A shot of the TUSK from Kevin McClung from Mad Dog International :
The TUSK from Kevein "Mad Dog" McClung is made by stock removal out of quarter inch thick O1 tool steel selectively tempered to 50-54 RC at the spine and towards the tang, and 62 RC at the edge. It has a ten inch blade with a full flat grind. It weighs 23 oz and is balanced about one inch in front of the handle. The edge angles up from the grip creating a similar effect to a dropped blade, McClung calls this "positive included angle". The handle is made from synthetic composite similar to G10. It comes with a Kydex sheath.
This knife was bought used from Shannon Lew. The hard chrome had two slight scratches and also a slight "polish" in several places. The serrations needed just a few light strokes with a fine Spyderco stone to make them shaving sharp. The very top couple of inches of the blade was fairly dull. An x-coarse DMT hone was used alternating 25 passes per side, alternating sides until the edge was fully formed. This was repeated with a fine and x-fine DMT hone to produce a shaving sharp finish.
The TUSK was compared to a couple of Himalayan Imports khukuris over a wide range of tasks :
In short, the TUSK fared well in cutting and chopping ability, and was a very versatile tool, however signifantly lacking in durability.
The handle is ergonomic and large enough to fill the hand nicely. The extensive contours and lightly dimpled surface texture was secure even when wet, and always has positive blade orientation. The synthetic composite (a proprietary compound similar to G10) it very resistant to impact, cuts, punctures and abrasion. The handle also fully encloses the tang and thus forms a thermal and conductive barrier.
The sheath forms a tight fit to the knife and has a "lip" that grips into the contoured handle. There is also a piece of webbing that snaps The sheath also had a hole in the bottom to let fluid drain out and a molded slot at the bottom to allow for a strap to be ran through. The overall fit and finish of the sheath is far above production grade Kydex.
The blade has many positive features, however it was hampered by a seriously low durablity which vastly restricts its scope of use. A replacement was also evaluated and also was broken under the same work. McClung declined to offer another replacement or refund, and also refused to return the broken TUSK. Many other problems have been reported with McClung's blades and the maker responce is similar.
Comments can be sent to : cliffstamp[REMOVE]@cutleryscience.com .
| Last updated : | Mon Jun 16 12:12:17 NDT 2006 |
| Thu Mar 18 11:01:28 NST 1999 |