be kept as spares should you ever need them.

A few more details:

While I had the knife apart, I took the opportunity to take a closer look at some parts.

Here we have a clear view of the blade and its tang.

A couple of interesting details on blade tang. There is a groove cut into the lock surface for the ceramic ball to fit into. This means that the contact surface is much larger than a ball touching a flat surface.
Also look closely inside the pivot hole, and you can see that a series of grooves have been included to hold grease and reduce turning friction.

Between the pivot hole and thumb stud is the blade retention detent hole (to keep it closed).

Only with the knife taken apart is it possible to see the detail of the ceramic ball used in the lock.

Summary

Taking a folding knife apart is a job you might rather leave to a knife maker, especially when it is a high quality knife like the Large Inkosi. As long as you take it slowly, have a little mechanical sympathy, and give yourself room to work, there is no reason you shouldn’t do this job yourself. CRK have made the job of DIY cleaning and maintenance very simple.

Though I’m doing this to swap out the washer, it would be the same process for a deep clean and re-grease operation, so the article can serve as a reference for taking the Large Inkosi apart.

This new washer design will be fitted to all new Large Inkosi knives, but if you have an early one with the old washer and would like the new version of the washer, CRK will happily send you the new washers. If you are of the opinion “It ain’t broke, so don’t fix it”, then you don’t need to.

You can tell which version you have by looking into the front of the handle with the knife blade closed. If you can see the holes in the washer, it will be the older version; if you can’t see any holes then you already have the new one.

Discussing the Article:

Please feel free to add comments to the review, but the ideal place to freely discuss these reviews is on a forum. If you started reading the shorter forum version of the review, but followed the link this full exclusive review, please return to that forum to discuss the review there.
If you read the review entirely on Tactical Reviews, please consider one of the following to join in any discussion.

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Knife Review: Spartan Blades PALLAS Button Lock

5 October, 2016

Spartan Blades LLC proudly make “Knives with Intent”, and their Pallas Button Lock folder is no exception, fulfilling its design brief exceptionally well.

The Blade and Handle Geometry:

Most knife specifications have a basic description of the blade geometry, but in this section I will be taking a more detailed look at geometry and balance.

These measurements have been tabulated and are presented along with a few reference blades (8″ Chef’s Knife, 5.5″ Santoku and the popular Fällkniven F1).

Key aspects such as the primary bevel angle, grind type, blade depth, blade thickness, length, weight are detailed, along with balance information.

In the case of full convex grinds the approximate centre of the grind is used for the primary bevel angle estimate.

The blade is made from S35VN steel.

Explained by the Maker:

The reasons for certain design choices may not be clear when simply looking at an object, so this section is intended to give an insight into the thinking behind a design by speaking to the designer themselves.

Unfortunately I can’t always get time with the designer so will use this section to include relevant information about the knife and its designer.

Mark Carey (co-founder of Spartan Blades LLC) and I discussed the Pallas at IWA 2016, so I was able to find out a little of the thought processes that brought the Pallas folder into Spartan Blades’ line up.

The knife was actually designed by Spartan Blades’ other founder Curtis Iovito and named after PALLAS (PALE ES), the Titan god of warcraft from Greek mythology.

Mark, as an ex-serviceman himself, is passionate about helping to properly equip those in the armed forces with reliable tools. The Pallas was born out of a relatively simple need for a folding knife that could be easily closed with gloves on, and while being made of premium materials, would stay at an affordable price point.

With most liner or frame lock knives being awkward to close with gloves on, the button lock was an ideal format to make it easy to release the lock with even thick gloves on. For a blade you can rely on, CPMS35VN steel was chosen with a thickness sufficient to make it strong, without being excessively thick or heavy which would impede cutting. The S35VN blade rides on a set of Alpha bearings keeping it slick. To keep weight low and yet not add a high cost, 6061 aluminium was used for the frame along with stainless steel hardware.

In its standard format the Pallas has a flipper tab and thumb stud, either of which can be flicked to easily open the blade. In this review is a special modified version for the UK market. The modification was included following a discussion between Bruce of Heinnie Haynes and Mark, and required the flipper tab to be removed.

This ‘UK’ modified Pallas was created due to the UKBA tightening control over imported knives with quickly deployable blades. Flipper style knives are the primary target.

A few more details:

The Pallas box along with a Heinnie Haynes sticker to signify the creation of this ‘UK’ Version of the knife.

Flipping open the box, and the Pallas is sandwiched between foam liners with a Spartan Blades sticker included.

Fresh out of the box, the Pallas.

Straight in for a look at three key aspects of this knife, it is made by Spartan Blades (with the logo engraved in the handle), there is a button lock, and the blade is S35VN steel.

Closer still to the stainless steel button.

Despite an overall flat cross-section, the Pallas is full of curves that make the design flow and provide its ergonomics.

Note the deviation from a standard Pallas in the there is no longer a flipper tab on this special UK version.

SpartanBlades’ signature titanium arrow pocket clip.

The pocket clip is one sided and cannot be fitted to the side with the lock button.

This is where the flipper tab would be on the standard Pallas.

Button locks are far less common in non-autos, than other locking mechanism, so warrants a closer look. Here the blade has been opened slightly to allow the button and its shaft to be seen.

Viewed from a slightly higher angle you can see how the button has been pulled into the handle as the blade starts to open.

With the blade a little further open you can see the locking notch in the blade into which the button engages. You can see it is just to the right of the blade stop pin.

The blade is now nearly fully open and the locking notch has nearly reached the button.

And fully open the button has locked itself into the notch in the blade. The blade has also hit the stop pin and is firmly wedged between the two.

Now the blade is fully open, the UK version trimmed off flipper tab can be seen more clearly.

The overall view.

when looking closely at the blade tip you can see the contrast of the crispness of the final edge bevel and the rounded blade spine.

The entire blade surface has a stonewashed finish.

Not quite a full flat grind, the Pallas blade is a high flat grind.

Each side of the pivot bolt is different, with a nut on this side.

And a torx bolt head on the other side.

Though they look good, the handle spacers are also a very practical design with wide flats where they contact the handles and a slight waist which will reduce weight without any significant loss of strength.

You can see straight through the handle with the three spacers one end,and the blade pivot at the other.

All the edges of the spine are nicely rounded. So you won’t be striking sparks off fire-rods, but you also won’t be fraying your pockets.

There is a little jimping for your thumb where the blade meets the handle.

Each side of the spacers are held with torx bolts, as is the pocket clip.

Blade centring is spot on.

When the blade is between one third and two thirds open you can see the blade-stop hook in the tang of the blade.

The cutting edge is terminated in a choil, and the plunge line is nicely radiused to reduce stress concentrators.

At the butt of the knife handle, there is jimping top and bottom giving a surprisingly useful amount of grip. I’d also take this opportunity to point out the surface texture of the anodised handles. There is a matt finish to the anodising due to what appears to be an underlying bead blasted surface.

Grooves cut into this side of the handle provide grip where your finger tips press onto the handle. Subtle and effective.

The lanyard hole goes through both handle slabs.

Lastly for this section, a close-up of the thumb stud which looks crisp and precise, yet without any sharp edges on the thumb contact surface.

What it is like to use?

I like a big folder, and though the Pallas is not really big, it certainly is a good size with its 3 3/4″ blade and 8 3/4″ opened length. For a knife of its size with all metal construction, the weight is impressively low making it easy to carry.

Admittedly I was slightly sceptical about the button lock from the point of view of a good tight lockup. Straight out of the box, my fears seemed to be proving true, HOWEVER (and yes a big however) this was only due to two reasons. Firstly without the flipper, I was only opening the blade slowly and the lock was then not engaging tightly, and secondly the button just needed a little use to settle in.

After more use, the lock was engaging tightly even when only opened gently on the thumb stud. So I would recommend all users to start with at least 30-40 good firm flicks open to bed the button lock in. After this the lock has been spot on and rock solid. Even with the UK version you can start to open the blade with the thumb stud, then flick it fully open with your wrist. For those with the knack, so can also flip the blade open using the thumb stud instead of the flipper tab (but be careful as you can easily catch the edge with your thumb doing this).

Another observation that was immediately obvious, is that the blade movement is super slick. Importantly the blade has no side-to-side play, but the movement is so smooth and easy I would go so far as to say it is the smoothest I’ve used to date (and I’ve handles hundreds of folders with and without ball-bearings). This may in part be due to the button lock mechanism allowing the blade tang to move freely, or possibly due to the high level of finish of all the moving parts.

The generous size of the knife means it is a comfortable handful with or without gloves. I would obviously prefer the added protection the flipper tab (finger guard) gives you, but for this UK version it is no less safe than other non-flipper folders.
(I take XL size gloves)

Taking up a thrust hold, the jimping on the blade gives you more grip.

Though this was not the intention of the harpoon style blade, it just happens that for a fine working grip your first finger sits nicely against the harpoon spine. Like this of course you need to watch your thumb doesn’t hit the lock button. (So far I’ve not had any instances of an accidental press of the lock button)

When swapping between grips, your hand seems to fall into place with no adjustment required to eliminate any hotspots. Handle shaping is subtle but certainly works well for me.

With the button lock design being focused on ease of closing with gloves on, it is primarily a right-handed layout with the button being easy to reach with the thumb of your right hand. The clip is also fixed to one side (opposite to the button). The blade has a double-ended thumb stud and there is a depression on both handle sides giving easier access to the thumb stud, so at least for opening the Pallas is suitable for left-handed users as well. Are there any issues for left-handers? No, even using the Pallas left-handed I found the button easy to press with my first finger to close the blade. It is not as comfortable with the clip falling under your finger tips in a left-handed grip, but that is only a minor annoyance.

Another concern I had was of the button being accidentally pressed during use. So far I’ve not come close to doing this as the button appears to be far enough forward you positively have to try and press it. It is perhaps a small risk, but the completely safe and easy one-handed-closing the Pallas allows, has started to make this a firm favourite. While holding the button in, the blade is able to swing freely, so one-handed-closing is as easy as pressing the button and either flicking the blade closed or holding the blade upright and allowing it to swing closed. Many knives open easily, but few close this easily (when you want it to close).

I’m not a fan of pocket clips, and the Pallas clip looks quite thick, but thanks to being titanium, it has an ideal holding tension that is not too strong or weak.

Blade thickness is an excellent compromise between ultimate strength and cutting ability. It is thick enough that in some harder materials you start to feel it binding as the blade grind wedges into the cut, but the high flat grind helps this stay manageable. There is enough steel in the blade that you are not going to be worried about breaking it (unless you try to use it as a pry bar).

To give another idea of scale, here it is next to the Fällkniven F1 and a Spyderco UK Pen Knife.

And also shown next to the Spartan Blades Harsey Model II.

Review Summary

The views expressed in this summary table are from the point of view of the reviewer’s personal use. I am not a member of the armed forces and cannot comment on its use beyond a cutting tool or field/hunting knife.

Something that might be a ‘pro’ for one user can be a ‘con’ for another, so the comments are categorised based on my requirements. You should consider all points and if they could be beneficial to you.

_______________________________________________	_______________________________________________
Things I like	What doesn’t work so well for me
_______________________________________________	_______________________________________________
Button lock makes blade closing easy, with or without gloves.	Lock initially needs some bedding in.
Safe and Easy One-Handed Closing.	Small possibility of accidentally pressing the lock button during use (this did NOT happen during testing).
Strong S35VN Blade.	Slightly biased for right-handed users.
Lightweight for its size.
Super smooth blade action.
Zero blade play.
Excellent fit and finish.
Titanium pocket clip.

Discussing the Review:

Please feel free to add comments to the review, but the ideal place to freely discuss these reviews is on a forum. If you started reading the shorter forum version of the review, but followed the link this full exclusive review, please return to that forum to discuss the review there.
If you read the review entirely on Tactical Reviews, please consider one of the following to join in any discussion.

EdgeMatters – Sponsored Reviews (UK based Forum for Knife Makers and Collectors)

BladeForums – Knife Reviews (US based Forum for Knife Discussion)

CandlePowerForums – Knife Reviews Section (Largest and Friendliest Flashlight Community Forum)

Knife Review: Zero Tolerance 0095BW Flipper (S35VN blade, Titanium Handle, ‘BlackWash’ Finish)

30 September, 2016

One of Zero Tolerance’s new knives for 2016, the 0095BW is one which initially did not particularly stand out for me, but as I’ve got to know it better, I’ve found I very nearly missed out on a real gem.

The Blade and Handle Geometry:

Most knife specifications have a basic description of the blade geometry, but in this section I will be taking a more detailed look at geometry and balance.

These measurements have been tabulated and are presented along with a few reference blades (8″ Chef’s Knife, 5.5″ Santoku and the popular Fällkniven F1).

Key aspects such as the primary bevel angle, grind type, blade depth, blade thickness, length, weight are detailed, along with balance information.

In the case of full convex grinds the approximate centre of the grind is used for the primary bevel angle estimate.

The blade is made from S35VN steel.

A few more details:

The 0095BW’s box.

Inside was the 0095BW and a generic ZT information leaflet.

Quiet and subtle, the 0095BW’s stonewashed ‘BlackWash’ finish makes it inconspicuous.

Nicely picking up the edges, the stonewashed finish allows you to really appreciate all the design details and flow of the lines.

A two-tone pivot adds a decorative element.

Blade and handle blend into each other with the stonewashed finish, and on this side the model, ‘made in’ and KAI logo can be seen on the blade. Also note the bolt head holding the hardened lockbar insert onto the Titanium lockbar.

The blade is perfectly centred (even if I’ve not quite captured that in this photo).

Despite such an understated, almost ‘used’ look, the 0095BW is a stunning looking knife.

On the other side of the blade is the ZT logo which sits into the lock release cut-out.

The removable clip also has the ZT logo. Also note how it sits at an angle such that it does not press on the lock bar, but instead on the side of the handle.

Taking a lower angle view, you can see the thinned area of the handle (under the clip) that creates the lock bar spring.

Ready for action the flipper (which doubles as a finger guard) has jimping to provide a good grip.

Ready for the clip to be mounted on either side, the 0095BW has the threaded holes for tip-up carry either way round.

A close view of the stonewashed finish on the handle. This gives an even overall ‘worn’ look, which really helps further marks blend in. The 0095BW is asking to be used.

With the blade open you can now see the lockbar release cut-out, and the where you press on the lockbar to release the blade. Notice as well how the lines of the handle flow into the flipper.

A close-up of the blade tip.

One of those details I consider a must-have, the 0095BW has a choil to terminate the edge and allow proper sharpening.

Like the handle, the blade has a stonewashed finish. The main difference here is that the blade grinding lines are visible through the finish.

A well rounded plunge line follows the handle’s front edge.

Out of the box, lock engagement is not that deep. However the lockup is rock solid. As it wears this will gradually increase the engagement.

The blade stop is a pin set into the handle, but set into blind holes so it cannot be seen on the side of the handle.

Giving it the really snappy opening is the detent ball which holds the blade closed until enough pressure is applied to the flipper.

A curving handle acts like a palm swell. The harpoon blade design is one of my favourite blade shapes.

Another look at that harpoon design.

What it is like to use?

Again this knife surprised me, as in contrast to its modest appearance (mainly thanks to the stonewashed finish), the 0095BW displays modern lines and has particularly good slicing and piercing ability. The blade cuts very aggressively and eagerly.

With a narrow point angle, the tip cuts very deeply (frequently deeper than you might want) and means you have to be wary of this. The high flat grind makes this almost a full flat grind and as such it slices very well. Add to this the blade being only 3mm thick and it makes those deep slicing cuts very easily.

The 0095BW is a good size folder with 3 1/2″ blade, yet remains slim, light and easy to pocket due to the Titanium used for the handles. This cuts both ways though, and does make the handle a little thin for heavy or extended work. As an EDC blade for sporadic cutting, the compromise is ideal.

Holding for a piercing cut, the flipper serves as a finger guard and gives you a solid surface to push forward with. (I take XL size gloves)

Taking up a power grip, the harpoon blade shape fits in perfectly with a thumb positioned on the spine for a stronger cutting force. The curve of the handle sitting nicely into your palm.

While looking at grip, a small aside to take a look at a common issue people have with flippers – that of finding them difficult to flip. The most common reason people have difficulty with flippers that use integral locks, is the accidental pressure on the lock bar. The lock bar has the blade retention detent, and is you push on the lock bar you effectively prevent the detent from slipping and so stop the blade deploying. You need to ensure that when you grip the closed knife you keep your fingers off the lock bar, and if you do this, sliiiiCK, the blade flies open and locks firmly. For a knife where the pocket clip sits fully on the lock bar (not the case here) you need to watch that as well.

Once you have the hang of gripping the knife correctly for the flip, it starts to become addictive and usually your flipping session ends with someone shouting at you to “STOP IT” (or is it just me that has that happen?).

In terms of its flip, this is one area Zero Tolerance have worked hard to get right. The design of the detent allows a good amount of force to build and then a clean release of that force as the blade breaks free. Using ZT’s KVT ball-bearing makes the blade motion super smooth, in fact if you push the lock bar out slightly to stop the detent ball pressing on the side of the blade, the blade will swing smoothly under its own weight. The result of a tuned detent combined with the KVT ball-bearing, is a very positive blade deployment which you might even think is assisted. Lock-up is absolutely solid with no play at all.

A quick mention of the ZT BlackWash finish – this is a bit like getting stonewashed jeans, it has almost been worn-in for you. The finish makes it look used, and easily masks any further marks from use, so unlike other types of finish that can be painful to see the first signs of use on, the 0095BW is just asking to be used.

To give an idea of scale, here it is next to the Fällkniven F1 and a Spyderco UK Pen Knife.

Review Summary

_______________________________________________	_______________________________________________
Things I like	What doesn’t work so well for me
_______________________________________________	_______________________________________________
Understated look using ZT’s BlackWash finish.	Handle too slim for extended use or heavy cutting.
Extremely effective for slicing or piercing.	Blade tip makes it easy to cut too deeply.
Silky and positive flip action.	Pivot bearing is not sealed so could attract dust and grit.
Light weight.	Careful placement of fingers required for an easy flip.
Slim design is easy to pocket.	Can become slippery with wet or greasy hands due to a lack of grip patterns or jimping.
Uses S35VN steel.
KVT pivot ball-bearing.
Reversible clip.
Excellent fit and finish.

Discussing the Review:

Please feel free to add comments to the review, but the ideal place to freely discuss these reviews is on a forum. If you started reading the shorter forum version of the review, but followed the link this full exclusive review, please return to that forum to discuss the review there.
If you read the review entirely on Tactical Reviews, please consider one of the following to join in any discussion.

EdgeMatters – Sponsored Reviews (UK based Forum for Knife Makers and Collectors)

BladeForums – Knife Reviews (US based Forum for Knife Discussion)

CandlePowerForums – Knife Reviews Section (Largest and Friendliest Flashlight Community Forum)

Knife Review: Buck Selkirk, Compadre Chopping Froe and Kinetic Fishing Spear

26 September, 2016

Buck’s Selkirk, Compadre Chopping Froe and Kinetic Fishing Spear were specifically chosen for this review to compliment each other for camp/survival tasks. Following a visit to Buck at IWA 2016 I’ve been able to give these a good workout to see how they fare.

The Blade and Handle Geometry:

Most knife specifications have a basic description of the blade geometry, but in this section I will be taking a more detailed look at geometry and balance.

These measurements have been tabulated and are presented along with a few reference blades (8″ Chef’s Knife, 5.5″ Santoku and the popular Fällkniven F1).

Key aspects such as the primary bevel angle, grind type, blade depth, blade thickness, length, weight are detailed, along with balance information.

In the case of full convex grinds the approximate centre of the grind is used for the primary bevel angle estimate.

Explained by the Maker:

Unfortunately I can’t always get time with the designer so will use this section to include relevant information about the knife and its designer.

The following comments are noted from a walk-through that Joseph Piedmont kindly gave at SHOT Show.

Model 863, the Selkirk is Buck’s new survival knife which includes a fire-rod with whistle for signaling. The sheath is moulded plastic and features multi-carry capability that can be reconfigured to allow for vertical or horizontal carry, and even upside-down as a neck knife.

The knife itself is a flat-grind drop-point featuring a guard and a hammer pommel. The handle has custom micarta sides. The choil is left with its sharp ground edge to allow it to be used with the fire-starter and have a nice grip to get good sparks.

The Selkirk’s sheath has a nice crisp snap-in, really holding the knife, so you won’t have to worry about it falling out.

Chopping Froe model 108 is fitted with American walnut handles and a red powder coated 5160 blade. This is part of the camping and outdoor survival series. Red was chosen to tie in camping of yesteryear (where it was common to use red-headed hatchets), with the camping of today.

The knife was modelled from a Scandinavian tool with the same name used to chop kindling. Buck have modified it with the handle and putting a knife edge on it to make it more versatile. (Reader’s NOTE: a traditional froe has a dull edge, a handle at 90 degrees to the blade, and is use for controlling and advancing a split in a piece of wood)

The Buck froe has been given a very steep grind producing a wedge behind the knife edge. When splitting wood, the knife edge starts the cut, but the wedge takes over so the knife edge is not finishing the cut.

The black leather sheath protects the blade and the D-ring makes it really easy to connect it to your gear or hang it up.

The Kinetic Fishing spear is one of three new spears. This range goes from the smallest, the Hunt Spear, to the Two Tined Gig spear, and finally the 074 Fishing Spear. The fishing spear is the most involved design with two interconnecting pieces. In its folded-flat state the spear is covered front and back by a plastic sheath tied together with paracord. The paracord is held in place with a moulded pinch-grip making it quick and easy to secure and release. The two parts of the spear lock together to form a four point spear. It has the same chisel on the back as the other two spears, and crucially needs to be driven deep enough into the stick to engage the secondary wedge. The beauty of this design is that the sheath parts go from the flat packed configuration into a cross shaped safety cover for the four points when it is mounted.

One trick to be aware of when mounting the spear heads is to wrap the paracord onto the stick before pounding the spear into the end of the stick. This really tightens up the paracord giving a very secure fit.

A few more details of the Selkirk Survival Knife:

Before concentrating on the Selkirk, here are the boxes for all three together.

The Selkirk arrives in its sheath with ferrocerium rod and whistle, plus an instruction leaflet for the sheath mounting options and a warranty card.

Though it looks like a Kydex type of sheath, it is a moulded plastic.

On the back of the sheath, the belt loops can be removed and refitted in different positions.

All the components lined up with the sheath, knife and ferrocerium rod/whistle.

The Selkirk has a nice deep blade with full flat grind.

Buck say that the pommel (rear bolster) can be used as an improvised hammer.

Looking close up at the handle micarta sides you can see the semi-smooth finish and additional grip grooves.

An overall view of the handle. The layers in the micarta act as contour lines showing the shaping.

From a different angle you can see the palm swell and grip flaring.

A very close view of the choil and its sharp edges for striking the fire-rod.

Going closer still for a look at the point and how the cutting edge has been formed from a coarse grit followed by a polishing process.

On the spine there is an area of jimping for the thumb to sit on. On this example this was well formed and not too sharp.

Keeping on the up-close theme, the moulded sheath has the Buck logo moulded into it.

Next to the fire-rod holder are the sheath screws which adjust the retention tension of the sheath. You can change how much force is needed to remove and insert the knife by adjusting these screws.

On the lower part of the whistle is a bayonet fitting to hold the fire-rod in place. There is also a cord which can be stretched over the end of the rod to further secure it.

Inside the belt loop is a moveable adjuster block to cater for different width belts.

At the tip of the sheath there are metal rivets that provide tying points.

The overall impression of this knife is good, but its mass produced character is visible when you start looking and small details. Here the micarta handle is not a perfect fit.

Still looking for flaws, this time at the pommel, the grinding is not that precise and filler appears to have been used between the micarta and steel pommel.

The Selkirk with a couple of other well known knives to provide the scale. (Fällkniven F1 and a Spyderco UK Pen Knife)

One last look at this knife before moving onto the Froe.

A few more details of the Compadre Chopping Froe:

First impressions are really good thanks to the leather sheath the Froe arrives in. The only other item in the box is the warranty card.

Immediately obvious are some nice touches like the retaining strap’s popper cover having Buck’s logo and name on it.

Also of note with the retaining strap is that the metal back of the popper that sits against the handle has been covered to prevent it marking the wooden handle.

There is a cut-out in the sheath that shows the Buck anvil logo cut into the blade.

Pressed into the leather sheath is the Buck logo.

The sheath is well stitched and riveted for extra strength.

On the back of the sheath the rolled rivet heads are not as neat as on the front, but fit with the rivet colour used for the hanging loop.

The rolled over heads of the rivets on the back of the sheath look like this.

A nice heavy duty D-ring is used for the hanger.

Opening the two retaining straps allows the Froe to slide out.

A very obvious label warning you not to strike the Froe’s blade with hardened tools is on the side of the blade. This is no different to traditional froes or any other blade you might baton with.

Whipping the label off gives you the full effect of the red powder coating.

The ‘tip’ of the blade shows the splitting wedge design of the blade grind.

There is a subtle choil next to the handle.

At the top of the blade next to the handle there is a hole in the blade. Though this could be used as a wrist strap attachment point, I would advise you to be very careful if you want to do this as it can become more dangerous than the tool coming out of the hand.

The American walnut handle slabs are held on with nice looking bolts.

Blade stock used for the Froe is substantial.

Having a long handle, the Froe can be used with different grips.

looking along the Froe to show more of the contours of this tool.

There is a nice swell at the pommel to prevent slipping, but no striking surface. If you hammer on, or with, this tool you risk damaging the handle. This view also shows the handle is made from plywood, not solid wood, as this will be more resilient and resistant to cracking.

A few more details of the Kinetic Fishing Spear:

And now for something completely different, a fishing spear.

Folding flat, the Kinetic Fishing Spear is very neat in its folded state.

This package is held together by a paracord tie and a pinch-grip.

Pulling the end of the cord out of the pinch-grip you can start to unwind it.

Releasing one side of the plastic cover.

The pinch-grip has small teeth to hold onto the cord.

The same piece of cord then releases the other side of the cover.

Fully unwound the cord comes completely off the cover.

Now you can slide off the lower cover.

And then the point covers, which also slide apart to give two separate pieces.

The shorter of the two parts of the spear head slides into a slot in the larger part.

This then rotates into place, and in this position cannot move backwards or forward.

When assembled the spear suddenly looks very capable.

The smaller piece has the Buck logo on it.

As does the larger piece.

A really cleaver feature is that the two pieces of the point guard slide together to form a cross shape.

This cross shaped guard can then cover the points of the assembled spear head.

There is a barb on each of the four points.

A chisel point is provided on the tang of the larger piece of the spear that can both be used for some of the spear pole preparation, and to make it easier to drive into the end of the pole.

What are they like to use?

It is not that I expected anything to be bad about the Selkirk, but it has really surprised me just how good it has been for me to use. Not only that, but anyone I’ve handed it to has also been impressed with how good it feels in the hand.

Remembering that I take an XL size glove, this is how the Selkirk looks in the hand.

The shaping of the handle is excellent. The palm swell is just enough to sit very naturally, and the curve of the handle allows your hand to work with the Selkirk. Flaring at the front and back of the handle stops you hand moving, and even working hard with this knife on hot days with sweaty hands didn’t cause any issues.
Resting between cutting jobs, the Selkirk just seems to stay in place in a relaxed hand, and when working I was never aware of the handle, instead all my focus was allowed to fall onto the cutting task and directing the blade. I did not expect this level of comfort and control.

I’m going to look at more of the Selkirk in use later on, but switching now to the fire-lighting capability of the Selkirk, and how well it strikes sparks from the ferrocerium rod.

As the product description from Buck specifically says the choil has been left with a sharp corner to use for striking sparks, I’ll start with this. Once you get through the outer coating of the new rod, you then start to get proper sparks. Using the choil does work OK, but is not that good.

Flip the blade round and use the spine instead and you are rewarded with a bigger shower of sparks. So the specific feature of using the choil to strike sparks is a little redundant. What you do have is a choice of more or less sparks. Striking fewer sparks with the choil will wear the fire-rod away less and may be all you need.

Scaling up in size we have the heavy Chopping Froe. Here the grip is closest to the pommel and gives the greatest striking advantage.

For more control you can grip the Froe handle near the blade. This is good for finer chopping tasks, but the blade edge is not really sharp enough (due to the edge angle) for fine carving or slicing cuts.

When I initially saw the rake of the Froe’s blade, I thought it would be awkward to use, and if working onto a chopping block, the angle does mean you can’t really strike down onto the block and have the edge strike squarely, you always end up cutting into the edge of the block.

Moving to free-cutting when you are chopping through branches or the trunks of smaller trees, then this rake actually ensure the edge strikes at a slight angle which does enhance the cutting power. The Froe is very efficient when used in this way.

The more I use the Buck Froe, the more I would compare it to a hatchet rather than a knife, but a hatchet with a very long edge and which does not need a precisely positioned strike to get a good result. The knife edge, despite being sharp enough, is not well suited to anything but chopping. The blade thickness and steep primary grind make it pretty hopeless for slicing cuts and the overall size/weight and rake make fine work difficult.

Finally a quick mention of the Kinetic Fishing Spear. Unfortunately I’ve not been able to spear any fish with it so far. Not due to always missing, but due to a lack of suitable fishing opportunities. Mounted it seems very capable and with an overall good balance, but unfortunately up to now that is as far as I can comment.

Mounting the Kinetic Fishing Spear

One small project that would cover all three of these Buck products is to make a shaft for the Kinetic fishing spear head. A quick visit to a local wooded site resulted in a pole for a first attempt.

Working onto a cutting block I used the Froe to trim the pole to length and to prepare a baton for later. As you can see here the Froe has cut quite deeply into the edge of the cutting block.

The spear head needs a cross shaped split to fit into. For finer control than the Froe would provide, instead I went for batoning the Selkirk to create the split.

A quick clean up of the end of the pole.

And setting the Kinetic spear head into place.

Then using a cord wrap to hold the spear head firmly. (keeping the cord in a single piece and using a whipping technique to secure the ends.

All ready to go, the fearsome Kinetic spear and the partnership of the Selkirk and Froe.

Onto another project, and in this instance I was making a wooden spoon. This requires some careful splitting of a small log, so again I whipped up a baton and used this for making the controlled split with the Froe.

The splitting worked very well and the Froe also did a little rough shaping, before it became a little awkward to use due to the rake.

Other tools were used, but it all started with the Froe.

While things were going well I decided to have another go at the spear’s pole. I found a rather good piece of hazel, and this time cleaned off all the bark with the Selkirk.

The size of the pole was chosen to suit the tang of the spear head.

Pre-split using the Selkirk, the Kinetic spear head was then tapped into place.

Wrapped tightly with paracord to secure the head. As the wood dries further the cord needs to be re-wrapped to stay tight.

Ready to go, the only issue, no suitable fishing spots round here.

Review Summary

_______________________________________________	_______________________________________________
Things I like	What doesn’t work so well for me
_______________________________________________	_______________________________________________
Selkirk – Excellent handling.	Selkirk – Fit/Finish is not the best.
Selkirk – Versatile sheath.	Selkirk – Ferrocerium rod retention may not be secure if not using the cord loop.
Selkirk – All rounder FFG blade.
Selkirk – Hammer pommel.
Selkirk – Ferrocerium rod with Whistle.
Froe – Effective heavy chopper.	Froe – Relatively expensive.
Froe – Great for splitting even large logs.	Froe – Poor performance for other cutting tasks.
Froe – Very sturdy leather sheath.	Froe – Blade rake is awkward when cutting onto a block.
Froe – Long Handle allows different grips.
Kinetic – Strong construction.	Kinetic – Requires mounting before it can be used.
Kinetic – Guard can be used folded or assembled.	Kinetic – It is necessary to hammer on the prongs to mount it.
Kinetic – Cord is provided.

Discussing the Review:

Please feel free to add comments to the review, but the ideal place to freely discuss these reviews is on a forum. If you started reading the shorter forum version of the review, but followed the link this full exclusive review, please return to that forum to discuss the review there.
If you read the review entirely on Tactical Reviews, please consider one of the following to join in any discussion.

EdgeMatters – Sponsored Reviews (UK based Forum for Knife Makers and Collectors)

BladeForums – Knife Reviews (US based Forum for Knife Discussion)

CandlePowerForums – Knife Reviews Section (Largest and Friendliest Flashlight Community Forum)

(CLOSED) Instagram Giveaway Now ON! (Ends 1 Oct 2016)

15 September, 2016

CLOSED – Winners are @olivern246 and @ladynra1.
As a thanks to all my followers, and to celebrate passing the 5k mark, here is a Giveaway which will have two winners.

The two prizes are, a Surefire T-Shirt and Cap, and a Fällkniven T-Shirt and Cap. Both T-Shirts are ‘XL’ and the first winner can choose which prize they get.

To enter, complete all three steps below:

1. Follow @tacticalreviews (you do not need to re-follow if you are already a follower).
2. Like this post.
3. Comment on this post and ‘@ Mention’ a Friend. (Mentioning a company or spoof account will invalidate your entry.)
(One standard entry per Instagram account.)

Full rules (and bonus entry information) can be found here: Full Rules.

The closing date for entries is 1st October 2016 or if I reach 10k followers. (There will be a 10k Giveaway as well)

By entering you agree that Instagram has no responsibility for this Giveaway.
This Giveway is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Instagram.

Don’t miss out on your chance to enter this giveaway – Good Luck!

Knife Review: Fällkniven F1 Pro

22 August, 2016

Although Fällkniven have a winning formula with their F1 Survival knife, (the official survival knife of Swedish Air Force pilots since 1995), Fällkniven’s desire for continual improvement led them to start work on the Pro Series, including the F1 Pro, in 2010.

The Pro Series consists of the F1 Pro (featured here) as well as the S1 and A1 Pro models.

The Blade and Handle Geometry:

Most knife specifications have a basic description of the blade geometry, but in this section I will be taking a more detailed look at geometry and balance.

These measurements have been tabulated and are presented along with a few reference blades (8″ Chef’s Knife, 5.5″ Santoku and the popular Fällkniven F1).

Key aspects such as the primary bevel angle, grind type, blade depth, blade thickness, length, weight are detailed, along with balance information.

In the case of full convex grinds the approximate centre of the grind is used for the primary bevel angle estimate.

The blade is made from laminated (Outer)420J2/(Centre)CoS (Cobalt-Special) steel.

Explained by the Maker:

Unfortunately I can’t always get time with the designer so will use this section to include relevant information about the knife and its designer.

Peter Hjortberger (Founder of FÄLLKNIVEN AB) told me a little of the origin of the F1 – The F1 story started with an inquiry from two pilots in the Swedish Air Force (Swedish ”Flygvapnet”). They had a very, very simple sheath knife in their survival dress (leg pocket), a knife that cost less than one GBP. Considering that they were flying an air-fighter costing a huge amount of money, the pilots thought that they should carry a knife which was the same quality level as their aircraft.

Though there is quite a long story behind the F1 Pilot Survival knife, the ”F” comes from ”Flygvapnet”, but you can also consider it to be like the ‘F1’ of Formula One racing, or why not ‘F’ like in Fällkniven.

The F1 knife became such a worldwide success that Peter decided to stop selling products from other brands and concentrate the company on developing their own knives. From 1995 this has been the focus of the company and the reason behind Fällkniven’s good reputation all around the world.

Before getting into the detailed look at the F1 Pro, there is a list of upgraded features that Fällkniven have published so you can keep an eye out for them in the photos (especially the F1/F1 Pro comparison section). I’m going to quote the statement from Fällkniven and add some more detail as we go.

“1. The laminated VG10 steel is replaced with a laminate cobalt steel (lam. CoS) which, amongst other things, ensures a durable edge and improved edge retention.” – Uprating the steel has allowed the hardness to be increased from 59HRC to 60HRC without compromising durability. Cobalt is very beneficial in steel alloys and is used in drill bits suitable for drilling hardened steels. The composition of the CoS used by Fällkniven is shown below compared to the VG10.

Steel analysis
VG10 Composition (59 HRC)	CoS Composition (60 HRC)
Cr – 15.00	Cr – 16
Co – 1.40	Co – 2.5
Mo – 1.05	Mo – 1.5
C – 1.00	C – 1.1
Si – 0.60	V – 0.3
Mn – 0.50	W – 0.3
V – 0.20	Si – trace
P – 0.030	P – trace

“2. The blades are consistently thicker causing an increased torsional rigidity – they will withstand even greater external forces than before.” – Currently unpublished, but Fällkniven have assured me that the breaking test result of the F1 Pro has provided a very positive result compared to the standard VG10 F1.

“3. The tapered tang is wider and thicker and thus significantly stronger.” – Though I’m not going to cut off the Thermorun handles to expose the tangs, when looking at the comparison photos of the pommel you can clearly see the thicker tang.

“4. The crossguard is made of stainless steel and permanently mounted to the tang.” – Though in real use, the F1’s finger guard has not let me down, the fact it is rubber has always concerned me slightly. The F1 Pro however now has a steel finger guard allowing you to much more confidently apply pressure to it.

“5. The convex edge has been refined to improve the cutting properties.” – The F1 I have actually appears to have a mostly flat grind with only the last 4-5mm convexed to the cutting edge. With the F1 Pro I can clearly see the edge is convexed through the entire primary grind to the edge.

“6. The zytel sheaths are redesigned meaning they are more durable and are better suited to the Molle attachment system.” – Without becoming too large, the F1 Pro sheath is far more robust and includes slots that can accommodate MOLLE straps.

“7. The knives are supplied with our most valued combination whetstone, the DC4. It offers both a diamond whetstone and a ceramic stone for field sharpening.” – Really this just makes the F1 Pro package complete, as you might already have a sharpening system. The DC4 however provides a combination diamond/ceramic stone in a pocket size package making it easy to carry into the field. Well worth having.

“8. The knives are packed in shock-resistant, waterproof boxes that can be used for storage of smart phones, GPS, documents, survival gear and much more.” – Packaging and presentation of the F1 Pro is excellent, and the case can be used for other purposes once you have stripped out the foam liner (easier said than donewith the one I had) giving you a tough case that is small enough to be packable and large enough to be useful.

Keep an eye out for these features in the following sections.

A few more details:

In keeping with Fällkniven’s normal product packaging the F1 Pro arrives in a white cardboard box.
I like the Swedish sense of humour as this is the first knife I have received which came with a supply of Fällkniven branded sticking plasters.

Inside the cardboard box is the tough, waterproof, plastic case.

Opening the case you find the contents nicely organised.

The liner is a substantial closed-cell foam with finger cut-outs to make it easy to remove the items.

You have the F1 Pro knife, its sheath, the DC4 stone and a case for the DC4.

You can buy the DC4 separately, but in keeping with the uprated features of the F1 Pro you get this great stone with the F1 Pro. The gold side is the one with a diamond coating. With harder blade steels, the diamond makes it much easier to achieve a good result while not taking too long.

Flipping the DC4 over, it has a ceramic side which allows for a finer finish once the diamond side has done most of the work.

As it comes out of the box, the sheath has the belt loop tucked into the top.

Pulling out the belt loop and you can see the retaining strap as well.

While looking at the sheath, let’s have a closer look as the new strapping points on side. This is the first one.

On the other side, there is a cut-out in the middle of the strap loop which allows for the movement of the plastic sprung tab which holds onto the F1’s guard. When removing or inserting the F1 Pro, this tab moves far enough out that it would touch the strap loop if it did not have this cut-out.

The webbing belt loop is riveted onto the back of the sheath.

When sheathed, you can hold the sheath upside-down and even without the retaining strap done up, the knife doesn’t fall out, but for complete security the retaining strap is closed round the end of the handle.

And now for the star of this review, the F1 Pro itself.

Taking a close look at the tip of the blade. You can see the line where the outer and centre steels join.

Looking closer still at the lamination join and cutting edge. Where the steels join it appears as if it is slightly softer as during the finishing processes the line has become slightly recessed. This is not a problem, just an observation.

Giving the edge a proper termination the F1 Pro has a choil centred on the plunge line.

Often a point of weakness due to stress concentrators, the F1 Pro’s plunge line has a nicely radiused transition from primary grind to the ricasso.

The fit of the guard to the blade is excellent, but if looking closely at the grip to guard fit, the Thermorun handle material extends slightly beyond the guard.

As with the F1, the tang of the F1 Pro is exposed at the pommel.

A flared tube is used for the lanyard hole and also secures the grip. The flaring of the tube not only keeps it in place, but also means the lanyard hole has no sharp edges that might have frayed the cord.

The sides of the handle have a moulded diamond knurling pattern.

Not actually sharp, the corners of the blade’s spine do strike sparks from ferrocerium rods.

Comparing the F1 and F1 Pro:

This review is not simply a comparison of the F1 and this new F1 Pro, but it would not be complete without looking at the two side-by-side.

Starting with an overall view, the F1 Pro’s heavier build is immediately obvious. The new guard and modified blade grind really stand out.

Staying with an overall view but this time directly side on. Overall dimensions are very similar.

Focusing in on the handles, the F1 Pro has a slightly deeper grip with less pronounced palm swell.

The new guard sits perpendicular to the edge. On the Original F1 the guard sweeps backwards.

With a thicker blade stock and sabre grind, the blade of the F1 Pro is significantly stronger than the already strong F1.

The exposed tangs also show the thicker blade stock used for the F1 Pro.

A view looking down onto the cutting edge of each knife to show the blade and handle thickness.

Lastly the F1 and F1 Pro sheaths side-by-side. The F1 Pro’s sheath is a bit chunkier than the F1’s.

What it is like to use?

With the huge success of the F1, the ‘improved’ F1 Pro certainly has a lot to live up to. Initially I expected the F1 Pro to overshadow the F1 and make it virtually obsolete, but the reality is not so. Both knives have a place, and their differences are what would make you choose one over the other.

Picking up the F1 Pro, you can feel that it is nearly 20% heavier than the F1 though this is not a bad thing, just in keeping with its stronger build.

My hands take an XL size glove, so usually I prefer generously sized handles, especially if I’m going to work hard with it. That said, I’ve always appreciated the F1 being a relatively compact knife, and the F1 Pro still maintains this. A slightly larger grip fits in with this knife as an overall package very well. Even though the sheath has grown slightly as well, it still remains a lot of knife crammed into a small package.

Switching quickly to the hard case supplied with the F1 Pro. You can always leave the case as it came and put the F1 back into it, but once you have the F1 Pro out, you are not going to want to put it back into storage. I keep this one to hand, and it is very easy to pop into a backpack if getting into the great outdoors. So that case….what to do with it? Leaving the foam insert in it is no help as it will only accommodate the F1 Pro, so this needs to come out. With the case being listed as a reusable item, I was surprised that this foam did not want to come out. It seemed very firmly glued into place and I was about to give up when I found that the double-sided tape holding the foam layers together was partially out and sticking the foam to the side of the case as well. After much prying (this is a stiff closed-cell foam), I managed to get it free in one piece. The less patient might have used the F1 Pro to shred this foam liner. Of course, once out, the case can now be used for whatever you like.

Time to get out into the field and try it out for various tasks. The first was a bit of wood carving. Not the only knife used for this, but one of the most comfortable thanks to the thick blade stock and the way the edges of the spine were finished. Placing your thumb onto the spine allows for power and control over the cut. After working with it in this way for quite some time, my thumb was not suffering at all and I could have carried on all day (but had other things to do).

As mentioned above, the spine was very comfortable to press onto, so I wondered how well it would strike a ferrocerium rod (really an essential for a survival knife). It turned out to be really rather good, giving a concentrated and directed shower of sparks.

I thought I would give it a try in the kitchen as well to see what its food preparation capabilities were. A blade this thick is always going to struggle a bit with deeper cuts and this test really showed this. Starting with mushrooms, the cuts were easy and controllable, but the slices were bent over and split by the thick blade.

Moving to a thinner vegetable, it handled the mange-tout with ease and the baby sweetcorn were half cut, half split apart.

The biggest challenge to the blade thickness was a crisp courgette. Cutting was easy but there was a great deal of splitting once the blade got a little deeper. Altogether though, the cutting was easy, and even if not my first choice for food preparation, the F1 Pro worked well enough.

A little mention of that convex edge and maintaining it. For many, the maintenance of a convex edge is challenging. It is easy to set a knife at an angle and sharpen it, but the convex edge is a curve. This can be made even more difficult with an extended convexed edge, and in the case of the F1 Pro, the entire primary grind is convexed. To sharpen a convex edge you need to remove material over the entire convexed section, so for the F1 it means you really need to work on the entire primary grind. It will never look like new once you have done this. You can of course start to put a standard bevel onto the F1 Pro and it will still work well. I sometimes do this and once the bevel has got a little larger I just knock off the shoulder of the bezel (adding a second bevel) giving a pseudo convex effect. It is generally much easier to do this in the field than attempt a full convex sharpen.

Reader’s Note: There is a commonly known ‘simple’ convexing method using wet and dry paper and a mousemat, so you may want to look into this for maintenance at home. It is not really an ‘in the field’ method. Convexing by hand with a flat stone requires practice and a methodical approach, but can be done in the field with a small stone.

Is the F1 Pro going to be right for you? If you want a high strength, compact and efficient cutting tool, then the answer will be ‘yes’. You could also choose the tried and tested, proven design of the original F1, which gives you a slightly lighter and more compact overall package (at the cost of some blade strength), and this would be fine for most users and most conditions. ‘Most conditions’ being the crucial part of that description, as should you find yourself in an emergency situation where the knife might be tested to its limits, you might prefer to have all the strength you possibly could. The F1 Pro has that extra strength ‘in case’ you need it.

Taking the F1 Pro on its own merits, and you have an extremely sturdy, easily manageable cutting tool with excellent edge retention (thanks to the Cobalt Steel). The F1 Pro is a complete package with the knife/sheath, DC4 sharpener and reusable plastic case.

Review Summary

_______________________________________________	_______________________________________________
Things I like	What doesn’t work so well for me
_______________________________________________	_______________________________________________
Builds on an already proven formula and reputation.	Quality and strength comes at a higher price.
Cobalt steel edge.	Relatively heavy for its size.
Very strong blade.	Convex edge can be more difficult to maintain with standard whetstones.
Strikes a ferrocerium rod well.	Thicker blade less suited to deeper cuts.
Thick spine is very comfortable to push with the thumb for heavy cuts.
Price also includes the DC4 sharpener and reusable waterproof case.

Discussing the Review:

Please feel free to add comments to the review, but the ideal place to freely discuss these reviews is on a forum. If you started reading the shorter forum version of the review, but followed the link this full exclusive review, please return to that forum to discuss the review there.
If you read the review entirely on Tactical Reviews, please consider one of the following to join in any discussion.

EdgeMatters – Sponsored Reviews (UK based Forum for Knife Makers and Collectors)

BladeForums – Knife Reviews (US based Forum for Knife Discussion)

CandlePowerForums – Knife Reviews Section (Largest and Friendliest Flashlight Community Forum)

Knife Review: Morakniv – A Look at the Classics

7 July, 2016

Morakniv’s products are extremely well known, but with most people being more used to simply calling them a ‘Mora’. Of course Mora is actually the name of the place in Sweden where these famous knives are made. It was when the two major knife making companies in Mora (Frosts and KJ Eriksson) merged in 2005 that ‘Mora of Sweden’ was born and customers referred to their ‘Mora’ knife. Building on its strong branding, on the 1st of January 2016 Mora of Sweden officially changed its name to ‘Morakniv AB’ after the products it makes – Knives from Mora.

With three new models coming onto the Morakniv range (Garberg, Kansbol and Eldris), in this article, Tactical Reviews is looking at several of the core products in the Morakniv lineup including the Companion, Bushcraft Survival, Axe, and Sharpeners.

The Blade and Handle Geometry:

Most knives specifications have a basic description of the blade geometry, but in this section I will be taking a more detailed look at geometry and balance.

These measurements have been tabulated and are presented along with a few reference blades (8″ Chef’s Knife, 5.5″ Santoku and the popular Fällkniven F1).

Key aspects such as the primary bevel angle, grind type, blade depth, blade thickness, length, weight are detailed, along with balance information.

In the case of full convex grinds the approximate centre of the grind is used for the primary bevel angle estimate.

With the large number of knives in this review, three tables have been prepared. Starting with the reference knives and the Axe.

Then all the Companion models together, as well as the 120 wood carving model.

In the final set, the Bushcraft Survival models are shown amongst the Companions and Axe for comparison.

A few more details:

Designed as working tools, Morakniv products arrive in a variety of packaging ranging from none to blister packs and boxes.

Being the most popular of Morakniv’s products, the Companion comes in several different versions. Ignoring colour variations, the main types are (from left to right), the Companion (Stainless Steel), Serrated Companion (Stainless Steel), Companion Heavy duty (Carbon Steel) and the Companion Tactical (Stainless Steel).

All companion versions come with the same design plastic sheath (colours vary), but the Tactical version has an additional sheath cover which is MOLLE compatible. The Morakniv fluorescent orange is very bright!

Taking just the Companion knives themselves, the main differences are the thicker blade of the Heavy Duty, and the black ED coated blade of the Tactical.

The Companions are considered about the best value outdoor knife on the market, and as a step up in performance, the Bushcraft Survival models are also rated very highly for their value for money. Both models come in a cardboard backed blister pack.

Opening these is easy and does not require another knife thanks to a well thought out design allowing you to get a finger under the plastic part and pull it open.

Morakniv have put an impressive package together with a heavy duty blade, diamond sharpener on the sheath and an integrated firesteel. The sheath has an option of two different hangers.

The hangers fit into the back of the sheath, and you have the choice of a fully enclosed belt loop which can handle wider belts, or a hook-over style belt loop. With the knife in the sheath, these loops cannot be removed.

The ‘Survival Bushcraft’ has a Stainless Steel blade, and the ‘Survival Bushcraft Black’ has a Carbon steel blade.

The ferrocerium rod fits into a holder on the side of the sheath.

Here the ‘Survival Bushcraft’ is shown in the sheath with the enclosed belt loop fitted, and the ‘Survival Bushcraft Black’ knife and ferrocerium rod are shown next to the sheath which has the belt clip fitted.

Next up in the whistle-stop tour are the Outdoor Axe and three diamond sharpeners.

Unpackaged for a better view. Like the Companions and Survival Bushcraft models, the orange handle of the Outdoor Axe is very fluorescent.

Though this image is low in contrast, you can see the Outdoor Axe still bears to older ‘Mora of Sweden’ mark, but the box it came in was branded Morakniv.

Like the Companion Tactical the Outdoor Axe has an ED coated blade.

The Axe blade is Boron Steel.

A perfect camping trip kit here with the Outdoor Axe, Bushcraft Survival, and a 120 for fine whittling when relaxing next to a roaring camp fire.

What are they like to use?

There are a couple of good reasons the Morakniv products are so popular; the first is their great value for money, so much so the Companion is almost disposable, and you won’t have to shed a tear if you lose one. Then there is the fact that they handle really well, being light, comfortable to hold and work with for long periods, and are very efficient cutters. The Scandi-grind used also makes them very easy for everyone to sharpen as you have a built-in edge angle guide.

Taking time to specifically re-assess these knives, I spent a couple of days making a few camping accessories from pot hangers to a spoon.

Roughing out a spoon requires a lot of wood removal, but you also need to be careful; the Outdoor Axe made light work of this.

A bit of a jump forwards here and in the shaping of this spoon, the Companion models were also used. Comparing the Companion and Bushcraft Survival is not straightforward. The Companion with its thinner blade does cut with less resistance carving wood and cutting other materials, but the Bushcraft Survival’s thicker blade makes it more robust if batoning with it and also gives a more comfortable spine to push on for certain cuts.

For the tighter radiuses the 120 wood carver is king, and for the bowl of this spoon you really do need a hook knife and the Mora 162 is the one I had to hand.

Looking at the back of the bowl, nice clean cuts can be seen in all directions.

Not yet mentioned is the Serrated Companion. It was not well suited to woodcarving, and has a particular place when you are dealing with fibrous materials. Personally I would keep the Serrated version on standby for a few specific tasks rather than have it as a general use knife, and with the Companions being so inexpensive you can have both plain and serrated blades without breaking the bank.

Moving more into the ‘survival’ area, though a Companion would serve you well if it were the only blade you had, the Bushcraft Survival is that much more sturdy and has a built-in diamond sharpener and a fire-steel; definitely a more complete package.

The spine of the Bushcraft Survival has been left with a sharp corner to make striking the fire-steel effective and this is a typical strike. (slowed down to better show the sparks).

Morakniv have been making tools for a very long time, and their tools are designed to be used; you don’t buy a Morakniv as a drawer queen. It is clear when you use them, they have been designed very well and perform admirably. We are not talking super-steels here though, so you will need to maintain the edge and not expect them to survive extreme punishment.

With Morakniv, you will find you tend to end up with quite a few. One in the tool box, one or two in the fishing tackle box, one in the car, ………..(fill in your own here)…..and several for the family when going camping. Tools you are happy to use, lend or give as gifts. When did you get your first Morakniv?

Review Summary

_______________________________________________	_______________________________________________
Things I like	What doesn’t work so well for me
_______________________________________________	_______________________________________________
Great value for money.	Steels not as tough as more expensive knives.
Reliable build quality.	Not full tang (Stick tangs used).
Choice of light or heavy duty blades.	Scandi-grind not suited to all cutting tasks.
Diamond sharpeners available (or included).
Choice of Stainless or Carbon Steels.

Discussing the Review:

Please feel free to add comments to the review, but the ideal place to freely discuss these reviews is on a forum. If you started reading the shorter forum version of the review, but followed the link this full exclusive review, please return to that forum to discuss the review there.
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Gear Review: Walkstool ‘Comfort 65’ Portable Stool with Telescopic Legs

23 June, 2016

It was at IWA 2016 that I came across Walkstool on my way to another appointment. As soon as I saw their telescopic folding stools I felt they were worth further investigation, and after a demonstration by Pius Schmitt (who is featured in the Walkstool website videos) didn’t need any further persuasion; I knew this was something special.

A little more background:

Background, but not about Walkstool, instead about me and portable seating. Maybe it is a sign of age, or maybe just being in favour of comfort, but I’ve used some form of portable seating whenever I could carry it on various trips and outings.

These have included shooting sticks, many different folding chairs and lots of different folding stools. In all cases, the only telescopic part of any design was on a few shooting sticks to give some degree of height adjustment but no real saving in carried size.

The compromises in size and weight have always resulted in anything comfortable being large and heavy and not very portable, and anything small and light being really quite uncomfortable and generally too short for comfort.

At IWA I was not looking for anything like Walkstool’s Comfort (65cm model on test here), but it simply stood out. As soon as I saw that there were several different sizes, that the legs were telescopic (making them nearly 50% smaller when folded, and giving you two sitting heights) and the strong comfortable seat, the Walkstool had me interested.

The Walkstool family with the two Basic models on the left (made in China) and the four Comfort models (made in Sweden).

A few more details:

Each Walkstool comes in a carry bag that can be carried over your shoulder.

When folded it is an extremely neat package.

Wrapped round the seat is a strap with Velcro fastening to hold the stool tightly closed.

Just tear back the free end of the strap to open.

Once released the seat material starts to open up

Strap released and ready to be opened.

Opening out the seat, but not yet the legs. You can use the Walkstool in this configuration for a lower seating position, or to sit with a knee down to the ground.

A special tri-bolt holds the legs together very strongly. Here you can see one of the leg release buttons (red) which is visible with the legs extended, and must be pressed in to allow the legs to retract. If you press the release button and pull the leg, you can remove it for cleaning.

Ready to sit on the lower height.

With legs extended you have a proper stool to sit on.

It is worth having a look at Walkstool’s video demonstration.

What it is like to use?

The first point to consider is that part of ‘using’ this stool is carrying it with you. It certainly is light enough to be an all day companion and you will want to take it with you rather than agonise over if it is worth the effort of carrying it.

I’ve carried it in three ways; firstly in the supplied bag, out of the bag and using the strap to secure it to my belt or a backpack, and finally actually fully inside a backpack.

Of these carry methods, my least favourite is using the carry bag. The strap is a string which has a tendency to want to slip off your shoulder. Not a design fault or problem, just a reason I would generally avoid this.

If I have a full size backpack I will simply pop the Walkstool inside the backpack, zip up and forget I have it with me until I want to use it. This is my preferred carry method.

Lastly the strap for folding up the Walkstool has intentionally been made longer than needed so that you can use this strap to attach it to something else. Walkstool show this being fixed to a belt, but I’ve also used it to attach the Walkstool to the outside of my backpack. Particularly useful if the backpack too small to fit the Walkstool fully inside. A minor annoyance on this subject though is that there is exposed ‘hook’ Velcro on the strap; this has a tendency to be very aggressive to other fabrics. I have used some Velcro ‘loop’ tape to cover this up, but it would be nice if this was included with the stool.

So many stools I’ve used in the past have been too short, and that makes you less stable and sitting on these becomes tiring. When looking at the Walkstool models I assumed I would find the tallest would suit me as I’m 6’2″ with relatively long legs. To my surprise, the Walkstool 75 (the largest) was too tall for me and it turns out the Comfort 65 was a much better match. If you can, try the different models, or at least consult the Walkstool size guide.

So you have it with you, and now it is time for a sit down. Extend the legs, open them out and sit in excellent comfort. I was doing a little whittling (with a Swedish knife, as it happens, the Fällkniven F1 Pro) and was perfectly comfortable and stable on the Walkstool.

There are often instances where you want to be sitting lower, but not on the ground, perhaps if you are with a group of people not so well equipped who are sitting on the ground, or if you are working with several things and have them laid out on the ground.
Using the Walkstool with the legs retracted, you have this low height stool which can rock around the central point where the legs are connected, giving you mobility and the ability to turn.

Having this dual height is more useful than I thought it would be and is a unique feature made possible by the telescopic legs.

Quite simply I would not go back to anything else having used this folding stool, as nothing else I have ever seen provides so much comfort, quality and strength in such a small light package.

Review Summary

_______________________________________________	_______________________________________________
Things I like	What doesn’t work so well for me
_______________________________________________	_______________________________________________
Excellent comfort.	More expensive than other folding stools.
Strong and stable.	Exposed ‘hook’ Velcro tape.
Dual height.	Potential for dirt to seize the telescopic legs (but legs are removable for cleaning).
Different sizes available.
Easy to carry.

See Walkstool’s Website for the sizing guide, Walkstools holding up a car and more. This review is included on the Walkstool Testimonial Page.

Discussing the Review:

Please feel free to add comments to the review, but the ideal place to freely discuss these reviews is on a forum. If you started reading the shorter forum version of the review, but followed the link this full exclusive review, please return to that forum to discuss the review there.
If you read the review entirely on Tactical Reviews, please consider one of the following to join in any discussion.

(You many need to use the forum’s ‘Search’ to find the review.)

EdgeMatters – Sponsored Reviews (UK based Forum for Knife Makers and Collectors)

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