I am leaning toward the laminated stainless because I am in wet places often and do like the similar steel of my Fallkniven F1, but I really do not need another knife of this type.

Just for interest sake, I can tell you that the Town of Temagami was very quiet today, there is about a foot of snow on the ground and Lake Temagami is well frozen over with lots of snowmobiles and Ice Shacks on it. I drove through Temagami on Hwy 11 twice today.

Mike

The SS version will ship in late March, and it looks like it can be pre-ordered for the same price as CS. I like the fact that these knives have a long tang. Not quite a full tang, more like a rat-tail tang.

https://www.canadianoutdoorequipment.com/store/Helle-Temagami-knife.html

hikermor wrote:
< All I can say is Thank Heaven for this new development in knives! There is a serious shortage of functional, well designed blades for those of us who get outdoors, probably no more than 1300 or so different offerings. >

at least for once the shot show reviews aren't mainly about knives (obviously a technology so fast changing needs lots!) I know it's supposed to be the most important tool. But judging by the interest in knives on this forum you'd think it was the only tool.

Shame Les will now use the knife on his show to publicise it. I loved the fact he didn't even carry one; just a leatherman

Though in one episode he did have one which for the knife experts he referred to as 'a big ol knife'.
qjs

Our fascination with knives isn't too surprising, given that the first recognizable tools, at least 200,000 years old, had decent cutting edges. Stone tools cut very effectively and they are dirt cheap. It's just that the edge doesn't last very long and needs resharpening about every ten minutes or so when you are whittling on a mammoth.

The perfect survival blade for the ETS crowd would be the legendary Green River Knife, made of nondescript steel, but strong enough to decimate the beaver population and conquer a continent. By all accounts it was tough, versatile, and durable, rarely breaking. Of course, if you broke your GRK, you probably didn't get back to tell about it. Anyway, they were among the hottest trade items to Native Americans, speedily superseding stone tools.

End of the history lesson; there will be a quiz on Friday.

hikermore,

It IS Friday!!!!!

Jerry

OK - Define and give two examples of The Universe....

Okay, here goes:

The universe is either a really, really big place where you are really, really infinitesimally tiny and unimportant;

or, a really, really big place that is unquestionably your oyster, with you at the absolute centre, and you can possibly have your fairy cake and eat it too.

It all depends on whether you exit through the door or the window.

Some people live in one, and some in the other; and some switch back and forth. Regrettably, you can't live in both at the same time.

How'd I do, Teach?

Very creative - A+ . Have a nice weekend....

I just received the Temagami knife and decided to upload a few pictures for you and to write my initial review. The knife came shipped in a plain box but when I opened it, but then I had a welcome surprise. The knife came shipped in a cardboard tube imprinted with a picture and story about the company and a separate band with Les Stroud's signature. The box is a keeper - let's look at the knife.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2129404&l=c30ad0f3b6&id=1500542538
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2129405&l=623a9783b2&id=1500542538

Taking the tube top off reveals the knife in its leather sheath, a warranty booklet and a large cleaning cloth folded into case. Another review I've seen says it is a cloth bag. I pulled the knife out and then from the sheath in which it was wedged quite tightly. The blade had a light coating of oil that I wiped off for the pictures.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2129406&l=d1876507b6&id=1500542538
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2129407&l=b5af39b074&id=1500542538
As you can see, the knife is about 230mm (9") long by 27mm deep, the blade about 4 5/16" long with 4" of cutting length and about 3mm in thickness. The handle is birch, oiled in linseed. The tang extends all the way into the handle but does not go the full depth. The handle and tang are brass riveted into the handle with a third hollow rivet used for attaching a para-cord sized lanyard. The rivets give the handle the additional strength that is needed in the bush. Looking at and feeling the knife in my hand, the quality is evident but I admit it isn't a refined look. I like simple knives - I want it to be a workhorse not a mantle piece!
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2129409&l=185423caad&id=1500542538

There are no rough or unrefined edges and the minimal guard is perfect; a really nice even balance unlike the forward heavy Mk3 The knife weighs 149gr (5.2 oz) and sheath is 54gr (1.9 oz) The sheath is full grain leather with a 1/2 length black plastic insert. The knife can be inserted either left or right handed but is naturally right handed. The plastic insert may need to be reheated and shaped to properly fit the knife left handed. The sheath is tightly sewn on the back side with a tiny hole at the bottom for drainage. The belt strap is riveted to the sheath with stainless steel.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2129411&l=4e6c1e2924&id=1500542538
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2129412&l=c289c47861&id=1500542538
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2129413&l=42bdd02941&id=1500542538

The spine of the blade has 3 notches cut into it. This serves two purposes, first as stimping where the thumb can rest when you are using the knife for fine carving or to place the index finger when skinning game; the second is so that you can strike a ferrocium rod for fire making. However, according to Helle's website: "This striking feature is not working the way we anticipated but will still be on the knife to fulfill its primary purpose." On my hand, it doesn't work for thumb placement as it is too far to reach but it does feel proper for the index finger.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2129408&l=8874a69bf2&id=1500542538
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2129410&l=16dbea32be&id=1500542538

I ran my fingers across the knife edge, while it was sharp and ready for use there was one small area just behind the curve where the edge wasn't quite as even. A close examination of the blade will show the layers of steel however the camera didn't pick this up distinctly. I expect the layers will show a bit more after use.

The final photo shows the knife in comparison to my current favourite - a Frost 760 Craftsman. (90gr, 107 X 22 X 2.5mm blade). The edge shape and grind are similar but the back is straight compared to the Frost's angled tip. This should mean the blade is stronger all the way to the tip and easier to baton. The additional heft and blade depth feels really good in my hands.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2129414&l=8574c28065&id=1500542538

Price was $179 CDN vs $11 for the Frost. I would have preferred that the knife retail for about $30-40 less. I got the laminated carbon steel (18/8 outer steel) as the laminated stainless steel doesn't ship until May.

" am leaning toward the laminated stainless because I am in wet places often and do like the similar steel of my Fallkniven F1"

Fallkniven makes beautiful knives. Those laminated blades are superb for taking an excellent edge, but their knives are not cheap these days. It's well worth owning one .. if you want a good knife that will last a lifetime.

If you look on the Cold Steel Web site you'll see that they list certain blades as "San Mai". That is also a laminated steel blade. Again a lot of them are expensive. But there are a few items there which are a bargain - for a laminated blade.

cheers,
Pete #2