Fallkniven: S1x - X Series - Laminated CoS Steel - Satin Finish

I don't do a lot of reviews, but this knife has become one of my all-time favorite knives. I bought this as a less expensive alternative to the the pro series, but with the same steel. It is expensive and utilitarian. It's not what most would consider a beautiful knife. But it is as worry free as any other knife on the market. First of all, retention has been improved on this model. The X-series sheath is a major upgrade over all prior Fallkniven series. The lock up is positive and the retention is great! Second, the CoS steel is wonderful. While not being a powdered super steel, it takes a great edge and is much easier to resharpen than something like 3V. It is also extremely corrosion resistant. My personal experience has been great. When I got the knife, I immediately started using it and was impressed that despite it's girth, the edge geometry from the factory was unbelievable. It carves far better than it should. The thickness, while adding weight, doesn't make it at all unwieldy or clumsy. The thickness begs for it to be batoned and proves it to be an exceptional splitter. While splitting a piece of wood from a tree that I had recently felled, I hit what I thought was a knot and split the log the rest of the way. it was at that point that I realized that I had in fact, inadvertently cut through a 1/4 inch lag bolt that someone had long ago put into this tree. There was no indication from the bark of this inclusion as it had been grown over. In any case, there I was having subjected the knife to an extreme abuse test. While the bolt had been cut cleanly, the edge was a mess with scratches up the bevel. The roll in the edge had deformed it almost a 1/16" from the rest of the edge. So I sharpened it out. It was a major reprofile, but it went well and in the end, the edge was restored with a mirror finish on the primary bevel. The steel took a wonderfully keen edge and the reprofile didn't take as long as I thought it would due to the steel. I later selected the knife to come on a backpacking trip across Isle Royale. Even though large, the weight of 13 oz with dangler (12 oz w/o) was less than almost all my other knives with the exception of the Moras. I ultimately took it over the Garberg because I liked it and wanted to. It's corrosion resistance and sheath made it ideal for the sometimes torrential and sudden squalls of Lake Superior. I used a Casstrom #3 dangler to ensure it hung below my pack's belt. The chopping ability ended up being critical on a couple of occasions on the trip. The Mora wouldn't have done the jobs this knife was able to do, or do them as efficiently. The only cons I can identify with this knife is the cost and the thickness of the handle being a little thin. That being said, buying quality hurts once. The handle thickness is a personal preference issue. I wear size 8 surgical gloves and large work gloves. It is just a bit thin for my taste, but hasn't been overly fatiguing. In short, I own knives from Bark River, Benchmade, Survive, LT Wright, and others and this knife has become a real favorite. It is definitely in my top 5 favorite and maybe my top 3. If you are looking for a worry free, tough as nails, easy to repair companion for your next adventure, you could do a lot worse than the Fallkniven S1x.