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Post by kalkikrosah on Nov 14, 2017 22:53:03 GMT
Does anyone have any experience handling one of the Scagel reproduction knives? I am looking into buying one of their knives and don't know too much about their quality or the integrity of the site where I found them: www.knivesshipfree.com/scagel/?sort=featured&page=2I did some research into them and came up with the following: William Scagel is the originator of the Scagel knives. He started making them about a century ago and his originals sell for a lot of money. His knives are a partial/hidden tang construction and he really liked to use a wide variety of handle materials ranging from all different kinds of wood, stacked leather and stag bone. It uses A-2 steel at an HRC of 58. A-2 is listed as a "high speed tool steel" which, to my understanding, is an offshoot of stainless steel. I have no experience with this steel so any input on what to expect would be welcome. Bark River Knives owns the license on the Scagel name and are the ones making the reproductions on this website. They seem like a high end knife maker.
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Post by kalkikrosah on Nov 23, 2017 2:50:28 GMT
I just ordered a Scagel knife from the knives ship free website I listed in the original post. I may do a short review of it once I do get it. Scagel medium bowie osage orange is the knife I ordered. Should arrive to me on Black Friday. Today is the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving so it should be here soon enough.
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Scott
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Post by Scott on Nov 23, 2017 3:02:31 GMT
Can't comment on the scagel knives but I've bought from knives ship free and can't see you having any issues with your knife.
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Post by kalkikrosah on Nov 23, 2017 13:38:58 GMT
So far I have been getting a really good impression of the website. They've been keeping me informed on my purchase every step of the way. The last message I got was a nice little letter telling me about the knife:
Congratulations on purchasing a Scagel knife, and thank you for buying it through KnivesShipFree.com.
I'm proud to say that KnivesShipFree was, for a time, the caretaker of the art and legacy of William "Bill" Scagel. At the same time, I'm humbled that you've chosen to invest in one of the "new Scagels."
I hope you see this knife as we intended—not an imitation or a reproduction, but a respectful tribute to the man and his work. We worked hard to preserve Bill Scagel's classic touches while adding modern functionality.
In the end, I believe that these are some of the finest Scagel knives ever made, and I'm grateful to Mike Stewart at Bark River for producing them for us. Just remember—Bill Scagel made his knives to be used. And although I'd understand if you decide to commit your new knife to a safe or display case, it'd be fitting if you put it to work.
That's what it was made for. We suspect old Bill Scagel would like it, too.
Thanks for being our customer!
Derrick & Wendy Bohn
This email confirms that Bark River's knife smiths are the ones who took over the licensing of the Scagel knife brand. I did look over some of the Bark River catalogue and they make a lot of different types of knives. I take it that you got yourself a Bark River knife through this site?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 24, 2017 1:45:56 GMT
Oh gourd. Enjoy your knife and I am sure you will enjoy it. With so many students of Scagel and the four generations following him, it was only a matter of time before someone decided to brand the knives. Bark River is Mike Stewart and there is a more than colorful history to him, including Marbles, Ek and Blackjack. Stewart basically oversees production at this point but there is a lot of branding going on. For instance, you can't buy a present day Blackjack, or Ek from Bark River but they do make the Blackjacks (and now apparently a "Scagel"). Stewart was working for the modern co of Marbles (after the name was bought) before Bark River was begun and after he lost everything when behind the Blackjack Effingham days (early 90s). A prize and legacy of Mike Stewart has been the adherence to convex grinding. Jim Behring of Treeman Knives is perhaps the most astute student of Scagel in today's era. www.treemanknives.com/Scagel was a character and many grew through his knives, Randall Knives (Bo Randall), just one birthed out of Scagel's influences
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Scott
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Post by Scott on Nov 24, 2017 4:16:38 GMT
I didn't buy a bark river knife though they do have some very nice knives. I bought one of the great eastern cutlery knives. No complaints about the vendor, I'd be happy to buy from them again. Not sure what the issue with branding is, as long as the manufacturer owns or has licenced the brand.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 24, 2017 7:12:46 GMT
I don't really have an issue regarding the branding but it just reminds me that Berhing has had Scagel like knives for a few dollars more with better personal, less production and possibly more intrinsic value. Someone bought one/now two/now several on his available page as soon as I posted a link One left! Merry Christmas Jim!!
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Post by kalkikrosah on Nov 25, 2017 19:32:26 GMT
My knife came in yesterday night. I took a few pictures but put it back in the box almost immediately. I definitely like the look of it. And it is very light and maneuverable. I will probably do a proper review of it some time in the next week or so.
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Post by Curtis_Louis on Feb 9, 2018 16:34:31 GMT
Any follow up pictures of your knife?
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Post by kalkikrosah on Feb 9, 2018 17:49:25 GMT
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Post by kalkikrosah on Feb 10, 2018 15:12:06 GMT
I got 11 photos total of my Scagel on opening day. So I will try and split them into two posts since the attachment feature only allows up to 8 photos a post. Have never done this before on this site so bear with me.
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Post by kalkikrosah on Feb 10, 2018 15:13:54 GMT
Here's the more detailed pictures of the knife out of the holster:
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 10, 2018 15:36:52 GMT
Very knice
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Post by Curtis_Louis on Feb 10, 2018 15:57:36 GMT
Very cool! How is that lanyard ring attached?
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Post by kalkikrosah on Feb 10, 2018 16:00:23 GMT
Overall its a pretty good knife. I purchased this bowie knife for a few reasons. The first is because I really like the Scagel design. I really like the profile of the blade itself and the handle construction gives it so much character. I got the bowie model over the hunter model because I own a couple khukuris now and a bowie knife is often used in comparison as the counterpart/rival of a khukuri so I wanted to see first hand the difference between the two. And the medium model was my preference because it was the cheaper option and because my hands are on the smaller side and would probably fill out a medium handle better. And lastly I also got this particular knife because I liked the color scheme the best. I'm Irish and really like how the green risers compliments the orange hue of the Osage orange handle, and with the white risers it has all the colors of the Irish flag. No other knife in the catalogue had green risers in it (most are black, red or white). On opening day I eagerly opened the box and took these pictures before trying it out. It came to me absolutely flawless. Lifting it out of the sheath for the first time and holding it, it felt practically weightless. The blade had a really nice bead blasted finish while the stainless bolster and pommel/end cap came with a shiny mirror polish. The wooden handle was smooth but gripy and had a nice shine to it as well. The leather risers were fully intact with no gaps or cracks in them. The convex grind is incredibly sharp (paper cutting sharp) and I like the look of how the top portion of the blade angles inward. I was lead to believe that this top portion might be sharpened allowing for more edge to slice with but I can confirm that it is completely flat and not sharpened in any way; which , while still a let down, is for the best since single edged blades are safer to sheath and unsheath without cutting through the leather. And safety should be a major concern with any knife purchase. The sheath itself is real stitched leather. Not sure what kind of leather yet. It is rather stiff and soaking it in oil probably would loosen it up a bit but I haven't gotten around to it yet. On the website's shop page they include in the description that " Even the snap shouts, “Scagel!”" which I thought was a cheesy marketing ploy. But they weren't kidding. On the metal snap cap it literally says Scagel on it. I got a nice chuckle when I saw that. And most importantly with the sheath is that the knife is a snug fit in there with minimal wiggle room and once the knife gets snapped in it is tightly fitted in and has zero chance of falling out. I do have to say that my favorite part of this knife is the bolster. The way I hold the knife the guard angles inward slightly and forms a groove for my index finger to rest inside of is nice but what really impressed me was the top end of the bolster. The top half has a lip that is the perfect height where it is high enough to catch the tip of my thumb from slipping off but low enough that my nail rests right on top of the guard. With that much precision on the specs its almost like this knife was made specifically for me! The knife is perfect. My only gripe come with the leather scabbard/sheath. You can see in the second post a minor puncture hole at the bottom of the sheath. While it is tiny I do have concerns about moisture seeping through that hole and messing with the steel. And the inside of the sheath uses the rough side of the leather. So when you draw out the knife it has tiny specks of that rubbed off leather on the blade that you have to wipe off every time you draw it. Minor nuisance but worth noting. But I can give my nod to the Knives Ship Free website and the craftsmanship of the Bark River crew who commissioned the knife. Derrick Bohn, the owner of the Knives Ship Free website, was also a shining star in this transaction as he kept me updated on the shipping status of the knife and also contacted me a few times asking how I liked the knife and gave me some useful information on maintaining my new Scagel. Its nice to see customer service done right.
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Post by kalkikrosah on Feb 10, 2018 16:03:33 GMT
Very cool! How is that lanyard ring attached? Yup, it is definitely a full piece. No signs of spot welding at all. The lanyard ring would be nice for hanging up on a wall but probably not a good option as a neck knife. Its not heavy, but it is bulky and would swing around a lot and get in the way.
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Post by kalkikrosah on Feb 10, 2018 16:04:01 GMT
Haha, I see what you did there!
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