A-2 Koa Hunter

[samuraistuart]

Every once in a while I get excited about offering a knife for sale, and this is certainly one of those cases! May I present to you my first hidden tang hunter with brass guard! I had been putting off doing a traditional brass guard on a hidden tang for years, but finally got around to doing it. I had fun with the project and am extremely pleased with the results. The overall design is in homage to John Doyle, one of my favorite knife makers. First let's talk about the blade steel. It is made from A-2 tool steel, which is known for it's great combination of toughness as well as wear resistance. It is both tougher and more wear resistant than 52100, in no small part due to the extremely small primary carbides. Which brings me to the second point about this blade...take a look at that carbide banding! I don't see this level of carbide banding that often, and it looks amazing. What is carbide banding? Put simply, as the steel is being made, the carbides will tend to clump together during the rolling process upon cooling, and are just barely visible after polishing, but is readily apparent after etching (vinegar in this case). This is an aesthetic quality and does not hinder cutting performance. It reminds me of the pattern often found in "wootz" steel. The heat treatment includes a sub zero (-100°F) quench to eliminate retained austenite, and triple tempers. The final Rockwell hardness on this blade is ~61HRC, right at the best toughness/hardness balance for A2. The grind is very thin on an already thin stock blade, resulting in great cutting performance. The edge was taken to "zero", and then flattened just enough to reflect light and then sharpened at 13° per side all the way up to 0.3 micron! The edge is not only super thin, it is very sharp, keen, and refined!! The guard is made from brass stock and has a tight fit to the ricasso. The handle is made from Koa wood and has nice color and chatoyance. The sides towards the back of the handle are slightly concave which feels great in the hand. The first thing you'll notice when you pick this knife up is how light it really is. It is VERY light and perfectly balanced. I think this knife just looks classy!

OAL: 8 1/4"
Blade: 3 3/4" (plunge line to tip)
Handle: 4 1/4" (including guard)
Thickness: 0.090" (tapered to tip)
Steel: A-2 tool steel ~61HRC
Edge: 13° per side, 0.005", 0.3 micron

Asking price is ONLY $250, a heck of a bargain for what you get! This includes a custom made kydex sheath and free shipping anywhere in the USA!!! Paypal preferred (samuraistuart@yahoo.com). As with all my knives, the package includes a lifetime "write-your-own" warranty, and free sharpening/blade polish for the life of the knife. Thanks for looking! Follow me on Instagram: stuartalandavenport

 

[bwlacey]

A great knife, Stuart!

Walt

 

[samuraistuart]

Thank you Walt!

 

[ndmiller]

That koa is stunning and goes real well with the blade finish.

 

[samuraistuart]

Thanks Noah! While the Koa doesn't compete with AA, AAA, or Exhibition stuff, it's still quite nice with figure and chatoyance. A great deal for the package, if I may be humble in saying so. The patterning on the blade, the nicely figured wood, the work that goes into guard fitting and hidden tang with tight fit and finish, the proper thin grind, and the edge I'm known for. This is a GREAT knife for some lucky buyer!