- a small giant
A fixed blade for "EDC" use, could it be something? In any case, Brisa Ltd from Finland, which is brand behind this little knife, thinks so. A model that is an alternative in the territory that is usually populated by folding knives of all kinds. But as you know, there are both advantages and disadvantages to having a joint in the middle of a knife and this creation called Brisa 60 is based on that and offers a sturdier alternative.
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| Brisa Scara 60 |
I do not know if that was the way of thinking in Jakobsstad, Finland, where Brisa's head office and manufacturing are located. But that could be the case as Scara 60 is one of their smaller knives. They have folding knives on the program as well, knives such as Birk 75 and Borka 90 for instance. Models that have been discussed here on the blog since before. But it is probably for their fixed blades that they are best known. Modern classics such as Trapper 95 and Nessmuk 125 , just to name a few. I intend to review the latter shortly. The model name always includes a number and it simply represents blade length in millimeters.
With that logic follows that Scara 60 places itself slightly below other small knives in the range such as Bobtail 80 and Necker 70. The question is what this knife brings that motivates another model in the program?
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| Brisa Scara 60 is a small knife made of exclusive materials |
Twitter version: Brisa Scara 60, a small knife with massive self-confidence if a knife can be said to have one. A knife capable of handling most EDC tasks.
Blade
Scara 60 has a blade that, according to the above reasoning, unsurprisingly has a blade that measures 60 mm in length. The width is 22 mm and the stock thickness is 3.5 mm. The shape is a quintessential drop point. The blade is fully flat ground from the spine down to the edge. Behind the edge, the blade measures 0.8 mm. A simply designed but elegant and also effective blade. The finish is stylish satin. The edges of the spine are broken but not rounded. Steel type and logo in discreet format is the only text found on the blade.
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| The 60 mm long drop point blade is made of RWL-34 steel |
The steel comes from Sweden and is Damasteel's RWL-34. An exciting choice and steel I have not come in contact with before. However, it is quite popular among knife makers, I have understood, and is considered by some to be one of the better knife steels available. It is basically a stainless powder steel* that can be hardened to high HRC if desired. Many good basic properties in other words.
It is also known to be very stainless and it is something that I can attest to. Since it has been autumn and winter during the test period, the knife has been exposed to a lot of rain and ended up in snow more than once and then stuffed into the case with a bit of moisture left. On a few occasions, I have forgotten it that way. It has not resulted in any stains on the blade at all so far.
It turned out that the edge holds extremely well. Especially as this knife entices slightly heavier work than the blade length suggests.
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| One of the good properties of steel is that it is very stainless |
Scara 60 belongs to one of those knives that cut significantly better than you think at first glance. But a blade with a proper factory edge and excellent steel is a solid foundation. This knife has mainly been used for what it is intended for, namely "EDC" or Every Day Carry as it is read or perhaps everyday use? For me, this means a number of different tasks and materials. But common is of course opening packages and with that territory comes dealing with cardboard, tape, string and one or two plastic strips of different thicknesses. In addition, the everyday companion is often used in the kitchen to open packages. For cooking, I never use pocket knives anyway and there this knife would still disqualify itself due to the short blade length.
But for the other materials listed, this knife is excellent. It cuts just as well as desired. The large finger groove and the fact that the handle is short means that you can place it securely inside the hand, against the palm, which enables penetration cuts without the risk of slipping.
However, the good steel and the efficient blade shape attract you to cut even in more difficult-to-work materials. First out were remnants from both a carpet and leftovers from the rubber mat from the kitchen. No problems there either and the small blade is very easy to control.
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| Another good feature of this knife is that the steel stays sharp for a very long time |
As always, there were also pure knife testing. That is, over representation of things I certainly sometimes but still very rarely cut. In this case, thicker cable ties and not least garden hose. The latter is a tough and stiff material. A task I usually preserve for larger knives. But even here, Scara turns out to be unusually good for the size.
Wood is another material I always test my knives on. The only exception is of course kitchen knives. But wood in various forms, everything from spruce twigs and green branches to dry wood of different kinds are things I often cut. Not least as I engage in knife throwing. In those cases, there will be tasks such as carving wooden pegs to put up playing cards and the like, distance markers, and not least trimming targets from splinters and shavings before putting them in the car.
Spruce twigs can act as a seat pad and the like and then of course it is everything that has to do with fire and cooking when you are out in the woods. When it comes to such tasks, Scara is good for its size but with that reservation. This knife is made for other uses and it shows. It is simply a little too small to be effective for many of these chores. But you can do it if you need to.
Handle
The handle sides on Scara 60 are currently available in two different versions. One is "Buffalo Micarta" the other is "Mustard" like here. The look is enhanced by two striking red G10 inserts. The sides are then riveted with two well-sized stainless steel bolts and a tube intended for a lanyard. As can be seen in the pictures, Scara is a full tang knife where 3.5 mm stock thickness runs along the entire length of the handle. This makes the knife exceptionally strong for its size.
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| Scara is a full tang knife with sides made of burlap-Micarta, spacers in G10, and is riveted with stainless steel rivets |
The handle is very well executed both in terms of fit & finish and shape with a pronounced groove for the index finger and rounded shapes. The sides are curved and not flat and the back arches slightly to fit the hand better. Then Brisa has chosen to build the handle slightly thicker than, for example, Necker 70 which is another small knife from them. On Scara, the thickness is 16 mm, which means that there is more to hold on to than just the length suggests. It is both good and necessary in this case.
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| It's a quite full handle for being small |
Scara is made to be a "three-finger knife". I can appreciate that. Not that it holds just three fingers but that it is made for it. I simply prefer a good three-finger knife to a bad four-finger knife. That is one where the little finger still slips off and does not provide any support anyway.
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| Scara is a pronounced "three-finger knife" but a good example of a nice one |
The basis for the relatively secure grip, in this case, is the groove made for the index finger. After the index finger has found its place, the thumb almost automatically ends up on the blade spine and the two remaining fingers fill backward. The little finger ends up at the lanyard. It does not strengthen the grip as much as it helps when the knife is to be deployed.
Sheath
The knife comes with a simple but very functional sheath made of Kydex. There are a couple of criteria that a good sheath of that type should meet. One is that it holds the knife in a firm grip without rattling or other noises. It should be hard enough to be able to turn the knife upside down and shake if necessary. That criterion is well met here.
The second is that the knife should be easy to pull. It is also nicely solved here. But the knife is firmly seated so a certain amount of technique is required to make the operation smooth. Grip the knife with the index finger in the designated recess followed by a thumb against the edge of the sheath. Then a light pressure with the thumb and the knife is loose. It can of course be pulled straight out as well, but it requires more strength. It will of course be a two-handed operation if you can not drop the case on any surface such as a table or so. But Scara is generally very easy to handle both when it is to be pulled and put away.
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| A simple but well-functioning sheath in Kydex |
Scara can be carried in different fashions. I usually carry it loosely in my pocket. Because the knife measures less than fourteen centimeters in length and just over fifteen when sheated, it does not take up much space. This is also one of the few knives I carry with a lanyard. Not because I want it for extra safety when I split wood or something, but because that's how I retrieve the knife out of my pocket.
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| This is how I choose to carry my Scara 60 |
If you do not feel like carrying the knife loosely in your jacket or pants pocket, you can have it around your neck or attach it to a belt with a cord or use some form of TekLok construction. Scara can then be attached both horizontally to the belt or more traditionally to the side.
Conclusion
Had it been another company, I might have said that they broke new ground with such a small fixed blade. But for Brisa, it is rather a complement to the existing range. Scara 60 is a logical consequence of the models' Bobtail 80 and Necker 70 that I mentioned in the beginning. However, I don't think it's possible to downsize further without the function suffering.
But I also asked the question if it adds anything. And I believe it does. Since Scara is shorter than the others, I think this knife is easier to carry in your pocket than the Necker. The latter, on the other hand, is easier to hang around the neck, as the name implies. In addition to the format, however, there is another area that makes this model rise a few notches above the other knives and that is the materials used.
Fit & finish is good on other Brisa products as well, but here it's obvious that they have invested extra in that area. The transitions between the materials in the handle are perfect and the polishing of the handle is very well done. It is complemented by a nice satin finish on the blade topped with a good factory edge.
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| With Scara 60, Brisa has succeeded in producing a very capable fixed-blade EDC knife |
But the icing on the cake is the extremely fine materials. In the blade, you will find one of the best knife steels available paired with high-quality burlap-Micarta in the handle. It also explains the relatively high price tag. At the time of writing, Scara costs €140 from Brisa's own site. That makes for a high price per kilo or centimeter depending on how you want to measure it.
Superficially, Scara could be seen as a competitor to the significantly cheaper Mora Eldris, to name one, but the comparison isn't quite adequate. Where the Mora has simple steel and a handle in rubber as well as a plastic case, Scara contrasts with consistent top materials on all parameters. The only thing that is reasonably similar is the size. But the fact is that Scara is slightly shorter and thinner, which makes it easier to carry, so even there the simpler knife loose in comparison.
In the case of Scara, you, therefore, get exactly what you pay for. A small handy quality knife. The effective drop point blade both cuts and penetrates very well and the three-finger handle is as good as it gets. Sometimes you are therefore tempted to use the knife for slightly tougher tasks than it might have been intended for.
This is when you notice where the limitations are. The length of the blade and the fact that you can not hold the knife with your whole hand in a firm hammer grip. You have to give up something to make a fixed-bladed knife so easy to carry. A total length of 15.5 cm including case and with a total weight of 100 g is not much. Especially not when the knife itself weighs only 59 g!
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| Scara 60 does well as an outdoor knife too, but then it may need a little company of something bigger |
Then I must add that I personally think it is a really beautiful knife! The lines are pleasing to the eye and that burlap Micarta just looks gorgeous. Aesthetics is not a completely unimportant aspect when it comes to something that you invest money in and that is hopefully going to be viewed every day.
So if you are looking for a very small, fixed blade knife in the absolute top class in terms of material and build quality that also looks good and cuts extraordinarily well, the Brisa Scara 60 knife is for you!
Specification:
Length Overall: 138 mm
Blade Length: 60 mm
Blade Thickness: 3,5 mm
Steel: RWL-34
Weight: 100 g incl sheath, knife 59/67 g (without and with lanyard, weighed by me)
Handle: Micarta, burlap
Sheath: Kydex
Produced by Brisa, made in Finland
/ J
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