How the Schempp Rock got me to stop buying 6" knives

[zuludelta]

Round here in these forums, we like to talk about all the Spydercos we want to acquire. It could be some classic design we missed out on, a favourite model in a new steel, an altogether new design, or a highly-anticipated future release. The search for the next knife never seems to end for many of us.

What we don't talk about as much, however, are the Spydercos that have ended the search, the models that had us thinking, "this is it, I don't need another one."

While I continue to be interested in new designs & new steels, there are certain categories of knives where the search for my ideal knife has concluded.

For me, the search for a ~6" outdoors utility knife effectively ended when I got a Schempp Rock some 6 years ago. Oh, I tried some other knives from other designers & manufacturers in a similar size range in the years after I picked up a Schempp Rock, but time and again, I found myself returning to Ed Schempp's fixed-blade.

I have yet to find a 6" knife better at clearing vegetation, which is something I do with some regularity. I clear the local trails of deadfall after windstorms whenever I can. Many times, the Schempp Rock—paired with a Silky Pocketboy folding saw—is all I need to make obstructed temperate coniferous forest trails passable by foot.

The world of ~6" outdoors utility fixed-blade knives is a large one, and there are many, many models out there that are made of higher-end materials than the Schempp Rock's relatively modest VG-10 blade & FRN handle. There are also other knives in that size range that are better suited for bushcraft/survival, or hunting, or combatives, or food prep. But every time I get the itch to buy a ~6" outdoors utility knife, I handle the Schempp Rock, look back on my experiences using it, honestly appraise my primary uses for a 6" fixed-blade, & think, "what I have is enough."

[MFlovejp]

Sure is a cool blade. Thanks for sharing!

[razehound]

Do you have any experience with the Bradford Guardian 5 or 6?

I currently own a 5.5 and love it, so I'd be interested to hear how they compare.

[TomAiello]

They are totally different. The Guardian is more of a balanced multi-purpose camp blade. The Rock is more of a heavy chopper. I own both the Rock and Guardian 6, and I'm more likely to pair the Guardian 3 (one of my all time favorites) with the Rock than with a larger Guardian.

[Manixguy@1994]

This is one FB knife I passed on and wish I had been smart enough to buy when it was available. I handled one recently and really appreciated the way it felt in hand . I would really like to see another release someday . I have only one knife in this range a Terava Skrama 200 . MG2

[zuludelta]

Do you have any experience with the Bradford Guardian 5 or 6?

I currently own a 5.5 and love it, so I'd be interested to hear how they compare.

I've only ever handled a Bradford Guardian 6 at a brick & mortar store, but have a lot of experience using a Jarosz Turok, which is pretty similar in size and overall shape to the Guardian 6. The Schempp Rock feels quite different from the Jarosz Turok in use.

For me, the Schempp Rock handles more like a miniature barong/bolo (see pic below for a size comparison with a barong-style machete) than a big knife, if that makes sense.

It isn't forward-heavy in its weight (the balance point is right at the finger guard), but the angle of the blade relative to the handle and the pronounced forward belly on the blade really lends the Rock to snap cuts & slashing.

I've used it for light chopping as well: I've gotten through trees up to 4 inches in diameter with it in instances when I didn't have a folding saw, axe, or full-on chopper handy, but would only really recommend using it on deadfall/branches/shrubbery 2 inches or less in diameter... it is a rather light knife despite its size.

[razehound]

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. First thing I did notice was the angle of the handle, which I imagine would help with slashing much more than the in-line handle on a lot of fixed blades like the G6.

Thanks!

[zuludelta]

This is one FB knife I passed on and wish I had been smart enough to buy when it was available. I handled one recently and really appreciated the way it felt in hand . I would really like to see another release someday . I have only one knife in this range a Terava Skrama 200 . MG2

There was enough demand for the Rock design several years ago that a Sprint Run in H1 (the Rock Salt) was issued. Maybe we'll get lucky & get another Sprint or even a return to full production in the future. And while I think the Rock in VG-10 is plenty tough for what I use it for, I'd love to see a new Rock Salt in LC200N (the toughness upgrade over VG-10 at, say, 58 to 59 hRC, would make it an even better chopper, IMO).

[Manixguy@1994]

This is one FB knife I passed on and wish I had been smart enough to buy when it was available. I handled one recently and really appreciated the way it felt in hand . I would really like to see another release someday . I have only one knife in this range a Terava Skrama 200 . MG2

There was enough demand for the Rock design several years ago that a Sprint Run in H1 (the Rock Salt) was issued. Maybe we'll get lucky & get another Sprint or even a return to full production in the future. And while I think the Rock in VG-10 is plenty tough for what I use it for, I'd love to see a new Rock Salt in LC200N (the toughness upgrade over VG-10 at, say, 58 to 59 hRC, would make it an even better chopper, IMO).

Yes the Salt version was awesome. To be truthful, I would have no preference of steel another Salt version would be icing on the cake though . MG2

[KnOeFz]

Great writeup on an iconic knife.
The design has always intrigued me.
Nice to read your enthousism after long time use,
Never had the pleasure to handle one myself.

[Ed Schempp]

Thanks for the comments!

[zuludelta]

Thanks for the comments!

And thank you in turn Mr. Schempp for sharing your designs with us. Please know that your work is very much appreciated by those of us who rely on knives as tools of our trade & our recreation.

[bearfacedkiller]

I tried so hard to like it. Beat on one for a couple years. Tried really hard to break it when I decided I didn’t like it. That didn’t work, it’s definitely tough.

I think I would like it if it was bigger and heavier/thicker. I seems too big to be a good knife and too small to be a good chopper. Seems like it would be a great fighter.

This is just my preference though. I find 5-8” to be kind of a no man’s land for me.

[curlyhairedboy]

Would love a quick sprint in magnacut, to be honest!

[ladybug93]

this is how i feel about my rajah 2, but i never got a chance at this knife. i would love to see it come out again. magnacut would be insane, but i'd even take vg10, honestly. that's similar to the aus10a in the rajah 2, from what i've read, and i actually like it as an outdoor beater steel.

[zuludelta]

I tried so hard to like it. Beat on one for a couple years. Tried really hard to break it when I decided I didn’t like it. That didn’t work, it’s definitely tough.

I think I would like it if it was bigger and heavier/thicker. I seems too big to be a good knife and too small to be a good chopper. Seems like it would be a great fighter.

This is just my preference though. I find 5-8” to be kind of a no man’s land for me.

These are not unreasonable criticisms, not just of the Schempp Rock, but of the 5" to 8" knife category in general. I recall Ethan Becker once described his own BK7 design (a smaller, 7" version of his famed BK9) as a "compromise".

I generally do find knives in the 5" to 8" range to be so-called "'tweeners"—too light to do serious chopping, too short to be used as a true substitute for a machete, while the extra blade length over their sub-5" brethren sacrifices portability & nimbleness in hand.

To be honest, if weight & pack space are not concerns, my first choice for a knife to go in my trail clearing kit is the Jarosz Choppa (a nicely weighted 10" chopper designed by Jesse Jarosz that can also function as a small machete in a pinch).

Weight & pack space are frequently concerns for me when trail clearing, however (such as in cases when it requires multi-mile hikes to get to the obstructions), and the Schempp Rock is the smallest & lightest knife I have that can still do everything that I need a knife to do when clearing trails (as previously mentioned, I primarily use a knife for clearing thinner deadfall, and rely on a folding saw & a hand axe/hatchet to break down more substantial fallen wood).

Would love a quick sprint in magnacut, to be honest!

You & me both!

this is how i feel about my rajah 2, but i never got a chance at this knife. i would love to see it come out again. magnacut would be insane, but i'd even take vg10, honestly. that's similar to the aus10a in the rajah 2, from what i've read, and i actually like it as an outdoor beater steel.

Yeah, with the right heat treat & blade geometry, VG-10 can definitely be a good "outdoor beater steel" (within reason, of course). If you go by Dr. Larrin's steel ratings charts, VG-10 is only a bit less tough than 1095, with the added bonus of more edge retention & vastly greater corrosion resistance. Besides the Schempp Rock, I use a number of smaller VG-10 knives such as the Enuff, Street Beat, and Street Bowie for outdoors recreation, and have found them plenty tough for my forest shenanigans. I mean, c'mon, Fällkniven uses VG-10 to make the survival knife issued to members of the Försvarsmakten... it can't possibly be as chippy as its detractors would want us believe.

[Cl1ff]

I like this size and weight of knife a lot. They’re nicer to carry around than a big chopper and more capable in some ways than a smaller knife.
I live in Florida. If I’m going to be walking around in the woods all day, something like a Schempp Rock wouldn’t be bad and is probably near as large of a knife as I’d want. I also climb trees a lot and a big knife can get in the way.
There are situations where I’d take a heavier chopper, of course.

[zuludelta]

Great writeup on an iconic knife.
The design has always intrigued me.
Nice to read your enthousism after long time use

Thank you. And yeah, it is an intriguing design for sure.

Sure is a cool blade. Thanks for sharing!

You're welcome :)

I live in Florida. If I’m going to be walking around in the woods all day, something like a Schempp Rock wouldn’t be bad and is probably near as large of a knife as I’d want. I also climb trees a lot and a big knife can get in the way.

That pretty much squares with my experience with the Schempp Rock. It's the smallest knife I have that I can still rely on to decently do jobs that are best tackled with a 10" chopper or machete. The fact that it can functionally approximate both (for my purposes, at least) given the limits imposed by its size and weight makes it a really stand-out design IMO.

[Cl1ff]

Speaking of climbing trees, another thing I often consider that is probably pretty unusual, and happens to be eloquently solved by the design of this knife, is cutting rope or line tangled in branches. I do that a lot while kayaking or exploring the coast, sometimes while in a tree.

The angle of the blade and it’s intended proficiency at snap cutting is perfect. It’s pointed right out there, if that makes sense, so it’s probably less stressful to use with an extended arm (thus inherently safer). Recurves are also just superior when the main style of cutting is on the pull.

I have some “criticism” (actually just different personal preferences) of the Schempp Rock that I’ve already stated on the forum, but it really is a excellently conceived design.

[zuludelta]

Cross-posted from the "What did you use your Spyderco for last?" thread:

Used my Schempp Rock to help clear several trail obstructions over New Year's weekend at the local forested area, as part of my daypack-portable trail-clearing kit. It's really good for slashing/snap-cutting through branches of fallen trees so I can get to the trunks with a hatchet and saw.

I was going to buy a 6" "survival"-type (non-Spyderco) knife in CPM 3V as a late holiday gift for myself, but doing all this with the Schempp Rock just reminded me that its design—paired with an excellent treatment of VG-10—is really all I need for a knife in its size range, so I skipped the purchase. Anything I can't take down or break down with the Schempp Rock is something that's better dealt with using a saw, axe/hatchet, or a midsize/full-size machete, and not a ~6" knife, anyway. The corrosion resistance of VG-10 is a bonus, too: I had to go somewhere immediately after doing trail-maintenance & didn't have time to clean my tools and I wasn't worried about leaving the muddy & sticky-with-resin Schempp Rock in its sheath for a day.

I don't doubt that there are applications for a ~6" knife where the toughness of 3V is necessary, but I beat on my Schempp Rock a fair bit & it has held up just fine. Granted, the trails I clear are in primarily coniferous forests, & Douglas firs & cedars are relatively soft wood (I think the hardest wood I process with any regularity is red alder, and that's probably a medium hardwood at best).

However, if I'm trying to go even lighter, I will replace the pairing of the hatchet & Schempp Rock with either a Becker BK9 (9" blade, 1.05 lbs.) or a Jarosz Choppa (10" blade, 1.0 lbs.) Neither is equal to the hatchet/Schempp Rock combo as far as effectiveness, but can accomplish their tasks with acceptable compromises while weighing just a little over half the combined weight of the Fiskars hatchet (1.4 lbs.) & Schempp Rock (0.57 lbs.).