Phil Wilson Smoke Creek Vanadis 10

waterstoneblades

waterstoneblades

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Sep 17, 2013
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I have a quick write up on a knife from Mr. Wilson. I received this model a little while ago and have been using it daily to see how it performs. The steel is Vanadis 10 @64/65 HRC and is a 3rd generation HCV powder steel. It is similar to A11 grade with added Chromium,Carbon and Molybdenum. I haven't used the knife in wet environments yet but may have added corrosion resistance over A11. The edge holding is very high from what I have experienced so far. Sharpening this steel on SIC stone worked fine but I found that a 600x diamond plate got the more crisp edge. Using the proper sharpening equipment is important to cut and shape the carbides to get a scary sharp edge on this stuff. I'll add more info to this down the road.

Vanadis 10 @64/65 HRC and is a 3rd generation HCV powder steel
Blade length on this is 3.75" from tip to scale,
Stock .135",
Handle is Black linen micarta, red G-10 spacer, brass pins and stainless tube
Flat grind with distal taper,
.011" behind cutting edge
3.5 oz


image by waterstoneblades, on Flickr
image by waterstoneblades, on Flickr
 
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waterstoneblades said:
I have a quick write up on a knife from Mr. Wilson. I received this model a little while ago and have been using it daily to see how it performs. The steel is Vanadis 10 @64/65 HRC and is a 3rd generation HCV powder steel. It is similar to A11 grade with added Chromium,Carbon and Molybdenum. I haven't used the knife in wet environments yet but may have added corrosion resistance over A11. The edge holding is very high from what I have experienced so far. Sharpening this steel on SIC stone worked fine but I found that a 600x diamond plate got the more crisp edge. Using the proper sharpening equipment is important to cut and shape the carbides to get a scary sharp edge on this stuff. I'll add more info to this down the road.

Vanadis 10 @64/65 HRC and is a 3rd generation HCV powder steel
Blade length on this is 3.75" from tip to scale,
Stock .135",
Flat grind with distal taper,
.011" behind cutting edge
3.5 oz


image by waterstoneblades, on Flickr
image by waterstoneblades, on Flickr
Click to expand...


Very nice, congrats. :thumbup:
 
Sweeet looking knife for a simple design.. Is the handle thick at the pommel end then towards the blade?

Also I like the red accent. Does the tang end where the red begins? And is it stick tang construction beyond that?

Thanks for sharing.
 
sloth357 said:
Sweeet looking knife for a simple design.. Is the handle thick at the pommel end then towards the blade?

Also I like the red accent. Does the tang end where the red begins? And is it stick tang construction beyond that?

Thanks for sharing.
Click to expand...

Sloth357, The handle is thickest at the butt end and tapers thinner towards the front. The tang is partial with red g-10 spacer in place of the steel. Where the red spacer starts the tang stops. Makes an excellent balance and weight for this type of knife. I'm not sure if Phil came up with this feature but he is the only maker I'm aware of that does this. Phil or someone else would have to confirm?
 
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Very nice looking and a nice practical profile. Really liking this one. But then again, I haven't one of Phil's knives that I didn't like. Congratulations. Mike
 
Nice! Looks like a great knife, I'm sure you'll enjoy it for many years. I can't wait to hear more about it after you've had the chance to use it for a while.
 
waterstoneblades said:
Sloth357, The handle is thickest at the butt end and tapers thinner towards the front. The tang is partial with red g-10 spacer in place of the steel. Where the red spacer starts the tang stops. Makes an excellent balance and weight for this type of knife. I'm not sure if Phil came up with this feature but he is the only maker I'm aware of that does this. Phil or someone else would have to confirm?
Click to expand...

I've noticed this in Phil's knives. Looks like a good idea for the type of knife he makes. It's smart and helps with balance and the cost of steel.
 
Gorgeous knife! :thumbup:

0.135" stock down to 0.011" behind the edge, it sounds like a pretty stout cutter as Wilson's knives go... and still only 3.5oz with good balance, that's a real testament to Phil's partial-tang design.
 
Thanks everybody for commenting on this knife!
C.G ,this is probably the more stout of the 3 wilson knives I have so far... I ask Mr. phil to make something as if it was for himself, in a V10 smoke creek model.The blade thickness, height, geometry, hardness ect. I think he made a good decision for a well rounded cutter.
 
Ugg... it's sick how good that knife looks :barf:


I gotta stay away from threads like this, too tempting, too much envy... :cool:
 
chiral.grolim said:
Ugg... it's sick how good that knife looks :barf:


I gotta stay away from threads like this, too tempting, too much envy... :cool:
Click to expand...

No kidding! I can't tell you how badly I was hoping this was on the exchange when I first saw the thread title. Mike
 
really liking the two-tone g-10 handles, one of the most attractive g-10 wave patterns I've seen... the only thing that would be even cooler would be if a portion of the tang were to be embedded within the red g-10 spacer, although I'm sure realistically that would be a pretty tricky thing to do. that's a fantastic knife you have there!
 
chiral.grolim said:
Ugg... it's sick how good that knife looks :barf:


I gotta stay away from threads like this, too tempting, too much envy... :cool:
Click to expand...

I agree his tools are exceptional ! You really have to have it in the hand and use it to really appreciate it. I have been neck carrying this knife and it is working out well.
 
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