So... up until now, my PSK has been mostly a thought exercise.

Today though I decided to actually get my butt off the computer chair, go outside, and actually use some of this stuff to see how it does. In this case, some knives!

Completely unscientific test between the RSK MK5 and the SOG Access Card 2.0





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Part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-qd7I_gWek&feature=youtu.be


Part 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6Cyd7GA_4g&feature=youtu.be


Part 3:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOM17F9jc7A&feature=youtu.be

Tasks included
-Shaving wood for tinder
-Drilling a dish and notch for a fire spindle
-Striking a firesteel
-Light batoning (with the grain)
-Medium batoning (trying to go across the grain)

Both knives did these tests acceptably, especially considering my inexperience doing this kind of thing (even with large knives).

Further tests include trying to fashion a handle for the Mk5 (gave up after about 15 min but it was getting there) and some abuse like heavier batoning and prying. Not really something I'd TRY to do in such a situation but I wanted to see how much margin I had.










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Observations...

The RSK Mk5 ended up dull enough that it didn't want to go through paper, and this was only about an hours worth of work, and the Access Card's edge was still in great condition. Not unexpected given the price point differences, but on multi-day outings it can make a difference, definitely bring some way to touch up the edge on the Mk5 or use a flat rock of some sort if you have nothing else.

The lock on the SOG Access Card didn't give me any trouble. I'm confident that it'll hold up to normal tasks found in this situation even through batoning. It was MUCH easier to use in most tasks but of course it's a different class of PSK knife for a larger kit, so that's not unexpected.

It's been said before -- go out and use your stuff. Don't be afraid to hurt the finish, it's good to know what to expect.

This is my first youtube video so I hope I didn't do too bad. Sorry about being so long winded!

Way to go Burncycle! Getting your boots in the dirt is so important. Theory and practice don't always mesh as seemlessly as we'd like and the only cure is real life experience and more of it. You're right too about not worrying about hurting your gear. Use it as it's intended but beat the snot out of it. Nothing's worse than a gear failure when you're out there and really counting on it.

Thanks for the videos too. Inspirational!

Congratulations!

Thanks! I rely heavily on reviews when making decisions on what to purchase, so I figured it was time to try and contribute lol

I would like to see someone post their success in field fashioning a handle for Doug's little knife.

Also did you sharpen the knives before the test, or use the factory
edge. I found that a very shallow grind with stropping, really
added to the abilities of the MK5.

They both had a factory edge.

I figured that for most people (who are conscious enough to buy a survival kit but may not necessarily go out and practice) the first time they'd be using their knife is when they need it, and that's the edge it would have.

I've sharpened it back up and now it's cutting well again

Burncycle,

I enjoyed your knife test. I thought it was done practically, and stayed well within the reasonable expectation of your blades. The test results provided ample food for thought and consideration of one's chosen kit knives. Again, well done, Bro.

Great work BC!



Check out Colhane's video on the MK5 in which he quickly fashions a field-expedient handle for the knife. Explore his YouTube channel, it has tons of useful info.

Thanks for the comments guys, and thanks for the link to Colhane's video, I couldn't remember his name. He is a LOT better than me, I tried a second time to make a handle yesterday and messed that one up to lol

I tightened the screws on the access card and the side to side play is eliminated, locks up pretty tight now.

Looking back I was really long winded and sometime I'd like to redo this with a voice over instead so I can be more to the point, this whole thing probably could have condensed down to about 10-15 minutes lol

So, a couple of updates... I've reground the tip on the Access Card



And I've added some notches in the handle of the RSK MK5 with a dremel cutoff wheel. Maybe they'll help with lashing (in this case going to be using 50 lbs test spiderwire braided, but might make them larger so I can use misc twine, larger than spiderwire but smaller than 550 cord)