Fallkniven F1

[The Heretic]

Bought myself an F1 for my birthday. Delivered today.

Smaller than I expected. Blade about 3/4 inch shorter than my 1st gen CS Master Hunter (which I like a lot) that I have had for quite a while (picked it up as a 2nd blem at a Puyallup WAC show maybe 20 years ago?). The tang of the knife extends out of the grips with a short striking pommel, but the lanyard hole is in the grips.

Blade also seems a bit thicker, maybe the same, but does not taper in thickness to the point near as fast as the CS MH even accounting for the shorter length; the MH starts to taper to the point about an inch from the hilt, whereas the F1 doesn't start to taper until about two thirds of the way to the point, probably making it a stronger blade if you just go by thickness (not to mention that my CS MH is high carbon steel and the F1 is laminated VG10 - today you can get a MH with laminated VG1, which reportedly is not as good as VG10). They both have the same small notch choil just in front of the finger guard, but the F1 choil is deeper.

The rubber grips are much thinner than the MH, the F1 grips about 3/8" shorter with the finger guard about a third of the height of the MH. The grips of the MH seem a tad softer and have slight molded serrations top and bottom where the F1 is smooth top and bottom, with the checkering on the sides less pronounced than the MH - still, it feels good in my hands, although noticeably smaller and thinner (it just barely fits in my somewhat large hands whereas the MH has a bit of room to spare).

The grind and shape of the blades is very similar - the MH has a full flat grind, the F1 a flat grind with a convex edge with the laminate line showing right at where the convex edge starts (you can also barely see the laminate line in the spine if you look close).

The F1 is almost an ounce lighter than the CS MH. They both balance about the same - about an inch behind the finger guard.

Out of the box the knife is very sharp - what I call cutting grass sharp; a thin loose light blade (not a stem, a blade) of tall grass, standing free, not held, will be cut with this blade with a single swing. IMO, if a blade can cut something like a blade of grass that doesn't give it any resistance (that will just as soon bend as be cut), then that is pretty sharp. And yes, it will shave the hairs on my arm but I would not want to shave my face with it.

In short, the F1 seems like a slightly smaller and more 'subtle' version of the CS Master Hunter, but with what seems to me to be a better design and execution. I have yet to use it in the field, but I think it will be a better knife.

The Zytel sheath? Not very good; the blade will drop free of it if shaken and the strap is not fastened, even though there is a very slight lock detent.

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[Joe13]

Happy Birthday

 

[Certaindeaf]

Great write up!
What kind of sheath does your CS have?
I've got an old MH, so old it came with/has a nylon sheath like this..
I kinda wish I had one of the newer plastic sheaths but the double snaps are pretty neat.. oh well



Good Lord that's big. giggity

 

[Joe13]

Great write up!
What kind of sheath does your CS have?
I've got an old MH, so old it came with/has a nylon sheath like this..
I kinda wish I had one of the newer plastic sheaths but the double snaps are pretty neat.. oh well

View attachment 383203

Good Lord that's big. giggity

Go get a kydex sheath made from Ryan @ORYGUNHolsterCompany

 

[The Heretic]

Great write up!
What kind of sheath does your CS have?
I've got an old MH, so old it came with/has a nylon sheath like this..
I kinda wish I had one of the newer plastic sheaths but the double snaps are pretty neat.. oh well

View attachment 383203

Good Lord that's big. giggity

Yeah - I have the old cordura sheath like that.

Also, mine is not stainless - I don't think they offered them in stainless back then. So it can and does rust, which is one reason why I put a patina on it with a little bit of acid and vinegar.

I like the MH - it is a very good hunting knife IMO. But with the full flat grind like that, it isn't as strong as some other knifes because a good half of the blade has been ground away. My Gerber Prodigy and LMF II are the style of general purpose blades I like, a sabre or Scandi grind, doesn't cut as well, but much more durable and easier to sharpen. Of course, those knives also weigh twice what the MH or F1 weigh.

Different knives for different purposes.

I think I paid something like $30 for the MH because it was a factory second (it has the '2' melted into the rubber of the end of the handle). Now days, the VG1 steel MH is as much or more than the Fallkniven street price - I think the F1 is the better knife, but I wish it was just another half to one inch longer, same with the grip.

 

[Rudedog]

I enjoyed your write up. I have owned the Fallkniven A1 since 2010. It has seen no use. I also despise the sheath I have which is identical to the one you have.
Later I picked up a Cold Steel SRK at a pawn shop. It is made in the USA and in new condition. I prefer to use this one and need a kydex sheath for it. I no longer hunt but when I did I only used a Ruana. It never was used for anything but field dressing. It is very sharp but unsuitable for other uses. I will check out the link for the local sheath maker mentioned prior. Happy Birthday and good cutting!

 

[Certaindeaf]

Yeah - I have the old cordura sheath like that.

Also, mine is not stainless - I don't think they offered them in stainless back then. So it can and does rust, which is one reason why I put a patina on it with a little bit of acid and vinegar.

I like the MH - it is a very good hunting knife IMO. But with the full flat grind like that, it isn't as strong as some other knifes because a good half of the blade has been ground away. My Gerber Prodigy and LMF II are the style of general purpose blades I like, a sabre or Scandi grind, doesn't cut as well, but much more durable and easier to sharpen. Of course, those knives also weigh twice what the MH or F1 weigh.

Different knives for different purposes.

I think I paid something like $30 for the MH because it was a factory second (it has the '2' melted into the rubber of the end of the handle). Now days, the VG1 steel MH is as much or more than the Fallkniven street price - I think the F1 is the better knife, but I wish it was just another half to one inch longer, same with the grip.

Cool. I inherited/rescued my MH from my brother.. it was all f'd up. Rusty and pitted to heck and he must have used it for a digging tool for quite a while. I reconditioned it and'll keep it in the white. It was/is amazing how easy and well that thing was to sharpen once it was time to acrually sharpen it.
I bought a CS TM about 30 years ago (leather sheath) and right off the bat I taped off the edge proper and cold blued the balance. I'm pretty happy with that.

 

[The Heretic]

Not a big fan of Bowie style knives, or even just moderate sized clip points like the SRK or the A1. I have an SRK, one of the first survival knives I bought, but over the years I have come to prefer knives with less of a point, and a string thick straight spine all the way to the point, but no more than 5" long.

I do have knives that are nowhere near that. A KaBar that is a USMC WWII GI style knife. A long Gerber dagger. Even a Schrade copy of a Chris Reeve hollow handle "survival" knife (could not bring myself to spend the money on a Reeve knife, then or now). Both CS Bushman styles. And many others.

But mostly I tend towards more general purpose knives of the 'bushcraft' style.

No one makes a knife like I really want. It would be like kind of like a KaBar BK2, but with a Scandi grind, and the spine would be straight/flat out to the point. The curve up to the point from the edge would be less gradual, being almost perpendicular when it reached the spine. The scales/grips would be rubber but in the shape of the BK2.

The closest I have to that now is a Schrade SCHF51:



But I also really like my Gerber Prodigy and LMFII



One of these would probably be my first choice for a general purpose knife if I had to choose one primary knife to carry on my person for a long walkabout. I would probably also have several lighter knives, one of my Mora knives and probably my F1 now (I need to get out and use it, but based on its shape, size and lightweight, I think it will do well for lighter tasks, and for hunting [skinning, game processing etc.]).

I have a number of large 'knives' that are more machetes, that I would consider taking along if I anticipated having to clear brush, along with my British 'belt axe' (and probably a proper full sized axe) if I had to go out into the woods and start over again (I would probably last about a week or two before I collapse from a heart attack/stroke).

 

[Certaindeaf]

Not a big fan of Bowie style knives, or even just moderate sized clip points like the SRK or the A1. I have an SRK, one of the first survival knives I bought, but over the years I have come to prefer knives with less of a point, and a string thick straight spine all the way to the point, but no more than 5" long.

I do have knives that are nowhere near that. A KaBar that is a USMC WWII GI style knife. A long Gerber dagger. Even a Schrade copy of a Chris Reeve hollow handle "survival" knife (could not bring myself to spend the money on a Reeve knife, then or now). Both CS Bushman styles. And many others.

But mostly I tend towards more general purpose knives of the 'bushcraft' style.

No one makes a knife like I really want. It would be like kind of like a KaBar BK2, but with a Scandi grind, and the spine would be straight/flat out to the point. The curve up to the point from the edge would be less gradual, being almost perpendicular when it reached the spine. The scales/grips would be rubber but in the shape of the BK2.

The closest I have to that now is a Schrade SCHF51:

View attachment 383361

But I also really like my Gerber Prodigy and LMFII

View attachment 383362

One of these would probably be my first choice for a general purpose knife if I had to choose one primary knife to carry on my person for a long walkabout. I would probably also have several lighter knives, one of my Mora knives and probably my F1 now (I need to get out and use it, but based on its shape, size and lightweight, I think it will do well for lighter tasks, and for hunting [skinning, game processing etc.]).

I have a number of large 'knives' that are more machetes, that I would consider taking along if I anticipated having to clear brush, along with my British 'belt axe' (and probably a proper full sized axe) if I had to go out into the woods and start over again (I would probably last about a week or two before I collapse from a heart attack/stroke).

Yea I hear ya. You need a pile a knives.
I wouldn't mind a nice fixed Kwaiken.. probably about a 5"..

 

[The Heretic]

Knives are a lot cheaper than guns and easier to come by - no BGC, just go online and order one.

If I make a mistake it is usually not a spendy one - have not bought one over $100 yet - the F1 was the most expensive I bought so far. If I don't like I can either use it for barter, to sweeten a deal, or give it as a gift to someone. Son-in-law likes knives too.

Plus, if SHTF, would be good barter/gifts. If family/friends came here in SHTF, they might need some basic equipment, and a decent knife is a good place to start.