Ernie's First Passaround

The sheath, man, the sheath!!
Tell us about that great sheath.
Just kidding. I had that knife before it was ever sharpened and it is a sturdy brute, (hmmm, kinda like Big Ern).
A little rounding of the pommel and it is a winner.

just my 2 cents

Steve
 
I was sorta rushed into the pics by Ernie.. :) So I didnt get into a long description of the sheath, Steve! It is really cool looking and well formed! I like it!

So heres my written review, First impressions I like the blade design and sheath combo! The blade shape was a challenge to sharpen but once sharp, she held a really good edge..
Handle shape is cool enough, but I would say the pointy areas are to pointy and need to be rounded slightly. I personally like function in a handle. and although the last 3/4 of a inch of this handle looks cool and gives the knife that edgy cool look. It dont really aid in the function. and the bottom point sort of poked into my hand a bit.

The sheaths is well made and looks cool. The only thing I would change if possible would be the clip clip position. Its sort of high ride.

Overall the knife preformed as it should. and the fit and finish are great. I think you have a winner here and have made a great knife Ernie, and Im happy to have had the chance to give it a test drive, Ill be carrying the Swanson this weekend. and will find some real work uses to test it on, You know, opening easter candy, cutting a sandwich.. etc.. :)


God Bless
 
Haven't used it much yet, but my first impression is this puppy is built like a tank.

I'ma beat this thang like a red-headed step-child's rented mule :biggrin:
 
HHH Knives said:
I got a package in the mail today from Mr Bruce Bump! I was so excited and just couldn't believe Bruce sent me something... I opened the box with great excitement.. Low and behold!!!
Click to expand...

Wow!!! Your lucky that you got a package from BB, I'm still waiting for mine.:s12138::red_indian:
I'm next in line after J. Turkey.:biggrin:
 
Be happy to do a test!

Ernie Swanson said:
Ok guys, I would like to do a pass around of a new knife design.
I am looking for your thoughts on how the overall knife is designed and also how well the shape of the blade is designed.

I am thinking of making this my first official model. There are a few things I am going to change but that will all come in the future :)

I am looking to get this in the hands of 12 guys that can give me their input on how well this style knife preforms. Three spots are being reserved for a couple guys!!

After you get the knife test it, then send it off to the next person.
Then write up your thoughts here or to me via PM.
After I get the knife back I will clean it up and we will do a little giveaway.

If this fills up during the week I will get the knife sent out to the first on the list the following weekend.



pants014.jpg


1. Bruce Bump
2. Randy Haas
3. James Terrio
4. Indian George
5. Bill T
6. Franklin
7. Ed Caffrey
8. RodneyJ
9. Patrick
10. joe levy
11. hikerdude07
12. jaysmith10
Click to expand...
13. Brian, BLS Knives
 
This knife is very well-made! Aside from the hole in the tang peeking out from under the front of the scales, which I believe Ernie mentioned in a different thread, I see no issues with the craftsmanship. The grinds are straight and even, and the plunge especially stands out as really good example. It's centered nicely and even on both sides. Also, the primary edge blends right into the plunge smoothly, allowing as much edge as possible. There's no sharpening notch, but I prefer it that way. While you might get scratches in the plunge/ricasso area without a notch, I feel they tend to hang up on things when you're cutting. Just a matter of personal preference there.

The fit and finish is really quite good. Except for a couple very minor "waves" along the spine, it's very well done. The spine itself has a crisp 90-angle on both sides, making it easy to scrape sparks off a ferro-rod for starting a fire. The blade finish, while not super fine, is straight, consistant and very clean. There are no deep scratches left over from previous steps. I would call it a great example of a basic hand-satin finish. The handle is shaped evenly on both sides and that's a good feat given how complicated a shape it is. Like the blade, there are no nasty scratches left in the handle, it's finished up nicely.

I don't recall the blade steel, but it's holding up very well. No corrosion or tarnishing at all, and more importantly no scratches from wear or damage to the edge. We know this knife has already been used pretty hard, so this is a good sign. I did a fair amount of batonning with it and scraped lots of sparks off a ferro-rod - again, no damage to the spine from this.

I don't recall if there are hidden pins in the handle assembly? It's probably not a huge deal on a smaller knife like this, but I always prefer 2 methods of keeping the handle on.

The maker's mark is excellent, nice and deep and clear. I'll have to ask Ernie about that, mine don't look anywhere near that good!

Bottom line, Ernie chose good materials and knows how to work with them.

I do have a lot of issues with the design itself, unfortunately. The thing just doesn't cut very well. It's not that the knife is dull; the edge bevel is ground evenly and it only had a couple tiny flat spots when I got it. It was fairly easy to touch it up with a small medium-grit diamond stone. (more on that later)

The trouble is, the edge and bevel are both very thick, more what I would like to see on a much larger chopper or combat knife. Yet it doesn't chop very well either, simply because the blade is short and there's just not enough leverage to get a really good swing going. Nor does it perform properly when cutting wood to length by batonning. It seems like an experiment in big-knife geometry on a small blade, and sadly it just doesn't work very well. It's certainly stout all the way to the tip though; you're not going to break this piece unless you really try to.

It does split wood by batonning it quite well, the thick bevel pushes the wood apart quickly.

The handle has already been covered by the other testers; all I have to add is that I'm glad it came with a wrist thong, because it wants to fly right out of my hand when slashing or chopping. There's just not enough material near the end for my hand to get a good grip on. The little corner at the bottom of the guard needs to be rounded over.

The recurve design of the edge is interesting but it's hard to really judge how well it slices or chops because the edge is so thick. I tend to think the curvature is more radical than it needs to be on such a short blade, even with my narrow 1" wide pocket sharpener, over much of the blade only the very edges of the stone were touching. I imagine ceramic or diamond rods would work fine. The belly is very round, which is nice for skinning but again, the thick edge interferes with that sort of use. The tip is very stout, there's no question about that.

I'm not sure what this design is trying to accomplish. I feel the different elements (mainly, a short but thick blade and edge) work against each other and prevent it from doing anything really well. Again, I suspect it was an experiment... and no experiment is a failure if we learn something from it!

The sheath is secure and well-built. I thought it might ride too high on my hip but actually it was quite comfortable and didn't get in my way when standing, sitting or crouching.

You're up next IG! I got your address and she'll be on the way to you tomorrow.

Thanks for letting us test out this design, Ernie.
 
Jim,
For what it's worth, I think that is great feedback.
You tell the maker your honest thoughts in hopes of helping him refine his product.
Forums can sometimes turn into mutual admiration societies where makers are told what they want to hear and not what they need to hear.

All products have plusses and minuses and you do a maker a disservice by neglecting to convey your exact impressions. I handled that knife and loved it but agree whole heartedly with your observations, the design as is may not be for everybody, but it certainly can go a long way forward with a few mods.

Bravo for your honesty and I'm sure Ern appreciates it as well.

Steve
 
You guys know I don't mean to be negative in any way. I was as honest as I could be. I know I need that kind of feedback so I can learn and get better. It's nice to be able to be brutally honest without anyone taking it personally :)

I sincerely meant what I said about your craftsmanship, Ernie. Although this particular design isn't my cup of tea, your work is excellent. Definitely something to be proud of, brother!
 
Steve is right, Nothing helps more than people telling you what is wrong with something, in there mind.

That is how simple mods can make a knife 100% better.

I am not taking this as negative feedback, its all possative.

Thanks a lot James, I m proud of this one, even though there are things to change It is a proto and thats what its for!!!
 
Great observations and testing! KnifeDogs is by far the most cordial and helpful of any forum I have had the pleasure to be a part of. Because of the G rating and Zero Tolerance for trolls, constructive criticism can be offered without it appearing to be a slam and therefore remain beneficial to the recipient. Its very refreshing.
 
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