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Fällkniven F1 3G

Fällkniven F1 3G

A real world survival knife has to be simple, strong, reliable and small enough to have on your person at all times so it is with you whatever else you lose or leave behind. In fulfilling these criteria it should also fit neatly with the requirements of a countryman or sportsman.
In this light I have been testing a Fällkniven F1 3G. Designed primarily for Swedish combat pilots, the F1 is compact yet large enough to perform the tasks required of it in a survival situation. The use of powder steel is where it differs from the highly acclaimed standard F1. So popular was the original that Fällkniven responded to the demand and produced a limited run of 1000 ‘special powder steel’ F1s. These are serial numbered and carry a mark celebrating 25 years of the companies existence from 1984-2009.

Super Gold

The blade is 10cm long with a cutting edge of equal length. The handle is made of a slightly flexible, durable black polymer called Thermorun and the overall length is 21.3cm. The blade material is triple-laminated steel consisting of VG10 stainless flanking a central core of Super Gold powder steel; this process carries the benefit of making it much stronger than a single billet of metal. Super gold has no grain or discernable structure to it which in combination with its hardness (62 Rockwell) and durability makes it one of the finest knife steels around. It is capable of taking and retaining an extremely refined edge that is literally hair-splitting. The F1 3G has a convex grind which protects the edge well and assists when chopping through wood. The laminated steel continues through the handle and protrudes by about two millimetres providing a hard strike point for driving the knife point for hard work!

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Plastic Best

There is also a choice of sheaths, either a full enclosed black leather design or a moulded plastic unit with a nylon webbing belt loop and security snap. Mine came with the latter for which I was grateful. With state of the art materials utilised in its construction it seems at odds to use leather which retains moisture and can come apart with age and wear. More insightful features of the latter option are the drainage slot, lanyard holes allowing you to hang the knife from the neck upside down and the integral retaining catch. I have used a single wrap of black electrical tape to increase the retention of this clip and in doing so can mount the knife inverted on my kayaking jacket even without using the security snap which can be difficult to do up with cold fingers.
All considered this is a brilliantly thought out tool; its simplicity belies the rigorous eight years of research and development preceding the final design, and its success since shows me that I am not alone in considering this one of the best utility knives in the world.

For: Simple and robust design
Against: Cost is high
Verdict: If you need a serious knife then worth the investment

PRICE: £191.95

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