Best EDC TRC knife
The Polheim is the best all round TRC knife if you assess this based on size, weight and performance. It does everything the South Pole does but is much easier to carry and the kydex sheath with the pocket clip means when you need to use it you can secure it to re-sheath the knife and afterwards put it away in a pocket for better security and a lower profile when encountering “none knife people” . If you are a deerstalker this knife is perfect. The kydex sheath and none porous grip scales means it passes all the health and safety measures on none contamination. The sheath has a drainage hole and is easy to clean/sterilise after use. The 4 inch blade is easy to use a forefinger spine/tip shroud for an abdomen cut and is excellent for working inside a carcass. To pass your DSC level 2 you will need to remove the paracord small lanyard as this will retain blood/bacteria but you can replace this with a zip tie and an RC tackle night glow cube bead (designed for carp fishing at night) and this will help draw the knife and find it after a dusk gralloch should you put it down or worse drop it! The knife is also perfect for skinning and deer larder work. The Magnacut steel holds an excellent edge and comes razor sharp. Mine scored 75g on a BESS test which is assessed as being comparable to a straight razor. The edge angle is 17 degrees per side. A perfect balance for sharpness without edge rolling. The high Rockwell heat treatment gives long edge retention but increases sharpening time if using stones. I use a Tormek with a Fine Diamond wheel. Worth the investment for me as I process a lot of meat/game. YMMV - a good budget alternative is the Norton Saint- Gobain Crystolon stones made with silicon carbide. One tenth the cost of a Tormek. Aluminium Oxide stones struggle with Magnacut or Elmax or RWL if hardened to Rc 62. So basically use Silicon Carbide. The price point is actually cheaper! There is a great article on Phil Wilson’s website on this. All TRC knives need Silicon Carbide or Diamond stones unless you have a desire to develop a “Zen” mindset with sharpening on Waterstones for ages. The knife is not a convex grind so is much simpler to sharpen. The fit and finish are at a custom level. The knife excels at bushcraft too. Very tough and well able to baton wood and carve and feather stick. The UltiClip attachment means there are no holes available to attach a fire steel loop unless you take it off and add one to the leg side of the knife and reattach the clip. Doable with the right screws and a custom made loop as the spacing of the holes is not standard. Or you can pocket carry one and make it simple ? Highly recommend this knife. So much so that I also bought the Anniversary version. In my 100+ collection this is one of two knives where I have purchased a second one. The other is the DBK Magnacut knife also made by TRC. These two are my most used knives but the DBK is convex ground and if I am honest I prefer the quicker sharpening of the Polheim. It is expensive but if you can afford it, it will save you buying multiple knives looking for the “ideal one”. ( Like we all tell ourselves ?).
