When I first received this knife I was shocked at its size, weight and thickness of the blade.

I did however carry the knife (and still am) for the December holidays.

Here is the knife in sheath


Great workmanship on the sheath



In hand


Balance point is at the second finger when gripped


The reason why I carry a neck knife is due to its versatility and it can take more abuse then a folding knife. I do work in remote areas so I do consider the ability to carry a fixed blade as a luxury and a must have. One of the things I use my fixed blades for if I do not have an axe with me (rarely) is bushcraft. Rule of thumb is of course dont try and split a 10foot log with a 3inch blade. Use your common sense.

Split some wood:



Getting some smaller pieces from a piece I split with the axe, notice how the blade forms a wedge due to its thickness.



Went and found some old rotten tree limbs that one would break to get some termites.


Notch work for traps
[img]http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s90/geronki/2012/P9190007.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s90/geronki/2012/P9190008.jpg[/img]

And some feather sticks
[img]http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s90/geronki/2012/P9190003.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s90/geronki/2012/P9190004.jpg[/img]

I also used the knife in the kitchen and this is where I got the biggest surprise. This thing cuts really well for its short thick blade (sorry, no pictures of that).

The only draw back was the handle. Due to its thinness it became uncomfortable in long periods of carving. This was resolved by wrapping some 550 paracord around the handle and I continued to carve for another 40 minutes without any hotspots. A great knife IMO, but is heavy for some and when you start to carry it. Once you get use to it you dont even notice it.

For the makers details have a look here:
http://www.forgedknives.co.za/

On the steel, this is what the maker had to say (it is very similar to 52100)

I use this for forging blades. It's really tough and works well under the hammer. These are the specs as provided by Sanderson Special Steels





SABEN SILVER STEEL 1.2210 PRECISION GROUND DOWELL ROD B.S.1407 WERKSTOFF No

C 1.20
Si
Mn 0.40
Cr 0.40
Mo
W
V

Features and Uses

Saben Silver Steel is bright finished rod produced from hot rolled bar by means of centreless grinding.
The high carbon content of this steel means that it can be hardened to give considerable wear resistance and the chromium content adds to the strength and hardenability
As supplied however, the steel is machinable owing to the annealing treatment given to it prior to grinding.
Saben silver steel is spherodise annealed for best machinability, the annealed hardness being in the region of 270 Brinell (Rockwell C27). On hardening and tempering a hardness of up to Rockwell C64 can be obtained. Being in the spherodised condition, the material offers maximum response to hardening and the chromium content ensures deep hardening.


Applications

Saben silver steel finds innumerable uses in the tool room and in general engineering. The user can select a size suitable for his purpose, thereby reducing or eliminating the need for grinding or machining the finished part.



Applications include screwdrivers, punches, shafts,
axles, pinions, pins, die posts, instrument parts, model parts, taps and drills for mild steel, engravers tools, and fine cutters.

Hardening

It is preferable to heat the tools in a controlled atmosphere. If this is not possible, pack hardening is recommended. A reducing atmosphere is desirable.

Heat to 770 / 780ºC and when thoroughly soaked through, quench in water. (sizes up to 8 mm diameter may be oil hardened from 800 / 810ºC)
Tempering will be necessary.


Tolerances

B.S. 1407/1959 conforms with I.S.O. H8
Up to and including 3mm +0.00 – 0.014 mm
Over 3mm and including 6mm +0.00 – 0.018 mm
6mm and including 10 mm +0.00 – 0.022 mm
10mm and including 18 mm +0.00 – 0.027 mm
18mm and including 30 mm +0.00 – 0.033 mm
30mm and including 50 mm +0.00 – 0.039 mm


Tempering
Temper according to the purpose for which the parts are required generally between 150 / 300ºC

Rockwell C Temperature
63/65 as quenched
63/65 120ºC
64/62 150ºC
62/61 200ºC
59/58 250ºC
56/55 300ºC
54/53 350ºC
50/48 400ºC

Tempered to 230*C so it is near HRC of 60.