What I like about blades that feature a recurved section.

What I like about blades that feature a recurved section.

Custom Knife "Jungle Fighter" Sleipner steel LEG XIIII Designs

FKMD Grand Trapper/Trapper2 New (unfortunately a bit of  collector's item now as it has been discontinued) from Fox Knives, the Grand Trapper is for those who want a different "front end" to that of the TRAPPER but still want the versatility of the recurved portion of the blade. The handles are identical and the blade is longer but slightly thinner and is a capable field knife.

FKMD Combat Survival Knife serrated "mini" recurves, to be found on all serrated blades but this model is actually "recurved" in the region of the serrations adding even more cutting ability to this blade.

FKMD FX-132 TRAPPER one of my favorite go to knives as it's just right for me. Not too heavy not too light not too long and comfortable to hold and use all day.

FKMD PARUS-relatively new from Fox Knives, I see this model, the PARUS becoming very popular amongst those who realize the cutting potential and functionality of such a blade design. Yes, one can say, well we are simply reinventing the wheel here as simple drop points work fine but they fall down in the area of cutting many objects which are simply "Not Static". More on this later.

What do all of the above knives have in common? Well they all feature as part of the general blade design, a "recurved" portion of the blade, nearest the hilt. Oh I fogot my trusty Extrema ratio Dobermann IV,

When it was new LOL! Looks rather grubby now! The Dobermann IV featuring a long slightly recurved main blade.

The overly large Cudeman chopper known as the Boina Verde, also featuring a recurved blade section.

This is not ( the recurved section) something new in blade designs and can be seen (in recent times) in simple farm tools such as sickles etc and other farming cutting implements, along with knives dating back as far as Roman times with the SICA, a type of large knife/sword where the entire blade was of recurve shape. 

The recurved section is perfectly designed for cutting loose or fibrous material, which by the action of this curved region tends to : A) Gather the material as the blade passes along it
B) Increases the surface area/edge area in contact with rounded objects-hence the rationale behind serrated blades for cutting meat and items like bread, where a straight flat bladed knife only makes a mess of things. Industrial meat cutters often feature serrated blade designs.

Let's examine in detail the FKMD PARUS FX-9CM06. This knife is manufactured  towards the "Survival-Type" knife market but is this just some funky gimmick or mall Ninja-type blade? 

The handle is the same as many of their military style and or military knives, ie knives intended for the military market. Simple one piece, chemical resistant, heat (within reason) resistant-if it starts to melt you will be getting burnt too!- Comfortable with or without gloves.  As small negative regarding the handle, FKMD insist on this strange butt end with a machined type pommel which is not only abrasive (the angles are acute on the inside edges) towards cordage if tied through this hole, but can prevent the user from placing their palm into the end of the handle for this type of use. My guess is that it is a simple tooling operation and one which they don't want to change and or their tang design is such that a different butt end would result in less strength. Anyway, this is a small gripe, which for most of my techniques with knives, doesn't affect my usage.
Ok, so can we say the PARUS fits my definition of a survival knife?

It is simple in design; one piece grip, two fixing bolts, stainless steel and 7 inches in length. Versatile carry options, ie horizontal or vertical on on a pack etc. My original sheath didn't last long at all as the blade quickly cut the stitching due to a poor scabbard design where no spacing material was inserted between the two halves of the scabbard.

The distribution of weight in this knife design is very good. As one produces a swinging motion there is little tendency for the knife to want to leave your hand. This is not simply due to the handle design. Absolutely not. In order to effect a good swinging motion the weight must be distributed properly otherwise forces are generated which tend to cause a levering action in the gripped handle. The more the levering action, the higher the probability for an uncomfortable and approaching hazardous motion. For example, the handle of the Cudeman BV shown above actually widens at the butt tend and the curvature makes this knife not that easy to hold whilst swinging. You maybe asking, well knives aren't meant to be swung, that's the job of hatchets and axes. Yes, however large knives, if they can not be swung properly then there is simply no need to make such large knives if all they are doing is cutting. A large cutting blade need not have such bulky design. The problem is "bulkiness" has taken on somewhat of a fashion to mean "sturdy and well-constructed" and "survival". This is rubbish of course and perpetrated and perpetuated by the social media people who actually (I'll take upon any challenge here) have little if zero outdoor experience- and I'm not talking about hacking branches of trees in you parents backyard either!). A useful knife doesn't need to weight a tonne to be good, nor be as thick as an axe head.

EXTREMA RATIO TASK J A KNIFE YOU CAN CALL A SURVIVAL KNIFE

EXTREMA RATIO TASK J a KNIFE you can call a SURVIVAL KNIFE!

Everything about the design of the TASK J spells survival knife. Super tough construction, super comfortable, full tapering tang, great sharp piercing point, swedge and a thick spine where you need it. Lashing points in the guard if you need them, lanyard hole, almost indestructible Forprene grip, comes with a bonus huge fire steel, super safe and versatile carry system. I know it's a commando issued knife but I figure commando's are supposed to hard as and they should be using hard as tools, the TASK J fits the bill. Yes, I'm raving on about this knife again for the nth time. Why?? Well every time I use this knife, I'm thinking WOW, great design!

Kizlyar Supreme and Brutalica Samoyed knife

Kizlyar Supreme and Brutalica Samoyed knife Collaboration.

Samoyed knife Kizlyar Supreme Brutalica collaboration N690 cobalt steel

Made in Russia, Kizlyar Supreme Brutalica collaboration: Samoyed Knife

RESULT:

Where beauty meets practicality! FANTASTIC!



The Samoyed by Kizlyar Supreme/Brutalica  is one very very beautiful knife piece of cutlery.

The finish is marvellous. Zebra wood (Microberlinia brazzavillensis- a native hardwood to West Africa) has been chosen for the handle and this model I have features the distinctive end grain pattern which reflects the light as one turns the handle. 

Zebra wood, if the end grain is chosen (as shown here on this particular model) shows a high reflectance in the light.  Each handle will be unique.

Those characteristic large pores and striking patterns, turns the grip into a dynamic piece of unique natural art. We combine this with a Bohler cobalt steel N690 stainless blade of which the tang penetrates thoroughly into the grip (I tested it with a strong magnet). 

Bohler's N690 Cobalt stainless steel hardened to 60-61HRC

The guard is stainless and there is an elegant lanyard hole. The scabbard is well-stitched from full grain leather and provides a deep carry for this handy small but very capable knife.

Well-stitched deep carry full grain leather scabbard

The spine is 3.2mm thick and the blade is 90mm long. The tang penetrates deeply almost to the end of the handle.


Don't be fooled by it's small size. The Samoyed is one serious little knife with a deadly sharp blade.

I've already had this out for a day hike and it was great for cutting up my lunch and doing some carving etc.

Anyway stick around and I'll show you the Kizlyar Supreme and Brutalica collaboration SAMOYED knife in action!


BCT

Kizlyar Supreme YETI made with PGK steel!

Kizlyar Supreme YETI made with PGK steel! WOW!!

Kizlyar Supreme are just soaring ahead with some fantastic models/designs. The YETI is no exception!

The YETI is made with PGK steel. PGK is a specialty  steel (EN ISO 4957) manufacturered by Friedr. Lohmann GmbH) enhanced with a significant percentage of: Tungsten (W) at 1.5% and almost 2% Vanadium (V) in a moderate Chromium content (8.5% Cr); Silicon 0.95% (Si), 1.5% Molybdenum (Mo), Manganese (Mn 0.40%), Carbon content 1.15%(C). 
Lohmann Steel's designation for this steel is: 1.2895. The Letters PGK is the name given to this steel by the American client (presumably) this would be Latrobe LSS, see here: ( Reference Lohmann pers comm. 2019 with A. Wirtz).

PGK is also like D2, an air hardening tool steel with similar great wear resistance but much greater toughness than D2. See the data sheet here. In fact PGK is being hailed as a D2 on steroids!

LSS PGK tool steel, blade surface proprietary "Tac-Wash"

By the way Lohmann GmbH specialise in knife steels for hunting applications.
PGK is a great choice for such a knife design from Kizlyar Supreme, as the YETI. The YETI has been hardened to HRC 61-62. Kizlyar Supreme are using a proprietary surface treatment they are calling "Tac Wash" which avoids reflections, yet at the same time does not easily display scratches upon the blade surfaces.

The blade length is perfect for many camp tasks, at 5" or 120mm, with a tang thickness of approx. 4mm. The manufacturer's specifications can be seen here.

The YETI (made in Russia) has a comfortably sized blade  for the wilderness plus the picnic, the latter without looking like some survivalist and at the same time not looking like some woose!

The G10 handle design is also very interesting. It is extremely comfortable, zero hotspots and holding it in the "safety grip" position, Zero hotspots too,

Knife grip shown in "safety position". Not all handle designs are comfortable in this grip. It is this grip which can be used to safety carve wood via moving the object, not the knife. The YETI's design is highly suited to this manoeuvre.  

the latter being very important for prolonged carving activity.

The Kizlyar Supreme YETI is a full tang knife and has a lanyard hole and smooth butt end. In short this is a very
"low stress" very functional outdoor knife with exceptional cutting ability and usefulness around the camp, hunting and fishing activities. The weight, size and design (Full flat grind- narrow profiled drop point) makes its perfect for hiking either day hikes or longer. The high HRC isn't a problem for PGK either.

LSS PGK tool steel, blade surface proprietary "Tac-Wash"

The YETI comes with a rusty brown coloured split leather scabbard which has a dangler loop and a standard vertical belt loop, plus a provision loop for a fire steel. 

The scabbard is well-stitched and riveted and has a welt. There is one properly fitting knife retention strap made from the same piece of leather that comprises the main sheath. The fit is spot on.

Well-stitched, reinforced with rivets, fire steel loop and a dangler loop are all features I expect in the quality products of Kizlyar Supreme.

Anyway stick around and I'll show the Kizlyar Supreme in Action in the bush.

Ok here is the field review

BushCampingTools

J and V Adventure Knives SPAIN Model CAIMAN

J and V Adventure Knives SPAIN. Model CAIMAN

If you haven't heard about J and V Adventure knives in Spain then read on.

Recently on a trip to Spain, I decided to purchase one of their models I have had my eye on for some time. This company J and V Adventure knives designs have had my interests for sometime. Nothing beats being able to hold the product in your paws as apposed to just looking at pictures (which you are of course doing now LOL) on the internet and then making a purchase. Being able to feel the balance and see up close all the details is optimal.

So that's what BCT did on a recent trip to Spain. Grab the knife, check it out and then whip out the plastic and make a purchase on the spot. To do this, meant I was totally satisfied with the: feel, look, design, build quality (of both knife and sheath) and of course finish on this beautiful, yet robust practical looking knife.

The man behind the design and actual knife maker himself (as well as owner of J and V Adventure knives) is Juan Martinez, an award winning knife maker from Albacete in Spain.

J and V Adventure knives (I'll now just refer to them and J and V) have a proprietary stainless alloy (made in Spain, NOT China) of which they designate, MV-58. This is a medium Carbon content stainless steel with a high manganese content and significant Vanadium and Molybdenum contents and Silicon. J and V vacuum heat treat and also employ cryogenic tempering (although the Caiman is simply vacuum heat treated and regular tempering to HRC58, hence the "58" in MV-58, the M standing for Molybdenum and V for vanadium. This makes for a very interesting alloy whereby the Mn content allows one to fully achieve a high Rockwell of 58 from a Carbon range of 0.45-0.55%.
Here are the full elemental percentages:

C 0.45-0.55%
Cr 14-15%
Mo 0.5-0.8%
Mn 1%
V 0.1-0.2%
Si 0.75%
P 0.04%

Achievable HRC 56-58

This is the first MV-58 blade I own. J and V also make their own composites for the scales. A "secret" formula they designate as TRF:

-"The TRF is the acronym of “Tela Resina y Fibra” or which is the same “Clothing, Resins and Fiber”  it is a special material made by us (similar to micartas or G-10) but with our secret composition of Clothing, special resins and a special amount of glass fiber, it is a special mix of materials similar to micartas or G-10 but specially made by us."


When you look at it up close it appears to be exactly that, a kind of G10 looking composite with that typical G10 ability to be highly polished and appear "sealed". This latter feature i really like as micarta's often absorb a lot of water if not sealed due to the presence of fibre wicking.

The ergonomic handle tapers towards the butt and there is a lanyard hole as part of the back end. As I've indicated, no hot spots on this handle or blade.

The Caiman for me has all the lines in the right place. Zero hot spots with a rounded spine but edge acuteness easily able to strike a steel. The overall finish is highly polished and one can immediately see the passion put into the making of this model by Juan himself.

The scales feature green liners, beautifully juxtaposing the grey/black TRF scales. The Caiman BTW is also available with natural premium Cocobolo scales. Essentially, it's a very classy finish.


The J and V Caiman is essentially a flat grind with a very effective penetrative tip.

The J and V Caiman comes with a well-made leather scabbard, either vertical or horizontal carry and a provision for a fire steel to be carried on the scabbard.

The spine is 5mm thick or 0.2" and the blade length 5.2" measured to the guard or 134mm. The actual cutting surface i measured at 109mm or 4.3", great measurements for a stout hunting and camping blade. There is a choil for ultra fine work, my personal preference on such a small blade would be omit it but after trying it out in the shop where I got it, it worked for me and wasn't really an issue-hence of course i bought it LOL!

The J and V Adventure model Caiman came with this small piece of static cord. Note the mirror polish on the spine and same can be found on the lower surface.

5mm or 0.2" thick spine. Extra grip provided by the spine gimping on the upper surface.

So all in all I love the Caiman and I have no doubt I won't be disappointed by it's performance out of the box. BTW the warranty J and V Adventure knives offers is for life, due to defects in materials or faulty workmanship. Not against abuse of course.

Anyway, as usual, I'll be doing a full field review of this new acquisition in the coming month, so stay tuned to 


BushCampingTools.

What to look for in a quality Frame Lock knife

What to look for in a quality Frame Lock knife.

Pictured below  a quality made, little heard about frame lock knife that worked first time out of the box and continues to do so even when subjected to very strong forces.

This example, RAIDOPS is the brand from Korean manufacturer RAIDOPS of course!

There is ONLY ONE thing to look for in a quality frame lock knife.


PRECISION LOCK UP FIRST TIME, EVERY TIME, ZERO EXCUSES.

Do not be fooled by the ridiculously excessive marketing BS and forum BS and other social media BS along with BS from manufacturer's suggesting, telling, advocating or otherwise indicating that it takes some time for the frame lock to work perfectly. This is total total BS!!!!!!- that's a lot of fertilizer!

The precision required to manufacture, either by hand, hand and machine, or even fully machine made, a frame lock folder and the material science required as standard knowledge in order to understand the proper properties of metals and plastics to properly design a both "spring" and structural element/s as the locking part of the frame, is considerable.

A properly designed and manufactured frame lock will work first time every time. If it doesn't it hasn't been well made.

ALL good frame locks must incorporate a separate part attached to the actual frame that can mate perfectly with the back of the knife tang. Not only should it mate perfectly but it should be of a material well chosen to resist wear from friction. This part must be replaceable and the degree of movement must be such that over time the same part will (as it moves towards either the left or right) continue to lock against the back of a properly designed tang.



The number of times I've heard people on forums (well read, not heard specifically LOL) or on the other social media venues, make all sorts of claims about carburizing tangs etc etc and all of these other fancy and short term "work arounds" in order to really: save face, avoid divorce, etc from over spending on a knife which simply doesn't work out of the box the way it should borders on the number of stars in the universe (just joking of course!).

Don't buy a knife just because of the name*, buy it for the quality it is regardless.


Just to recap. I love Subaru AWD's and I drive one hell of a Turbo charged  remapped, guts buster engine fun car BUT that doesn't mean every vehicle Subaru produced is great.......right???? That's not possible. So the same is with K N I V E S.

BCT


* Not withstanding manufacturers who go to great lengths to make outstanding products in a particular category.

FOX Knives FX-609 OD BUSHMAN

FOX Knives FX-609 OD BUSHMAN

First impressions!

The Bushman from FOX knives Italy, (see manufacturer's specs here at this link) brand new model, certainly caught my eye immediately and I had to have it to test it out! You will notice the grip is exactly the same as for their current models: FKMD Trapper, FKMD Combat Jungle and the now discontinued FKMD/Memotek collaboration Grand Trapper 2- all extensively reviewed and blogged about by me. This handle simply works and provides an excellent grip in wet or dry hands and is easily disassembled  from the comfort of your home to keep the tang clean. Since this knife is made from D2, I would not recommend  it for extensive submersion in salt water. That's pretty obvious.

The FOX FX609 OD Bushman is hot off the press this year. One of FOX's coolest knives made with D2!, in fact it is Bohler's K110. This is what many have been waiting for from FOX Knives. A model not in N690 but in D2, 

FOX D2 high carbon tool steel blade

Note, this IS A D2 blade and not the usual FKMD/FOX N690, so it must be looked after in regards to a good cleaning and oiling after use. Remember leather scabbards retain moisture and long term storage in a leather scabbard can ruin any carbon steel or low chromium content steel blade.

more suited to the tough rigours of bush crafting/survival/hard use, high Rockwell (HRC stated at 59-61!) to handle the dirt and hardwoods but also in larger format 

Large format outdoor multipurpose knife, 5mm thick sheet with a false scandi grind to a beveled cutting edge, the Bushman, is one serious piece of kit

then what is generally seen for the bushcraft type knives currently available. In terms of the latter we usually think (In correctly I believe) that a bush craft knife has to be on the small side of things. This is strictly a "western ideology" as many folk (outside of the "West") can testify via the definition of what the west understands by "bushcraft" is conducted on a daily basis for many people throughout the glove with very large cutting tools such as  machetes and parangs. Of course this is based upon the environment and what is at hand to cut.

Ok, enter the Fox Bushman. A recognisable knife format (drop point) with a well characterised tool steel as the alloy of choice (in this instance). 

The FOX Bushman does not possess an excessively large choil in order to make the most use of a 155mm long cutting edge (my exact measurements) the manufacturers measurements add on the extra 5mm to the hilt (standard way of measuring blade length)

I clearly remember when D2 was the steel of choice for hard use outdoor knives and then it got left behind when along came the "newer stainless steels" such as 440C etc. D2 still is a good steel for outdoor knives. A kind of cross over between semi stainless (if there is such a thing) and stainless but has the reputation for good edge retention from the tool steel industry. On the Bushman, we do not see a finger choil. Finger choils have no place on such a knife but only serving to decrease the cutting real estate available. A choil is only necessary on larger format knives (excluding knives designed for military end usage).

We have a 16cm blade, that's 6 1/2" and a grind that looks like Scandi but isn't (I'll come back to this rationale). 5mm thick is MORE than thick enough to handle the pace.

5mm thick spine, full tang (partially milled internally), to reduce unnecessary handle weight. so this knife is NOT handle heavy. This knife easily shaves fat wood for tinder.

Handle scales which are essentially the same as seen on their highly successful long term production classics such as: Combat Jungle MGT FX-133  and FX-132 Fox Trapper,  both extensively reviewed by me and loved by those who own them. That handle BTW just works perfectly in terms of Micarta grips. And grip it does, even with wet hands! The blade of the Fox FX-609 OD is naturally semi anti reflective from the natural heat treatment process for D2. 

Superb grip from a field proven design (green Micarta scales)

The FOX Bushman has a very good point too! Very important for skin/hide penetration

The FX609 OD features a good penetrative point for gutting and starting the cut. No nonsense grippy but shallow grooved finger gimping on the spine also serve as a striker area for a ferro rod.

The gimping and the acute angle of the spine of the FOX FX 609OD Bushman allow for easy fire steel striking. You can see here where I have been doing exactly that.

The scabbard/carry system is a leather scabbard with the capabilities to be mounted either horizontally or vertically. As this is a D2 blade the knife did not come inserted in the scabbard but in a small cardboard sleeve to prevent premature rusting of the K110/D2. This means that the knife is going to a tight fit in a "new" leather scabbard.

How about the scabbard? Stitching looks good and there is a welt in the construction. As mentioned above the fit is tight (as it's new). The carry can be left or right handed by simply switching over the mounting system and blade retention strap.

The FOX knives Bushman is a deep profiled drop point and with the pseudo Scandi grind, allows for a thinner profile to aid cutting and penetration.Having a deep profile (in my experience) also is great for when the hand needs to rest upon the spine in order to effect a push cut into say large fish, in this case the depth is almost 50mm deep/wide and can help penetrate 2cm and above spine/backbone.

The FOX Bushman has a kind of false scandi grind at first sight and this actually thins the profile a bit, leading to a standard bevel ground cutting edge. The pommel is pretty standard and appears to be what the social media are (incorrectly, I believe) a glass breaker. 

Ok so stick around and I'll be testing the FOX Bushman out V soon! It looks pretty darn good to me so far!

Ok here is my review after field testing the FOX FX-609 OD check it out!

BCT