Well, I think North Arm Knives is about to increase prices, their current sale price is what was normal pricing last month. so, I ordered a Lynx and Mallard to try and will turn this thread into a review as I use them.
If you have a credit card with no foreign transaction fees, it is cheaper to order in CAD than in USD.
Specs (as listed unless stated otherwise)
The Lynx
-Overall length 8.5
-Blade length 3.86
-Weight (knife only) 4.7oz with G10 scales, sheath 2.5 oz (my actual weights: knife 4.7 oz, sheath 2.1 oz)
-Spine thickness 0.100
-Full flat grind
-Listed at $176
The Mallard
-Overall length 8.1
-Blade length 3.6
-Weight (knife only) 2.3oz with G10 scales, sheath 1.2 oz (my actual weights: knife 2.4 oz, sheath 1.1 oz)
-Spine thickness 0.060
-Full flat grind
-Listed at $123.20
These are made in BC, and CNC'd from bar stock.
Both knives are Magnacut steel hardened to 60-62 HRC with G10 handles. North Arm also has carbon scales, this shaves 0.7 oz from the Lynx and 0.36 oz from the Mallard per listed specs.
Most powdered steels are cold work steels and gain nothing from being forged. So being CNC machined does not negatively alter the quality compared to hand made.
First Impressions
Both are well made and finish quality is very good; but neither are knives I would be likely to buy if I looked at them in a store first. The handles are finished smoother than I like, the blades are both about 1/2 inch longer than I like, and the Lynx blade is deeper from spine to edge than I like. No clue if any of those will effect actual use.
The Mallard arrived with a very nice factory edge. The Lynx has an edge that needed to be touched up on a strop. Neither needed to touch a stone to have a very good edge. Other than some high end German kitchen knives, no other knife I have ever bought came with an edge that did not need to touch a stone to be acceptable.
If you have a credit card with no foreign transaction fees, it is cheaper to order in CAD than in USD.
Specs (as listed unless stated otherwise)
The Lynx
-Overall length 8.5
-Blade length 3.86
-Weight (knife only) 4.7oz with G10 scales, sheath 2.5 oz (my actual weights: knife 4.7 oz, sheath 2.1 oz)
-Spine thickness 0.100
-Full flat grind
-Listed at $176
The Mallard
-Overall length 8.1
-Blade length 3.6
-Weight (knife only) 2.3oz with G10 scales, sheath 1.2 oz (my actual weights: knife 2.4 oz, sheath 1.1 oz)
-Spine thickness 0.060
-Full flat grind
-Listed at $123.20
These are made in BC, and CNC'd from bar stock.
Both knives are Magnacut steel hardened to 60-62 HRC with G10 handles. North Arm also has carbon scales, this shaves 0.7 oz from the Lynx and 0.36 oz from the Mallard per listed specs.
Most powdered steels are cold work steels and gain nothing from being forged. So being CNC machined does not negatively alter the quality compared to hand made.
First Impressions
Both are well made and finish quality is very good; but neither are knives I would be likely to buy if I looked at them in a store first. The handles are finished smoother than I like, the blades are both about 1/2 inch longer than I like, and the Lynx blade is deeper from spine to edge than I like. No clue if any of those will effect actual use.
The Mallard arrived with a very nice factory edge. The Lynx has an edge that needed to be touched up on a strop. Neither needed to touch a stone to have a very good edge. Other than some high end German kitchen knives, no other knife I have ever bought came with an edge that did not need to touch a stone to be acceptable.
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