I fully agree with you on the steel choice. The Grimsmo ethos has always been "Full Grimsmo". Its supposed to mean how they always go overboard in their quality/choices. But CPM 154/RWL34 is not that. To match their ethos, their philosophy, they should be at S110v, Maxamet, S125v, Rex121 or one of those.
there are many more variables to account for when picking to steel choice based on the necessities and limitations of the inherent design.. John is a genius of an engineer and has multiple reasons for the RWL34
@@happyhapticsEDC I agree that he is very smart, and he happens to have a RU-vid channel, can he take some time explaining his reasoning? It is by far the most controversial choice of his design.
I just pulled the trigger and received my Norseman here in May 2023. So far I love it! To me, it’s functional art. It’s so unique and a great conversation starter. It fits into my overall collection beautifully! Would highly recommend.
Per Alpha Knife Supply, a piece of M390 12"x1.5"X0.131" costs $49.10. One could probably get two blades out of that piece of steel. So, even without taking into account the cost of the CPM 154, the difference in material would be about $25. I'm sure there are machining costs, tool wear, etc. But then again, there are thousands of knives using M390, so Im sure it can be machined economically.
I love my norsman but i respect your opinion and i agree with some of the things you pointed out . I tried to get mine to bounce open but couldn't i did clean mine as soon as i got it as i do with all my knives thanks for the review
You know man, I really thought I could trust the opinion of you on this channel for most things. You’ve always seen things really objectively and assessed them in the same way. But this just goes too far, RED STARBURST THE WORST? This guy is a madman!! Haha good review though, pretty much agree with you on everything here.
Jake, remember your reviews aren’t supposed to be reviews. The purpose of a review is a reaffirm other people’s purchases. Hahaha. I think it’s hilarious when people are mad when you don’t like a knife. It would be like me going around and asking people “what’s your favorite color?” And then getting angry at them if they don’t say blue.
I own a Kizer Lan that I bought brand new for well south of $100 (shipping included) and it has a no shit fall shut fucking finger guillotine action, and when it falls shut it actually stays shut.
I love the Norseman despite its obvious flaws because it makes me experience a deep emotional reaction when I use it. It just feels right to me. Personally, the only real downside I have with it is the blade steel
I was on the fence because if the price, lower steel quality (for knives in the price range, nothing wrong with CPM-154), and horse look. Blade bouncing out at this price is ridiculous. Thanks for the great review!!
I found a slight turn of the pivot screw takes care of the blade bounce. Still drop shuts. Just have to dial it in. Each is put together by hand hence why there can be some variation
I have been hearing more and more about the blade bouncing out of the detent. I am amazed that that knife has been so popular and made it as long as it has without having that glaring issue fixed. It doesn't seem to be an issue isolated to one or two knives but a fundamental design flaw. What price would you think would be fair for that knife if that particular issue was ironed out? I have been seeing them going for mid 600s recently and they seem to be trending downwards in price.
Great, honest review, Jake. Lot's of people agree with you, and -- for me -- this is the ultimate example of "marketing gone wild," combined with "The Emperor's New Clothes." There's now a clone of the Norseman available on Ebay, with M390 steel, and non-bounce closure for under $200.00 I'm not a supporter of (yes, it's made in China) intellectual property theft, but it illustrates the fact that it's possible to make this knife, and resolve that annoying bounce. The "horse genital" part isn't fixable by anyone, and the obscene pricing for an essentially outdated technology that others have since improved upon is just nuts.
Jake, there was one video where John Grimsmo did a spa treatment for who I think he said was his brother-in-law (watched the video a long time ago) and that guy was an archeologist. He used the robust tip all the time to dig out fossils. Fair that a thick tip doesn’t suit your needs. Some people love a thick tip like hinderer spanto which I have heard is really thick.
I’ve heard of that instance, and that’s fair, I just think it’s very rare and at least 95% of grimsmo Norseman owners don’t benefit at all from an overly thick tip haha
Well...they’ve sold 5,000 of them. People love them. In fact Knifecenter sells them for $1,400 and they do sell, I keep checking. I’ve had number 720 since 2017 and I do enjoy using and carrying it.
I think I might know why that blade shape....maybe because its unique , maybe its because it hadn't been done yet? Maybe they were more set on making a design that was unique over cutting performance? Js. Enjoyed your thoughts though. A unbiased approach
don't you dis the pelican knife Jake ... lol... I love mine but I can appreciate your take on it. mine is in RWL34 and its a great steel in my opinion because I love the edge it takes and its one of my favorites to sharpen... great review bud. the new ones do have the lock bar insert btw. I rarely drop mine shut... I walk it down with the thumb stud but it does bounce back out like the one you have, but that doesn't bother me
I think this is a pretty fair and honest review so good work. The only thing I will say is in the world of truly custom knives, it is pretty common for makers to use less than cutting edge steels. I've seen plenty of Penas with CPM154 for example. You also are not accounting for a different in preference for steel, some people greatly value toughness and ease of sharpening on a steel over absolute edge retention. 100% agree on Starburst flavors.
I would argue that CPM154 isn’t the pinnacle of any component of performance haha, and also that “because others use this material means it’s ok if we do too” is lazy at best 🤣 But I do appreciate the insight, and hear similar sentiments often.
@@beardedgear I guess with a knife that costs $1000 you're past the point of mere function absolute value and more into intrinsic value of an item was more what I was trying to convey.
I’ve kinda wanted to buy the Hillberg Norseman because I heard they actually use M390 at like a fifth of the cost 🤷🏻♂️🤣🤣. Love the look of the Norseman, but the price for the steel is definitely a YIKES from me.
I’ve owned a rask and a Norseman... the rask prior to their price increase which I thought was doable but their prices now are ridiculous and I think they thought since they were selling at a premium on the secondary market that they could increase their prices. Idk.
I tend to agree with you about the steel. But, I love my knives in m390 (and it’s analogs) for my edc use. My TRM knives in 20cv and my PM2 and Para3 in M390. It is interesting to have you expressing this now while at the same time “Super Steel” Steve is lashing out against M390 in response to the knifejoy Slysz bowie over on IG. Plus I’ve seen Metal Complex say CPM 154 is his favorite edc steel and justify (somewhat) it’s use in high-end/custom knives because it is so well rounded. Who is a boy to trust? Lol.
The tanto shape helps with durability, survivability under harsh conditions and hard use. You might not fully appreciate why John did what he did. Did you ask him why rather than speculate and make uneducated guesses? Just like a lot of blade steels, CPM154 is a great steel. It's well balanced. Is it the "best?" Is the "latest and greatest the best?" From my perspective, I don't think I can tell much of a difference between this and other top tier steels other than what I see written down on a sheet of paper. While other steels can be arguably better, I think comparing whatever is "better" to this is approaching the point of picking pepper from fly droppings. I don't subject any of my knives to stupid tests, save for maybe an old Busse. :)) Part of the cost/price of this knife is the design. Look at the old Al Mar knives when Al was making them. While "better" steels could have been used, there's something about what he made that was amazing. I have this knife and enjoy using it. I also have a bunch of other knives that "ring my bell." My absolute favorite for a lot of applications is the Sebenza 31. Then, under certain conditions, I'll use my Kapara. However, my pursuit of knife "perfection" continues regardless. The same points can be made about women. :)))
Do you know if the pivot had the recommended nano oil in the bearings? Norseman come with 10 weight nano oil. Maybe the oil slows the fall shut down enough that the knife doesn’t bounce out. My Norseman has more of a hydraulic drop shut action.
Not a chance it's the oil I've only used what was supplied with the knife and it still mimics what this knife did in the video 90% of the time.. Then I tried some different ones and the issue remains
Guys who cant afford it: nice but i dont like the choice of steel.🤡 8k satisfied customers: love my Grimsmo...i aint chopping wood so steel choice is just fine.
@@reneramdeen613 He was just making a joke. Me and my Canadian friends poke fun at each other's country all the time. It all in good fun. Not serious. 👊👊🇺🇲🇺🇲
I guess, you can take a nice knife and charge 3.5 x's the amount you should charge and folks will think they have something of value and I guess they would be correct. If these knives was 3 thousand a piece and folks bought them...the in fact would be worth 3k for no other reason other then folks buy them lol. It's a $200 knife
Grimsmo Knives Norseman Regular price $935.00 USD. [sold out] It is a $35 knife basically. The steel RWL 34 is nothing special (powder metallurgy ATS 34). It's named after R W Loveless who used low grade easy to beltsand steel. This is still the same low grade but a little more clean. As poor as the steel is, the titanium is even cheaper. Stay away from Loveless and from Grismo if you want value for your money.
Whether or not your knife “bounces” when you close it should not be a selling point. Knives are used to cut things, so how you put the blade away is irrelevant
Then you clearly don’t understand the norseman at all. It’s drop shut action is one of the biggest selling points. I couldn’t disagree with your stance more lol. Buy a fixed blade.
@@nellAyaR2034 I don’t get why you’re here 🤣 It’s 2021 and it’s possible to have high performance knives with great action. You’ve come to the wrong place if you’re trying to convince me to “not focus on the action” or something.
Even though I'm Canadian I agree with everything you have said. I applaud them for the knives they produce but this one is a miss. I could buy two really good knives for the price of this one. Thanks for another great, honest video...and the horse dick jokes. From Canada 🇨🇦... stay safe.
