Grimsmo Norseman—is it worth it?

Leo Greer

Leo Greer

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Dec 30, 2021
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Currently I’m aiming for a Shiro as my next “Gotta try it out knife.” But I’m already looking for what might be next. Norsemans have quite a reputation… do they live up to it? Worth it enough to buy it knowing that I’ll probably flip it a few times and immediately resell after having the experience?
 
I absolutely loved my Norseman and the fit and finish was outstanding. I sold it for some reason; found it and bought it back; and then ended up selling it again… it’s been a while, but I think my reasoning was that the blade was just too awkward of a shape for anything I actually needed a knife for. I always wished I’d had something else in my pocket. With that being said, I’d buy it back right now, so if anyone ever sees #1042 floating around for sale, I’ll take it!

Edit to add: I’ve had 4 Shiro’s, and while they were all nice, the Norseman had a better action than 3 of them and was tied with the 4th. All had perfect fit and finish, though I prefer the Norseman because Grimsmo encourages disassembly by including (hex/star?) wrench and some lube. It also has the captured bearings so you don’t need to worry about losing them when disassembling. I vote for finding a Norseman you like and going for it.
 
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I have one, carry it, but haven't used it much. Big knife, very thin, carries well. I mainly got it because of their amazing quality and appreciate the story. Two brothers, everything made in-house and about 20 minutes away from me.

I also had a Shiro F95R Slim but sold it because I felt I had too much money tied up in knives. Both are guillotines if that's what you're after. Practicality is something only you can answer.

Best Damn EDC on YouTube made a decent video about them. He concluded it's not for him.
 
I have a newer Norseman (~5000s) and love it for its story, build quality, etc. I bought it despite the fact I hate recurves. I can sharpen them, but the design seems a solution looking for a problem. I love it because it’s unique and quite unlike all the other carbon fiber scaled, titanium slabbed, overbuilt tanks that seem to be in vogue these days. I bought both a Gen5 111 and a neon zero to just see what the fuss was about. The neon is (to me) the one that checks all the boxes for light EDC use. For serious carry I love all my CRKs. For simply the wow factor I have my Rocksteads. The Grimsmo however would be one I’d loathe to part with. It and the Rocksteads are pieces of engineering artistry. The CRKs are wonderfully executed tools.
 
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Just my opinion here, but I strongly feel that both Grimsmo and Shiro are ridiculously overpriced for what they are. Which is low volume production knives.
You can buy many hand built customs for the same or less than the cost of either one.
Hell, If you look hard enough you can find a used Thorburn for less $, and his action is at least equal, if not better than Shiro or Grimsmo.
 
XL883N said:
I have one, carry it, but haven't used it much. Big knife, very thin, carries well. I mainly got it because of their amazing quality and appreciate the story. Two brothers, everything made in-house and about 20 minutes away from me.

I also had a Shiro F95R Slim but sold it because I felt I had too much money tied up in knives. Both are guillotines if that's what you're after. Practicality is something only you can answer.

Best Damn EDC on YouTube made a decent video about them. He concluded it's not for him.
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T.. Two Brothers, it's Two Brothers, the movie. Old Women are Coming. 😂


Every time I think of the knife, this song starts to play in my head.
 
If you like it, then it’s worth it to you. I believe they are overpriced, but I bought one twice. It’s worth it to me.
 
I've bought 2 in the last month. I already have 12 CRK folders, 3 SHFs, and a Hinderer XM-18. All my CRKs, and the Hinderer are lefty. As am I. Despite not being able to find one of the very few lefty Norseman, I love mine and have carried one every single day since owning one. I also keep a small Sebenza 21 in my pocket, but the Norseman gets the most use. Also, I work an office job, so most of my knife use is letters, packages, threads, and food, none of which I've had trouble with. But for a quick deploy/drop shut blade, nothing I have comes close in action. It's not better or worse than my CRKs, just different. And more fidget friendly.
 
Also, their customer service is phenomenal. I bought my first Norseman here on BF. Lost a bearing. They're closed on weekends, but they replied to my Saturday email on a Saturday, and had a new bearing in my mailbox at no cost to me in less than 10 days. Only CRK has impressed me with customer service nearly as much.
 
T.J. H said:
If you like it, then it’s worth it to you. I believe they are overpriced, but I bought one twice. It’s worth it to me.
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That’s it in a nutshell. Often people complain that a particular product is overpriced when it’s simply more than they’re willing to pay. When price to perceived value doesn’t match market realities, the market makes the call. Many so-called “over priced” knives, watches, pens, firearms, etc. sell because a sufficient number of consumers view the value prospect to be worth the asking price. If the product can sustain enough sales in a competitive environment, they’re not overpriced- just expensive.
 
Hashishiin said:
T.. Two Brothers, it's Two Brothers, the movie. Old Women are Coming. 😂


Every time I think of the knife, this song starts to play in my head.
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Because it’s called the Norseman?

That’s actually one of my nitpicks about the knife. It’s called the Norseman, but no one from ancient Scandinavia would have carried something with that blade shape. They’d likely have used a simple long knife or a Seax.
 
I don’t want to be the humbug of the group, but the Grimsmo story isn’t something abnormal in the knife community. Plenty of large makers and custom makers started out as one guy in a garage with a cheap grinder. In fact, the Grimsmo story is less inspiring because they owned a CNC machine. There are so many makers now on IG making knives with CNC machines that it’s honestly a bit of an eye roll at this point.

I don’t fine the story a selling point when it’s the same story as almost every other manufacturer.
 
What makes Grimsmo's story appealing, is that he has been documenting his journey on YouTube almost since the beginning. So we have all watched the business grow and because of that many have become emotionally invested in the success of the brand.
 
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Is it worth it? Maybe 3 years ago. Not now. There are better knives for hundreds less… but it’s all what someone is willing to pay. I personally never could get used to the chisel/nub end of the blade. They are well made but the price is in custom territory and there is a lot of stiff competition.
 
Murdamook said:
Because it’s called the Norseman?

That’s actually one of my nitpicks about the knife. It’s called the Norseman, but no one from ancient Scandinavia would have carried something with that blade shape. They’d likely have used a simple long knife or a Seax.
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Yes, because of the insane Norse vibe of the chanting in the beginning! Love Nordic influenced black metal and power metal. Great stuff.

And indeed, the "Norseman"...seems cool until you look at it, and it's an Americanization of a Japanese blade style. It's like... the Yojimbo is more Seax-shaped than the Norseman, yet it has a Japanese name, from a guy who trains Pilipino-based styles! Made in America😂 Not that I am complaining, I love the knife, I just think the combination of parts here is a little amusing.
I just can't shell out that money for that blade shape. I want the Lum Tanto shape, that would be cool, but the Seax/Wharnie shape, that would be something I'd be more willing to pay for, for that smooth, hydraulic-like action.
 
Hashishiin said:
Yes, because of the insane Norse vibe of the chanting in the beginning! Love Nordic influenced black metal and power metal. Great stuff.

And indeed, the "Norseman"...seems cool until you look at it, and it's an Americanization of a Japanese blade style. It's like... the Yojimbo is more Seax-shaped than the Norseman, yet it has a Japanese name, from a guy who trains Pilipino-based styles! Made in America😂 Not that I am complaining, I love the knife, I just think the combination of parts here is a little amusing.
I just can't shell out that money for that blade shape. I want the Lum Tanto shape, that would be cool, but the Seax/Wharnie shape, that would be something I'd be more willing to pay for, for that smooth, hydraulic-like action.
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Yeah, the naming convention of knives is always weird to me. That’s why I appreciate Emerson and the Spyderco Ethnic line.
 
Hashishiin said:
Yes, because of the insane Norse vibe of the chanting in the beginning! Love Nordic influenced black metal and power metal. Great stuff.

And indeed, the "Norseman"...seems cool until you look at it, and it's an Americanization of a Japanese blade style. It's like... the Yojimbo is more Seax-shaped than the Norseman, yet it has a Japanese name, from a guy who trains Pilipino-based styles! Made in America😂 Not that I am complaining, I love the knife, I just think the combination of parts here is a little amusing.
I just can't shell out that money for that blade shape. I want the Lum Tanto shape, that would be cool, but the Seax/Wharnie shape, that would be something I'd be more willing to pay for, for that smooth, hydraulic-like action.
Click to expand...
Off topic, I’ve seen Enslaved twice. Really amazing live.
 
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