Extrema Ratio T4000C

Compact, lightweight, deadly cutting blade. Good for gutting, food prep, hunting, camping.

I'm taking it to the jungle later this year. Lightweight, great a cutting and penetration

Camp cooking no problems, the T4000C has a great blade shape.

Coastal work no problem as the N690 has good resistance to seawater.

Extrema Ratio T4000C, C stands of course for compact and hopefully you have seen my field review on the this knife.
Totally recommend this knife.

When the Shit Hits the fan

My ONTOS with my version of what I need to take with me if in a hurry to leave the house. I don't need to take the "kitchen sink" with me

See above items listed below

I'm not a "PREPPER" however, I do think one should be prepared to be able to leave ones house in a hurry if you have to. What do I mean by this? Well in the first instance, let's say you need to evacuate the area you live in. It's late at night, you were unexpectedly awoken from some crazy dream to find yourself immersed in a real crazy situation. The last thing you want to have to do is to rummage around trying to find a flashlight/torch etc because, hey guess what there is no power when you hit the switches.

So I keep a few items all together in a known place accessible by all family members.

A big very sharp knife, a rugged and field tested (by me) tactical, bash proof torch which uses Lion batteries which have a very very long shelf life (several years), they will even perform at very very low temperatures. I carry a spare of one of these batteries in a splash/water resistant-proof container (better if waterproof) along with this torch (which BTW has an SOS flashing signal mode too). In the same small Molle pouch there is a fire steel, and a small plastic bag of first strike reliable tinder material. The only other item is a diamond file to keep that blade sharp if need be.

The passports are also not lost in the house so they can also be quickly mobilized if necessary.

The car is always kept gassed up and ready to roll. Car keys and house keys not kept under a pile of cloths.

All of this is common sense, just like one should indeed keep a flashlight ready to hand in case of blackouts/power failures. The addition of a cutting tool and some way to make a fire simply adds a bit more feeling of security without having to "overdue" it. The key is to be able to move fast, not spend hours getting out of the house.

Don't forget the wallet too!

BCT

Some random if not useful advice for beginner/novice campers regarding Outdoor Adventure Advice and purchasing a knife (other than a folder) for camping.

Choosing a knife for your requirements**

**One days full walk  (rugged terrain) or greater from any help/other people, no mobile phone signals based on experience in rugged Australian bushland.

* I'll discuss satellite phones later in another blog.





Choosing a knife can be seen as a rather daunting task on the outset when one considers the plethora of knives available today. Right, let's stop right there and ignore that first statement, why? because that's garbage.
As an absolute beginner and as an absolute "expert" in the wilds, the choice of the knife you take into the wilds with you should be based on the following outlined below.


BUT BEFORE TALKING ABOUT CHOOSING KNIVES I WANT TO TALK ABOUT YOUR OUTDOOR SKILLS, because these are going to be much more important than "what knife am I going to take/buy for my outdoor trips"?, and here's why:

Going "bush" means many things to many people, so I will give you my take on this.

Be prepared, that's right just like the Scouts say. You can't really do much better than this.
Know first aid and if you don't, then take a course and then come back and read the rest of this blog.
Take a recognized advanced first aid course. Make sure others going along also know first aid and are qualified because they could be the ones to save your life! Practice these skills outside of the course (they can easily be forgotten over time,  if called upon you must be able to perform them flawlessly and in a timely manner).

Now are you saying, "heck, I know shit about first aid"! OR thinking you do, is not the same as knowing from proper training!

Know how to take compass bearings,  read a map, follow, choose a path  in your sleep.
Be comfortable walking at night (with a headlamp of course).
If going where you have never been before, Get the facts from people that truly know about this region and or go with one of these people at least 2 times to get to know the area before leading any trip yourself. Lead the second trip yourself with one of those "experienced" people as a backup.
Learn/know how to find water and extract it out of thin air if necessary! What do I mean by this? Simply this, if you are leading a trip and don't know every damn place to get water along the way and or how to find it if the area is totally dry, then you shouldn't be leading any trips away, except from the kitchen to your bedroom and back.
Know how to setup your tent in all weather conditions and in the pitch dark without a torch/headlamp.
Know how to set up everyone else's tents that are going along-just in case.
Know the limitations of those amongst your party.
IS everyone fit and healthy? If not then don't allow them to come along.
Tell someone where you are going and for how long and make contingency plans for the "troops" to be alerted if you fail to return by a certain date.
Have a positive attitude regardless.
Learn to read the weather and not just rely upon your "Casio G Shock" which, BTW I now know what the "G" stands for, that is, a GINORMOUS! watch that looks like you are wearing an instrument panel out of a 777 cockpit- LOL just joking here and no offence to Casio G Shock owners/users.
Know how to cook properly and not just eat that dehydrated dog food stuff. Yes, I did some time with that crap until I met others who knew better and educated me a thing or two about camp cooking. No more dog food for me. Do I look like a dog? There is absolutely no reason (regardless of the distance hiked per day) to eat that dog food type camping food sold by camping stores- they all taste crap. To walk hard and far you need to be fuelled properly, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. So yeah, learn how to cook. 

Knives Knives Knives!!!!

Which brings me to the point of KNIVES. Make sure whatever knife you take with you, you can use it to prepare food with or at least eat with in a semi civilized way and not like some maniac trying to eat off the end of their knife like some RAMBO would be.  CUT YOUR MOUTH AND INSTANTLY BECOME A LIABILITY! In other words, machetes 

Machetes and the like are great for cooking and keeping the weeds/brush down in any self respecting tropical jungle farm. These multipurpose tools are great but outside of their cultural environment, you may attract unnecessary attention and or frighten people off who are not used to seeing such big knives in action! 

The same goes for "survival" type knives. Better to keep them for wilderness areas where you will not encounter the general public, ie they will and you will look out of place on a group camping trip (unless everyone is sporting these types of knives LOL) or pulling one out in a hut on a regular trekking route (except in the jungle).

are great if you are doing all of the above in the tropics but you may need to take another small knife 

Small knives are very practical for camping where one needn't have to hack apart large logs in order to build fires or maybe areas where open fires are strictly banned.

Small knives are perfect for day hikes too where speed and sensible pack weight can enable you to move fast and far to see and do the most in a single day. On such hikes there is absolutely no need to bring a large chopper unless you plan on showing off or indeed frightening the people you are traveling with. My advice is to resist the urge on such hikes to bring that big monster along. Recently, I was witness to someone who took a huge brunt of criticism for bringing such a chopper on a large camping trip, mainly though because it was inappropriate for many of the food preparation and eating tasks LOL.  As he was a complete "beginner" he was quickly forgiven but rest assured if he wasn't he would have been in for a hard time.

with you in this type of environment, especially if you are not that highly skilled with a machete or parang. But that's ok.

 No fires allowed? Then a fuel stove may be necessary- learn how to use one, inside out and in your sleep; be able to conduct field maintenance on it.

I once got a call at after midnight from another country from a friend who couldn't light their stove (first time they ever used it!) , three days into their bicycle touring trip! Ok I fixed the problem for them over the phone.


If fires are allowed......


Camping in wet weather will require a knife that you can, if you have to, remove wet wood in order to gain access to dry inner wood to start a fire if need be.

It might be very cold, in fact, so cold, and stupid you have lost your gloves, or even more silly, just didn't bring any and now having to use your knife, realizing it is freezing and damn uncomfortable in your wet cold hands (because the snow has now turned to slush! What i'm trying to say here is make sure any knife you choose is comfortable in ungloved hands. If you have to wear gloves to use a knife, then better leave it at home and take another one.

All of the above plus more can be gained/learnt by joining a reputable hiking club eg at a university but of course not limited too.



What is this "Survival knife"business???

I'll tell you what it is, it is in fact Bullshit. Because no knife no matter what it is will be any use to you unless you possess the skills to use it and make the best use of it, regardless of any survival situation you might be involved in (on the receiving end, ie need to be rescued, or part of a rescue party).
Just let me say this. Whatever knife you choose to take away "camping" remotely, should be sturdy and not too heavy. What do I mean by too heavy? Well if your chosen knife weighs about as much as two or three days worth of food then leave it behind, it's too heavy! (unless you are planning just an overnight trip***
Your chosen knife must be razor sharp, yes that's right razor sharp, not just sharp or "ok it's sharp enough". WHY??? Well it is possible you may need to cut something in a hurry and that dull blade is going to be a real problem if it can't cut in a hurry.

However, a "survival knife" in my opinion should satisfy these criteria**

Well made, with as few parts as possible. No one part, if a failure occurs in this part should the knife be rendered useless. Leave all knives with metal handles at home, ie I refer to knives which only have metal as a handle; I don't mean cord wrapped knives. Know how to use the knife you take with you for tasks other than chopping. There is definitely a plethora of "review videos" on YouTube which only show knives being used to chop. WTF is that all about?? Is it that these people simply can't demonstrate the myriad of cutting and other tasks knives should and can be used for? 

Coastal walks/trekking/camping/hunting: take a stainless blade unless you  have access to lots of fresh water in order to maintain your knife. The handle should be comfortable so that gloves are not needed-but can be used. Don't kid yourself about this latter point, be smart about it.
Make sure it is a knife you know how to sharpen and carry a small stone to touch up the blade if necessary. Knife size: Up to 7 inches in length or greater if working in the tropics.

In other words a "survival knife' is simply a simple but practical knife design for a given environment. It is NOT a knife u can hack your way out of a plane cockpit with, unless you are a pilot who may need to hack their way out of a cockpit. A super thick knife is NOT a prerequisite for a "survival knife" anyone who advocates this has no idea and has never been or has no real experience in survival. Fact.

Camping knives 

Knives Left to Right, first 3 are perfect for several days out on known trails and areas. The last knife for when one might be exploring off the trails and or little small wood available.  In this latter case a hatchet would be a good substitute instead and take a folder.

Hi there. What I wanted to say as a prelude to a camping trip into the wilds coming up soon, ie you'll see hopefully a video on the BushCampingTools channel soon; is a little about my choice of what knife to take into the wilds.

So soon I'll be hiking into the mountains. I'll be getting to the small village by public transport, a bus. But first I'll need to get to the bus station which is about 1 hour from where I am by public transport, which means no visible carrying of knives, for obvious reasons. That means whatever knife I take other than a folder in my pocket, will have to go inside my pack. This takes up room.

So I need to firstly consider this.
Ok, I'll come back to this in a second or two.

Once at the small village, it is then a short 10 minute walk to the trail head (there actually isn't really a trail) which is to follow a creek as it meanders up to a montane forrest towards the mountain. I know from previous camping trips to this area, it is not treacherous walking nor is it necessary to bring loads of water as water even in the height of Summer can be found, if not from the creek then from some "secret" springs I know the location of.

I will, this time, bring a small water filter pump. I'm not worried about Hep viruses but only protozoan parasites here. I have drunk the water many times unfiltered and unboiled but that was closer to the melting snows in Spring which turn the creek into a kind of raging river! But now in late Summer, better to boil or take the filter.

You need a tent. There is no easy way to build a shelter on adequate flat ground in this region nor is there any really accessible timber to use, caves or rocky overhangs to sleep under. I say a tent as apposed to a tarp or simply sleeping under the stars, as despite late summer the weather can change in a instant in the mountains, and one needs protection against high winds. 

Food, will be limited to: dried meats, bread, flour, onions, oats, garlic, pasta, hard vegetables and fruit and whatever we can find growing there (loads of wild berries, mushrooms etc), tea, coffee, UHT milk. 

I will only be taking 1 pot and One 1 inch deep pot lid, that can serve as a pot and fry pan. If, it's still a high fire danger then i'll be forced to bring the MSR XGK multi-fuel stove, we shall see.

The first Campsite is anywhere, as almost no one goes here during the week. Is it remote? Yes and no. Whilst it is possible to see others on day hikes (In reality I've never seen any other campers at any time) , it is also possible to see no one at all and there is absolutely no medical help except by a  3 hour car trip (at least) at high speed no traffic if you start at the beginning of the trail, so yes, it is remote in that sense.

The first pitch will be one days walk from the trail head.

Who's going???
I'll be taking my kid as usual, he's six and he has been going there with me since he was on my back! That was hard going carrying all the stuff we needed LOL. At 6, he's got his own proper "Big boys" Gortex Scarpa boots LOL, a proper Deuter Pack, his Opinel, belt, Petzl headlamp, proper survival stuff, adults FM 2 way radio, and solid fuel stove. Of course dad will need to carry some of this stuff (like the heavy stuff) as he will need to also carry waterproof jacket, pants and thermals for the night etc.


So you guys can watch, I've got to also lug the tripod and two cameras and batteries etc LOL.


NOW that brings me way back to the damn knife I'm going to bring.

OK so I have local knowledge and this is key for having a good time in the wilds whether you go it alone or in a group or your family. I know from experience that there is little small fallen timber in this area. There are large dead trees, devoid of branches as they are mainly pine and what little wood there is is also collected by villages in the region for cooking on. 
There are small pockets of dead standing trees, a lot of these with some ingenuity can be pulled/pushed over but they are far from adequate campsites. I always bring along climbing tape or a small amount of climbing rope (cut off my ropes from damage LOL) and this is to be able to drag collected timber back to the camp site. 

If I look in the creek enough i'll find submerged pine logs, they are full of resinous pine wood otherwise know in English as "fat wood" and a host of other names in other languages. Now to get at this material,  it is preferable to have a 7 " knife or a hatchet to make it easy. I've also stashed a cache of this timber 2 years ago but it may have been found and I can't rely upon it still being there. I don't have a hatchet with me right now but I'll probably take a suitable knife that can chop but not too heavy or long (remember, it's got to go in my pack for several hours of public travel!). I'll take a folder too. That's it. as far as knives go. I'll drag large logs back to the fire, no need to hack it up.

Despite the marketing this is simply a well built 7" fixed blade, well balanced and durable. I'm very used to a recurve blade so this type of knife and what I can do with it is not a problem. make sure you can and know how to get the most from your knife. 

If this was Australia, I'd take my Kizlyar Supreme STURM,

My Kizlyar Supreme STURM, a great camp knife. BTW, I've now busted off the tip due to some very stupid prying with it. Remember knives are not pry bars!

 which is more than adequate for most camping and even hardcore camping as there is little need to process wood for fires etc. Being a bit shorter (it's not that lighter LOL due to a different tang) but shorter makes it easier to pack- although it's usually a drive to remote trailheads no public transport there in Australia.

Starting the fire. We will use matches and or cigarette lighters, we will have steels but they are only if we have to. Why muck around?

In Summary


If lots of wood is available and tinder can easily be found, why lug a big knife or hatchet? it makes no sense. Anyway,  if you watch my three part camping trip, 
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

you'll see the kind of fire I built and what i chopped and didn't chop but suffice it to say i didn't need to chop anything as I hate expending energy if it's simply not required.

Oh and I almost never take a saw.



What pack to take? 


A 38L Deuter Guide. Yep all of the above is going into or on this pack including one only expedition proven Gore-tex down sleeping bag and 2 foam mats.


Go light! Go Prepared for the environment!

Jagdkommando emblem laser engraved onto blade

Extrema Ratio TASK J

Extrema Ratio TASK J Tough as!

Extrema Ratio TASK J no problems for making feathers (wood seasoned cherry!)

I didn't know what to expect when Extrema Ratio released the TASK J. As as owner of the TASK, 

Side by side comparison. The Extrema Ratio TASK, and the TASK J (bottom knife) is a blade for harsher treatment. Both knives have their virtues and neither one IMHO replaces the other. These two models should satisfy the needs of the outdoors persons. The slightly less penetrative power of the TASK J but increased power for chopping as apposed to little chopping power of the TASK but big on penetration power. Lacking any confident levering power in the TASK, the TASK J satisfies this mode. The TASK J is easily used without gloves. As I said in my early reviews of the TASK, I liken it to a bushcraft knife on steroids. For me this still stands. The Extrema Ratio TASK J for me (in my hands) could easily come under my banner of a "Survival knife" (see my definitions) although Extrema are certainly not marketing it under that banner.

a knife I find to be very versatile for a great many camping activities where knives are involved and also straight out and out "bushcraft stuff", I've had no issues with it in the Australian bush and also the jungle environment.

Now after some weeks going on a month of field testing, as to the TASK J, well this is a totally different knife as you will have ready and seen in my previous blog and seen in my recent field assessment of this knife. The only similarity are the first 4 letters! The Extrema Ratio Task J simply rocks and to paraphrase one of my readers words: "A stout but functional blade"! I think their words sum up the TASK J. Weighty but not heavy, sturdy spine but not crazily thick and with a shallow angled grind to a sabre geometry along with a good swedge, and strong tip 

Super strong tip on the TASK J irresponsibly plunged into a tree trunk!

the TASK J can handle a lot of tasks, no pun intended! Maybe that's why I'm still crapping on about this knife so much. 

The Reason

The design of the TASK J is of course a collaboration with the Jagdkommando unit of the Austrian military, so there has obviously been some serious thought put into the design of this knife. 

Ok you are saying, "Come on, it's a damn knife, I mean, knives are meant to cut and that's it, so what"?

Ok well the so what is this:

Don't change the comfortable grip, it works, that's why for example Kizlyar Supreme use their particular grip (also very ergonomic) on all of their tactical knives, and so why shouldn't other manufacturers when they get it right too? Yes the handle on the TASK J is that very same one, also a collaboration with university researchers to develop an ergonomic grip. 

It cuts and it cuts well.

No problems with either raw or cooked meat

Of course all good knives should, at the very least be able to achieve this (cut well) but we know in our hearts of hearts, sometimes they fail in this area. It's easy to have a thin bladed knife slice through raw meat easily but making a thick bladed (the spine) knife do the same thing without great effort on the part of the user (or totally mangling what you are trying to slice up), requires some serious thought to the actual blade geometry. I have to laugh at the plethora of so called "Tactical knives" out there with blades which look more like pry bars than knives (rename as "tactical pry-bars" with added bonus  "sharp edge") and the manufacturers have the hide to state and or attempt to show these blades in some sort of military area theme! I seriously pity the people who are sucked in to purchase such blades. You would be better off carrying a dedicated pry bar and sharpen one end and turn the other end into some sort of pointy spear! Knives still have to be able to cut. All this hoo ha about having super thick knives as they are the strongest, I mean, for what??? When a tank accidentally runs over my 1/4 inch thick slab of steel?? Let's get real here. 

This brings me back to the TASK J which bears the insignia of the Austrian Jagdkommando Unit. What we have here is a balance of functionality and strength, not all out strength because then a knife like that ceases to become really useful, just a slab of steel.

Preparing a fire (also don't forget the ginormous ferro rod included with the TASK J

Carving off some outer part of sugar cane to eat. Perfect for a hot summer day in the tropics

The best option is a machete or small parang but the Extrema Ratio TASK J easily accomplishes working on sugar cane

If you can't chop into large hard vegetables or fruits or any tubers (sources of starch) then you must be carrying a knife with a good point and not too thick so as to be able to penetrate hard food stuff and sever the item via cracking. Even machetes or parangs if you don't swing/chop into similar items will crack them open. But for a small knife such as the TASK J, the tip works perfectly for this. I've done it many times on vary large tubers of Cassava, a perfect source of starch in tropical regions. 

Ok so you are saying what's with all this food stuff? Well to say it a million times, if you can't feed yourself with a knife then get another one in which you can. A multi-purpose knife must be exactly that. Obviously it must be good at cutting various objects, penetrating items, sturdy enough for some light chopping and certainly versatile enough to prepare game, fish and other food items in a survival situation or even just camping (if you are a civilian), hence the name multi-purpose. Now many a good hunting knife can also be classified multipurpose however, in the case of the Extrema Ratio TASK J, this knife is clearly aimed at military personnel so there are other potential functions of such a multi-purpose blade of which I will write nothing about as I'm not a soldier.

Ok enough ranting on about this latest acquisition, the Extrema Ratio TASK J. I guess you must've figured I'm pretty stoked with this blade.

Check my You Tube channel playlists for my favourite blades right now!

 EXTREMA RATIO

TASK J KNIFE

Extrema Ratio have just brought out a 
"Beefed"-up version of their very useful TASK (see my video reviews here and check the blogs here).
The TASK J is manufactured using the excellent N69 Zero Cobalt stainless tool steel (N690); 

The Extrema Ratio TASK J was designed in conjunction with Extrema Ratio and the Austrian Jagdkommando Unit, which basically translates to "Hunter Commando's"

Well what can I say? WOW WOW WOW!! There have been some very functional design features incorporated into the Extrema Ratio TASK to make it a TASK J!
If you are going say this is a knife for commando's then it had better be damn useful and functional.

These new features do not detract away from the unusual shape of the TASK blade per se, nor do they take away any of the great cutting ability of the original TASK's slightly convex shaped edge geometry (see below re brief but assuring tests). These new features simply make the TASKJ "more useful" to the military market, and the bushcraft/survival/camping and hiking market!

The initial impression was WOW!!!!! Yes I've already said that! Extrema Ratio have got a winner here. In fact, I was blown away with the design of this knife and their images on their web site do not do it justice!

It's no surprise really as the Extrema Ratio TASK J has been designed by people that understand what is truly required for a field knife. People with real field experience, as apposed to those knife designers who have never really thought things out properly. 

The standard Mil-C-13924 black oxide coating is used. I'll tell you from experience this is tough.

But does the TASK J loose some of the original TASK's cutting and penetrating (in the horizontal axis) power? I would say (pending the field tests happening this week), that the answer is going to be no.  (Quick food preparation on Zucchinis (cutting without splitting/little force- despite a much thicker but still tapering blade) and finely carving Parmesan cheese, says this knife will handle very well. 
You must must must be able to feed yourself with a knife if you want to take it outdoors and it has to happen with a minimum of fuss and more to the point, effort.

How the Extrema Ratio Task J holds up to food preparation in the field along with heavy tasks (no pun intended) is yet to be seen but the angle of the main grind is not as steep and that means this knife, the TASKJ, shouldn't  become an embarrassment around the campsite!

There is no question about the superb cutting ability of the blade design of the Extrema Ration TASK. That's in part due to the great hand ground edge on their blades and the blade geometry. The Extrema Ratio TASK J is no exception here. I've used my TASK on such a wide variety of materials on both hemispheres, from the tropical jungles to alpine regions. So I know it performs well in skilled hands. It's also very easy to maintain such a blade surface/shape.

So what about the TASK J?
The TASK J has some very nice modifications:
There is no longer a full flat grind but the flat grind is replaced by a sabre ground edge.

The Extrema ratio TaskJ has a Sabre ground edge unlike the full flat of the original Extrema Ratio Task.

There is a heftier feel to this knife, a feel of confidence, that you immediately want to start cutting away at things.

Gone are the gimping surfaces on the upper spine . This now removes any "hot spots" some may have felt under aggressive/vigorous usage of the TASK (without gloves on).

This region now lacks the typical Extrema Ratio gimping and hence a total absence of "hot spots during vigorous usage. 

A 6mm thick spine but it is a very nice shallow sabre grind which makes for excellent cutting

The choil has gone and two guards appear.
The guards have less acute edges than compared to the Fulcrum S I own. Edges on this blade have now got more slightly rounded profiles. 

The guards do not rub against the hand even in close contact.

Extrema Ratio state that the purpose of the inclusion of guards here is to prevent any accidental slippage of hands onto the blade. Mmmmm, well I guess that could happen during violent stabbing motions, so a good idea. But let me show you some other cool uses for guards such as these a bit later on :)!* ** in the field review!

The tip of the Extrema Ratio Task J is very very beefy! Note the big swedge, see the overall thickness.  But despite this thickness, the swedge lowers the blade weight towards the tip and this makes it a comfortable knife to move about. This design is very much different to the TASK. Here we have a very strong looking tip region, that inspires confidence.

We see a double edged tip too. This will only make the blade penetrate more easily in given objects.
Overall it is a "stronger looking" construction, (although I must say I doubt I'll be breaking my TASK anytime soon and it gets used a lot.)

The TASK J speaks seriously more Military and of course it was designed with military input and purposes in mind. As I've said many times, military type knives can make good outdoors knives (not always) but in this case for sure (based on all of my outdoor experience).

Loosing the choil adds more steel to the blade and of course increases the cutting surface. Removing the serrations, well this could be argued that it wasn't a good idea, as serrations will cut far better and quicker than a straight edge (that's physics) when it comes to cutting: cordage, ropes or any fibrous material for that matter. Penetration-wise, the double edged tip will obviously penetrate well.

The spine does not decrease rapidly in width like as in the TASK but remains the same thickness (6mm) until the swedge is encountered. Although the swedge is still quite thick under the this upper grind. (see below)

The upper portion of the tip is sharpened not super sharp (I would imagine this can be touched up by the individual user as some countries it is illegal to have an upper portion of the knife sharpened. However, this narrowed region makes penetration better than say a "fat" tip.

**The tie in holes can be used to bend thick wire as well.

A big chunky fire steel is also included 

A Ginormous fire steel included, spells for me that Extrema Ratio are also marketing this knife towards the outdoors/survival /Bushcraft persons. I can see no reason why not. I see good functionality with this blade design.

and we see too the same very safe and practical carry system like several other knife models from Extrema Ratio.

When you are on the "run" and for absolute security, the scabbard comes with fully adjustable leg loop.

By removing the plastic tab at the bottom of the scabbard enables disassembly of the rigid compartment, cleaning and or "bare bones" carry. The rigid inner fibre reinforced plastic liner like other Extrema models, safely retains this blade, even under vigorous movement.
For civilian usage, the carry system is very "Low Key" and that can only be a good thing.

Left or right handed fastening is possible simply by reversing the velcro closure press studs.

No chance of "danging" yourself on this knife if accidentally falling on it. All hard surfaces are protected from the wearer.

Finally, if you are new to Extrema Ratio, the handle is extremely ergonomic despite it's funny shape. The shape was designed in conjunction with University researchers whose specialty is human movement and biomechanics. Once you handle one of these knives (with this handle) it is blatantly obvious about the comfort aspect, security in wet hands and anti-twisting resistance. The grip material is Forprene (very very tough stuff) and it is held via a 4mm Socket head bolt which can also be removed via a flat bladed instrument, for total field maintenance ease.

Stainless 4mm allen socket head bolt, can also be removed with any flat bladed object.

Lifetime warranty on the knife!
6 years on the scabbard! Construction quality can not be faulted, ie stitching, scabbard nor the knife itself. heck I know they are tough. Mine have served me well across several continents on both hemispheres. I see no reason why the TASK J would be any different.

I'm very very impressed with the design of the Extrema ratio TaskJ and taking it out in the field ASAP. 

Stay tuned for a full on field review! at BushCampingTools


Ok the video review is now done and you can see my views here