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MotorbikeMan
04-04-05, 10:06 PM
I was very pleasantly surprised to arrive at work in the morning to find that one of Lord Farquhar's MK2 Larcen's had arrived in the post for me to do a review on. This is just the initial impressions of the knife with a fuller review to follow.

I've not had a chance to take any pics yet, but you can take a look at Lord farquhar's thread here (http://www.britishblades.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8529&highlight=larcen) and I'll post some more as soon as I can, here's the spec :

Overall (length) is 8.5inches. 4.25inch handle and 4.25 inch blade. Its made from O1 steel @ 3.4mm thick aprox. Full blade quench with a hard angled back. The handle is made with maple burl with quarter inch mosaic pins and a 6mm lanyard hole.

The first impression is that it looks really, really nice. The Maple Burl has a lovely warm colour to it. Lord Farquhar told me that the blade hadn't had a final polish and so was unfinished, but I actually like the finish, with a slightly rougher texture on the top half of the blade. If he hadn't have told me, I would never have guessed it was unfinished. Lord Farquhar also sent a sheath with it which, considering it's only his 7th sheath (I think) it is superb. He's left the sheath the natural light tan colour which works very well with the knife.

The knife is quite shallow top to bottom but that isn't really a problem for my big hands and would work very well for smaller hands as well. The belly of the handle has quite a deep swell to it with relatively deep finger grooves which gives for a very secure grip, even in my hands :D this also allows for a range of different grips that certainly feel comfortable and with the length on the blade, it can even be used as a succesfull draw knife if the need should arrive. I'll write more about the different grips and usability once I've had a chance to use it in anger.

Lord Farquhar intends this as his interpretation of a bushcraft type knife and I can see how it would work well in this roll. One of the important things to be able to do with a bushcraft knife is use a ferro rod. I had a go with mine :yikes: even after a warning from Lord Farquhar, I very nearly set fire to the carpet!!!! this thing really does send an entire firework display from a ferro rod, even using it with the slow, controlled technique rather than the fast pull away from he knife technique. Very satisfying.

All in all, straight out of the box, ten out of ten :D I'll write more and post photo's as soon as I get the chance.

Thanks for the chance to have a play with this Lord Farquhar :biggthump

MotorbikeMan
06-04-05, 08:08 PM
Here's a few pics for now, I'll post some more when I have a chance to play at the weekend.

http://img141.exs.cx/img141/3050/mk2larcen031ul.jpg

http://img141.exs.cx/img141/5450/mk2larcen021fv.jpg

http://img141.exs.cx/img141/9715/mk2larcen013qz.jpg

Anarcus
06-04-05, 09:47 PM
Wow!
Thats realy rater nice. The mosaic pins are fantastic; sets the wood off well.
Do let us know how you get on with it.
Nice work Lord F

Tim

clcuckow
08-04-05, 01:16 AM
Wow!
Thats realy rater nice. The mosaic pins are fantastic; sets the wood off well.
Do let us know how you get on with it.
Nice work Lord F

Tim

I agree, and I might be 'inspired' by those pins ;)

MotorbikeMan
20-04-05, 10:59 PM
Just a quick update on how the MK2 larcen performs outdoors. I managed to get out for a wander a few days ago and had some fun doing a bit of whittling with the knife. Unfortunately, I left my camera behind :rolleyes: so the only pic I have from trip is this one of a feather stick I saved which was very badly made by myself :ashamed01
http://img133.echo.cx/img133/8754/picture087web7yq.jpg
The only reasons the featherstick looks a bit knaff is only down to my ineptitude and no fault of the knife at all. I managed to light a small fire with no problems at all using one of the feathersticks, a little bit of cotton wool and a ferro rod. First strike on the ferro rod and there was a firework display that set fire instantly to the cotton wool and then the featherstick. I tried both methods with the ferro rod, the quick pull back from the knife and the slow, controlled slide down the rod and they both lit up like the 5th November, so much so that I realised I had to be careful about the ground at my feet!! :O

When it came to cutting and carving the knife was very nice to use. One of the things I was worried about was control of the blade with the slim handle but I had no problems at all Now obviously, this is a personal thing and we all differ in what we like, but even with my larger than average hands I had no worries at all. the swell on the handle along with the lumpy bit at the back (technical term that ;) ) made for a range of different comfortable grips and I was even able to use the knife as a draw knife with relative safety due to the length of the blade. Heavy grips for removing large amounts of wood to light, precision grips for starting the stripping of bark and cutting shapes from birch bark etc were all comfortable and easy to move from grip to grip.

The knife feels solid at all times and was even able to chop the ends off of the featherstick I saved for the pic above and after a quick wipe and clean was even able to peel and slice an apple with no trouble at all. When I got home again, a couple of wipes up and down a strop and I was able to slice down the length of an A4 piece of paper with no trouble at all.

My own personal preferance would be for a flat grind blade, but that’s mostly because I’m lazy when it comes to sharpening :rolleyes: The convex grind does have definate advantages and gives a strong edge and is very durable in the field. I can see people finding this a very nice knife to use especially if they have to be a bit discreet with what they carry to and from where ever they do their stuff as I spent most of the time carrying the knife in it’s sheath in my the cargo pocket on my combats.

All in all, I’d be more than happy to own one of these and use it a lot, nice job Lord Farquhar.

Danzo
21-04-05, 11:41 AM
Wow! I really like the blade, as in big time like a really, really lot, but the handle shape doesn't quite work for me, at least in the picture. It is probably just a visual thing as I like having the recurve on the butt, it works superbly on the Manix. The workmanship on the handle does look superb, and I really like the pins

Great work LF and great review Jon.

:biggthump

Danzo

Danzo
21-04-05, 11:42 AM
.....I really used 'really' a lot in that post, didn't I?

:rolleyes:

Danzo

Dave Barker
21-04-05, 11:50 AM
yes mate, you really did didn't you really :)

Danzo
21-04-05, 12:07 PM
I really did, really.

:rolleyes:

Danzo

Danzo
21-04-05, 12:10 PM
.......and really, although I really appreciate it I really won't feel better if you try and assure me that really, my excessive use of the word is really not a really serious expression of my decreasing vocabulary, but really just an expression of the really difficult job of making posts really interesting.

Really.

Danzo

Dave Barker
21-04-05, 12:19 PM
No mate. I really think the excessive amounts of alcohol coupled with what really is an addiction to the sharp pointies has really pickled the brain. Not to mention the fact that you say you are a lawyer when really you teach those who will really become lawyers in reality really.

Danzo
21-04-05, 12:42 PM
No mate. I really think the excessive amounts of alcohol coupled with what really is an addiction to the sharp pointies has really pickled the brain. Not to mention the fact that you say you are a lawyer when really you teach those who will really become lawyers in reality really.

I really, really always stress the point that I am an academic lawyer, not a really practising one but other people really don't take that on board and really do think that I really am a practising lawyer.

Really, it's enough to drive one really cross. Really.

;)

Danzo

Dave Barker
21-04-05, 12:46 PM
I really, really always stress the point that I am an academic lawyer, not a really practising one but other people really don't take that on board and really do think that I really am a practising lawyer.

Really, it's enough to drive one really cross. Really.

;)

Danzo


REALLY?

Danzo
21-04-05, 01:09 PM
I think we have taken this thread really as far off topic as it is really possible to, and I really think we should really return to discussing a really rather lovely knife.

This is a 'really' free zone from now on.

Larcen discussion only.

Really.

;)

Danzo

Lord Farquhar
21-04-05, 01:38 PM
I rather think it may be a rather good idea if i act rather kindly to the chap who rather uses the term really rather a lot. I thought it rather kind of me to offer Danzo the really bandaged cat a gander at my rather large woodie..... knife i mean :O

Danzo
21-04-05, 01:46 PM
I'm up for that!

:D

Danzo

Lord Farquhar
21-04-05, 01:54 PM
I'm up for that!

:D

Danzo

I just gave mbm a PM
should is do a passaround?

Danzo
21-04-05, 02:01 PM
I just gave mbm a PM
should is do a passaround?

Yup, that would be cool.

Danzo

Lord Farquhar
21-04-05, 02:07 PM
Yup, that would be cool.

Danzo

Who is going to organise it?
And not disappear half way and leave every one worried? :D

Danzo
21-04-05, 02:13 PM
I'm not organising anything else! Except perhaps something with a flavour of Aalborg.........

;)

Danzo

MotorbikeMan
21-04-05, 04:50 PM
I can organise it if you like, let me know :D

Otto
22-04-05, 06:39 AM
Nice review