- Joined
- May 27, 2007
- Messages
- 4,210
My first thought after opening the box was "wow" this knife is a TANK!
Stats are as follows:
Blade Size: 5.5" x 1.68" x .25"
Overall Length: 11"
Steel: CPM-3V
Hardness: 57-59 Rc
Handle: Linen Micarta, Cushioned
The first victim of the Fehrman was this frozen Ozarka bottle which I chopped in half with one hard swing. Needless to say... no edge damage.
Ranger (knife testing partner) loves ice.
I determined that this knife was far too pretty and shiny so i decided to give it a good work-out this weekend. With that in mind I had a lot of mesquite bbq wood that needed to be split and wanted to see how the CPM-3V steel with the Fehrman heat treatment would hold up to batoning a very hard wood with knots and forks. My experience has been that most knife steels will dull quickly in this process, and I find it to be a good test of overall toughness and wear-resistance.
Those of you whom believe that batoning is abuse... stop reading now. If batoning was truly abuse, I'd be in prison.
Generally, I split each log twice (into four pieces) using a chunk of cedar (juniper) that I chopped down with the Fehrman as my 'baton'. The 5.5" blade isn't very long for chopping, but by choking back on the handle it is capable.
I chopped for hours this weekend off and on, splitting all my wood shown is a small pile below (for the purpose of dramatic reenactment). I'd estimate I split about half a cord of mesquite in total. The edge showed only one very small roll toward the rear of the blade. It is the kind of roll that would take about 10 seconds and a crock stick to fix (if that). Other than that minor roll on the very edge of the edge, the geometry was flawless.
I tried to get a picture of the very small roll or misalignment of the edge... it is just after the choil reflecting light just a bit. Yes, I know that is a tiny problem and hardly worth mentioning, but I'm trying to be complete.
As you see, the edge is still capable of slicing the print off of a letter or Mr. Russell's fine catalog. :thumbup: Needless to say, it also has no problem shaving arm hair.
Today, I decided to use the knife a bit more by digging up weeds in my back yard. The edge was dulled slightly, but the 3V still shaves arm hair just fine.
The ergo's are excellent on the Last Chance and the handle is very comfortable. The knife has excellent fit and finish, and is very well made with thumb notches along the rear of the spine. The spine is beveled as is the choil to prevent the hand from contacting sharp areas. It makes the knife very comfortable to use. I have medium/small hands. (Note I am only showing the palm side of my arm because the other side has lost all it's hair this weekend)
In reading about 3V, there seems to be some discussion about the rust resistance of the steel. To determine for myself, I left the knife uncleaned throughout the weekend and allowed it to spend the night (accidentally) in the damp grass of my backyard for over 12 hours (it was the beer's fault... really). There was no corrosion or staining of the blade when I cleaned it today with soap and water.
In short, I'd highly recommend this product, and I have ordered two more of Mr. Fehrman's knives. I find them to be a bargain at their price point. I wish I had video capability so you guys could see how hard I beat this knife through tough dried mesquite knots and forks. At times i was striking the spine and the thinner tip of the blade with tremendous force. Enough force to where I began to worry that I may damage the knife. I recall reminding myself that Mr. Fehrman's knives are Guaranteed not to fail… for life (his words). Trust me when I say I beat it like a rented mule... and it laughed.
Cheers!
EDIT TO ADD: After whacking on some old dry oak wood (very hard wood) to see just how much the edge would take and if I the oak would damage it. It didn't, although it did dull it a bit more. I decided to see what it would take to bring the edge back to factory sharpness.
First, I used a ceramic crock stick to straiten the minor edge deformation... it took a couple of strokes to fully repair. Next, I stropped it on a veritas loaded strip of leather. After 20-30 strokes the edge is an absolute hair splitter. I am not sure if the blade is cutting the hair (whats left of it) on my arm or if the hairs are retreating in fear of the edge... I wouldn't blame 'em.
Again... I'm impressed.
Disclaimer: Although no animals were harmed in the chronicling of this review, several beers were killed.
.
Stats are as follows:
Blade Size: 5.5" x 1.68" x .25"
Overall Length: 11"
Steel: CPM-3V
Hardness: 57-59 Rc
Handle: Linen Micarta, Cushioned
The first victim of the Fehrman was this frozen Ozarka bottle which I chopped in half with one hard swing. Needless to say... no edge damage.
Ranger (knife testing partner) loves ice.
I determined that this knife was far too pretty and shiny so i decided to give it a good work-out this weekend. With that in mind I had a lot of mesquite bbq wood that needed to be split and wanted to see how the CPM-3V steel with the Fehrman heat treatment would hold up to batoning a very hard wood with knots and forks. My experience has been that most knife steels will dull quickly in this process, and I find it to be a good test of overall toughness and wear-resistance.
Those of you whom believe that batoning is abuse... stop reading now. If batoning was truly abuse, I'd be in prison.
Generally, I split each log twice (into four pieces) using a chunk of cedar (juniper) that I chopped down with the Fehrman as my 'baton'. The 5.5" blade isn't very long for chopping, but by choking back on the handle it is capable.
I chopped for hours this weekend off and on, splitting all my wood shown is a small pile below (for the purpose of dramatic reenactment). I'd estimate I split about half a cord of mesquite in total. The edge showed only one very small roll toward the rear of the blade. It is the kind of roll that would take about 10 seconds and a crock stick to fix (if that). Other than that minor roll on the very edge of the edge, the geometry was flawless.
I tried to get a picture of the very small roll or misalignment of the edge... it is just after the choil reflecting light just a bit. Yes, I know that is a tiny problem and hardly worth mentioning, but I'm trying to be complete.
As you see, the edge is still capable of slicing the print off of a letter or Mr. Russell's fine catalog. :thumbup: Needless to say, it also has no problem shaving arm hair.
Today, I decided to use the knife a bit more by digging up weeds in my back yard. The edge was dulled slightly, but the 3V still shaves arm hair just fine.
The ergo's are excellent on the Last Chance and the handle is very comfortable. The knife has excellent fit and finish, and is very well made with thumb notches along the rear of the spine. The spine is beveled as is the choil to prevent the hand from contacting sharp areas. It makes the knife very comfortable to use. I have medium/small hands. (Note I am only showing the palm side of my arm because the other side has lost all it's hair this weekend)
In reading about 3V, there seems to be some discussion about the rust resistance of the steel. To determine for myself, I left the knife uncleaned throughout the weekend and allowed it to spend the night (accidentally) in the damp grass of my backyard for over 12 hours (it was the beer's fault... really). There was no corrosion or staining of the blade when I cleaned it today with soap and water.
In short, I'd highly recommend this product, and I have ordered two more of Mr. Fehrman's knives. I find them to be a bargain at their price point. I wish I had video capability so you guys could see how hard I beat this knife through tough dried mesquite knots and forks. At times i was striking the spine and the thinner tip of the blade with tremendous force. Enough force to where I began to worry that I may damage the knife. I recall reminding myself that Mr. Fehrman's knives are Guaranteed not to fail… for life (his words). Trust me when I say I beat it like a rented mule... and it laughed.
Cheers!
EDIT TO ADD: After whacking on some old dry oak wood (very hard wood) to see just how much the edge would take and if I the oak would damage it. It didn't, although it did dull it a bit more. I decided to see what it would take to bring the edge back to factory sharpness.
First, I used a ceramic crock stick to straiten the minor edge deformation... it took a couple of strokes to fully repair. Next, I stropped it on a veritas loaded strip of leather. After 20-30 strokes the edge is an absolute hair splitter. I am not sure if the blade is cutting the hair (whats left of it) on my arm or if the hairs are retreating in fear of the edge... I wouldn't blame 'em.
Again... I'm impressed.
Disclaimer: Although no animals were harmed in the chronicling of this review, several beers were killed.
.
Last edited:
