Fallkniven family pic.

[rapidboy]

I have recently had the pleasure of handling quite a few of these knives.
This pic shows 6 of the most popular models side by side for size comparison.

Top to Bottom - WM1 - F1 - H1 - S1 - A1 - A2.

rb

 

[Phil562]

Hi RB

I like the look of the H1 wot can you tell me about it

Cheers

 

[rapidboy]

I love the H1, i just got it and it's made my F1 redundant.
Much better grip and makes heavy use a pleasure.

rb

 

[tomtom]

oh dear!! i think i might need an A2

useful pic RB

 

[ScottC]

Do they do them with wooden handles?

 

[bushtuckerman]

rapidboy, i'm also interested in the H1, is it convex ground? how come the military prefer the F1 as a survival knife?

cheers

 

[Salix]

Oh boy! the A2 looks like my kinda knife!

Croc dundee all the way

 

[weekend_warrior]

Do they do them with wooden handles?

You can buy the bare, finished blades and then fit your own wood scales. I think andrew @ outdoorcode can source the blades.

 

[MalIrl]

You can buy the bare, finished blades and then fit your own wood scales. I think andrew @ outdoorcode source the blades.

The blades are definitely available. I've seen them on Trek Direct:

http://www.trekdirect.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Fallkniven_Blades_34.html

Almost the same cost as the full knife, though! (in the case of the F1 anyway)

Slán
Mal

 

[scruff]

oh dear!! i think i might need an A2

useful pic RB

"Thats not a knife!"

 

[leon-1]

rapidboy, i'm also interested in the H1, is it convex ground? how come the military prefer the F1 as a survival knife?

cheers

Yes the H1 is convex ground. The H1 as you can see has a straight spine (virtually no drop at all), it does drop very slightly right at the end towards the tip.

The H1 was designed as a hunters knife, when you look at it you will see that it has virtually no gaurd whatsoever unlike the F1, which would make it safer to use than the H1 for someone with a reduced knowledge of how to use knives.

The straighter the spine is (no drop) the higher the risk that you could puncture organs (especially the stomach or bladder) when skinning/gutting an animal, thus tainting the meat and possibly making the meat inedible. Once again a knife with a drop point would be more suitable for someone with limited experience of skinning and gutting animals.

Owning an H1 and an F1 I can tell you that there is a difference between the two and that I like both knives equally, they have a sturdiness / robustness that gives you confidence in what they can do.

 

[bushtuckerman]

thanks for that. all that worried me about the blade profile was resharpening the H1 in the field, as i normally use a whetstone free hand.

I guess the F1 is also lighter so more suitable as an emergency tool.

 

[Swampy Matt]

The straighter the spine is (no drop) the higher the risk that you could puncture organs (especially the stomach or bladder) when skinning/gutting an animal, thus tainting the meat and possibly making the meat inedible. Once again a knife with a drop point would be more suitable for someone with limited experience of skinning and gutting animals.

A drop point is also better for 'other' uses the military may require the knife to be used for

 

[bushtuckerman]

despite what leon-1 said about a straighter spine puncturing organs more easily?

 

[Swampy Matt]

despite what leon-1 said about a straighter spine puncturing organs more easily?

I'm totally in agreement with Leon-1 with regards to a straighter spine. It will puncture organs more easily than a drop point when trying to perform a relatively delicate task of skinning an animal. Especially in unskilled hands.

However;
The more 'drop' there is to the point, the closer it is to a spear (or dagger), hence a greater amount of initial penetration (through skin and into an arterty).

 

[Topcat02]

I kinda like the S1, what is thats primary use?

 

[Swampy Matt]

I kinda like the S1, what is thats primary use?

S1 = Survival 1 (F1 - Forester, H1 - Hunter, I think )

This is the knife I have and, having used both the F1 and H1, I feel that the S1 is the better knife (at least for me).

Its a bit heavier than the others and a good deal longer, so definately not a 'beginners' knife. The extra weight means that it will chop through thicker wood without requiring a batton.

With the extra length, i have tapped the point into a makeshift wooden handle and used it as a drawknife - I don't think I could do this with either the H1 or F1.

Finally, the very dropped point makes skinning and gutting a breeze, even with such a large knife.

 

[tomtom]

"Thats not a knife!"

:You_Rock_

 

[mark a.]

The straighter the spine is (no drop) the higher the risk that you could puncture organs (especially the stomach or bladder) when skinning/gutting an animal, thus tainting the meat and possibly making the meat inedible. Once again a knife with a drop point would be more suitable for someone with limited experience of skinning and gutting animals.

I'm confused. A straight spine means worse for a hunting knife, but the H1, with its straight spine, is designed as a hunting knife?

I'm also getting confused with terminology. I thought a true drop-point blade has a straight spine, with the edge rising to meet it. Curving the spine downwards makes it more of a spear-point. Is this right?

 

[steven andrews]

S1 = Survival 1 (F1 - Forester, H1 - Hunter, I think )

The S1 is the Forest knife and the F1 is the Survival knife.

Which makes sense!