Now for the 'other' Surls models!
First up, an unnamed spear point stick tang. I think this is just a cool little knife, but it's not something that I see myself carry every day. The antler handle fit's well in hand and the blade would make a handy little skinning knife. Pair this thing with an old school rifle and go chase some deer! :thumbup:
The Kanati very much so reminded me of the Fiddleback BC Jr. so I pulled it out to compare a la Sarah, belly to belly. As you can see, the handle curves are pretty similar on both of these models with the Kanati's "useable" handle coming up slightly shorter than the BC Jr. The blade on the Kanati has a bit more of a downward angle overall. I think that anyone who enjoys the BC Jr. would also like the Kanati. Like the BC Jr. and other "Hiking Buddy handled" models, the Kanati handle feels good in hand. In reverse grip, because of the slightly shorter "useable length" the Kanati does catch that meaty part of my hand, but I don't find it as uncomfortable as some of the other models that hit my hand in the same way.
The Revenant EDC doesn't really do it for me visually; though I think it's a wicked looking knife, in a good way, especially with the curly Q. This model just doesn't sit well in my hands. The guard catches my index finger and the Q gets into my palm. I think the blade shape looks cool, but I don't seem myself owning one.
The Sawnee is interesting, I was immediately reminded of the Bushboot when I pulled it out. They both have a very similar parabolic curve and feel similar in hand, though I find the Bushboot a touch more comfortable. I prefer the look of the guard-less blade on the Sawnee, but it doesn't serve much of a practical use because the overall curve of the knife keeps the full edge from being put into food prepping use unless you do so with the back of the knife hanging off your prepping surface. The curly Q hits my hand in the same way as the Revenant EDC but I think the different handle shape keeps it from being really uncomfortable. Also, I don't find the signature handle wrap of Allen's Frontier line visually appealing -I don't dislike it at all, I just don't prefer it- however, in hand it feels very nice! Overall I find the Bushboot slightly more appealing, but this is definitely an interesting model, I would be curious to play with one that doesn't the Q.
Next up, the Minuteman! I'm impressed with this model, and just as an extra note this was my roommate Steve's favorite of the entire bunch. This particular one is a very thinly tapered 3/32 CPM with a hollow grind and it's light! Like some of the previous models I had a comparisons pop into my head when I started playing with this knife, the Minuteman pulled a very tough competitor in the Hiking Buddy, one of my favorites from the Fiddleback comparisons! The Minuteman has a slightly shorter blade and a slightly longer handle, but less 'usable handle' than the HB. The deeper curves of the MM's handle feel like they lock into my fingers a bit more than the HB, but the HB is more comfortable in the reverse grips because of the more rounded overall handle. Like the Kanati vs BC Jr. the Minuteman's blade has a slightly more downward angle, I quite like it on this model, plus it's slender and pointy... my favorite!
Speaking of slender and pointy and keeping with some of my themes so far, I saved the Patch for last. Out of all of the knives that were sent to me this is model that has had the strongest initial impact; the biggest lightning strike! The Esquire and OS Karda made it to my 'finals list' for the Fiddleback models, in fact I would say they're probably 2nd and 3rd behind the HB, but the Surls Patch does everything that those two models do for me, plus a lot more. This is one of those knives that just feels good in my hand anyway I hold it, and I tried as many as I could think of. The curves lock into my hand in all the right ways, it almost feels like it becomes part of my hand.
I felt that this model was most similar to the Esquire, so again I compared them belly to belly (sorry for the glare and shadows). The handle curves are pretty similar and these models are essentially the same in blade length and handle length. The Patch is a little more narrow overall. The Patch's handle ends more gradually and I find that more comfortable in the underhand grips as you can see above. Also, the Patch is guard-less, a plus! If someone held out a Patch and Esquire of identical materials for me to pick, I would have to choose the Patch, but I can see myself carry either of these models and being quite pleased with them.
