How to choose a knife according to the most important characteristics

A good knife is an extension of the master’s hand, a handy tool that is pleasant to work with. Therefore, the choice of a knife must be approached responsibly.   First of all, the knife must have excellent cutting properties: it must be sharp, easy to cut, chop and maintain an edge for very long time. The knife blade must have a high hardness (within 60 HRC) and be durable.  In pursuit of extreme hardness, many forget about another, no less important characteristic of the blade - strength. Only a knife that has a balance of hardness and strength will work well and reliably.  Knife should not only cut perfectly and not loose edge for a long time, but also withstand heavy loads (when cutting tendons, small bones, branches in the cold, with transverse bending, etc.).

Cutting edge should be easy to hone. On all our blades We try to make high razor (concave) descents and fine reduction to sharpening.

 

 

By increasing the descents on the blades, we thereby, reducing the sharpening angle, which provides an excellent cutting ability of the knife.  Razor type edges and the fine flattening of the blade allow knife to be easily sharpened.  With razor type edges (also called a concave lens), the thickness of the blade, both at the edge and at the distance of 5 mm from the edge, is practically the same.  Therefore, even after several years of knife’s operation, the blade will remain at the edge as thin as initially.  And a thin cutting edge is always easy to correct even in field conditions, having a diamond, carbide, ceramic bar or musat.

As for the size and shape of the blade, the choice depends on the purpose of the knife. If you often butcher game yourself, then we advise you to choose a knife with a blade 120-125 mm long and a large angle of convergence of the blade. This is the optimal size for cutting the carcass ( your hand will not get tired and skin will not get damaged ). 

 

 

If you are not an avid hunter, then you need a utility knife with a relatively straight blade, with length of  125-150 mm.  A utility knife, when cutting a carcass, will lose out to a specific type one, but it will win in other functions (fishing and camping). 

 

 

For fishermen we recommend knives made of rust resistant (for example, Elmax steel) and "semi-stainless" steels (steel Kh12MF, Kh12F1, K110). The blade of a fishing knife should be narrow so that it is convenient to process fish. 

 

 

The second important element of a good knife is the handle.  It can make the handling of the knife pleasant and easy.  You should choose it based on your own needs and based on the view of personal comfort.

There are several requirements for the knife handle:

1) It must be strong, comfortable in shape ("lie" in the hand).

2) Pleasant to the touch (do not cool your hand in frosty weather, do not slip from water and blood, do not swell from moisture, do not crack from the sun, etc.). 

3) Ensure, together with the blade, the balance of the entire knife.

In addition, the handle of the knife must also be beautiful so that the knife is not only comfortable and functional, but also pleasing to its owner’s eye.  In addition to the widespread handles made of birch bark, walnut, horn, we recommend beautiful and durable tree species from all over the world (mainly from Africa, South America, India): amaranth, bubinga, wenge, zebrano, lacewood, jacaranda, padauk, karelian birch, ash, oak, hornbeam, offered in some of our knives.

Wood that grows in these regions, due to the dry and hot climate, has a very dense structure.  Before assembling the knife, the wood is dried, this process lasts about a year at a stable temperature with forced ventilation.  This is done so that when the knife is used, the wood on the handle does not shrink and crack.  After manufacturing, the handle is impregnated with a solution of wax with turpentine for a water-repellent effect, and then polished on a felt wheel with a special paste.

Modern plastics such as G-10 and micarta are also used on the handles of our knives.  These materials have very good strength and moisture resistance properties.  In addition, they can be painted in different colors, by layers sometimes, which gives the knife an unusually pretty look.

Sometimes a knife needs a finger stop (guard) - it makes the knife safer to use, however it slightly reduces its maneuverability.  Many of our clients would like to have a knife with both a thick powerful blade and a full stop (guard).  

 

 

The third point when choosing a knife is the sheath (cover).  A quality sheath protects the knife and its owner from damage.  Each case is made for a specific model of the knife, so that the knife "sits" in the case as if it were "poured", so as not to lose the knife in the woods.  For the sewing of the sheaths, natural calf leather of the 1st grade, 3.3 mm thick, is used, which gives the sheath both rigidity, strength and elasticity.  The sheath is stitched with super-strong leather-colored threads used in shoe technology.  Accessories (fasteners, rivets, frames), used by us in our sheaths, produced in St. Petersburg.

Each of Our cases has 2 hangers for carrying a knife on a belt: traditional (rigid) and free.  Free suspension is very convenient when you are sitting, for example, by a fire, in a boat, in a car.  Free style, as it were, takes the knife away from the leg, without resting on it.

Some of our covers have a hole for drainage and ventilation from moisture. This can be a very important detail based on situation.  Thanks to the drain, the cover inside is always dry, and the blade of the knife is less prone to corrosion.  Our sheaths are very durable and will last you the entire life of your knife.

 

 

Now, having a good understanding about the blade, handle and case, you can choose a quality knife from our store.  Remember that knife is a practical tool for many years of service, which should be chosen strictly individually and exactly for yourself.  We wish you a good choice!