- Uddo Puukko
- micro-hiker
- mule : cKc
- Candiru
- Boker Rhino
This review consists of :
Knives :
This review consists of : |
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Maker Webpage : cKc : gearbastion . Basic specifications :
measured at :
In short, slicing aggression is high, push cutting is moderate.
On 3/8" hemp :
Note the huge decrease on the draw showing the high slicing aggression.
On carving wood compared to the #1260 Mora.
2" points on some 1" dowel with light force (10-30 lbs) :
On shallow cutting the performance is mainly about edge angle and sharpness and the edge angle on the micro-hiker is higher and the lower than optimal sharpness leads to it being significantly outperformed by the Mora.
Making 2" points on some 1x0.5" pine with heavy force (50-70 lbs) :
The Hiker just pushes right through due to the thinnest of the stock and primary grind
It is interesting to use this knife with the point/blade style compared to the cKc mule which has much more of a belly (and a different grip). The lack of a belly gives more point control but it seems more of a visual / placebo effect as both knives have in-line points. However the mule with the deeper belly is nice for :
and the micro-hiker with the straight/upsweep is nicer for zipper cuts (push cuts on a 45) and again seems to have easily point control.
500 slices into pine :
It is interesting comparing this to knives such as the Crater where the judgement is completely different. For most folding knives you are trying to find grips that are comfortable/functional. If a fixed blade is well designed like this one it is different. For knives such as this it is about small things such as grip positions.
250 slices into plywood :
None of the above seemed to effect the edge significantly, it still shaved roughly as it did before.
Ergonomics : as with cKc knives the comfort is high because :
the micro-hiker has a partial grip, for most it is likely a three finger grip or less. In a hammer grip it is fairly loose around the index finger due to a tapering around the front of the handle and blade.
However this same tapering is also what gives is a solid comfort and security in forward sabre type grips with the thumb on the spine and in side pinch grips.
Security : for general use, light force and not high dynamic cutting, the security is high enough that it is very unlikely that the hand will slip forward onto the grip. This is achieved by :
However in extreme situations, stabbing or any cuts made with very heavy force the handle lacks the secondary security systems such as :
Which would allow such work safely.
Durability : as with all micarta grips, the only weakness ti the handle are solvents which can break the glue bond. However this takes extended solvent soaking and often to the point of boiling the knife to remove the scales when desired. Aside from those conditions the only thing likely to happen to the scales is that will get scratched in use.
The sheath is a traditional fold over Kydex design :
For more extreme or tactical use it might be preferred to have :
However as is it works perfectly fine for pocket or neck carry.
Given the high edge stability of AEB-L the ease of sharpening is very high and it responds well to either a high polish or coarse finish. Shown on the right at 50X magnification shots of an edge with a :
The grindability is also moderate to high as while the hardness is above average the carbide content is very low and thus it is only going to be an issue grinding it heavily if the abrasive is very inexpensive. This however is offset by the very thin grind which means that in general the need to remove large amounts of steel is minimized in grinding.
As a example of the grindability, the knife was modified to a full zero grind with two waterstones. To be specific the secondary bevel was brought down to below 0.001" wide at the point where it was barely visible. This took :
On Cardboard the initial run had a couple of surprises.
Given the hardness of the steel and the HT it would be expected that it is on the high side of Class II and the edge should be very resistant to denting and fracture.
| Initial Sharpness | 15% | 10% | 5% |
|---|---|---|---|
| cardboard cut (m) | |||
| 60 (11) | 6.8 (1.2) | 13.1 (2.4) | 36 (7) |
In subsequent runs the edge tended to blunt by slow wear with little deformation or fracture :
| # Runs | Initial Sharpness | 15% | 10% | 5% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| cardboard cut (m) | 2 | 94+34(27) | 4.1-2.7(1.2) | 9.0-4.1(1.2) | 31- 5( 5) |
The knife is made from AEB-L :
Overview :
Comments can be emailed to Please Use the Forum or by posting to the following thread :
and/or the YouTube Playlist for cKc Knives.
Most of the pictures in the above are in the PhotoBucket
album.
| Last updated : | |
| Originally written: | 28/12/2013 |