- a folding knife for heavier work
The last knife from Steel Will I wrote about was a slim model called Sedge. Today's review object is not its exact opposite, but quite far from it. The knife is called Nutcracker and is a solid piece with a modified Wharncliffe blade at the serious end. Promotional texts for the knife promised that the name was not only for show but that you could actually crack coconuts with it. Something that the devoted reader of this blog knows I had to check. The question is what it can handle more than large nuts?
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| Steel Will F24 Nutcracker |
This knife came as a bit of a surprise just over a year ago because other news from Steel Will were, as often, released during Shot Show in the US. A few weeks later, this model was presented as a knife that would combine "hard use, culinary and EDC characteristics". Something I may not completely agree with. Firstly I think that "hard use" is just a "buzz word" - only for advertising texts as it lacks content. The "culinary" thing is just as stupid. This is a small folding knife. Of course, you can slice sausages and cut a carrot with it as well, but otherwise, it is as lousy in the kitchen as ninety-nine percent of all other knives that can be folded in half. But if you by culinary mean that despite its appearance it cuts well, it is true.
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| A stout blade and a curvy handle are what characterize this knife |
Twitter version: Nutcracker, a stout folding knife from Steel Will that lives up to its name!
Blade
Two things are required to live up to the name of this knife. One is, of course, that lock and handle are strong enough to meet expectations. The second is that the blade is ready for the task. And it is! To achieve this, Steel Will has chosen Böhler N690Co. It is stainless steel that is often found on middle-class knives. Personally, I like it. It is not extreme in any direction but keeps the sharpness as it should without being the best, it is rater stainless and actually easy to grind. This is not the first time Steel Will has used it, but they use D2 tool steel more frequently. I'm glad they didn't this time.
The blade is in this version blackened and stonewashed. The markings are Steel Wills standard with logo on one side and model name and steel type on the other. I'm rather pleased with that.
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| The modified Wharncliffe blade has been coated and washed |
You get a solid piece of this material. The blade measures almost nine centimeters in length and is 27 mm wide. It is of course given the shape that can be considered as a modified Wharncliffe that almost ends up in sheepsfoot territory with its relatively stubby nose.
Modified in this case mostly means that the edge is curved in its entirety instead of straight. The most distinctive feature, however, is the thickness of the blade. It is a solid four millimeters. It is slightly thicker than what we are used to from Steel Will and the reason why is said to be the heavier tasks. It is the coconuts they had in mind, I presume.
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| In addition to the name, you can find the steel type, N690Co, on the blade |
Despite the thick blade stock, the blade is actually as thin as 0.5 mm behind the edge, which is really good. It is the high, almost full, flat grind that is the explanation. This means that Nutcracker not only cracks nuts but is actually really good at cutting.
So if you absolutely must use your folding pocket knife in the kitchen, this is not a worse alternative than anything else. The blade is capable enough. What disqualifies most folding knives, including this one, are things like a flipper tab that prevents you from getting down to a cutting board, lots of nooks and crannies for dirt to get stuck in, and a blade that is too short for everything except peeling and trimming. But that is another discussion.
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| In a previous test, I proved that the knife lives up to the claims in the advertisement |
But the sympathetic geometry paired with good steel and not least a capable factory edge make this a good EDC knife. It cuts what it is supposed to without much hassle, whether it is plastic, cardboard, fabric, or wood. It even passes my tough garden hose test. Something that requires a good edge. Overall, this is a knife that surprises positively when it comes to how well it handles most materials. This is especially true of hard plastic and not least cardboard, which it literally glides through. It is not intimidated by gnawing a little on wood either, I can tell. In those situations, you are helped by the relatively wide handle which increases comfort during heavier work.
Handle
The handle on the Nutcracker is both common and unusual. By that, I mean that the well-shaped G10 sides are something that is recognizable from many Steel Will models at this point. In this case, the gray sides are both beveled at the edges and have a curved profile. They are also well ground on both the inside and outside in a meritorious way. Steel Will knows how to shape handles well. The handle is also open in the back and there you will find a couple of bright splashes of color in the form of a couple of bright red distances. Even the clever solution with a bolt as an anchor point for the lanyard has been given the same color.
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| Steel Will is starting to know how to make nice handles in the G10 |
Nutcracker has an unusually clean appearance as Steel Wills has chosen to skip some details that normally make handle sides busier. First, they have chosen to skip the lanyard hole and, as I said, replaced it with another, in my opinion, better solution. A second and perhaps more troublesome detail, at least for those who are left-handed, is that the clip cannot be shifted from the right side where it sits.
The number of screws is also kept to a minimum. In addition to the pivot screw, the sides are screwed from both sides at two points. Then the clip has to make do with a single screw as well. The screws are also the same black color as the blade, which contributes to the clean look.
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| The open back is brightened with some color. You will also find an attachment point for a lanyard |
The unusual part of this handle is found on the inside and is about the frame design. It is not weight relieved at all. Steel Will has worked with different solutions for handle construction before. Avior, for example, has a one-sided frame/liner while Mini Tasso has no frame at all, and Cutjack which has sides in FRN has a conventional frame that is extremely light. In this case, a more massive alternative has been chosen, which of course will be both sturdier but also somewhat heavier. It's the nuts again.
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| In these grips, Nutcracker is not optimal for me as the little finger ends up over the "beak" |
Then a quick visual inspection tells you that this handle is as curvy as Marilyn Monroe. The back arches and then slopes downwards towards the rear end. There is a pronounced finger groove for the index finger and an equally clear "beak" which is intended to hold the little finger in place. Shaping handles in this way is something of a gamble as you can never know what type of hand will hold the knife. For me, the result is so-so.
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| Nutcracker works best in hammer grips or with the thumb on the back of the blade |
This means that a classic hammer grip works best closely, followed by a so-called "Filipino" grip with the thumb far out on the blade. At the same time, a saber grip or a grip with the index finger on the blade is not as sympathetic at all. The handle is simply a bit too tight for my hand. If I place the index finger in the right place and the thumb on the thumb ramp where the purpose-cut grooves are found, the little finger ends up right over the sharp part of the beak. The same applies if I put my finger on the blade spine to guide the cuts.
The best is, as I said, a hammer grip, but to fill my hand the handle would still have needed to be a little taller and longer to feel completely good. But for someone with smaller hands, I can imagine that the experience is another and even good.
Opening and lock
Nutcracker is mainly a flipper-opened knife. With that said, it is actually possible to slow roll the blade open with the thumb against the blade. That is made possible due to the fine ceramic ball bearings the blade runs on. Because of the massive blade and the strong lock, the knife opens with a satisfying sound. The knife is also surprisingly quick to open.
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| The flipper tab is fairly discreet but effective |
Much of the speed comes from a good geometry in terms of the position of the fin in relation to the pivot point. That and that it has the right angle to accelerate the blade. A pair of well-placed grooves means that you do not slip easily.
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| A very sturdy liner lock |
The safety is handled by a liner lock of the more sturdy variety. It's solid partly because of the material thickness of 1.6 mm, but above all, the lock bar is not cut out in any way. Like the rest of the frame, it is massive, which of course contributes to increased strength. The lock fulfills its function without negative remarks. On the contrary, it is very reassuring as it always works and keeps the blade in a firm grip. No movements in the blade can be felt even when I grab the tip of the blade and try to provoke it sideways and vertically.
The lock bar is also slightly raised in relation to the G10 material and equipped with grooves for better traction, which makes the lock easy to release. It's, simply put, a good liner lock.
To Carry
Nutcracker is not a small knife in your pocket. The length is measured to eleven and a half centimeters but the thickness is a full 15 millimeters and it is paired with a weight of 130 grams. Not extremely heavy given nine centimeters of a blade that is both tall and thick, but that does not make the knife lightweight either.
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| Nutcracker comes with something as unusual as a milled titanium clip even though the handle is in the G10 |
This knife comes with a milled titanium clip, which is not completely common on knives with G10 scales. The function itself is decent since it has been made thin enough to spring so it can handle even slightly thicker fabric edges. But the ramp is quite sparsely sized and it is therefore not always easy to get it right when the knife is to be returned to the pocket. On the other hand, it and the overall shape of the clip contribute to the fact that it feels very little against the hand when working with the knife, which is another important aspect of a clip. They should work well but preferably not be felt when not in use.
Pull out the knife, on the other hand, is very easy. The rather smooth G10 under the clip means that the friction is low and the design of the clip means that my index finger easily curves around it on the outside of the pocket. This is the way I draw all folding knives, by the way, a thumb on the inside of the pocket and the index finger anchored around the clip on the outside. That's why I don't feel the need for a lot of the handle to stick out to get a good grip. In this case, a little over a centimeter is visible.
To Conclude
First of all, it can be stated that if one is now to make claims in order to sell a product, it is good if they are true. They are in this case. You can actually crack nuts with Nutcracker. Now, this may not be what most people mainly use their folding knives for, so it is even more positive to state that the knife is a very sympathetic EDC knife. Provided you like an aesthetic that includes bold Wharncliffe/sheepsfoot blades and curvy handle.
But Nutcracker is quite modern. Both when the knife came and still some years later, it is a popular blade shape. Then Steel Will also follows an older trend of having rather dull colors on blades and handles and some color pops as an accent. If you don't like black blades, Nutcracker is also available in a regular satin with a black handle.
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| Nutcracker is a solid EDC knife. Here together with its slimmer cousin Sedge |
Then it can be stated that Steel Will is starting to get very good at making excellent handles in the G10. They did it on Tasso and Avior and now on Nutcracker. Although I am still not completely happy about this one. Not because there is something wrong with the handle, but because this type of more elaborated shape risks targeting specific hand sizes or shapes, whether the manufacturer intended it or not. For my hands, the handle is simply a bit too small, or rather there is too little room as the overall length is enough.
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| Steel Will Nutcracker, the knife that lives up to its name |
As usual, you get excellent build quality when you buy a knife from Steel Will. The feeling in this knife is a bit the same as in a car door belonging to a Mercedes Benz from the 70s. It feels massive and it is also strong enough to de facto crack a coconut or two without getting damaged. I know, because I tried! If that's not your most sought-after property, it cuts quite well in most things and is therefore excellent as an everyday companion. So, if your paws are not too big and you like the look, just go for it.
Specifikation:
Length Open: 203 mm
Length Folded: 114 mm
Weight: 130 g (weighed by me)
Blade Length: 89 mm
Blade Thickness: 4 mm
Blade Steel: N690Co
Handle: G10
Lock: Liner lock
Produced by: Steel Will Knives, made in China
/ J - humming Tjajkovskij
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