Fehrman First Strike Testing

I've been pounding and banging this knife for two straight weeks now and it's starting to show signs of my attention. Strangely, the edge is still pristine and has required NO maintenance during that time.

I've worked the knife until my body was exhausted and I could no longer grip the handle. I wake up sore as though from a hard workout. My back muscles hurt from all the chopping and swinging the baton. My joints are sore from the repeated pounding point-first of the knife into sticks and branches to split them. Oh, and all of my outerwear smells like wood smoke from the day-long campfires I've had burning.

The knife is 1/4" thick 3V with Fehrman's proprietary heat treat and it's tough--crazy tough. It may look and sound like a sharpened pry-bar but it's something much more refined. It's got the stock thickness to handle extremely rough use but the spine has been chamfered to appear smaller, the grind has been refined to produce the thinnest, toughest possible edge, and the combination of handle materials (G10) and high end CPM steel (3V) may scream "Tactical" to some but this knife could be an outdoorsman's best friend when paired with an appropriate carry method.

The sheath is one detail I've overlooked. I ordered the First Strike without a sheath, left the knife at home when visiting sheathmaker Mike Billman of Grindstone Cutlery in Fort Wayne, IN, and haven't seen Dan and Spen from JRE Industries in weeks (although I hope to be seeing them both this coming weekend.)

For now I just carry the knife in-hand when heading out and it has earned me some strange looks but that's really nothing new. :)

Once I get the sheath sorted out I'll have one heck of a package to use and abuse in the woods. I don't know if this knife will change me from being a small knife/axe guy but it sure hits the "big knife guy" spot.

Thanks for reading,


B