Cold Steel Mackinac Hunter

I remember when I heard that Cold Steel was doing a folder with a more classical look. Cool I thought; Cold Steel's high-tech approach combined with Buck 110 Folding Hunter's old school looks. Cold Steel's President and Founder Lynn C Thompson wanted back in 2012 to honor his family by introducing a robust folder for every day hard work. Now I sitting here with a Cold Steel Mackinac Hunter in my hand; a rough knife named after the The Mackinac Bridge in Michigan.

Design
The 28 mm wide and 92 mm long clip point blade gives you a sense of Bowie knife. The Mackinac Hunter is a pretty heavy knife, although it's about 30 g lighter than a Buck 110 Folding Hunter. The stainless steel handle of the Mackinac feels thinner than I had imagined. The decorative handle scales of the handle is made of the plastic material Delrin (Polyoxymethylene) imitating stag. Unfortunately I can feel that the handle scales gives some what a plastic look to the knife. But I understand the choice of material as it's capable of withstanding a lot of abuse and climate. I've seen some nice custom made handle scales for the Mackinac Hunter made by different knife makers. The handle scales are easy to remove by loosen the torx screws.

If you want a folder with a more slim handle than the Mackinac I can recommend you to take a look at the Mackinac Hunter's sibling; the Lone Star Hunter. The Mackinac Hunter is offered in two variants; with the Thumb Stud (#54FBT) or with the Nail Nick (#54FBN). As you can see I have the stud version and it's delivered with a right handed pocket clip pre mounted. In the box you can find an extra clip for left handers. The clip is attached by three torx screws and offer a good tip up carry although the clip is pretty short. A leather sheath is also offered for the Mackinac. The thumb stud consists of a screw that I'm guessing is easy to remove if I want to only open the blade the old school way.
The AUS 8A steel blade have a high grind and comes with a nice and sharp edge delivering that good cutting ability alá Cold Steel.

Tri-Ad Lock
According to Cold Steel; their folder locking mechanism Tri-Ad Lock is the world's strongest. The blade is shouldered around a stop pin that relieves the lock back lever of the force put to the blade. The lever of my knife was very hard to operate when I took it out of the box. But after letting the knife set half opened over night it loosened up and got easier to unlock. Will be interesting to see how the Tri-Ad Lock holds up during the up coming years of usage.

Specs
Blade Material: Stainless AUS 8A steel from Japan
Blade Length: 92 mm
Blade Thickness: 3,4 mm
Knife Length: 123 mm / 214 mm
Handle Material: Stainless steel and Delrin (Polyoxymethylene)
Handle Thickness: 13,8 mm
Knife Weight: 181 g
Price: 700 SEK (Sweden 2013)

Competent and Undramatic
I like this folders simple, robust and confident charisma. It fits my hand really good and feels very reliable. There's no doubt that this folder could take on a lot of fixed blades out there when it comes to robustness. The Mackinac Hunter deliver that typical Cold Steel extremeness but without that tactical look; a combination I like.





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Pro Tracker Folder

The Swedish retail store Biltema now offer a variety of hunting and outdoors equipment. I've tested their folding knife from Pro Tracker. This is a robust folder with a 3,5 mm thick drop point blade and a lock back mechanism. When I first saw this knife in a picture I got interested in it's sturdy design. However; the pleasant price of 75 SEK indicates that this is not a knife of premium quality.

The shape of the blade and the gripable rubber handle makes this a nice hunting knife. Unfortunately the knife is delivered with a dull edge. But with this small price tag I can take a moment by the grind stone. The folding mechanism it not so good as it doesn't offer a tight lock. If this annoys you; the fixed blade version could be a more robust alternative (also offered with wooden handle). The fixed blade has a shorter blade in 7CR17MOV and is a bit more pricey.

After some use I can say that this folder is pretty OK. The colorful rubber grip offers a very good grip even when wet and bloody and I still like the looks of the knife. However I've been forced to sharpen the blade frequently to keep a nice edge. It will be interesting to see how long the mechanism of this folder will last. The knife is delivered with a practical nylon sheath.

Specs
Blade material: Stainless steel 3CR13, HRC 52-55
Blade length: 91 mm (92 mm according to manufacturer)
Knife length: 119 mm / 208 mm (210 mm according to manufacturer)
Knife weight: 104 g
Total weight: 146 g (with sheath)
 Price: 75 SEK (Sweden 2013)

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Half Horn Knife by Erik Fankki

During one of my adventures up in the Kaitum area in Lapland Sweden I had the honors of meeting this beauty. It's one Erik Fankki's skillfully crafted knives. The Fankkis are a very talented family consisting of several amazing knife makers.

I appreciate Erik's ability to mix the traditional Sami design with a more modern look. This is not only a piece for hanging on the wall; this knife feels very practical and capable in my hand. The stainless steel blade Erik made himself and he also prepared the leather material. The horn details are made of beautifully engraved rein deer antlers. Unfortunately I didn't have the time to collect more specific specs on the knife so I let these pics do the talking instead.

This nice blade will certainly offer it's users a lot of joy. And in return I hope the owners pay her back in lot of exercise and loving care. If you recognize this knife please feel free to contact me and tell me how she's doing.

This is a very good example on how a knife can be an efficient tool and a piece of beautiful art at the same time (Knives - Tools & Art).

Welcome to Jonas Vildmark Bushcraftcenter, we offer classes in  Bushcraft - Survival - Jägarexamen and Motorsågskörkort.

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Karesuandokniven Giron 3537

I'm always walking around a bit in love with a knife and right now it's the Giron (art no. 3537) from Karesuandokniven that makes my heart go faster. This small knife and it's 75 mm short blade has made me appreciate short blade knives again. Appropriately enough I got this knife just before I left for my hiking and fishing adventure in the beautiful Tjuonajokk. Giron is the old name of the town Kiruna in Lapland and Giron is the Northern Sami language's word for Rock Ptarmigan. Felt right wearing the Giron in my belt when operating in this inspiring area of Sweden.

Design
The Giron is one of Karesuandokniven's newest model and it's a tribute to the traditional Scandinavian knife with it's non-existing handle guard and it's straight blade neck. The handle made of brass, rein deer antler and oiled curly birch is shaped as the head of the Rock Ptarmigan. The sheath made of cowhide, rein deer skin and plastic inlays is decorated with a leather wing to enhance the Ptarmigan theme. Karesuandokniven has since some years back offered their model Willow Grouse (art no. 3524) referring to the Willow Ptarmigan that is a bit bigger than it's rock cousin.
The Giron is a small and compact knife that fits nicely in my hand. Of course the lack of a guard demands some blade experience but I like to have some blade contact when working with the knife. The 2 mm thick and 20 mm wide blade is easy handeled, comes with a good edge and is easy to maintain.

I like carrying a sheath with the traditional Scandinavian leather loop strap, especially when hiking using a backpack conveyor belt at my hip. After some usage the Giron's leather sheath gets a bit darker in color and gets a beautiful patina. If I could change something on the Giron I'd like the sheath to be about one inch shorter. A small knife like the Giron could in my opinion settle with a smaller sheath than the original length of 188 mm (224 mm in total, knife in sheath).

Knife Love
As I mentioned I'm in love with this knife. It's now a true companion as one of my favoite EDC models outside the Urban Jungle. However I'm a bit curios on how the Giron would feel like equipped with one of Karesuandokniven's nice Damasteel blades. I guess that version of the Giron would make me fall in love all over again.

Specs
Blade material: Sandvik stainless steel 12C27 HRC57
Blade length: 75 mm
Knife length: 174 mm
Knife weight: 70 g
Total weight: 122 g (knife in sheath)
Price: 900 SEK (Sweden 2013)

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Some of my Axe Projects

Right now I have a great gang of old axes in the pipeline waiting for my care. It'll be nice and relaxing to start restoring these old friends into shape again. I'll get back to you about each project along the way. I just wanted to give you a inspirational sneak peek of some of the steel on my table at the moment. Feel free to contact me and tell me about what project You are working on right now.

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Benchmade 176 SOCP Dagger

Specs
Blade material: 440C stainless steel
Blade length: 85 mm (82 mm according to manufacturer)
Overall length: 184 mm
Knife weight: 61 g (62 g according to manufacturer)
Total weight: 89 g (with sheath)
Price: 1 500 SEK (Sweden 2013)

Greg Thompson at Special Operations Combatives Program (SOCP) has designed this tactical knife together with the manufacturer Benchmade. The 176 SOCP Dagger is a slimmed skeletonized tool for tactical self defense. The concept of the SOCP Dagger is to have a quick drawn self defense blade that can help gain time to make the transition to a larger weapon like a hand gun. The dagger's finger loop (inner diameter 28 mm) enables your trigger finger to operate while still holding the dagger. The design makes the SOCP Dagger easy to carry within good reach in a discrete way minimizing the risk of someone else grabbing it.
In the Combo package a red trainer dagger (64 g) is included together with the sharp dagger, a injection molded sheath with a clip and a lanyard cord. The 70 mm long, 44 mm wide and 18 mm thick plastic sheath is offered in two colors; black or sand. The black coated knife is made of 440C stainless steel. The 85 mm long, 19 mm wide and 4,5 mm (5 mm according to manufacturer) thick blade is delivered with two sharp edges for effective penetrating abilities. The Swedish Benchmade distributor is EQUIPT, I can recommend a visit to their website. Also take a look at Greg Thompson demonstrating the 176 SOCP Dagger by clicking HERE.
It's very professional of Benchmade to offer a trainer version of the knife as it's very important to be drilled in the gear of choice in this serious category. It would have been nice if the Combo package also came with an extra sheath. That way you don't have to mess with your duty rig while in the gym. I think this is a really nice and efficient high quality tool for self defense in the line of duty. Stay safe out there.

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Fällkniven F1

The dear F1:a has turned 20 and this has to be celebrated by adding the knife model into my bushcraft knife field test comparing 15 different robust forest knifes. You can see the test by clicking HERE. Let's first take a look at the past 20 years of this knife model's history and then the specs of the knife.

History
Back in 1995 the Swedish Pilot Survival Knife F1 was introduced as the Swedish Armed Force's official survival knife. The knife is a part of the air force project JAS 39 Gripen and in August 1995 the company Fällkniven AB delivered the first batch of F1 knives to the Swedish Forces. The family company Fällkniven has been offering knives to their costumers since 1984. Back then the products came from a number of high quality knife brands but in 1987 they started to develop their own knives. It took 8 years to develop the F1 and the model became the start of a world wide success for the humble company founded by Peter Hjortberger up in Norrbotten; the Swedish North. The knife has pretty much looked the same through the years besides some changes in materials and edge profile. The first version had a blade made of the steel ATS34, used the doule edge (flat grind) and was manufactured in Germany until 1997. After that the Japanese VG10 steel was introduced and the full tang was stretched out to protrude on the back of the handle. Three years later in 2000 the convex edge was introduced and in 2002 the laminated VG10 steel was introduced. Besides the laminated VG10 the F1 today also is offered with the more exclusive 3G steel and now in conjunction with the 20 year celebration Fällkniven also introduces a laminated cobalt steel. Today the company are offering a wide range of knife models in different size and shapes but it's still the F1 that's their bestseller. The knife's high quality and stamina now also has made it the official survival knife of the US Marines, US Navys and other special forces units in the world.

The F1's Design
The design of the F1 is a tasteful combination of old Scandinavian elegant knife culture and modern tactical robustness. The 100 mm long, 27 mm wide and 4,4 mm thick drop point blade has a hand shaped convex edge and is offered in three different stainless steels. A black coated version is also available using the material CeraCoat 8H. The knife has a full tang covered with the rubber material Thermorun. The fact that the tang not is fully visible is a nice feature in extremly cold condition saving any exposed skin from frostbite. The tang protrudes at the pommel to be used as a crusher or for hammering. The handle is only 16 mm thick and the knife weight is 148 g making the F1 a smooth and compact tool. The knife you see in these pics are made from the Japanese Hattori steel. The sandwiching of the laminate consist of a harder core of VG10 surrounded by the 420J2 steel.

Top down; Cold Steel Master Hunter, Fällkniven F1 and Morakniv Bushcraft Black

Sheaths
The F1 comes with three different standard sheaths; covered leather (L), open leather (O) and zytel (Z). The F1's popularity has also generated a number of nice custom sheaths out there on the market. Personally I have one of each of the standard sheaths plus one self modified leather sheath; an open version of the covered leather. This means I got four different sheaths to pick from pending on my activity. The zytel sheath has gotten some complaints in different forums and this Fällkniven has listen to resulting in a updated sheath in the F1 Pro package also enabling MOLLE fittings.

Exclusive Versions 
Now and then more exclusive handmade versions of the F1 is offered. Right now a Green Micarta (gm) version is in production. Earlier a Maroon Micarta (mm) and a Ivory Micarta (im) was offered. These beautiful knives are made in limited editions and often end up as collectibles even if they absolutely have the capacity of being a great field knife.

Extreme Survival Knife and an OK Carver 
I like the F1's balance and nice grip these features gives one a genuine feeling of quality and robustness. The steel holds an edge very well and in combination with a lanyard the convex edge also offers a pretty good small size chopper. The sharp spine edges works great on the ferro rod but hurts the helping thumb when whittling. The knife is a great hunting knife and although the very thick blade I think the F1 is an OK wood carver. The F1 ended up in a 5th place in my bushcraft knife field test compared to the 14 other test knives. The Swedish product F1 are something we should be very proud of here in Sweden.

Specs  
Manufacturer: Fällkniven AB, Swedish family company in Boden with production abroad
Model: F1
Blade material: Stainless Laminated VG10 (HRC 59). Also avalible in 3G (HRC 62) and Cobalt (60 HRC)
Blade length: 100 mm
Blade thickness: 4,4 mm
Blade width: 26,9 mm
Edge profile: Convex
Handle material:Black Thermorun (rubber)
Handle thickness: 16,4 mm
Sheath: Leather or zytel
Knife length: 214 mm
Knife weight: 148 g
Total weight (knife and sheath): 234 g (open leather version)
Price: 1376 SEK (F1z, Sweden 2016)

Also check out my magazine article on the F1 published inside Vapentidningen No.8 - 2015.
To see other posts I've written on Fällkniven's products; click HERE.

Welcome to Jonas Vildmark Bushcraftcenter, we offer classes in  Bushcraft - Survival - Jägarexamen and Motorsågskörkort.

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