Nieto R1 & Chaman 140-MK

I know Nieto knives, I’ve been buying them for years. The Spanish firm originates from Albacete in its South-eastern region. Range Right Ltd distributes them in the UK and sent me two of their latest.

R1

The R1 is part of Nieto’s Warfare Plus range and is very tactical, all olive green and black. It is an ambidextrous folding knife with a locking mechanism and shows a modern design. Opening can be done onehanded via thumb studs located on both sides. The knife itself is heavy, sturdy and well-built. The blade shows a flat grind and spear point tip.

The handle features slots and grooves, plus the central section is manufactured from Forprene which helps provide a good grip. There is a 65mm long pocket clip made out of AN-58 stainless steel and a lanyard hole with leather loop.

The locking mechanism is very strong, I did my usual controlled tests on the lock and it remained firm. The curved areas of the black alloy handle scales have two lines of grip grooves in them. Overall it’s a very cool, well-made modern folder.

Chaman 140-MK

The Chaman 140-MK is aimed at bushcraft and survival. It was designed by Manuel de la Torre, a master cutler.

The blade is manufactured from Vanadium stainless steel with a stock thickness of 5.2mm. The removable scales are black canvas Micarta with 1mm thick red liners and it also comes with a black paracord wrist lanyard. There is a single finger groove, plus ten deep jimping grooves on the spine and five more on the exposed hilt. There is a 5.5mm hole in the ricasso, one side is also countersunk, this can be used as a steady for a rotating fire stick.

The sheath

The leather sheath offers a wide variety of carrying/ mounting options. There are two press stud securing straps for the handle, seven paracord securing holes plus a belt loop and leg tie.

There is a nylon pouch on the front of the sheath containing a non-locking knife. This has a 76.2mm blade and a seat belt/ gutting hook, small serrated section plus a lanyard hole. Also included is a polished signalling mirror, 3m length of paracord and an ID survival whistle with a waterproof compartment for personal/health details.

Lastly, in the pouch is the striker for the Ferro fire lighting rod, which sits in an elasticated tube on one side of the pouch, the other side contains a diamond sharpening stick. The pouch can be removed from the front of the sheath and carried on your belt or in your pack. You get a huge amount of kit for your money, all this for £125. I’ve not even mentioned the knife in use yet, the thick 5.2mm steel gives the knife a heft and the sabre grind cuts effectively. Nieto make a lot of quality knives for many applications, I recommend both of these.