Fallkniven S1 Forest Knife

I use this Fallkniven S1 knife working in the forests of northeast Washington state and on my horseranch there. It has performed many tasks with excellent results. I have no problems batoning firewood logs up to 5 inch diameter, splitting kindling, cutting hay bale twine, working leather tack and of course things like making feather sticks, notching pegs, carving fire boards and making spindles and bows for bow-drill fire making. Itr eats up the soft woods and isn't bothered a lick by hard wood.When I first examined the blade I didn't think the spine would throw sparks from a ferro rod, but it does have enough of a right angle to make gobs of spark when you scrape it on the rod. You can also get fantastic sparks if you use the tang end where it sticks out from the handle.It can accomplish any bush craft chores as well as any knife I own...although it can't do as fine carving work as some of my Moras with their shorter and narrower blades of .80" or so.The Fallkniven's handle has been critiqued by some as too small. I don't find that so. I have large hands ( I'm 6'2" ) and the grip is good, for me it could use another half inch or so but its not a problem. In the winter I use close fitting leather gloves and then the grip is just right..Blade came very sharp from Fallkniven, I won't say "shaving sharp" -- because really, who's gonna shave with their knife? This S1 holds an edge despite lots of use. Used it many times before it needed a touch up. I use a Kwik-Sharp (brand no longer made) with ceramic rods and get the knife back to better than factory new sharp. Trick here is to not let the blade get too dull before resharpening. This blade is highly stain resistant. Yet, I clean it after every use with WD-40 and just hit it a few licks with the ceramic rods and then strop it -- you get a spooky sharp edge every time... maybe sharp enough to cut the Moon shadow off a fence post...This is a high end knife and its not cheep but I think its worth the money. (I paid $151.00) The fit and finish is excellent. In my opinion it approaches the hand made quality of my RandleMade Knives.The only problem I had with this knife was on the purchasing end when I bought it from KnifeCountryUSA. This seller promised free shipping with the knife. But the US Post Office wanted $3.16 or they would not deliver the knife to me. The Post Office said the seller had not paid the correct amount for postage and that I could either pay the money due or they would send the knife back.Not a lot of money so I paid the extra. I twice sent emails to KnifeCountryUSA about this. To date they have not responded. If you read the "Customer Service Statement" on KnifeCountryUSA's website you'll see they claim:"Knife Country, USA is here to provide our customers with superior customer service, top quality products and our no hassle 100% customer satisfaction guarantee. Our goal is to make your online shopping experience as pleasant and carefree as possible. Knife Country, USA values you as a customer..."-- My experience was neither satisfying or pleasant.All I can say to KnifeCountryUSA is that they should have given me the courtesy of a reply to my emails and explained to me why I had to pay extra for my knife to be delivered, especially when they advertised the product as "FREE SHIPPING" -- NO THANKS KnifeCountryUSA( I mention this problem with KnifeCountryUSA in this review so that Amazon customers can makeinformed decisions about sellers.)Best to you allPaladin

This is an amazing knife. Really. It's become my new favorite knife for bushcrafting/fishing trips for several reasons. Here's the breakdown why:Pros:+ Good middle size between F1 and A1. Will handle 95% of tasks you'd use either one of those for. Can be used for "survival" or just do general "bushcraft".+ Good Vg-10 steel. Stainless, it'll take a razor sharp edge, and keep it for a reasonable amount of time. Easy to sharpen.+ Zytel sheath is simple, waterproof, and requires no care. A plus for me. Others think it's too plain for the price, I don't.+ Thermorun handle is extremely grippy, feels great in the hand.+ It's a 100% "no-worry" knife. The VG-10 steel is a solid stainless, the Thermorun handle will outlast all of us, and the Zytel sheath requires no care unlike leather. Perfect for survival knives, or bushcrafting in wet environments.+ ...it looks badass. I mean c'mon, this is a sweet looking blade. I can feel my testosterone levels jump when I've got this thing in my hand.Cons:- Handle is on the thinner side, which is because it's meant to be used mostly in cold weather with gloves on. With gloves on the handle feels absolutely perfect. So maybe instead of this being a con it should be a pro if you'll be using this knife with gloves on. I don't and without gloves I personally find the handle pretty damn good anyway. I have med/large hands.Conclusion: If you've done your research, know what you need to use your knife for, and this knife is on your short list, get it! You won't be disappointed.Comparison Picture - From the top down - S1, Mora Companion, Buck 110

Bought this knife despite all the negative comments out there about the handle being too small. I have XL hands, and do not share the opinion that it is too small. The handle is a good size for the type of knife it is; a woods knife. You shouldn't be swinging it around like a machete or chopping wood with it; get one if you need to do that. The grip is small so you can use it for detailed tasks, or wear gloves while using it. Looking forward to using this bad boy deer hunting next year.It is RAZOR SHARP! Probably the sharpest out of box knife I have (other than the A1). The zytel sheath it comes with is good quality, no rattles of any sort. Fits in nice and tight. I think it is a very good size for a general purpose knife, I would have to say I like it equally if not a bit better than my ESEE 4; ESEE's warranty being the best out there. The Fallkniven warranty may or may not cover you for amazon purchases according to their website; which is BS if you ask me.

This is a solid knife. It is my first Fallkniven and I am impressed. The fit and finish is nearly perfect and it came razor sharp. This thing is a beast! I take it with me to the back country sometimes and it handles pretty much any chore.