Official Pen Knife Review Thread

Daniel Koster

Daniel Koster

www.kosterknives.com
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Oct 18, 2001
Messages
20,978
***NOTE:***
This Thread is Reserved for the Posting of Reviews of the Himalayan Imports Ltd. Ed. Pen Knife***

Now that we got that settled...:rolleyes: :p

Rob = care to step on the podium first?

:D :eek: :D

(this ain't your granny's paring knife we're talkin 'bout here...:p)
 
Originally posted by Bill Martino
I think that's a good idea, Bruise. I'm eagerly awaiting the box review.
Click to expand...

"Very sturdy box, took me 17 chops to open it with my BAS. I think an 18" AK would be more suitable for opening this box."
 
Ok, now that I have some time to really type....

First the box: excellent design. Fit and finish perfect. Not magic stone mirror but very bright and pure white nonetheless:D Packing: excellent! Ease of opening: a little tricky, but just required more cutting to release tape (more excuse to use another knife, so actually points were GAINED here not lost:D).

Now the knife:

I think there are two things that struck me first: balance and handle comfort. It doesn't really balance like other khuks, its barely forward heavy at all--VERY lively in the hand. The handle, being without the sharp flared out points, is really very comfortable. and due to its "holdability" along the whole length, it seems like a bigger handle than it is.

The big belly of the blade seemed a little odd to me at first, but then grew on me:)

I will have to add to this once I get a chance to chop with it--hopefully tomorrow!

Very impressed with this little knife and I'm sure I'll be more so when I've cut with it!!

Oh, very nice scabbard!! Nice looking brown leather of high quality and nice karda and chakma shaped like big khuk too:)
 
Pen knife is on the way to Rick (ArchAngel)---should get to him by tomorrow. I'm gonna miss that little guy:( (Pen knife that is---I realized it sounded like Rick's days were numbered the way it was worded, or that I had sent a nasty surprise for him in the box) Really Rick open away, honest. nothing in there will hurt you. Really. Don't worry. Not a thing to be concerned about. Just don't shake it or heat it too much;) :eek: :D
 
Well,the Pen knife arrived at my house on Monday morning. I did not get to see it until that night. It is the cutest little thing! I really was taken with how nimbly it moves around. Usually anything with a potbelly is not so quick. I did a little splitting of small kindling type wood and chopped some limbs off of the trees that were damaged in a recent wind storm. As Rob said, this little guy chops like a larger blade. I guess it must be due to the deep sweet spot that the Pen knife has. If they make another run of these I would buy one as a great utility knife. It is small enough to be handy and bellied enough to get the chopping job done. With this one you don't have to worry about it getting away from you when using it. It seems to sit in the hand comfortably without that threat you get from the big ones during use. I LIKE IT!!!
Dan, I hope you do not mind but I polished it up a bit after chopping with it. There was a little ding in the buttcap I polished out a little also, as it dug into the hand when chopping. I tend to polish up my blades a little more than most people because I have the skills and the tools to do it. I find the blades rust a little less with a higher polish. Once again I hope you do not mind. I just thought I would get rid of any marks I put on the blade before I passed it on, and I feel I should pass things on with all signs of my use gone. Thanks for the chance to try this sweet blade. It will ship out Friday, Priority Mail:D
 
ArchAngel, your meticulous care and polishing did my heart some good. I was brought up to understand that you should take even better care of something borrowed than you would your own, because you're not just safeguarding the object, you're safeguarding trust. Trust is important in a rural community where a man is only as good as his word. The "good word" of many important men nowadays is no more than the chattering of monkeys vying for a piece of fruit. Thanks for making my day.

Y'all are focusing on the Pen Knife's prodigious chopping ability. Take it in the kitchen and turn it loose on some meat and veggies, it'll show you that it also loves to slice and dice.:D

Sarge
 
Sarge,
I will take your advice and try her in the kitchen. I honestly had not thought of the kitchen duty. Tonight it goes at meat and veggie prep.:D I will let you know my results.:cool:
 
Hey Sarge,

Well, I'm back here in the sunny equatorial paradise called Singapore; home of my family. I'm back here for holidays and Tsume No-Suzaku (my trusty Penknife) came here with me! :D:D:D

It's probably the *ONLY* khuk I'd be confidant to say wouldn't send all the sheeple Singapore customs into panic and confiscating my luggage... :mad::mad::mad:

Originally posted by Sylvrfalcn
ArchAngel, your meticulous care and polishing did my heart some good. I was brought up to understand that you should take even better care of something borrowed than you would your own, because you're not just safeguarding the object, you're safeguarding trust. Trust is important in a rural community where a man is only as good as his word. The "good word" of many important men nowadays is no more than the chattering of monkeys vying for a piece of fruit. Thanks for making my day.

Y'all are focusing on the Pen Knife's prodigious chopping ability. Take it in the kitchen and turn it loose on some meat and veggies, it'll show you that it also loves to slice and dice.:D

Sarge
Click to expand...

Anyhoo, I lent this great small khuk to my Dad for cutting up some green coconuts for dessert (yum!) and we found out something interesting;

The Penknife seemed to be severely lacking in the slicing department. Sure, it was great for chopping the 'nuts in two after draining the water from them, the edge just didn't slice very well. It'd repeatedly skate off the smooth outer skin and bite only minimally, resulting in very shallow whittling.

Could this be isolated to just coconuts? Should I sharpen it up? Do I need more practice? All of the above? :D:D:D
 
Maybe it's a coconut thing. In addition to kitchen veggies, mine slices and dices meat like nobody's business. Five whitetails can't be wrong. ;)
 
Hibuke,

A knife doesn't have to be razor sharp to chop well because a lot of chopping has to do with inertia (mass times speed equals force). However, when it comes to slicing, it has to be sharp enough to bite with very little pressure. Otherwise, it'll require too much effort in the cutting (unsafe and aggravating), or skid out of the cut like you described. In response to your question, "should I sharpen it up?", I'd say yes. Someone else, Keith I think, has mentioned "paper slicing sharp". That's a fair test for a knife that's going to be used for slicing, since it lets you know real quick if your edge has enough "bite" to it.

Hope I've been of help, don't drink too much green coconut milk.:barf: ;)

Sarge
 
Hey Sarge,

Originally posted by Sylvrfalcn
Hibuke,

A knife doesn't have to be razor sharp to chop well because a lot of chopping has to do with inertia (mass times speed equals force). However, when it comes to slicing, it has to be sharp enough to bite with very little pressure. Otherwise, it'll require too much effort in the cutting (unsafe and aggravating), or skid out of the cut like you described. In response to your question, "should I sharpen it up?", I'd say yes. Someone else, Keith I think, has mentioned "paper slicing sharp". That's a fair test for a knife that's going to be used for slicing, since it lets you know real quick if your edge has enough "bite" to it.

Hope I've been of help, don't drink too much green coconut milk.:barf: ;)

Sarge
Click to expand...

Yes yes, I was a physics major, so I know a bit 'bout mass X velocity...

So, to clarify;

The Pen Knife should be shaving sharp for kitchen duty?

Yes? If so, it's off to the Khuk FAQ for sharpening tips for me! :rolleyes:

Edited to add: And oh yes, one thing that should be made clear, from an Asian with some experience...

*THE LIQUID INSIDE COCONUTS IS NOT MILK! NEVER WAS, NEVER WILL BE!!!*

That stuff is called *COCONUT WATER*

Coconut milk is derived from drier, *BROWN* coconuts. These brown coconuts are husked, cut and then desicated. The desicated coconut flesh is placed in a bag of muslin or any type of corse cloth and squeezed. The resultant liquid squeezed out is coconut milk...

Thank you for listening, rant over...
 
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After I did the initial proof-testing on my Pen-knife I put a fine edge on it (which didn't take a lot of effort because it was well finished to begin with). It's not shaving or "hair-popping" sharp as folks like to say, but it's a fine slicer and sharper than any kitchen knife in the drawer.

I took the mirror finish off mine with a very fine sanding sponge. The sponge brought the edge to about 95%, the finishing was done by stropping on a plain old leather guitar strap.

Hibuke, try working the edge per the faq and you should end up with a fine slicer. I just can't say enough good things about this knife.
 
Raghorn,

Originally posted by raghorn
After I did the initial proof-testing on my Pen-knife I put a fine edge on it (which didn't take a lot of effort because it was well finished to begin with). It's not shaving or "hair-popping" sharp as folks like to say, but it's a fine slicer and sharper than any kitchen knife in the drawer.

I took the mirror finish off mine with a very fine sanding sponge. The sponge brought the edge to about 95%, the finishing was done by stropping on a plain old leather guitar strap.

Hibuke, try working the edge per the faq and you should end up with a fine slicer. I just can't say enough good things about this knife.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I should try that ASAP, as more coconuts are on the way! I'm really honoured to be one of the chosen few to ever have a genuine one of 6 (was that the number initially produced?), handforged, zone-hardened, top-quality khuk in the world that can do almost everything! :D:D:D

Oh and while I'm on the subject of coconuts, sorry to anyone and everyone if they were offended by my earlier rantage. It's just almost every westerner I've met has the wrong impression of what coconut milk really is...




Sorry...
 
Hibuke,

It was not my intention to insult your intelligence. I was just trying to make a point that a heavy blade doesn't have to be real sharp for chopping, but no blade will slice well if it's not sharp enough. My Pen Knife slices very well, everything from thin skinned vegetables to harness grade leather, so I figured yours just needs a bit of touch up work on the edge to work like it ought to on those green coconuts.

Regarding "coconut milk", I stand humbly corrected. I used to pick 'em and drink the water in 'em all the time down in south Florida. Learned the hard way once about drinking too much. :(

Sarge
 
Hibuke-san

If you are in Singapore now (with the penkhuk!) so am I until the 27th of December. If you would like to borrow some sharpening stuff, I have a leather strop on wood with 600 grit sandpaper velcroed on the other side (just like what the FAQ said to make a convex edge - ain't I a good little bookworm?) and a tube of Flitz to strop with. No stones I'm afraid.

Let me know if you want to try some hand sharpening while you are here.

Wayne
 
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