Nieto Ranger XXL

Check this video preview of Nieto Knives Ranger XXL

Nieto Knives RANGER XXL Lock Back Folder in N695 and G10 construction and XLNT folder.

Types of folding knives

Slip joint (non locking) folding knives are a very old design but appear to be coming back into vogue (in certain European countries) due to increased media hype surrounding the so called "knife crime"- which BTW is mainly orchestrated by hands attached to afflicted minds whereby those persons are certainly not using 100 buck plus hunting knives for their primeval doings but mainly home made devices and hardware tools of the carpenter! The authorities are of the opinion that a small slip joint knife is somehow less dangerous in such hands than a similar or even bigger sized locking knife. Funny that, as I distinctly remember being attacked by such a person during high school years who was a mere half metre or so from me, playing with a small slip joint knife and then lunging at me with intent to do bodily harm. Of course I remember it, especially how the Pang Gai Noon grip upon his thrusting arm resulted in all cessation of any idea of sticking it to me in the guts. Slip joints cut and stab just as well as any knife, period.

I digress and one can write volumes on the existence of knife crime and who are the key perpetrators of such violence. 

The slip joint, while a favourite amongst many, is not the best choice for the outdoor enthusiast except for the traveller where a Swiss Army type knife would be a lot handier than any of the knives discussed below.

Lock back knives have been used by just about everyone who says: "Ive been using knives for ages"! In fact I would argue that anyone over the age of 45-50 in 2020 will fit into this category. So that means all of you "young'ns" had better listen up.

Stockmen, farmers, hunters, campers, soldiers, hikers etc. etc. have been using lock back knives for donkey's years!

Along comes the Liner lock, a weaker locking mechanism (there are exceptions of course, however, these are modified locking systems and still by definition are a "Liner lock") compared to a lock back. Whoa! Who says so? I do! (if we have to go down this ridiculous "strong Vs weal route"). The stop pin for example of the liner lock undergoes a bending and shear force when large forces are placed upon the blade because the blade is acting as lever upon the fulcrum (being the pivot) in attempting to move the immovable, ie the stop pin. 

In order not to shear the stop pin, it must be thick enough and constructed with quality engineering in mind. The  contact surface of the liner against the back of what could be considered the "knife tang" is small  (Pressure = Force divided by Area) compared with that of the actual tang width. That is not ideal and for the liner to correctly "lock up" both liner surface and tang surface must be perfectly aligned and machined/ground in such a way s to form two "wedges" if you like. However, pressure against this wedge will only cause possible movement away from the lock position, hence the advent of the LAWKS system and variations of this (also see below).

Also when a force is applied to the liner lock (there are some exceptions (eg the treated tangs and end of the liner in some FKMD knives, which greatly improve the friction between the two mating surfaces) and the liner locks within the HF1 and HF2 series folders of Extrema Ratio, where a "safety locking pin" can be inserted into both frame and knife tang to bolster the blade and turn it into a "semi" (my words) fixed blade knife. Here the main forces are only acting upon the main pivot and the "safety locking pin". Other manufacturers such as J and V (Spanish company) utilise a safety locking pin on some liner lock folding models and so does the Italian company Wanderer (although the locking pin is used on a Roller lock mechanism and not a liner lock). I'm sure I have left many out here of this brief discussion. But I digress.

What about the  LOCK BACK FOLDER????

Not so with the lock back folder where the tang of the blade usually matches in width the large slab of steel which undergoes compressive forces, (not bending forces as in a lock back design). Note, equivalent sized lock back knives are usually heavier than  liner lock counterparts (but we are talking nothing really in weigh differences, differences which only matter to the weight junkies out there).

When it comes to reliability and longevity the Lock back design is king at present (ok liner locks and frame locks just haven't been around for that long yet, so maybe the jury is still out?)

When properly designed, the lock back knife is a very strong and safe design. It is virtually impossible for the blade to become accidentally released when subject to strong forces, unlike many modern designed liner and frame lock knives where the emphasis appears to be on the ease of opening. This latter aspect carries a disadvantage requiring the knife when folded to be carried either confined within a trouser pocket using the clip provided or within a small pouch (sometimes supplied), especially flipper folders of any description. A ball indent on both frame and the liner of liner lock and frame lock knives, can if properly engineered will help to restrain the blade from accidental release when subjected to mild forces (far under the forces required to release a traditional back locking folder, however these knives should IMHO NEVER be carried loose in a bag or rucksack for safety.

Reduction of pivot friction can also be achieved by substituting either plastic or bronze phosphor washers with thrust bearings at the expense of overall manufacturing costs and also increasing the frequency of maintenance over time due to contamination and or breakdown of the thrust/ball/roller bearing cassettes. 

The lock back design folder has a much greater surface area of blade tang in contact with the actual structural part of the knife frame, whereas in a liner lock, frame lock, roller lock; all of these designs the only point of contact with the knife frame is via the friction reducing washers or bearings, which in most cases never cover the entire frame area. 

A con with the lock back design is that they generally require more attention to lubrication and cleaning around the pivot because there are no washers or bearings and for the knife blade to exit and close smoothly the interface (sub millimetre) MUST be well lubricated and kept clean of foreign debris, especially extremely fine silt/dust, animal guts and oils, all of which if left to dry can impede the operation of the blade. 

Because there is basically no "space" between blade and structural liners there is of course little chance for debris to become lodged within however, this does not, as mentioned, preclude liquids entering and congealing within the mechanism (although one would have to be very sloppy in knife maintenance.

The force from the heavy spring in the lock back knife helps to retain the blade in a closed form even if the blade was to become partially open, most good* designs will in fact return the blade to its closed position. Many "modern designs" of locking knives, once the blade exits the frame, it can move effortlessly and this is IMHO a big mistake with knife design for knives intended for outdoor usage. 

* It must be a good design and not incorporate some woosy spring system!

What about Frame Locking knives?

Frame lock, another weaker design than the lock back for the same reasons stated above. It's funny how people are fixated upon "weaknesses" in fixed bladed knives but have totally been  brainwashed to ignore any weaknesses in the frame lock. Of course though for general usage the frame lock is more than good enough to be safe. To mention CS's triad lock, a reinvention of the "lock back wheel" is neither a frame lock nor a liner lock nor a roller lock and hence it really achieves (supposedly) great strength in the locking mechanism. I say supposedly as I do not own one and CS would never dream in a thousand years of sending me one for review (that's a long story). The achieved strength is of little consequence as the probability of exerting the forces to close a knife as they demonstrate are highly unlikely but that's CS. Now don't get me wrong CS makes some great products, if not kings of showmanship!

Auto assisted liner locks in another article

Roller type lock Already discussed in previous articles here on this blog.

Now to use as an example of a classic design in locking knives,  I present the following:

Nieto Knives RANGER XXL R011 G10 Lock back Survival Folder fully made in Spain featuring Böhler's N695 (their version of 440C) stainless steel with a HRC of XX? LOL, they don't say what the HRC is, which is quite strange. In fact the HRC is not mentioned on any of their social media sites, nor on any written material provided with the knife or their official web site. My guess is that they are covering themselves to be able to modify this ant any time in the future. When the Nieto Ranger XXL first came out in 2019, only red liners were offered, not the "toxic green" ones like in the one I just bought.

The Nieto engraving is now featuring an improved font that gives an air of modern design and the old Nieto font was exactly that, it just looked "OLD"!

On first examination of this folder I found ALL components to be perfectly aligned and functioning as expected. The knife itself came very well oiled in a plastic bag in their typical silver colored cardboard boxes. The only literature included was a publicity brochure, which BTW did feature also a picture of said knife.

I have many Nieto folders and why not, they are all constructed perfectly as far as I'm concerned. In fact a fine attention to detail is an absolute must for creating a folder which will be firstly, safe to use and secondly last for the following generations (IMHO). Their folders to date deliver such philosophy to a reality.

The only disagreement with the website data was certainly no one metre of paracord was included, more like 50cm! Ok that's more than enough and for me it adds ZERO value to the knife. I want to see a great product and a matching great scabbard. In the latter case the heavy Denier Nylon scabbard was well constructed and no lose stitching, frayed ends of webbing or clumsy stitching was noted.

General Characteristics:

Sabre ground

Semi tanto tip

Lock back folder

The spine of the Nieto Ranger XXL is also nicely rounded and it bears a distinct resemblance to other knives in the line up because this knife has been designed by Manuel De Le Torre.

The thick N695 stainless steel blade of the Nieto Ranger XXL (Ro11 G10-ie 10cm long blade; there is another version with an 8cm long blade) features a double sided Fuller which has been milled using EDM. This is a process which can be seen on several of their larger fixed blade models. EDM (Electrical Discharge Machining) process creates a defined plasma, which erodes/mills hardened materials without changing their temper and can be utilized as shown above to mill out tricky shapes which a regular milling tool would not be capable of.  This is a sort of "coarse EDM as one can easily see the semi rough surface within the Fuller but I think it looks pretty cool too as well as slightly lightening the blade from an engineering perspective. In fact my son commented that one could strike a non safety match in the groove LOL!

Closed length of the Nieto Ranger XXL is approximately: 13.5cmm or 5 1/8" long, therefore making it easy too carry inside the pocket as well, instead of using the pouch if desired. Note the G10 composite is made in Spain, they make a point of this on their web site, although I have no problem with G10 from Asia. I guess they are saying all the raw materials for the knife originate in Europe.

The overall length of the Nieto Ranger XXL is: 23.5cm. The grip is very comfortable whilst doing hard work upon the blade.

An excellent fully Molle compatible Nylon webbing pouch is supplied as standard and it can also be worn (as seen above) on a regular tactical belt. (note the accessory cord was also supplied and I found that it was just enough for me to tie an overhand knot into one end and place the knife around my neck.

The Nieto Ranger XXL has a blade thickness of approx 4.5mm! There is also a small section of thumb/finger gimping present.

The Nieto Ranger XXL features a hefty spring to hold the knife closed and actuate the back lock.

The scales of the Nieto XXL Ranger are made from the composite G10. The liners are very thick stainless steel at approx 1.5mm thick. Although not shown in this image, the liners are partially milled to lighten the knife.

Perfect match between tang and locking mechanism. No surprise there, Nieto make excellent folders!

The rear tang of the Nieto Ranger XXL features a well designed locking notch set at an angle less than 90 degrees for an optimal lock up and this also prevents any backwards pressure from disengaging the knife, should it be subjected to such forces (outside of normal operation). Note here also the beautiful green liners above the actual stainless steel liners of the main frame. 

Nieto Ranger XXL (sounds like a Kebab! "I'll have one XXL please"!) Seriously, this is one hardcore lock back folder.

The strong Tanto tip was easily plunged into (I hate to say it) living Birch tree.

There is also a hefty glass breaker and Lanyard hole.

Unlike totally traditional Lock back folders which are generally opened via two hands, this Nieto Ranger XXL can be opened via the thumb studs.

Well machined and finished in every area of construction, the Nieto Ranger XXL will be a knife you can hand down in the family, or present to a family member or friend with no fear of disappointment. 

The steel of choice here is Böhler's N695, which is basically 440C.

No binding with the Nieto Ranger XXL in vegetables such as potatoes (Ok strictly speaking-tubers LOL).

All in all I think Nieto RANGER XXL is one of  Nieto's best largish folders to date. It is well presented and the design looks cool as well as functional, opens smoothly with no adjustments needed, straight out of the box, plus it cuts like no tomorrow (ok I've only cut up dirty birch bark and after that cooked pig so far so good!).

Stick around for the full field review, coming to a YouTube theatre near you soon! LOL

BCT

Tanev Family Knives T7 in N690 Cryo treated TFK - Т7 (N690) BLG10

Tanev Family Knives (TFK)  T7 

TFK - Т7 (N690) BLG10

in N690 Cryo treated.

The TFK T7 is made from Böhler N690 martensitic stainless steel cryo treated and heat treated to 58-60, individually HRC tested.

The T7 is a sabre ground small drop point fixed blade suitable for hiking, camping and hunting purposes. A 4mm thick spine and tang provide ample strength and sturdiness, combined with a HRC of 58-60 will give a good field service life.  The edge has a double bevel and the finish is as every bit as good as the T8 I tested a month of more back now. IN other words, the satin uncoated finish will satisfy those who seek an uncoated blade for food preparation and the construction comes across as excellent from these young knife makers.

Then overall shape of the knife follows a slightly curved line (see my discussion of this re the recent Extrema Ratio blog about the  Sethlans). This slight curvature allows for a comfortable wrist and elbow positioning when using the knife for cutting, ie elbows are facing down not up. I asked for blaze orange G10 scales as I feel this color is great for high visibility during late afternoon and early evening with fading light working around camp; there is little chance to lose this knife whilst out on a camping/hunting trip.

(Optional blaze orange micarta scales)

The thick hide scabbard can be worn either short carry on the belt, via the included dangler or horizontally using the two nylon webbing straps.

Leather scabbard is welt constructed and features good thick stitching and a strong looking "D ring" for the dangler. The loop for the dangler forms all one piece of the leather scabbard.

There is a small region of gimping present

Also a lanyard hole, so no chance of losing the knife if dropped into snow or water (provided you have it tied on).

TFK cryogenically treat the Böhler N690 cobalt steel after heat treatment for thorough conversion to a fine grain size and maximum HRC of 60.

4.5" blade length, the T7 feels sturdy and well-balanced in the hand. 

The T7's tang is partially skeletonized and the G10 scales can be removed with a 2.5mm Allen key for maintenance if necessary.

I noted the tang was lightly oiled when I removed the scales.

At 4.5"/11.4cm, the T7 is a very useful size for hiking and camping. The T7 came razor sharp out of the box.

The scabbard is a deep carry and the knife as new fits very snugly but not overly tight. Obviously the leather will stretch over time. Due to the flared butt end, the knife is easily extracted from the sheath. If using the dangler, the knife and scabbard can be removed leaving the dangler still attached to your belt.

Like all of their knives, the T7 came with a authenticity card which stated the steel type, hardness range and the sheath material. 

Video field review coming soon for the Tanev Family Knives T7 in N690 on BCT

See their whole range here:

BCT

EXTREMA RATIO MISERICORDIA

 New from Extrema Ratio in 2020, this small lightweight knife, named MISERICORDIA is clearly a tactical knife. At only 4mm thickness, sporting a glass fibre reinforced handle and sheath system, the Extrema Ratio Misericordia also features a "Finger ring" and added glass breaker, for those moments you'll need to smash your way out of or into a vehicle or similar. It goes without saying the edge was deadly razor sharp out of the box.

The Extrema Ratio Misericordia has a spear point and a false edge with a deep double blood groove/fuller plus aggressive finger gimping. It is an easy knife to grip with or without gloves. Plus I have to agree with ER, it can be rapidly deployed from the FRN scabbard as well. The release system is just a smaller version (somewhat better I think in design) than the same sheath retention system for the Giant Mamba and the Contact.

The product is aimed towards the military market and clearly can not transition into civilian fields unlike many of their other "military" type models. Although, there are 2 other carry options which could allow "concealed carry" where legal to do so (like on the battlefield). So in this respect I will be limiting my discussion here to what I see as it's intended purposes.

Worn appropriately, the Extrema Ratio Misericordia can be extracted very fast, either with a reverse grip, blade facing away angled up, tip angled down or extracted with blade facing down, tip facing away and up. Take your pick here. Extrema Ratio are advocating the Misericordia can be used as a primary knife (for sure as it cuts very well) or as a backup. 

Despite mentioning the end ring could be utilised by some "martial arts" they certainly go no further as to endorse this use. Obviously it is up to the end user to decide how they will use the Misericordia. It's possible it could be thrown too and or used as one of those, what do you call it? dart things???? (I didn't say it!). You get my point right (no pun intended), with a little imagination I'm sure I could easily launch arrows from it as well after adding a bit of powerful elastic rubber to the ring. Anyway enough of that.

The finger guard (slight gimping present) is long enough I feel to prevent accidental slippage onto the edge. As with many Extrema Ratio Models, the scales are attached with one bolt. The scales in this case are NOT Forprene as in so many of their current models but glass fibre reinforced Nylon (FRN) in a "clam shell" design.

Blade steel is of course metal oxide coated N690 Cobalt stainless tool steel.

Stay tuned to BCT for a closer tactical look at this blade and carry system.

BCT

CUCHILLO AITOR 14" SURVIVAL Olivo A classic collector's knife!

 CUCHILLO AITOR 14" SURVIVAL Olivo. 

A classic "survival knife"  and collector's item!

Aitor 14" Survival Knife circa well before 2010!

A classic survival knife design dating back many years. Plus it looks COOL! Like a real knife.

Today I purchased a knife which I have been looking at for the last three years. The same knife has been sitting behind a window in a favourite shop of mine for probably many years, possibly at least 9/10! It is an Aitor knife made after Pielcu took over Aitor, as it sports the serial number beginning with B, this particular one: B025863.

Yes, it is not from the original Aitor series (they made them with stag, micarta, phenolic and Olive wood handles over the years)  whereby the serial number would begin with "A", none the less, it has become a collector's item as evidenced by its rarity and crazy prices on the internet. To my knowledge, neither the "A" nor the "B" models are in production any more,

so if you want one you have to find one that's been sitting on a physical shelf in some physical store or Ebay etc.

One of my Spanish viewers on BushCampingTools just told me he was issued with this model back in 1980 when he was in the Spanish Special Forces!

The Specifications:

6mm 1/4" spine and tang

The handle is thick enough to actually custom grind it to fit your hand perfectly!

Solid Olive wood scales

Brass lanyard rivet 

Brass and Aluminium riveted scales

140mm blade, partially serrated (like the early PUMA knives), useful for starting cuts, then to be followed by the regular blade.

There is a more than generous lower finger guard.

Deep belly, perfect for skinning (not too long either), weight forward for chopping if necessary 

Spine serrations

Blade serrations 

HRC 55-58

HRC diamond imprint on blade.

There are some interesting deadly sharp serrations of a non-standard design upon the spine edge (this design dates way back to their early designs from Aitor before being taken over several times. They would be very good at fish scaling and cutting cords. The tip of the Aitor 14" Survival has a swedge portion which has been sharpened (this was indeed very sharp out of the box). Having such a design will aid penetration for a thick 1/4" blade such as this. There is also a flat portion for striking a baton against.

Weight (it's not light!) 338grams! or 12Oz.!

Full leather scabbard, stitched and riveted construction, press stud retention strap.

Construction

The overall build construction I could not fault. It has been made very well however, like many Aitor knives today, they come sharp but far from deadly sharp out of the box. Some  minutes on 600, 800 and then 1500 paper (~ 40 minutes or so in total) I had it very sharp. Clearly it had never been in it's scabbard since leaving the factory in Spain as evidenced by the somewhat rigid nature of the leather (just dried out over such a long time under shop air con/low RH). This latter thing is sort of a good thing as no mould has grown upon it either over such a long time in the box.

The scabbard looks "wet" because I just applied some leather treatment to it and now the hair dryer to warm it up a bit.

I  had to treat the leather scabbard with some quality leather waterproof wax, softener, to "stretch" it a bit to be able to fit the knife, as the leather had shrunk slightly over all those years unused.

Can it cut? of course it can, shown here some wild mushrooms, onions (later garlic, not shown here etc.)

Field test coming soon!

BCT

WORK TUFF GEAR NOMAD a ZEKE MENACHO Design Made with Japanese SK 85

Work Tuff Gear NOMAD a Big All Purpose Field Knife

Preview by BCT

The blade is acid stone washed and has laser engraved what production number it is along with a manufacturing date.

The philosophy behind the design of the NOMAD

"The Nomad was sketched out after a 2 week-long camping trip to the Sequoia National Forest back in 2012. The idea behind it is both wonderfully complicated and brilliantly simple at the same time. I wanted a knife that did what a Bowie is supposed to do historically. Chop like a hatchet, stab like a dagger, and cut like a kitchen knife. So in many ways, the Nomad is just that, a big, wonderful “jack of all trades” knife that in my opinion does not suffer from some of the weaknesses associated with the traditional Bowie shape knife designs ie the more delicate tip, sometimes odd ergos, and a guard to get in the way of finer jobs. So the tip was replaced with a traditional Tanto style, the guard becomes an integrated choil/guard for saving your hands in a hard stab and effectively reducing both the size of the usable blade and giving more control for finer detail work. Finally the handle, after years of working with Dark Timber Knives behind the scenes, all that ergonomic work we did on the Hooligan and Kodiak show up in this multiple position handle. Add to this package a forward cant with a long wide blade and you have a very capable large knife that looks like nothing else on the market. This knife is comfortable to hold/use in FOUR positions. The grind is high enough to be a good slicer. There is plenty of spine thickness to do heavy work, and the tip geometry makes thrusting fun and easy".

Zeke Menacho

Work Tuff Gear are without any doubt making some seriously good products in the field of outdoor equipment.

Their attention to: detail in design, use of quality raw materials, heat treatment regime and quality hand sharpened edged tools, along with excellent wood burning camp stoves, is taking the market by storm. The Nomad Knife is no exception.

Manufacturing date and number inscribed upon the blade. BTW That giant "M" does not stand for Monster but for the logo of the Designer Zeke Menacho!

Made from a sturdy slab of Japanese SK85 high carbon tool steel, featuring a high angled full flat grind to a convex cutting edge. The Nomad sports a pointy but strong tip, easily able to penetrate game, whether that's gutting fish or piercing hides.

The top of the spine is acute enough to easily strike a fire steel and also at such dimensions, can take the pounding of a baton for splitting fire wood if need be.

The blade has been acid washed making it sort of anti reflective but remember this isn't a stainless steel so remember to wipe it down and clean it with a little cooking oil or food grade mineral oil.

But what of fine tasks? Yes it's a big knife but can one perform the finer tasks like easy preparation of the evening meal? Can one feather timber for tinder or is this beast simple too big to handle?

There is a very secure and comfortable grip, plus lots of metal real estate to enable one to securely control such a large 9 inch long bladed knife in order to perform tasks such as feathering.

Careful of the toes!

This 2 year seasoned wild plum wood. It's like steel but no match for that super edge on the Work Tuff Gear Nomad! Product number 216. This is a high Sabre grind and because of that one can still slice and cut despite a 1/4" spine.

Yes, yes, yes is my answer after several days initial tests with the Nomad. Preparing pineapples, cutting raw meat, cutting cooked meat and fine slicing ingredients. SO, if one can easily achieve these things then there will be no question about being able to achieve seriously heavy duty tasks around the wilderness camp.

A quick test drive in the kitchen (and day out) only proved what I could already see in the design of this knife, one can easily use it to prepare food with. As you all know, this is an absolute must for me in an outdoor knife. If you can't easily prepare food with a knife that's supposed to be intended for outdoor use, then it "Aint for the outdoors"!

I like the design of the handle too because if one is using it to chop up food on a flat surface, your hand is protected against getting bashed into the surface, however this is achieved without the use of a tradition guard.

Speaking of the handle, not only does it look very cool and in fact appears at first glance like wood (with a kind of dark Walnut look about it), it is made from G10 with a very grippy, yet very comfortable milled pattern, that adds to the impression of a wooden handle but with all the benefits of a synthetic composite that should resist water ingression and sweat.

Those scales surround a 1/4'' thick slab of super tough, super stay sharp Japanese SK85 High carbon tool steel. The grip features a palm swell and is very comfortable and secure when wielding this massive multi-purpose knife.

Carrying this Beast

Transportation is achieved via a "Tek Lok" like tactical belt clip, fully adjustable for varying belt widths and features a safety lock (finger pointing second image). The knife itself isn't light and weighs in at a whopping big 980grams! (don't bother with a hatchet! LOL!)

No nonsense Kydex scabbard

BCT