Fallkniven A1 Pro - An Incredible Knife At An Incredibly High Price. Worth It?

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ShinyLoveMachine

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Jul 3, 2014
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So I've been seriously thinking of purchasing the Fallkniven A1 pro. It seems like an incredibly well built with cobalt steel, and a survival knife that you could probably give to your grand kids. It's also extremely thick like a pry bar almost, allowing wood to be split easily.

That said we're looking at an almost 300 dollar price tag. Wow! From a strictly utilitarian standpoint, is it really worth this price? Consider that a Mora Robust is less than 12 bucks. Ok. I know these knives are miles apart, and this is like comparing apples to oranges, but I'm wondering if anyway here has a Fallkniven A1Pro or even just the original A1?

Does this thing really cut that much better than cheaper knives to justify the price? I'd love to hear what people here think? I'm seriously considering purchasing one, but I don't know that the utility of it justifies the price.
 
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If you like it, buy it. Most knives cut things pretty good...use the ones that give you the best experience (use/pride of ownership/aesthetics).
 
Definitely need to start using the search function... there’s a great thread on the A1 with videos by deadboxhero
 
Boggs said:
Definitely need to start using the search function... there’s a great thread on the A1 with videos by deadboxhero
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I will try to find that, but are we talking about the A1 or the A1 pro? The A1 was made from vg-10 as its core, the newer ones are improved and are made from cobalt steel as their core.
 
I hear they are nice knives, but at the same time, you can get a great custom knife for well under 300, under 200 even. For me the custom builds win every time. Wouldn't mind trying a fallkniven one day. Maybe when I have lots of extra money laying around. The cobalt steel is supposed to be a performer.
 
ShinyLoveMachine said:
So I've been seriously thinking of purchasing the Fallkniven A1 pro. It seems like an incredibly well built with cobalt steel, and a survival knife that you could probably give to your grand kids. It's also extremely thick like a pry bar almost, allowing wood to be split easily.

That said we're looking at an almost 300 dollar price tag. Wow! From a strictly utilitarian standpoint, is it really worth this price? Consider that a Mora Robust is less than 12 bucks on Amazon. Ok. I know these knives are miles apart, and this is like comparing apples to oranges, but I'm wondering if anyway here has a Fallkniven A1Pro or even just the original A1?

Does this thing really cut that much better than cheaper knives to justify the price? I'd love to hear what people here think? I'm seriously considering purchasing one, but I don't know that the utility of it justifies the price.
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Strictly speaking utility, no
You can buy a mora companion, a fiskers x15 axe, and a laplander folding saw all for under a third of the price.

It's for aficionados, Or people who want the best one tool option survival knife.

While any knife can be used for survival, a
survival knife is good at doing everything poorly. :D

The advantage to the pro is it will do all of those jobs better then other survival knives that are in the same boat, but a specific purpose knife can still out perform it. It's about the capabilities when we are taking about the Pro or survival knives in general.

it's a jack of all trades, master of none, but sometimes better then a master of one

The Fallkniven A1 pro is one of the purist forms of survival knife. I haven't found a better survival knife, There are some nice ones out there too, but they just dont have all the features and performance capabilities of the pro in the same size.

It chops, it batons , it makes feathers, it takes and holds a killer edge, it doesn't rust, it doesn't break within reasonable use.

While others will point out that other knives can do some of those tasks better, they can't match A1 pro in being able to handle all those jobs at high levels to each other.

It's very difficult for a knife to have great performance without losing something, the pro seems to be able to pull it off without taking a huge hit in one area
(Of course she ain't gonna be a great slicer though)

I've had my disappointment with the guard coming loose, but they have improved the design by welding the guard now.
They also honored their warranty and even paid for shipping and fixed the knife for free.

The A1 doesn't have that warranty.

So it's been fun Knowing I can beat the living hell out of the Pro within reason and Fallkniven will take care of me.

But yeah, As Danke 42 said if ya have to ask,ya don't need it.

it's a great knife if your looking for an all purpose outdoor tool that tries to do everything.
It will NEVER outchop an axe or out carve a scandi. So just keep that in mind.


Shawn
 
Deadboxhero great answer friend. I really appreciate that. I have someone that wants to sell me one for 250.00 online, it's a shop from a person I trust on Ebay, but I don't know if it's one of the later model ones that are welded together at the handles. I suppose if something does go wrong I could go to Fallkniven like you did for the fix. I feel like at 250 unless something insane happens to the blade, it will hold it's value well. I'm guessing you could easily sell it for 200 used but I don't know?

From a utilitarian standpoint getting all that in one knife seems to be utilitarian in its own right? It's just a tough decisions as to whether or not this is worth it. I already have axes, saws, and knives I use the the Wilderness backpacking excursions that I do. hmm.
 
ShinyLoveMachine said:
Deadboxhero great answer friend. I really appreciate that. I have someone that wants to sell me one for 250.00 online, it's a shop from a person I trust on Ebay, but I don't know if it's one of the later model ones that are welded together at the handles. I suppose if something does go wrong I could go to Fallkniven like you did for the fix. I feel like at 250 unless something insane happens to the blade, it will hold it's value well. I'm guessing you could easily sell it for 200 used but I don't know?

From a utilitarian standpoint getting all that in one knife seems to be utilitarian in its own right? It's just a tough decisions as to whether or not this is worth it. I already have axes, saws, and knives I use the the Wilderness backpacking excursions that I do. hmm.
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Tough decision? Yup, can't make that choice for ya. I appreciate survival knives for what they are but Ive come to appreciate specialty tools with specific uses more since It brings me great joy in use when I have the right tool for the job.

Have your friend check the seam between the guard and the bolster. If it's sparkly then it's welded. If it's black, it's not.

Buying something to retain it's value is silly IMHO. The value comes from use. Don't worry about B/S/T stuff. Just use it or don't buy it.

I'd be worried about buying from anywhere but authorized dealers, might want to double check with Fallkniven to see if they honor the warranty if bought through your friend.
 
Deadbox you make great points. I think since, yes, I love knives, but I'm more focused on utility, I'm going to hold off on buying this knife right now. I'm looking for functionality in the Wilderness and like you stated if the job is sawing wood for firewood, well, a 20 dollar handsaw will likely do better than a 300 dollar Fallkniven knife. As far a a chopper goes my ESEE 6 which I've been using I would say is mediocre. To be honest, I'm not that big of a fan of my ESEE 6 especially.

I'm thinking as a chopper goes, and maybe you've had experience with this knife too DeadboxHero, but what about the Schrade Leroy Full Tang Bowie Knife SCHF45? This knife is 40 bucks, and seems excellent for chopping, maybe even better than the Fallkniven?
 
ShinyLoveMachine said:
Deadbox you make great points. I think since, yes, I love knives, but I'm more focused on utility, I'm going to hold off on buying this knife right now. I'm looking for functionality in the Wilderness and like you stated if the job is sawing wood for firewood, well, a 20 dollar handsaw will likely do better than a 300 dollar Fallkniven knife. As far a a chopper goes my ESEE 6 which I've been using I would say is mediocre. To be honest, I'm not that big of a fan of my ESEE 6 especially.

I'm thinking as a chopper goes, and maybe you've had experience with this knife too DeadboxHero, but what about the Schrade Leroy Full Tang Bowie Knife SCHF45? This knife is 40 bucks, and seems excellent for chopping, maybe even better than the Fallkniven?
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I'm Sure the Schrade will chop better than the pro, a 6in blade isn't great for chopping.

Longer is better. But you'll find the Schrade quite anemic if your serious about chopping.
The stock is only .180" at the spine.
That's thinner then the esee 6 (0.190") which also suffers at chopping compared to knives made for it.


Also that grind isn't optimal. It's a shallow hollow grind which doesn't make since for the design.

Just save your money unless you need a new toy to play with for a bit and forget about when you get bored.

If you really wanna get into some serious chopping get an Axe, I've never seen a chopper do this.


That's me chopping a tree in half.

If axes aren't your thing check out Donavon Phillips Competition Chopper made by Bark River. That thing is INSANE!
I'm saving for one now.
 
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That thing is pretty insane, but very cool. Bark River seems like a great company period. Well, I think I'm going to take your advice on this man, save my money.
 
Alright maybe I lied Big Brown Bear. The Store is United Outdoors. I hate asking you this, but have you had any experience with them? I searched this forum and it seems in general people have had good experiences with them. At 245.99 that's incredible for this knife I think? The link is below. The thing that concerns me if I buy this, is whether or not that handle is welded as we talked about. I watched the history of them selling these. Seems the price WAS higher closer to 300 and it has been going down with the latest transactions. It makes me wonder if this is part of the "bad batch", but that was like 2 years ago correct me if I'm wrong? That seems unlikely with the number sold. This company has so much positive feedback too, I would highly doubt they would sell a fake. The other scary question is whether or not this is part of a one that has been opened or returned. It says Brand New in the box though, so it shouldn't be of course.
 
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People pay for exotic steels. I don't see how this knife is any different that any other knife with some sexy new steel.

If you don't need a steel fix, buy the standard one. Same as for any knife.
 
marcinek said:
People pay for exotic steels. I don't see how this knife is any different that any other knife with some sexy new steel.

If you don't need a steel fix, buy the standard one. Same as for any knife.
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Links deleted sorry guys, got a bit carried away there. Well, I don't know what you mean marcinek buy the standard one? Do you mean just the regular A1? The pro is thicker, which too me is the biggest plus for what I would want in the wilderness. Perhaps my needs are different too? Carrying a heavy axe on grueling 15-20 mile hikes in the wilderness backcountry aren't really a practical option for me.
 
ShinyLoveMachine said:
Links deleted sorry guys, got a bit carried away there. Well, I don't know what you mean marcinek buy the standard one? Do you mean just the regular A1? The pro is thicker, which too me is the biggest plus for what I would want in the wilderness. Perhaps my needs are different too? Carrying a heavy axe on grueling 15-20 mile hikes in the wilderness backcountry aren't really a practical option for me.
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I can't speak for the A1 Pro, but I can speak for the standard Fallkniven A1. The reason I can't speak for the Pro is not because I can't afford one if I want, but I have absolutely no need for it, given that I own an A1.

The A1 is an absolute beast. It will chop, split wood, carve, whittle, de-limb, gralloch, skin, etc. All with relative ease. :thumbsup: I daresay for the HSLD types, you could neutralise a sentry with one too. :rolleyes:

As marcinek says, unless you want a steel fix, the VG10 lam. is excellent. Very easy to maintain and sharpen in the field if need be. I just do it free hand with the Fallkniven DC4. The handle on the Pro is very nice as well, I guess, but I am very fond of the kraton handle on the A1, and I have zero need for a metal guard. The handle is grippy as hell, in wet, cold or just plain slimy conditions. It is hands down my favourite large woods knife. I'm sure you would be happy with either one.

Always worth remembering that not so long ago the Fallkniven Pro series did not exist. Up until it did, the A1 was rightly regarded as an outstanding large woods knife. Nothing has changed, it is still an outstanding large woods knife. :)
 
ShinyLoveMachine said:
Alright maybe I lied Big Brown Bear. The Store is United Outdoors. I hate asking you this, but have you had any experience with them? I searched this forum and it seems in general people have had good experiences with them. At 245.99 that's incredible for this knife I think? The link is below. The thing that concerns me if I buy this, is whether or not that handle is welded as we talked about. I watched the history of them selling these. Seems the price WAS higher closer to 300 and it has been going down with the latest transactions. It makes me wonder if this is part of the "bad batch", but that was like 2 years ago correct me if I'm wrong? That seems unlikely with the number sold. This company has so much positive feedback too, I would highly doubt they would sell a fake. The other scary question is whether or not this is part of a one that has been opened or returned. It says Brand New in the box though, so it shouldn't be of course.
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No, don't buy from them. If it's too good to be true, it is.
 
DeadboxHero said:
No, don't buy from them. If it's too good to be true, it is.
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Well, I really appreciate the help. What do you mean though in the sense this is too good to be true? This knife seems to fluctuate almost continuously in price which is weird, but according to the site they have been reducing the price as time goes on over the last 10 sold. You're potentially right though, my suspicion meter is high even though their feedback is excellent. That's why I don't feel bad asking you, I respect your experience with this, and your channel.
 
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