) and decided I wanted a new knife. After my hunting trip in Kamchatka (the real Russia) a few years ago (unfortunately non-bow) and using a good knife for everything around that camp site, cooking skinning etc, my knife kept coming out of its holster at times and was nearly lost on numerous occasions. In fact this happened so many times that it became a running joke with my Russian mates even though they all wanted to borrow my knife for various tasks. I vowed to get a more suitable knife that could take some serious abuse and have no fear of getting lost.
So with my new orders from the "Ministry of War and Finance" I have a policy of one toy out before a new one comes in
I sold a good Al Mar knife which is an awesome knife, but I just prefer leather to Kydex, but kept my blade that I took to Russia for sentimental reasons. I ended up getting a Blackbird SK5 made by the Ontario Knife Company - this knife won "best of the best"survival knife by Field and Stream (apparently the bible of outdoor gear) in 2011. It is certainly not a 'pretty' knife in the usual sense but is beautiful in its simplicity. But what really sold me was the sheath which is hands down the best bit of leatherwork I have ever come across. It is made by Hedgehog leather and the knife was designed by the owner.
One of the great features of the sheath its that the fastening snaps on the handle spring open and stay clear of the knife so you don't cut the straps when you draw the knife out. There are plenty of other cool features but I wont bore you with more
The sheath comes with a 25 year warrantee for use in extreme bush conditions - which is a bonus, and pretty clever of the guys at Hedgehog as I don't reckon there is any way this thing will breakdown in even 50 years- it's a bloody tank.
Specifications
Blade length: 5 inches (127mm)
Overall length: 10 inches (254mm)
Blade thickness: 0.13 inches (3.3mm)
Rockwell Hardness: 58-60 HRC
Knife weight: 8.4 ounces (238.14g)
Steel: 154CM
So enough of my waffle, here are some pics.
