Three knives for the Apocalypse - a tabletop review.

[Martyn]

The knives: A Chris Reeve Pacific, Strider MT Mod10 and a Fallkniven A1.

I thought it might be interesting to do a round-up of these 3 classic knives. I haven't got the time with them to do a field review yet. I've had the A1 for ages and pounded pretty hard on it, but the strider hasn't been with me long and the Chris Reeve Pacific hasn't left the house yet. But that shouldn't detract from the benefits of a closer look at them on the table.



All 3 of these knives represent some of the best in the industry, classic military designs from some of the best cutlers in the business. They may seem very different, but they merit comparison because they are all designed to serve in a similar role and succeed and fail in that role to various degrees. Right, lets take a closer look - get comfy, this is going to be a long one folks.

Part 1

The Strider MT Mod 10:

Specs:
Overall length of the knife: 255mm
Overall blade Length: 135mm
Cutting edge length: 110mm
Blade Thickness: 6.35mm
Blade coating: Sandblasted, tiger stripe.
Tang: Full tang.
Handle Material: Paracord wrap with paracord underwrap.
Steel: Crucible S30V
Weight of knife only: 272g
Weight of knife with sheath & DC4: 514g
Sheath type: Customised Eagle Industries cordura, no PALS, but multiple attachment options.



The Mod10 is the smallest, most compact package of the 3, it's noticeable, but not by much. It's superbly made, the machining is immaculate and the handle wrap is very comfortable. There is actually an under-wrap which adds thickness and prevents metal showing through the gaps in the over-wrap. It works on Japanese swords and it works on this knife too - plus it gives you about 10 feet of paracord to use in an emergency. The knife is a spear-point design with a very large ricasso/choil area. It has a double edge with serrations on the spine. The top edge has a glint of metal showing as if sharpened, but it's so dull it wont cut through string. It's mostly cosmetic. The serrations are mostly cosmetic too. They are so coarse, they don't cut as much as grind through things. You can grind a V notch in wood, but forget any ideas of using them as a saw or for cutting rope - not a chance. It's a lovely looking object, well balanced and although the cutting edge is only around 4 inches long, it has a heft to it which matches the larger knives on review here. Not sure if that is a good or bad thing.





I suppose the back edge could be sharpened - at least made sharper. But the grind angle of the swedge is so obtuse, you wont ever get a keen edge. That brings me on to the primary edge. This has to be the dullest out-of-the-box knife I've ever bought. It certainly doesnt shave, or anything remotely close. Again, I dare say it can be made sharper, but the thick steel and narrow blade with very obtuse grind geometry mean this knife is never going to be a good cutter. It's just too limited by it's own physics. That said, maybe I'm being too harsh. I'm used to knives being scalpel sharp and that's not in the design brief for the Mod10. It does cut, it goes through paracord, cardboard, shaves wood and actually is a very good splitter. So it is functional - it does most of what you want from a blade, but if you've got a plie of carrots to cut, you'll be flirting them everywhere but in the pot.





You can see from the above pic, that the blade geometry does not lend itself well to being a good slicer - maybe if it was a full 0-edge scandi grind it would be better at working wood, but the very long ricasso/choil area also makes it a bit awkward for carving. You can choke up on the edge, but the serrations on the top edge do bite into your hand or fingers. This is not as big a problem as it might seem actually, because the top edge is so dull you can actually use those serrations as thumb jimping providing you don't put too much pressure on the cut.

This knife is all about the robustness of construction and the point!



You could be forgiven for thinking I'm hating this knife, but you'd be wrong. I love it! Seriously, I think it is an amazing tool - for the job it was designed to do. To understand that, you have to stop thinking of it as a knife really and start thinking of it as a demolition tool with a serious point and a functional edge. It's designed as a military tool, not for combat, but for opening tin cans, puncturing vehicle tyres, draining fuel tanks, opening oil drums, prying open rusty ammo boxes, wooden doors and sash windows. You can drive this thing into a cinder block and then your whole platoon can use it as a step up without ill effect. It's designed so you can beat the living snot out of it in a harsh, brutal, unforgiving environment like Afghanistan, but it will continue to do what is says on the tin. The finish will get trashed, but who cares? Knife care is a luxury for civillians who are not being shot at and blown up. For a soldier in Afghanistan, or a post-apocalyptic wasteland warrior, or just a seriously ham-fisted woodsman, it's perfect! Combine this with a Leatherman EOD and you'll be a walking tool shop and one man wrecking crew.





About that finish, it's just sandblasted on in patterns. It does scratch easily, so forget any idea of using this knife and keeping the finish intact. But again, if you are using this knife for it's intended purpose, then who cares?

The sheath it comes with, is a customised Eagle Industries sheath. It doesn't have PALS on the back, but it has numerous hook and loop attachment options. It's flexible at the neck, so you can wear the knife at the hip and move it to a 90 degree angle for sitting in a car or whatever. It's comfortable and functional. It also has a loop at the top for attaching to a drop leg rig if that is your want. There is also a secondary hook and loop fastener at the top which makes it jump-safe. One thing I like very much, is the kydex insert is felt lined, which removes the issue of the kydex marking the blade. All kydex should have this.

Great knife!

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[Martyn]

Part 2

The Chris Reeve Pacific:
Specs:
Overall length of the knife: 303mm
Overall blade Length: 165mm
Cutting edge length: 148mm
Blade Thickness: 5.8mm
Blade coating: Baked Gun-Kote.
Tang: Full tang with exposed spine.
Handle Material: Sandblasted Canvas Micarta.
Steel: Crucible CPM S35VN
Weight of knife only: 320g
Weight of knife with sheath & DC4: 563g
Sheath type: Customised Spec Ops Combat Master, Cordura w/PALS.



The Chris Reeve Pacific - oh my goodness, where to start? What a piece of engineering perfection this is. The knife is simply flawless. From right out of the box I was blown away by the symmetry and attention to detail. It makes the Strider look crude (which it isn't). The edges are perfectly bevelled, the micarta is totally symmetrical, it's textured to perfection from careful sandblasting. It's a big knife, 2 inches longer than the Strider, half an inch wider and almost as thick at 5.8mm. It has micarta handle slabs instead of string, yet amazingly, it's only 48g heavier. That's down to the grind. It's very slightly hollow ground and much thinner at the edge than the strider (MUCH thinner). This also means it's much, much sharper. While the Strider was one of the dullest knives out of the box, the Pacific is one of the sharpest. Possibly the sharpest. That's not to say it's fragile, far from it, but it is clearly designed for a different remit and environment. The clue is in the name - the Pacific.





As the name implies, this knife was designed for military use in the Pacific. Typically a green environment, rich in foliage unlike the dry conditions of Afghanistan. The Chris Reeve Pacific is much more typically knife-like in it's construction and intended use than the Strider. Being made of S35VN and Gun-Koted it's highly rust resistant and the serrations are razor sharp, intended for cutting rope in a marine environment. Though I haven't had chance to use this knife in anger yet, I see no reason why it wouldn't perform perfectly in Northern Europe or any green, leafy environment.





The serrations on the blade are on each side, 4 scallops on the left side of the blade, 3 on the right. This makes them offset a little like saw teeth and very aggressive. They are sharpened in the same way you sharpen the rest of the blade - eventually they will wear away, but not for a very, very long time. I haven't cut wood with the knife yet, but I have used serrated knives before and although I generally prefer a plain edge, I don't find they detract from practical use. They still shave wood and are obviously very effective rope cutters.

The handle slabs of the knife are recessed a little, just about 1mm or so, enough for the spine to stand proud. I don't know the reason for it, but it looks very cool and because the spine is so well rounded, it doesn't feel uncomfortable in the least. The jimping on the thumb ramp and underside is quite aggressive, large and very grippy - I like it. I particularly like how it's followed through into the handles on the underside.





One thing about the protruding spine, if you were using it in the Arctic circle, it could bring cold metal into contact with your skin, which could be nasty in extremely cold conditions. Though you would probably be wearing gloves, so it may be a moot point, but something to consider. This knife has the largest and most ergonomic handle of the three on review. It feels just fantastic in almost any grip orientation you can think of. The angle on the guard also means you can choke on the choil, while the meat of your palm is still over handle, rather than blade spine. This makes choking the knife very natural and comfortable and brings the cutting edge very close to your index finger, while retaining the security of having a beefy handle in your palm. It's the best executed choil design I've ever handled. Not everyone like a choil, but this really is an example of a job well done. I didn't know if I would like it, but on this particular knife, I do - very much. Oh, that little point on the pommel is supposed to be a glass breaker BTW.



The knife is much bigger than the Strider and you feel like you have something substantial in your hand. Although it's only 48g heavier (and just 9g heavier than the Fallkniven), it feels light for it's size. The balance is perfectly over your natural index finger location. The effect is one of feeling very quick in the hand. I'm not sure how thick the Gun-Kote is, but I would think very thin. It's a baked on coating that is very wear resistant and it feels much more refined than the usual black epoxy grunge you get on typical tactical knives. It's far more refined than say the coating on an ESEE knife. That's evident when you look at how crisp the etched logos are on the knife.



That basically means most of it's 5.8mm thickness, is steel. I'm not sure about the long term durability of this coating, but nobody seems to complain about it. They might all be drawer queens though.

The sheath is a modified Spec Ops Combat Master sheath. It comes in just one flavour, ACU. But most of the camo is hidden by Foliage Green webbing, making the whole sheath more FG than ACU. The kydex insert is cut at an angle, which perfectly matches the angle of the guard, but that also makes the sheath "handed". You'd have to take the insert out and reverse it if you are a leftie - which is possible BTW. The retention strap is also different to the normal Spec Ops offering, it's made of this super thick towelling material which is elasticated. I like this very much. It conforms to the shape of the handle and holds it firmly with no slop. There is no other retention mechanism, so I don't think the sheath would be rated as jump safe. It does have lots of PALS on the back though, which gives all the usual MOLLE mounting options.



At this point, you could be forgiven for thinking I'm loving this knife, but you'd be wrong. I hate it. OK maybe I don't hate it, but it irritates me. It's too perfect, it makes me feel like it would be sacrilegious to use it. I don't want to touch the blade in case I mar the perfection with the horrible organic acids in my skin. I want to mount it in a velvet lined case and put it in an environmentally controlled room. It really is annoying. It's a hard use knife, but while the Strider made me feel like it was OK to beat the crap out of it, the Pacific makes me feel like I need to wrap it up. Maybe it's just because it's so new, I hope so.

Great Knife!

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[Martyn]

Part 3

The Fallkniven A1:

Specs:
Overall length of the knife: 280mm
Overall blade Length: 158mm
Cutting edge length: 151mm
Blade Thickness: 6.0 mm
Blade coating: None, light satin polish with visible grain.
Tang: Full through tang.
Handle Material: Kraton overmold.
Steel: Laminated VG10
Weight of knife only: 311g
Weight of knife with sheath & DC4: 560g
Sheath type: Off the shelf Spec Ops Combat Master, Cordura w/PALS [does not come with knife].



Bit of a left field option this one - at least in so much as Fallkniven don't have the cult-like following of Chris Reeve or Strider knives. Or maybe not? The A1 is known as a tough all-rounder by many who have used it. I have mine mentally classified as a beater. In fact when I came to take pictures for this review, I found it still covered in pine tar from splitting wood with it about 6 weeks ago. I was just lazy and stuck it back in the sheath and forgot about it. But a wipe down with WD40 to remove the tar and then a quick polish with Flitz and I must say, I'm pretty impressed. You can tell it's been used, but aside from a few micro-chips on the edge, it's polished up to a pretty saleable condition.



The A1 is a little shorter than the Pacific, about half an inch in blade length and about the same in handle length. Significantly though, no choil and a very short ricasso, meaning it has the longest cutting edge of the blades on review. At 6.0mm, blade thickness is exactly in between the 5.8mm of the Pacific and the 6.35mm of the Mod10, It's just 9g lighter than the pacific. Blade steel is not CPM like the others, but the laminated VG10 is no poor mans option, it's an excellent steel and well proven in this laminated format. In fact some of the abuse and torture tests of this knife on YouTube need to be seen to be believed. It's an extremely tough knife, in practical terms, possibly as tough as the Strider - it certainly has a similar "you can kick me and I wont mind" feel about it. The blade spine is squarely ground and while no where near as pretty as the Pacific, it has a functionality that is missing from the other two. You can use the spine of this knife with a firesteel. Is that a big deal? Well firesteels are useful things, no doubt and having to carry a separate striker is just another bit of junk to carry, so I would say yes, it's significant. YMMV.





The relatively short handle and quite long, heavy blade of this knife, puts the point of balance well into the blade, making it feel a bit blade heavy and a bit sluggish, especially compared to the beautifully balanced pacific. Although that forward weight might give it some advantage with chopping tasks, though personally, if I think something needs chopping, I reach for a saw. The thickness of the blade and sabre grind make the A1 a superb wood splitter though. That alone is enough to recommend this knife. The long blade means you can tackle logs up to 6" in diameter and it does split them very well indeed. I havent tried the Pacific in this role yet, but I would be surprised if it is as good as the A1, though it wont be far behind I'm sure. Time will tell.

The handle is overmoulded with a textured and very grippy Kraton, a type of rubber. The A1 doesnt suffer from the too slim handle issue that is often a criticism of it's smaller sibling, the F1. The handle of the A1, while not huge, is big enough and works well with gloved hands. Speaking of gloves, the overmoulded handle makes the A1 the best choice here for Arctic and very cold environments. Your hands are completely isolated from the blade steel. That might also have benefits if you had need to dig about in something that might contain a live circuit, though could be stretching the point.

Noticably different from the others, is the lack of blade coating. This does make the A1 a very glinty knife which might be a no-go for the desterts of Afghanistan, but for civvi use, it's a non-issue really. In fact it's a definite plus. It could act as an emergency signalling device. But more importantly, I've pounded pretty hard on this knife and it cleans up nice in no time. I doubt either of the others will look so pretty after the same sort of use. Not that the A1 is pretty, it isn't. It's rather plain. In fact I'm struggling to find something interesting to photograph. It's so plain and functional, it's almost boring. Being free from unnecessary fluff, the A1 brings a typically Scandinavian pragmatism to the table.

The tang passes right through the handle, which gives you something to beat upon, should you find a reason to hammer the knife into something. Actually, it's just as functional as the Strider in that regard, although the point isn't as sharp or as well defined.



That brings me to the edge. While both the Strider and the Chris Reeve have plain V edge profiles and so not really much to talk about, the Fallkniven has a convex grind. It's actually very sharp out of the box, not as sharp as the Pacific, but still shaved hair with ease - still does in fact and all I use on it is a leather strop and some compound. It is a fussy profile to maintain though, needing WD paper and a bit of leather or similar to hone it properly. This might be a bit too fussy for a squaddie in the sandpit. I think if I was deployed, I'd just put a secondary bevel on it with a DC4 hone and be done with it. You could always re-profile back to convex when you get home, or when the apocalypse ends or whatever.

At this point, you could be forgiven for thinking I'm a bit indifferent to the A1 and you'd be right. Well, not really. I do like it a lot for is all round functionality. It's probably the thinking mans option of the three knives here. It just doesnt fill me with the same passion as the other two, even though it might actually be the best all round solution. A bit like when Jeremy Clarkson says "the Ferrari is the best car, but I'd still buy the Aston".

A final note about the sheath. The off-the-shelf Spec Ops combat Master in 6" length is a perfect fit for the A1, but it does not come as standard. While for some, the A1 might appear the cheap option here, when you factor the cost of the sheath into the total, then all 3 knives are in a similar bracket for the package. Availability might be an issue though, the A1 is far more readily available than the others, especially for those of us in Europe.

Great knife.

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[Martyn]

Part 4

Roundup and Conclusions...

Three great, but very different knives from three great cutlery houses. All designed with more than a nod to millitary application and all eminently suited to that in varying degrees.



But which one is best? Which one of the three would I pick up instinctively if the world went to hell in the next 5 minutes? The bombproof Strider, the tried and dependable Fallkniven or the beautiful but untested Chris Reeve? Truth is it wouldn't matter a jot. All three are "bet your life on it" knives and they would all do everything you would need and then some.

The Strider is optimised for the brutality of military use, particularly in the Middle East. It's not the best woodworker, but it's good enough for the bits you'd need to do. In a European theatre, there are better options, especially for civilian use, but it still does the job. In a fanciful post apocalyptic scenario, it might be the best choice even for the green and leafy. You wont be making shelters out of twigs, you'll be breaking into broken down buildings. But - in the real world and for a civilian, the Strider is likely to be a knife that will see little use. Simply because that kind of aggressive use is unnecessary. We have the luxury of being able to maintain a fine and precise tool. Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut when you can use a nut cracker?

The Chris Reeve Pacific is a gorgeous piece of engineering. By far the prettiest and most impressively machined of those on test here. The attention to detail is stunning and it's perfection is possibly it's only flaw. That said, not the perfect choice for the soldier on deployment into the Middle East. I would prefer either the Strider or the Fallkniven in that situation. Partly because I wouldn't want to ruin such a gorgeous knife by taking it to a rocky desert and beasting on it and partly because the other two are just a little bit more suited to that environment. If I had to take it though, I certainly wouldn't feel short changed. The exposed tang also makes it less than ideal for Arctic conditions, so Scandinavians might choose something else. In fact if the apocalypse occurred in the depths of a British winter, I might well choose the A1 for the same reasons.

The Fallkniven A1 is a superb all round choice. It has a beefy blade, perfect for splitting wood, it's sharp enough to make a good woodsman's tool, it has the longest uninterrupted edge of the three, it's sturdy enough to be shamelessly abused and shrug it off and the handle is nicely isolated from a potentially freezing tang. It's also the cheapest and probably will retain a decent appearance long after the others look shabby. It is not particularly optimised for one environment and could work equally well in hot, dry, humid, wet, cold, salty environments. It's the thinking mans choice, if a little un-inspirational.

But one thing not mentioned yet is unarmed combat? It's a subject we don't discuss normally, preferring to focus on knives as utility tools. But with reference to a military knife, some limited discussion is perhaps appropriate. I dont know much about such things, but of the three, the one with the best balance, the thinnest blade, the longest blade, the finest point and the sharpest edge would have to be the winner - the Chris Reeve Pacific. But it has to be said, the whole notion of a military combat knife is a bit redundant these days. I think it's universally accepted that if you are down to fighting your way out of a spot with a knife, you are in a proper pickle - it's a fantasy. Even the British Commandos are no longer issued with Commando knives. The issued knives in the modern military are purely utilitarian, so that is how these knives have been reviewed.

So back to the question. If the apocalypse happened 5 minutes ago and I was on the way out of the door, which would I grab? Yes, any would do ...but ....there is one I would go for above the others. The Chris Reeve Pacific. It was always going to be this one. This knife just drips with class. I can see why it won Blade magazine's American Knife of the Year, a very deserving winner.

As always, your mileage may vary.

Thanks for reading.

[Martyn]

So which one would you pick and why? If none of the above, which would be your "knife for the appocalypse? Or perhaps a more realistic question, which would you take to war?

[Noddy]

Looking forward to installments 2 and 3, particularly to see how the A1 fares Great pics and write up thus far. (If I was going to a war, I'd take someone else's I think, though)

[Martyn]

Looking forward to installments 2 and 3, particularly to see how the A1 fares Great pics and write up thus far. (If I was going to a war, I'd take someone else's I think, though)

Be a couple of hours yet I would think. All the pics for all 3 are taken and processed and the Pacific review is half written, but my mum just popped round for coffee and cake.

[TallNHairyDave]

Off to an excellent start Martyn, thanks for sharing with us!

I never thought I'd look at a strider knife and think "I'd quite like one of those", but I'd quite like one of those!

[paul w]

Thanks for the great pics and review and congratulations again for scoring what looks like the last Strider MT MOD 10 that was for sale at Heinnie's while i was dithering
Great knife.Looking forward to 2&3

[Gordo-uk]

Well if that comes can I come round yours for tea
Beauties....

[Pious Pigeon]

A finely written review Martyn. You've brought up a few points about Striders that I'd never really thought of. I'd never considered paying as much for a knife, then abusing it to such a degree in which it was designed.

Still think I'd go for the A1 though. Nice and easy to sharpen and a good all-rounder. Not much good with this fantasy stuff am I?

[Basemetal]

Good stuff. The usefulness of a less than razor sharp edged tool is a point very well made. And even handle comfort being a tolerable variable, as many knives don't get extended use like tools held in a particluar way, so grip can can be more important than comfort. (Curious about the undersized/exposed tang scales on the Pacific though ) Main thing in some instances is that it just doesn't snap in two... Your case for the Mod10 is better than I expected

[dannyboy87]

I never thought I'd look at a strider knife and think "I'd quite like one of those", but I'd quite like one of those!

You've brought up a few points about Striders that I'd never really thought of. I'd never considered paying as much for a knife, then abusing it to such a degree in which it was designed.

Your case for the Mod10 is better than I expected

All of the above. Nice writeup, and genuinely the only time I've contemplated owning a strider.

[Pious Pigeon]

Martyn, you must be either a politician or a used car salesman!

[Martyn]

It's a point that motivated me to get it. A soldier in Afghanistan isn't going to be rubbing 2 sticks together to make a fire, he'll more likely use a thermite grenade. He doesnt need a fine woodworking tool, he needs something he can use, abuse and forget about. He doesnt want a fine edge that needs to be babied, he needs a rough-as-a-brears-arse edge that he can grind back to something approaching sharp in 2 minutes with absolutely no skill required. The Strider is perfect - for that design remit.