Good Heavyweight Folder
The fit and finish on this knife is excellent. The blade is perfectly centred and the grips are flush with no sharp edges. The smoothness of the grips and the shaped forefinger cutaway give a very comfortable grip. The balance point for the knife is right in the middle of the forefinger cutaway so this gives the knife a very neutral feel which is helpful to manage the weight of the knife on delicate tasks. The knife weighs 195g which is huge for a folder. The Benchmade Freek is 122g in comparison and the Fallkniven S1 fixed blade knife, which is quite a size, weighs 190g. So the weight is a noticeable factor and is probably the only negative issue to consider if thinking of buying this knife. The knife comes very sharp from the box. Mine tested at 75g on a Bess test with the model which has 25g increments. So it lies between 51g and 75g and I would say more towards the upper than lower figures. This is razor sharp for a big knife and it comfortably shaves hairs off your arm. The pocket clip is surprising in its ability not to be noticed when holding the knife. It is big to look at and I don't usually keep pocket clips on my folders but this is very ergonomic in your hand and may be an exception. If you prefer to carry the knife in a pouch the leather pouch for a Silky Pocketboy from Becky at Ray Mears site works well. The knife is big! You will struggle to find normal aftermarket pouches which can take a knife this size. The performance of the knife goes hand in hand with its size and it is a stellar knife for fire preparation and game processing. It can baton like a fixed blade (no problem with the lock breaking, it is incredibly engineered) and feather sticks well. The blade is short enough to enable your forefinger to cover the tip for deer gralloching and splitting the aitch bone and sternum and atlas joint is a breeze. This is how the knife excels. You can have it razor sharp but easy to put away once closed. No cut lining of jackets with razor sharp fixed blades whilst faffing to put the knife back in the sheath if on your belt! It can also fit nicely into a binocular chest rig pocket as an alternative means of carry. This is why I got mine. It works like a fixed blade but can fold and go in the harness bottom or side pocket. No need to have a fixed blade attached to the outside of the harness using the Molle loops. Much easier when meeting dog walkers or ramblers although the rifle still can unsettle them. Wearing a Deerstalker helps and having your knife tucked away does too. This knife is perfect in this role and I would highly recommend it.