Pros: Overall Quality, Blade Material, Blade Sharpness
Cons: None
So far, so good
Another reasonably inexpensive item that seems to be a new product for this year. Similar in theme to the SOG Spirt Knife, if different in overall shape, this blade is designed to serve as a sort of basic belt knife that allows for the handle to be unscrewed, thus providing a means for the user to fasten a push-broom or utility handle to the base to create an improvised spear. As a basic knife, I find it of limited utility, and would frankly favor a dedicated belt knife, though this could be functional for some basic camp or outdoor functions. Despite the leaf blade design, this is in fact a single edge blade with a false opposite edge. If one had need or interest in doing so, it would not be much work to sharpen both sides (Please DO check your local laws and ordinances first before doing so!). To test this blade for it’s intended function, I purchased two handle poles. One was a light wooden painting pole, 4” in length. The other was a more substantial hollow aluminum extension pole, 5” in length. The blade fit perfectly well on both handles. There is a bit of rattle, but I am sure that if I was to use a rubber “O- ring” washer at the collar, this could tighten those tolerances a bit. For throwing purposes, the 4” wooden handle doe not really give the sort of heft that this blade needs. The aluminum pole, on the other hand, was perfectly effective. At a distance of 20-25 feet, I had good accuracy and was able to easily penetrate ¼” plywood by a good inch or more. The blade survived missed throws quite nicely, with no apparent damage aside from light scratching, and so far the tip has held up effectively without bending or breaking. That said, this is only the first day of serious testing, so as the Norse might say “don’t praise the ice before it’s crossed”. If this continues to hold up well over time, I should be quite pleased. The lightness of the tip does somewhat limit the range of this as a thrower. Even though the weight of the knife is listed at 9 oz. I believe that figure includes the detachable nylon handle, and the blade weighs less by itself- hence the need for a more substantial shaft for throwing purposes. In spear configuration, this does quite nicely for stabling and slashing purposes, though that falls a bit outside of the discussion of its throwing merits. The greatest virtue of this design as compared to a more dedicated spear such as one of the Cold Steel line (which I also have used, and find quite effective for throwing) is the replaceable nature of the shafts. If one were to have several of these for competition, reenactment exercises etc. where there might be heavy use or several spears used in succession, the ability to have a number of inexpensive replacement shafts on hand and swappable at a moment’s notice would be a real benefit. In my case, I was able to get both test handles at Home Depot. As for the durability, as I mentioned before, I’ve only had use of this for a day or so, and thus the true quality of the design should better reveal itself over the next couple of months. Provided that it does not break or bend anytime in the foreseeable future, I’ll consider this again a good investment.
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