Schrade Full-Tang Spear Point

I have no excuse at all for this one.  I can't even blame it on an impulse buy because I kept looking at it.  I told myself nine times that I had no earthly use for it, and the tenth time I ordered it anyway.

Midway had put it on sale -- with free shipping!

I did not pay the current $35 price. 

I'm still an idiot.

The problem is that no matter how you measure it, the cutting edge of the blade is over 4 inches.  It is a weapon by my state's statute definition.  Any fixed blade is questionable, but I always figure I can get away with my Folt's Minimalist because it is so diminutive. 

This is a pig-sticker.  It has two razor-sharp edges off a nice, thick spine.  The stock in the tang is about 5/32 inch or 4mm.  The heavily grooved G-10 scales are about the same thickness.  This puts the knife's balance point closer to the butt. 

The steel is stainless and Chinese, but seems to be well-tempered with a decent carbon content.  They call it 8Cr13MoV, which is comparable, maybe, to AUS6.  The "stone-washed" finish is nice, even though it sounds like a pair of jeans.

Though it feels substantial and secure in hammer or reverse grip, the slimness of the scales would make it easy to conceal -- though I can't legally carry it any way except open.  The belt loop is attached to the Kydex sheath by a couple of star-head screws.  This allows for various configurations -- vertical, horizontal, or even inverted.  Removing the loop entirely would make for a very slender package that could be carried in a pocket or inside the waistband.  There are grommets on the sheath that would allow a cord to be run through and around a belt or belt-loop for other variations.  Or you could turn it into a neck-knife.  The sheath, by the way, holds quite securely.  It takes enthusiastic shaking while holding it upside-down to dislodge the knife. 

For me, it came down to being enamored of the looks.  It's not a knife I would carry for utility purposes.  I like choppers and slicers, and this one is a blade-light thruster.  On the other hand, if I actually thought I would ever be in a knife fight, I would not mind having this with me.  That solid pommel would be a headache-maker on a backhand stroke.  Also, if you butcher your own hogs, I meant what I said above about it being a pig-sticker. 

If a person is looking for something like a last-resort back-up blade, he or she could do a lot worse.  If you live in a jurisdiction where a 4.4" double-edged fixed-blade can legally be carried concealed, the Schrade would do the trick without breaking the bank.

Since I haven't used it for anything except minor whittling, cutting a few rose canes, and generally playing around, I can't say how the edge will hold up to use and abuse.  I'm not going to mess with the bevel on this one, but just polishing it up, my sense is that it will retain the edge about as well as one would expect for the money, which isn't bad at all.   

In my case, though, it will stay mostly on the shelf and be a conversation piece with the grandsons.  I'm not complaining.