Nice collection. Also nice that you mention Martin Swinkels. I have a kydex made by him and it's perfect fit and very well made. I prefer kydex over leather because it does rain a lot here.
I’ve got knives 40 years old with leather stacked leather handles, no movement. I use mineral oil on the leather. It darkens it and makes look beautiful. Plus the stacked leather feel wonderful in your hand. I also sharpened the back of the tip. It will cut coming and going. I really love my Thor ! It is beautiful and balanced, feels so good in your hand ! I want the F1 Pro and the handle redone in Walnut or Stacked Leather. I might build a two knife Sheath to carry them together plus fire stick and sharpener all in one. So I’d have Thor for big jobs and thr F1 for everything else. They are wonderful knives ! I say as good as knives get !
Very good info on the edge thickness, which is the most important thing on any knife, and usually totally ignored... Long straight-on shots of the ricasso, again the most useful thing, and usually never done. 0.020" BTE (or whatever is closest here) is very impressive. About like Randalls. Most big knives are 0.040" (my Liles were 0.030" but inconsistent in thickness, which is very bad when trying to sharpen D-2), and Busse and Vaughn Neeley's Lile copies are 0.060". Which is of course just ridiculous... My FK Odin's steel was excellent, as was Lile's D-2, but most custom maker's 440C (outside Randall) is very poor (a lot of custom makers have trouble heat treating 440 correctly, Greg Wall being a rare exception), so FK are a good deal compared to customs that are all over the place with their 440. Vaughn Neeley (on an SA9) and an original Lile 440C (on a Sly II) were very poor for me, which shows you can pay a fortune and still get crap. Japanese factory (which is what FK is) will beat most US customs, so the price seems extreme but is not really out of line.
Thanks for doing a side by side of these two blades. Hard enough to find a review of either, mostly b/c of their cost. I never owned the Thor but did own it's little brother the NL2 (7.5 inch blade). I loved it, but didn't love the handle or lack of a finger choil. Other than that, it was my favorite knife. First real high end knife I owned. I'm glad Fallkniven ditched VG10, though. What I always thought was regular sharpening (didn't know any better) were small chips in the VG10. You hit bone in the cold w/ VG10, you're gonna have chips. One plus of VG10 is that it does sharpen back up so easily. My Odin was lifted out of my range bag, I was really pissed, I still am. I hope the guy gets the herpes and fuckin dies. Anyway, b/c of the better steel, tang, and handle, I'm going to have to go w/ the MB, but like you, I'm waiting for the right deal. The Odin was a gift from someone who knew/knows way more a/b knives than I did. But, holy shit, are Fallknivens expensive. I have other comparable knives now, but still miss that NL2, so, looking forward to the MB as an eventual replacement. However, I do wish they'd do a version w/ an exposed tang and grips like the A1X, which is another outstanding blade, also w/ improved steel.
That really sucks that your knife was stolen! But yes VG-10 does chip extremely easily. I have found after sharpening it 3 or 4 times it usually stops. I have all 3 of the x series knives they are all sweet.
@@shane4176 Yeah, I love the new A1X, and if I'm being honest, I used my old A1 more than most of the knives I own. It's a great "does everything knife" (including chip), and the A1x is cheaper than the pro, which is puzzling b/c you get more steel w/ the X series. I was right a/b to pull the trigger on a MB, used NL1, or new NL2 when I typed the above. Mentioned it to a buddy, who always picks on me for carrying monstrous Fallknivens, and sent me a review on the BR Crusader in 3v. And, have to admit he's right (this time), for less than 400.00 I'm getting 8.5 inches .26 inch thick of 3V, w/a finger choil. So, I ordered one (my last BR, a skinner, had an uneven grind and they had to replace it, we'll see). Yeah, part of the reason I'm so obsessed w/ replacing the NL2 is how it was lost. Range full of cops and you'd think you're safe, wrong. They got my magpull mags, too. Nice enough to leave my rifle, but thank GOD I wasn't using glass that day. But, I don't have the heart to tell the guy who gifted me a 700.00 knife, the kind of guy who'd crawl across a highway during rush hour for you, that I got careless and lost his gift, ya know? I have to wait for the right deal. I do wish Fallkniven would start looking around at their competition, though. For what they're asking something like 3V doesn't seem like a lot. Busse has infi, BR is putting out affordable 3V, etc. Seems like they're playing catch up, but haven't caught up yet. Unless they think their only competition is cold steel, I guess. Thanks again for the more than thorough review, part of me says fuck everyone, I love Fallknivens, ya know?
@@frankdrebin1023 I'm not gonna lie when I say "I definitely think Fallknivens are way over priced" but I do love them. Then again I live bark river also and I like Mike Stewart. Plus they have the best warranty in the world.
The convex on the edge of the modern Bowie is thinner because the CoS is stronger than the VG-10. VG-10 is more brittle at that hardness to that's why their grind is thicker on the edge, to add strength.
SC bushcraft backwoods yeah it's an awesome knife to save up for if you love Fallkniven. But if you don't love them it's a bit to expensive. I haven't used the modern bowie yet, but I like the feel of the handle a bit more
Rice Creek bushcraft I've never used a fallkniven before but I have been wanting to. It's on my list for sure. Maybe one day I'll win the lottery......first I gotta play it lol. I'll get me an f1 sometime this year and see if I like fallkniven enough to save up for the Thor or MB. Right now I'm really wanting the bark River dark timber grizzly
Mine didn't come with the box...I was pretty bummed out about it because I have the pro series and they came with a box except the F1 pro. Really kick ass knife but for the price it should come with the box and sharpener.
Would love to see new videos. Could you tell me the width of the blades at the guard ? Would be curious about that. ( Not the thickness, you‘ve said how thick they are ) Love the details you talk about. Hope you are doing well.
Hey buddy we have been doing very well. I hope you and your family are doing great! Yes I've been slacking on the videos that's for sure. I have a few I want to do here shortly. I do not have either one of those knives anymore. I would guess they were between 3 and 3 and quarter inches high at the guard.
@@shane4176 Thanks so much for the answer :) We are fine, thank you. Was curious cause they are similar to the Trailmaster which you recommended me once. Great knife but the handle bother me a little bit cause it’s a little flat. I had the impression the MB and NL1 are wider. Looking forward for some new videos. Hope to see some soon :) Stay healthy
@@ayjay359 oh I see what you're saying. The MB handle is a little wider in the front near the guard then tapers toward the rear of the handle. But it's not overly wide.
@@shane4176 Thanks :) That helps Might sound weird but I care a little bit much about a safe and good feeling since I have seen people cutting in their legs accidentally cause the knife slipped away. I also cut off half of my hand once in an accident ( not with a knife or any tool ) so I don’t want any tendon injuries anymore. 😂 That took a long time to heal.
They are a tiny bit taller near the guard than the CS TM, but not by much. They do feel very slippery in stacked leather compared to rubber, to the point of being a little scary, but they still felt better than CS which is too thin and moves in my hand on a chop. This results in poor chopping performance for the CS compared to FK for me, made worse by the newer rubber dot pattern which is very aggressive to the hand when it moves around (my CS was a San MaiIII TM, new in 2016). The FK Thor feels much better than the TM but is also scarier for me, like it wants to fly out but doesn't. I prefer really fat hollow handles with fine knurling, or (less so) thinner ones fattened with cord and tennis racket tape, as they distribute the hit over a wide part of the hand. I also prefer hollow grinds as they sink into wood with less impact to the hand, notably so with a thin 0.020" edge like on the Randall Smithsonian or the Randall Model 12 w14 grind. 0.020" Behind The Edge (BTE)is just right and not fragile, and easier to sharpen on a hollow grind than convex.
Rice Creek bushcraft right on man, where abouts? I got family in Flint and Charlevoix. Spent a lot of time at Torch Lake growing up. Michigan is beautiful state....except in the winter lol. We're expecting some gnarly lows here this week too. High of 3 and low of -18 on the first
Josh Johnson yeah Charlevoix and torch lake are beautiful areas! I live closer to Jackson so not as pretty. I'd love to move further to the north. A whole lot more public ground up that way than around here.
If it were me and I had it to do again I would just buy the trail master. The modern bowie is an awesome knife but the trail master will do everything it will do at a fraction of the cost.
to buy a Modern Bowie in Australia at the moment is AUD$1000+ and to be honest, they are ridiculously overpriced, for that sort of money I can get a full-blown custom in whatever steel and specs I want.
I would like to see real contests between CS Trailmaster San Mai vs Fallkniven MB ... One smaller 400bucks cheaper than the other ... just to see where is value for money
I'd say the San Mai would be extremely similar to the vg-10 Thor and the Cobalt steel would be a slight upgrade. Do I think it will do things better than the trail master? No probably not. If you like the design of the trail master I'd say buy it. This knife is over the top expensive and probably isn't justified in use. I just loved it and really wanted one. It's a badass Bowie. But probably no better no worse than the TM. Hope this helped you!
How do you find the handle ergos on th MB? I is thicker at the guard, i think it would be revers due to the hand slipping more to the pommel when chopping? Is that a correct observation? thank's
what a stupid concept for a knife... good to see that there are people stupid enough to buy it. Good market research Fällkniven. Well done. I am happy about anything that makes profit for the company so they can keep producing amazinng, actually usable knifes and pocket knives :)
