I apologize for taking so long. Been pretty busy 'round here for a while. I had my annual weekend off this weekend, so I finally get time to make a cup (read pot) of coffee and type this thing out all relaxed like. So now that I'm all settled in and comfy, let's get down to it. A lot of this is going to be ripped straight from the other thread where I talked a little about them, so I'm sorry for that.
The Blades
From left to right, you have Marc's (SanMarc), Jeffery's, Henry's (Dig's-Rocks-N'-Stuff) and Lyndle's (Fallen/Driggers)
Specs:
Marc's 5 3/8" blade length 10 1/4" OAL 3/4" wide at ricasso slightly over 1/16" thick at ricasso. Like 3/32 or something.
Jeffery's 6 7/16" blade length 11" OAL 13"16 wide at blade base 1/8" thick at blade base
Henry's 7 1/4" blade length 11 1/8" OAL 7/8" wide at blade base 1/16" thick at blade base
Lyndle's 7 3/4" blade length 11 3/4" OAL 7/8" wide at blade base Too thin to accurately measure with my measuring tape, but less than 1/16" thick at blade base.
Initial Impressions
Sorry, but this is basically just copy/pasted.
Jeffery's Knife
Jeffery was pretty sick for most of the time before the deadline. And has a lot to do with why his knife is the way it is, I think. You gotta give hims some serious cool points for pushing through being sick just to turn something in. Mad respect, bro.
He put a neat little maker's mark on it. Nothing fancy, but still neat.
As you can see in this next picture, the knife is QUITE thick. And heavy. All of the weight to his knife is in the hand. Not that weight distribution is all that important in a fillet knife, but it's worth mentioning, I think.
The blade is also torqued. Looking down the edge, you can see that it isn't quite straight.
The handle actually looks and feels really nice. I don't know what kind of wood he used, but I really like it. It's almost got some sort of 3D effect going on. The edges could be a bit more rounded for comfort, but I still really like it.
Another BIG problem with his knife is how dull it is. It's, like, a LOT dull. I asked him what happened there, but he said since he was sick, he had just did his best to complete a knife to turn in. Again, mad respect.
Marc's Knife
Marc's is certainly the most quirky of the bunch. Has a pretty funky shape and finish, but it certainly seems able to cut fish. While the "rustic" look (or whatever it's called) isn't particularly my thing, he does it well for the people that are in to that. "Viking style" if you will. To me, the blade is still kinda thick and doesn't have much flex. Like Jeffery, he also put his mark on his blade.
I'm not entirely sure what he used for the scales, but it's really weird. It looks like something that maybe used to be a cabinet with a different texture finish on the outside. Whatever it is, I don't think it's ever coming off. With 6 pins peening them on, I don't think it's going anywhere.
Although, it staying put doesn't seem to have to do much with the epoxy. It appears to be trying to let go. Even so, there is no movement in the scales and I doubt they will be coming off any time soon.
Marc's isn't perfectly straight, either, but better than Jeffery's.
Marc's is the shortest of them all, and even shorter with the... Uh... What would you call that part? A ricasso? Anyway, the part past the handle but before it gets sharp. The blade length still appears to be over the 6" minimum limit.
Dig's Knife
While it certainly isn't your typical fillet knife in the classical sense, it certainly appears to be able to perform. It's laser sharp, and has a lot of "bells and whistles" so to speak. From the Deadpool themed handle scales (if you haven't watched that movie yet, you're wrong) to all of the different recessions to hold it any way you can come up with. Personally, I think it could serve as a lot more than just a fillet knife, but since this is a fillet knife round, It won't get any bonus points for being able to be a multi-tool. It's also the only knife without a maker's mark.
It's a nifty little knife, but not without it's faults. while the handle was sealed with epoxy to keep fish goo/slime from getting in there, it did get partly up the blade. although it's only on one side. There here are a couple spots that have a couple bubbles and runs and the handle does feel considerably thicker than it needs to be. Other than that, there's really not much to pick at.
The blade on this one is straight, although still thick for a fillet knife. While there is flex, I would call it "only just."
The edge bevel has a mirror finish and it is SUPER sharp. I think I remember him saying it's DH, so I'd bet if I etched it, there would be a hamon. There are a couple spots on the blade that still have a small amount of pitting from HT, but it's not enough to complain about. It also feels very well balanced and easy to maneuver without feeling cumbersome.
Fallen's Knife
[/b][/font]Fallen's knife is the very definition of a classic fillet knife. It's thin, it's light, and it's plenty flexible. The wood scales look great, are sealed well, and have a hole drilled if you want to add a lanyard or something. Like Marc and Jeffery, he included a maker's mark. Really, the only thing I can even find to be picky about is that the grind is a little uneven in a spot or two. Although understandably so, since grinding on something this this is very difficult. It's also a little less sharp than I was expecting. After receiving his chopper knife in the give aways, I thought this one would be as sharp as that one was. Although, he did pack it in a box with some pretty hard paper-type stuff. So I'm guessing it may have dulled it somewhat during shipping. It's still sharper than Marc or Jeffery's and will certainly cut some fish no problem, but it just wasn't as sharp as the last knife I had from him. [/font]
I don't really have anything else to say about it because it's exactly what it's supposed to be. A fillet knife. So I'll just shut up and let you look at the pics.
Testing the Blades
So for this part, I caught some fish and both me and my brother used these knives and both agreed on each's performance and placement. We both made sure to actually get all the fish off of both the side and the spine. Doing that would force us to change our usual filleting habbits, and would give us a better idea of how well the makers were able to hit the mark. Unfortunately, we had a limited sample pool at only 1 fish per knife, but not only were me and my brother confident in our results, but all of the participating smiths for this round agreed to let me make the judgement with only these tests.
Jeffery's
Now, because I'm awesome, I still wanted Jeffery's to at least be able to compete in this. So I grabbed my diamond hones and went to town on them. His blade actually has a very good HT, so it honed down to an outstanding edge. If you keep up on the SBG Facebook page, I dropped it and it made a nice little hole in my leg that ruined a pair of boxers and my favorite pair of sweat pants with a big ol' blood stain.
Anyway, after honing, his knife actually cut fish. Albeit, it was more difficult than using a standard fillet knife, it still did it. With the edge I put on it, it was easily able to get as much meat as possible from the spine, and all of it from the side.
Marc's
Marc's knife, both me and my brother had a lot of trouble with. When I had tested it previously, it had ripped off one of the sides from pulling too hard to get it to peel the meat off. This time, since I knew this, I was able to be a little more careful to keep that from happening. But as this was my brother's first time using it, he had the same problem and it ripped the side off again. I think it was due to not being as sharp as it could be, but I think the 6 hour limit caused this. And that the only beven on the blade is the one right at the edge. So it isn't very steep.
Henry's
Henry's knife did fairly decent. Being the sharpest of all three, the only problem both me and my brother had with it was that it was the same width throughout the length of the blade, making it a little more difficult to maneuver. Trying to make the turn after the first cut it was a little tricky, but after that and getting through the ribs, it did alright. The bevels on this one were also a little less steep than your standard fillet knife, so I had to angle it a little different to get it to work. But it did, in fact, work.
Lyndle's
Lyndle's did... Well... What fillet knives do. And it did it well. My brother actually has a pretty fancy "Outdoor Kit" that has a really nice fillet knife it. And Lyndle's out cut that one. Now, I've not used a lot of high-dollar non-electric fillet knives, so read this with that in mind, but this is literally the best fillet knife I've ever cut with. Like, it did everything amazingly.
Results
Both me and my brother agreed on the placement both before AND after sharpening Jeffery's. So while the results differed, the post sharpening results don't count. So, without further adieu, here you go.
Pre sharpening:
Lyndle's Henry's Marc's Jeffery's
And post sharpening:
Lyndle's Henry's Jeffery's Marc's
Congrats, Lyndle!
Post Testing Thoughts
I don't have much to say about Lyndle's, because there isn't much to say about it. It is a fillet knife through and through
Marc's: Marc's, I think, could have also been a very good fillet knife. But because of it's thickness and the one bevel that wasn't very steep, it just isn't. If there was a primary bevel put in, and a more steep secondary, it would have been MUCH better. It's still a good knife, though. Given it's traits, and the fact that it came with a sheath, it's still going to make one lucky winner a hell of a utility knife. Since it wasn't super sharp, and the edge was a little uneven, I went ahead and cleaned it up on my hones to a somewhat decent edge. I still left the angles of the bevels that Marc had set, but with his permission, just refined it a little so it is still his work.
Jeffery's: Despite being outcut by a basketball when it arrived, after I put an edge on this thing, I can tell you it is going to be an amazing beater knife. The HT is great, and it holds a super-sharp edge. While it wasn't anything close to a fillet knife, it'll still tough and will cut the snot out of you. Just ask my leg.
Henry's: Henry's knife, unlike Marc's and Jeffery's, isn't a utility knife to use for filleting. His is more of a fillet knife, geared toward utility. While it's certainly no heavy duty knife, it could perform just about anything in a kitchen or other light utility setting. Also, as a side note, I dropped it in the rocks while I was testing them. It dulled it slightly and mushed the tip a little. I AM SO SORRY HENRY. I DIDN'T MEAN TO DROP YOUR KNIFE. But I resharpened the blade. But because I resharpened it, there is lines going different directions from Henry's. So, to whoever wins his knife, just know that wasn't his fault. It was mine.
BIG SHOUT OUTS TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED, AND WILL CONTINUE TO PARTICIPATE IN FUTURE EVENTS. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO READS THESE, AND I HOPE YOU CONTINUE TO SUPPORT AND SHARE FiSBG.
Last I heard from Mike he'd planned a fishing trip last weekend or the week before, but it didn't yield many fish so everything is postponed until he can get out again.
Meanwhile, I still need to pick up some things for the thruster round...
That was the case, but what really happened was we had a lot of things go wrong here at the plant I work at. I was here literally all weekend, plus two different family birthdays this week and mine the weekend before, so I didn't even have time to do a proper write up. Anyway, I've not made any plans whatsoever tonight so I can get it done. It'll be up sometime between now and midnight my time.
"Though we strike at you from the shadows, do not think that we lack the courage to stand in the light."-- Dark Templar Prelate Zeratul
I guess I lied. I had yet another birthday to attend that I was notified about literally 3 hours before the event and just got home. Plus, had to help one of my friends with a thing right before that.
"Though we strike at you from the shadows, do not think that we lack the courage to stand in the light."-- Dark Templar Prelate Zeratul
Congrats to Fallen! From looks alone, his seemed really up to the specific task. Hope you guys keep trucking along even at this pace. You even have Don Fogg's forum beat at this! They haven't even started.
nerdthenord: Hi, I'm still alive. Doing well again all things considered
Apr 15, 2024 3:10:36 GMT
samsthe1: Uhlan, thank you for the information.Derek.
Apr 9, 2024 15:25:37 GMT
samsthe1: Uhlan, thank you for the information,
Apr 9, 2024 15:24:56 GMT
mrstabby: Mine gets pressed to the top as well, but that way the tip gets ground of, don't like that either. Unfortunately I'm an edge-perfectionist. Also one wrong move when unsheathing and the throat nicks the edge on either side.
Mar 31, 2024 19:02:10 GMT
AndiTheBarvarian: Perhaps I've got one from the batch for Matt Easton ?!?
Mar 31, 2024 18:22:59 GMT
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AndiTheBarvarian: When I draw the saber it's automatically pressed with the spine to the scabbard so there's space for the edge to not touch the scabbard. When the false edge starts it's released but can be carefully draw completely without touching the scabbard.
Mar 31, 2024 8:10:26 GMT
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AndiTheBarvarian: Too little gap for a needle, so also I see no way to get the glue in.
Mar 31, 2024 8:02:34 GMT
mrstabby: I was easily able to poke through the glue on all of my Windlass swords/daggers, then it just seems to wick in forever, it never was thick. I can't imagine how there isn't any dulling though, unless yours is less wide or the scabbard is bigger.
Mar 31, 2024 7:04:12 GMT
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AndiTheBarvarian: There's not really an opening on mine, very good fit of guard and blade and some glue or epoxy in it. Since my scabbard doesn't dull the edge too I seem to be on the lucky side with Windlass this time.
Mar 31, 2024 1:25:54 GMT
mrstabby: Maybe it screams in pain now, but I like it..
Mar 30, 2024 20:35:26 GMT
mrstabby: PSA: Give your Windlass swords some superglue, they appreciate it. My 1796 drank 4g through the opening between guard and blade, now it rings much louder and vibrates much less.
Mar 30, 2024 20:34:25 GMT
AndiTheBarvarian: Not easy to smell without a nose...
Mar 30, 2024 3:17:59 GMT
mrstabby: "Sorry Mr. Johnson, I need to store my sword for a few hundread years until someone worthy comes and gets it, mind if I stick it here?"
Mar 29, 2024 18:54:11 GMT
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AndiTheBarvarian: First you have to try getting it into!
Mar 29, 2024 14:52:50 GMT
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mrstabby: What now, pulling a sword out of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson? Intriguing!
Mar 29, 2024 12:49:08 GMT
AndiTheBarvarian: Dwayne Johnson disagrees!
Mar 28, 2024 19:38:14 GMT
rschuch: As anyone who's seen Excalibur knows, getting the sword INTO the rock isn't the problem, it's getting it back out again.
Mar 28, 2024 19:13:13 GMT
durinnmcfurren: Movie turned out better than it had any right to be considering how many times a blade was shoved into rock. Yes, even once would be too much, but it was way more than once.
Mar 16, 2024 22:36:55 GMT
Ramses1079: Yeah me too, which is a shame because he’s a good author. I guess that’s like when your favorite band releases a new album, and there’s always one or two tracks that you’re like “what were they thinking?”
Mar 16, 2024 19:12:10 GMT
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