Cold Steel passaround
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They've gone on to Goose.
Liked the top one (Canadian) much more than I thought I would, middle(Roach) was OK
Really wasn't fond of the bottom one(Bear).
I'll put some more in tomorrow.
Richard
Liked the top one (Canadian) much more than I thought I would, middle(Roach) was OK
Really wasn't fond of the bottom one(Bear).
I'll put some more in tomorrow.
Richard
Aye, that's pretty much as i found them, opposite to how i imagined i would like them.
Im using the Canadian pretty much every day in the kitchen and reach for it over the other's every time.
Mine are kept in the cutlery drawer unsheathed and the edges are lasting very well.
SWMBO hates them which is great, she sticks to her rubbish (blunt) kitchen devils and her galss chopping board
which leaves these for me so they stay sharp.
Im using the Canadian pretty much every day in the kitchen and reach for it over the other's every time.
Mine are kept in the cutlery drawer unsheathed and the edges are lasting very well.
SWMBO hates them which is great, she sticks to her rubbish (blunt) kitchen devils and her galss chopping board
which leaves these for me so they stay sharp.
I got them a couple of days ago thanks, I am passing on to Spam, at the meet next weekend if thats OK?
I have had a quick play with them, will give them a proper trial this week hopefully.
I like the roach belly shape the best up to now, except the tip is very thin and fragile(looks like it has been bent already?) Can't get on with the canadian, the angle of the blade and handle feels strange. The Finn bear is ok except for the handle.
The quality of the knives is a bit suspect, I tried them on a firesteel(useless) and the firesteel seems to be harder than the back of the blades, it has left scratches and didn't spark. Only place I could get a spark from was the thumb ridges.
Although these knives are probably worth the price, they are a no where near the quality of a mora. I may try another roach belly shape knife, as I found the shape good to work with but I will put them through the paces a bit more this week and may change my mind!
I have had a quick play with them, will give them a proper trial this week hopefully.
I like the roach belly shape the best up to now, except the tip is very thin and fragile(looks like it has been bent already?) Can't get on with the canadian, the angle of the blade and handle feels strange. The Finn bear is ok except for the handle.
The quality of the knives is a bit suspect, I tried them on a firesteel(useless) and the firesteel seems to be harder than the back of the blades, it has left scratches and didn't spark. Only place I could get a spark from was the thumb ridges.
Although these knives are probably worth the price, they are a no where near the quality of a mora. I may try another roach belly shape knife, as I found the shape good to work with but I will put them through the paces a bit more this week and may change my mind!
Cold Steel farms all of their work out. The best of their knives were made by Camillus before that company went under. Those blades were 'Carbon-V' aka 0170-6C tool steel.
Many of the newer carbon steel blades are made in Asia out of SK-5, which an Asian version of 1080, which is what lawnmower blades are commonly made of. You guys might want to try a pass-around of a cold steel Bushman.
Many of the newer carbon steel blades are made in Asia out of SK-5, which an Asian version of 1080, which is what lawnmower blades are commonly made of. You guys might want to try a pass-around of a cold steel Bushman.
I have a few Cold Steels in Carbon V , hopefully this passaround will go well and we will be able to offer some more exciting goodies in the future, the CarbonV knives are nice maybe a master hunter would be of interest for a passaround ?
s.o.r.r.y. for the delay in this review!
But it is here at last so here we go!
First of all a quick comparison of the general details of the knifes
From top to bottom; Fin Bear, Roach Belly, Canadian Belt
Comparison shot
All of the knives where reasonably sharp out of the box (I did not sharpen them during this review)
The Fin Bear has a Scandi look about the blade though the grind is slightly concave with a secondary bevel (As all of these blades did). The blade is nicely tapered to the point and looks robust. The handle is a rubber coated teardrop type shape with ridges around it. I found it uncomfortable for extended use but very stable in wet conditions.
The Roach Belly has a rounded edge and straight back, the blade is this and tapers to a very fine point (The point was slightly bent when it arrived with me) I would imagine this could be a problem with battening etc. the handle is of plastic with a "Wood Grain" finish, thin towards the blade and fattening out to the butt, this was comfortable and good in the wet, however my personal preference is for a fatter section towards the blade.
The Canadian Belt has a curved blade both top and bottom with a strong point. The handle is a rough plastic (Again good in the wet) and is a unique curved shape witch is surprisingly comfortable to use, though a little small for my liking, making you grip harder thus tiring faster.
Handle shape (L to R; Roach Belly, Fin Bear, Canadian)
Tip Profile (T to B; Roach Belly, Canadian, Fin Bear
For food preparation tasks all of the knives performed well with the "Thin" (Compared to a Woody) blades slicing most foodstuffs easily
The roach belly was particularly good on gutting and cleaning fish
And the long profile made it good for prepping birds
But for a simpler more mundane task like buttering bread the gentle curve and raised handle saw the Canadian on top
For wood work all of the blades where able to feather a stick. (In this case seasoned hazel)
Fin Bear
Roach Belly
Canadian
I did not baton with any of these knives, as I would hate to break one, however I own a Canadian and have buttoned with it, the blade is to thin to be effective but it does stand up to the punishment
Also as stated non of these knives will spark well on the spine as the profile is to rounded, again I have flattened the spine on my Canadian and it sparks like any other knife
It is also worthy of note that the Fin Bear is the only blade without serrations on the back of the blade this made this blade the comfiest to work with of close work where the blade is gripped
To summarise.
The roach belly is a good "Cooking knife" due to its very thin blade profile. The handle is comfy and good in the wet, though due to its thin blade I would not like to use it for hard outdoor work.
The Fin Bear is a good solid knife with a nice profile, it performed well in all the tasks but the handle was a little uncomfortable, To make it better it would need a more conventional handle shape and material and also need a scandi grind (Or you could just turn it into a mora)
The Canadian faired well in all of the tasks though the small handle did increase had fatigue a little. If it did not have the serrations in the "Thumb" area of the blade it would be better, though that said it would be my choice of the three.....
Would I/Do I use it as an alternative to the Mora......................................................................................No
But it is here at last so here we go!
First of all a quick comparison of the general details of the knifes
From top to bottom; Fin Bear, Roach Belly, Canadian Belt
Comparison shot
All of the knives where reasonably sharp out of the box (I did not sharpen them during this review)
The Fin Bear has a Scandi look about the blade though the grind is slightly concave with a secondary bevel (As all of these blades did). The blade is nicely tapered to the point and looks robust. The handle is a rubber coated teardrop type shape with ridges around it. I found it uncomfortable for extended use but very stable in wet conditions.
The Roach Belly has a rounded edge and straight back, the blade is this and tapers to a very fine point (The point was slightly bent when it arrived with me) I would imagine this could be a problem with battening etc. the handle is of plastic with a "Wood Grain" finish, thin towards the blade and fattening out to the butt, this was comfortable and good in the wet, however my personal preference is for a fatter section towards the blade.
The Canadian Belt has a curved blade both top and bottom with a strong point. The handle is a rough plastic (Again good in the wet) and is a unique curved shape witch is surprisingly comfortable to use, though a little small for my liking, making you grip harder thus tiring faster.
Handle shape (L to R; Roach Belly, Fin Bear, Canadian)
Tip Profile (T to B; Roach Belly, Canadian, Fin Bear
For food preparation tasks all of the knives performed well with the "Thin" (Compared to a Woody) blades slicing most foodstuffs easily
The roach belly was particularly good on gutting and cleaning fish
And the long profile made it good for prepping birds
But for a simpler more mundane task like buttering bread the gentle curve and raised handle saw the Canadian on top
For wood work all of the blades where able to feather a stick. (In this case seasoned hazel)
Fin Bear
Roach Belly
Canadian
I did not baton with any of these knives, as I would hate to break one, however I own a Canadian and have buttoned with it, the blade is to thin to be effective but it does stand up to the punishment
Also as stated non of these knives will spark well on the spine as the profile is to rounded, again I have flattened the spine on my Canadian and it sparks like any other knife
It is also worthy of note that the Fin Bear is the only blade without serrations on the back of the blade this made this blade the comfiest to work with of close work where the blade is gripped
To summarise.
The roach belly is a good "Cooking knife" due to its very thin blade profile. The handle is comfy and good in the wet, though due to its thin blade I would not like to use it for hard outdoor work.
The Fin Bear is a good solid knife with a nice profile, it performed well in all the tasks but the handle was a little uncomfortable, To make it better it would need a more conventional handle shape and material and also need a scandi grind (Or you could just turn it into a mora)
The Canadian faired well in all of the tasks though the small handle did increase had fatigue a little. If it did not have the serrations in the "Thumb" area of the blade it would be better, though that said it would be my choice of the three.....
Would I/Do I use it as an alternative to the Mora......................................................................................No
I've not got them. I got a PM from goose about them on the 4th, (although I wasn't aware i was in the passaround)
they may be stuck in the mail somewhere.
Goose has my address so if they turn up, i'll review, sharpen, and pass on to the next person.
I should be getting a cold steel braveheart from ebay soon too, I'm looking forward to getting it.
they may be stuck in the mail somewhere.
Goose has my address so if they turn up, i'll review, sharpen, and pass on to the next person.
I should be getting a cold steel braveheart from ebay soon too, I'm looking forward to getting it.
I still havent heard from Goose about these ?
PM'ed him 28th September
I did PM you back almost straight away, checking on who to send them to. I have got Grahams address now but thought they where to be sent to spam? I have held on this week because of the postal strike, before that was just disorganisation
. Will get then sent this week, but who to?????
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