Spartan Blades: Bill Harsey Designed Hunter & Difensa, and the Phrike (VERY Pic Hvy)

[Mistwalker]

I've got the same unused phrike sheath. Will the tt fit? I have no idea what to do with that sheath as nothing I've come across fits because of how thin the phrike is.

I believe it will fit, the phrike and tt are the same thickness and nearly the same blade length, I can't see spartan making 2 separate nylon sheaths when they have so much in common.

That was one of the questions i asked Curtis the other day. It fits the blade but the retention strap doesn't fit the TT handle properly. He didn't say if too loose or too tight though, and I didn't think to ask. They are looking into making the retention strap adjustable like on their larger sheaths to use that Phrike sheath for the TT as well. I told Curtis they should because the full size sheath on the TT reminds me of a documentary I saw years ago where an old indigenous tribesman work a huge cod piece for a penis the women in the tribe said was half that size lol. I am hoping they do that, and hoping others may mention that idea to them in emails as well. I LOVE the knife itself, so I am reeeeeally hoping it isn't one of the knives that has to get sold to fund all the dental surgeries I am going through lately to finally fix all the damage that was done in my childhood on the streets and stop all the recurring infections in teeth broken off below the gum line long ago.

 

[shinyedges]

That was one of the questions i asked Curtis the other day. It fits the blade but the retention strap doesn't fit the TT handle properly. He didn't say if too loose or too tight though, and I didn't think to ask. They are looking into making the retention strap adjustable like on their larger sheaths to use that Phrike sheath for the TT as well. I told Curtis they should because the full size sheath on the TT reminds me of a documentary I saw years ago where an old indigenous tribesman work a huge cod piece for a penis the women in the tribe said was half that size lol. I am hoping they do that, and hoping others may mention that idea to them in emails as well. I LOVE the knife itself, so I am reeeeeally hoping it isn't one of the knives that has to get sold to fund all the dental surgeries I am going through lately to finally fix all the damage that was done in my childhood on the streets and stop all the recurring infections in teeth broken off below the gum line long ago.

Well I guess there we have it, the blade fits but the retention strap probably won't go around the TT handle.

My TT will be here on Friday I believe, I'm looking forward to it.

 

[Warbow150]

Can anyone tell me how the Difensa or Hunter compare to the Chris Reeve Harsey knives? I’m looking hard at a green beret 5.5 inch but CRK only runs it to 55-57 hrc. Jus wondering if anyone has used both and can tell me how they stack up, or if the green beret does well in the field like the Spartan Harsey designs.

 

[XtianAus]

Can anyone tell me how the Difensa or Hunter compare to the Chris Reeve Harsey knives? I’m looking hard at a green beret 5.5 inch but CRK only runs it to 55-57 hrc. Jus wondering if anyone has used both and can tell me how they stack up, or if the green beret does well in the field like the Spartan Harsey designs.

I haven't had any personal experiences. However, from the readings/research I did when I was once considering those two knives, it seemed like the consensus was that Spartan blades HT with S35vn was superior to CRK.

 

[craytab]

Can anyone tell me how the Difensa or Hunter compare to the Chris Reeve Harsey knives? I’m looking hard at a green beret 5.5 inch but CRK only runs it to 55-57 hrc. Jus wondering if anyone has used both and can tell me how they stack up, or if the green beret does well in the field like the Spartan Harsey designs.

I don't have experience with a crk green beret but do have lots of experience with Spartan's s35vn. I've got a crk large 21 micarta from before they brought the hrc up.

55-57 sounds low for a knife of that size (it is not a chopper). The difensa is 58-59. There is more to ht than just the hrc. I have no doubt the crk would be just fine.

I can say though that spartan has the best production s35vn I've had. Highly recommended.

 

[Organic556]

Can anyone tell me how the Difensa or Hunter compare to the Chris Reeve Harsey knives? I’m looking hard at a green beret 5.5 inch but CRK only runs it to 55-57 hrc. Jus wondering if anyone has used both and can tell me how they stack up, or if the green beret does well in the field like the Spartan Harsey designs.

Go with the spartan knives . I’m speaking from my own expierence with them . They are solid .

 

[MatthewSB]

Can anyone tell me how the Difensa or Hunter compare to the Chris Reeve Harsey knives? I’m looking hard at a green beret 5.5 inch but CRK only runs it to 55-57 hrc. Jus wondering if anyone has used both and can tell me how they stack up, or if the green beret does well in the field like the Spartan Harsey designs.

I've owned CRK's Pacific and Green Beret 5.5, and Spartan's Difensa and Hunter. The Spartan Blades' handles were smaller, a tight fit for my bare hands and too tight for me to use with gloves on. I wear XL sized gloves, if that helps. I did use and enjoy a Hunter for a while but eventually moved on due to the restrictive handle.

The Green Beret 5.5 has bigger handles that are far more comfortable for me. I don't like that the handles are screwed on but stuck with some kind of 2 sided tape or something, I like to remove handles for cleaning occasionally. If they're going to attach the handles I wish they'd just epoxy them on and grind the screws flat so that nothing unsanitary can build up where the handles meet the tang. I also didn't like the factory sheath, but Spartan sells their sheaths and they fit the GB5.5 like they were made for it. The Spartan sheaths are top shelf quality and wear flat.

I have been handling a Spartan Harsey TT for a few days and it has been great, I really like the blade and handle design. The handle is on the small side, but it doesn't have a 'hump' at the base that would interfere with bigger hands or gloves. The knife couldn't be any smaller and still be useful to me, but it is just big enough without any unnecessary length. There's nothing I could do with a Difensa or GB5.5 that I couldn't do with the TT, it really is a brilliantly efficient design. Edited to Add: The sheath that came with the TT is way too long, I would highly recommend paying extra for the factory kydex sheath.

I haven't had any personal experiences. However, from the readings/research I did when I was once considering those two knives, it seemed like the consensus was that Spartan blades HT with S35vn was superior to CRK.

True, but I'm not sure how much it really matters in use. The Spartans last longer between sharpenings but the CRKs are deifnately easier to sharpen.

 

[abbydaddy]

I've owned CRK's Pacific and Green Beret 5.5, and Spartan's Difensa and Hunter. The Spartan Blades' handles were smaller, a tight fit for my bare hands and too tight for me to use with gloves on. I wear XL sized gloves, if that helps. I did use and enjoy a Hunter for a while but eventually moved on due to the restrictive handle.

The Green Beret 5.5 has bigger handles that are far more comfortable for me. I don't like that the handles are screwed on but stuck with some kind of 2 sided tape or something, I like to remove handles for cleaning occasionally. If they're going to attach the handles I wish they'd just epoxy them on and grind the screws flat so that nothing unsanitary can build up where the handles meet the tang. I also didn't like the factory sheath, but Spartan sells their sheaths and they fit the GB5.5 like they were made for it. The Spartan sheaths are top shelf quality and wear flat.

I have been using a Spartan Harsey TT for a few days and it has been great, I really like the blade and handle design. The handle is on the small side, but it doesn't have a 'hump' at the base that would interfere with bigger hands or gloves. The knife couldn't be any smaller and still be useful to me, but it is just big enough without any unnecessary length. There's nothing I could do with a Difensa or GB5.5 that I couldn't do with the TT, it really is a brilliantly efficient design.



True, but I'm not sure how much it really matters in use. The Spartans last longer between sharpenings but the CRKs are deifnately easier to sharpen.

I haven't owned either of the CRK Harsey fixed blades, but I have used the Difensa, Model 1, and Model II. I also have an XL hand, and found the Difensa handle just a little smaller than I liked. I guess I must have a smaller hand than M MatthewSB because I don't find it too small for regular use, just a little smaller than I would ideally like. I find the handle on the Model 1 perfectly sized for my hand, though the blade is larger than I like for regular use.

Regarding the lower hardness of the CRK knives, in the discussions I had with Bill Harsey, it sounded like it was a deliberate choice, and Matthew hit on it in his review. It makes the knife easier to sharpen. The idea was that in an extreme situation, SOF soldiers would be liable to use their knives roughly, and they decided that having a blade that could be sharpened on a rock was preferable to optimal edge retention. It seemed reasonable, and I heard it from the horse's mouth, but I am just some dude on the internet offering free opinions, take it for what it is worth.

Like Matthew said, I don't think it makes much difference in real world application. My only CRK is an Impinda, and that S35VN is done to a harder heat treat, but I have a hard time believing that CRK would fail to choose a solidly well performing heat treat.

 

[Mistwalker]

I have been handling a Spartan Harsey TT for a few days and it has been great, I really like the blade and handle design. The handle is on the small side, but it doesn't have a 'hump' at the base that would interfere with bigger hands or gloves. The knife couldn't be any smaller and still be useful to me, but it is just big enough without any unnecessary length. There's nothing I could do with a Difensa or GB5.5 that I couldn't do with the TT, it really is a brilliantly efficient design. Edited to Add: The sheath that came with the TT is way too long, I would highly recommend paying extra for the factory kydex sheath.

I'm glad to see this threads still going. Bill Harsey is one of my heroes in life and so are Curyis Iovito and Mark Carey.

I love the Pacific. I regret having to sell mine as one of many knives I sold the last few years to fund a divorce and single parenthood after breaking my leg. I reall want the GB 5.5 next. The Hunter fills my hand but doesn't restrict it at my hand size, but I know exactly what you mean, it is why I I designed the handle of the Schrade SCHF42 Raven the way I did, in order to not restrict larger hands like yours.

I agree with you on the TT in all ways. I love the knife very much. A lot of capability in a small package. But as I told Curtis, sending out a full sized knife sheath for that model reminds me of a documentary I watched about a rain forest tribe years ago, where several young ladies were making fun of a guy wearing an overly large codpiece / penis sheath that was almost twice as long as was needed.

Thanks for the info on the hardness. I love Spartan's heat treat, and how long they hold an edge, but I wouldn't hate a little easier sharpening.

 

[MacLaren1]

I'm glad to keep this thred going
I just bought both a Difensa & TT
Very excited to get both!

 

[MacLaren1]

Well, she finally came today. The USPS is really backed up. At any rate, initial impressions are excellent. Ergos are outstanding! Blade was sharp, but with just a few strokes on the SharpMaker, she really came alive! However, the blood you see on the handle and blade was BEFORE, I touched her up on the SharpMaker! So, very sharp indeed.
As for now, this seems to be an absolutely excellent all-round blade. The balance and ergos are the best I've had. I'll be anxious to start using this Spartan.

 

[caine]

Just ordered the Difensa. Black blade, green handle and black kydex sheath