Just got a call from a major engineering company in Atlanta. They want me to head up a water/sewer project just south of here on the FL line. Decisions, decisions. Big money.

I have a "Want List" with about 10 or so more Bark River knives that I still want to get..... and I have a fair number of Barkies already.

Unfortunately, I am having to sell stuff right now and can't really make the purchases I want to make.

I like some of the Spyderco knives. I still have a couple of folders, but I honestly don't like Thumb-hole knives.
I do like some of their fixed bladed knives:

The Temperance,
Hossom - Dayhiker
Perrin (1st one)

are all pretty nice knives.

-------------------------------


I also have a couple of Fehrman's knives. The ones I have fall in the "I LOVE them, but...." catagory.

I think Fehrman and Chris Reeve rank as two of the highest quality for fit and finish for semi-custom knife makers. Both are very good at the little details of their knives.

Fehrman is apparently (by trade) a tool and die maker with "decades of experience" and a pretty nice CNC machine.

Fehrman has immaculate lines on his knives with little details very well done such as:
- Radiused lanyard hole (perfectly clean and polished holes),
- Beveled spine, choil and pommel edges
- Perfectly cut jimping in the thumb ramps
- Contouring and shaping of the handle is CNC perfect
- Excellent - VERY well made sheaths (*Chris Reeve's leather and Randall's leather sheaths are two of the best sheaths I have seen provided by a maker!)

I have the Fehrman Last Chance and the Peace Maker. Both are very cool for different reasons.

But,.......

- The Last Chance has an obnoxiously large handle and is generally way over-sized, over-chunky for it's length. The handle is actually VERY nice, very comfortable and very well shaped. I just feel the handle is way too chunky for a knife with a 5.5" blade. The handle is very thick and very tall for this sized blade.
I am pretty sure the handle on the Last Chance is the same size handle as used on the First Strike and Final Judgement. I think this handle might be borderline on the First Strike (probably still a tad too chunky in my book)
and more suited for a massive Final Judgement. I asume the handle would be very nice on the Final Judgement.

CPM-3V is a very good knife steel. But, by the time you pay $350.00 for the Final Judgement, you could have had a Busse! The only reason I have the two I have was because of lucky low priced purchases on ebay.

On the other hand -

The Fehrman Peace Maker's handle is Way too short - one extreme to the other. I had wanted a Shadow Scout for a long time, but I have reservations since it has the same handle and with a longer blade.

The Thru-Hiker appears to have the same exact handle as the Peacemaker, but without scales. I have fairly large hands and I am pretty particular about handles. I don't really like skeleton knives, but the Thru-Hiker is probably a very nice knife for people with medium sized hands. I don't have any reservations about the quality of the knife at all. Just the handles.

What I call the "Grip Area" is the distance at the belly of the grip from the furthest your index finger can go into the guard to the peak of the pommel or furthest back your little finger will go (not neccessarily the peak if a bird's beak type pommel).
I measure the Peace Maker at about 3.25" - 3.375"!!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/sad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbdn.gif" alt="" /> I consider this WAY too small!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />
VERY few knives have a grip area this small. (Unless they are small neckers.....)

For comparison purposes:

- HRLM - 3.75" - 3.875" (Great fit!!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" /> )
- Older HR, Yard Keeper, Bandicoot (all same handle) - 3.625" (borderline for me, but probably good for most people.)
- Fehrman - Last Chance - I would call about 3.75" - and Plenty sufficiently roomy. (* Because of the shape of this handle, I am not even measuring to the peak of the pommel. I measure to where my little finger would naturaly stop against the pommel. Peak to peak is larger, but by my definition of functional grip area, I would say 3.75".)

*** An 1/8th inch here and there is HUGE for grip areas!

It is hard to critique many flaws in Fehrmans' quality, fit and finish!
But, I am disappointed in the handle sizes.... I don't feel these were well thought out.

My conspiracy theory is: Fehrman uses a lot of CNC and has one handle program for three knives and one other handle program for the other three knives for simplicity. Great for simplicity, but not so great for certain knives.
The thing is, on the three smaller handled knives, a 3.375" handle would only barely be sufficient for the Thru-Hiker in my book and way too small for the Shadow Scout and Peace Maker.

I consider 3.625" a bare minimum (for me) and preferably 3.75" + on smaller knives - all relevant to the actual overall knife.

I have considered re-shaping the handle where I would move the grip forward into the lower guard. But, I would have to remove and reshape the bump between the index and middle finger. But, I would be removing Fehrman's highly perfect bevel's.

I am constantly evaluating my collection and some knives get cut from time to time. I have had my Fehrman's for a good while and have never used either. They are so nice in so many ways that I can't seem to let them go.
But, for what the Fehrmans are worth, I can easily get a Swamp Rat, Scrap Yard or Barkie that fits better and have change left over. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

If it wasn't for the handle on the Peace Maker, the Peace Maker would be an Awesome knife! The blade design is spectacular, great thumb ramp, great choil, excellent quality, fit and finish.

The Peace Maker is actually very similar to the HRLM (actually reverse that!). But, the HRLM has a perfect fit handle and is generally larger all around.

The main advantages the Peace Maker has are: already satin <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> , functional choil (I can fix the choil on my HRLM easily enough since I will strip it anyway...., but if you don't intend to strip your HRLM, this is probably annoying.), and the Peace Maker is lighter weight.





*** When Swamp Rat starts on the "to be released" Rat Hunter and the Baby Coot, I hope they decrease the height and thickness of the handle to slim it down to better suite the smaller blades, but I hope they don't make the handles too short!!!!

*** Another detail I would love to see on future Swamp Rat smaller knives like the Rat Hunter and Baby Coot would be to skeletonize the handles under the scales to save weight! I know they can do it as they did skeletonize the Shaker and similar. There isn't much I would change about the HRLM, (I can fix the choil myself <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> ), but if they could skeletonize the tang under the slabs, the balance, weight and feel that would be achieved would put the HRLM into the next stage of World Class - whatever that is.
..... I need to start posting more thoughts over at the Swamp!



* Something else to consider on the Thru Hiker - it is going to be fairly stout and probably fairly heavy for a necker! It seems more of a light-weight, belt knife for EDC without scales. But, that is just my opinion. I don't like anything on my neck and I don't like knives without handles, so I am not a fair one to judge. Skeletonized under the scales is a different story! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

I would be curious to a see a side-by-side photo of the Thru Hiker next to a Rat Shaker or similar.

.

will you have to dig the ditches by hand or will they let you use a back hoe?

seriously, congrats. even if you don't take it, it's nice to know you're wanted.

nice comparison pics. thanks.

Wig,

My bride is forcing me to attend the Chicago Knife Show on Sept. 8th http://www.chicagocustomknifeshow.com/Home.html

it is the day before my 50th B-day and she insists I buy the knife of my dreams since I'll only be 50 once. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

Love that girl!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

What will it be? Sweet as Rock Candy and better looking than me.

No idea but a custom or a ultra folder will be in my near future for sure.

They are having the biggest names in Custom Knife making at that event and I am sure to score a lifetime memory from it. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Peace.

Oh Man... I have a CS Master Hunter.... But, the Barkies BLOW it away!!!

The Forager, Gameskeeper, Fox River, Canadian Special and many other flat out blow the CS Master Hunter out of the area.

.... on the other hand, the Master Hunter can be purchased for about half the price of the Barkies I mentioned. So, if someone were to need cheap, then.....


..... carry on.

I could also mention that Spyderco and Bark River make the most consistently SHARP knives I have seen.

.

Scrappy,

I see you have the Thru Hiker.

What are your thoughts on the handle size?

Scrappy,

I am curious to here more feedback on that Forrester.

I am still curious about the function of the design and N-685 steel.


I would love to here a review from you.

i'm uber jealous.

That's what I am saying!!!!

Of course, that is just my first and primary reason followed by my long list of other things I look for in my knives! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />