BTTLBRN
Gold Member
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2020
- Messages
- 790
I recently completed my own "one year challenge" in carrying the Spartan Blades Harsey Folder (SHF). My inspiration was actually found in the Chris Reeve section of the forum and the thread where members seek to complete their own challenge of carrying the same CRK for an entire year. Prior to beginning the challenge my main carry was typically a CRK Inkosi or a Sebenza 21, so I took the alternate approach and carried another brand. I actually own two SHF knives; the carry example which is the "Runes and Staves" edition, as well as the "Plague Doctor" - the latter has not really been carried or used much, I purchased it based of off the "novelty" factor of the world we have all lived in and through the last few years.
I began carrying the knife on November 25 of 2021 and made it successfully through until the end of last week.
I am work as a construction superintendent for a large general contractor, and while I no longer where bags or do much of the hands on labor/work; my knife is subjected to use multiple times a day - every day. I carried the knife exclusively while not at work as well, so it got the call for around the house duties as well. The following are my overall impressions of the knife, pros and cons, but for those who want a quick summary; I would highly recommend the SHF under most circumstances.
The knife came very sharp as delivered from the factory, the finish was excellent and the action while initially stiff loosened up after about a week of consistent use. I was drawn to the Runes and Staves version for both aesthetic appeal and the somewhat hidden message on the underside of the lock scale which reads in Icelandic - "I do not stop when tired, I stop when done." This was/is an appropriate message for me on a personal level due to some challenges I faced in my occupation - those in construction may sympathize.
The knife to me feels a bit like a blend of features from both a Hinderer and a Chris Reeve knife. It has the jimping on the scales and a clip reminiscent of an XM-18; while the blade opening and overall styling is reminiscent of a CRK Sebenza and Umnumzaan. This shouldn't be much of a surprise as the folks at Spartan Blades talk frequently about their time with CRK, and how they learned much of their approach from them.
The newer SHF blades have a larger pivot collar on the lock side and have thus eliminated the original design which had an internal overtravel stop, as well as one less stand off on the handle.
Make no mistake this is a rugged knife; the jimping is aggressive and so it is not a good choice for those who are looking for all smooth edges or have "dish pan hands." That is not to say that the knife is sharp or uncomfortable, it is most nicely contoured, I didn't find any real hot spots to speak of; but it isn't perfectly rounded in every location - you definitely know it's in your hand.
The Runes and Staves edition came with a nicely coated PVD blade, the finish has really held up; I have a couple lasting scratches and wear marks, but nothing substantial. The finish on the scales is pretty resilient as well, and while it has lightened substantially from the original dark color the wear patterns are pleasing and snail trails were kept to a minimum. The knife was routinely subjected to use and shared a pocket with a tape measure attached, banged around in tight places, bumped against doors, etc; even the clip (also PVD coated) shows an acceptable amount of wear, nothing too excessive.
I was initially a bit concerned about the lack of a sharpening choil, and while I might have preferred one, sharpening the knife wasn't as difficult as I thought it might be. Let's talk a little about the blade itself, the S45VN steel is excellent. This was my first experience with S45VN, and while to the best of my knowledge Spartan doesn't publish any official hardness specs, the blade held up fantastically. I used the knife every day for tasks such as cutting cardboard (and lots of it), plastic banding, minimal prying, cutting up a quick lunch, landscape duties (PVC and vinyl), etc; the edge after sharpening was long lasting and I have zero complaints. I sharpened the knife four times that I remember over the course of a year, but it was honed and stropped about once a week or two. The S45VN steel responded well to both stropping and honing, it didn't take too long to get it back to shaving sharp. When sharpened I used diamond stones, that was pretty easy as well; 20-30 minutes and she was back in action. The blade is not thin behind the edge by any means, this is far from the "sliceiest" blade I have ever used, but I don't believe that to be the design intent; it is a work knife and it will hold up to abuse that thinner stock might not.
The action as mentioned earlier smoothed out quite a bit after the first couple of weeks of use, thumb/"spidey" flicking the blade are of little effort and it became almost "drop shut" (never a real concern of mine) after about two months of consistent opening and closing. This isn't a fidgeters knife though, I don't think the SHF need apply for those looking for that.
I took the knife apart three time for a thorough cleaning and regreasing of the washers - the washers are HUGE on this knife (the latter generation utilizes a larger washer on the lock side with the increased pivot), and that contributes to the nice fluid movement of the blade; not quite CRK level, but close.
Alright let me get to a few of the cons, though I somewhat have to scrape to add those. First the clip, it is incredibly secure in pocket; but to the point that it did begin to wear some of my jean pockets. The clip is strong and thin, so it can over time begin to cut through the hem on some pants. The pivot collar also loosened at about the 6 month mark, I had to apply fresh loctite to get her snugged up again. Again, the blade stock is thick and not very thin behind the edge, but I think if you are looking at this knife you would probably already understand and expect that. The lockup did settle in and grow a little over the year of carry, it doesn't lock up late by any means, but it is about 60% or so now; there is no blade play however, it has always been a bank vault in that regard.
Overall, I am very happy with the purchase; and would highly recommend the knife for those looking for a rugged, work knife. I am somewhat "proud" of myself for making through an entire year of carry, but it wasn't much of a chore when I enjoyed carrying the knife so much. She might not win any beauty contests, though I am quite fond of the looks myself.
This thread would be worthless I suppose without some obligatory pictures -
I began carrying the knife on November 25 of 2021 and made it successfully through until the end of last week.
I am work as a construction superintendent for a large general contractor, and while I no longer where bags or do much of the hands on labor/work; my knife is subjected to use multiple times a day - every day. I carried the knife exclusively while not at work as well, so it got the call for around the house duties as well. The following are my overall impressions of the knife, pros and cons, but for those who want a quick summary; I would highly recommend the SHF under most circumstances.
The knife came very sharp as delivered from the factory, the finish was excellent and the action while initially stiff loosened up after about a week of consistent use. I was drawn to the Runes and Staves version for both aesthetic appeal and the somewhat hidden message on the underside of the lock scale which reads in Icelandic - "I do not stop when tired, I stop when done." This was/is an appropriate message for me on a personal level due to some challenges I faced in my occupation - those in construction may sympathize.
The knife to me feels a bit like a blend of features from both a Hinderer and a Chris Reeve knife. It has the jimping on the scales and a clip reminiscent of an XM-18; while the blade opening and overall styling is reminiscent of a CRK Sebenza and Umnumzaan. This shouldn't be much of a surprise as the folks at Spartan Blades talk frequently about their time with CRK, and how they learned much of their approach from them.
The newer SHF blades have a larger pivot collar on the lock side and have thus eliminated the original design which had an internal overtravel stop, as well as one less stand off on the handle.
Make no mistake this is a rugged knife; the jimping is aggressive and so it is not a good choice for those who are looking for all smooth edges or have "dish pan hands." That is not to say that the knife is sharp or uncomfortable, it is most nicely contoured, I didn't find any real hot spots to speak of; but it isn't perfectly rounded in every location - you definitely know it's in your hand.
The Runes and Staves edition came with a nicely coated PVD blade, the finish has really held up; I have a couple lasting scratches and wear marks, but nothing substantial. The finish on the scales is pretty resilient as well, and while it has lightened substantially from the original dark color the wear patterns are pleasing and snail trails were kept to a minimum. The knife was routinely subjected to use and shared a pocket with a tape measure attached, banged around in tight places, bumped against doors, etc; even the clip (also PVD coated) shows an acceptable amount of wear, nothing too excessive.
I was initially a bit concerned about the lack of a sharpening choil, and while I might have preferred one, sharpening the knife wasn't as difficult as I thought it might be. Let's talk a little about the blade itself, the S45VN steel is excellent. This was my first experience with S45VN, and while to the best of my knowledge Spartan doesn't publish any official hardness specs, the blade held up fantastically. I used the knife every day for tasks such as cutting cardboard (and lots of it), plastic banding, minimal prying, cutting up a quick lunch, landscape duties (PVC and vinyl), etc; the edge after sharpening was long lasting and I have zero complaints. I sharpened the knife four times that I remember over the course of a year, but it was honed and stropped about once a week or two. The S45VN steel responded well to both stropping and honing, it didn't take too long to get it back to shaving sharp. When sharpened I used diamond stones, that was pretty easy as well; 20-30 minutes and she was back in action. The blade is not thin behind the edge by any means, this is far from the "sliceiest" blade I have ever used, but I don't believe that to be the design intent; it is a work knife and it will hold up to abuse that thinner stock might not.
The action as mentioned earlier smoothed out quite a bit after the first couple of weeks of use, thumb/"spidey" flicking the blade are of little effort and it became almost "drop shut" (never a real concern of mine) after about two months of consistent opening and closing. This isn't a fidgeters knife though, I don't think the SHF need apply for those looking for that.
I took the knife apart three time for a thorough cleaning and regreasing of the washers - the washers are HUGE on this knife (the latter generation utilizes a larger washer on the lock side with the increased pivot), and that contributes to the nice fluid movement of the blade; not quite CRK level, but close.
Alright let me get to a few of the cons, though I somewhat have to scrape to add those. First the clip, it is incredibly secure in pocket; but to the point that it did begin to wear some of my jean pockets. The clip is strong and thin, so it can over time begin to cut through the hem on some pants. The pivot collar also loosened at about the 6 month mark, I had to apply fresh loctite to get her snugged up again. Again, the blade stock is thick and not very thin behind the edge, but I think if you are looking at this knife you would probably already understand and expect that. The lockup did settle in and grow a little over the year of carry, it doesn't lock up late by any means, but it is about 60% or so now; there is no blade play however, it has always been a bank vault in that regard.
Overall, I am very happy with the purchase; and would highly recommend the knife for those looking for a rugged, work knife. I am somewhat "proud" of myself for making through an entire year of carry, but it wasn't much of a chore when I enjoyed carrying the knife so much. She might not win any beauty contests, though I am quite fond of the looks myself.
This thread would be worthless I suppose without some obligatory pictures -
