My Spyderco PITS is like a folding Schrade Sharpfinger to me.
I always loved the Sharpfinger. I got the hint of it thanks to Marc McYoung. Marc got a very nice writing style and I always enjoyed his Paladin Press (RIP) books. There instead of trusting a folder, he was using a Sharpfinger with a very nice leather pouch I could find on the model. I even guess the guys who sold it to him did not bring him the right scabbard as I have since found some drop point Schrade with that simple deep leather scabbard.
Anyway back in th e90’s I loved the idea to carry a fixed blade as EDC. It was before 9/11, before terrorisms knives attacks… Bushcrafting gave me the opportunity to carry a fixed blade in my pocket but the Sharpfinger dream was over.
Back in the 90’s, Fred Perrin had reground mine to a thinner edge and I had offered it to a American friend visiting us. I had got the Uncle Henry Wolverine version in 440A when the Old Timer version in 1095 high carbon steel. This design is almost a Klingon steak knife, it’s great in use.
As the original Sharpfinger was always on my mind, soon I had decided to find again a genuine one (not made in China) and this is the one pictured.
“A lot of people I ride with carry that knife. I actually prefer fixed blades — like the Sharpfinger — to a folded blade. Although I carry a folded blade too, with a fixed blade you don’t have to reach inside your pocket. It’s always handy, on your belt when you need it. I use my Sharpfinger as a tool. I do everything with it. I like knives with sharp points. You never know when you might want to pop a balloon or peel a banana.” to quote Sonny Barger.

I really like how the PITS look and feel like a Sharpfinger !  Also I do love how the N690Co steel heat treated by Maniago get a hungry and biting edge on the long run. Like on the Schrade the pitch of the steel is high, giving the feeling of a hard high performance alloy. The way the integral guard work is similar on both design.

If you like motorcycle gangs, this book is for you. “Five stars for Five heartbeats. Excellent read, fast as well, couldn’t put it down. I’m a bit partial due to​ the fact that my band Glass Heroes had several songs on the soundtrack of the movie and were one of the performers that played our songs for Sonny and HA at bikeweek a few years ago. The ending was brutal and justice was served street style. Totally enjoyed it and was a refreshing read. I dug the Chapters names even. Well done.”
From Good Read.

Here is the link to our first review of the Sharpfinger with Fred Perrin.

Taking the scandi ground Wolfspyder to Norway was logical choice but this little knife has revealed itself as a very reliable EDC in a lot of domains.

First it was easy to carry with his new deep carry clip and kept warm even in the Dovre National Park  .

There it was used for picnic duty where the sharp point was perfect to dig in plastic and cut some bread. Nothing extraordinary.

It was a light equipment in the bergen.

It was also the occasion to compare its grind with traditional Norwegian fixed blades.
You can notice how Ray Mears has studies this designs before starting his homework.

The belly of the Wolfspyder’s handle is the same as its ancestors.

In Norway a man without a knife is a man without a life.  Even if nowadays, in Oslo the fin to carry a knife without purpose can reach 1500 kron, 170 dollars !
This world is getting crazy as bad men will always find a way to carry an hidden butcher or parrying knife but responsable people can not enjoy the oldest tool ever made by human beings…

The traditional knife is still, like a silver pocket watch, considered as a jewel in the countryside.

The Wolfspyder was a delight to use. The thick stock blade and the zero ground scandi on mine was wonderful for whittling. The edge bites and digs really deep and I was able to drill in tree roots with no fear to break anything. You can use that folder very hard and this is really one of the “Little Big Knives” Spyderco knows how to produce. This is a compact workhorse ! And S30V has not let me down. It was not sharpen for a week and back home it is still razor sharp.

I also let other people borrowing my knife for other mondane tasks like preparing roses bouquets for a big Viking dinner where 100 people were invited.

The knife was not especially cleaned and S30V stay sharp and stainless. The open handle design makes it easy to check for dirts and rinse it under the tap.

As my personal and only knife, it has been used in my plate. I was not able to make it dull even on Norvegian bread.

Used and compared with the Polestar I have gifted to a viking friend of mine who is also a carpenter, both knives were used through the week. The Polestar was quicker to draw with the Spyderdrop and both knives were easy to keep sharp and clean.

The Wolfspyder is really one of my favorite little big knives. Its performance and reliability are stellar. It’s a real pleasure to cut into hard material with that kind of edge and the grind elimine any fear of broking the tip of the blade.
I was really surprise at the ease and speed I was able to make sticks and process wood with sucha smallish folder. The big fat handle is helping a lot but the S30V scandi still amazes me in the way it goes deep in the woodfibers ans stays sharp… It’s a pocket chainsaw !

This is not going to be a review but just my first impressions of the Massdrop, Ferrum Forge, WE-Knives Falcon.

I have been following Elliot en Chis Williamson, Ferrum Forge, their knife making journey on YouTube for a few year now. From Elliot’s start in his garage and the making of his first folders to the established brand that they are now. The knives they make are interesting for sure but outside of my budget. So, when I read about their collaboration with Massdrop and WE-Knives to make an small, flipper, folding knife that would less than $150, I ordered one as soon as the Drop was opened. A little later Nemo decided to do the same.

Nemo received his example a few days before I got mine. He wrote very positively about his example. So I was very interested to see how I would like mine!

For the most part I concur with Nemo’s review. This knife is a lot of value for money and seems very well put together! It fires snappier that the Spyderco Mantra 2 I recently reviewed, due to having a stronger detent. What it shares with the Mantra 2 is that you have to be careful not to put any pressure on the lock bar. If you do it won’t fire. The jimping on the flipper tab is pretty sharp and after flipping the Falcon a few times it became uncomfortable. This can probably by fixed by rounding the edges with a hone or some sandpaper. I could not use the hole in the blade to open the blade one handed but it worked well for opening it with both hands.

The blade came decently sharp though can be improved upon. The handle is nicely rounded and fits well in the hand.

There is just one problem with the Falcon which stops me from carrying it, and that is the pocket clip. It is much too tight for my jean pockets! I have to use two hands and push hard to get it clipped. I have no such issues with Spyderco clips. Interestingly enough I had the same problem with the WE-knives 617 that I got to handle on a pass around a couple of months ago. Apparently WE-Knives clips are just not for me. Perhaps in the future WE-Knives or Massdrop will start offering bent clips for the Falcon (and other WE-Knives). Then I would be able to clip it to my pocket make it part of my EDC. The knife deserves it!
You can read another review of the Falcon here:
https://nemoknivesreview.com/2017/10/10/massdrop-x-ferrum-forge-falcon-s35vn-folding-knife-flipping-modern-gentleman-knife/

When I was visiting Nemo in Paris he offered me the opportunity to try out his Spyderco Mantra 2. I have handled this knife before and of course have read Nemo’s review of this folder. I was interested in finding out how it would work for me, but not interested enough to buy one for my self. So Nemo’s offer was very welcome!

I have carried a few flipper knives in the past, a Buck Vantage and a Spyderco Domino. The Buck was a great cutter but not a great flipper and the handle didn’t really work for me. The Domino is high quality knife that cuts well and I liked the handle. Nemo and I wrote reviews of it a few years ago. (You can find it here.) After a few weeks I found it to heave and big in the pocket and I stopped carrying it.

One of the things I learned from the Domino and other frame lock flippers is that with manny of them you have to be careful where you place your fingers. A little pressure on the lock bar can stop the flipper from working well. Even just a little pressure can be enough to force the detent to block or slow down the opening of the knife. From having handled the Mantra 2 previously I knew it was very sensitive to this as well. What I was looking to find out was how I would get along with this knife on a day to day basis. Would I adapt to the flipping and the handle with the flipper guard or would it just not work for me.

After having sharpened it, very easy with an extra coarse DMT and the diamond side of the Fallkniven DC4, in to the pocket it went.

First a few words about the flipping action of the Mantra 2. I would describe this as being light. After having made sure that your fingers are not resting on the lock bar or on the front of the clip, little force is needed to shoot out the blade and have it lock with a reassuring click. Both the light-switch and push-button method of flipping are equally effective. Putting a drop of oil on the detent makes the opening and closing the knife noticeably smoother.

After having carried and used the Mantra2 for two weeks I got used to opening a folder with a flipper. When taking it out of my pocket I would feel if my fingers were in the right place, not pressing on the lock bar! and most of the time the blade would open fully the first time. Good fun! But not as intuitive and reliable as a hole opener.

The handle worked well for me. Some hard cuts in cardboard revealed no pressure points. The flipper did not get in the way. And as there is no space wasted in front of behind the flipper guard I felt I had a lot of control over the blade.

I can’t say much about the blade other than that it worked well for my use, mostly cutting cardboard and plastic packaging material. The edge was thin enough to cut well and the point pointy enough to pierce well.

It was fun getting to get to know the Mantra 2! An excellent very day carry flipper from Spyderco!

This is a quick glimpse at yesterday’s hare hunt. Which will be the support of future reviews and a video here.

Morning ride in the Italian Mountains. Hunting dogs equipped with GPS collars.