Well after being away most of the summer I got home a couple weeks ago and finally got to check out my AUK knives that I received through the group buy that hso put together!
First of all I'd like to thank hso for doing all the legwork on this group buy!!
These knives are my first foray into hand made knives made by a small company and I ordered a drop point and a dagger...the drop point is pretty much my favorite blade shape and the dagger was just something I've always wanted since I was young even though I knew it probably would not be a practical knife.
Well I must say my first reaction to holding the knives was that they were quite small yet heavy and did not really fill the hand with the lack of scales....after a bit of trying different positions though I found the grip to be acceptable. What I really like about these knives is the thin profile that the lack of scales provides and i find the drop point sits on my belt without my even knowing it's there! The dagger on the other hand is not exactly carry friendly however because of the pointy end of the grip area.....not sure why Faud changed this design because the original design he had on his web site had a rounded end instead of the pointy one that he is now making...
...as you can see in the pictures sitting down while wearing the dagger in it's sheath could be bloody painfull if the sheath gets caught on the arm of the chair of couch. This has happened to me a few times with the drop point's sheath but it is not a problem because the drop point does not have a sharp point on the end of the handle.
The drop point is about the perfect size( about 3 3/4" blade and is quite beefy at 1/4" thickness....I'd say this blade is pretty much indestructable!
It's sharp but not as sharp as I'd like....not sure if it's because of the the thickness of the blade or just the angle of the grind?
The grinds on the knife are a little uneven on the false edge and tip and one side was ground a little more then the other.....not a big deal on a utility style knife but being a finishing carpenter I tend to notice small details.
The only thing I don't really like with my drop point is the hand gaurd area which seems to me to be a little to ramp like in that it allows your finger to slide up and over if you push forward on the grip.
The picture of the drop point from Faud's web site shows a more curved and vertical gaurd but maybe that has been changed or mine was just shaped differently....
The sheaths are simple and well made. The dagger is very tight in it's sheath and the sheath is very stiff.... drop point is quite loose in it's sheath and it is a lot softer.
All in all i'm pretty happy with the drop point though I will likely try to re profile the finger gaurd a little, clean up the false edge and try to sharpen it a little more.
The dagger is definately not getting carried on my belt unless I reprofile the sharp end back to Faud's original shape but I don't think I'll bother because I like the look of it and I didn't really buy it to carry anyways...it's more of a novelty item.
First of all I'd like to thank hso for doing all the legwork on this group buy!!
These knives are my first foray into hand made knives made by a small company and I ordered a drop point and a dagger...the drop point is pretty much my favorite blade shape and the dagger was just something I've always wanted since I was young even though I knew it probably would not be a practical knife.
Well I must say my first reaction to holding the knives was that they were quite small yet heavy and did not really fill the hand with the lack of scales....after a bit of trying different positions though I found the grip to be acceptable. What I really like about these knives is the thin profile that the lack of scales provides and i find the drop point sits on my belt without my even knowing it's there! The dagger on the other hand is not exactly carry friendly however because of the pointy end of the grip area.....not sure why Faud changed this design because the original design he had on his web site had a rounded end instead of the pointy one that he is now making...
...as you can see in the pictures sitting down while wearing the dagger in it's sheath could be bloody painfull if the sheath gets caught on the arm of the chair of couch. This has happened to me a few times with the drop point's sheath but it is not a problem because the drop point does not have a sharp point on the end of the handle.
The drop point is about the perfect size( about 3 3/4" blade and is quite beefy at 1/4" thickness....I'd say this blade is pretty much indestructable!
It's sharp but not as sharp as I'd like....not sure if it's because of the the thickness of the blade or just the angle of the grind?
The grinds on the knife are a little uneven on the false edge and tip and one side was ground a little more then the other.....not a big deal on a utility style knife but being a finishing carpenter I tend to notice small details.
The only thing I don't really like with my drop point is the hand gaurd area which seems to me to be a little to ramp like in that it allows your finger to slide up and over if you push forward on the grip.
The picture of the drop point from Faud's web site shows a more curved and vertical gaurd but maybe that has been changed or mine was just shaped differently....
The sheaths are simple and well made. The dagger is very tight in it's sheath and the sheath is very stiff.... drop point is quite loose in it's sheath and it is a lot softer.
All in all i'm pretty happy with the drop point though I will likely try to re profile the finger gaurd a little, clean up the false edge and try to sharpen it a little more.
The dagger is definately not getting carried on my belt unless I reprofile the sharp end back to Faud's original shape but I don't think I'll bother because I like the look of it and I didn't really buy it to carry anyways...it's more of a novelty item.
