Gordon
Member
I recently bought this large 10 1/2" bladed 2.5" wide integral dagger from Ted Frizzell, the master Arkansas knife maker behind Mineral Mountain Hatchet Works, has over 35 years experience producing some of the finest handmade working grade knives and custom handmade knives available. He has created well over 6000 knives, 2500 axes, and 600 swords. Ted has become well known for his hardworking big bowies and swords both nationally and internationally.
I thought it was real thick but is is 1/4" stock and the edges flat ground away from an approximately 3/4" (at the widest portion) flat center surface that is heavy enough to pound a tent stake . The blade is 5160 spring steel and differentially hardened . What I did not know is Ted is most famous for his axes and throwing knives so this thing can be thrown , if one wanted to , without undue fear of breakage ! The edges are razor sharp and it shaves arm hair very well. The handle is comfortable when gripping as it is canvas phenolic and very well fashioned and fastened. However the rear pommel corner edges will get you if you let the knife rotate in a snap cut. The rear pommel is full 1/4" thick and I would have rounded the edges more especially towards the hand radiuses . The guard area does seem to offer good protection from my hardest thrusts into straw bales. The reason I had straw bales was I threw the knife more than a dozen times into the hay bales and discovered it takes 25 feet from my stiff by the handle release to rotate to point first . I now have my future throw distance. The design of the knife requires a by the handle throw and it flies well that way and rather slowly turns point on. It sticks on distances between 20 and 30 feet and deepest at 25 feet where it went right up to the narrowing towards the hilt in tight arrow catching hay bales used as an archery target.
I risked marring the spooge on the blade , kind of a rough spray on or dipped epoxy , by cutting a 2x4 Doug fir in half with 14 chops , 7 on one side of the v cut and 6 on the other to separate , the thing does chop nice but can't use the snap cut technique which would have taken less chops I think. The blade went in about 1 1/2" one stroke to side edge of a redwood 4x4 as hard as I can swing it, at 77 years of age. the Kydex slip sheath is an excellent fit with good retention and detail .
All in all for $350 shipped I think I did excellent for a rather special purpose throwing/survival chopper dagger blade made by a top notch blademaker of "rough use" blades . I can't decide if I will continue making this a user knife and reducing it's value with cosmetic wear . Probably I will lash it to a side of bugout pack to scare off the n'eer do wells
and be there just in case.
I thought it was real thick but is is 1/4" stock and the edges flat ground away from an approximately 3/4" (at the widest portion) flat center surface that is heavy enough to pound a tent stake . The blade is 5160 spring steel and differentially hardened . What I did not know is Ted is most famous for his axes and throwing knives so this thing can be thrown , if one wanted to , without undue fear of breakage ! The edges are razor sharp and it shaves arm hair very well. The handle is comfortable when gripping as it is canvas phenolic and very well fashioned and fastened. However the rear pommel corner edges will get you if you let the knife rotate in a snap cut. The rear pommel is full 1/4" thick and I would have rounded the edges more especially towards the hand radiuses . The guard area does seem to offer good protection from my hardest thrusts into straw bales. The reason I had straw bales was I threw the knife more than a dozen times into the hay bales and discovered it takes 25 feet from my stiff by the handle release to rotate to point first . I now have my future throw distance. The design of the knife requires a by the handle throw and it flies well that way and rather slowly turns point on. It sticks on distances between 20 and 30 feet and deepest at 25 feet where it went right up to the narrowing towards the hilt in tight arrow catching hay bales used as an archery target.
I risked marring the spooge on the blade , kind of a rough spray on or dipped epoxy , by cutting a 2x4 Doug fir in half with 14 chops , 7 on one side of the v cut and 6 on the other to separate , the thing does chop nice but can't use the snap cut technique which would have taken less chops I think. The blade went in about 1 1/2" one stroke to side edge of a redwood 4x4 as hard as I can swing it, at 77 years of age. the Kydex slip sheath is an excellent fit with good retention and detail .
All in all for $350 shipped I think I did excellent for a rather special purpose throwing/survival chopper dagger blade made by a top notch blademaker of "rough use" blades . I can't decide if I will continue making this a user knife and reducing it's value with cosmetic wear . Probably I will lash it to a side of bugout pack to scare off the n'eer do wells
and be there just in case.
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