Wilkenson sword woodlore knife!

[JakeR]

When did the first one arrive?

 

[Adi007]

When did the first one arrive?

Hmmm ... end of March.

 

[Zacary]

Yep sure is a boat knife although its a little sorry looking these days. My experiences of it are good although as I say I am new to bushcraft and survival but as a infantryman it served me very well.

 

[Schwert]

I have both a Grohman Boat and the Trout & Bird. I like both but have tend to not use them as much as my other choices. They are both stainless sabre ground. I have always wanted an Original #1, now available flat ground and I would probably choose carbon instead of stainless.

The Boat has a very good grip shape...very different from the #1. It is comfortable to use....but for some reason just does not seem to go with me much.

I think the flat ground carbon Grohman would be a very good and economical choice for a woods knife.

I have a Rick Frigault Basadie which has a similar shape to the Grohman #1 and I find it a very good overall size and shape for a canoe trip knife. Mine is part of a pair (the small one is the Chinto). The blade curve like the Grohman #1 makes for super slicing for food prep.

http://********.free.fr/guest/FrigaultGranite2.jpg

 

[Schwert]

How easy are the Gene Ingrams to sharpen? And how easy are they to repair in case of a dent?

All but one of my Ingram's are in D2. I have had no difficulty sharpening them to date, but none has needed an extensive sharpen nor have I had any dents or rolls to work out. Gene delivers them very sharp. Only my #6 has been pushed much in wood working and I have maintained the edge primarily on a Aluminum oxide loaded leather strop with a few Sharpmaker workouts. I cannot really address the long term or hard use characteristics of sharpening them yet. It does seem to be very difficult to roll the edge, and I have not managed to get any chips. Overall, I am very pleased with his edge profile, hardening and temper.

I have a small #4 Wharncliffe Ingram in S30V coming today or tomorrow. This one was purposefully hollow ground with a very thin edge. I will be working that as a test for Gene to see how durable that edge will be.

 

[JakeR]

Cheers Shwert, they sound like good knives, another possibility to add to the list!

 

[tomtom]

Cheers Shwert, they sound like good knives, another possibility to add to the list!

this list jus seems to keep on growing doesnt it...

i was just on this site Colonial Knives looking at the Grohman knives.. they all seem to be kits where you must, to a certain extent, build your own knife.. do they come ready finished?.. is it easy to achive an ok level finish if you have no experiance in knife making..??

 

[tomtom]

with out wishing to sound compleatly stupid.. what is macita?

 

[tenbears10]

with out wishing to sound compleatly stupid.. what is macita?

Micarta is an alternative to wood which can be made from linen or cotton I think. It comes in a massive variety of colours and finishes (but so does wood I suppose).

http://www.geocities.com/porchswings/photopage_no3.htm this is beaded micarta which has a finish similar to antler.

http://www.geocities.com/porchswings/mkpage2.htm This is polished which is more like varnished wood.

http://www.geocities.com/porchswings/mkpage8.htm and another type of finish.

I'm sure someone else will explain how micarta is made? I think it's to do with layers :?: quite happy to use it but don't know how it's made exactly.

Bill

 

[tomtom]

thanks bill.. at least i am not the only one in the dark about this mystry material.

 

[Martyn]

Micarta is a layered or laminated synthetic material. It can be made by layering cotton, linnen or even paper in a stack, soaking and impregnating with resin, then compressing, to form a compacted and resin-impregnated cake of layered material. It's extremely tough, hard, it doesnt warp, shrink or deform, it's heat resistant to extremes of temperature, non-slippy, feels warm to the touch, and (due to the layering of material) has a textured finish that is similar in appearance to wood grain when shaped.

 

[JakeR]

Perhaps we should start a poll. What do people prefer, Micarta or wood (of your choice).
I would have to say Micarta. Wood feels to delicate!

Cheers,

Jake

 

[tomtom]

i would have to say would.. every bit bifferent.. every bit beautiful..
Micarta seems like somewhat of a wood substitute, why bother wood is not expensive?

 

[Schwert]

Micarta is a wonder material that can be much more stable than wood. It is a phenolic resin material that is impervious to water, does not crack, feels good, comes in colors and textures....do I prefer it to wood....no.....do I prefer wood to it.....no....depends on the knife and the application.

It was first made in the 30's or so to replace mica in electrical uses. Great material. Jens Anso had some from old NASA stock that aged to a beautiful cream/yellow/brown.

Grohman offers both kit knives and completed knives. Check out this link to an article on finishing one of the kits...my recollection is that the kits are relatively easy to do with good results, but I have never done one.

Old Jimbo did this one:

http://www.oldjimbo.com/survival/grohmann.html

 

[jason01]

I have a pair of Grohman #3's both stainless which is not my preference but thats another story, one of them modified to flat grind, I keep the flat grind one sharp enough to shave my face but the edge is not very strong at all, for example if I were to carve a spoon with it from a ralatively hard wood like seasoned oak the edge will show signs of buckling before Ive finished, this is despite keeping the edge thoroughly stropped, apart from that theyre nice knives for very reasonable money though the finish is obviously not up there with the customs.

To be fair though, I have a similar problem of edge buckling with a flat grind Helle, for my money convex is becoming my favourite edge geometry, holds an edge really well, can easily be made shaving sharp and rarely needs sharpening anyway!

Jason

 

[Squidders]

Ok... this is getting to me... Everyone is taking pot shots at the woodlore knives BUT everyone also uses it as THE benchmark bushcraft knife.

So, i'm after simple hard information... Could someone pick one of the below options to help me out as it seems nobody has really given a concrete reason why they're not that good.

So....

A.) Are they not very good?
B.) Are they not very good compaired to many other knives?
C.) Are they as good as other knives but cost too much to justify owning?
D.) Because they are used by Ray Mears, is there some stigma attached to having one?

Please help!!!

Joe

 

[Simon]

Anything I may say will be taken down and used against me ):

 

[Adi007]

Let me try to put my view into words for you Squidders ...

Basically, rid your mind that with a knife comes a transplant of skill from the maker or designer. A blade at its most basic is a sharp bit with a blunt bit that you hold. There are cheap knives out there (the Moras or Kellam) and very expensive knives out there.

A.) Are they not very good?

Well, they are OK but considering the price and the fact that they are really just production run blades with either a wood or micarta handle, they are pretty pricey. Thought of that way, they are just blades. For an extra £30 (and a wait) you get an Alan Wood Woodlore with a sheath that holds a firesteel. Alan Wood is a master craftsman that really takes care over blades and makes sure that each and every blade he lets out of the door is spot on, something that really cannot be said for WS.

I'm also slightly jaded having had one for less than 6 months before it had to be replaced.

B.) Are they not very good compaired to many other knives?

There are a LOT of knives out there worth considering that fit the bill - the trick is getting a blade that you are happy with that works. A few I'd recommend you looking at are:

Fallkniven range (especially the F1)
The Kellam range (www.kellamknives.co.uk)
The BRK&T North Star
Allan Blade knives (www.bladecutlery.com )

They are all different - handling and comfort is an important issue. Take your time and see what takes your fancy. Just because a blade works for someone else doesn't mean it works for everyone - remember that the Woodlore was designed by Ray Mears for Ray Mears. Hand sizes and use means that a knife designed for one person might not suit someone else.

Take your time to choose!

C.) Are they as good as other knives but cost too much to justify owning?

Depends of what criteria you are comparing them ... :rolmao:

 

[JakeR]

WOAH! Some question. I think its about time to get it out into the open! Right...I'd say that the woodlore is my benchmark knife (well, it was before i lost it) because its a workhorse, its easy to fix and sharpen. It feels nice when held, looks nice and is also used and designed by Mr Mears which gives me a feeling that i can rely on this knife. I trust Ray Mears when it comes to the outdoors! It is a damn good knife. I also hold other knives in high respect as well. Bark River make some good knives. I own the mini-canadian and the highland, both are excellent.

I'd say the cost of the woodlore puts it under a lot of scrutiny. If a knife isnt ***completely*** perfect if your paying either £95, £165, £195 then its gonna lose some points. Even if the imperfections are simply cosmetic.

What do others think?

Cheers,

Jake

 

[JakeR]

Posted at the same time. Adi, would you think that the micarta would be a better purchase? Simply because the micarta wouldnt degrade. But still at that price you'd expect the wood not to either in that time.