Spartan Blades: Bill Harsey Designed Hunter & Difensa, and the Phrike (VERY Pic Hvy)

Mistwalker · Jun 21, 2015

abbydaddy said:
Yes indeed. The man is a mensch. And the cool things he does go far beyond knife making, though you would never know it from the self-depreciating way he presents himself.

Yes, Bill is a very interesting individual. More to the man than meets the eye.

TrojanSteel · Jul 1, 2015

I've handled the Spartan Harsey Model 2... And the handles are indeed amazing

Mistwalker · Jul 3, 2015

TrojanSteel said:
I've handled the Spartan Harsey Model 2... And the handles are indeed amazing

Yes, Bill's handles are definitely my favorite of the Spartan models. I see the point of the other handle scales, they are built for high speed low drag and all, but Bill's handles are more comfortable in long term use for me.

chaleanoh · Jul 30, 2015

Mistwalker,

I would love to feature one of your photos on my blog. I was hoping I could use that awesome shot of you holding the Harsey-Hunter. Are you interested?

Thanks! Awesome post!

Mistwalker · Aug 2, 2015

chaleanoh said:
Mistwalker,

I would love to feature one of your photos on my blog. I was hoping I could use that awesome shot of you holding the Harsey-Hunter. Are you interested?

Thanks! Awesome post!

Fine with me, go for it. But just curious as to which pic of me holding it?

fielder · Jan 23, 2016

Hi, any update on how you are getting on with the Akribis?

Mistwalker · Jan 23, 2016

fielder said:
Hi, any update on how you are getting on with the Akribis?

I haven't had time to do the actual review yet, I need to get to that, but the Akribis is a fantastic folder. Very smooth action and very natural to use. I'm definitely glad to have it in my gear rotation. It's one of two folders I carry on a regular basis.

fielder · Jan 28, 2016

Thank you, I look forward to your review.

TommyGun56 · Mar 12, 2016

I am a long time Busse fan, and will always be-The Harsey II and Difensa are the two Non-Busse knives I own and I love them-Highly Recommended

craytab · Mar 13, 2016

I love it when this thread comes back to the top. The last time it did it caused a little Spartan Blades binge.

Did someone say Busse and Spartan?

Mistwalker · Mar 13, 2016

TommyGun56 said:
I am a long time Busse fan, and will always be-The Harsey II and Difensa are the two Non-Busse knives I own and I love them-Highly Recommended

Curtis and Mark produce some awesome blades. Their heat treat of the S35VN is second to none that I have run across yet. My Hunter will be six years old this year and still one of my all time favorite knives.

craytab said:
I love it when this thread comes back to the top. The last time it did it caused a little Spartan Blades binge.

Did someone say Busse and Spartan?

Very cool blades man! yeah I am very much impatiently awaiting a smaller fixed blade collaboration with Bill Harsey and time is moving ever so slowly on that one...

fielder · Apr 15, 2016

I recently bought a Harsey Hunter, the handle is incredible. It really locks into your hand. I can't do pictures, but I'm really pleased with it.

craytab · Apr 15, 2016

fielder said:
I recently bought a Harsey Hunter, the handle is incredible. It really locks into your hand. I can't do pictures, but I'm really pleased with it.

Absolutely. Harsey knows what he is doing with handles. I like it even better than my RMD handle. I didn't think that was going to be possible.

Mistwalker · Apr 15, 2016

I've had my Hunter for going on 6 years, I still love it as much today as I did then

Bill also does a hell of a job on the hollow grinds on the Hunters.

saylorbrand · Apr 17, 2016

How does it perform in the field compared to fiddleback forge production duke? It looks like it can hold its own for bushcraft and hunting needs.

Mistwalker · Apr 18, 2016

saylorbrand said:
How does it perform in the field compared to fiddleback forge production duke? It looks like it can hold its own for bushcraft and hunting needs.

The Hunter is 3/16 and has a full tang with no skeletonization. So with it being thicker and also having a shorter blade, it is a bit more handle-heavy than the Duke and won't chop as well, but it handles finer tasks just fine.

saylorbrand · Apr 18, 2016

Does the duke compare more to the Difensa? I know the Difensa is a little longer.

Mistwalker · Apr 18, 2016

saylorbrand said:
Does the duke compare more to the Difensa? I know the Difensa is a little longer.

Yes, actually it does in a lot of ways even with the steel thickness difference. The size is pretty close lengthwise, and the balance point is identical. The Dinfensa is pointier and the Duke has more belly, and slightly lighter.

saylorbrand · Apr 18, 2016

Do you happen to have both near for a side by side comparison? By the way find your reviews on here and Facebook Spartan user page extremely awesome. I'm jealous of your job.

Mistwalker · Apr 19, 2016

saylorbrand said:
Do you happen to have both near for a side by side comparison? By the way find your reviews on here and Facebook Spartan user page extremely awesome. I'm jealous of your job.

I don't currently, but I will. In my opinion, I'd choose the Difensa for combat due to a few factors. One being the way the guard is made. For a woods knife I would choose the Duke