SRM 7228B-AB Mono-Chassis Folder 14C28N Steel.

 SRM 7228B-AB Mono-Chassis Folder 14C28N Steel.

New from SRM (Stay Ready for More) this 2024 and premiered at IWA 2024 is the Mono-Chassis designed SRM 7228B-AB and is part of the 7228B collection. This particular model is with Aluminium scales and a 14C28N Blade.

SRM 7228B-AB features a Sandvik 14C28N blade which has been PVD coated.

SRM's characteristic full Mono-Chassis/totally enclosed back, one piece liner.

Classic drop point blade hinged on a bearing. The axis/ambi lock has a good strong spring and when the knife is closed, the blade just snaps back into the handle.

Easy to access thumb studs 

A generally non-reflective black all over.

Generous sized lanyard hole through the frame in order to attach a decent thickness cord to.

First Impressions

What I liked:

Ok looks very well made and designed. Good comfortable feel, good locking mechanism. The Ambi clip is a great idea, sits deep in the pockets. Sandvik 14C28N blade steel. My other knives with this blade steel, I've found to be very good at edge retention along with good corrosion resistance.

What annoyed me:

(It has no bearing on the functioning of the knife, only slight cosmetic aesthetics).

My only gripe is that instead of anodising the aluminium scales they have been coated with an oxide treatment which is really a bit of a paint and does not add to the overall hardness of the aluminium.

Quick summary About the SRM 7228B-AB

The overall the functioning looks and feels pretty darn good. If it can handle the same treatment I dished out to the 258L-GB (another new model yet to be released) then it will pass my tests as a sturdy but lightweight folder and I don't see why it won't but let's just wait and see eh?

BCT

The shittier the weather the bigger/sturdier the knife- reason to cut off the wet wood (if you are going to light a fire).

 The shittier the weather the bigger/sturdier the knife you are going to need- Reason to cut off the wet wood (if you are going to light a fire).

This is what I would consider a big knife (Kizlyar Supreme's Bastardo)

Ok when hiking during periods of wet or snowy weather, 

The author was having "fun" building a snow cave during a solo winter hiking trip. This was easily constructed by dragging and piling snow against a high bank and then simply digging back into the bank of snow. no need to cut blocks or any such thing. in fact it was quite cosy inside as it was completely out of the wind. You should always take a quality snow shovel (such as this Ortovox Kodiak 3.1) when winter hiking in the snow. A snow shovel can save you life and that of others plus just make your time more comfortable during snowy trips.

you have to pay attention to how long it has been raining for, even if the weather is fine now when you set out, why? Because assuming you will camping and or lighting a fire- sounds pretty good doesn't it? The you will need to burn wood and if all of the available wood is wet on the outside (maybe from snow or rain), then you will need to remove either the wet bark and or outer layers of wet wood in order to get it to burn. 

You might be surprised at how much energy is required to get wet wood to start to burn. Water is such a good absorber of heat energy and it works against us in such a situation.

In the above image I can be seen holding a relatively large (but not gigantic) fixed blade. The reason i choose this as apposed to taking out a hatchet was I wanted to travel as light as possible and prepare food to cook during the trip. Yes, equally I could have taken a hatchet and a folder (I did have a folder) and used this combination. However, I did not do this because in order to maximise the use of the hatchet I need to be able to access solid ground somewhere under that snow, so when I place my timber upon it and give it a wack with the hatchet, it won't sink into the soil (if not frozen solid). Using instead a large fixed blade I can simply hold the wood and hack away without the need to place the wood onto something solid. Or place the timber perpendicular against a tree trunk (my ground/solid surface) and do the same.

Maybe the first job to do is to cut your logs with a hand saw to actually check out the depth of the moisture within the wood, then you will need either a hatchet or a large knife in order to either split that outer wet part/s off or in the better case scenario, simply hack off several mm's of wet material and thus expose the drier inner parts. 

This latter task will be best achieved with a relatively sturdy and largish fixed bladed knife as compared to using a folding knife (although possible, you may run the risk of damaging your folding knife by using it in such a manner - unless of seriously overbuilt construction). 

Still, the better bet is to use a sturdy fixed blade knife for such a task.

Obviously there comes a compromise to the final size of knife to take. If it is only a one night camp/hike and you are walking no  more than 10km one way then if you are fit you might be able to take a hatchet or a fairly big knife. 

The further you go the fitter you need to be in order to cart that gear. Of course if you only hike and camp during summer months and or good dry weather then what I have said above becomes of lesser importance- however, remember hiking in mountainous regions and or tropical regions, 

the weather can change very rapidly.

BCT

What I look for before purchasing a folding knife.

 What I look for in a folding knife BEFORE I buy it.

From Left to right (as seen above): Kubey Max Tkachuk Design (liner lock); SOG Terminus XR (axis/roller lock); SRM 258L-GB & -GN (axis/roller lock); FKMD Predator 1 FX-446 ODS & FX-446 GR (Liner locks/LAWKS system); Nieto Fighter (traditional lock back) and Extrema Ratio RAOC (roller/axis lock).

Let's grab a coffee and get started?

These are the following things I look for in folder before I purchase it.

The lock up

Perfect lock up regardless of the mechanism and what materials the knife has been made from (In other words don't be swayed if the whole construction is from Titanium etc.- it doesn't make the knife) although more important for liner locks and frame locking mechanisms.

A thorough lock up can be seen in the above example of a liner locking type folder

(knife shown is the Kubey Max Tkachuk Design in AUS10, G10 and Titanium)

 Above example shows a "roller" type "axis"  lock bar mechanism (SRM 258L-GN). Some say patented/pioneered by benchmade. Whether that is/was the case is not the subject of this blog. Numerous knife manufacturers (and not just Asian) as using such a design.

All frame locks must have a removable hardened steel insert at the end of the lock bar in order to be able to replace it after wearing.

(I own one frame locking knife and it's not with me right now- a very good one from RaidOps)

For liner locking knives, if the liner barely engages the back end of the blade then that is it for me, I'll put it back on the shop's shelf and call it a day or look at some other models. 

I don't care if it is made of printed titanium alloys and sports a 154CM blade cryo treated on Mars, it means nothing if the lock up is poor, simply because you may as well be purchasing a slip jointed knife. If you have to fiddle with the locking mechanism right after you purchase it ir even before hand then the locking mechanism was rubbish, end of story.

For example on certain FKMD folders, the back end of the blade which engages the locking liner has been treated in such a way (it appears to some sort of EDM but I'm not sure and it's probably a manufacturing "secrete") as to provide extra long lasting friction between it's surface and that of the end of the liner, 

(Above example from FKMD FX-446 ODS)

so that when under pressure the liner will not want to move back across the back end of the blade and thus disengage under heavy reverse loading (ie trying to close the blade whilst it is locked open). Small design features like this only add a an "extra" when I'm looking to purchase. I guess this is why I own 2 of such folders.

Also it is indeed possible to be "overbuilt" but still of small structure as can be seen here (see image below) in this FKMD folder which sports very thick liners (almost 2mm!) and even a very thick lanyard pin!).

(Above example from FKMD FX-446 GR)

What about the actual frame of the knife?

A partially closed back or fully closed back. Generally all classical lock back knife designs 

Above, classical lock back knife design. (Nieto "Fighter" in Sandvik 12C27)

have a fully closed back due to the way the locking mechanism is constructed, and despite the plethora of locking mechanisms out there, this type of lock design and or slight modifications of it has stood the test of time.

An example of a "partially closed back" (Extrema Ratio HF1T now currently discontinued)

Above image showing a range of folders from medium sized to large.

From Left to Right: Partial, Partial, Fully closed back (single one piece 'Mono Chassis" design new from SRM Outdoors), Fully closed back and Fully closed back; 

Personally, I'm not a super fan of the pillar type standoffs (Eg TB outdoor, a French company are still making knives like this it's a cheap way to make a folding knife (I thoroughly checked them out at IWA 2024 and personally didn't like them and don't believe they would go the distance as military knives (as many models are marketed as-yeah maybe if the soldier doesn't have to purchase it themselves and it's a freeby) as they provide the least amount of contact for the knife scales/body. besides this, it's an "Old fashioned way" now of folding knife construction IMHO.

Although this type of "pillar/standoff" construction) probably makes for the lightest possible construction although it could also be argued that there are more screws and or bolts involved. To be honest the only folders which have ever failed me were ones constructed in this manner when a small screw came loose and the frame scales started to move and this only caused other screws to loosen. With CNC bending machines folding knives can be constructed without

Medium to large, it doesn't matter your preference, as long as you don't buy a folder and have to continually fiddle with it to get it to work properly. Ok maybe you like pulling apart your folders and fiddling with them, personally I don't want to have to buy something and pull it apart all the time (ok, with few exceptions-maybe tuning a car?)

Small to ginormous range of folding knives Far right knife (Extrema Ratio RAOII "Expeditions model).

Note, that despite the the slight variation in handle sizes, the blades shown above are all pretty much similar in length and thickness.

I could be argued however that the pillar construction allows for easier cleaning of a folding knife.

The mechanism by which the blade is prevented from moving upwards when downward pressure applied. 

Generally, this is referred to as a stop pin; 

(see below) A super thick stop pin sandwiched between two almost 2mm thick liners.

where a horizontal circular cross section pin will be inserted between the two liners. (this is absent in the radically new designed "mono-chassis" from SRM-where the chassis forms also part of the "regular" stop pin.

How thick is this pin? How thick are the liners to which this pin is inserted? 

The stop pin or stop mechanism should be adequate for the knife design. Under a pressure of at least up to 30kg it should not fail. It should not be so thick as to stop a ten tonne truck. The knife world is full of over designs whereby any such attempts by the user to fulfil gigantic and ridiculously disproportionate loads upon a folding knife would result in severe injury to the user's arm/hands before any collapse of the folding knife's mechanisms-in reality.

A You Tuber/Blogger at IWA 2024 Post Impressions

 A You Tuber/Blogger at IWA 2024 Post Impressions

Recently I visited IWA 2024 for the first time. IWA is basically an abbreviation from German for what is supposed to be a largest  weapons exhibition and all connected to hunting and personal security on the planet.

Or as IWA states:

"IWA OutdoorClassics is the worlds leading exhibition for the hunting and target sports industry".

Mmm, ok let's leave it at that because I saw a whole lot more weaponry than just for hunting purposes and target practice LOL.

Mixed reactions.

Most small companies were all to glad to speak with me and tell me about their products and in some cases strike up some collaborations with me.

However, what was interesting for me, was that many large manufacturers were not particularly interested in any liaison with the likes of me. Actually to be fair it wasn't just the likes of me but just a "YouTuber" as most did not even ask anything about my channel. Let alone what my channel was called. As soon as I said "Influencer" or YouTuber, or social media, it was goodbye time for me. (and yes I wasn't asking for anything).

This of course was not the case for those large companies of whom I've had long standing associations and great collaborations with over the years. Those companies, I was welcomed with open arms etc. and this made me feel quite welcome there at such a ginormous exhibition.

Nor was it case for companies looking to publicise their products. These smaller companies (well they weren't really that small I guess) 

Most of the negativity was from quite old and established companies I found. 

For example: I was told by one particular company that since I had seen a video already about their products in Czech that there was clearly no need for any English based videos or need for any other collaborations with influencers. 

Ok I couldn't argue with that and although the "translator" function on Youtube is far better than it used to be for us "only English speaking " peasants, it's still not the same thing as watching a video in your own native tongue.

Although for these products, I'd wager not many, if any English speaking folks have even heard of them. Anyway no big deal. There was so much choice at this years IWA.

I was there to catch up with others, get a feel for the current industry and social media role these days, and see how I can improve my channel. Anything else would be a bonus. 

So were there any bonuses you ask?

Yes indeed and I hope to show some of these exciting new products as time goes by; in fact you may have already seen some of them on my channel or FV or Instagram posts just recently.

 

Dirk Wanger Brings Back the Linder Super Edge Series in ATS-34!

 Dirk Wanger Brings Back the Linder Super Edge 5 Series in ATS-34 (with a few slight changes)

lets have a look at this knife in detail.

I measured a 4.97-4.82mm blade thickness, ie 5mm thick spine.

The grip is still that of a TPE polymer however, this time around Dirk Wanger is offering it up in the "Easy Track" orange color, something which wasn't available before (ok it was for the hunting series). The eyelet/lanyard hole goes through the tang and the tang still sports (you can't see it unless you destroyed the knife handle) the keyways in order to "grip" the over molded handle and prevent it from ever coming away from the tang.

The blade is still being made from the fantastic Hitachi ATS-34 steel and with the special heat and tempering treatment they can achieve an optimal HRC for this blade (60-61 HRC)

I'm a big fan of the "Easy Track" color as even in low lighting, this is an easy knife to spot. let's face, you will at some point put this knife down and the last thing you want to do is to loose it in the fading light after a successful day out hunting-which will then add some expense to your trip and put a "bad taste" in your mouth!.

Nothing much has changed with the no nonsense scabbard. Easy to clean blood and guts and there is a leather version as an option.

Ok so what has changed?

The spine is more acute in order to strike a fire steel upon it (Wanger Messer- actually state this). The laser engraving on the blade has changed slightly, still sporting the Linder brand name, Solingen now appears and so is ATS 34 in smaller text. You can see the older original model below, where all the details are laser engraved upon the top part of the blade. Arguably many don't like to see the type of alloy being used in such large letter's personally I never had a problem with this and for me it is a mark from the manufacturer saying they are not trying to hide anything from the consumer. The text "ATS 34" in the below image was hardly "too large" IMHO.

This model I suggested to Stephan Rosenkaimer (at LINDER) at the time to produce it with the easy track color but alas it never came to pass but now we see it from Dirk Wanger's "new" version.
There is also now a more distinct choil present, which was not present on the original model. I believe the YouTuber "jackknife" had some input into the "revamping" of what i considered already to be a great outdoor knife. Also you will note, "Super Edge" no longer appears on the new models.

So there we have it! Some new color schemes available (Hot pink-limited edition- yes I bought one too for Mrs BushCampingTools- she loves it (A Super Edge 6), a sort of funny colored green??? TPE grip is also available. 

SO if you didn't get one before, and despaired when LINDER announced they were "closing up shop" and they were no longer available, yes you can get one now, albeit it won't have any serial numbered blade like my old one above however, the quality is still there in a product made in Solingen Germany.

If you didn't see my original review of Linder's Super Edge 5 then check this out

@BushCampingTools

PS, yes you will see this Orange Thing in future videos @BushCampingTools

BCT

PS here is a peak at the Super Edge 6 series (new from Dirk Wanger.

New (ish) from FOX The FX-611 NATIVE BUSHCRAFT KNIFE

 New (ish) from FOX The FX-611 NATIVE BUSHCRAFT KNIFE

This is the FOX FX-611 NATIVE Bushcraft knife from Fox knives in Maniago Italy. I've had my eye on this blade for some time and now I'm going to tell you all about it and later as usual show you it being used as intended. Firstly, it is a design from Andrea Todesco. It has been designed for the horizontal carry position ( you can avoid handing your rucksack up on it -like what can happen if you carry a big big knife vertically - ok it depends really.

The Carry System

So as you can see down below is a beautiful leather scabbard, welt design and thoroughly stitched.

The retaining strap can be easily switched for either left or right handed carry positions.

Here we can see the straps for the horizontal carry.

Even strong looking stitching throughout the construction of this scabbard.

Now for the Real Business

A knife blade made from D2 and micarta scales for the grip. A shape with good curvature that could be used for skinning, a good weight distribution for chopping. The semi sabre grind lends itself for good cutting.

The blade is essentially 7"/17.5cm long and the spine almost 5mm/ 0.2"thick.

The D2 blade has been coated with Idroglider Teflon treatment.

Now to the Really Interesting Features of the FX-611 NATIVE

You can't really have a knife intended for bushcraft if it is not comfortable in the hand for along duration. That being said, all the right areas have been rounded where any hand pressure might occur under severe usage. (Specifically, note the images below).

CONTROL

However in keeping with a good grip and control there is a generous amount of finger/thumb gimping were it counts. This gimping, I'm sure I will be able to use to strike a fire steel against.

Again for a knife designed for bushcraft, one does not want a pommel that is going to injure the user, so we see a flat and slightly smooth pommel/lanyard hole/slot at the butt end.

Smooth comfortable grip with a palm swell. stainless steel fixtures throughout construction.

Ok, enough talk let's put the FX-611 NATIVE  into action. 

So stay tuned @BushCampingTools