Off Topic SHHHH Show US Your Brute (Sorry Ethan)

San Nicolas Island White fish. Too long on ice, need to go fishin'.
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Is there any reason the Brute couldn't be revised and reintroduced? It has the makings of a great blade. Long enough for good swing momentum, weight forward for chopping, flat spot so it doesn't chew up a baton, and of course the wonderful Becker grip design.

So i know they generally had terribly obtuse edge geometry, but if someone fixed the geometry and tweaked blade thickness to optimize performance accordingly, why the hell couldn't that go from being his worst to being a damned fine knife? It's not like knives can't be tweaked. Just look at the BK4/Machax and the evolution it went through with various makers.
 
Old tweaked Brutes will all you will ever see, Not sure who has rights to Brute but not designed by Ethan only his scale design, asked designer if he had any plans to bring back and answer was a flat never, could be thickness of stock but the obvious as will not sell well so never plan on seeing brought back by any manufacturer. If you are on the hunt the best made are the Blackjack versions, Steriles less than 100 or the bead blast 500 or less of those.

Bead Blast Version and the Kukri not a bad 1 to grab either

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19-3ben said:
Is there any reason the Brute couldn't be revised and reintroduced? It has the makings of a great blade. Long enough for good swing momentum, weight forward for chopping, flat spot so it doesn't chew up a baton, and of course the wonderful Becker grip design.

So i know they generally had terribly obtuse edge geometry, but if someone fixed the geometry and tweaked blade thickness to optimize performance accordingly, why the hell couldn't that go from being his worst to being a damned fine knife? It's not like knives can't be tweaked. Just look at the BK4/Machax and the evolution it went through with various makers.
Click to expand...

It's hard to understate how abysmal the factory geometry was on the Brute - it's not surprising to me that E wasn't that jazzed about having his name attached to it. Bottom picture (blurrily) shows the 90°+ angle at the tip, the working edge was actually closer to 100°...useless as a cutting implement. An hour later with a 200 grit belt on the WSKO I had the edge down to 75°-80°...still bludgeon-y, but actually cutting at that point - you can see how much steel I removed in the 2nd shot. That's where I left it, tho in the photos the edge looks almost like a mini-scandi. It's a fun blade to play with - but it's H E A V Y and isn't as good as the 9 (or 4, 5, 7, 12, 20 and 21) at batoning, chopping or nearly any other knife related task. I think all of the Northeast Gang have handled my Brute at some point ;) and none have felt the need to track one down. Mine is a serviceable tool now, but if you don't have access to a grinder and some time - or a desire to own a safe queen, I guess - consider that the Boss doesn't like this knife for plenty of good reasons...and I don't think he's wrong. Had I not paid a very reasonable amount for mine, I don't think I could've taken it to the grinder in good conscience...and would've likely passed it along. Not that anyone who wants one will be dissuaded. IMO, out of the box (mine came unused, so I know this was true of at least one) it's not a functional piece. That said, here are some photos for y'all

21371570105_923b07b115_b.jpg


21184599809_236dbe7a8d_b.jpg


16917033684_910f527144_b.jpg


16887296312_b337dea8a4_b.jpg
 
granitestateofmind said:
It's hard to understate how abysmal the factory geometry was on the Brute - it's not surprising to me that E wasn't that jazzed about having his name attached to it. Bottom picture (blurrily) shows the 90°+ angle at the tip, the working edge was actually closer to 100°...useless as a cutting implement. An hour later with a 200 grit belt on the WSKO I had the edge down to 75°-80°...still bludgeon-y, but actually cutting at that point - you can see how much steel I removed in the 2nd shot. That's where I left it, tho in the photos the edge looks almost like a mini-scandi. It's a fun blade to play with - but it's H E A V Y and isn't as good as the 9 (or 4, 5, 7, 12, 20 and 21) at batoning, chopping or nearly any other knife related task. I think all of the Northeast Gang have handled my Brute at some point ;) and none have felt the need to track one down. Mine is a serviceable tool now, but if you don't have access to a grinder and some time - or a desire to own a safe queen, I guess - consider that the Boss doesn't like this knife for plenty of good reasons...and I don't think he's wrong. Had I not paid a very reasonable amount for mine, I don't think I could've taken it to the grinder in good conscience...and would've likely passed it along. Not that anyone who wants one will be dissuaded. IMO, out of the box (mine came unused, so I know this was true of at least one) it's not a functional piece. That said, here are some photos for y'all

21371570105_923b07b115_b.jpg


21184599809_236dbe7a8d_b.jpg


16917033684_910f527144_b.jpg


16887296312_b337dea8a4_b.jpg
Click to expand...

OK you win. You've cured me of the desire for one!
 
granitestateofmind said:
It's hard to understate how abysmal the factory geometry was on the Brute - it's not surprising to me that E wasn't that jazzed about having his name attached to it. Bottom picture (blurrily) shows the 90°+ angle at the tip, the working edge was actually closer to 100°...useless as a cutting implement. An hour later with a 200 grit belt on the WSKO I had the edge down to 75°-80°...still bludgeon-y, but actually cutting at that point - you can see how much steel I removed in the 2nd shot. That's where I left it, tho in the photos the edge looks almost like a mini-scandi. It's a fun blade to play with - but it's H E A V Y and isn't as good as the 9 (or 4, 5, 7, 12, 20 and 21) at batoning, chopping or nearly any other knife related task. I think all of the Northeast Gang have handled my Brute at some point ;) and none have felt the need to track one down. Mine is a serviceable tool now, but if you don't have access to a grinder and some time - or a desire to own a safe queen, I guess - consider that the Boss doesn't like this knife for plenty of good reasons...and I don't think he's wrong. Had I not paid a very reasonable amount for mine, I don't think I could've taken it to the grinder in good conscience...and would've likely passed it along. Not that anyone who wants one will be dissuaded. IMO, out of the box (mine came unused, so I know this was true of at least one) it's not a functional piece. That said, here are some photos for y'all

21371570105_923b07b115_b.jpg


21184599809_236dbe7a8d_b.jpg


16917033684_910f527144_b.jpg


16887296312_b337dea8a4_b.jpg
Click to expand...
Great post! :thumbsup:
 
granitestateofmind said:
It's hard to understate how abysmal the factory geometry was on the Brute - it's not surprising to me that E wasn't that jazzed about having his name attached to it. Bottom picture (blurrily) shows the 90°+ angle at the tip, the working edge was actually closer to 100°...useless as a cutting implement. An hour later with a 200 grit belt on the WSKO I had the edge down to 75°-80°...still bludgeon-y, but actually cutting at that point - you can see how much steel I removed in the 2nd shot. That's where I left it, tho in the photos the edge looks almost like a mini-scandi. It's a fun blade to play with - but it's H E A V Y and isn't as good as the 9 (or 4, 5, 7, 12, 20 and 21) at batoning, chopping or nearly any other knife related task. I think all of the Northeast Gang have handled my Brute at some point ;) and none have felt the need to track one down. Mine is a serviceable tool now, but if you don't have access to a grinder and some time - or a desire to own a safe queen, I guess - consider that the Boss doesn't like this knife for plenty of good reasons...and I don't think he's wrong. Had I not paid a very reasonable amount for mine, I don't think I could've taken it to the grinder in good conscience...and would've likely passed it along. Not that anyone who wants one will be dissuaded. IMO, out of the box (mine came unused, so I know this was true of at least one) it's not a functional piece. That said, here are some photos for y'all

21371570105_923b07b115_b.jpg


21184599809_236dbe7a8d_b.jpg


16917033684_910f527144_b.jpg


16887296312_b337dea8a4_b.jpg
Click to expand...
Which is also why nobody ever coined the phrase, 'You can't not have a BK1'. :thumbsup:
 
It’s the best write up I ever saw on the 1’s deficiencies. :thumbsup:

I got the 6 and the 1 around the same time and went to test them together. I swung the 6 and it bit in deep. The 1 was like using a hammer. Even trying to baton with it was disappointing. :rolleyes:
 
I don’t disagree regarding the Cam BK1 factory grind but the Original Effingham Brute has a very usable grind and with a little work you can have a nice usable semi convex edge. It may not function as well as a new Bk9 but it’s a good looking usable blade...
 
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