oookay. so, cold again. but, HAD to use this Mud Turtle a bit. worked on those branches i took inside yesterday.
i'm going to post a bunch of pics. i may have something to say on certain ones. i will post a summary at the end.
getting started. ahhh the mud turtle....
took just two whacks to get through. nice....
unfortunately, i was inside today. threw a sheet down in my livingroom and worked from the couch. this pic is from the floor, when i was doing the tip work at the end (drilling through)....
finished "try stick" ...
summary:
i thought the mud turtle really did a good job at it. this is obviously not a carving knife, but i think this really is an all-around performer. i liked the balance. and, i liked the sharp belly to help carve out the notches. i think the saber grind and sharp edge would make it fine for game processing, as well.
one thing i did not like was the squared off spine (for carving). now, this is obviously a preference thing. and, if it were mine, i would just knock off the sharp edges, and i'd be in business. for those concerned about sparking a ferro rod, you could leave a squared off area.
but, i wore my thumb and bottom of my index finger raw. i tend to choke way up on the blade.
to reiterate, this was only due to sharp edges on the spine of the "blade". i had no problems with the handle. it was quite comfortable, in fact. i particularly liked working with it in the reverse grip.
edge/grind held up great. no rolls (etc) and thing was still shaving sharp after ....
and, just cuz i like comparison pics. here ya go. from top to bottom...mud turtle, fish knife, vermont hunter, pocket muk....
and oh baby, it's miller time...
heath, i've really enjoyed my time with the JK mud turtle. i like 'er. it's a bigger knife (~5" blade), but i thought it performed very well. the edge retention and reliability was great. i would not hesitate to take this thing out in the woods with me as my only knife.
thanks very much for the passaround. it's now on my list. please PM me the address of the next person....
thanks again.
-todd