I am very proud to give you a short review of a knife you will not see that often... up until now, there are just some 10-20 pieces worlwide. Let me tell you its story. Readers of my blog know that I am somewhat acquainted to Mr. Morsbach, a very experienced knifemaker from Solingen and of ancient Solingen grinder nobility, former head of corporation to Otter knives. At the "Messer-Gabel-Scherenmarkt" expo we met again, and he had these on display I coveted ever since I saw them on Jagd und Hund expo in Dortmund in February (I reported about it). So, the time was now, and I had a closer look. While it loosely follows the lines of a very classic Solingen Jagdnicker design, that´s all about tradition. The knife has an extremely well - made convex bevel with a moderately thick spine at some 3 mm. The scales are rough-ground Micarta, which is a good thing, for they offer a load of grip. The blades is some 90 mm long (ca.) making for a great EDC, and the edge geometry makes it fiercely sharp. This is enhanced by the choice of steel: It´s made from 1.4153 Böhler N678 steel, which is stainless and quite similar to 440C or AUS - 8 with one important distinction: It is alloyed with Niobium, hence its nickname "Niolox". The Niobium content makes it capable of taking an extremely fine edge for a stainless steel. I was surprised by its sharpness, which is really up to par with a good carbon steel. And the best thing is: For mere mortals it comes at a price of 65 €.[EDIT]: Willy notified me that this is not true, and 1.4153 is NOT alloyed with Niobium. Niolox is a trademark of Lohmann (Witten - Krefeld) steel corporation and is NOT to be confused with a Böhler steel or a simple 1.4153. Böhler N678 has the following steel analysis:
http://www.bohler-bleche.com/english/files/downloads/N678_DE_v2010.pdf
But of course that does not render this knife any less capable. It´s an able cutter and keeps a good edge. It just dents Mr. Morsbach´s reputation (and mine).
Advice: Never trust anyone.
The scales are a bit refreshed by beautiful red liners. Craftsmanship is very solid, albeit not high lustre. But it is a workhorse I have now used so far for a lot of tasks and that always rides in my pack these days.
The sheath is of good quality, although it makes for a bit top - heavy carrying and I do not recommend leaving the button open. It is a priority for me to make a new one, but for the price, the sheath is well enough.
And it might be, just thinking, if Mr. Morsbach receives enough questions concerning the topic, he will make more of them ;-). Contact him via his website
www.katzek55k.de
