Fallkniven have an indelible reputation for producing hunting knives of the highest quality and the S1 is no exception. It has been described as the best hunting and fishing knife ever made although it is known also as a Forest Knife. The S1 comes with an almost indestructible laminated stainless steel blade which is convex grounded and which provides cutting power which is second to none. This is one of the most sought after attributes of the VG-10 custom steel which remains at the top of all Fallkniven inventions and which has revolutionised the way we think about knives.
The S1 also comes with a clip point design which is modified appropriately for penetration whilst the long edge is truly ideal for skinning purposes. Apart from skinning, the blade is also excellent for chopping and will certainly not break. For those who do not wish to have a reflection from the blade there is the possibility of getting a black Ceracoat 8H version of the knife.
One aspect of the knife which has to be up to scratch is certainly the handle. The S1 has a checkered handle which gives one a fine grip even though your hands may be frozen solid in sub-zero temperatures or clammy with sweat in some desert environment. The S1 also comes with two types of sheaths which one may choose from. There is the open top dangler which is available in black leather or else one can opt for the zytel sheath which has snappers around its handle. There’s also the option of a left zytel sheath for those inclined.
You would expect any Fallkniven knife to be properly tested and the S1 is certainly no exception, it follows a rigorous series of tests which ensure that the blade can witstand all sorts of pressures and exposure to work apart from other tests to ensure the quality of the steel in different weather conditions. The performance of the knife also depends on how sharp its owners keeps it so you are well advised to ensure it is sharpened regularly since only such maintenance will ensure its proper performance up to the expected Fallkniven standards.
The knife’s dimensions are perhaps what you would expect from a good sized forest knife. It is no less than 9.7 inches long or 247mm whilst the blade length is a striking 5.1 inches or 130mm with a blade thickness of 0.2 inches or 5mm, certainly more than enough to perform some of the most demanding cutting and chopping tasks. However although the knife packs what is considered to be a serious punch it is definitely lightweight at just 190 grammes so it won’t feel at all heavy in your hand and this allows for maximum manoeuvrability as well as dexterity, qualities you expect from any Fallkniven knife anyways. The blade is also nominally hard and tough with a grading of 59HRC.
In a nutshell the S1 is a survival knife which certainly ticks all the boxes and which should prove to be quite handy in every circumstance or occasion. It has a great balance between size and weight since the handle is quite comfortable to use for longer than usual periods, at the same time it isn’t so large not allow a certain level of hand manipulation. There have been some negative comments regarding the clip point but obviously you will find some who warm to this feature and others who won’t.
The blade is definitely one of the sharpest and most versatile which is available on the market. With the VG-10 steel showing that it can really cut through anything that moves with incredible ease. It’s useful for splitting wodd and skinning all sorts of animals and with the characteristics that we have now got used to from Fallkniven, the blade is also waterproof in a sense that water literally bounces off it so its an ideal tool to have when working in those gory situations when you are cutting up an animal. There has also been some criticism of the zytel sheath which is perhaps a little too spanky although this option makes the knife rather easy to clean. The leather sheath is also an interesting option although this is rather more basic.
Although the knife isn’t really intended for batoning, it performs this task with considerable ease due to its thick spine married with the 5mm blade. It enables you to baton through twisted wood with considerable ease and it also lets you pass the blade through knots. It is also very useful for chopping and not just the light version since various users have commented about its strength in this category. This is truly a blade for all seasons and the S1 will definitely serve you for all the tasks which you may require in the bush.