The Karesuandokniven Hunter Damask 8 (3570) is delivered in a beautiful gift box that I eagerly open on this peaceful day out at the cabin. This is my first knife with a hand made Damascus steel blade and therefore I respectfully sit down by the fire to get acquaintance with this beauty.
Damasteel
Karesuandokniven is very service mind and are offering most of their knife models in five different blade materials; stainless, carbon, graphite, Damasc Rose and Damasc Twist. So far I only have used Karesuandokniven's stainless steel knives and now after some time spent with their Damascus steel I truly understand the knife's different price tags. The Hunter Damask has a razor sharp edge and has an amazingly beautiful Damascus pattern to the blade. My knife bears the Twist pattern which is created by the steel being turned over for up to 160 times by the blacksmith (160 layers). The steel is a powder Damascus steel patented by the little forge Damasteel located in Söderfors Sweden. They have a history of blacksmiths going back to 1676. Their Damascus steel is based on the well known RWL34 but the great thing with Damasteel's process is that it produces stainless blades trough it's hardening method handling the steel in temperatures over +1922°F (+1050°C). Most other Damascus steels are made of carbon steels less stainless. This means that the blades from Damasteel and Karesuandokniven can handle more abuse than other when it comes to corrosion. So my advice to you is to use these knives with full joy and sharpen them when needed. Howerver sharpening makes the Damascus pattern fade. The cure for this is to put the blade in acid for about 40-50 minutes and then the pattern starts to show again. But remenber to always use protection when handeling acid and rinse the blade carefully in water after the treatment.
Design
Before I got the knife in my hand I thought that I would want a longer blade. But the Hunter Damask 8 has a perfect design. I like the rather long and bulky handle made of curly birch, reindeer antler and brass. The 23,8 mm wide and chubby drop point blade is easy maneuvered in a safe and comfortable way. The brass finger guard is protruding on the edge side in a efficient way but just as much as it's OK to let your hand slide down over the blade when you wish so. The brown leather sheath is nicely crafted and fits perfect on my belt. However; I'm thinking of making a custom sheath of a more traditional Scandinavian style with a longer leather loop so the knife hangs lover, not being in the way when carrying a backpack with a conveyor belt.
Specs
Blade Material: Martensitic stainless powder steel, 120-160 layers, HRC 58-59
Blade Length: 84 mm
Blade Thickness: 3,2 mm
Knife Length: 195 mm
Handle Material: Curly birch, reindeer antler and brass
Handle Thickness: 20 mm
Knife Weight: 90 g
Sheath Material: Leather
Total Weight: 154 g (knife and sheath)
Total Length: 220 mm (knife in sheath)
Price: 3100 SEK (Sweden 2013)
I Got a Crush on This Knife
Now I have had the time to try out this knife and I like it alot. The Hunter Damask 8 works really nicely in all kinds of material, not only when butchering game. And the blade is still holding an excellent edge. I also used the back of the blade on my fire steels and it works fine, however the Damascus steel seem to take a beat from the sparks. Karesuandokniven's Hunter Damask 8 got to be a very nice first acquaintance of Damascus steel and I want more! Looking forward to my next Karesuando Damasteel knife.
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