Spend way too much on a Fällkniven A1 Pro, or an A1xb?

J

Jesse Red

Joined
Apr 9, 2020
Messages
8
I tried to post a question on here, but I think I somehow doomed it to wasteland where no one goes. I made my first forum account EVER a week ago. I made THIS account on here just last night. The problem is as I’ve made my way around looking for different answers on different websites, I’ve become hyper aware that on most forums there are people who will jump you if you post your stuff in the wrong places. I don’t want to be the new guy everyone ignores while I ask my questions in the wrong thread. But I went to the knife review section and it seems dead. Can someone direct me to a spot where I can ask my questions about the knife I want to buy without being ignored or pissing anyone off? I really want to go ahead and buy it, but it’s way too expensive to not get some other more educated opinions on. Thank you for reading, and if I’ve somehow managed to do this wrong, my apologies.
 
Welcome to Blade Forums Ask! Ask away buddy. Which knife are you thinking about buying, and why? You have peaked my curiosity.

Most will give you their opinion here without criticizing, and maybe another option or two. Let er' rip. What's drawing you to the particular knofe and why? Id bet you end up with multiple sweet options to consider.
 
Thank you for responding to me without hostility. I really, really appreciate it. My original post was basically this:

I am for sure, without a doubt, nothing going to stop me wasting hundreds of dollars on a Fallkniven A1 knife. It’s something I promised myself I would do when I was able, and now I’m able. The problem I’m having is which A1. I’ve narrowed it down to 2. The A1 Pro premium package has been reviewed a decent amount with a lot of information about it. It comes with a waterproof box, a DC4 sharpener, and has a lifetime warranty as opposed to the normal 10 year warranty. However, more recently a version of the A1 has come out called the A1xb. This one is coated with tungsten carbide. Apparently the only way to get it off is to grind it off. This puts the HRC up into the 80’s. I don’t even kind of care if this is overkill. UNLESS, there’s something about the effects I don’t understand. The problem with choosing here is no one I can find has reviewed the A1xb. There is like one YouTube video where the guy describes its appearance and that’s it. I actually emailed Peter at Fallkniven about it, he said the A1xb is technically better, because every new knife they put out has to be better than its predecessor. The two key features being mainly the never before seen/used tungsten carbide coating, and apparently a very very nice sheath that they spent a year designing and re designing, due to some problems people had with the A1 Pro’s sheath. Now I think they’re both great knives. But A shortage of great knives isn’t the reason I’m looking to buy one. Of those I have plenty, and they make me very happy. But I’m talking about spending over $400 on a knife I don’t need here, just because I said I would. So I really need to make sure I get the right one. Does ANYONE here have anything more they can tell me about the A1xb? Or something I should know about the A1 Pro premium package? I know the issue with the handle was worked out years ago. Anything at all. Things that may be good or bad about it, personal experiences, anything. I am desperate to put myself at ease. Thank you for your time.

P.s. Does anyone have any advice on which of their sharpeners I should purchase with it? Or sharpeners in general? I am always open to learning of better options.
 
Like Anthony says, post up. Invariably, you will get responses that say, "did you use the search function?" I suggest asking interesting questions as opposed to, "should I buy it?" Maybe describe what you plan to use the knife for, budget, concerns, preferences, etc. If it is a big brand (Spyderco, for example), there are some brand-specific sub-forums.

Welcome and enjoy.
 
TrfromMT, thank you for welcoming me. Yes I used the search function but nothing quite comes up about the A1xb. Except my original post haha.
 
You check mated me. Lol I don't have much experience with Falkniven. I will tell you this that tungsten coating looks bad ass. This may seem shitty, or help you but I typically get a witness and flip a coin once. Heads is one thing tails is the other. Tbh I don't think you're going to be disappointed either way you go. Lol how quickly do you need to get it?

If you wait a couple weeks (assuming this is a new model) someone is going to post a review on it. I wish I could be of more help. What are you going to use the knife for?
 
Also if you tag someone use do it like this J Jesse Red that way they will see you are talking to them. You can also quote and reply. The multi quote takes a little getting used to but you'll get the hang of it.
 
anthonycastorena2014 anthonycastorena2014
Thank you, again, I appreciate the help you’re giving me. I haven’t spent a lot of time on social media, I have my fiancé run it for me for the sake of not seeming like a black hole, and the @ thing didn’t even cross my mind. And honestly me either as far as experience with Fallkniven. Now that’s not to say that I haven’t watched and read every single review on the A1 Pro I could find. It’s just that A1xb. When I emailed Peter at Fallkniven he said this

“The A1pro and the A1x are cousins! Both have the same father (i.e. me) but the x version is the newest and, of course, it should be the best. The reason is simple - we will never develop a product which is less good than the earlier versions. But the differences are small so, I would say that the FUNCTION of the A1pro and A1x is just the same.

The tungsten surface is new to the world, unlike the Ceracoat black surface you cannot wear it off. You need to GRIND it off to get rid of it so, normal wear and tear will have almost no effect on an A1xb. At least we have NOT been able to wear it off though we have tried very hard.

The really big difference between the A1pro and A1x is the X sheath. It is neat, smart, strong and safe, everything you can ask for. The sheath might be a very good reason why we have had a very good sale start of the X Series. It took us a year to develop the sheath but it was worth the money.

A reason why the X series is a little cheaper compared to the Pro knives is that we have been able to pick home a part of the manufacturing to our country. Since the Swedish currency is a very weak currency, this has resulted in a fairly attractive price - outside Sweden. Inside Sweden, this series is very expensive!”

Ironically enough, someone actually just responded to my original post. He said that he would never get a full convex blade that was coated. Because the coating would invariably come off. But up there Peter implies (I think?) the opposite, though the gentlemen I am referring to seems to have quite a bit of experience. I am completely out of my depth here. I own an S30v 119 special, and two Bark Rivers, so I’ve never dealt with anything like this beyond know full convex. I plan to use it the way it’s intended to be used for the most part. I will carry it every other day because my state allows it, and use it for survival situations that are completely unnecessary because I want to feel cool haha.
 
Jesse Red said:
anthonycastorena2014 anthonycastorena2014
Thank you, again, I appreciate the help you’re giving me. I haven’t spent a lot of time on social media, I have my fiancé run it for me for the sake of not seeming like a black hole, and the @ thing didn’t even cross my mind. And honestly me either as far as experience with Fallkniven. Now that’s not to say that I haven’t watched and read every single review on the A1 Pro I could find. It’s just that A1xb. When I emailed Peter at Fallkniven he said this

“The A1pro and the A1x are cousins! Both have the same father (i.e. me) but the x version is the newest and, of course, it should be the best. The reason is simple - we will never develop a product which is less good than the earlier versions. But the differences are small so, I would say that the FUNCTION of the A1pro and A1x is just the same.

The tungsten surface is new to the world, unlike the Ceracoat black surface you cannot wear it off. You need to GRIND it off to get rid of it so, normal wear and tear will have almost no effect on an A1xb. At least we have NOT been able to wear it off though we have tried very hard.

The really big difference between the A1pro and A1x is the X sheath. It is neat, smart, strong and safe, everything you can ask for. The sheath might be a very good reason why we have had a very good sale start of the X Series. It took us a year to develop the sheath but it was worth the money.

A reason why the X series is a little cheaper compared to the Pro knives is that we have been able to pick home a part of the manufacturing to our country. Since the Swedish currency is a very weak currency, this has resulted in a fairly attractive price - outside Sweden. Inside Sweden, this series is very expensive!”

Ironically enough, someone actually just responded to my original post. He said that he would never get a full convex blade that was coated. Because the coating would invariably come off. But up there Peter implies (I think?) the opposite, though the gentlemen I am referring to seems to have quite a bit of experience. I am completely out of my depth here. I own an S30v 119 special, and two Bark Rivers, so I’ve never dealt with anything like this beyond know full convex. I plan to use it the way it’s intended to be used for the most part. I will carry it every other day because my state allows it, and use it for survival situations that are completely unnecessary because I want to feel cool haha.
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Welcome!
Now shut up and buy that knife!!!:D Then post a review here with pics! :thumbsup:
 
Jesse Red said:
I tried to post a question on here, but I think I somehow doomed it to wasteland where no one goes. I made my first forum account EVER a week ago. I made THIS account on here just last night. The problem is as I’ve made my way around looking for different answers on different websites, I’ve become hyper aware that on most forums there are people who will jump you if you post your stuff in the wrong places. I don’t want to be the new guy everyone ignores while I ask my questions in the wrong thread. But I went to the knife review section and it seems dead. Can someone direct me to a spot where I can ask my questions about the knife I want to buy without being ignored or pissing anyone off? I really want to go ahead and buy it, but it’s way too expensive to not get some other more educated opinions on. Thank you for reading, and if I’ve somehow managed to do this wrong, my apologies.
Click to expand...

Just plug away and don't worry about offending anyone. We were all in your shoes at one time. Any question is a good one and there is someone here to help you. You can post most questions in the general knife discussion section. I use Facebook for knife reviews. Try it! Stay well!
 
There are a few "overviews" on youtube - I found this one with a quick search -


I have not seen anything here over the years that would make be believe Fallkniven knives are anything but good.

best

mqqn
 
Copied my answer from the same thread in Knife Reviews & Testing:

Maybe it's just me, but i would never buy a knife with a convex ground blade that has also been coated.
The reason being that provided you intend to use the knife and want to maintain it's cutting ability the knife has to be resharpened correctly once in a while, which means sharpening the entire convex bevels.
With the A1xb this will remove the coating, at the very least from the convex part of the blade.

Now applying just a microbevel would save the coating for the time being (but diminish the cutting ability at the same time), and given enough use there will still come a time that the original geometry has to be established again by resharpening the entire convex bevels.

The A1Pro of course doesn't have that problem.

BTW, this is how i sharpen one of these: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/sharpening-on-wet-dry-sic-paper.1709626/
 
Jesse Red said:
Thank you for responding to me without hostility. I really, really appreciate it. My original post was basically this:

I am for sure, without a doubt, nothing going to stop me wasting hundreds of dollars on a Fallkniven A1 knife. It’s something I promised myself I would do when I was able, and now I’m able. The problem I’m having is which A1. I’ve narrowed it down to 2. The A1 Pro premium package has been reviewed a decent amount with a lot of information about it. It comes with a waterproof box, a DC4 sharpener, and has a lifetime warranty as opposed to the normal 10 year warranty. However, more recently a version of the A1 has come out called the A1xb. This one is coated with tungsten carbide. Apparently the only way to get it off is to grind it off. This puts the HRC up into the 80’s. I don’t even kind of care if this is overkill. UNLESS, there’s something about the effects I don’t understand. The problem with choosing here is no one I can find has reviewed the A1xb. There is like one YouTube video where the guy describes its appearance and that’s it. I actually emailed Peter at Fallkniven about it, he said the A1xb is technically better, because every new knife they put out has to be better than its predecessor. The two key features being mainly the never before seen/used tungsten carbide coating, and apparently a very very nice sheath that they spent a year designing and re designing, due to some problems people had with the A1 Pro’s sheath. Now I think they’re both great knives. But A shortage of great knives isn’t the reason I’m looking to buy one. Of those I have plenty, and they make me very happy. But I’m talking about spending over $400 on a knife I don’t need here, just because I said I would. So I really need to make sure I get the right one. Does ANYONE here have anything more they can tell me about the A1xb? Or something I should know about the A1 Pro premium package? I know the issue with the handle was worked out years ago. Anything at all. Things that may be good or bad about it, personal experiences, anything. I am desperate to put myself at ease. Thank you for your time.

P.s. Does anyone have any advice on which of their sharpeners I should purchase with it? Or sharpeners in general? I am always open to learning of better options.
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Just to clarify, the HRC of the coating itself is in the 80s, but the steel underneath isn't any different than the A1x. Tungsten carbide coating is used on high-speed drill bits, and is extremely abrasion resistant because it's extremely hard. Because it bonds very well to steel and is itself extremely abrasion resistant, it's less prone to wear than something like paint, PVD, or Cerakote.

As I understand it, it's not as hard of a surface as DLC (which is approximately as hard as diamonds), but that may actually improve wear resistance, since flex in the underlying material may have the effect of "popping" the microscopic plates that make up DLC away from the steel.
 
Stelth said:
I think you'd get more responses if you had the name of the knife in the title of your thread.
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Lol yeah man! A1PROvsA1XB Seems totally reasonable!! :thumbsup:

kwackster said:
Copied my answer from the same thread in Knife Reviews & Testing:

Maybe it's just me, but i would never buy a knife with a convex ground blade that has also been coated.
The reason being that provided you intend to use the knife and want to maintain it's cutting ability the knife has to be resharpened correctly once in a while, which means sharpening the entire convex bevels.
With the A1xb this will remove the coating, at the very least from the convex part of the blade.

Now applying just a microbevel would save the coating for the time being (but diminish the cutting ability at the same time), and given enough use there will still come a time that the original geometry has to be established again by resharpening the entire convex bevels.

The A1Pro of course doesn't have that problem.

BTW, this is how i sharpen one of these: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/sharpening-on-wet-dry-sic-paper.1709626/
Click to expand...

I don't think its going to be much different than Cerakote. The bevel is not going to be coated. The coating will come off the top of the bevel with sharpening. Id imagine it is super resilient and hides scratches. Won't be an issue. I'd see if I could get in good with the man you are emailing and see if he will hook you up with that new knife and the sheath you want. Build a relationship with the guy! ;) You'd be shocked how down to earth some of these Owners are. I've had some great experiences. Never hurts to ask brother.

In pretty sure I'd get the coated version after having to watch a video just because I think it will look better longer and if its as ground breaking as he says thats a huge plus for the cosmetic category.
 
anthonycastorena2014 said:
Lol yeah man! A1PROvsA1XB Seems totally reasonable!! :thumbsup:



I don't think its going to be much different than Cerakote. The bevel is not going to be coated. The coating will come off the top of the bevel with sharpening. Id imagine it is super resilient and hides scratches. Won't be an issue. I'd see if I could get in good with the man you are emailing and see if he will hook you up with that new knife and the sheath you want. Build a relationship with the guy! ;) You'd be shocked how down to earth some of these Owners are. I've had some great experiences. Never hurts to ask brother.

In pretty sure I'd get the coated version after having to watch a video just because I think it will look better longer and if its as ground breaking as he says thats a huge plus for the cosmetic category.
Click to expand...

The difference is strictly going to be seen in terms of wear on the primary bevel (i.e. the coated part of the blade). Where doing something like batoning through wood will wear away at a Cerakote coating further up the blade, it's less likely to do that with WC coating. In tasks where there's no contact between the primary bevel and whatever material is being cut, there'd be no difference.
 
Jesse Red said:
...

P.s. Does anyone have any advice on which of their sharpeners I should purchase with it? Or sharpeners in general? I am always open to learning of better options.
Click to expand...

Norton Crystolon JB8 (or substitute an UltraSharp diamond combo stone for more money). Laxative-grade mineral oil. Red permanent marker. Read, watch, study. Practice on lower cost knives.
 
I know your pain Jesse. I think everyone has had the same concern at one time or the other. I've been reprimanded a few times and sent in the right direction myself. When I'm trying to research a knife or a knife making technique or knife supplies I will use the general site search. Click on General knife maker's Discussion. Then click on Shoptalk then in the stickies that says Bladeforums Custom Search Engine click on that. Then type in what your trying to research and it will give you threads about your topic. I have saved that search engine on my phone so I can go straight to it. It's an invaluable source of information. Hope this helps and sorry for being so long winded.
 
To the OP, you have done more research on buying a knife than just about anyone I have ever observed. You also have a lot of good opinions from the BF community. It is evident either knife will be good.

I think you have four options:

1. Benefit from your labors and make a decision.
2. Flip a coin, thummim and urim, tea leaves, etc.
3. Seek professional counseling to settle the question once and for all.
4. Get a Skookum Bush Tool.

Any of these will save you time, angst and probably expense.
 
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