Province - First Impressions.

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Cambertree
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Re: Province - First Impressions.

#21

Post by Cambertree »

Great stuff Bloke. :cool:

That edge grind looks very nice - some of the other Taichung edges I've had have been a bit on the obtuse side. The Province edge looks great.

Good to hear about the handle comfort in use.

I liked what Ankerson said about having used a higher spine to edge distance to make it more slicy, while still being thick enough for severe use. Also the way it harks back to the early style Bowies.

Those dry eucalypt sticks are a good chop test for potential rolling of thin edges. Ghost gum/Blue gum tends to sit around 2300 lbs/force on the Janka scale - just a little below Osage Orange, for comparison to an American timber. Good to see it held up no worries.

I'm looking forward to seeing more notes in use. Maybe some extended wood tinder shaving, and bark stripping as would commonly be done before lighting a campfire to boil the billy? :D :p ;)
Last edited by Cambertree on Sun Sep 29, 2019 9:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Ankerson
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Re: Province - First Impressions.

#22

Post by Ankerson »

Bloke wrote:
Sun Sep 29, 2019 8:29 pm
Ankerson wrote:
Sun Sep 29, 2019 6:58 am
Very nice, looks like you are starting to have fun. :spyder:

No need to worry about "hurting" it.... You won't be able to, that knife can take anything even remotely reasonable and come through it just fine.

Don't let the thinner blade stock fool you, we made the blade taller so we could run thinner stock. If the blade wasn't as tall it would have been around 3/16" to 1/4" thick to get the same strength. ;)

Enjoy it with complete confidence in the design.
Hey Jim, a big congrats to you and all involved in the design and production of the Province. :cool:

This is the most fun I’ve had with a knife in many years, though I freely admit that the thin grind left me a little apprehensive about chopping into dry hardwood at first and that’s why I started with the clear pine. However, cleaving the little hardwood sticks and the larger branch leaves me confident that the blade will handle anything I’m likely to throw at it and 4V is proving to be an impressive blade steel.

I’ll do some more with it, at least by next weekend and keep you all posted.

Thanks everyone! :)

And to anyone sitting on the fence over this one, I’d say take the plunge. This thing is one **** of an awesome package you couldn’t possibly regret buying. ;)

I personally tested the knife in both 10V and S30V, the S30V blade (Prototype) is also hollow ground and thinner blade stock, I thrashed that knife extremely hard. :eek:

I even pounded it threw nails, drove it into a tree and really honked on it.... LOL :D

I couldn't hurt it and I really abused it to test the design, and that was the S30V blade with the thinner blade stock and hollow grind.

I doubt you will have any issues with the Province no matter what you do.

Enjoy it, it's made to be used and used hard.

It's a knife you can take out into the wilderness under any conditions and count on it to do the job.
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Bloke
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Re: Province - First Impressions.

#23

Post by Bloke »

Little bit more from this afternoon. :)

I taped four cable ties together and some rope as well at intervals and chopped them both sitting on the pine plank. The stump is way old with all manner of grit in it’s end grain and I don’t want to chop into it for no reason.

Image

The knife chopped the cable ties effortlessly with a moderate force swing from a sitting position. It sent cut sections flying with enough force for the blade to chop a 16” into to pine as well, as you may see from the photo. Four ties is all I had but I’m tipping a stack of eight wouldn’t be a problem.

Image

The first chop into the rope only cut about 95% through the rope because of the angle the blade engaged the plank at the end of the swing so I rolled the plank 90°, laid the rope along it and tapped it there, that fixed it. Chopping into the edge, again with moderate force the knife cut cleanly through the rope and 3/16” into the edge of the plank.

Image

Really enjoying this knife! The edge is unaffected and it still freely cuts newsprint in any directions. :cool:

Image
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Wartstein
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Re: Province - First Impressions.

#24

Post by Wartstein »

Bloke wrote:
Thu Oct 03, 2019 11:46 pm
Little bit more from this afternoon. :)

I taped four cable ties together and some rope as well at intervals and chopped them both sitting on the pine plank. .....
That knife looks like a perfect design, really. Both function - and aesthetic-wise.

Only question I have when looking at it: Is the "hook" at the rear end of the handle pronounced enough to prevent your hand from slipping of the rear end when chopping? As a matter of fact I guess the answer is "YES", since the handle is coutoured in a way, that there is not only a "hook" at the end of the handle but also kind of a "knob", right??

Bloke, could you please post a pic looking at the handle from above, so at "the spine of the handle"?

(Btw: I am not much into chopping with knives, IF I have a hatchet at hand. BUT: In many situations I just DON´T)
Top three going by pocket-time (update March 24):
- EDC: Endura thin red line ffg combo edge (VG10); Wayne Goddard PE (4V), Endela SE (VG10)
-Mountains/outdoors: Pac.Salt 1 SE (H1), Salt 2 SE (LC200N), and also Wayne Goddard PE (4V)
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Bloke
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Re: Province - First Impressions.

#25

Post by Bloke »

Wartstein wrote:
Thu Oct 03, 2019 11:52 pm
That knife looks like a perfect design, really. Both function - and aesthetic-wise.

Only question I have when looking at it: Is the "hook" at the rear end of the handle pronounced enough to prevent your hand from slipping of the rear end when chopping? As a matter of fact I guess the answer is "YES", since the handle is coutoured in a way, that there is not only a "hook" at the end of the handle but also kind of a "knob", right??

Bloke, could you please post a pic looking at the handle from above, so at "the spine of the handle"?

(Btw: I am not much into chopping with knives, IF I have a hatchet at hand. BUT: In many situations I just DON´T)
As requested mate. :)
The handle is contoured as you can see through one plane (Horizontal?). In the other plane it’s not, so the handle runs parallel to the spine. The way the scales are contoured the handle is hand filling and feels secure. With the minimal chopping I’ve done, I’d say the “Hook” as is, appears certainly adequate. ;)

Image

Here’s another look at the handle.

Image

As far a chopping goes ... I like it. It’s not something any of us seem to do. At least I haven’t read much that way here, but it’s good fun either ways and gives you a pretty good idea of what you may expect of the knife if push comes to shove.

This is a no nonsense knife Gernot, ... chop Endela in half no worries mate! Ah, hahaha, ah, hahaha, ah, hahaha! :p :cool:
A day without laughter is a day wasted. ~ Charlie Chaplin
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bigboned
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Re: Province - First Impressions.

#26

Post by bigboned »

hmm i cant see any pics?
Andy
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Dazen
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Re: Province - First Impressions.

#27

Post by Dazen »

Bloke wrote:
Thu Oct 03, 2019 11:46 pm
Little bit more from this afternoon. :)
Awesome stuff, I need to try some of these!
Dane

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Wartstein
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Re: Province - First Impressions.

#28

Post by Wartstein »

Bloke wrote:
Fri Oct 04, 2019 4:06 am
Wartstein wrote:
Thu Oct 03, 2019 11:52 pm
That knife looks like a perfect design, really. Both function - and aesthetic-wise.

Only question I have when looking at it: Is the "hook" at the rear end of the handle pronounced enough to prevent your hand from slipping of the rear end when chopping? As a matter of fact I guess the answer is "YES", since the handle is coutoured in a way, that there is not only a "hook" at the end of the handle but also kind of a "knob", right??

Bloke, could you please post a pic looking at the handle from above, so at "the spine of the handle"?

(Btw: I am not much into chopping with knives, IF I have a hatchet at hand. BUT: In many situations I just DON´T)



This is a no nonsense knife Gernot, ... chop Endela in half no worries mate! Ah, hahaha, ah, hahaha, ah, hahaha! :p :cool:
I do NOT like this (highligthed text)... :mad: :mad: :p ;)

Other than that:
Thanks, Alex, that handle indeed looks great and secure enough when the knife is used for chopping!!

As for chopping with knives: Yes, it´s fun indeed and I did it quite often cause often times I only HAVE a knife and no hatchet (once I chopped down a rather high (ten meters??) dead tree with an Esee Laser Strike just for fun).
But IF I have a hatchet I find it more practical than a knife.
Batoning is a different story: For "smaller" stuff batoning with a knife works better than using a hatchet imho (not for splitting larger logs and so on though)
Top three going by pocket-time (update March 24):
- EDC: Endura thin red line ffg combo edge (VG10); Wayne Goddard PE (4V), Endela SE (VG10)
-Mountains/outdoors: Pac.Salt 1 SE (H1), Salt 2 SE (LC200N), and also Wayne Goddard PE (4V)
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bearfacedkiller
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Re: Province - First Impressions.

#29

Post by bearfacedkiller »

Thanks for all the pics and feedback Bloke!
-Darby
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Naperville
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Re: Province - First Impressions.

#30

Post by Naperville »

Thank you Sal, Eric, and the Ankerson/Sanders team for producing this knife! I own one, as I said earlier, and I'm feeling like a genius for buying one.

I could not be any happier! I'll keep this knife forever, and assuming they will be around for a while, may pick a second one up for my brother. Another winning design from Spyderco.
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Re: Province - First Impressions.

#31

Post by The Meat man »

Good stuff Bloke!
- Connor

"What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"
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sal
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Re: Province - First Impressions.

#32

Post by sal »

Thanx Bloke.

sal
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Re: Province - First Impressions.

#33

Post by Doeswhateveraspidercan »

Bloke wrote:
Sun Sep 29, 2019 8:29 pm
Ankerson wrote:
Sun Sep 29, 2019 6:58 am
Very nice, looks like you are starting to have fun. :spyder:

No need to worry about "hurting" it.... You won't be able to, that knife can take anything even remotely reasonable and come through it just fine.

Don't let the thinner blade stock fool you, we made the blade taller so we could run thinner stock. If the blade wasn't as tall it would have been around 3/16" to 1/4" thick to get the same strength. ;)

Enjoy it with complete confidence in the design.
Hey Jim, a big congrats to you and all involved in the design and production of the Province. :cool:

This is the most fun I’ve had with a knife in many years, though I freely admit that the thin grind left me a little apprehensive about chopping into dry hardwood at first and that’s why I started with the clear pine. However, cleaving the little hardwood sticks and the larger branch leaves me confident that the blade will handle anything I’m likely to throw at it and 4V is proving to be an impressive blade steel.

I’ll do some more with it, at least by next weekend and keep you all posted.

Thanks everyone! :)

And to anyone sitting on the fence over this one, I’d say take the plunge. This thing is one **** of an awesome package you couldn’t possibly regret buying. ;)
Hey Bloke I have always wanted a Bowie knife and this one is really getting my attention. A question if you don't mind have you used this in the kitchen if so how does it perform, if not would you mind running some tests for us?

I am still looking for a heavy duty fixed blade with a good blade length like this one has that could be used in the kitchen for harder to cut Items like big Squash, Frozen to semi frozen meat when grinding my own, breaking down Chicken etc and not worrying about rolling or chipping a blade going through bone.

Clearly you have beaten on it pretty good with chopping hardwoods and that appeals to me as well but will likely find more kitchen duty and breaking down boxes from time to time than rugged outdoors use.

Thanks.
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Ankerson
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Re: Province - First Impressions.

#34

Post by Ankerson »

sal wrote:
Fri Oct 04, 2019 2:54 pm
Thanx Bloke.

sal

Hi Sal,

Brian Griffin has one so expect a full blown field review, plus coming.. He does survival field reviews etc.

Maybe Magazine Article too.

Jim
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Re: Province - First Impressions.

#35

Post by JRinFL »

Wow, what a knife. I really wish I could find some justification to own one of these, but since I cannot please keep these post coming. I’ll have to live vicariously. :)
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sal
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Re: Province - First Impressions.

#36

Post by sal »

Hi Jim,

It's a great piece. You guys did good! Crucible did good! Our Taichung maker did good!. Win-win-win. :D

sal
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Tucson Tom
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Re: Province - First Impressions.

#37

Post by Tucson Tom »

This is a magnificent knife. My absolute best knife purchase for 2019.

Not that I "need" a big bowie like this one, but I sure am glad to have it.

I haven't even begun to push it in any way, though it has certainly done all the trivial nonsense I do with it in great style.
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Re: Province - First Impressions.

#38

Post by murphjd25 »

Nice pictures Bloke! Looks like a **** of a nice knife! I love me some Bowie’s.
Josh
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Bloke
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Re: Province - First Impressions.

#39

Post by Bloke »

Many Thanks everyone! :cool:

Hey, bigboned, sorry you can’t see the pics mate.

Gernot, I’ve only played with the knife in the backyard but the first thing that struck me when I chopped hardwood sticks was how well the thin edge coupled with the knife’s weight bit into and cut the wood.

I can’t find my Gransfors Wildlife Hatchet at the moment though on first impression the knife seems to cleave hardwood sticks cleaner and no doubt bites deeper than the hatchet with the same amount of force ... got to find my hatchet. :confused:
sal wrote:
Fri Oct 04, 2019 2:54 pm
Thanx Bloke.

sal
This is proving to be a great knife Mr Glesser. I like everything about it so far and for me it represents value for money. The big slab of sharp 4V in a fixed blade allows me to actually play with the knife, maybe even push it a little and better enjoy the potential on offer.

I have no idea of market demand for large fixed blades but personally, the Province at $260 ($AU438, I payed including shipping, tax and other BS) represents way better value than, say my incoming Advocate (which I bought heavily discounted) if for no other reason than it’s a bit hard to compare a little bit of blade steel in any folder to a slab of blade steel in a fixed blade. :D Ah, hahaha, ah, hahaha, ah, hahaha! :) :cool:
Doeswhateveraspidercan wrote:
Fri Oct 04, 2019 3:36 pm
Hey Bloke I have always wanted a Bowie knife and this one is really getting my attention.
Hey Does, it’s a hefty knife mate with a thin grind that should perform well enough in any general cutting, I’d imagine, though the only real cutting I’ve done to date has been a little cardboard and a little hardwood end grain ... no worries there. ;)

We buy chicken necks for our cat which I muscle through with a pretty ordinary pair of poultry shears. I’d be willingly to chop through some chicken necks, maybe even wings for you, but hopefully Jim may chime in because I don’t want to wreck my new knife and forever hold you responsible. :eek: Ah, hahaha, ah, hahaha, ah, hahaha! :) :rolleyes:
A day without laughter is a day wasted. ~ Charlie Chaplin
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Ankerson
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Re: Province - First Impressions.

#40

Post by Ankerson »

Bloke wrote:
Fri Oct 04, 2019 10:54 pm

We buy chicken necks for our cat which I muscle through with a pretty ordinary pair of poultry shears. I’d be willingly to chop through some chicken necks, maybe even wings for you, but hopefully Jim may chime in because I don’t want to wreck my new knife and forever hold you responsible. :eek: Ah, hahaha, ah, hahaha, ah, hahaha! :) :rolleyes:

Have at it. :)
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