Yog
29-08-05, 08:09 PM
I’m not sure if Kevin “Coutel” Davey will mind me posting this review, because as some of you might know he isn’t currently making any knives to sell whilst he concentrates on his ABS Journeyman accreditation. Therefore I feel doubly lucky in managing to pick up one of his pieces. There was quite a bit of luck involved, and more than a little bit of being in the right place at the right time.
http://www.meshmonkey.eclipse.co.uk/knives/Coutel_Knife_Side.jpg
The knife is 8 3/4” overall with a 4 1/4” blade (3 1/2” cutting edge). The blade is forged O1, full flat ground with a generous belly sweeping nicely up to a fine tip, just the way I like it. A full tang with a modest taper completes the blade.
The handle slabs are stripped and dyed Sanbar Stag. This was a definite plus for me, with so many cheep knives of my youth having “plastic” stag handles I must admit to being put off stag a little. This stripped stag on the other hand has a vivid impact from a distance (much subtler in the hand), whilst having a very fine and interesting grain pattern when looked at closely, you can’t beat natural materials for this type of understated detail.. As well as a gentle flare towards the back in profile, the handle also subtly bulges in the centre when looking down on it. All in all a very comfortable/secure grip.
http://www.meshmonkey.eclipse.co.uk/knives/Coutel_Knife_Top.jpg
The whole thing is finished off with raised peened silver pins. After seeing so many ground flushed pins, it was nice to see domed pins for a change, especially as it’s obviously a harder thing to do, one slip of the hammer or peening tool and the handle scale could so easily have been ruined.
http://www.meshmonkey.eclipse.co.uk/knives/Coutel_Handle_Side.jpg
Despite it’s high level of finish and fine materials there is no doubt this knife is a user. A full handle grip allows for a lot of pressure to be exerted along the whole blade length, whilst the handle/blade transition allows for a very comfortable choked up grip for finer work without sacrificing safety.
I personally think the overall size is just right as well. Whilst bigger knives look more imposing and look good hanging on a wall, I believe a knife this size will see a lot more use on a day to day basis. If you want to chop something, buy a machete or a hatchet. ;)
I loved the styling of the knife the first time I saw a picture of it, I was extremely pleased with the finish when I got to hold it in my hand, and I’m now very appreciative now that I’ve had a chance to use it for a while.
It was a real pleasure dealing with Kevin as well. It’s obvious Kevin wants to provide people with the best he can offer. At one point I thought he was going to refuse to sell me the knife because the sheath (made by someone else) wasn’t perfect, it was functional, just not perfect and Kevin was reluctant to sell something that wasn’t a complete top notch product. I’m extremely glad he relented. :D
Once Kevin starts making knives for sale again, I can definitely see myself looking for another one.
NB- Since writing the rest of the review I've been using the knife enough to require a resharpen. I found the edge to be surprisingly hard. I hadn't intended to polish the edge, but I found that due to it's hardness it was begining to polish up even without going down to my finest stones. It now pops hairs like a razor, yet with it's stoutness I have no hesitation tackling tougher jobs with it. All in all a extremely nice knife :happy15:
http://www.meshmonkey.eclipse.co.uk/knives/Coutel_Knife_Side.jpg
The knife is 8 3/4” overall with a 4 1/4” blade (3 1/2” cutting edge). The blade is forged O1, full flat ground with a generous belly sweeping nicely up to a fine tip, just the way I like it. A full tang with a modest taper completes the blade.
The handle slabs are stripped and dyed Sanbar Stag. This was a definite plus for me, with so many cheep knives of my youth having “plastic” stag handles I must admit to being put off stag a little. This stripped stag on the other hand has a vivid impact from a distance (much subtler in the hand), whilst having a very fine and interesting grain pattern when looked at closely, you can’t beat natural materials for this type of understated detail.. As well as a gentle flare towards the back in profile, the handle also subtly bulges in the centre when looking down on it. All in all a very comfortable/secure grip.
http://www.meshmonkey.eclipse.co.uk/knives/Coutel_Knife_Top.jpg
The whole thing is finished off with raised peened silver pins. After seeing so many ground flushed pins, it was nice to see domed pins for a change, especially as it’s obviously a harder thing to do, one slip of the hammer or peening tool and the handle scale could so easily have been ruined.
http://www.meshmonkey.eclipse.co.uk/knives/Coutel_Handle_Side.jpg
Despite it’s high level of finish and fine materials there is no doubt this knife is a user. A full handle grip allows for a lot of pressure to be exerted along the whole blade length, whilst the handle/blade transition allows for a very comfortable choked up grip for finer work without sacrificing safety.
I personally think the overall size is just right as well. Whilst bigger knives look more imposing and look good hanging on a wall, I believe a knife this size will see a lot more use on a day to day basis. If you want to chop something, buy a machete or a hatchet. ;)
I loved the styling of the knife the first time I saw a picture of it, I was extremely pleased with the finish when I got to hold it in my hand, and I’m now very appreciative now that I’ve had a chance to use it for a while.
It was a real pleasure dealing with Kevin as well. It’s obvious Kevin wants to provide people with the best he can offer. At one point I thought he was going to refuse to sell me the knife because the sheath (made by someone else) wasn’t perfect, it was functional, just not perfect and Kevin was reluctant to sell something that wasn’t a complete top notch product. I’m extremely glad he relented. :D
Once Kevin starts making knives for sale again, I can definitely see myself looking for another one.
NB- Since writing the rest of the review I've been using the knife enough to require a resharpen. I found the edge to be surprisingly hard. I hadn't intended to polish the edge, but I found that due to it's hardness it was begining to polish up even without going down to my finest stones. It now pops hairs like a razor, yet with it's stoutness I have no hesitation tackling tougher jobs with it. All in all a extremely nice knife :happy15: