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Comment by Lars Ray on December 31, 2021 at 13:29

Oh good to know....your comments here confirmed what I suspected regarding the drop Forge handles, but until I actually could hold one, it was just a a cautionary suspicion. Thanks for all the details - 

And I'm glad to hear you are merging more into the darker arts of Dirks, Daggers, and Boots! 

Featured Comment by dead_left_knife_guy on December 30, 2021 at 22:32

Lars, I understand your hesitation.  I initially got interested in the Drop Forged Hunter, largely because it seemed similar to a now out-of-production TOPS knife (that I can't recall the name of), but was much less expensive (around $38, compared to the TOPS at around $98).  I became mildly obsessed with it & eventually pulled the trigger.  While it's heavy for what it is (common to all the Drop Forged line), it's really ergonomic, fits my hand surprisingly well & is surprisingly comfortable (save for winter days, of course -- which is about 5 months out of the year for us here in Minnesota).  If I have a photo of this knife, it's buried somewhere deep in my phone, but I'm guessing you know the Drop Forged Hunter.

I wasn't really interested in any of the other Drop Forged knives until they made this one with scales.  And the scales really make a difference!  Unfortunately, there's something else about this knife's handle that makes it less than ergonomic, & you can see it in the photo above.  It's just that the handle has a weird, rudimentary shape to it that seems almost more like something a kid in junior high might draw -- and that's kind of how it feels, too.  Cold Steel made a similar ergonomic error with the handle of the Black Bear Bowie Machete, but the machete was only about $20.  It just feels like a wrist injury waiting to happen.

Lately I'm finding myself more drawn to daggers, pig stickers, & other pokey knives, so I decided to check out the Drop Forged Boot Knife.  While I'm glad I bought it (on sale from I don't even remember where), the handle is a little smaller than I'd like.  Not terribly small, but I'd prefer it about an inch longer.  And the Boot Knife would seriously benefit from having the handle carved out. 

Actually, they all could benefit from having their handles carved out -- it would provide for more options to add after market handles, and a lot more options for cord wrapping.  All things considered, they're decent collector pieces, but the only one I would actually recommend to anyone else is the Drop Forged Hunter.

Meanwhile, I found a photo of the Boot Knife...

Comment by Lars Ray on December 30, 2021 at 13:20

oooh...nice looking! How do you like their drop forge line?  I have seen other photos only, and I didn't think they were anything special. This photo is causing me to [possibly] rethink my opinion.