Tag Archives: cpm magnacut

Review

Böker “Vigtig vs. Wild” in CPM Magnacut – The Bushcraft Supreme EDC designed by David Wenger.

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I got a passion for short fixed blades EDC. And they are hard to find.
Now the
I was lurking at the new Pocket Tango with its magnetic sheath but my first intention was to buy a Lulu from KNAFS. Until I have found it was a not true scandi with its microbevel because they have found that Magnacut was chipping with there grind.
At least they were honest to announced it but for the price I have found my Wolfspyder was doing the same job in a folding package.

So I wanted a robust small fixed blade which was bringing new option compared to a folding knife: lateral strength for example and by looking around all the new Magnacut fixed blades made in Italy, I have found one which was made in Solingen…. Germany !
And for less than half the price than the beautiful little Lulu.

I have found it has been designed for a TV game and for German Youtubers who are filmed while surviving in Canada.

Quoting Böker’s site:
“Two streamers in the wilderness? (…) Trymacs (29) from Hamburg and Rumathra (27) from Bonn will compete together as a team in the upcoming season of 7 vs. Wild and face the 14-day adventure in the wilderness of Canada. The two heavyweights from the German streaming/gaming scene together have over 4 million followers on Twitch (Trymacs 3.4 million, Rumathra 0.7 million) and also have a strong presence on YouTube and Instagram. As part of the intensive preparation for this borderline experience, the choice of the right equipment – especially because all items have to be stored together in a 1L Nalgene bottle – played an elementary role for the two.”
OK. Why not. But eventually who was the designer ?
He’s American and his name is David Wenger and his interview can be found here on Böker site.

David knows his art as he is a bushcrafter and former builder. So looking at his own knives you can see his passion for dependable tools to be used hard in the wilderness or in the garden and as far as I am concern, he has created a great fixed blade for Böker.
Especially knowing that simple designs are not simple to create.

Remember how I was impressed by the Casström N°10, seven years ago ? This “Vigtig” is taking the same path as far as I am concerned. Its design looks simple but in fact it is really refined. It is a robust and sharp knife !

First thing to consider is the price of this knife: 135 euros with shipping in Knives&Tools. Not bad at all as K&T are not the cheapest on the web.
But it is sold cheaper than the Casström which is at 166 euros (June 2024). (The imported LULU is topping at 295 euros !!)
And the Vigtig (“Important” in German) is provided in CPM Magnacut like the LULU !! But with a real Scandi grind ! Sharp as my mother in law’s tongue !
And that’s simply one of the cheapest knife in CPM Magnacut today.
Also with a 8,5cm blade length it is not made as “companion” knife but as a main bushcrafter and truly solid survival tool.

Immediately when I held the Vigtig I have appreciated its ergos of its green micarta handle. This knife feels good in the hand. It well balanced. It is alive ! (Something I really miss in the Spyderco lately and that’s coming from a Spyderco french fanboy who loves to strop his Magnacut blade on leather. Because CPM Magnacut is a pleasure to strop.)
The micarta is smooth but naturally grippy. Oh boy, when you hold the “Important” you are gripping a real tool. Something to be used hard in a very compact size. Let’s not forget it even is shorter than an deployed Endura (22cm against 19cm for the Vigtig !)
The scales are not totally rounded but this soft boxy shape helps to know in which direction/angle the edge is. That’s why I prefer boxy/flat folders like the Native or the Wolfspyder picture here.
The Vigtig is labelled as a “survival” knife but in my opinion it is also a bushcraft knife, lengthwide and it term of ergonomy.

The rounded handle of an Opinel has always been some kind of issue for me. You gain in comfort what you lose in precision in your cut. For that I was always using my thumb on the blade to know exactly at what angle it was.
On the Vigtig you feel the knife is at ease in your palm. There are some kind of heavy working vibes (like just said David of the KCI about the new Manix XL Crucarta.) ! This is mandatory for a compact tool you suppose to use for hours (as the Proficient for example which is hard to beat but feels more premium, less Blue Collar than the Vigtig. The Vigtig is perhaps not “excellent” here but at least very very good in ergos and eventually is even qualified as Super Knife by the Dutch Bushcraft Knives boys.


There is a sharp spine to use with fire rod near the tip of the blade. As the stock is 4mm thick it is not an issue with my left thumb confort. Those sharp edge can also be used to scrap the bark for various uses

Now we got a True Scandi Grind. Not micro bevelled.
The Vigtig makes hair popping right out of the box.
Magnacut is known for its very very fine grain and strength and toughness.

It bites in wood like nothing matters and keeps its crispy edge.
Böker announced a HRC of 62-63. Its hard but tough !

CPM Magnacut is also a leather stropping lover. It brings the same behavior of tool steel in a very very stainless alloy. Frankly this is a bushcrafter dream ! The edge is impervious to the elements and it is a easy going tool which can be used even near saltwater without after thought.
Especially because there is an hidden compartment inside the handle.
“A special highlight can be found inside the handle. Instead of hollow studs, the two large screws can be easily removed with the help of a coin, revealing an ample compartment with a depth of 14 mm compared to the outer dimensions of the handle, where tweezers, tinder, charcoal tablets, a fishing kit and safety pins, for example, can be easily accommodated.”

I will not use it. And certainly will secure the screws with some blue thread locker. But as least, if needed you can use the knife without its micarta scales and just use the hidden compartment. Rambo is never far away when we talk about survival knives.

My previous hardchore EDC fixed blade has been this 1095 fixed multitool. It is now replaced by the Vigtig as it is much sharper and with a much better alloy. Notice how convexed I had the old 1095, I won’t need that with the CPM Magnacut scandi edge as I got zero damage even when used on hard dry bamboo. Those compact robust fixed blades can do everything a big folder can do and much more ! The main difference is the obligation to clean the blade before to resheath it.

And another important thing to test in a fixed blade is the sheath ! The Vigitig sheath is also perfect in my book and provided with a clip to be used on a belt or in the pocket. The taco style kydex shape is my favorite as it is slimmer than the pancake style shape.

I carry the knife directly in my pocket where it is easily removed by thumb pushing the kydex lip of the sheath and replace in the sheath with one hand. The sheath’s entry is wide enough for repositionning the knife back in it with one hand. The clip is a little on the strong side for me and I like to easily dispatch a sheathed knife into a bag. So the sheath only without any hardware but its slim profile fits perfectly in my pocket against my wallet.
Inside the front pocket of my old denim, the Vigtig stays put and is immediately forgotten thanks to its perfect dimension for EDC.
Great sheath !

So, yes, really, it is designed to be a fixed blade EDC. It enters a territory forbidden to folding knives: to be ultra solid, robust and forgiving when used hard without compromising its carrying.
I’m really looking forward to use it in the forest and even I won’t mind using it by the sea ! The Vigtig could even be considered as an amphibious ambitious bushcrafter. For now it will be used in the house for mondane tasks as it is the best way to know it.

For those who consider Scandi not kitchen worthy… 😉
So far I have been able to use it with ease in the kitchen despite its 4mm thick stock blade. It zipped easily for thin loafs.

This is just a glimpse. I will certainly update that little review with new elements and pictures and make another chapter soon.
So, kuddos to David Wenger for this robust knife design and to Böker for bringing it at a great price.

Folders, Review

Spyderco Native Chief: HELLBOY 2 – The Kitchen Army

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Since the reception of my Chief Native I have found that he was a sole survivor from a Xmas Mystery Box bought in Spyderco’s plant in Golden in December.
In that box were different items and a rare Sprint Run Second Factory which was destined to end in my pocket and considered by myself IMHO as the perfect realisation of Sal and Eric ideas about pocket knives. In fact I think it is my favorite Spyderco ever.
I have written a first review here.
And now it is time for a second approach of Hellboy which has succeeded in kicking other knives from my pocket and quench my thirst for novelty.

So why ?

First the Native family feature an absence of hump on the blade making them very slick and beautiful.

Even the Shaman benefits from that.

The Chief is on the left and the Shaman on the right.

As you can notice the design of the Native Chief is really close to one of my favorite design: the AFCK.
Sal Glesser was no stranger in the Benchmade BM800 AFCK back in the 90’s. He helped Les De Asis founder of Benchmade on it. They had both learned how to make Michael Walker’s linerlocks at Bob Terzuola shop.
Both company were accelerating on the tactical lane in close formation.

As you can notice, my AFCKs (Advanced Folding Combat Knife) which was also designed by Chris Caracci a former Navy SEaL have been used a lot. The first version got a Spydiehole and the second version got an oval hole and an axislock.
This design was one of my favorite for a big folding knife as EDC.
And back then I was really in love with concept of tool highspeed steel on a modern plateform.

The same happend with that special Native Chief which got a very special alloy for its blade: CPM-4V.
With that steel, the edge is strong and the thin blade is very solid.
It gives a lot of confidence when cutting on a plate made of ceramic of glass. No chipping can happen.
Hellboy has been used a lot for cutting pies and cake on glass plates and the edge behavior was not disappointing. When I have noticed a little shiny spot, some white ceramic was able to put everything back on line but it was really minor.

Now CPM4V is not stainless. It will form a patina or, worst, rust very quick and easily when used in acidic matters like cutting lemons and being used on a salad with vinegar.
DLC coating is really welcome for that kind of behavior. Back in the 90’s Benchmade was offering only PVD coating which is really inferior to Diamond Like Coating. So far the blade of my Chief is not marked and scar by it various cutting tasks even when cutting.
My previous Chief was a naked Rex45 blade and it was another story told here.

Even strawberries can darken the edge of CPM 4V.

But cheese is a great way to notice how DLC is making the surface of the blade less sticky but more stinky.

The Chief was not always used on gentle medium like wood.

It was also used on plate with vinegar salsa. Here it is basamic vinegar from Modena.

In the kitchen the knife is really behaving like an paring knife. It is really handy on fruits and vegetables. Its very pointy blade is great to carve.
.The mechanism has never suffered from being wet and rinsed under water. The knife was smooth through and through its various wet works.

Now I like to have chamfered and smooth handles and blade spine. The Chief is known to be very square everywhere. The G10 has been easy to smooth with sandpaper used wet to avoid toxical dust.
Now the blade spine is DLC coated and it was my esthetic choice to remove the coating on all the length of its spine.

I love the result.

It has been done with some diamond rods.
Now the spine is much more confortable for my thumb in case of push cuts.

CPM 4V on that Native Chief platform is really the bread and butter for a strong thin folder. I’m not afraid to use hard on wood and plastic.
And it is a must in the kitchen various missions.
It has been also test on different hard wood and compared (geometry speaking) with many other knives I got.
One of my champion is the Swayback in term of smooth pushcuts.
But also the Wolfspyder and the Yojimbo.

My Chief needed more convexing and thinning to go to the level I was expecting. Again diamonds has been used handfree to remove the shoulder of the edge.
CPM 4V keeps a very very crispy edge and bites in the wood very aggressively.

CPM M4 is a stunning alloy which is prefered on fixed blade but it is a gem on a long and thin folder. It makes it super solid with a very permissive edge.

Quoting Larrin Thomas Phd:

Some will argue that toughness is not important in folders or fine slicing knives and feel that only edge retention matters in that case because they don’t use their knives in aggressive ways which are likely to lead to chipping. However, broken tips are still common on small knives and kitchen knives. And with higher toughness, the knives are better able to handle thin, low angle edges without chipping. And they can be heat treated to higher hardness to help prevent edge rolling and deformation, while still maintaining good toughness. This means that, indirectly, higher toughness can lead to better cutting performance because of the possibility of thinner edges.

The good news is that CPM Magnacut has been copied on CPM 4V behavior.

Review

The Amphibian Milestone in CPM Magnacut : the Paramillie 2 Salt has landed !

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The Amphibian Milestone in CPM Magnacut iq PARA MILITARY® 2 SALT® BLACK G-10 CPM MAGNACUT® BLACK BLADE – C81GMCBK2 which is much too long to fit in a title.

This is not my first Paramillie 2, I usually wear the 52100 carbon fiber version but I have used many many version in S90V, CPM Cruwear and S30V. The 52100 is actually the exact opposite of this new version.
Announced at the 2023 Amsterdam Minimeet, a Paramillie impervious to the element. Better: a nautical version ready to stand tall in frond of the salty waves of the ocean’s breakers.
Then the wait began.

And here it is, in all its glory !
Delivered with Larrin Thomas dreamlike alloy: the CPM Magnacut !
A steel which hits a lot of sweet spots. Like some sort of totally rustfree CPM M4: strong, resilient and able to withstand thin edges without chipping.
So why adding a DLC on that alloy ? Overkill can be fun, can’t it be ?

Here are 3 versions. The 52100, the CPM Cruwear and CPM Magnacut from right to left. Three excellences in their own way all designed by Sal and Eric Glesser.
CPM Magnacut is a story of love.
Quoting his metallurgist of designer:
“The carbide structure of MagnaCut is much finer than the common powder metallurgy stainless steels such as CPM-154, M390, Elmax, S35VN, etc. The only stainless PM steel I have imaged which is competitive in terms of carbide/nitride size is Vanax. MagnaCut is even somewhat finer than CPM-4V and Vanadis 4 Extra, the non-stainless steels that MagnaCut was modeled after. This is an excellent result and should lead to excellent properties.”

Quoting Spyderco:
“This tour-de-force expression of the Para Military 2 showcases a full-flat-ground blade crafted from CPM MagnaCut—a state-of-the-art particle metallurgy steel that offers an exceptional balance of edge retention, toughness, and superior corrosion resistance. Cloaked in a non-reflective Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) coating, the PlainEdge blade is housed in a handle featuring peel-ply-textured black G-10 scales machined with the signature Caribbean Bi-Directional Texture pattern of Spyderco’s US-made Salt Series knives. To complement its blade steel and finish, the knife’s nested stainless steel liners, four-position pocket clip, and all other hardware are also made from ultra- corrosion-resistant materials and black coated.”

That new Salty Paramillie is destined to be an amphibian workhorse, an hippocampus !!
All hardware is black coated but the stop pin which is silver and made of “fearlessly corrosion-resistant marine-grade materials“.
The handle (as efficient it is to be non slippery) is destined to be a pocket shredder as it is carved to be used with wet oily hands. Your trousers will suffer !!
Unless, like myself you are a compulsive user of sandpaper. And even then, it will be hard on pocket’s lips.

The Diamond Like Coating is not only protecting a blade which doesn’t need any protection, it gives a strong Mall Ninja vibe also.
Usually coating brings some king of lubrification to the matter separation. I’m not impressed so far, even on sausages.
The geometry is perfect on my PM Salty. Thin as a razor though.

One thing I had to change was the clip. It was replaced by a Flytanium Universal Titanium Clip which is short and deep carry.
Also I have moved the clip for a Tip Up carry which suit the Paramillie better in my book.

Of course de-shouldering the edge is the first step to convex that I do on new knives. Especially I have read that Magnacut loves leather stropping.

And this is true ! The edge turned quick into a über razor state.

It zipped through meat like a lightsaber into banta meat.

So now the game is on. The Salty Magnacut Paramillie is ready to kick all other knives from my pockets and be used on the long run.
Let see what this cutlery apogee era knife has to propose on the long run !