What a tiny knife can do-Helle Raud S review

Well, you know, politicians happen again in Germany. At the moment there is a bit of hope we might keep the sorry mess that is left of our democracy for a bit longer (but I wager, not for long) due to massive democratic and judicial protest, but who knows. 

Since I wanted a pocket knife that is capable of carving and didn't look threatening to the Karens or our Slytheen that rule us, I came across the Helle Raud S.  Normally, I would not have thought twice about a knife that small. Actually, the Vics are awesome and those are actually rarely incapable of doing things, but the proposal for the novelty offensive weapon act would have banned a Swiss Army knife, because it would be too long.  Actually, the new proposal, which still is not aborted, would ban all things not Teletubby from the public, including all kind of tools, knives, bottles or anything heavy or sharp. 

I spare you the rant.  It is pathetic, and we all know.  

Anyway, I was asking myself, could one find a capable knife with a tiny blade that were still able to do some of the things I want or need to do in the woods? Forget tactical neckknives, those are toys for people who will open boxes at the most.  And I thought, well, my Mora carving knives are actually pretty decent for a lot of things I do. But them being fixed blade knives, they still look too threatening to the Karen Teletubbies. So, a folding knife it had to be.  Originally, I thought about the Helle Kletten, but dismissed it because it would not work with a ferro rod, because of its three layer laminate steel, so it had to be the cheaper Raud S.  To be honest, I wasn't too fond of spending 120€ on a knife I normally would never have bought.  

Well, the little knife arrived. There was a rather silly #nancysapplechallenge going on in the interwebs where you tried to demonstrate that you could not cut an apple with a short knife, which is a logical fallacy, because you cannot prove a negative claim. But, anyway, apple harvest was on the way and I had to make and conserve apple sauce from 5kg of crap apples anyway, so I put it through its paces. It obviously needed some adaptation, but it proved really not as inadequate as I expected.

Also, it actually did not work too bad prepping potatoes for soup and slicing up sausage and spring onions. 

It had its shortcomings, but it is possible to use it for food prepping in a pinch.  

Where it excelled, however, was carving.  

It performs several classes above its size when carving wood. The blade shape and Scandi grind and short blade all combine to add up to a really great detail knife. 

I made wall hooks, 

spoons from seasoned oak,

a walking stick from holly, 

wallhooks from dry cherry,

And after all that hard use it still made shavings like that. 

Using it to help with cordage, foraging, mushroom hunting, it really does a lot of things. 

Its biggest advantage is obviously that it goes into the small pocket of your jeans and is so light and nimble that you do not really notice it until you need it.  The blade is 55mm long and 2.7 mm thick. It is made from 12C27 steel, tempered to 59HRC. The grind is a medium Scandinavian grind with the tiniest of micro bevels. It locks reliably by a sturdy back lock.  There is no radial or side play whatsoever. The liners are made from sturdy tempered steel (almost a millimetre thick). The handle from beautiful curly birch , which is stained red, is 85 mm long. To me, that means, the pinky gets to rest behind the handle. This led to a bit of pain in my joints of that finger after several hours of hard carving.  The handle, being rather stubby and chunky, lends itself to powerful cuts, though.  Inverse cuts, chest cut, scissor cut and all Slöjd positions need a bit of adaptation, but are perfectly doable.  

So, if you are looking for a non-offensive and light carry knife for Slöjd in the woods, and can live with the limits of such a tiny blade, this knife, apart from it being in line with the removal of your civic rights, performs admireably well for little Slöjd projects.  It might also be a really great first Slöjd knife for kids.  

So, apart from the political shitshow going on, it is a great companion that you do not notice until you need it, but that is amazingly and surprisingly capable. I currently always carry it alongside my SAK, because for carving, it performs really great. If you can afford it, and can live with its limitations, it might be a great addition to your EDC.  

Thanks for tuning in, take care and have fun!

Short Review of a Hartkopf Solingen traditional pen knife

Testing out the Hartkopf Solingen pen knife. Frighteningly sharp out of the box, ace for feathersticking, with a really secure backlock, lovely, beautiful ebony handle with nickle silver bolster and badge. Comes with a sharp spine. Blade is 79x2,4 mm, full flat grind to almost zero (0,3 above the edge). Steel is 1.4116 , full quench, hardness 56-58 HRC (claimed). After an hour of carving aged maple and chestnut it still shaved. The handle is a bit small if you really apply force, but fact is, you do not need to, because it is just so sharp. The knife obviously is not a bushcraft knife and I would not do silly stuff like batoning with it, of course. But it is really light and laser sharp, so chance is, you will have it on you. It is also really beautiful and doesn't scream "tactical" on top of its lungs. It is a grampa knife in the best sense of the word. Whittling, snacking, even lighting a fire or using it for a good steak or good products for a "casse-crôute", you name it. I do not think it will cause you any problems with the police, too. It is perfectly legal in Germany and, being that beautiful, it is not the typical theatre of social warfare knife, either. I keep it in the leather pouch in my pocket in order not to scratch the beautiful scales anyway. If you understand the concept of a pocket knife, I can only recommend it. What it is not, is a sharpened prybar, but it doesn't claim to be in the first place. Not that cheap, but worth the money. You might want to check several pieces for quality, though, because given they are all handcrafted, there are huge differences in quality. If you can do that, you get an awesome everyday companion.

Brief Review of an Elite Force folder-my new Mountainbike riding folder

First and foremostly let me say this: I cannot understand why customers dig knives that are called "Elite Force", "Spec Ops", "Extrema Ratio" (as if ultima ratio weren´t enough), "Taliban takedown" or whatnot. Those names are often associated with "romantic" (even though this kind of romanticism completely eludes me) associations of sneaking up on sentinels or what everyday people regard as a typical foot soldier´s everyday routine. The term "tactical" also demands more explanation for me. While I see that intercontinental assault missiles might have a tactical application in modern warfare, I somehow fail to see why knives are considered as "tactical" weapons. Of course, a back-up application might be the background for this naming, but then, if you have to use a knife as a weapon, you are in a situation where most everything has gone so seriously awry that you might instead also use it to kill yourself. And, talking to many soldiers, and even having made some knives for operators, you learn soon they have used it mostly for bragging, opening boxes, tin cans and persenning, cutting rope and wood and eating.

No sneaking up on sentinels, see? No felony stop, see? (Why the way, what kind of felony? Simulating masturbation in public;-)?)

But then I ride my mountainbike quite often. In the mud, and the rain, and snow and hailstorm and summer and winter. In the cold and the heat and in the woods, across sticks and stones. The conditions make bait out of natural materials in no time. Also, while wearing a fixed-blade-knife can be done, it´s not comfortable, and in case you slam head first down a drop and land on your hip, there are many things I´d prefer to having a fixed blade in your thigh. So, a folder it is. A long time now I have carried a trusty EKA Swede 90, and there´s no harm with that, but, wooden scales, chain grit, mud, sweat and the like don´t go well together, and I have to make a new handle for it.

So I considered a new folder. It should have a stainless steel blade of a good but bargain steel, a good length, a nail nick to make it legal, synthetic scales and a clip to keep it where I put it and not puncture my groins in case of a fall. I came across this heebie-jeebie-tactical-elite-force-goobalabaa did I already mention tactical?... knife. I utterly detest its appearance and its name, but there´s no denying the fact that it´s a good and bargain knife. It is of Chinese provenience, of course. The blade´s 95 mm long and 4 mm thick with a slight hollow grind that locks by a liner. In the spine of the handle there´s a gut hook (It is tauted as a rescue knife). First thing I did was removing the thumb opener and adjusting the bearing so that you cannot open it with just one hand anymore. I am a good Mammonist, and I have learned my sermons well: Thou shalt not use one-hand-opening knives, for they are the essence of Evil...;-). Can´t say I am too fond of the gut hook, I have never needed one, and the glass breaker at the handle´s end´s also a bit of a mystery to me, but, hey, every social group needs its mythology, and rescueing people out of burning cars is not a bad dream to have.

The knife normally costs 39,90€. The blade came out of the box hair-splittingly sharp. The liner´s adjustment leaved something to be desired, but this was cured with a turn of the bearing adjustment screw and a bit of oil. After this, the liner locked the blade just as it should, with enough room for wear. The blade was so sharp it cuts curves into free-hanging newspaper. Cutting through was a compromise of course, with a spine thickness of 4mm, and a hollow grind that is set at one half of the blade, but, hey, this is what you expect from a heavy duty folder. And it can take a beating. In the pocket it rides tip-down, which is reassuring if you ride hard. It is not really light, but gives a very sturdy feel in the hand. The bearing adjustment screw is a big bonus, in that it can be adjusted with either Torx or flat screwdriver (even with a coin!). It has neither lateral nor axial play, and the beefy liners (on both sides) make for a stiff construction even when prying. After chopping dried ivy in the garden, the edge needed ten strokes with the strop to be hair-splittingly sharp again, but still shaved.

Do I like it? I do, with the noted limitations. I would suggest changing the gut hook for a Philipps head screwdriver or a bit holding device (or a corkscrew;-) ). I would add a  stonewash finish to the blade to keep it attractive for a longer period of time.

It´s an ugly knife with a ridiculous name, but it gets the job done, and that´s more than anyone could wish for in a knife for abusing. If you need a knife like this, buy it.