Dave Markowitz
Member
Once again I got the wants for a big knife. This time I wanted something historical. After looking at various daggers I came upon the Legacy Arms Generation 2 Anglo-Saxon Scramasax at Kult of Athena. Depending on which web page you look at, it's also called a 6th Century Lombard Scramasax. Not being an expert on knives from the Dark Ages but knowing a neat knife when I see one, I ordered one from KOA on Sunday. UPS dropped it off today.
From my reading about scramasaxes, AKA seaxes, they were single edged knives used by the Germanic tribes of Northern Europe, used as both tools and weapons. They ranged in size from a few inches long to blades the size of swords, known as a langseax. Unlike the "broken back" sax which has a blade tip that angles down towards a straight edge, this scramasax is closer to a spear point, but still authentic.
This is a big knife. Here are a couple pics showing just how big. Top-to-bottom, it's shown with my Valiant Large Survival Golok, the Scramasax, Ontario SP-48, and Camillus Becker BK-7.
Did I mention this is a big knife? Compared to the Scramasax, the SP-48 and BK-7 feel like toys.
Per Kult of Athena, the Scramasax has a 12.5" long blade that's 1.625" wide (by my measure), weighs 1 lb. 2 oz., varies from 4.5mm to 3.7mm thick, has a 6" long grip, and is 19.125" long.
Here are closer views of the knife and sheath:
The pommel is peened:
IMO the overall workmanship looks good. The 5160 steel blade, steel band at the end of the haft, and the pommel are well polished. The wood handle feels good, although a few of the diamonds formed by the cross hatching did have point break off. The edge is sharp enough to cut paper. The leather sheath is solid although not especially authentic. I.e., it can be hung vertically from a belt but there's no way to suspend it horizontally as the originals were (despite the description on KOA's page).
This Scramasax should make a pretty good camp knife. It's a bit handier than the golok but should chop very effectively. If needed as a weapon it has a blade design suitable for hacking, slashing, or stabbing.
I'm looking forward to giving it a good workout and will post a follow up when I do so. It'll probably be a couple weeks, though.
From my reading about scramasaxes, AKA seaxes, they were single edged knives used by the Germanic tribes of Northern Europe, used as both tools and weapons. They ranged in size from a few inches long to blades the size of swords, known as a langseax. Unlike the "broken back" sax which has a blade tip that angles down towards a straight edge, this scramasax is closer to a spear point, but still authentic.
This is a big knife. Here are a couple pics showing just how big. Top-to-bottom, it's shown with my Valiant Large Survival Golok, the Scramasax, Ontario SP-48, and Camillus Becker BK-7.
Did I mention this is a big knife? Compared to the Scramasax, the SP-48 and BK-7 feel like toys.
Per Kult of Athena, the Scramasax has a 12.5" long blade that's 1.625" wide (by my measure), weighs 1 lb. 2 oz., varies from 4.5mm to 3.7mm thick, has a 6" long grip, and is 19.125" long.
Here are closer views of the knife and sheath:
The pommel is peened:
IMO the overall workmanship looks good. The 5160 steel blade, steel band at the end of the haft, and the pommel are well polished. The wood handle feels good, although a few of the diamonds formed by the cross hatching did have point break off. The edge is sharp enough to cut paper. The leather sheath is solid although not especially authentic. I.e., it can be hung vertically from a belt but there's no way to suspend it horizontally as the originals were (despite the description on KOA's page).
This Scramasax should make a pretty good camp knife. It's a bit handier than the golok but should chop very effectively. If needed as a weapon it has a blade design suitable for hacking, slashing, or stabbing.
I'm looking forward to giving it a good workout and will post a follow up when I do so. It'll probably be a couple weeks, though.
