Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Materials, Finish, Blade Sharpness
Cons: Sheath/Scabbard
Breathtaking knife. Literally unbelievable!
I have collected and yes actually USED knives for 40 years. I initially considered the SK1 Jarl, then I saw the more expensive SK1se (Special Edition) version and went for that. Hype aside, when I opened the box I can quite literally say I had a breathtaking experience! This knife is the perfect rare matting of beauty, high technology and sheer strength! With that said its the perfect knife. No knife maker alive that I could find, could make a knife like this. This is because the knife's blade is laminated super stainless steel; and this and its handle are CNC shaped, and then ground, shaped and finished by hand. If that wasn't enough, the tang while of the cut down, stick design and not of the full-tang design is BROADER than any other knife I could find, including Randall and even military K-BAR Knives USA included. Unlike Randall Knives you also get nickel silver bolster(s) standard, yes 2 of them and the knifes a third of the price of an upspec Randall! Moving onto function the knife excels like few others. You have no hot spots like gimping and unlike even the F1 or many other high end knives, your thumb transitions naturally and comfortable to rest onto the blade. The handle is sufficiently palm filling for bush craft tasks, yet square enough to perform at dressing game and removing muscle. The clip point or Bowie style blade is classic, looks formidable and excels at hunting, piercing and utility tasks. Its also a descent skinner too. The Scandi grind begins half way, finishing in a somewhat subtle convex edge, making the knife very, very strong at camp and bush craft tasks. And don't expect a fragile tip either, its reinforced to be as strong as possible for a performing clip point blade such as this. The knife weighs in at a mere 138grams, which is amazing for what it is. That's lighter than an F1 at 150grams and what's more it uses natural materials and two (2) semi-precious metal bolsters! However, don't expect a great deal of support from Fallkniven. I found them dismissive of every detail "It wasn't like that when it left us", etc, etc... There are imperfections in any manufacturing process, so insist and get the seller to check BEFORE parting with your money and ordering. Treated respectfully this knife should last the user a lifetime and it can be re-handled if necessary. I'm not convinced it will ever need to be though, at least not in my lifetime. Cons: I am bewildered as the why a knife this beautiful, with Swedish tradition aside, comes in an unprotected leather dangler style sheath. Buy the F1 leather sheath it will fit it perfectly. Secondly the lower guard could be increased 3mm. BUT these cons are splitting already split hairs. The knife is quite simply a bargain and I feel we will not see knives like this at this price point for much longer. If you love knives and you only ever have one sheath knife to pass onto your Son, make it this one you wont regret it. EVER!