Knife Tangs

The following is an extract I wrote some time ago (over a year ago in fact) on You Tube for all those getting hung up about tangs in knives"






A note on Tangs Ok I'm actually not one for splitting hairs over what the knife world classifies as a "full tang knife" But for the sake of any argument here on this channel (for everyone). I'm going state what I define as a "full tang knife" "A full tang knife has a tang of which whose width approximates the width of the blade at the point of which blade become handle and continues to the butt of the handle at this width (give or take dimensional changes to allow for hand ergonomics). The tang will have no machining done to lighten/skeletonize the handle, other than metal which is removed to allow the placement of rivets or screws for fixture/location of the knife scales and or injection moulded grips. A "hole" can be present for a lanyard. As far a any "strength arguments" go (on YouTube reviews), this is all subjective and really of non scientific basis. UNLESS one was to test knives with exactly the same blade geometry and handle geometry, except one model has a milled out/skeletonized tang; under a bending moment, to destruction. Do this many times to obtain an "N" number for statistical purposes, to test the hypothesis that the full tang will fail less under the same load as the lightened handle. Now, my mechanical engineering friends tell me that whilst removing "excess metal" from a tang will indeed lighten it, it will also "weaken" it under a given bending load. As to whether this "weakening" would affect any expected or even unexpected function of the knife in a human hand, this is entirely up to what one does with the knife. To be honest, my in excess of 20 years old ONTARIO SPEC PLUS MARINE knife, old rusty 1095 high carbon steel, injection moulded KRATON grip, AND dare I say it narrow/rat tail tang, has NEVER let me down, and it even got lent out a few times too (where I had no idea of how they treated my baby LOL).Yes it has been used multiple times as an improvised lever, something which a knife is simply not designed for. The knife in the above video and any others with milled out handles, they will require special maintenance if submerged in either fresh or sea water as water will ingress into the grip and can depending on the situation affect the materials of construction, hence one would def have to remove the grips to administer some "after care". If this latter thing is not an issue then let's not get too hung up about this tang business. As far as stuffing materials into the milled- out handles go, well IMHO this is pure gimmick under real conditions other than for wanna be survivalists, who are definitely carrying their TORX head drivers, Allen keys, at the ready in a situation to move those scales and extract some "survival" implement. The whole marketing ploy behind the suggestion from manufactures stating this, is to distract one away from the "full tang argument" (if you believe this, like I've said) and try and turn this simple manufacturing technique into a "feature" and or "benefit". My advice, don't be a sucker and fall for this rubbish. Just get out there, go: hunting; camping; fishing or do whatever you do in the great outdoors and leave marketing garbage back in the big city. Full tang; milled out tang; rats tail; partial tang; tapering tangs etc etc............blah blah blah, what the heck! I own them all and no knife of mine (they all get used not just for looking at) are still in one piece.

BCT

Why I'm still loving my Kizlyar Supreme SENPAI a year plus on.

 AUS8 is a great knife steel, make no mistake about it. AUS8 has done it's "Tour of Duty" and has nothing to hide.

 Made in Russia: A Brand name Built like a tank but functions like a knife should. The two "stains on the upper part of image are were I was going to lightly "patina" it-just for fun!

The Kizlyar Supreme Senpai looks like a proper knife, feels like a knife, cuts very very well and is beautiful to look at. Some have told me, "hey this really looks more like a weapon than something to be used in the outdoors". Maybe so but it's practicality for an outdoor knife is totally fine. Modelled around a Japanese Tanto, the Senpai (older colleague), I have found is fine in the outdoors for camping and food prep. If you like the Japanese-like design of this knife, like I do then I can tell you it will work fine for: gutting fish; cutting up meat off the bone, preparing vegetables; slicing through large fruits and vegetables such as: pineapples, mangoes, cassava, Yams and the like and even for those dead set keen on smashing the spine with a wooden baton; it will not yield.

Finally, the grip of the Kizlyar Supreme, made from Kraton over moulded onto ABS (Hey ABS is almost indestructible), is very ergonomic and good with wet hands.


 See my review here:

Knives are for cutting?

You don't say???

Well I'm going to show you a knife I have had for a while and have also reviewed it in the wilds. This knife I believe is very useful either on the coast, in the mountains and in the Jungle. Is this possible?? Well there will be some caveats but I will try and justify my reasoning by providing solid evidence for what I'm about to show you.

Extrema Ratio TASK very at home in the wilds!

If you don't recognize the above knife then let me introduce you to the Extrema Ratio TASK. Regardless of what Extrema Ratio say about this model, I have field verified it's capabilities as a very very useful knife.

First and foremost, the TASK's blade starts off at a whopping 6mm thick tapering to the tip at approx. 2.5mm! WHOA!!! What's that you're saying?? Such a thin tip! 

Big blade taper, big cutting action!

Well the bottom line is that knives are for cutting, and this knife, the TASK does that job perfectly. To give you some examples:

A) I used the TASK to easily cut through very large palm bracts both green and dry in the rainforest (these bracts are perfect for making containers to carry things; store things; transport and or capture water; build roofing material for a hut or shelter in the jungle.

B) Slice and dice (with no effort) very hard dense vegetables such as tubers; potatoes; pumpkin/gourds; pineapples; giant bamboo shoots and various other tropical fruits and vegetables.

C) Cut down Lawyer canes in the jungle using the serrations, and use the same knife to effortlessly strip the canes for: friction fire; and or building things. In other words very delicate tasks.

Deadly serrations, ideal for cutting vines and fibrous materials

D) Cut up meat and fish. There is a good point and the tapering blade makes short work of food preparation.

E) Cut through natural fibres such as manila ropes and (thin but strong) jungle vines.

Fact is a thick bladed knife can be a real PITA when it comes to cutting. 

Usually, I'd pair such a knife with a parang/machete or similar for serious work, as this knife will not hack a coconut in half. In fact few knives without a lot of effort can with exception of using the right tools for the job at hand, ie a parang or similar tool. BUT if I'm not going to be hacking coconuts in half then the TASK can hold it's own when it comes to carving and cutting tasks in the wilds. I can easily make a spear with this knife. But you say, hey you can;t hack a tree down with it! Of course I can't and why would I want to do that? That is in the realms of the TV Survivalist and over zealous Producers! 

 The TASK will easily penetrate objects if need be. Batoning this blade?? Not on your life mate! In fact i'll be soon making a proper video (a challenge essentially to those doubters out there! and/or less experienced in the wilds.) about existing in the wilds without using a baton to split any wood. Considering with the exception of my video reviews (as most You Tubers have come to expect batoning blades as some sort of vigorous testing of a blades suitabilities-when in reality this demonstration is purely for those satisfying their primal roots.- Please no offence to anyone. Everyone, given the chance will follow this line however, my point is that you really don't have to baton anything. You might have to strip wet bark off wood to start a fire, (been there done that many times) or strip very small pieces of wood and let them dry in order to start a fire (the TASK will handle this no problems).

As a teenager we used to use webbing to drag the largest logs we could shift to out campsites and stick the ends in the fires. Why cut it up if you don't have to? Anyway I digress slightly, Stay tuned to BushCampingTools and I'll show you why (again) the Extrema Ratio TASK is a big performer for many tasks (no pun intended!) in the bush.

SG 2 Security Fixed blade Nieto Knives Review

Hi well here it is the field/camp review of the SG 2 Security knife from Miguel Nieto S L in Spain. See what you think but I really like it.

SG2 Security Survival Knife NEW RELEASE from Miguel Nieto Spain. REVIEW

Ok the design of this knife is great. The full flat grind drop point, a classic design and field proven time and time again.

First impressions:

Very comfy but grippy handle, both upper surface and lower of handle is milled flat, making it an excellent grip. My model with camo Katex grip.

Just look at this great grip!

The special milled grooves all over the micarta scales provide a sure grip even with wet hands. In fact the grip is really excellent.

Proven cutlery alloy, DIN 1.4116, with significant Vanadium. The Vanadio model has a HRC of 54-55. This makes it robust against chipping and easily field maintained. You've seen me opening tins with my other DIN 1.4116 alloy knives. Don't get too hung up about HRC, 54-55 is fine for cutting all things you will encounter in the wilds and you will be able to sharpen it without having any trouble.
The Nieto SG2 is also available in N690!

Rounded spine so you don't destroy your baton nor ruin the palm of your hands when needing extra pressure to be applied.

As I said a very nice full flat grind.

The milled Katex cammo grip 

Generous thumb/finger gimping and a rounded butt/pommel so no funky skull crushers to damage your pack/body or palm of your hand. You can strike a fire steel here to in this region.

Specs at a glance:
Full tang.
HRC 54-55 more resistant to chipping of edges common with high HRC blades
Easily field sharpened.
Full flat grind.
DIN 1.4116 cutlery alloy.
Look at the quality of the leather sheath!

The SG2 comes with a fire steel too!

The high quality leather scabbard is totally multi-carry, either vertically or horizontal belt carry and quick release.

Just to show you the difference between the Nieto Chaman and the Nieto SG2. Very similar knives at first glance but specs totally different.
The Chaman's blade is 114mm from handle to tip, the SG 2's blade is: 108mm (not that much different). The SG2 has a completely different grind (it's full flat) and the Chaman is hollow ground and a wider blade at 32mm Vs 30mm for the SG2.
The grips are completely different, in fact I prefer the SG2 for wet work, as it's profile and milled scales offer better grip. I actually put some grooves into my Chaman to facilitate a better grip for my fingers in the wet. The Chaman has a slightly thicker spine at 5.4mm Vs 5.3 for the SG2. To be honest I see a improvement in the SG2 over the handle design of the Chaman but this is JMHO. The Chaman is marketed as a "Survival Knife". The carry systems are different. 

Visual comparison between 2 recent knife models from Nieto Knives of Spain.

Video field review of the Nieto SG2 coming soon!

Kizlyar Supreme Sturm Tactical Knife Review

Video Field Review of the Kizlyar Supreme STURM Fixed blade

Ok so here is my video field test of Kizlyar Supreme's STURM. Check it out and see what you think. Certainly those who say AUS8 is dead in the water couldn't be further from the truth and are steel snobs. The proof is in the pudding as they say. This edge held up very well despite me using the knife over several days on very dirty objects and hard woods (all seasoned-none green!)

Extrema Ratio Scout2 Review

Hi well here is my views on the Extrema Ratio Scout 2, a pure backup tactical knife. See what you think.

EXTREMA RATIO SCOUT 2 FULL In Depth REVIEW

My Scout 2 was "Stone Washed" IMHO which is not tactical due to shiny blade surface.

NEW from Extrema Ratio, the Scout 2 is a pure backup knife.

5mm profile, slim forprene grip; the Scout 2 measures in at 4 5/8 inches for the N690 Blade and a overall length of 9 1/8 inches.
Weight of knife only is:
5.1 Oz or 146 grams! (why is this? because it isn't a full width tang construction- see below).
5mm sheet construction
Blade: Symmetric Spear point. Flat grind to hand sharpened convex edge.

Notice indent in the Forprene handle. There are two of them and they facilitate a tactile removal of the blade from the scabbard.

Available in a non-reflecting tactical black mil spec coating and a civilian model which is simply stone washed. I say civilian model as flashing around a shiny blade can hardly be considered "tactical".

The Extrema Ratio Scout 2 is the larger of the Scout models and is held into the Cordura sheath by a ER standard 2 press stud strap. Once the 2 press studs are released there is absolutely no friction when removing the Scout 2 and if you're not holding on to this knife then it is going to disappear out of your hands at the speed of gravity. A fast and silent deployment. The blade geometry features a long swedge (un-sharpened upper edge),

Big spine swedge and narrow profile grip along with a spear point, characterize the Extrema Ratio Scout 2.The narrow profile of the grip gives a maximum resistance to blade twisting within the confines of having a usable handle under extreme forces.

Spear point blade profile of the Extrema Ratio Scout 2

 which runs right up until the generous finger/thumb gimping. This design fits in well with penetration of the knife if thrust into objects. Unlike previous Extrema Ratio knives where the Forprene grips are all the same thickness (some on the backup series are shorter- but all are the same thickness), the Scout 2 features a much reduced overall grip profile, with essentially the Forprene just covering the tang itself. 

Generous finger/thumb gimping on the spine of the Scout 2

This is a knife which will not twist in your hand due to the "flattened" grip profile. Also the handle has part of the butt exposed and forms a "persuader" combing this with two indentations on the grip for thumb or finger placement.

Extrema Ratio Scout 2 knife CONSTRUCTION

The construction deviates from Extrema Ratio's regular tang design. This time we see a symmetrical tang accompanied by a very rigid Forprene polymer handle. The fixing bolt (Stainless steel) does not rely on any friction from 

Extrema Ratio Scout 2 tang construction, fixing bolt and Forprene handle grip.

Close up of fixing bolt, showing the female part of the bolt. There is a lubrication notch on the right hand side of the tang. 

the Forprene handle in order to prevent it accidentally coming undone from vibration. 

The anchoring bolt can be removed with a 4mm Allen driver or a flat bladed object such as a screw driver or flat piece of metal.

Essentially with the grip removed the Scout 2 becomes a throwing knife. Once the fixing bolt has been removed the Forprene grip needs some force to remove it from the tang as there is lots of binding friction here. This is perfectly OK as you wouldn't want the grip simply to fall off the tang once that fixing bolt has been removed.
If the fixing bolt was lost, no big deal simply tie a bit of cord into the lanyard hole and handle can not be removed (as in all of their other knives sporting lanyard holes).
The Scout 2 is a no nonsense, minimalist  knife with a longer handle than Extrema Ratio's other "backup" knives, and as such might suit those with big hands. Also this is the first knife from ER that does not say via LASER engraving that the steel is N690 Cobalt steel (Although it is according to ER). Simply stating, the name, serial number and made in Italy along with the Brand Extrema Ratio. 

Name and Serial Number

Made in Italy

There really isn't much space to burn anything else with a LASER given it's current design. The Fulcrum point is still at the guard with handle in place. If handle is removed then the fulcrum shifts towards the blade.

There is only a partial exposure of the pommel. and it is asymmetric in design when the handle is in place. This region can easily act as a "persuader" for non lethal combat. The grip coverage also prevents the butt end sticking into your palm too. Nice design here, simple but it works!

The grade of the Forprene also appears to be of higher SHORE rating and is not quite as "tacky" as in tactile, as in previous models. 
The Extrema Ratio's Scout 2's Sheath construction is very well made as can be expected from this company. Stitching is neat and strong looking along with quality looking webbing and press studs.

I don't like that there is quite a bit of knife rattle within the sheath, definitely not a good thing for a stealthy approach. I'm sure this could easily be rectified with a slight change to the internal scabbard design. However, when worn on a belt the tension stops all signs of rattle. It's a different story if attached vertically.

The Extrema Ratio Scout 2 is fast to remove but slow to go back into the scabbard as it really requires some dexterity to engage both press studs quickly (you can't as the strap is under tension from an elasticised band). Although this knife is a backup and you want it out fast but not necessarily in again immediately (my experience with backup blades under real field usage).

Knife Usage

Clearly the Extrema Ratio Scout 2 is NOT intended to be a "bushcraft" type knife. This is a backup knife which is nimble in the hand. Cutting and penetration are obvious attributes of the Extrema ratio Scout 2. (BTW the name of this knife has nothing to do with knives suitable for Scouting associated with civilian activities). More to the point, the name Scout as it is associated with military scouting.

The long swedge precludes hammering the spine with a baton of any kind, so as not to damage the baton. The butt end is exactly in the central axis of this blade design for balance, ie it is aligned with the knife tip. The anchoring bolt is also centrally located.

Fulcrum point of the Extrema Ratio Scout 2

The belt loop of the sheath of the Extrema Ratio Scout 2 fits a standard width tactical belt. This part also forms a Molle attachment loop as well.

Double press stud retention strap is very easy to release with pressure from the thumb and the Scout 2 instantly removed.

Backside of sheath showing Molle loops as to be expected on a tactical design (remember the Scout 2 also comes in a true tactical version ie Black Mil Spec anti-reflective coating). The scabbard is of course ambidextrous, as the knife can be inserted any way as the scabbard is symmetrical. 

Molle loops feature on front and back of the scabbard making it a multi carry device.

The knife is pointy, so as far as civilian usage is concerned, it has good penetration (fish gutting). It is Extremely sharp (like all their knives come), so cutting is no problem. Thumb gimping adds extra friction in order to push this knife forward as an aid for having a thin profiled grip. No need to wear gloves with this knife. It is a comfortable grip. The Extrema Ratio Scout 2 could easily be used as a camping and fishing knife and used to prepare food items around a simple small camp (one or two people) but not for a big camp kitchen. 

For those who like a "tactical" looking knife blade in a spear point design, then the Extrema ratio Scout 2 which is bigger than the Extrema Ratio Scout (4.05 inches or 103mm blade length ) might appeal to you.

Preparing "hard vegetables" it is possible to peel tubers and slice them without making a mess of things.

Of course the Scout 2 easily handles cutting up meat and natural rope.

Deployment of the Extrema Ratio Scout 2 can be with either hand by reversing the retention strap, as it is held in place with velcro. The retention strap is kept snuggly against the handle by means of a large elasticised band, sewn into the nylon webbing.

Finger pointing to elasticised material that keeps a secure tension against the Scout 2's grip.

Warranty
The Extrema Ratio Scout 2 features an unlimited warranty against manufacturing defects. Individual serial numbers and assigned batch numbers are used to identify any warranty issues should they arise. Anyway stay tuned for a further field review of Extrema Ratio's Scout 2 at BushCampingTools