Extrema Ratio Knives Tuscan First Impressions by @BushCampingTools

 New this year, The Extrema Ratio Tuscan premiered at IWA 2024 in Germany along with a host of other cool products from Extrema Ratio.

I had the pleasure of having this baby in my paws in Germany but had to wait until I could actually see it sitting on my desk.

With the TUSCAN, Extrema Ratio have departed from their classic tried and proven, full width tang at the hilt, asymmetric tapering design to the pommel type-tang surrounded by that signature  Forprene grip. 

Now for those who simply insist upon a full tang blade the Tuscan  will satisfy all those who insist upon seeing more steel under the handle/scales/grip. 

Yes, there is some stock removal otherwise this beast of a knife would simply be too handle/butt end heavy and make it tiresome to use for long periods, not to mention throw the front end geometry out of whack. However, rest assured the steel is plenty thick enough at 1/4" ie 6mm throughout. 

The scale pins are just as beefy too!

The Extrema Ratio Tuscan is equipped with G10 scales and currently comes in 2 color schemes, Black handle and scabbard with polished blade and this model, Mil Spec blackened blade with a olive drab G10 grip and a similarly colored scabbard.

The stitching work is top dollar throughout as I have come to expect from their products.

Certainly their scabbards are ALL weather designs and I have never had issue with mildew setting in even after prolonged usage in humid conditions. (yes, note those palm trees in the background).

The scabbard is fully adjustable and there is also included a (rather large) velcro and elastic leg loop (not shown here as I removed it since it is too big for my skinny thigh LOL).

Let's look at the Scabbard in Detail!





As can be seen in the following 4 images below, the carry is reversible by simply removing the belt strap and turning over the scabbard (which isn't symmetrical of course) and this allows one to simply reverse the mode of carry for either left handed or right handed knife extraction.

Making the scabbard with a sloping top entry/angled entry provides a better fitting system than simply making the entire thing symmetrical, thus the need for a reversible belt loop.

Of course the double press stud is also reversible since the attachment is a wide velcro hooks and hair strap.



These are the loops one can push the belt strap under. So the actual position of the retaining strap on the grip can be varied if so desired.

Left handed carry (as shown above)

Right handed carry (as shown above)

Attaching the Scabbard to a Pack

One way to attach this knife to a pack (there are many ways) is to use a malice strap as shown here:

But first: How easy is it to carry several metres of paracord as shown below? A: Easy!

Now for a Malice strap (and some important observations)

Note in the above image one can also use the small loop of paracord to "extra" secure the blade by insertion of the retention strap through this loop. More to come with this on a video.

Malice strap insertion

I'm a big fan of the Extrema Ratio Scabbard because as I mentioned above, these things are stitched together like a high quality trekking pack or a high quality pair of mountaineering boots. The fact that they are made this way means that repair is easily possible either in the field or back in civilisation. 

However, a key feature of this type of scabbard is that the release and insertion of the knife produces no audible sound to give away one's position (for whatever reasons). Also there is less likely hood of dulling the knife edge due to the synthetic welt construction of this scabbard.

The business end, ie the BLADE of the Extrema Ratio TUSCAN.

This is a very interesting blade geometry. Here's why:

At first glance, we see a sort of tanto-esque or western sort of tanto but certainly a Japanese influence for this knife design, despite it's name (we will come to the name a bit later on). 

The weight is towards the tip and this can only be seen by holding the blade and looking down upon the spine, once you start to move this knife you will feel where the advantage is for any sort of chopping, despite it being only 170mm from tip to the hilt or 160mm (in a straight line of cutting edge), ie approximately 175mm of actual cutting edge!. That is in imperial measurements 6.3", 6.69" and 6.9" (ie 7") respectively.

The cutting power is all there (here we see the edge in a super tough large base of a palm bract. But in fact the cutting is optimised for close to the hilt where is is a slight narrowing of the blade profile.

The G10 scales are of course not as forgiving as their Forprene grips however, the grip is impossible to slip upon, wet or dry and there is ample gimping in all the right places, none of which interferes with using this beast without gloved hands, the latter I have tested in several hours of on stop use-maybe my hands have been hardened by Judo? Seriously, though, the grip is comfortable however, don't expect G10 to soak up any excessive vibrational forces, like any G10 scaled knife.

Let's have some Eye Candy for a minute or two where the Extrema Tuscan is now far from Tuscany and in the tropics of Australia.

(Just out of interest, this is a base of a very large tropical palm tree, with these crazy finger-like roots).

The Extrema Ratio Tuscan is perfectly balanced with the fulcrum being located directly at the hilt.

A N690 Böhler 6mm or 1/4" spine for super beefiness!

Here we see (above image) an interesting cut away and one which can allow one to cord wrap this handle in the absence of the G10 scales..

The grip like all of their grips is tapered towards the back end and this of course makes for a very ergonomic grip since the little fingers of the hand form a smaller grip than the middle etc. Just make a fist and then turn your little finger towards you -small hole Vs big hole at the index finger- makes sense right?

There is a very good point on this blade too.

There is the generous thumb gimping as seen on other models of their knives although here, somewhat bigger.

For those who didn't like their rather (I didn't say it) ostentatious labelling of their name upon the blade on some of their other models, the brand name now appears on the spine and in fact is of course covered when the knife is in use. It does look rather cool here too IMHO. There is no longer any labelling of N690 either. So they listened and reduced the amount of engraving.

As for gripping power, the G10 composite scales are scalloped in such a way as to provide an excellent all weather grip in either gloved or ungloved hands. I really like this style of G10 grips.

An Allen key/hex wrench or flat bladed tool can easily remove the scales for cleaning if submerged in dirty or salt water.

Speaking of water, there is of course a lanyard hole so as not to drop it in the murky waters of which no amount of zero visibility diving will one be able to retrieve it!

A bit about the name:

Well Tuscany, it embodies the diverse landscape and rugged mountains of the region (although maybe most people think of the region as home to Renaissance art) however, and I guess, the this knife can handle a diverse environment for sure (It's built like a tank but doesn't handle like one ie too heavy). I knew at once when I picked this thing up for the first time in May that it was going to be a winner for me (and maybe too for you?).

The butt end too is not so aggressive that one can injure themselves upon it and in fact his knife being multipurpose will easily lend itself to outdoor work in harsh environments. 

Palm pressure can thus be applied to the butt end for pressing the tip into objects without damaging one's hands.

There is obviously (Japanese-esque) NO guard but in this case with the grip, highly unlikely for one's hands to slip upon the blade. However, the absence of a guard may not be a clinching point for purchase. For me, however, I really love the clean lines and Japanese influence (at least that's the way I read it).

As for servicing, I've already mentioned how easy it is the strip the blade however, note the straight main edge, yep, dead easy to sharpen for those with basic sharpening skills due to no funky curves.

I weigh the Extrema Ratio Tuscan in at 558 grams without the leg loop. Although the text on their site says 437 grams? What the heck I think my kitchen scales are off LOL because it's noway near 1/2 kg!

Ok so I've dragged this baby out into the wilds 

to give it a bit of test and there will be a preliminary video V soon if not already live by the time you have read this blog, more to come stay tuned!