(
Pros: Blade Material, Blade Sharpness, Handle Material, Sheath/Scabbard
Cons: None
Este es un cuchillo!
I've wanted a facon since I was about 10 or 11 years old, ever since I saw one in a book about the accoutrements of world cowboys. To the unintiated, the gaucho facon, a knife used by the cowboys of the South American pampas, looks very much like a kitchen knife, and that is true. To me, that's not a problem. The chefs knife style is extremely useful and is no doubt one of the most used knife designs in this modern world. Even people who don't collect knives and who knows didley squat about knives usually have this knife design right their in their kitchen. Back before the industrial age if you went on a trip or an "adventure" you didn't stop at your local Cabela's to get gear. You used what you had, and for many an adventurer this meant taking their best "kitchen" knife with them. So, yes, it does resemble a kitchen knife in profile but I ask, what's wrong with that? Appearances aside, this is not your average kitchen knife. It is quite thick and heavy, although not unwieldy and I imagine it could chop down a sapling or cut off a hand at the wrist quite easily (although I've done neither). My particular example is actually about an inch longer than the the listed specs at around 17 1/2 inches. The gauchos were a knife culture and used their knives for work, food prep, and defense (as well as offense)! I, on the other hand, have only used this blade in the kitchen so far (I'm going to have to work on that) and it works quite well for cutting meats and chopping vegetables. It is, as I mentioned before, quite thick and I wish that it was thinner behind the edge with more of a distal taper, although I admit that maybe it was left this thick so that it could have enough weight for a powerful chop (which is something that the aforementioned kitchen knives are not particularly good at). I'd still have liked to have seen it ground slightly thinner at the edge but have retained the thickness at the spine. That is my only real gripe and it is my own subjective opinion. My facon arrived sharp and after a few swipes per side on a ceramic rod, it would shave hair. The sheath is traditional and, in my opinion, works very well. I like carbon steel and mine has developed a lovely patina from food prep and kitchen chores. This is a very underrepresented and underappreciated knife in the modern cutlery world, so I am quite appreciative of this interpretation by Cold Steel. I look forward to seeing more examples of the facon in the knife industry here in the near future. Amen.