Grohmann #3 Knife

[Canadian Guy]

I have been wanting to get a quality fixed blade "bushcraft/survival/utility" knife for many years. I decided on the Grohman #3 Canadian Army Knife (aka boat knife) and finally ordered it and received it in the mail.
Groham's website: http://www.grohmannknives.com/pages/r3s.html


Unboxing:

Canadian Army "Jump" Knife configuration, classic rosewood handle, high carbon stainless steel blade, overlap/army sheath:

Total length: 8-1/4", Blade approximately: 4" x 15/16", of 1/8" stock, Blade Configuration: Modified Drop Point,
Blade Steel: German 4116 Krupp (similar to 440C?) Stainless Steel. Weight: 9.6 oz, Hand-crafted in Canada:

Inscriptions on blade:

Full tang and belt loop on sheath:

Now I just have to get out and use it! I'll do a part II review once I have put this knife to use.

 

[Claudiasboris]

Very nice! I've fancied one of these for a long time so I'm keen to see your review. Thanks!


Claudiasboris

 

[British Red]

Grohmann make a lovely knife, really like their work. Nice to see a knife which isn't another near identical clone too.

 

[Goatboy]

Oh that's nice and different. Unusual shape, not sure of the serations/milled out bits on the back from a personal taste point of view but will be interested to hear how you get on with her.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[Dark Horse Dave]

That's a style of knife that I really don't know much about; looks interesting though, and I'll be keeping an eye out for your review when you've had a chance to use it.

Thanks for posting.

 

[OldJimbo]

I have a few variants of this design, even a Mora copy from years back. Unfortunately the latter is laminated and so quite thick/heavy.

I made the GR up from kits which included everything needed to handle the blade and set up the sheath.

The knife has superb ergonomics and is incredibly well thought out. Despite the handle configuration and continuous curve angled back blade, you can use it to peel potatoes in complete safety due to the serrations, with your hand well forward on the blade:same for fine skinning. In normal cutting - say slicing fuzzies, it's both comfortable and if properly set up - will outperform a Mora due to the angled back blade and continuous curve of edge. It slices with so little force, that it makes for a very safe knife. I made up mine to test as provided, but now I wish that I had drilled the wider parts of the tang to make a lighter package.

The usual criticism of these knives is that both the carbon and stainless versions have poor edge holding. Once properly set up, though, I was surprised at how well edges held up in normal use. For sure, if you try scraping an axe handle, then the edges won't hold up, but for normal cutting, the design of the knife as a slicer, leads to edge holding far beyond what a person would expect. It just takes some work to convex the primary bevels to an edge which is less acute than would be possible with Mora- and remove all of the crude (on mine) V grind.

 

[tombear]

I'm a big fan of Grohmann knives, in the last few years I've taken to using the bigger no. 4. I definitely prefer the flat ground rather than the hollow and the handles on the bird and trout and the original over the one on on army knife. The seconds they sell are great value and the defects trivial.

i've had absolutely no trouble with edge retention ( if that's the right term ) I sharpen them no more often than my Moras and other Scandis. Despite having big fat clumsy hands the relatively thin handles are the most comfortable I've come across, perhaps because I grew up using craft knives and scalpels most of my woken hours!

ATB

Tom

 

[OldJimbo]

Same here: I much prefer the original handle design. As improbable as it looks, it was designed after a lot of input from trappers, and I don't see how it could be improved for use in processing small game, fur-bearers or skinning out heads for trophies where hand position is so varied. Even with just my last two fingers on the handle, I'd feel confident guiding the tip with my forefinger without fear of slipping due to animal fat or blood. And the handle works well for shaving wood with thick gloves.

I hauled out my Mora version to see what I thought about no top serrations, and I'm still wondering.. I used the Murphy small sport or as called by Herter's, "the bull cook's knife" in the kitchen for quite a bit. I found the ugly looking serrated hump on the back of great use when peeling stuff - and never managed a slip and cut. It's the lower one in the picture:

Unfortunately a very thin blade is required, so I never did much with the Grohmann, which with a thinner blade should make for a great small kitchen utility knife. Anyway the serrated section isn't a thumb rest but comes into play with edge up cutting.

 

[Clouston98]

Looks great! I've fancied a Grohmann for a while myself .