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=1500542538http://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=1500542538http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2129407&l=b5af39b074&id=1500542538As 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=1500542538There 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=1500542538http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2129412&l=c289c47861&id=1500542538http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2129413&l=42bdd02941&id=1500542538The 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=1500542538http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2129410&l=16dbea32be&id=1500542538I 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=1500542538Price 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.
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