All posts by nemosandman

Journalist Reporter Filmmaker Author Photograph Sharpener... "And I feel like a knife, these days are calling I feel like a knife, sharpened like steel Touched by the hand of the gods on these golden mornings I feel like a knife for you." "KNIFE" Justin Sullivan 1991
Folders

Spyderco Paramilitary 2: the second son of Millie

8 Comments

Paramilitary

Being the son of a legend is not easy and it’s not because you are shorter that you need to develop some complex. Designed by Sal and Eric Glasser, the Paramillie 2 is simply gorgeous.
Since its first incarnation, it did not walk in dad’s footsteps: the smaller version was using another lock than the good old linerlock (I love liner locks !) but the Compression Lock developped for Martial BladeCraft. This was the kind of lock you could find on the Yojimbo and the Lil’ Temperance and on the Gunting (but mounted on the opposite liner). The Compression Lock is strong reliable, easy to clean and was a great addition. Also the knife is so well made, the blade can be flicked in close position just by releasing the lock. This is a gravity knife for closing purposes.
The second version of the Paramillie got a longer blade, some ergonic improvements and a bigger lanyard hole. This is a very well balanced and homogenic package who offers the same “cockpit” of the C36 Millitary in a more civilian way. The cuts are equally strong as with the C36: the Paramillie keeps the same geometry (with a lil’ even more belly) than its dad.(*)

Paramilitary

Anyway, The first thing I have made when I have received my Paramillie 2 was to turn it thick G10 handle into a more “trouser friendly” version: sanding the grippy G10! (Also I get so much used to Carbon Fiber that I wanted to have the same feel…)
I prefer my handles softer than the factory’s one. G10 can be used to file the linen of your pocket and I don’t want holes.
After sanding it (beware the micro dust of G10 which is highly toxic!) I have polished it. I’m happy with the result. Grippy handle can be handy but once sanded my handles keep a positive grip without the side effects of filing fiberglass.

I also found the shiny clip a little to shiny for my taste. So I have switched it with my Gayle Bradley bronze clip. The result is more stealth for the city.


The GB clip screws are a little longer (and the diameter is perharps a little thinner) but it worked perfectly. Also the Gayle Bradley’s clip is known to keep its appearance for a long time. (mine is one year old and looks like new!)
There is another plus with second version: you can positionned the clip in four ways. So As I want to use my Paramillie in the wood and hard material, I have decided to reposition the clip Tip Up / Left Handed way.
(I’m right handed)
Why ? Because there is no more metal clip against my palm: no more sore or hotspot.
And thanks to it very large blade hole I can even open it in reverse grip easily.

The balance on the Paramillie 2 is perfect. The knife is very “alive” in the hands. No bladeplay what so ever, great ergos…
I have already test it on my Bottle Butt test and it has passed it with flying colors !

On this picture you can notice how the G10 looks once sanded. And also both signatures of Eric and his father Sal ! This is the very 1rst Spyderco knife which got both !
I will update this post later, but for now, I think I have found the perfect folding match for my G10 Bushcrafter.

Also I have gently convexed the edge like I have done on my Sage II.

**** edit****
(*) eventually a picture worse a thousand words:

Update of the 10th of March 2011.

Here are some pictures of the S90V/CF sprint run of the Paramillie 2. This is a dream come true folder: since the release of the C36 Military: a compact package and upgrade materials. I recognized to have been traumatized by Phil Wilson’s articles about S90V (CPM420V) in 1998…

Sprint run Paramilitary 2 CPM S-90V Carbon Fiber
Sprint run Paramilitary 2 CPM S-90V Carbon Fiber
Sprint run Paramilitary 2 CPM S-90V Carbon Fiber
Sprint run Paramilitary 2 CPM S-90V Carbon Fiber
Sprint run Paramilitary 2 CPM S-90V Carbon Fiber
I have gently sanded the Carbon Fiber handle just to remove the biting. I don’t want to get a polished handle like on the G10 version.
Sprint run Paramilitary 2 CPM S-90V Carbon Fiber
Sprint run Paramilitary 2 CPM S-90V Carbon Fiber
Sprint run Paramilitary 2 CPM S-90V Carbon Fiber

On this last picture you can compare the edge of my polished CPMS30V Paramillie 2 blade and the CPMS90V (HRC60) which has been stropped for four days without any polishing improvement but the edge is incredibly sharp.


The blade is cutting meat like hot butter…


This a folder which is meant to be used and get dirty !

I have sanded the handle to smooth it and also the “hump” which can file your trouser at each extraction of the knife frome the pocket:


Now I can carry it “Tip Down” and open it with the SPyderdrop which is IMHO the most elegant way to open a folder.

Uncategorized

Spyderco BushcraftUK G10 – The Revenge of the Bold and the Beautiful

24 Comments

Santa has spoiled me and (scoop) Santa lives in Golden, Colorado.
I have been a huge fan of the Spyderco Bushcraft and really regretted to see such a great company with such great initiatives
obliged to sale that great knife as Second since the wood handles has cracked.
FYI I got some friends who had moved from San Francisco to Denver and all their furnitures had been ruined.
In beautiful Colorado, high altitude and continental weather can be destructive on wood furniture and wood handles.

BushcraftUK G10
Thea, as a Norvegian Skogkat is inspecting carefully that Scandinavian ground blade.

Anyway, Sal would never had given up such a  knife as the BushcraftUK and now he has spawned the Bushcraft with G10 handle:
the Revenge of the Bushcrafter !
G10 is a very strong material, it won’t crack. Some blades are even made with G10 as a composite layering the steel’s edge or as full G10 undetectable weapon.
G10 is epoxy mixed with fiberglass. It’s impervious to weather, choc, low tempetures, chemicals and is used in tactical knives for twenty years.

For a non conoisseur, the G10 slabs on the Bushcrafter would look almost like hard dark wood. They are absolutly gorgeous !

BushcraftUK G10
Leather stropping is Scandinavian Ground knives best friend !

The handle of that knife is a state of art in ergonomy. This a a splinter free design which turns any hard work in sheer pleasure.
The design of the Bushcrafter is really well thought, providing a extremely well balanced knife with an ultrasharp grind.
Chris Claycombe has made his homework as far as I have used my BuscraftUK Second all summer in France and Tuscany, the knife has always performed beyond my expectations.
(The thick square back of the blade is great to remove the bark of a walking stick for example)

BushcraftUK G10
Both of my Bushcrafters. Notice how the edge of the wooden one is polished by stropping.

The heat treatment, as always with Spyderco products, is simply top notch. The scandinavian ground knife stays sharps in various hard tasks and only needs some stropping to be kept razor sharp.
My first Bushcraft is almost mirror polished on its scandy edge now.

BushcraftUK G10
As confortable as it looks good.

I have noticed “Taiwan-Taichung” is now written on the blade.
Some American people were complaining about having “Taiwan” written on their blade. They got what they desserve ! 😉
I don’t understand how those people would never mind to have “Japan” stamps on their Spyderco Police for 25 years and worst
they are the ones who only swear by Maxpedition bags… all made in Taiwan !!
The Taiwanese craftmen chosen by Spyderco have proven to be some of the best knive artists and manufacturers in the world.
The G10 Bushcrafter screams pure quality, attention to detail and reliability in a compact and solid package !
And that knife is really international: designed in the UK, produced in Colorado and manufactured in Taiwan !

BushcraftUK G10
My EDC equipment: the C22 Sprint Run Michael Walker, the Casio GW2000 Gravity Defier and the G10 Bushcrafter.

The leather sheath is now black. I love that sheath which is really suiting my need toward that design.
Again a plastic foam encapsules the blade inside the leather. Under it “classic” look that ambidextrous sheath is really well thought and modern too.

All in all the G10 version was itching my wishlist since I was so in love with the previous wooden handle version.
Now this is going to be some kind of “elegant tank”, capable to withstand all hard used and batonning imaginable.
That kind of knife is really perfect from light chopping to precise whittling.
My friend Jur has added that beautiful lanyard with a micarta bead which is mandatory when chopping. (He also add some usefull red paracord for a dramatic Black & red effect.)
The knife is a very sensual too. Handling and holding it is something which is not found in many design but custom ones. (Like the Sean McWilliams Panama Fighters)
Again, attention to detail is extraordinary.
Eventually, my wooden handle version will soon be adopted by a friend of mine as it cannot desserve to be stuck as a safe queen. It needs to go out into the wild and cuts some wood for Xmas sake ! 🙂
But the G10 version is already hidden in my EDC Bag ready to carve some more turkey on the New Year Eve !
I’m impatient to go back in the woods and use this baby as hard as it desserves it. Timber !!! ;-D

Also as a writer of the “Richard Blade” adventures for Gérard de Villiers, I have equipped that MI6 Operator with a Military Ti but for his new adventures for issues #199 and #200, he has a G10 Bushcrafter as main survival tool. Lucky man.

BushcraftUK G10
The bead on the lanyard is a real genuine Fuzzyedge bead which adds a real touch of class to the whole package. Click here if you want to know more about the gorgeous creations of Fuzz’ via the USN Forums !

In concern of the design, Sal Glesser became interrested in Bushcraft at one of the three Spyderco meets he did in Sheffield, UK for his UK followers. Many of them were also interested in Bushcraft and questioned why Spyderco would not enter that specific arena ?
Sal and Jur met Chris there and he showed them his Bushcraft design, which were different from the Ray Mears (*) design, and Spyderco started talking knife with Chris. They developed the very special and ergonomic handle shape and decided to go on with all the “classic” Bushcraft features: a natural handle, scandi gring, tool steel and a leather sheath.
At that time Spyderco manufacturing was running on the top of its capacity and they could not produce the Bushcraft knife in the USA.
Japan was also (and is still) at the top of what they could handle for them. (Spyderco works with small family businesses in Japan).
Japan was also too expensive. Sal has already established contacts in Taiwan and went there with the Bushcraft project.
The quality of work they provide is, as noticed since, simply top notch.
It’s evident to state that currently, there is no other factory made Bushcraft knife on the market with an handle so specifically shaped for the hand, as the Spyderco FB26P.

(*) Another thing to remember is that Ray Mears is NOT a knife maker nor a knife designer. He is in fact a TV host and a business man who finds his customers through his televised adventures and stories. If you would like to collaborate with him to endorse any outdoor style products, you first deal with his agents and then with his marketing lady. As they have lot’s of success and they are asking high commitments, also in terms of money….

Folders

Rockstead Higo-J: Part III – Masamune in Winter

3 Comments

The Rockstead Higo-J # 102 continues to be worn and used daily as part of my testing of this high quality knife through the seasons in France.

The road so far:
“Rockstead Higo-J part I – A Folding Masamune in Paris”
“Rockstead Higo-J ZDP-189: Fears and Cures”
“Rockstead Higo-J In the woods”

Rockstead Higo-J ZDP

The mechanism did not show any sign of wear since I got the knife used daily. The feeling/sensation of holding a light fixed blade is real once open. The opening and closing is getting smoother (the retention ball was the main brake to the butter like opening provided by huge phosphoric bronze washers) the clip (despite its lip) was a great surprise in confort of carrying and did not caught anything.

Rockstead Higo-J

What is appreciated in the ergonomy of the Higo-J conceived as “a very pragmatic knife” is the natural way the fingers find their places on that very straight design.
The choil offers a very nice position for the index for any precise work. And the balance of that light knife makes it a natural extension of your hand. There is no issue or hot spot while using the knife even on hard wood.
Some bushcrafters friend of mine really appreciated its grind which is almost scandy. It seems to remove the bark of wood stick like a zipper: with a lot of control.
The Higo was also used in hunting dejointing and skinning and the ZDP grind and heattreated by Rockstead did not failed us.

Rockstead Higo-J

Now how the ZDP-189, hard as Rockstead like to treat it (HRC66,6) was a concern for me. The initial grind was a little to fragile and my regrind did not permit to recover the initial performance of the knife. This was an issue that many users of thin grind knives may have encountered: rolling edge on stainless can be messy.
Now with patience and elbow grease, the edge of the Higo-J has been restored and maintain to an excellent level of working sharpness.
As a very polish edge (I don’t see myself putting a toothy edge on it, sorry…) the knife shows a constance in performance: it cuts cuts and cuts with accuracy and reliability. Now I only strop it once a week with compound and leather and it enough to keep it sharp.
So I don’t use saw motions and mainly pushcuts. It’s easy to reproduce the demo of Hanada-San. even the “Schtock” sound of the repeating cutting is reproductible.
Also the encounter with some hard surface and even some stapples were not able to mark the edge: no nicks, nothing which could not be fixed with a light ceramic and a lot of stropping.

Rockstead Higo-J ZDP-189

The more I use it, the more it grows on me. It’s easy to use and very easy to clean. So you don’t mind getting dirty and use that beautiful blade on messy jobs.
I have even seen Hanada-San being able to put it apart in a matter of seconds: there is only two main screws on that incredible design.

I was not able also to scratch the mirror finish and only some little scars are visible witnessing the use of the Higo on hard material.
So far I’m still very impress by the overall quality of that expensive tool.
The handle don’t show any scratches or anything which could alter their beautiful lines. I’m conscient that, if the knife would fall on concrete it would be marked (when G10 or carbon Fiber are very shock/scratches friendly) but it did not occur to me. So far the Higo-J only fell on soils and was rinse after.
BTW the ZDP blade did not stain (that steel is known for being sometime easy to stain).
This is the end of my update. The Higo-J will be used on X-mas turkey and I will come back to it in 2011…
Rockstead Higo-J

Folders

Ladybug Hawkbill Sprintrun – The Real Cat Claw !

3 Comments

“Everybody wants to be a cat,
because a cat’s the only cat
who knows where it’s at…”

My friend Jur told me: “the older you’ll get the shorter the blades you will love.”
The first injection came from a baby Wayne Goddard, then the C22 Walker… now that little claw which is an amazing little tool !

Wolverine, Sabertooth are not the only one to produce some sharp claws in a blink of an eye ! You can do it too and with a very sheeple friendly (and invisible) Spyderco knife. There is a little Ladybug which got all the attribute of a feline “blade”: the “LBKS3HB”. Of course it’s a limited edition but soon it will be (re)release in a H1 and yellow handle version !

What I love about that little knife is its smoothness and the quality of construction. This is the shortest knife I can “Spyderdrop” and close by releasing the lock with a smooth flick of the wrist. So, it’s short, serrated, powerfull, handy, secured in the hand (thanks to the little fob provided by Jurphaas.)
This is the kind of knife I love to use in the city: removing labels on clothes, opening parcels, cutting plastic, strings, paper and even bread !
With a baguette this is a great knife to make the long incision for some ham !

Also, this little knife can be a real contender as a last ditch self defense tool aiming at the hands or the face !
The serrated edge can make painful and bleeding wounds with a swift caress of the blade.

Invisible, fast to put in service, performant… a real Cat Claw indeed !

Thea

Thea checking the knife.

Mini mini mini !

Confortable in various grip !

Closed, it’s almost got a grin !

This is VG10, baby !

Thea approves it !

 

 

And this is the H1 version of a Ladybug !

Uncategorized

Rockstead Higo-J part II (in the woods)

3 Comments

Bringing the Rockstead Higo-J in the wood is easy. The handle is smooth enough to find another pocket than the right front denim’s and the clip keep it attached.
The straight handle permits different grips and the grooves in the duraluminium help to secure them even with wet hands.

Now the edge is narrow, thin and mirror smooth and the back of the blade confortable enough to push cut with the left hand thumb.
The result are incredibly powerful deep cuts in wood.
Compared to my ATS34 Sebenza (narrow edge and mirror polished and my faithful CPM M4 Gayle Bradley the Higo-J cuts with much more ease.
It’s amazing and it’s logical.
The edge is so narrow, almost like a scandinavian grind. So the fibers of wood are no match for this wonderful tool.

But a narrow edge also means a much fragile edge. My version is the ZDP-189 version: a very hard steel wich is not a tool steel able to withstand torsion and very hard use. The Higo-J is a lamborghini not a tractor. The handle is enough confortable for long works. It’s not a UK Bushcrafter but for an open handle it’s better than my Sebbie ergos.
After two days of various works on differents woods, food and strings: everything a knife that size is confronted when you are in the wood. (Also I have whittle a lot as the sensation of ease of cutting is really addictive… I have only noticed a tiny micro nick in the blade.

Again, you don’t want to notice any nick on a Lamborghini.
So back home, I decided to gently caress the edge with the with ceramic of my Sharpmaker and succesfully removed 60% of the nick.
Then I have been stropping the blade for two hours to remove the marks.
Now it looks like new but it has lost its factory edge.
I will need more time to gently reprofile it and strop back to mirror.
Ah, the learning curve…
If you use your knife, you will be obliged to touch up the very thin edge and to reprofile it with a tiny wider angle…

OK. So after using the Spyderco Sharpmaker at 30° to rease the nick and eventually realign the edge and fifteen more minutes of stropping
on my Snail Belt and then on my razor leather. The crispy and hair popping sharpness is back to normal. (which means outstandingly amazing!)



The road so far:
“Rockstead Higo-J part I – A Folding Masamune in Paris”
“Rockstead Higo-J ZDP-189: Fears and Cures”
“Rockstead Higo-J: Part III – Masamune in Winter”

Folders

Rockstead Higo-J ZDP-189: fears and cures

5 Comments

My ZDP189 Higo blade was “chipping” today (!!!) quite badly on the tip (Arrrrgh!!!). So I have decided to passe it gently on a Spyderco white ceramic rod before to strop it for a good hour on leather and compound.
Now it’s much sharper than before (!) and I know my edge is stronger with a little convexing which should prevent it from rolling…
Amazing grind ! Amazing steel !
ZDP-189 is very forgiving.
I don’t know how the chipping appeared as I did not use the knife hard (yet). I think it came from the very thin hard edge on the tip and perharps one fumble of mine.
Now it’s “cured” and fixed !
(I did not pictured it when it was a mess as I was much to concern about fixing it.
Perhaps the edge touch something hard I did not notice ?
I don’t know.
Anyway:

Notice how the “chipping” on the edge start to be erased by the ceramic shouldering.

now it’s all fixed:

The more I think about it (and when I see how I could fix it)
I think it was the very edge which rolled “chaotically” giving the look of a bad chipping but which could be fixed with a light sharpening (without removing matter)
The edge has touched something hard (it’s happen at the tip and this could have happen without me to notice it)
It happen once to me with another knife (mirror finish, thin and stainless) I was testing by cutting bambu and I completly ruined the edge: it was almost serrated after my ten cuts…. but I was able to realigned the edge and the damage was almost invisible after and the high sharpness restored.

My other ZDP-189 blade is the Chris Walker which is not as “smooth” sharp as the Higo but so far di not rool or chip. (It’s not as hard as the Higo-J though)

“The bottom of this blade edge is 30 degrees, and it’s continuously change to top of the blade.The top edge’s angle is 24 degrees.”
30 degree (15 by 15) with a very hard steel can be tricky when the edge is brend new.

Anyway I gently realigned the edge with white ceramique and strop it a lot.
I my have created a secondary (and stronger) edge, but the stropping should minimize its effect in pure sharpness loss.

Any knives are made to be used. It’s easy to hit something which alter the edge. A good tool should be able to withstand that, get fixed and ask for more.
The Higo-J, as an excellent tool, is no exception.
Bob Terzuola says: “If you knife is still sharp, it means you don’t use it enough !”
So let’s use it !

Researching the Rockstead site:
“We realized the best edge angle near the haft of the blade is 30 degrees and in the point of the blade 24 degrees.(We adjusted the angle to 30 degrees in the haft side because power was most concentrated there, which improved toughness, and 24 degrees at the tip of the blade, where power was low. The angle changes continuously.)”

Ok the angle at the tip is shallower (24°)… that’s why the tip is more fragile … Good to know.

The road so far:
“Rockstead Higo-J part I – A Folding Masamune in Paris”
“Rockstead Higo-J In the woods”
“Rockstead Higo-J: Part III – Masamune in Winter”

Folders

Rockstead Higo #102 ZDP-189 – A folding Masamune in Paris (Part I)

6 Comments

Rockstead is worldwide famous for delivering the most exquisite hard polished blades in the industrial knife world. All made by CNC machines in Japan and painfully polished by gifted hands, those extraordinary blades are shown able to be used hundred of times on hard bamboo and still being able to cut paper like razors ! It’s made by hardening the blade to HRC67 and even beyond and being almost obsessed by edge angles!
So cutting with a Rockstead is like driving a Lamborghini: you pay for the best materials and the best performances.
Rockstead Higo in its balsa crate
The balsa wood crate with the wrench and the certificate.

Thanks to Hanada San, director and display pilot of Rockstead knives, I will have the chance to test and review on the long run one knife he choosed for me on his table: one of his Higo knife, #102 with ZDP189 (HRC 66,6 I wonder why I have baptised it “Diablo” …) with Duralum handle and an integral lock.

Rockstead Higo in the rain
Notice how the edge is perfectly ground ! Amazing !…

First thing you notice when you reveal the blade to the light is the exquisite attention to details. The edge is mirror polished and perfectly symetrical on both sides.
The hole in the blade (with a gauge) is the signature of Rockstead. It’s found on all their knives designed by Takeshi Saji. It gives some kind of high tech sci fi look to a very sober design.

Rockstead Higo
The infamous Saucisson test !

OK. the description of this knife as it’s found on their site is also spectacular: HIGO-J-ZDP BLADE / SHINOGIZUKURI
Full length : 213mm
Blade : 89mm
Material : ZDP 189
Thickness : 3.2mm
Weight : 104g
Hardness : around HRc67 !!!!


At that hardness…this can be used as a glass breaker !

Scale : A2024(duralumin)Hard-anolized treatment
Spring to chip : SKD11HRc61 (*)
Rockstead Higo Lock
(*) Because the sliding liner of the integral lock is termined by a chip of hard steel (HRc 61) like some unharded titanium lock can be more and more found.

Rockstead Higo CLosed
Perfect size for an EDC knife.

After the bamboo is cut and beat with this knife and Manila rope is cut 350 times, you can slice the paper. This easy maintenance knife is an easy-to-use knife that cuts well. The handle of the duralumin is light and is strong.The bottom of this blade edge is 30 degrees, and it’s continuously change to top of the blade.The top edge’s angle is 24 degrees. The change in this angle is a result of ROCKSTEAD that pursues sharpness. This is a knife of preeminent sharpness. You can enjoy its strong cutting capabilities for a long time. This scale is fixed with two screws and the resolution is easy. After cutting the fish and the animal, you can easily clean it.

Rockstead Higo
The tuscany ham was cut as thin as it desserved.

The straight folder is easily clipped on the front right trouser pocket. The Duralum handle is easy on the fabric and the clip is well positionned and all package is low profile. This is mandatory for an EDC.
The knife is absolutly well balanced in hand. Light and fast. Holding it in your hand is a pleasure. This knife exude pure perfection. It’s very straight and very versatile. The edge can be used up side down for skinning purpose.


Thea inspecting the balance of the knife. One centimeter behind the pivot.

Skinning ?!
Wait a minute, who is going to use a 1000 euros folding knife for skinning ?!

Rockstead Higo
The over size thumb lugs are very confortable to use and far enough not to be in the way.

Let’s not be fooled by the price of that jewel. The Higo-J is 400% performance oriented. It’s easy to clean and even is provided with a wrench if you need to take it apart. (Like Chris Reeve’s Sebenza). this the proof how the trust the designer has in their work. It’s of course an expensive tool but it has been designed to be used.
Remember the Emerson CQC6 craze 15 years ago ? They were as expensive as the Higo nowadays and some people used them hard.

Rockstead Higo

Of course, Hanada San is the first to display the unearthly cutting qualities of his knives. They are hard but they will not chip and they will cut and cut and cut until you strop them. Rockstead knives are mainly strop on compound. No need to scratch the beautiful finish.
That suit me perfectly as I love to refresh my edges on leather.   Mine did not get used enough to be stropped yet and I’m heading forward touching up its edge this way.

Rockstead Higo
Cutting a well done cheese is not the easiest talk. The mirror finish helped a lot !

As you can see the Higo has first been acclimated to our Whine Ham & Cheese country. And it passed that first test with flying colors.
Cutting fresh hot bread, Tuscanian delicate ham and all-done Saint Nectaire’s cheese were no problem for this beautiful folder. It get dirty but also get clean easily.
It’s sheeple friendly as its mirror and elegant edge is not as “scary” as on some other thick tactical folders.

The grind is saber with flat (almost convex) sides. It’s so gorgeous you can look at it fir hours and still be amazed but the worksmanship. The cut is powerful and easily control. All in all, it’s like a gentleman folder with a very very strong attitude which screams to be used !

The edge is pure razor. You could not expect less. So it goes through hard bread crust in a a breeze making thin slices by only pushcutting it. The only knife which can reach that performance out of the box was the mighty little C22 Walker which is also a ZDP189 knife and made in Japan…
(Oh yes, ZDP189 is new powder steel with 3% of carbon and 20% of chrome. At HRc 66,6 this is not a knife you want/can to get dull ! It will hold an edge and just ask some attention on a stropping belt to continue on and on… )

OK after that little civilized warm up, the beautiful Higo-J will now be confronted to hunting season and the joy of woodcraft.
Wood cutting do not lie…

The infamous cutting plastic bottle test… like in butter !

To be continued ! (and updated…)

Rockstead Higo Blade
Beautiful reflection of the clouds on the Higo’s mighty blade.

The road so far:

“Rockstead Higo-J ZDP-189: Fears and Cures”
“Rockstead Higo-J In the woods”
“Rockstead Higo-J: Part III – Masamune in Winter”

Folders

Spyderco C22 Walker : Sky The Limit !

8 Comments

Thea and the C22CF
Thank to Jurphaas from Spyderco, I got the chance to own one little wonder of that limited production ! Thea loves it too and she’s in charge of the technical review…
The Michael Walker C22CF is not a new pattern in the Spyderco line.
The first C22 were produced in Switzerland 18 years ago. They were the first industrial folders with Carbon Fiber handles !
This Sprint Run got a gorgeous thin blade made of Hitachi Super Steel ZDP189.
The 67 mm long blade is wide and 2,5mm thick offering incredible performance in pushcuts.
The Hollow grind is so well executed by Seki City craftmen, you know by holding it between your thumb, it’s so thin, it could be almost transparent.

Black and Wlaker

Opening the C22 is not as smooth as a Sage (for example) but the positive force used to deploy the blade give a feeling of tough tool to this gentleman blade.
The knife is so light but feels so solid, it screams to be used ! And then, it’s like piloting a small racing car. The cuts are accurate and outstanding in their power.
My Plastic Butt’s test was passed with flying colors in one push cut. The C22 was even better than my reliable Gayle Bradley in that matter which is really remarquable !
The ergonomy on that little knife is so great, the strenght is directly transmit to the edge. And hidden choil give also a big sentiment ot security as you can keep your fore finger next to the edge for delicate/strong cutting.

The liner lock is also very “manly”: you need to push hard to disengaged it. The spring is very strong.
The carbon fibers handle is ultra smooth and you trousers will thank you for that.
Using the knife with greasy hands is not an issue as it anchors well in your palm.
So what do we got here ?

A light little big knife ! Carried like a breeze. Sharper and harder than many bigger knives. Pure efficiency in a small package.
It’s like driving a Lotus Seven on steroids. This little tool is really representing well the brandname “Spyder”co !
It cuts cuts cuts… and super powder steel ZDP189 if strop often enough is a great steel to use in EDC situations.
The C22cf is really a knife which make you smile once you have used it as you are amazed by the power of this pocket lightsaber.

C22CF

More to come as I will complete this review later. I’m now carrying that little blade every day with a gorgeous borrowed Rockstead Higo (I will review on a longer run), together they are forming a great daishō of ZDP189. Two examples of ultra high perfomance of modern cutlery.
Rockstead Higo J + Michael Walker C22CF

A little example of the raw cutting power of that incredible beast:

The plastic of that 1,5 liter Coke bottle is almost as thick as its blade and it passes through in one push cut (no sawing necessary!)
It was like in butter !!! Incredible !!!

Here is Valter reviw of this knife used as a skinner.

Here is a link of the Walker 6 years after skinning used.

Uncategorized

Nemo’s Bottle Butt Test on the Bushcrafter, the Sage II and the Gayle Bradley

7 Comments

You know my “bottle butt test”: cutting though the center “south pole” of a plastic bottle where the injection of plastic has been made and where the plastic is thicker. This is not an easy test for any blades. It’s tricky.

Today, my idea was to test the incredibly sharp edge of my new BushcraftUK knife. The zero grind, the O1 steel, the ultra sharp blade and the confortable handle of that little heavy fixed blade are amazing. For strong whittling or pruning that knife is a king. It’s the sharpest Spyderco I ever own with the Moran FB01 convexed.

Unfortunatly I was not able to cut the bottle through the “south pole”. The blade was stuck at one good inch from it. Sawing did not change anything.
The blade was to thick, it was stuck in the plastic preventing the keen edge to effectively cut.

OK. It’s not the first excellent blade who cannot pass that test.
So I decided to finish that bottle with my Sage II. I have convexed the edge and that little rascal is a aggressive wonder toward wood and cardboard. I love it.

Unfortunatly, the Sage II Blade was stuck at half an inch of the South Pole. This time it was the handle which seemed not comfortable enough to transfer all the force. Despite my strenght (I’m 1m98 and 97kg BTW…) the blade was stuck and would not go further.

OK that bottle seemed really thick. It happens. ALl plastic bottle are not equal. That Cola one was harder than many others.
I decided to finish it off with the Gayle Bradley.
This time I was able to get a confortable grip and to cut perfectly through the South Pole in one attempt.
You feel the M4 edge going through the hard plastic in one push: this was purely amazing and relieving !

Why ? All three knives are razorsharp. But we got here three different geometry and three different destinations.
The Sage II is a “polyvalent EDC”. The Bushcrafter (reviewed soon) is a “versatile wood tool”. The Gayle Bradley is an “hard used folder”.
But only the Gayle Bradley gives enough leverage near the handle (the choil is incorporated in the wide blocky handle). You can apply a lot of vertical force on a very thin hollow ground blade. This is the best recipe against hard plastic.
But here we got three excellent tools designed toward high performance but only one was able to cut hard and deep in the plastic.
I told you my little Bottle Butt test was tricky.
My favorite knives for that test was Xavier Conil’s Pointu. A thin zero full flat ground folder which cut everything like butter ! I have since send it to Sal Glesser for him to test it in Golden…

Bottle Butt test on Gayle Bradley Bushcrafter and Sahe II

Later on another bottle I was able to make the Sage 2 pass through the exact center.

It was harder to go through (handle less confortable and different grind) than with the GB but it still was possible.

Sage II Through

Eventually (part 2) I was able to change my technic for cutting with the Bushcrafter.
As on a fifth attempt I was stuck again by the thickness of the blade, I have decided to push with two hands.
And this time the razor sharp edge got enough force applied to cut right through the but:

Bushcrafter cutting through the bottle

So… for the easiest cutting of the butt of a plastic bottle you’ll need a thick confortable handle and a thin ground blade.

— Update from Surnia, registered member of the SPyderco forums:
“In regards to your plastic bottle tests, plastic bottles are not actually injected from the bottom. They’re made into blanks first which are very thick walled plastic test tube shaped things with the bottle threading already present at the top.

From there, they’re passed to a molding station where the blanks are heated, inserted into the molds, then inflated with air pressure to form fit the mold. If you carefully heat a plastic bottle (cap on, and evenly warm it up slowly… vent the air every so often to continue shrinking it. The air allows it to retain the bottle shape and not shrivel up excessively in one spot) and do it evenly, it’ll eventually get close to the original blank’s shape. It won’t go back to it, but it’ll get within a certain limit…

Best example i have of the blanks are here:
http://www.countycomm.com/tubevault.htm
where they’ve used them for other purposes. “