- XM-18
- Pretium
This review consists of :
Knives :
This review consists of : |
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Webpage : Pretium :
This knife is #20 out of a run of 100 production/mid-tech knives from Ferrum Forge.
The edge on this one is on average 0.010" thick (varies +/- 0.005 along the blade) ground at approximately 15 (1) dps.
The knife has a stone wash finish on the blade/handle which basically make scratches irrelevant because they are part of the finish. There are those that will harshly criticize this as a lazy-mans finish, but from a practical perspective I can appreciate it. There is an argument though that the very hard and high wear steels can support even a satin finish in use as they are very scratch resistant and I can see and appreciate that on the Modulator (S110V) and a satin finish does produce lower friction and high corrosion resistance - but these are small effects and a fine stone wash is very subdued.
In regards to rounding and chamfering, this is one of the nicest examples I have seen. It easily outclasses the Modulator for example which previously I would have thought was very good, but compared to the Pretium it is easily a step lower. For example on the clip of the Modulator you can see the grinds which radiused the end of the clip and how they were buffed/blended together. However on the Pretium it is simply full round. As well even the inside of the handle scales on the Pretium are well rounded. In contrast on the Modulator the edges are simply broken and not sharp.
Like the stone wash, this knife also has a sort of flint knapped finish to the spine. It is a very random type finish so there is no consistency/finish to judge. It is one of the few examples of aesthetic finishes that I have seen that I don't actually dislike. It is also interestingly enough one of the few that could be argued to actually improve performance as it provides traction/indexing. Ok, to be frank - it looks kind of cool as well.
Now are there any issues - yes a few, but you have to look close and it could be argued that they are not strictly defects (some of them more than others). The over travel / lock stabilizer that Hinderer invented/popularized is not perfectly centered in the milled hole in the handle and doesn't exactly meet with the cutout in the lock bar. The steel insert which fits into the lock bar is a little less than flush on back with the lock bar (this is really small, as in you can just see it). The edge bevel is not jigged and it varies along the blade. There is a very small section at the base and in the tip (less than 1/2 a cm) which is about 0.025" and it goes under 0.005" in the belly, on average it is about 0.010" as noted previously. There is also a very small (3 mm) section of the top of the sabre grind which isn't crisp and shows slight penetration into the flats.
The initial sharpness is moderate on a push, low on a slice. It will shave a little, slice newsprint a little but isn't likely to impress someone who sharpens their knives. Note the picture on the right shows an edge with a coarse finish which appears to be over buffed/stropped and likely has the edge rounded explaining the above.
On 3/8" hemp :
On carving wood compared to the #1260 Mora on some 1" hardwood dowel with light force (10-30 lbs) :
The relatively low performance here is due to the higher edge angle than the Mora (15 vs 10 dps) and also the lower sharpness.
On some 1x0.5" pine making 2" points with heavy force (50-70 lbs) :
The performance is much closer here because as the force increases the blades bites much deeper and thus :
The lower sharpness can however still be felt a little.
In utility work on a cross section of semi-random materials :
However, similar to the thick/heavy wood cutting, the effect of the edge thinness can be readily see if compared to the XM-18 for example which has an edge more than twice as thick and as seen in the image on the right it just breaks the foam and can not make a thin slice.
Ergonomics : the comfort in hand, even in a heavy hammer grip is in general moderate :
Versatility : is very high :
There are a few drawbacks :
In heavy hammer grips it is behind the Modulator because of those issues and :
Security : is in general moderate to high :
Durability : is moderate to high (possibly very high) :
The only concern is that thrust based bearings are generally only intended for axial loads not lateral and there may be issues with contamination and difficulty of flushing cleaning without disassembly.
Clip : is :
Jimping : The XM-18 to date had one of the better blanced jimping profiles. The Pretium goes further in sharpness/aggression, but still far less than the ZT 0561 so there is no discomfort (barehanded). It is the best balanced seen to date in regards to offering security in high force but not discomfort in light use.
As a very basic check on edge retention, through 1000 slices through pine :
On Cardboard it performs as a Class X type steel as expected :
| # runs | Sharpness | 15% | 10% | 5% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| cardboard cut (m) | ||||
| 1 | 0.0+0.0 (0.0) | 0.0+0.0 (0.0) | 00+0.0 (0) | 00+0.0 ( 0) |
Overview :
Comments can be emailed to Please Use the Forum or by posting to the following thread :
and/or the YouTube Playlist for Ferrum Forge.
Most of the pictures in the above are in the PhotoBucket
album.
| Last updated : | |
| Originally written: | 28/06/2013 |