Steve
Flagstaff, Az

Oct 02, 2022

Pros: None

Cons: None

update on hunter knife

I took all the hardware off the kydex sheath and cut a piece of leather 2 3/4" wide, width of sheath, and 3" long and drilled a hole in each corner for a chicago screw to attach the leather to the sheath for my belt to go through. Works great to keep the knife up high out of sight under a t-shirt. Also had a chance to see how this knife really works. I came across a water tank some poachers had left to draw deer or elk into a place where three game trails intersected in a wooded draw for archery season. The area is a no hunting area behind our property. I was able to stab holes in the bottom of the tank by stabbing a triangle then hitting the center of the triangle to knock the piece out. I had to stab it as hard as I could to penetrate the material but it did cut through. I was amazed how sharp this knife was after cutting a number of holes. No damage to edge at all. I would like to see this same knife made from of ABEL-L steel 5" long with a saber grind. 52100 is great but, it's hard to find a knife like this made from ABEL-L that is not a custom high priced one. The two steels are both great for this type of knife. I think I could cut a hole in a cars roof with one in either steel. These knifes are more like the OKC FALCON knifes mades from 5160 steel in function but lighter. The Falcon in 1/4" thick with the same virtues. I really like these smaller heavy duty knifes we can carry discreetly. A little big knife. I did re-profile both knifes to be able to get a sharper edge with my diamond stones with no ill effects or damage to the edge with what I use them for. It's all about the steel. These knifes will take a wicked edge with a diamond stone really fast with minimum effort. A carborundum stone too, but I use my diamond stones for all my knifes now. Just have to be careful with the softer steels.

Steve
Flagstaff, Az

Sep 19, 2022

Pros: None

Cons: None

Not the best looking one but just might be the toughest one

This is my "do it all" knife. Not to big and not to small and very rugged. It also holds an edge and is very easy to touch up. Will not snap in half unless you use a 4' length of steel pipe and weigh over 200#. Because it is short, maybe not even then. A good emergency knife to have on hand for when things go wrong. I wrapped the handle in friction tape for a life saving grip. For this price, you do not get pretty.

Longshadow
Pacific Northwest

Sep 28, 2022

Pros: None

Cons: None

Great, but Ideas for Better

Received the 4" Drop Forged Hunter from Knife Center sooner than I expected. Great service, as always, from my "Go To" guys and gals there. Some background info before my review: I held off on purchase of the Drop Forged Hunter for years. I kept hoping Cold Steel would come up with a drop forged bushcraft (Kephart inspired) version of this model with about a 5" blade. This Hunter will work for me after my modifications are done, but another 1" to 1 1/4" on the length would work better. The bigger drop forged models Cold Steel makes are too big and clumsy for what I do in the woods these days, though I'm sure they work for people with other priorities. My review: I made my usual woods tool mods on the Drop Forged Hunter within a few hours after receipt: - I carefully used my Dremel tool sander to put a 90 degree spine on the blade for ferro rod and scraping duties. That took some time. The spine was well rounded so many light passes and immediate cooling by water were needed to keep the blade tempered. - I then did the same thing on the butt of the handle to serve as "pommel tool" for bark and tinder scraping. - I added "rasp" teeth (like those on pilot survival knives I grew up with) using Dremel cut-off wheels on the spine. I cut those "teeth" with shallow slashes to avoid weakening the steel blade, and just deep enough to clear wood from notches or to shape wood like a rasp would be used. I cut these teeth into the spine every 1/8' or so up the spine, starting from the hilt to about 1/3 of the blade length. (These save twisting and dulling the blade as too often happens when notching.) I know this knife was designed for hunters, so I didn't expect such bushcraft use to be part of Cold Steel's design. With my personalized knife ready for work, I then sharpened the 52100 steel to the razor edge this steel is known to hold. It's not a "super steel" so it won't hold that edge like CPM 3V, S90V, or D2, but the 52100 can get that razor edge back with a smooth river rock. That could be important to me (or you) on the worst of those bad days that could happen in the wild places. When I first gripped it, I thought the thin, solid handle might become uncomfortable to handle and work with for extended sessions. After making my mods and sharpening the Drop Forged Hunter, all of which got me used to handling it, I sliced off a dozen errant branches from one of my ash trees. After about 15 minutes of hard use, I had adapted my grip to get the job done but felt NO hotspots and raised NO blisters. It surprised me, but it handled well for a small blade and thin(ish) handle. I still hope Cold Steel comes up with a 5" version though. Even with this shorter one ready to go, I'd still buy the 5" version, though I've no use anymore for a combat or bowie blade. The only difference to me will be which (rifle-size) magazine pouch I will use to encase the sheath and the fire kit tin that I haul around with the knife. In summary then, I recommend this knife to hunters who want the 52100 carbon steel and the durability it offers. From my 50+ years as a woods runner, including hunting and trapping in my youth, and now camping and light bushcrafting as a retired old guy, I am sure it will do any job I'll come up with for it. It will probably do most jobs you would come up with, too. And there isn't anything, not even handle scales glued or bolted on, that might fail you.