RosArms Pass-around review

[J.Mattson]

This is my review of the two RosArms pass around knives. Let me know what you think, its my first review. Sorry about the pictures, my camera broke so I had to get several different people to take the pictures for me over a couple days.

Do to the number of pictures I had to split this review into several posts.
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This was my first encounter with RosArms knives and I must say that I found myself very, very impressed with the quality and fit and finish of the blades, particularly at their respective price points.

The Large one is called the Federal Super, and the smaller one is called the Messer 2. First impressions were good, they felt nice in the hand and the knives are very easy on the eyes. Over the course of my week with the knives I had the opportunity to use both knives extensively. Unfortunately when I was actually using the knives I was alone and without a camera I don’t have any “action” pictures. But since you all presumably know what a knife in use looks like you’ll all be able to follow along.

I’ll discuss the Messer 2 first.

I’ll start by getting the Messer’s (and indeed the same goes for the larger knife as well) largest flaw out of the way.

The sheath, it was disappointing. Though I think that in some way’s my criticisms of the sheath show just how nice the knife is. I’ve seen many sheaths that were inferior (and cost more money) but I didn’t think that the quality of the sheath matched the quality of the knife it held. It was adequate, and that’s about the best I can say. When you treat yourself to a drink of 18 year old single malt you don’t poor it into a disposable plastic cup, that while adequate doesn’t match the quality of the whiskey. I had the same feelings about the sheaths. If you can get beyond this issue (not that hard). Its really all god for the Messer 2 beyond that.

However despite my complaints about the sheath it rides nicely on the belt.

 

[J.Mattson]

The blade is 4 inches long made from Forged 110x18M, which I understand to be an analogue of BG-42. As you can see its beautifully shaped, has a wonderful deep hollow ground and a finish that my pictures don’t even begin to do justice to.

The Knife’s handle is made from Birch nodule with Micarta. The natural wood has a nice feel to the hand, its smooth with out being slick and offers good grip without feeling abrasive.

My hands are quite average. As you can see the knife is well sized for a smallish fixed blade.

In a standard hammer grip the knife feels great in hand. The handle is contoured perfectly and the handle is just long enough to be comfortable, with out feeing to long.

If you want to choke up on the knife the Messer 2 offers a small but nicely shaped thumb ramp. This grip position offers quite a lot of control over the tip.

 

[J.Mattson]

If you want to choke up on the knife the Messer 2 offers a small but nicely shaped thumb ramp. This grip position offers quite a lot of control over the tip.

In an edge up grip your thumb rests against the choil and your index is free to control the spine of the blade. The more you use this knife the more apparent it becomes that this design is very well thought out.

If your looking to choke way up the knife can accommodate this grip nicely as well. It was in this grip position that I gave the knife the most use. Apples…a but load of apples. When you’ve getting 5 or 6 bags a day your only choice is to get out a knife, peel them, slice them and freeze them. I’m not exaggerating in the slightest when I say that during the week I had the knives I probably spent a good 15 hours peeling and slicing apples. It seems that peeling apples is considered a laughable task for a fixed blade knife but you try processing a couple hundred apples a day for 7 days in a row and lets see if your laughing then. Trust me after the fist 20 bags you come to a clear understanding and appreciation of ergonomics and control. The Messer 2 preformed as well and better then most any other knife I own. Thankfully I invested in an apple peeler, thank you home shopping network (don’t laugh).

I also used the knife to shave wood into the fluff needed for fire starting material. The blade worked nicely and all that was needed to maintain the edge was a some stropping now and again.

Over all I liked the Messer 2. The sheath could be better but its hard to find a sheath I like outside of customs. I think that the blade would also make a very nice hunting knife. Its stainless, has a good progressive sweep and is about the ideal length for a skinning knife. At its price point there is very little reason not to pick one up, if only to get a feel for the brand.

 

[J.Mattson]

The larger of the two is the Federal Super it has a 7 inch blade (also 110x18M) and an over all length of a bit over 12 inches.

My comments about the smaller sheath hold true for this sheath as well. It simply doesn’t match the quality, fit and finish if the knife. Adequate but not exceptional.

Despite its flaws, the sheath certainly looks good. And feels nice on the belt.

 

[J.Mattson]

The knife on its own doesn’t look so bad either.

The blade shape its wonderfully functional. Good length, useful shape, robust grind.

Not sure about the saw back, it looks cool, but I don’t know when I would actually use it. However it doesn’t take anything away from the knife.

 

[J.Mattson]

The handle is made from stacked leather with micarta on wither end. Very good looking, feels nice in hand, good grip. Though every potential draw back to natural handle materials still apply.

Just look at that fit and finish. Everything lines up perfectly with no gaps. Very impressive.

The Federal Super feels good in just about every potential grip. The handle offers plenty of room with out wasting any space. The ramp at the tip of the blade offers a perfect place to put your thumb the guard at the bottom makes an edge up grip safe and comfortable and the bolster at the back gives a nice counter weight if you intend to chop with it.

I had the chance to use this knife to process a fair about of wood. It worked adequately. Though a FFG would have been better I had no complaints.

I found that I liked this knife a lot. It looked good, felt great and was sized perfectly for most outdoor tasks. The fit and finish of the blade was far beyond anything I had seen in its price point. Its possible that in an out door knife carbon steel is preferable to stainless. However from what I’ve read these blades have an excellent reputation for toughness.

If I had to choose between the two I would take the Federal super every time, its simply a unique and enjoyable knife.

If you would like to learn more about these knifes or the brand as a whole take a look at the RosArms sub forum here on BFC.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=811

They don’t seem to get a lot of attention but if these two knives are representative of the brand as a whole then I can say with confidence that they make some great knives possessing quality well above the price points at which they are offered.

Thanks for reading, let me know what you think.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that the lanyard on the Messer 2 was tied by Hillbillenigma’s 8 yr old daughter Katie. She does great work and I believe even offers some for sale on the exchange.

 

[GregS]

Great reviews, very well done. I like the Messer 2, and the price is very reasonable, thanks for sharing.:thumbup:

 

[knarfeng]

Nice review!
Well illustrated and you made great observations about both knives.
Thanks!

 

[SS1945]

Thanks for the review. Well done for your first.

 

[kancler]

yes, thank you! Very detailed review!

 

[Rozen]

Look the scratches pattern here:

That's why I don't like that leather shelves.

P.S. I am living about 250km from Zlatoust, so I have bought mine RosArms Cliff directly from the manufacturer's headquarters

P.P.S. If somebody is interested, here is their russian site: http://www.rosarms.ru/
It is not in English, but direct links to catalog sections are placed at the bottom of main page.

 

[J.Mattson]

Look the scratches pattern here:

That's why I don't like that leather shelves.

Not unlike those ghost shows on tv, they were only visible in the pictures. Using only my two eyes I couldnt see them.

 

[MacHete]

but here it is.

I already own a ROSarms Companion2, which I have found to be an attractive knife in a handy size and shape, and at a great price. I was excited to get a chance to handle another ROSarms model (or two):thumbup: in this passaround. I was not disappointed.

A lot of what I will say echoes J.Mattson's comments- beginning with fit & finish and quality-to-cost ratio. Both are very good. I really like the handles on most of ROSarm's knives, and I particularly like the birch nodule, as seen on the passaround Messer2 here:

I like the use of micarta as butt and guard material for both aesthetic and even somewhat ergonomic reasons- it keeps the knife handle "warm".

I still have reservations about stainless because of past disappointments, but I am willing to give these russian beauties a chance to redeem the reputation. Sharpening the stuff still sets my teeth on edge, though. Maybe I just need to get used to it.

The Messer2 is a classic hunter design, and I have always favored a drop point for these knives. I wish I could have tried this out on one of our resident whitetails, (it is the perfect size and pattern, IMO) but they aren't in season yet. Although it's a little big for the task, I would have been willing to try it out on squirrel, but I've been working 10+ hour days, six nights a week for the last few weeks, so opportunities to bag some "test subjects" were slim to none. I'm afraid the closest simulation for the Messer2's intended use I could actually do was cut up some "stew" ingredients to toss in with the missing freshly-bagged squirrel.

By conducting my simulation indoors and with a cutting board, I actually made it harder on myself as the knife's guard got in the way slicing. In the field, my cutting board would have been a log, or I would cut the veggies "KP" style right into the pot. Either method would reduce or eliminate the guard's getting in the way. Apart from that insignificant issue, the knife is very comfy and, as J.Mattson showed above, offers a good variety of grip options.

Overall, I would say the Messer2 is well-designed, well-made and well-priced. :thumbup:

Next up is the Federal Super:

 

[MacHete]

the Federal Super is the standard Federal model enhanced with a 45mm longer blade (almost 1 3/4") and aluminum rather than micarta mountings. It is an impressive thing to hold and to behold. The fit and finish are great, as I now expect from ROSarms, and the asking price for this big a chunk of steel is also very good. As for the design, I just don't know.

I will say up front that flags go up every time I see something described as a "fighting knife". I am no expert, and I could not begin to participate in the endless discussion of what features the "pure" fighter would have. But, I am confident in my view that most knives marketed as "fighters" are actually "combat/utility" knives, and that the better knives among these emphasize the "utility" aspects.

Although I have never liked them as a matter of taste, a saw back on a blade can be useful, I suppose. However the saw on the Federal Super does not come sharpened. The teeth are actually blunted to the point that they resemble a fish scaler. I tried to get edge-on pics but they didn't turn out. You can tell a little bit from J.Mattson's pictures what I am talking about. Another point against saw-backs, is that I have heard many stories of them working against a soldier in combat, as enemies tend to view combatants captured while carrying them as particularly bloodthirsty and sadistic.

Doubts about the saw aside, the Federal Super has the look of a solid combat knife to this unskilled layman's eyes. It has the Bowie profile and a strong, sure hilt. But I realize that, becuase I am very familiar with the use of hunting knives, I am very comfortable evaluating one without actually using it for hunting- I cannot offer a qualified opinion of a fighting knife without actually using it for fighting.

Fortunately, there is a motorcycle club just down the road from me. Deer might not be in season for me to try out the Messer2, but fights are always in season with bikers. I headed over with the Federal Super, and picked a fight with this guy:

As I mentioned above, it is an impressive knife:

And it performed admirably well even in my inexperienced hands:

Afterwards, I felt kinda bad about the whole thing, so I took the knife home and used it to make some soup for the biker dude while he is recovering:

The longer blade actually allowed the Federal Super to outperform the Messer2 in the kitchen!

Thanks for the opportunity to play with these knives for a little while, and special thanks to my friend Warren Shamblin- a very nice guy and a real good sport. He would never give anyone a reason to pull a knife on him- not that it would do much good, as he holds a light heavyweight title and a state weightlifting record.

Please read all text in purple with a large grain of salt!

Knives should be in Madisonville, KY Monday afternoon!

 

[J.Mattson]

What did you think about the sheaths?

 

[MacHete]

What did you think about the sheaths?

I thought you did a good job discussing them.

Actually, I think I viewed them a little more charitably than you did. True, they were nothing fancy, but I thought they were perfectly adequate and appropriate for the price range of the knives they carried.

 

[kancler]

Look the scratches pattern here:

P.P.S. If somebody is interested, here is their russian site: http://www.rosarms.ru/
It is not in English, but direct links to catalog sections are placed at the bottom of main page.

Here is site for international customers. http://rosarmsUSA.com

We ship everywhere in a world.
New design with corrections and new models is coming very soon.

 

[kancler]

I like your review MacHete!
And also nice nickname - looks like you need ROSarms machete in your collection

 

[MacHete]

- looks like you need ROSarms machete in your collection

I keep looking for it! But the website just says "Coming Soon..."

BTW- my "biker dude" friend, although not exactly a "knife guy", really liked the Federal Super. :thumbup:

 

[ktomes_340]

Starting with a review of the RosArms Federal Super and the Messer 2 knives, I want to show you a picture of the two knives.

In this photo, I am comparing the Messer 2 with the RAT Cutlery 4.

In this next photo, I am comparing the Federal Super with the Becker 7.

In this photo, I am comparing the blade thickness of the Messer 2 and the Rat Cutlery 4. The comparison of the blades are about the same.

In this next photo, I am comparing the blade thickness of the Federal Super and the Becker 7. In comparison, the blades are about the same in width.

The Messer 2 is a handy knife. It is a knife that is useful for house and field work such as processing an apple. The Messer 2 gave me no problems when I peeled and sliced an apple.

The Federal Super is an attractive knife, but did not work as well peeling the apple. As far as slicing the apple, it worked just as well as the Messer 2. The Federal Super has sawback that appeared to be just for appearance sake, but it works very well as seen in the following picture.

As far as both knives are concerned, they are excellent knives for the asking price. However, I really prefer the Messer 2 over the Federal Super. The Messer 2 is a terrific size for me, and is a good knife for food preparation and outdoor uses.