Inital Review of the CRKT S.P.E.W. Small Pocket EDC Wharncliffe

The SPEW got here a little over an hour ago and I've been busy checking this neat little knife out. I'm not huge on the blade steel and I can't decide if the name is crap or a memorable trademark, but I think Alan Folts and CRKT are going to make a tidy sum over this new blade.


The blade steel is 5CR15MoV which is also used in the Folts Minimalists. It takes a decent edge and be resharpened very easily, but it will not hold long. It is not especially strong and being a wharncliff means that the tip is the weakest part of the whole knife. I've had two other wharns, the Kershaw Leek and the Cold Steel Kiridashi, that both have bent tips. There is already a 2 Star review from AZ on Knife Center where someone broke the tip off theirs from a "slight amount of abuse". I personally don't know how to take this. Saying abuse indicates misuse on the part of the user. Stainless steel is very unforgiving of physical abuse but very forgiving of neglect.


The factory edge will not win contests. It cuts paper ok, but is a bit on the ragged side. So it is sharp enough to do good work. It is still miles ahead of the edge on the Timberline previously reviewed. Fortunately, being a straight edge, this wharncliffe should be no problem for even the greenest knife sharpener to take proper care of.


The grip on this blade is very comfortable. It feels good in hammer, saber, and reverse grip. The textured G10 looks great and has a good roughness that will aid in retention. The jimping is rough but shallow and unfortunately flawed. The grips do not share the ridges of the passing jimping. Thus only the tip of the thumb ramp has a good roughness for control. A nice choil helps keep this knife in place. The paracord end helps get a better saber grip, but it is somewhat useless in reverse grip.


The sheath is somewhat above average. The choil is exposed and can be gripped when drawing the blade. Also, it is easy to thumb the sheath off of the knife. This means that it could be carried in the pocket without and mounting parts. However, I've found it works well for my normal karbiner carry technique. It comes with paracord for neck carry. Being so light, it should work nicely for that.


It comes with a belt clip, that just manages to work with the thick velcro parts of my rigger's belt. The clip can be fixed for vertical or horizontal carry. The package is slim. It rides well and conceals well offhand and strong hand in both modes of carry.


However, the design of the sheath means that the clip will be mounted at the bottom so it is something of a high ride in horizontal. In vertical, it is easy to configure to draw from hammer, saber, and even reverse grips. It especially disappears in small of the back vertical carry. The knife is too small and flexy to cause spine damage should you fall.


For defensive use, it's reasonably sharp and fast. I'm sure it'll hurt someone very badly if they go for your gun. Not sure if it will survive a bone hit.

Going to be EDCing this to work for a few weeks in place of my Cold Steel Mini-tac Tanto. As much as I wish for better steel, I think this knife will sell well at the price point. It is a very neat design. I hate to see potential so limited by cheap steel.

Update: Final thoughts on the SPEW.

Fenix P2D Review Repost

This is a repost of my review on the Fenix P2D I made over on thehighroad.org.

I just got stable power and internet back here in lower western Kentucky. As most of you know we got hit by a nasty icy storm. Ice has destroyed countless trees, poles, and power lines. Its been cold and nasty. When the lights went out, I was at work, a Walmart. When a Walmart's power goes out, there's a lot of work to do. First, customers must be quickly ushered to the cashier lanes, as register backup power is limited. Next, the store must be closed and all customers out, or gathered in a safe place. The freezers must be kept closed and the cold walls and bunkers must be covered in cardboard and plastic to keep the temperature from rising. If things do not improve within a few hours, cold things must be quickly removed from the floor, and put in coolers. Sadly, generators are 'ordered' from Home Office, and as Kentucky was being crushed by ice, Home Office told us we were on our own.

Many months ago, I decided that I needed a good EDC flashlight. Something small that would keep out of the way but be bright and long lasting enough in case of disaster. After some research I ordered a Fenix P2D Premium Q5 Cree XR-E. A small LED flashlight powered by a 123 lithium battery. These batteries are expensive in retail stores, but inexpensive from online sources. I ordered a 20pack case of Rayovac batteries for it and my wife and my Surefire g2 LED lights.

The p2d q5 has multiple light modes. 12 lumen - 30hrs, 55 lumen - 5.5 hours, 107 lumen - 2.5 hours, SOS mode(blinks the SOS signal), and also has a one hour turbo mode of 180 lumens and a strobe at the same brightness.

The 12 lumen mode was plenty of light for basic movement through the store(Supercenter) with or without the security lights. For checking aisles, I used the 107 lumen mode the most. The throw could illuminate from at least 100 yards once the security lights were out. The basic 55 lumen mode was the most useful. Turned skyward or set down, it would act as a electric candle and provide enough illumination to move around reasonably well for at least at a 30 ft radius on the salesfloor. About 15ft radius for actual work. In the narrow back areas, the 12 lumen mode was ample for good illumination. The higher power modes were mostly unused except for checking for customers or illuminating important work. A single fresh 123 battery lasted all night, while I pocketed the already used battery for backup. It kept going afterwards at home too. Where it was used from just finding our stock of candles, flashlights, and batteries to reading, to going to the bathroom.

After all the heavy use, I think I got about 16 hours of use out of that one fresh battery. There are some issues with this light. The light is that it is a bit slippery and the lanyard doesn't come with any adjustably. I had already addressed the lanyard issue by adding a spring fastener from a tippman marker's barrel cover. This kept the light secured to my wrist while I generally carried the light in cigar fashion.

This is one incredible light, and one that came in very handy and has continued to serve me well in the absence of electricity. I've just found out that there is a new version, the P2D0 that looks to be even more grippy and should serve very well in cigar carry. I think my wife needs a good EDC light, and she might end up with one.

Just In: Timberline Tactical ECS-4

The brown truck of joy dropped this guy off little more than an hour ago, yet some drama ensued instantly. The problem was that the blade color of it on KnifeCenter was a good bit lighter than as it came.

From the looks of the picture, I expected a bead blasted stainless. Instead, I received an obviously coated blade. I very nearly called them to ask for a return information. I did double check the page and sure enough it say that it was a titanium coated blade in the details. I've decided to keep it, but I am going to contact them to put a darker picture in its' place.

This relatively recent addition to Timberline's knives has a particular gimmick that intrigued me. The knife locks and unlocks itself in it's sheath via the metal bar on the grip. The sheath hook is designed to lock into place by the knife just being normally inserted. To draw, the grip on the knife is simply made tight. While some might decry this motion as impossible in the case of a damaged hand, normal kydex sheaths would be equally hard to draw from in the same situation.

So far, I really like the sheath system. It is MOLLE ready and the mountings can be reversed to a left handed/offhanded use. It is not kydex but rather a hard plastic, but it seems nicely made thus far. I will be putting a keyring on it and using it in carbiner carry this week as well.

The blade itself is a 3inch modified spear point in one of the 440s, probably 440C. After the sheer excellence of my Kershaw's SkyLine's blade, I've gotten quite a lot of love for this style of blade. Sadly, this one was only really sharp on one side, I will be working on it with my sharpener this week.

The grip may be the real weak point here. It's not as grippy as I'd like, and a bit short for the guard style. However, there is jimping under this simple cross guard, allowing solid point control.

The knife set me back about $40 dollars plus shipping. There is a larger version of this spear point coming soon. It will feature a 3.8 inch blade, longer grip, and possibly some orange grips and a grip tool included in its accessories. The grip tool and extra grips are present in the Tanto and Drop Point styles of the 3.8, already out. The drop point is handsome, and might make a solid choice for defensive work.

I'll be replacing my Cold Steel Mini-tac Tanto for now with this. I'll be looking to give an update on it's performance in about 2 weeks.

Fixed Griptilian Discontinued

When it comes to stainless steel fixed blades knives, Benchmade's excellent fixed Griptilian 151 is one of my favorites. It is the right size, shape, weight, and steel for a knife that can do anything short of stupid. That's why when I suggested one for Alan over at Snarkybytes, he reported to me that the Benchmade had been discontinued and further research shows that it has been for at least a year. I find it very depressing that either Benchmade felt that it wasn't selling and that people have and will be missing out on a great blade that worked so well for food prep, smaller woods work, EDC, and defense. The size, weight, sharpness, construction, blade steel, weight, grip, and price were all excellent. The sheath was really the only really weak point of this design. While, well made and mostly functional, it was secured to the belt only by a malice clip. I HATE malice clips. Also, it could be hard to get a finger under the grip for a good hold while drawing. A decent kydex CCW sheath rig would have worked rather nicely and really shouldn't have costed that much more.

Review: Gerber Curve

In one of my recent reviews on the Gerber Octane multi-tool, I mentioned that while the tools were pretty good, the folding knife was functional yet very disappointing. SOG, Benchmade, CRKT, Kershaw, and dozens of others make hundreds of excellent high quality stand alone folding knives. They set a bar that the few multi-tools of the world are having one hell of a time leaping over. New models of multi-tools like the Octane, Leatherman Skeletool, Victorinox Trekker, and Wenger Ranger are trying to become more like tactical folders with improved ergonomics, locking blades, better steels, and/or pocket clips. Yet, the knives are still lacking.

Having been so spoiled by our excellent tactical folders, its hard to take a hit on perfection and return to the lowest common denominator. Nor does it make sense to. That sharp edge is what we generally reach for first. Many times over the other common tools. On the other hand, even the best tactical folders are not very good for prying or tightening screws unless you like bleeding. So what does one do? Carry both? That's a lot of extra weight especially when you're carrying a gun, spare magazine, flashlight, and an offhand fixed blade. One compromise I've found is the Gerber Curve.

I recently picked up a Gerber Curve for my wife for about $15 from KnifeCenter.com. She is constantly forgetting it, so I'm taking it over for now and putting it on my keyring. It is small and simple, but surprisingly useful. The fingernail opening tools includes a tiny knife blade, flat head driver, a hybrid flattened Philips head driver, a small flat head, file, and a carbiner/bottle opener. The knife, flat heads, file, and the bottle opener are perfectly functional. I'm not sold on the Philips. It will do the job, but not in a great way. There are dozens of tiny pocket or key chain tools with similar load outs, but unlike the vast majority all the folding tools on the Curve lock. Also, the curve is oddly ergonomic. Not so much in the sense of being especially easy to use or hold. Rather its ergonomics make it comfortable to keep on a key ring in your pocket. Other tools like the SwissTool and even some Leatherman-style tools are very likely to tear up pockets or even scratch your leg.

The Curve is not massively full featured. It is extremely minimalist approach. The Yet, it can take care of most of the small tasks that I require from its tools at a modicum of weight. My favorite folding knives can stay where they belong. JP also gave a little review on this tool.

Review: Boker AK-74 Automatic Knife

One of the worst feelings is being disappointed after making a supposedly careful decision. We've also spent lots of money on impulse buys on things only to be disappointed. This feels bad, but isn't as bad. We tell ourselves that we were weak and somehow, it makes us feel better. Naturally, its a given we feel good when we make that careful thought out purchase and its exactly what we wanted or better. How about when we make a snap purchase and it turns out to be awesome? Nothing feels better. You just gambled and you won. I gambled on a Boker Kalashnikov AK-74 Automatic knife and I won big.

This is my first automatic knife. I've wanted one for a while. However, there simply isn't much in the mid-range of quality. It often seems that the autos out there are either junky imports or high end stuff like Benchmades and the super high end, Microtechs that make the Benchmade's look like mid-range! I had just finished looking at a Benchmade Mel Pardue auto at a gunshop, when a knife that I'd seen before online, one or twice, caught my eye in an AK magazine-shaped box. I picked it up and handled it. Felt good, looked good, locked good, opened good, and the price was good! Overall, I liked it better than the $150 knife I'd just handled. So I took the plunge, plunked down $45, and never looked back.

The Ak-74 is an automatic drop point tactical folder with a side-mounted push button lock-release. Much like with Benchmade's automatics, its just push and click. When closing, just push the lock and fold the blade. Pretty simple. It does not have a safety thanks to a lawsuit that Benchmade leveled at Boker. I'm not really sure who was in the right, but Boker started making the AK line without the safety and recessed the lock button down a little more. I think I had one accidental opening in the year and a half it was part of my EDC kit and nothing bad happened during it. As for carrying and using an auto, I found I really really liked it. I even carried it at work. However, I opened it so that the spine would hit my pant leg and I would then flip it out the rest of the way so as not to frighten the sheeple.

The blade is a handsome looking drop point, modeled slightly on the AK-74 bayonet. I certainly don't think its a close resemblance. There is a pseudo swedge that almost gives it a clip point appearance. The drop point's shape is excellent and both edge and point are controllable for food prep, opening packages, and other general cutting tasks. Its made of AUS8, so its edge is not particularly long lasting, but neither is it terrible. The maximum edge sharpness is perfectly adequate for EDC work. Never had any issues with corrosion. The handle is aluminum. The color is painted on, but it held up pretty well with regular use.

The ergonomics are among the finest I've ever felt on a knife. Its like it was made to fit my hands. The grip features excellent comfortable finger grooves so it doesn't feel like you're going to slip easily either way. Boosting this, are 3 raised portions matching the grooves along the sides. Everywhere else there is a pebbled texture that is smooth but still reasonably grippy. The jimping is wonderful on this knife. The jimping is deep and secure for the thumb in both normal grip and reverse grip. The pocket clips is a deep pocket design that is nicely secure, but its wavy shape impressively adds to the draw of this knife! A great feature. The lock may be the weak point. It is a single point of locking. As most side button locks are. Even so, I would rate this as a solid medium EDC choice.

There are many different styles of this knife. There is a liner lock version, which I have never handled. No matter the lock up there are several colors to choose from. They sell this knife without the springs too. So you can generally find these for order and buy it and the springs separate to get around the foolish federal laws on automatics. Remember, if you want an auto. Make DAMN sure, that you can legal own one. Kentucky CCW laws allow me to carry literally any weapon legal in the USA with my permit. But a few miles down to the south, I'd be in serious shit if a Tennessee cop found it on my person.

It has become one of my favorites, and its hard to say what could make it better, other than offering a some versions in a better steel and maybe even doing some polymer frame versions. It's made in Taiwan as part of Boker's Boker Plus line. I seriously have no issues with Taiwan. I've had and seen too many excellent knives made there. Sure, there are cheap shitty ones coming from there too, but if it says Taiwan I will be inclined to give it a chance.

If you're seriously considering getting an automatic knife. This is a wonderful place to start at. Automatics are very cool and surprisingly useful. There is no legitimate reason for them to be reviled and be subject to such outright stupid laws. I recommend that you give the Boker Ak74 a try before you sit down the serious cash for one of the higher end knives. If worst comes to worst, you'll have a spare auto that is won't hurt so bad if you loose it.

Shanghai Shadow: Cold Steel's Smatchet Wannabe

For several years now, I've been jonesing for a Smatchet. Smatchets are massive fighting knives featuring a ten-inch leaf-shaped often double edged blades that were designed back in World War One as a backup weapon when most folks were packing long bolt actions with long sword bayonets. The shanghai shadow is not a smatchet, but the 7 inch blade is very similar. Cold Steel lists it under their throwing blades, but I have serious doubt about its abilities in that. It pretty simple, carbon steel construction with smooth polymer grips. The large ring I find rather useless and in the way of making this actually a cool fighting knife. The guard functional, but not very good or even cool looking. It is however, extremely sharp out of the box. Play with this at your own risk. This thing may be a $25 Chinese cheapy, but it is extremely sharp and the steel seems quite solid. I have no doubts that it could certainly serve as a fighting knife. It has the length of blade to hit the vital organs and just enough heft to chop someone to pieces. The sheath is predictably barely functional and outright junky. If you wanted to carry this thing, you'd need to find or make a better sheath for it.
I really have no serious use for this, its there to look kinda cool and be something sharp if I really needed it. If you're looking for something just kinda neat but not expensive to scratch that knife itch, give it a try.

Cold Steel Mini-Tac Tanto & Kiridashi

I continue the quest to find small fixed knives for offhand carry. A solid choice for offhand carry is the Mini-Tac line from Cold Steel. Of these four knives, I own two. The Tanto and the Kiridashi. Both are lightweight and constructed from AUS8 steel and feature excellent textured G10 handles. The handles are honestly the best feature of this series. They are what is known as a subhilt. Subhilts do not fully lock the index finger like the ring on a LaGriff style, but still provide considerable extra security. It is difficult to get a hand disengaged from a subhilt. This is a bonus in safety that cannot be understated. Even the slipperiest conditions, you will not have to be concerned with your hand riding up to the blade or the knife slipping out of your hand to hit your foot.

The Kiridashi's blade style is very similar to a box cutter. It is after all a version of an ancient utility blade style from Japan. Its deadly easy to sharp its straight edge, but being AUS8 be very mindful of your tip. Its easy to bend. However, its sharp enough to easily slice open any sort of meat you might have to deal with.


The Tanto is about 1/2 an inch longer, and seems a lot more sturdy. I carry this a lot offhand in my pocket. I also like the straight spine and the fine jimping. The AUS8 sharpens well enough, too. Unfortunately, I have quickly realized that I am not a fan of the Americanize tanto style. The true tanto style is a pretty conventional curve instead of the less useful angular double point. Curves are much better slicers and slashers. Tantos are good stabbers, even with the American style and in stainless steel. I do have faith in its ability to penetrate.


Both come with metal chains and cheap plastic neck sheaths that cover the subhilt. A poor design. The subhilt adds too much in drawing to be so covered. Also, they do not come with belt clips. To carry them, I use something I've taken to calling 'carbiner carry' which is a cheap way to get some better use out of simple neck knife sheaths.

For less than $40 each, these are a solid buy. A good choice for offhand carry or just plain EDC that won't break the bank. Check out the others in the mini-tac line. A fat beavertail blade and a skinner. I wish Cold Steel would do a spear point version or at least give the tanto a traditional curve.

Review: Gerber Octane

The most useful tool a human can usually carry with them is generally a sharp edge. However, other tools like screw drivers and pliers are really nearly as useful making multitools an extremely popular choice for EDC. Often EDC'ers are faced with a dilemma. Which to carry? Most multitools are pretty much large belt sheath affairs. Also, they often need to be opened up to take advantage of their knife blade after being removed from their belt pouch. In comparison the ubiquitous 'tactical folder', is positioned on the right or left hand pocket-top and opens with one hand. The most obvious solution is to carry both. But if one is already carrying CCW kit, cellphone, and possibly a flashlight... Yeah, we all know this gets heavy really quick.

Another solution is to make the multitool more user friendly. The first I know to have done this directly from the factory was the Leatherman Skeletool. Featuring a pocketclip and a locking blade that was accessible from the outside for one-handed opening. I had one for a few days, but returned it as defective after the removable screwdriver bits consistently dropped out and the blade didn't work smoothly even after oiling. I ended up getting a Leatherman Fuse and carried it inside my back pocket for a long while.

The Gerber Octane is another in the continuing evolution of these EDC multitools. Mine was bought for about $38 from KnifeCenter. The Octane features a slide out set of pliers/wirecutters which also serves as a lock to keep the tool from opening, flat and Philips head drivers, a small flat head driver for tiny screws, a bottle opener, a clamshell cutter, pocketclip, and a half serrated sheepsfoot locking blade on the outside. All the tools lock into place. Also, the frame is aluminum to keep the weight down.


Most of the negative things I've heard about Gerber's multitools is in the durability area. I would not recommend this for heavy duty use. Save those jobs for full steel multitools. However, the Gerber's role is not of a primary working tool, its a tool for those everyday small jobs. As such, the light weight and compact size is a blessing. This is coupled with an excellent pocket clip. Gerber got this clip right. The tool sits nicely and securely, perfectly in fact, in your pocket. It is a joy to carry unlike the uncomfortable times either sitting on your multitool or having it hit you in the love handles with its pouch.


The tools themselves are largely very functional except for the bottle opener. While it worked, I don't think it worked very well. It could be left off and not be missed. The screwdrivers have a decent length and fit nicely to most screws. They lock up tight, though the plastic on the lock is a possible point of failure. The plastic clamshell cutter works well. It is a very useful tool that should become popular with these more urban oriented designs. Lastly, the pliers/wirecutters are comfortably angled. The frame design fills the hand nicely for use with these. They lock in the 'use' position, but do not lock in the close position. Personally, I think I'd like them to lock closed. Also the color of the frame should be noted. It has a lot of red, and that is not a bad thing. Bright colors can certainly help when you drop this at night. Also, I think that bright colors serve to protect against the fears of hoplophobes. Reds, yellows, and oranges are often safety/danger colors. They warn that this is a sharp tool and can hurt you if you're not careful. As long as they think of them as tools rather than weapons, their fears can be kept in reserve to better bother the guy open carrying his Glock down the street.


Already, at $37 the octane to me has proven its worth. However, I must now speak of its weakest, greatest selling point. The knife. The knife is functional. It works, it does its job, but it does it in a lackluster fashion. To me, this is a 5 dollar knife strapped to a $40 multitool. The placement of the thumbhole is hard to access with my hands. It opens very smoothly other than that. Then the locking mechanism is a bit hard to operate one handed as well. The blade steel is 420js stainless. A tough steel, but too soft to keep an edge long. This is the failing point on most of these EDCMs. Cheap ass steel. After being spoiled with literally hundreds of reasonably priced 'tactical folders' in quality cutlery steel, its painful to be downgraded to this.
Overall, I feel that I got my money's worth out of my Octane. Its an extremely carry-able multitool that has a solid line up of tools you'll find yourself needed most often. I particularly recommend this to office guys and IT professionals. Its perfect for those environments where you might be opening up several clamshells a days and opening PC cases and replacing parts. If the knife doesn't matter so much for you, this an excellent buy. But if you use your knife as much as I do, you'll feel unsatisfied.

Boker 1915 German Trench Knife

My newest addition to my ever growing family of fixed blades is this lovely Boker trench dagger. It is new production but not a replica. Rosewood handles, c-75 carbon steel, grip pins, and the exact specs are exactly the same as when this knife was made by Boker during World War I for the Imperial German military.

The blade is a little over 5inches, and a nearly 11 inches in overall length. The weight is a mere 5.9 oz. It comes with a leather sheath that features no press buttons or velcro, instead the metal tab we've seen on so many old surplus magazine pouches from that era.

This Tree Boker set me back $125. The last knife to cost me as much was my disappointing m1911 folding knife. Unlike the m1911, this literally took my breath away when I finally pulled it free of the plastic blade cover. I've never gotten a fixed blade that has made me this excited! The balance is excellent, and center is right under the guard. The knife can make some very fast cuts. The rosewood grips are very spartan but with simple grooves allows a solid grip. The front contour fits nicely with the fingers, too. The guard itself is large enough to be useful, unlike on many modern fixed blades. It is also comfortable in standard and reverse grips.

It is also designed around being able to be used as a punch dagger! On each side of the finger guard, there is a curved indention for your fingers. The grip contour is also designed to fit in this mode. Punches can be made quickly in this hold.

The blade itself is made from C-75 carbon steel. Its in the same class as 1095 carbon steel. It must be oiled regularly and maintained to protect it from corrosion. It is much stronger than average stainless steels, and needs that strength as the blade style is a very classic single edged dagger.

I must mention that this knife is a true weapon. Unlike many other designs, it will not be as useful in camp chores or utility tasks. However, this fighting blade does have use in lighter cutting chores that the EDC knife user will find himself taking on. Also, its slim and light design would make it a good choice for a mid-sized carry fixed blade for concealed carry. The size makes it able to deliver lethal hits that small knives simply can't.

This is a very cool blade. Simple clean lines and useful features make it functionally elegant. One might almost think its a custom blade. As icing on the cake, this purchase can be considered historical. I am very interested in getting another one of these, to be customized with micarta or g10 grips and a good custom sheath.

There are three other versions of this knife. The first is identical except for wearing stag handles for about $25 more. This would make a nice BBQ knife in my opinion. The second is a modernized version with micarta grips, a more modern sheath, and a partially serrated edge. Disappointingly, the steel is replaced with the considerably weaker 440C stainless. The third is the stag handle, but in Damascus steel. It is more a presentation knife, as it sells for around $500.

Ontario SP43: Everyone needs at least one pigsticker

Steadily, I have been filling out my knife collection with such staples as the automatic folder, the boot dagger, and the large folding knife. Finally, after lusting after a Mossberg 590a1 and an Ontario USMC bayonet, I decided it was time to spare me several hundred dollars by satiate my appetite with my first big knife.


The Ontario Spec Plus II Sp43 is a nice 8inch knife made from 5160 high carbon steel. The steel is tough, holds a good edge, but is not corrosion resistant. This steel must be kept oiled and maintained unlike your average edc stainless blade. I picked it up for under $60 at Midway USA.



So far I've used it for some light yardwork. It easily chopped down some young trees with a few good whacks. Unfortunately, I can't put a really good edge on it. I think my sharpening sticks are just a tad too short. Of course it may just be user error. Still, a really neat large knife. Good for your BOB, camping, or light yard work.



Update: I've used it for weeds, small trees, and even to hack off the end of a leg of lamb that wouldn't fit in my crock pot. This is a good blade and the sheath is functional and works well. A good purchase!