I've had the carpenter for a while now. But the day before I received it I broke my wrist. The review had to wait untill now. So here it goes. Pics to follow in the weekend:
Blade:
The Carpenter has a classic, hidden tang, Finnish blade shape. Its hand forged from a piece of high quality carbon steel with a high Scandinavian grind. The rest of the blade is left with a forge finish in stead of a satin finish. This complements the knife nicely.
The grind lines were a bit uneven, but no real problem. I sharpened the blade, as I do with every knife I receive, and the knife was razor-sharp. I sharpened it with a 300 grit waterstone followed with a 1000 and 6000 grit stone. Then I stropped it with a bit of aluminium oxide on a bit of leather. The knife now has a mirror polish and is extremely sharp.
Ive cut rope, paper, wood, vegetables and meat with this blade without problems. The scandi grind did split harder vegetables like carrots and potatoes, but thats normal with these grinds. Its a knife designed for woodwork and outdoor use, so it doesnt have to be perfect in kitchen duty. A flat or thin convex grind would be my choice for kitchen knives.
The knife didnt have any problems with the rope, wood or paper. I made excellent feathersticks that would light from just a spark.
Handle:
The handle is made out a solid piece of artic curly Birch. The first thing I noticed about the handle was that it has an inverted egg-shape which fills my hands perfectly. Its not a very exciting handle, but it does what its designed for.
The lack of a guard can be a problem for some inexperienced outdoorsmen. This knife is designed for cutting and perhaps drilling due to its fine point. No need of a guard in my opinion. The butt of the handle is a simple swell and works extremely well.
Sheath:
Disappointed!
Why do most Scandinavian knives have lousy sheaths? The blades and handles are amazing, but the sheaths are mostly below average quality. This sheath is no different, Im afraid. Its better than most Scandinavian sheaths, but still below average quality.
The sheath is made of 2 pieces of veg tanned leather with a creamy colour. I used Sno-seal on the sheath and its darker now and looks a lot better.
It doesnt have a belt loop, but uses slots. I dont really care for this system because I find it too flimsy. Inside the sheath is a plastic liner which prevents you from cutting through the stitches. This is extremely necessary because the sheath doesnt have a welt. The sharp blade would have zero problems cutting through the stitches if there wasnt a liner.
Conclusion:
Great blade, great handle, lousy sheath. Its a wonderful knife, but lacks a good sheath. You can always have one custom made or make one yourself.
My advice is: Buy one and you may not have to buy another knife ever again.
Some more pics:
Kind regards,
Michiel
Blade:
The Carpenter has a classic, hidden tang, Finnish blade shape. Its hand forged from a piece of high quality carbon steel with a high Scandinavian grind. The rest of the blade is left with a forge finish in stead of a satin finish. This complements the knife nicely.
The grind lines were a bit uneven, but no real problem. I sharpened the blade, as I do with every knife I receive, and the knife was razor-sharp. I sharpened it with a 300 grit waterstone followed with a 1000 and 6000 grit stone. Then I stropped it with a bit of aluminium oxide on a bit of leather. The knife now has a mirror polish and is extremely sharp.
Ive cut rope, paper, wood, vegetables and meat with this blade without problems. The scandi grind did split harder vegetables like carrots and potatoes, but thats normal with these grinds. Its a knife designed for woodwork and outdoor use, so it doesnt have to be perfect in kitchen duty. A flat or thin convex grind would be my choice for kitchen knives.
The knife didnt have any problems with the rope, wood or paper. I made excellent feathersticks that would light from just a spark.
Handle:
The handle is made out a solid piece of artic curly Birch. The first thing I noticed about the handle was that it has an inverted egg-shape which fills my hands perfectly. Its not a very exciting handle, but it does what its designed for.
The lack of a guard can be a problem for some inexperienced outdoorsmen. This knife is designed for cutting and perhaps drilling due to its fine point. No need of a guard in my opinion. The butt of the handle is a simple swell and works extremely well.
Sheath:
Disappointed!
Why do most Scandinavian knives have lousy sheaths? The blades and handles are amazing, but the sheaths are mostly below average quality. This sheath is no different, Im afraid. Its better than most Scandinavian sheaths, but still below average quality.
The sheath is made of 2 pieces of veg tanned leather with a creamy colour. I used Sno-seal on the sheath and its darker now and looks a lot better.
It doesnt have a belt loop, but uses slots. I dont really care for this system because I find it too flimsy. Inside the sheath is a plastic liner which prevents you from cutting through the stitches. This is extremely necessary because the sheath doesnt have a welt. The sharp blade would have zero problems cutting through the stitches if there wasnt a liner.
Conclusion:
Great blade, great handle, lousy sheath. Its a wonderful knife, but lacks a good sheath. You can always have one custom made or make one yourself.
My advice is: Buy one and you may not have to buy another knife ever again.
Some more pics:
Kind regards,
Michiel
