Fallkniven A1 overview

Here a written review for my Fallkniven A1

If there was a fixed blade we've all had our eyes on but could never pull the trigger it would have to be the Fallkniven A1. At $200 the price is steep and unless one possesses some blade knowledge, it would seem confusing on why anyone would pay that for this simple polymer handled stainless steel knife.

This knife has no gimmicks, it sells on its reputation alone. I've always been very skeptical about such products due to group thinking and egos getting in the way of objective performance. However, the more I researched, the more I realized this might be the outdoor blade I've been looking for.

First off, I don't need this knife, other cheaper knives will do fine. However, life is short and if something can enhance your passions in life and is within reason, then go for it.

I've been wanting a large high end stainless steel production survival/bushcraft knife for as long a I can remember to please my inner caveman.

My playground is in a temperate rainforest and is very wet.

Carbon cuts can be maintained; however, it is an inconvenience.

So blah,blah blah, I could go on and on about my research.

Moving on to the blade.

When my package arrived, the first thing I noticed was how light it was in the box. It came in a very unassuming white box of thin card board. There was also a small, one inch, high quality holographic sticker on the box that confirms it's the real deal.

Upon pulling the blade out of the packaging. I realized no pictures or video could ever do this knife justice. There's just an indescribable magic that needs to be felt in hand regardless of if it the right tool for a person's specific outdoor needs.

Stay tuned for more.
 
Last edited:
Thx bro
I plan on making the most comprehensive Fallkniven A1review imaginary.
I'll put up more footage tonight or tomorrow.
Stay tuned.
-Shawn
 
I own an F1, S1 and U2... and I always wanted an A1. However I must say (just like you recognized) that I have no real need for it. It is heavier, thicker (which means it will slice worse) while still being no chopper. So I find hard to justify buying one... But I will! :D :D :D

Nice review
 
Thought I'd share some more details about the knife.

Weight- the knife weighs about 11oz, just under 1 lbs (16oz), which feels lightweight for a knife this size with almost a quarter inch spine. In the hands, it feels very nimble, yet powerful, there's nothing like it.

Handle- the handle is made of a hard polymer with a slight tacky rubber feel called thermorun. The difference between thermorun and kraton is that kraton has a more "gummy" soft rubber feel. The best I can compare it to would be the orange grip on fiskers x series axes and hatchets. While more durable than kraton it is not invincible and will gouge if beaten with a gnarly baton.

The grip checkering does its job without tearing up ungloved hands. I really only noticed its effectiveness when the handle was wet which is how it should be.

There is a subtle palm swell that is at the thickest at the center of the handle. There is also a very slight hour glass shape near the lanyard which is too small of an area to get a good grip on for chopping without a lanyard (I never use lanyards).

The front finger guard is comfortable and well contoured. The balance point of the blade, however, is directly at the finger guard. I can see why they did this as it brings the chopping performance on par with knives of the same size that weigh more. There is no metal from the tang protruding into the guard, so it could be cut off; however, it would remove the ability for the zytel sheath to retain the blade without the retention strap.

Overall, I like the handle for its K.I.S.S approach, but there is no doubt it was designed for the European hand.
My opinion is biased towards large handles, however, due to wearing large to extra large sized gloves. For me the becker bk2 handle fits my hand the best, but the fallkniven will due fine.

There is also an exposed tang at the butt of the handle. I really like this feature on survival knives as it allows you to hammer the knife into the side of a 1" to 6" diameter log to split it (I'll show the technique on Youtube later) or to hammer into a tree to rappel from...lol wat! SURVIVE! (No harm intended Guy, love your knives)

Yadda yadda, on and on.

I'll cover the blade and sheath later.

Stay tuned

-Shawn
 
Last edited:
Thx, Mikel glad you enjoyed the review. Had a tough time choosing a fallkniven myself as the the F1 and S1 look fantastic. I figured just to "go big or go home" and bought the A1. Damn you time and money! I'd have all knives if I could. (sigh) Such is life with the "Knife" sickness XD.
 
Fallkniven A1 in the kitchen. No sharpening or stroping after batoning, chopping and carving wood. Quite impressive for camp cooking. Maybe sushi too ;)lol
 
Last edited:
Fallkniven A1 in the kitchen? Finally an outdoor knife that cuts

Check it out

[video]Fallkniven A1 in the kitchen?: https://youtu.be/vhjsDhchLNE[/video]

I'll make another video on how well it strops back to razor sharp soon.

This well be an ongoing review.

I have a few day hiking trips planned and would like to field test it more.
 
Last edited:
Back for more, jumpin' in the juicy stuff.

Blade- The blade is 6.3 inches long and is about .24 inches thick. Definitely a great size for a muti-purpose outdoor blade.

The design is a drop point with a swedge that serves to increase piercing performance at the tip while maintaining thickness for durability. It doesn't seem to chew up batons as bad as I thought. The swedge still has some girth to it and is not designed to be sharpened.

The blade height swells at the belly and tapers to the handle. I'm a big fan of this as it gives similar chopping power of a recurved blade without the difficult sharpening. (Like my schf26) The edge also very subtly has a continuous belly to the choil which makes the blade an excellent slicer and aids in carving feather sticks.

The spine is sharp enough for making fuzz sticks and shooting sparks off a ferro rod, yet at the swedge, I noticed it was not as sharp.
The convex grind is excellent, it really slides through the wood for carving yet has the durability for other tasks. It really backs up edge allowing for excellent edge retention everyday hard use.

Blade steel- VG-10 is my favorite steel right now, so I'm biased in that regard. I'm not claiming it to be the best,
it just fits my uses better then others (s30v,s110v,O1,D2, 1060, 1095, 420hc,8cr13mov,14c27n sandvik), why?

Being able to sharpen my own knives definitely changes my selection. I find myself enjoying knives that take a very keen edge quickly without much effort and the ability to strop back an edge in a pinch for field use.

I'm not preaching that vg10 is god here, all steels have drawbacks and VG 10 like most stainless steel can be brittle and chip prone. Especially when ground to a thin edge and put to hard use.

The A1 doesn't have that problem and seems to mitigate the chipping with the right triple combo of blade thickness, grind and heat treatment all working together to really bring out the qualities of the steel. Truly remarkable.

Will it chip if used to baton or chop on the dirt?

Of course. Doesn't that mean it's a poor steel choice for a survival blade?
I argue no.

Any edge, sharpened to a razor fine hair "popping" degree, no matter what steel is susceptible to chipping.

Sharp edges (regardless of steel )are a trade off.

As strange as it sounds, some prefer and are better off with dull knives that seem invincible.

However, one with knowledge and proficiency can enjoy the performance of a stainless that sharpens like carbon steel, or any fine edge.

One without however, won't know the difference other then the stainless knife chips.

Please understand I'm not hating on carbon steel. We all know carbon cuts,

I just prefer a knife that can cut and be low maintenance due to living in a temperate rainforest climate.

Moving on,the knifes claim to fame is its laminated construction which is for the performance of VG 10 safely tucked between two slabs of 420j stainless, this allow for the perfect blend of toughness, strength and ductility that homogeneous steel can have a difficult balance with. It's not unbreakable, but less likely to just snap in half. Which is piece of mind with hard use.

I'll cover the sheath later.

-Shawn
 
Last edited:
How long have you had your A1?
I just agreed to take one in a trade...if I'm half as enamoured with it as you seem to be, I'll consider it a good deal.
 
I've had it for a week now, I'm just stoked because it turned out to be exacty what I was looking for, an outdoor knife of all trades that can take punishment with the right techniques applied, and still have edge performance. For me it lived up to the hype after testing it.

Everyones mileage will vary though, for the price, Bark River makes very beautiful, comparable knives with an exquisite selection of steels, handles and blade shapes. I was truly torn about buying a "plain Jane" Fallkniven when browsing Bark Rivers selection, but decided on Fallkniven A1 because its more of a user by design. The Bark River knives are too beautiful for the heavy chores I had in mind, even though they can handle it.( I still want one bad but my wife would kill me)


Hope you enjoy it as much as I do hhmoore, congrats.

-Shawn
 
Last edited:
I hope so, as well....but my concerns have nothing to do with the quality of the knife.
(I have no issue using Bark River knives (except the Featherweight, which doesn't fit my hand); but I have other knives that I feel that way about, so I know what you mean.)
 
Haha I'm curious. May I ask what your concerns are,? You sound like my future self with that awesome bark river collection and all ;)
 
I didn't want to derail your thread with my explanation; but, as long as you asked....
I sort of feel that, regardless of my own appreciation for the size range, 5-7 inch blades are in sort of an awkward middle child realm. Not big enough to hang with the big dogs; not small enough to play with the little ones. They try to fit in with both groups, and sort of pull it off....except you know that it's just not right. That said, some of my favorite knives are in that size range...one would think that might sway me from that opinion; but it actually reinforces it. I'm much more inclined to grab a 3-4" blade for detail stuff, and an 8+" blade for the grunt work. Maybe it's just me <shrug>
 
hhmoore said:
I didn't want to derail your thread with my explanation; but, as long as you asked....
I sort of feel that, regardless of my own appreciation for the size range, 5-7 inch blades are in sort of an awkward middle child realm. Not big enough to hang with the big dogs; not small enough to play with the little ones. They try to fit in with both groups, and sort of pull it off....except you know that it's just not right. That said, some of my favorite knives are in that size range...one would think that might sway me from that opinion; but it actually reinforces it. I'm much more inclined to grab a 3-4" blade for detail stuff, and an 8+" blade for the grunt work. Maybe it's just me <shrug>
Click to expand...

Hhmoore,

I adimire the attentiveness and appreciate your candor. I agree with opinion but in a more optimistic sense. By not being as specialized, a 5"-7" can fit the role as a one tool option in a pinch. I found the best range in tools for me is to carry a 10 corona saw, a spyderco delica and a council tool boys Axe. If I were to loose my pack traveling on the river. Its nice to have a tool with many roles on my persons.

3"-4" can also be an excellent one tool option but requires more knowledge of techniques and is more time consuming I.e ( carving wedges vs Batoning and limbing with a baton vs chopping of limbs) also ones anatomy factors in. My wife is 5'4" 105lbs. She would find it far too clumsy to fill the A1 in the roles I choose.

You are totally correct with carrying a big and small blade. My preferences just differ due to my tastes and abilities.
Thanks for sharing,
Shawn
 
Great review. My first Fallkniven was the A2 which I really liked but found it to be just a bit too large for some camp tasks. After reading so many reviews of the F1 I picked up one. It is a great knife but my expectations were a bit too high after everything I had read and I traded it. I now own an A1 and it is my go to fixed blade when I want to carry a stainless knife. I've read the reviews about chipping but have no complaints. I agree that any thin edge will be prone to chipping and don't treat my A1 any different than a knife made of 1095. Thanks for posting.
 
Thanks for sharing, I'm curious about that F1 myself. Might have to try it out one day.

I'll add more videos this week.

Stay tuned
 
I'll probably pick up another F1 at some point. I liked it but was just a little underwhelmed due to my high expectations.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top