Fallknivens, MS, bark river, serrata and fluffy to blame..

[MeetTheGeeks]

I was looking at knives recently, as we all do around here and wanted a good mooch at an F1. Fluffy kindly offered me a box of knives to play with to try and talk me out of the fallkniven F1 by sending one and the S1 with some others. Ive sat and held them, Ive played with them and found one I wouldnt dare use!

The S1 is a nice knife, it really is, I just find that handle thins to much at the back and although its larger in the handle slightly over the F1, its actually too uncomfortable to use. I found my little finger trying to get purchase on something that wasn't there. It didnt lock into the hand enough for me so felt like I was fumbling. I came back to the F1 once again, its great in the hand, its a good working tool and simple enough to just get on with what you need. It locks into the hand nicely and offers a good firm grip with excellent control.

Next up was these two beauties

I dont recall the name of the top one, serrata or sebenza or something. I liked the shape of the blade and the hand flows well. Some shrinkage on the scales left a few sharp areas of steel exposed and it made it a little uncomfortable. I think the steel was 440c or something and that means it wont take as much abuse Im informed. Battoning is a no go. I need a knife to split wood for a brew fire or to keep the midges away in the evening, I dont want to carry two tools personally if one can do it all. I like it dont get me wrong, the warnings about the steel left me hesitant.
Mick Spain bushtool. Now, where to begin. Ive dealt with Mick a few times for blades, hes a gent, polite, courteous always helpful and a you cant help but like him. This bushtool in 3mm steel changed my view of them. Id never held one before, and in the hand it just attaches to you and becomes an extension of your arm. The shaping for me was a great on the whole but one small area would need a little sanding to make it perfect. But that said, no one can fit everyones hands perfectly. The fit and finish is impeccable. After looking at it Id like to try Rob J Evans take on it and see how his compares and if I find one that suits me, Id have one! Id even try the original skookum version. I honestly didnt think I would like them, but, in the hand it makes so much more sense than any pic can do.

Last up, this from Bark River, a prototype.

I looks like a kukri of sorts, feels like a kukri of sorts, but lacks the weight to drive it. For fishing or small game prep it would probably come into its element, but as a knife for the woods, I dont know, I didnt try it to find out. I do like odd things, and this is certainly quite odd. The handle is a little crude in the hand for my mitts, but the blade has some interesting shape for trap making and small game.

From the ones sent to me, and once again many thanks Gary its been a real eye opener. I do like the S1, the blade shape and size would meet many requirements anyone could have from a knife, but its grip is not firm enough for me or my hands, it lacked control. Its a shame, but a blade blank is not out of the running. The F1 is a good blade size, can do anything you ask of it, it locks into the hand for control and meets the needs of a usable working tool. The 440c one, I do like it, the shape is great and its size is right, I dont want something that cant deliver a bit of a beating when I need it too. The MS bushtool, how can you use something like that? Its art meets working tool but Id not treat it with enough respect and feel it would be wrong to grace my door with something so nice. Its made to a high standard and not for the likes of a moor rat with a hammer fetish. I put my hands up to abusing knives, I would like to see Robs take on one and maybe get one later on for more sensible use its been a pleasure to try one. I keep coming back to the F1, the very one Fluffy said was not worth it and there is better for the money. I agree, there is, the F1 is not pretty, its not anything than a knife that just ticks boxes on a requirement list, but it fits the bill, it can do everything you throw at it, its probably fugly to some people and Id agree to that too. Its probably a little over priced to some, Id even agree with that. I should look at the H and W versions also before committing to buy one but it works. Its not a ferrari, or the aston martin db9 vanquish, its a skoda felicia clearly but they deliver everytime and wont let you down.
Im ashamed to say it, I find myself needing one...

[Relin]

I was looking at knives recently, as we all do around here and wanted a good mooch at an F1. Fluffy kindly offered me a box of knives to play with to try and talk me out of the fallkniven F1 by sending one and the S1 with some others. Ive sat and held them, Ive played with them and found one I wouldnt dare use!

The S1 is a nice knife, it really is, I just find that handle thins to much at the back and although its larger in the handle slightly over the F1, its actually too uncomfortable to use. I found my little finger trying to get purchase on something that wasn't there. It didnt lock into the hand enough for me so felt like I was fumbling. I came back to the F1 once again, its great in the hand, its a good working tool and simple enough to just get on with what you need. It locks into the hand nicely and offers a good firm grip with excellent control.

Next up was these two beauties

I dont recall the name of the top one, serrata or sebenza or something. I liked the shape of the blade and the hand flows well. Some shrinkage on the scales left a few sharp areas of steel exposed and it made it a little uncomfortable. I think the steel was 440c or something and that means it wont take as much abuse Im informed. Battoning is a no go. I need a knife to split wood for a brew fire or to keep the midges away in the evening, I dont want to carry two tools personally if one can do it all. I like it dont get me wrong, the warnings about the steel left me hesitant.
Mick Spain bushtool. Now, where to begin. Ive dealt with Mick a few times for blades, hes a gent, polite, courteous always helpful and a you cant help but like him. This bushtool in 3mm steel changed my view of them. Id never held one before, and in the hand it just attaches to you and becomes an extension of your arm. The shaping for me was a great on the whole but one small area would need a little sanding to make it perfect. But that said, no one can fit everyones hands perfectly. The fit and finish is impeccable. After looking at it Id like to try Rob J Evans take on it and see how his compares and if I find one that suits me, Id have one! Id even try the original skookum version. I honestly didnt think I would like them, but, in the hand it makes so much more sense than any pic can do.

Last up, this from Bark River, a prototype.

I looks like a kukri of sorts, feels like a kukri of sorts, but lacks the weight to drive it. For fishing or small game prep it would probably come into its element, but as a knife for the woods, I dont know, I didnt try it to find out. I do like odd things, and this is certainly quite odd. The handle is a little crude in the hand for my mitts, but the blade has some interesting shape for trap making and small game.

From the ones sent to me, and once again many thanks Gary its been a real eye opener. I do like the S1, the blade shape and size would meet many requirements anyone could have from a knife, but its grip is not firm enough for me or my hands, it lacked control. Its a shame, but a blade blank is not out of the running. The F1 is a good blade size, can do anything you ask of it, it locks into the hand for control and meets the needs of a usable working tool. The 440c one, I do like it, the shape is great and its size is right, I dont want something that cant deliver a bit of a beating when I need it too. The MS bushtool, how can you use something like that? Its art meets working tool but Id not treat it with enough respect and feel it would be wrong to grace my door with something so nice. Its made to a high standard and not for the likes of a moor rat with a hammer fetish. I put my hands up to abusing knives, I would like to see Robs take on one and maybe get one later on for more sensible use its been a pleasure to try one. I keep coming back to the F1, the very one Fluffy said was not worth it and there is better for the money. I agree, there is, the F1 is not pretty, its not anything than a knife that just ticks boxes on a requirement list, but it fits the bill, it can do everything you throw at it, its probably fugly to some people and Id agree to that too. Its probably a little over priced to some, Id even agree with that. I should look at the H and W versions also before committing to buy one but it works. Its not a ferrari, or the aston martin db9 vanquish, its a skoda felicia clearly but they deliver everytime and wont let you down.
Im ashamed to say it, I find myself needing one...

Its a serrata mate and its cast 440c, I believe the reason Zack doesn't recommend battoning is that the molecular structure changes when its cast and it gets more (searches for the right word) erm brittle (I don't think that's entirely accurate but it will do for this purpose)

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk

[dannyboy87]

Last up, this from Bark River, a prototype.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...y/100_1778.jpg

Quite like the shape of that. Where's the point of balance? Looks like it'd be kinda front heavy.

[nimrod]

Try before you buy,good idea.

Thanks for your mini review/views and requirements,very interesting.

[MeetTheGeeks]

The bark river is back heavy, its insanely light which I didnt expect. The balance point is at the rear of the bolster, handle side mate.
Relin, brittle is no good for me, I throw knives in the ground to keep them handy when fixing fences, and batton wood for a quick brew up so its not right for me. In a different steel, Id have one they are a great shape.

Some knives you see in pics look good but in the hand feel wrong, and vice versa. I was looking at ESEE and fallknivens and my mind is edging towards the F1 or something more now.

[Ru Titley]

Axle kindly brought these round Yesterday for Me to see .
Ive resheathed a few F1's before so the no nonsense does exactly what You want it to do knife was a good bechmark for the other knives .
My Mits are alot smaller than MTG's and yet I too found the slightly thinner rear of the Falky S1's grip to be the same issue that Axle had ,my hand just couldnt comfortable lock to the back of the grip when in a chopping motion .

The bark river was certainly interesting to look out as a comparisson to the traditional- ish bushy styling of the other knives , but I couldnt help but feel there had been 3 sperate designers involved with the recurved blade, the bolster and the personaly garish handles . It felt very thin in the hand and there was no reasuring weight to the blade for woods related uses . As a tool for the BB unmentionables it may have some interesting characteristics .

The other 2 are Customs but both were knives that Ive always wanted to handle , the Mick Spain is a great interpretation of the Bushtool and I find Myself deffinately in the bushtool camp rather than the woody clone alike camp .
The weight of the knife felt great in the hand like You could go to work on wood all day long , I personally found the scales a litle thick for my hand but only at the front where my forefinger sat . Id love to checkout the original SBT , and if I get the chance to check out Rob ev73's version I certainly will .

The serrata is a legendry knife and this one was finished beautifuly with very well sculpted scales , but its a shame the wood has shrunk back alittle exposeing the metal of the tang .
Id love to try one out one day , but the talk of possible issues concerning battoning due to the steel make up kinda make me wanna rethink this .

Cheers to Fluffy and Axle for letting Me have a looksee .

[MeetTheGeeks]

If anyone has any of the other Fallknivens we could borrow for a little while please let me know

I think the bushtool came out of this best as a really useful tool, but the F1 for abuse came out best for me personally.

[Eee]

Good comparison.

There are Bark rivers that might be more up your street. The Bravo 1 springs to mind (the top one), (expensive new, but they pop up on the classifieds at the price of a new F1 fairly regularly)

[Mr Happymoose]

Nice little set and some good points made. I'm surprised by the handle on the S1, didn't expect that at all!!

[Ru Titley]

Yeah I was wondering about the thinness of the end of the s1 handle , do they expect you go grip further back when choping because its a slighty longer blade than the f1 ? and therfore thin it out like on a traditional nordic type blade .

[Mr Happymoose]

Yeah I was wondering about the thinness of the end of the s1 handle , do they expect you go grip further back when choping because its a slighty longer blade than the f1 ? and therfore thin it out like on a traditional nordic type blade .

I guess that could make a kind of sense, without seeing one in the flesh as it were, it's difficult to say though.

[MeetTheGeeks]

I tried the Bravo one, the thumb ramp put me right off of it. If it didnt have that, Id be interested in one. It was not comfortable for me and the way I use them. Nice knives, very popular and very useable. Just not for me.


The S1 blade is nice, its a useable tool. That last inch really spoils it, if it had the F1 handle Id have it in a heart beat! The sheath is not as nice as it a dangler and not a tight fit. But thats rectified easily

[Mr Happymoose]

I tried the Bravo one, the thumb ramp put me right off of it. If it didnt have that, Id be interested in one. It was not comfortable for me and the way I use them. Nice knives, very popular and very useable. Just not for me.


The S1 blade is nice, its a useable tool. That last inch really spoils it, if it had the F1 handle Id have it in a heart beat! The sheath is not as nice as it a dangler and not a tight fit. But thats rectified easily

I've seen a lot of people say that about the Bravo 1, and I've seen a lot of the thumb ramps ground off as well

[MeetTheGeeks]

Id be happy to do that! Its a nice knife apart from that bit..

[Eee]

The ramp is a bit marmite.

I understand the fascination with the F1. I just about have it under control at the moment...

Also have you considered the Sissipukko? Not one I've tried but always highly recommended by reviewers.

http://www.lamnia.fi/items.php?lang=en&pid=3