This is the Issakki Jarvenpaa medium Scout, model number 3447. It's a very nice knife for the outdoors, and sharpens to a hair-splitting edge. Made in Finland. You can find them on-line, ranging from $30 to $45. Here are the details...
Handle Details: The Scout is 9" long overall, of which 4.2" is the handle. The handle is made of stacked leather, and has an aluminum pommel and an aluminum half guard. The area between these is 3.7", so you actually have 3.7" of gripping area, even though the handle is 4.2" long. The ends of the leather handle both have two bands of black and yellow trim for spacers. The leather is either laminated or coated with something, but it's smooth and glossy. The handle had no blemishes, but there was some epoxy showing through at the junction where the leather handle meets the pommel. A little sandpaper made it better. This is a great handle for outdoor use. One of those "I can use it for hours and not get a cramp" handles. It works as well in a reverse grip as it does a hammer grip. The area between the guard and pommel is actually large enough for my hands, which are large. There's even a little extra space. It's a very secure grip, and is quite comfortable when doing camp chores.
Blade Details: The Scout's blade is made of 1095 carbon steel, Rockwell rated at 58. It's 4.55" long (4.25" cutting edge) and .12" thick. Each side has a 2.2" long fuller (small blood groove). The blade ends in a clip point, with the top swedge unground. There are no tang stampings or markings, but the right side of the blade is etched "Iisakki Jarvenpaa Oy" over "Kauhava Finland" in stylized cursive. The grind is the traditional Scandanavian grind, with a very slight secondary bevel. It came out of the package extremely sharp, but I intentionally removed the secondary bevel. While I love the length and cutting ability of this blade, I hate the clip point. I'd much rather have a straight, Puuko-style spine, since I don't stab things with this knife. The pointy tip seems to roll a bit when sharpening, but it always straightens out when I'm done. Kind of weird since I don't use the tip for much.
The Sheath: The Scout's sheath is made of tan leather. It's 9.15" overall and 2.15" wide. It's single-stitched with yellow stitching, and the front has a nice design on it. The bottom of the sheath, where you'd be worried about the tip cutting through, has a piece of steel riveted on to prevent such an occurenace. The front side also has a piece of steel riveted at the top, to prevent the blade from cutting through. The sheath snaps closed, and has two slits in it for belt carry. It will fit a belt up to 2" wide.
This is probably the best example of a "pure" hunting knife I've seen in a while, and while it doesn't have the appeal to me that I thought it would, it's still a great knife. If you can find these for around $30, grab one and see how you like it. Right now, this thing is my carry knife for the camp and general outdoor work. It rarely needs resharpening, and holds that razor edge for a while.
Handle Details: The Scout is 9" long overall, of which 4.2" is the handle. The handle is made of stacked leather, and has an aluminum pommel and an aluminum half guard. The area between these is 3.7", so you actually have 3.7" of gripping area, even though the handle is 4.2" long. The ends of the leather handle both have two bands of black and yellow trim for spacers. The leather is either laminated or coated with something, but it's smooth and glossy. The handle had no blemishes, but there was some epoxy showing through at the junction where the leather handle meets the pommel. A little sandpaper made it better. This is a great handle for outdoor use. One of those "I can use it for hours and not get a cramp" handles. It works as well in a reverse grip as it does a hammer grip. The area between the guard and pommel is actually large enough for my hands, which are large. There's even a little extra space. It's a very secure grip, and is quite comfortable when doing camp chores.
Blade Details: The Scout's blade is made of 1095 carbon steel, Rockwell rated at 58. It's 4.55" long (4.25" cutting edge) and .12" thick. Each side has a 2.2" long fuller (small blood groove). The blade ends in a clip point, with the top swedge unground. There are no tang stampings or markings, but the right side of the blade is etched "Iisakki Jarvenpaa Oy" over "Kauhava Finland" in stylized cursive. The grind is the traditional Scandanavian grind, with a very slight secondary bevel. It came out of the package extremely sharp, but I intentionally removed the secondary bevel. While I love the length and cutting ability of this blade, I hate the clip point. I'd much rather have a straight, Puuko-style spine, since I don't stab things with this knife. The pointy tip seems to roll a bit when sharpening, but it always straightens out when I'm done. Kind of weird since I don't use the tip for much.
The Sheath: The Scout's sheath is made of tan leather. It's 9.15" overall and 2.15" wide. It's single-stitched with yellow stitching, and the front has a nice design on it. The bottom of the sheath, where you'd be worried about the tip cutting through, has a piece of steel riveted on to prevent such an occurenace. The front side also has a piece of steel riveted at the top, to prevent the blade from cutting through. The sheath snaps closed, and has two slits in it for belt carry. It will fit a belt up to 2" wide.
This is probably the best example of a "pure" hunting knife I've seen in a while, and while it doesn't have the appeal to me that I thought it would, it's still a great knife. If you can find these for around $30, grab one and see how you like it. Right now, this thing is my carry knife for the camp and general outdoor work. It rarely needs resharpening, and holds that razor edge for a while.
