Knives, bayonets, multi tools, daggers and other pointy implements.

[Basillicus]

Dear Basillicus - you need to make your own, or make a few knives! Go to the website

www.brisa.fi

and check out the various blades they have from every Nordic country.

The EnZo kits are well known, they have been featured in American knife journals as well. They have "full tang" blades as well as traditional "rat tail" blades, and the full tang is a bit stronger than the traditional. Valinnanvaraa riittää. And more info in Finnish: www.puukkosivut.net

And if you want a very good quality "scandi" knife, you can always get a Fällkniven. They are Swedish. On Ebay, you can find Fällkniven blades also that you can make into a knife by yourself if you want. But Fällkniven are more expensive than the Brisa stuff.

A couple of years ago, I got two "Lauri carbon" (hiiliteräs) blades from Brisa. My first knife looked very bizarre, but the carbon blade was a mean cutter in the woods.

Thanks for the link, they seem to have some interesting stuff. That EnZo full tang looks very robust and serious business, I've seen the traditional narrow "tang" or the rivet holding it to break down too many times, especially if you start chopping firewood with it. Well, they aren't even intended to be used as a wood chopping axe but sometimes you just might have to use it like one.

Too bad they don't seem to have knives built around that full tang blade? I affraid I don't have the skills or tools to make a decent handle myself. Although that "EnZo Taiga 125/ Nylund" looks pretty interesting and isn't too expensive.

What comes to Fällkniven, I think I'm just not mentally prepare to buy a Swedish knife.

[Walker-69]

A couple of little friends...



I shall write more about them in a minute.

[Walker-69]

A quick evaluation of the Spyderco Delica ZDP-189 combo edge.




The Delica is Spyderco's best-selling model. It has been around for many years and has been offered in various steels. The current steel is VG-10. VG-10 is an excellent steel, however Spyderco is also offering a model with a blade made out of ZDP-189 steel. ZDP-189 is a "supersteel" - it has an extraordinarily large amount of carbon in it, and that gives it unusual hardness and edge-holding ability.

I got a Delica ZDP-189 from Ebay for a reasonable price, and have been giving it light use for a while. I'm pretty happy with the knife, but I am not sure whether I would recommend it to everyone.

Many users have been reporting problems sharpening ZDP-189. It is quite natural that this kind of steel is harder to sharpen than ordinary steels; different sharpening materials might perform better than others when it comes to supersteels. I have read on the forums that ceramic sharpeners don't really work well with ZDP-189, but I haven't tried myself so I wouldn't know.

So then, how well does the supersteel hold it's edge? That depends entirely on the material. Peeling apples and oranges, you might never need to sharpen the Delica ZDP-189. Maybe that's what someone wants: apples, oranges, sausage, that kind of stuff. I would imagine that it would work practically forever without any need for sharpening.

I did cut some cardboard into pieces with the Delica, and I noticed some blunting. It is still working sharp, but the most extreme hair-splitting edge is gone. Therefore we can safely conclude that the supersteel is not invincible. But cardboard is actually quite tough on knives - there are lots of impurities in cardboard that wear out the blade faster than many other materials.

One important aspect is that a harder steel will chip more easily than an ordinary steel. There is usually a trade-off between hardness and toughness, a harder steel is more brittle, and a softer steel is more tough. Now I am not a metallurgist and I am not willing to test this on my Delica, but I would expect the tip to break more easily on the ZDP-189 blade than on a VG-10 blade. Also, the serrations might chip more easily with ZDP-189 than with VG-10. This is what I have gathered from other writers on knife forums too.

In a nutshell, I like the ZDP-189 Delica, but I don't think it's for everyone. It is an enthusiast's knife, or a number two knife. For hard use I would recommend the Delica VG-10 versions, just because they are easier to sharpen and I assume that they can take more abuse. I don't really see the need for a "supersteel" in many kinds of practical use, but that is just me. For more expansive tests on both the VG-10 and ZDP-189 Delicas, please check the web page

http://www.cutleryscience.com/reviews/reviews.html

Do a search for "Delica" on that page and you will find four different articles on the subject: VG-10 plain edge, ZDP-189 plain edge, serrated edge and VG-10 with "Emerson wave". There might also be other reviews around the net.

Sorry, this is not a very good review since I haven't even tried sharpening the thing, but then again I didn't call it a "review" but a "quick evaluation".

[Walker-69]

I have never been really a fan of the SAK (Swiss Army Knife), but this model I REALLY like!



There are many models of the Cybertool, and this is the cheapest and most stripped-down model. This is the Cybertool 29, I think that the model 34 is the most common one. What makes it a "cyber" tool are the Torx bits. Torx screws are found on cell phones and many other high-tech gadgets today. Incidentally, Torx screws (sometimes called star screws) are also found on many knives, so you could use the Cybertool to adjust screws on other knives. Not all though: for example the Delica, the main screw is big and there is a corresponding Torx bit in the Cybertool for that, but the other screws holding the handle together are smaller and there is no such tiny Torx bit found on the Cybertool.

The most usual colours for Cybertools are "sapphire" and "ruby red". I found this "stayglow" model on EBay. A similar frame is used on the Victorinox rescue tool; it does really glow in the dark! First it must get some exposure to light of course. But it usually does, and when you switch the lights off, you can see where it is, because it glows. It could be a really useful feature in some situs. It doesn't really shine of course, but there is enough glow so that you can locate the sucker.

Verdict: not very robust, not very tacti-cool, but it's a really nice addition to your tool set. Thumbs up!

[Walker-69]

Great, I found an old steel chart that I originally downloaded from a knife forum some time ago. It proves the point about possible fragility of ZDP-189 when compared to some other knife steels.

I find four steels here that I have seen used on knives: 440C, ATS-34 (almost identical to 154CM), GIN-1 (found in nineties' Spydercos) and ZDP-189.


As you see, ZDP-189 gets an A- for corrosion resistance, A+ for wear resistance and a B- for toughness. Is it "tough enough" - maybe yes, but some other steels are better. On the X and Y axes you can see that GIN-1 is all the way at the other end of the spectrum, scoring low on wear resistance (hardness) but better on toughness. GIN-1 would make for a better prybar than ZDP-189.

It is interesting to see both 440C and ATS-34 there in the middle, with ATS-34 scoring a little better for both hardness and toughness. It makes sense, because it is more of a high-end steel. VG-10 is supposedly just a hair better than ATS-34 in most regards.

[dave81]

Man i want benchmade knife, but they are "illegal" in my state.

So buy one and don't tell anybody that you have it. It's like how switchblades/automatic knives are illegal in a lot of places, but that doesn't stop online knife sellers from selling them. I bought one once and it came with a note that said, "This automatic knife may not be legal in your state. Check your local knife laws." I think I threw that note away with the box.

[Hammer27]

Cold Steel Scimitar Spike with new cord-wrapped handle:

[Hollis]

Some new additions:

One is about 70 years old.

[T3ngu]

Some new additions:

One is about 70 years old.

You sure you dont want to adopt me?

[Henry's Fork]

Ohhhh ahhhh. Now i gots ta clean my bvds. Thanks Hollis.

Great review Walker, and that chart is also a gem. I have been seeing on teh webz, that the best ways to sharpen the ZDP blades seem to be with a belt sander or diamond stones. Are you the same Walker as the one on BF or spyderforums?

Hammer27, nice score on that SOG tigershark. I was "forced" to pick one up because they discontinued them, on top of moving the production of alot of their knives to taiwan and china. SOG blades from Seki are going to become less and less. *cries like a baby*

[Walker-69]

Great review Walker, and that chart is also a gem. I have been seeing on teh webz, that the best ways to sharpen the ZDP blades seem to be with a belt sander or diamond stones. Are you the same Walker as the one on BF or spyderforums?

I am not on Spyderforums! That's some other 'Walker'. I think it's Bladeforums where I am registered with the exact same name as here, but I haven't really written there much. They might also have other 'Walkers' there.

Yeah, it makes sense that diamonds would work with ZDP-189.

[Polyshot]

My blades so far.......

[Hammer27]

Hammer27, nice score on that SOG tigershark. I was "forced" to pick one up because they discontinued them, on top of moving the production of alot of their knives to taiwan and china. SOG blades from Seki are going to become less and less. *cries like a baby*

Thanks. I always wanted one of the originals and once they converted to the "2.0" with the ridiculous rasps, guard, and just general ugliness I couldn't handle it... so I broke down and finally bought one

[Henry's Fork]

I am not on Spyderforums! That's some other 'Walker'. I think it's Bladeforums where I am registered with the exact same name as here, but I haven't really written there much. They might also have other 'Walkers' there.

Yeah, it makes sense that diamonds would work with ZDP-189.

My bad Walker, i think i even asked you once before. D'oh.

@Hammer, yea that new tigershark, not feeling it either. You really scored, got a tiger without the annoying serrations, i love my spidies with serrations, just not on me fixed blades. arrrggh

[HuntingHawk]