This is review #2 of the two knives that I got as gifts (the first was a Boker Rescom). I'll start by saying that this is a tiny knife. This is a fixed blade knife, and it's only 4-1/4" long. It's Buck's model 860, it's made in the USA, and it weighs half an ounce. Price is about $20. This is a good knife for your PSK or bug-out bag, or as a knife around your neck when you're out in the woods. Let's check it out...
The Hartsook is 4-1/4" overall, and it's 1/16" thick. It's not flexible, which was a worry of mine when discussing a blade this thin, with no handle material. It's stiff. The entire knife is one piece of Paul Bos heat-treated S30V in a black finish. The blade is 1-7/8" long and came adequately sharp. After a few minutes on a ceramic stick, it was shaving. There's jimping on the handle near the middle, as well as on the blade near the back. The blade is upswept with a flat back, and the handle is flat on the backside with two finger grooves cut out. There are two holes cut into the handle, and the rear-most hole has a piece of black 550 cord through it. It's got a large enough loop that I can slip my pinky finger through it for easier withdrawal, and I like that. I added a carabiner to the same hole in mine as well.
There's not much else to comment on except for the sheath. I heard that the earlier sheaths were notorious for being loose, and thankfully Buck has fixed this problem. The sheath is a hard plastic friction-fit design, and it's black. It's 3/16" thick and 3-1/2" long, making the entire package 5" in length. There are no belt loops or MOLLE slots; just an integral loop in the end of the sheath. I stuck some 550 cord in there as well, and now I can use it as a neck knife or attach it to a belt loop and stash the knife in a pocket.
The only things I use this knife for is food preparation in the kitchen, and whittling. It does both extremely well. This thing is a scalpel, and it's a great addition to my EDC blades. It's small enough to slip just about anywhere, and the quality if worth far more than the small price tag.
The Hartsook is 4-1/4" overall, and it's 1/16" thick. It's not flexible, which was a worry of mine when discussing a blade this thin, with no handle material. It's stiff. The entire knife is one piece of Paul Bos heat-treated S30V in a black finish. The blade is 1-7/8" long and came adequately sharp. After a few minutes on a ceramic stick, it was shaving. There's jimping on the handle near the middle, as well as on the blade near the back. The blade is upswept with a flat back, and the handle is flat on the backside with two finger grooves cut out. There are two holes cut into the handle, and the rear-most hole has a piece of black 550 cord through it. It's got a large enough loop that I can slip my pinky finger through it for easier withdrawal, and I like that. I added a carabiner to the same hole in mine as well.
There's not much else to comment on except for the sheath. I heard that the earlier sheaths were notorious for being loose, and thankfully Buck has fixed this problem. The sheath is a hard plastic friction-fit design, and it's black. It's 3/16" thick and 3-1/2" long, making the entire package 5" in length. There are no belt loops or MOLLE slots; just an integral loop in the end of the sheath. I stuck some 550 cord in there as well, and now I can use it as a neck knife or attach it to a belt loop and stash the knife in a pocket.
The only things I use this knife for is food preparation in the kitchen, and whittling. It does both extremely well. This thing is a scalpel, and it's a great addition to my EDC blades. It's small enough to slip just about anywhere, and the quality if worth far more than the small price tag.
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