Pros: Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Materials, Finish, Blade Sharpness
Cons: Weight
Great survival knife
OK so I just got an FC7 and it's CPM S35V stainless, not S30V as pictured here, which is even better. I had a 440 SS Buck previously and broke it twice over several years - they replaced it, which is great and speaks well of Buck, but I was still left with a broken knife in the field each time. The S35V in the FC7 is supposed to be much tougher and it's a primary reason that I bought the knife. It is super tough and super sharp - very nice grind. The finish is also not shiny - which is a big plus - and the handle is non-slip and has a great feel. I like the simple drop point on the blade too, it's great for "drilling" and doesn't invite problems like a clip or trailing point do. So far this is a top quality knife, excellently designed. It's called Firecraft so I get the emphasis on being an excellent knife for fire starting but I'm not sure why that is the emphasis. It has both an included ferro rod and a bowl in the handle for a bow drill - both of which work great - but this is a truly top notch general survival knife and it doesn't need the gimmick. I can start fires several ways and I don't need to carry a ferro rod that weighs a bit and catches on things in the sheath to do it. I'd rather that they ditch the ferro rod and use the weight savings to put a full metal butt on it so I can hammer things, and then "maybe" save a little more weight and cut a short saw blade on the back. The sheath is right-handed and I didn't see the option for a left hand sheath either. I'm right handed but there are situations in which I'd rather carry with a left handed sheath as well. Those are all minor quibbles. I use this as a field knife for scientific fieldwork and so far it is well worth the $3X+ premium over the Buck 120 that it replaced.
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