I have been meaning to get myself this knife for a good ten years. But, well, you know how it is.
Actually I did suspect that the knife would be capable. A lot of you guys, especially in the UK, use and love the Alox models, and I really trust your judgement. Let's be honest: I might not have paid those knives a lot of attention had it not been for one grave danger for the survival of mankind in our time. Politicians.
Of course I do not want to go into details. Just make sure you have as little contact as possible to these abominations, the scum of mankind. Means, obey the law, use the grey man strategy and keep your nose to the grindstone. If you are happy, don't tell anyone, conceal every joy and sorrow and don't rant. Don't fall for violence, because it is a scam to legitimate further removal of your human rights.
So, following in the wake of the newest legislative hysteria, since I do love carving in the woods and foraging for my food, I was looking for alternative means of doing so. I must admit that I chose Victorinox at first because of their non-aggressive image. Working with them, I soon realized you really need to get to know them first. Felix Immler really inspired me in the journey, because a journey it is. Of course there is a main blade, but since it is a Slipjoint, even that needs a bit of a learning curve. If that is what you are allowed to use, this is what you have to use. Politicians do not care about whining. They relish in hurt. So, the best you can do is not to hurt yourself. The best and obvious way not to hurt yourself with a Slipjoint is learning how to use a knife in general.
Because, you hurt yourself with a Slipjoint out of the same reasons why you would hurt yourself with any knife. Honestly. And I did that myself and the learning curve was sometimes painful. If you use a knife as a cutting tool, and do it with a bit of care and caution, you should be fine. That is not to say that locking mechanisms were not a good thing. But actually, working with a SAK or Sodbuster, I rarely miss it. The sharpness of the blades is crucial.
Working with the standard SAKs, you soon realize that, even though the stay in the blades on the standard SAKs is rather slack, it has a huge potential.
What if you get a SAK with more stay then?
So, I thought, well, better to buy it now than when buying knives at all will be made as difficult as in the UK.
Hats off to Janet Fischer and the good people at
Nordisches Handwerk, awesome transaction as usual. Follow the link, it is well worth it.
What can I say? Best thing I bought in a while. Carving with it is really addictive. Harvesting Chaga needs a bit of caution, but is perfectly doable. The stay is a lot greater than on the red SAKs. It is still really comfortable to open and close still, though. Walk is really smooth with no side play whatsoever, talk is distinct, but discreet. In the hand it feels really solid.
Out of the box, the blade, which is made from exquisitly tempered 1.4116 (58HRC), could split a fine hair. Whittling shavings on feather sticks is outright addictive. The blade sails through the wood, hardwood or no, with a swishing sound, and it is really satisfying to produce delicate curls and locks. It makes for precise carving in all applications.
I produced a shiteload of feathersticks. I carved an absurd amount of hazel...
Like that, see? 🤣
I also carved about ten little ugly duckling woodspirits, about ten heart pendants and I lost track of the number of gypsy flowers I carved. Left all those in the woods for others to find and hopefully enjoy. I carved dried oak, dried beech, elm, ash, hazel, fir, and pine.
After several hours of rather hard carving it lost some of its frightening sharpness, but it still shaved.
The saw works extremely well in a pulling motion, but also quite good in a push motion. It makes for precise cuts and can also serve as sort of a rasp. The spine can be used for debarking sticks, smooth wooden surfaces and works with a firesteel. The spine is rather thin, so given that the sparks from the fire steel get as hot as 1000°C they can lead to damage of the edge. I would rather suggest you use a dedicated striker or modify the caplifter.
Which offers a half-stop for added safety when using it as a screwdriver. It also offers a notch to work with electric lines.
The tin can opener is nice and sharp, offers an additional flat screwdriver. It really is one of the best on the market, period. It works in a forward motion. It can also be used for cleaning up the bowl of spoons.
The awl is another absolute favourite. Period. It is really sharp and offers awesome control. To me, it is an absolute necessity for a lot of little carving projects, especially toys and carving with kids. In contrast to the standard SAKs, it works in line with the handle. For more robust works, that is really cool. On the other hand, the configuration on the other knives has its advantages, too, amongst them a bit more control. But the awl on the Farmer X is a whole different beast in terms of sharpness and efficiency and can also serve as a reamer. Also, it is another way to light a fire with a fire steel.
Another really great tool is the scissors. You can use it for paper, birch bark, herbs, thinner leather, and even your nails. And it is one of the very best there is.
Really diminutive, but an overlooked, but no less cool item is the key ring, which you can use for putting a lanyard on or additional gimmicks like a small torchlight.
Of course, it is a short blade, and you will not even think about stuff like batoning. On the other hand, this beast carves a glut in maybe ten cuts.
The blade is a bit thicker than the standard SAKs with 2.8 mm in the spine. Thickness above the edge, however, is just 0.2 mm, making it absolutely slicey. Cutting veggies, meat, potatoes, charcuterie, leather, rope, fabric, you name it.
If you can afford it, I can really recommend it.
