I recently tried out a friends woodlore style knife, handmade by Woodland Edge who were the guys that also make the Firebox that have been up for group buy recently.
I had always thought that a heavier knife would be unwieldy and cumbersome for prolonged use. But I was pleasantly surprised by how the extra weight and size actually made it very controllable and comfortable to use for a number of tasks I used it for during the day.
One of the things that immediately struck me, when I held the knife, was just how comfortable it felt in the hand. I think this was down to the contoured palm swell and birds head pommel. It just felt like it had been made to mould into the hand.
I have previously looked at both a Alan Wood and a Wilkinson Sword Woodlore knife and thought the quality and finish on this was much superior, the care and attention that had gone into it was very obvious.
Anyway, by the end of the weekend I had decided I was going to bite the bullet and purchase one for myself, and contacted Woodland Edge when I got home. They responded back quickly and told me about the knives that were already finished and even offered to meet me, as they are based relatively near by, so I could examine all the different woods in detail and decide which, if any, Id like. After much umming and erring I went for a walnut one, stamped as number 009.
I received the knife the following week and it also came supplied with a wet-formed full grain leather sheath with, what I presume is, a waxed finish on it making it resistant to everything the outdoors is likely to throw at it. Also being wet-formed they obviously fit the knives perfectly because they have been individually finished for that specific knife rather than just a generic friction fit.
Also from what I could tell all the knives have fibre liners by default which I thought was a nice touch as often these are optional extras.
I have since put the knife through its paces for a couple of weekends now, out doing the normal Bushcraft tasks and it performed with excellence to all the tasks I threw at it; splitting, carving, feather sticks, pot hangers, food prep etc, etc.
I didnt touch the finish on the knife when I received it and tested it out of the packet so to speak and thought that it would probably have needed a bit of a sharpen after all the use it had had. But it had actually held its edge fantastically well and just needed a quick strop to bring it back to razor sharp.
The guys making the knives and the sheaths obviously take a considerable amount of care and pride over the making of them, as I couldnt find a single imperfection with them. The little touches that they put into them really makes this not only a very useable and lifelong tool, but one that comes with a fantastic service behind it too!
The other great thing was the absence of the year plus waiting list that seems to have become the standard when wanting a decent handmade Bushcraft knife, as the website states which knives are currently available.
Its safe to say that for now this will become my regular user as I just cannot fault how well it performs all the tasks I threw at it, whilst remaining extremely comfortable to use.
Ive not got round to taking any pictures of mine yet (watch this space), but images of the knives can be found here: http://www.woodlandedge.co.uk
Oh, and just to clarify, I have no affiliation with the company and am just a very satisfied customer.
Sorry for the ramble on, but just thought I'd share my thoughts.
I had always thought that a heavier knife would be unwieldy and cumbersome for prolonged use. But I was pleasantly surprised by how the extra weight and size actually made it very controllable and comfortable to use for a number of tasks I used it for during the day.
One of the things that immediately struck me, when I held the knife, was just how comfortable it felt in the hand. I think this was down to the contoured palm swell and birds head pommel. It just felt like it had been made to mould into the hand.
I have previously looked at both a Alan Wood and a Wilkinson Sword Woodlore knife and thought the quality and finish on this was much superior, the care and attention that had gone into it was very obvious.
Anyway, by the end of the weekend I had decided I was going to bite the bullet and purchase one for myself, and contacted Woodland Edge when I got home. They responded back quickly and told me about the knives that were already finished and even offered to meet me, as they are based relatively near by, so I could examine all the different woods in detail and decide which, if any, Id like. After much umming and erring I went for a walnut one, stamped as number 009.
I received the knife the following week and it also came supplied with a wet-formed full grain leather sheath with, what I presume is, a waxed finish on it making it resistant to everything the outdoors is likely to throw at it. Also being wet-formed they obviously fit the knives perfectly because they have been individually finished for that specific knife rather than just a generic friction fit.
Also from what I could tell all the knives have fibre liners by default which I thought was a nice touch as often these are optional extras.
I have since put the knife through its paces for a couple of weekends now, out doing the normal Bushcraft tasks and it performed with excellence to all the tasks I threw at it; splitting, carving, feather sticks, pot hangers, food prep etc, etc.
I didnt touch the finish on the knife when I received it and tested it out of the packet so to speak and thought that it would probably have needed a bit of a sharpen after all the use it had had. But it had actually held its edge fantastically well and just needed a quick strop to bring it back to razor sharp.
The guys making the knives and the sheaths obviously take a considerable amount of care and pride over the making of them, as I couldnt find a single imperfection with them. The little touches that they put into them really makes this not only a very useable and lifelong tool, but one that comes with a fantastic service behind it too!
The other great thing was the absence of the year plus waiting list that seems to have become the standard when wanting a decent handmade Bushcraft knife, as the website states which knives are currently available.
Its safe to say that for now this will become my regular user as I just cannot fault how well it performs all the tasks I threw at it, whilst remaining extremely comfortable to use.
Ive not got round to taking any pictures of mine yet (watch this space), but images of the knives can be found here: http://www.woodlandedge.co.uk
Oh, and just to clarify, I have no affiliation with the company and am just a very satisfied customer.
Sorry for the ramble on, but just thought I'd share my thoughts.
