Review Yggdrasil Forge Huginn XL

  

Introduction

If you pass through Manchester, England, you might meet Joe Bardsley. Or maybe not, it's quite a big city after all. But it's in that part of the world you find the man behind Yggdrasil Forge. He both forges and manufactures knives of various kinds with a focus on bushcraft and throwing knives.

That's where I come into the picture. This is probably the world's first written review of these knives. I have had these knives with the designation "XL" for a while now. These are, as the name suggests, larger versions of the originals and it was only when they were released I became interested, I must admit. I intend to return to why.

The entire XL family from Yggdrasil Forge. Today's review object Huginn is found on the far left

Like the brand, the knives take their names from Old Norse mythology, and first up is one of Odin's ravens in the form of the Huginn XL. It also happens to be my favorite to throw with

Appearance and Dimensions

Huginn XL has something familiar about it, which is not so strange. This applies to the appearance, how the knife feels to hold in the hand and even to throw. 

Throwing knives must be kept within certain parameters as the area of use has a real influence on how they can be designed. They are thus more limited in appearance than knives in general. Even so, they can feel very different in the hand.

Someone said it resembles an "Arrow". If so, very vaguely. Here in comparison to two such knives from Acejet and Wulflund

This particular knife could be said to belong to the "Arrow" category.* At the same time, I would probably argue that it does not, or at least not fully since the Huginn is almost as related to a classic dagger. Compared to the German arrow, the handle is narrower, the blade is wider, and not least the edges are significantly different with symmetrical wide dagger-like edges. It doesn't look like the "tent stake" that a friend compared that type of knife to.

Huginn XL, a 25 cm long double-edged throwing dagger

As I said, XL is an add-on that can be discussed. Or in relation to the original, it is of course larger. That knife measured a modest 23 cm in length and this one boasts 25 cm. In addition, it has increased in width and thus also in weight. Huginn XL weighs 238 g. This specific knife can be added. It can vary by a few grams as those knives are hand-sharpened. In addition, I myself filed away a few grams when I straightened the tip.

The thickness is well chosen 6 mm. Here you can simply say that throwing knives are often found in two categories. Either the thinner segment which is 5-6 mm or the thicker segment which is around 8 mm. Then, of course, there are exceptions in both directions from that rule. But most professional models are in that range.

The blade on the Huginn is at its widest 31.5 mm and the handle varies in width from 31.2 mm down to 22.2 mm. The secondary edges are about one centimeter broad and they end with a safety edge that is over a millimeter thick. Regarding the appearance in general, it should be added that this is one of the first editions and that the version that is now in production may deviate slightly in terms of dimensions and thus weight.

The softly rounded back is just over three centimeters at its widest

The finish is polished or rather sanded in this case, but all throwing knives from Yggdrasil Forge can be obtained in an alternative version which means that the color that occurs during the heat treatment is left. It gives a kind of oil shimmer in different shades. It looks pretty cool and the pattern becomes unique for each knife. The disadvantage is that it is dark and thus somewhat less suitable for those who have their throwing range outdoors. Anyone who throws will understand what I mean. I can just say that shadows and dark leaves on the ground don't mix well with throwing knives. Or, to be more precise, they do just that. 

At the top of the handle is an etched version of the tree of life, Yggdrasil with a Thor's hammer beneath which is the Yggdrasil Forge logo.

Material

All Yggdrasil throwing knives currently start as a single piece of 1080 carbon steel. After they have been shaped, they are hardened up to 65 HRC and then heat-treated down to a soft 55 HRC. A necessity for a throwing knife. The forces and vibrations that occur during both hits and misses cause knives to break during practice. A throw or two is fine with any knife even some folding knives, thousands and tens of thousands of throws is not. Don't believe anyone who says otherwise.

The material is 6 mm thick carbon steel

The advantage of this type of steel is that it is tough and impact-resistant. Characteristics that are important in a throwing knife. However, the hardening was not quite to the fullest in this version. But it is something that seems to have been fixed now.

On this knife, like its cousins, especially the handles are a little too soft. The result is splinters and notches in the knife, which on more than one occasion resulted in blood wounds. It is enough for the knives to touch each other a little too hard when they stick in the target or hit something when you miss. If you are not careful enough when you pick them up for the next throw, accidents can happen. Sure, that goes for most throwing knives, but here the risk is unusually high.

To Throw

Although the appearance literally screams "no spin", the Huginn XL is actually an excellent all-round knife. It could possibly be objected that it is a bit too light to be an optimal knife for rotational throwing and somewhat too short. But since it is fairly neutrally balanced, that technique also works fine.

The penetration is good, but the knife likes to turn on its side during flight

However, the shape makes the knife feel most natural for no spin  The slightly swelling handle helps with the index finger push, and the knife also has a softly rounded top on the handle, which I appreciate. I'm not a fan of pointy rear ends. It is not pleasant to the hand when handling knives in general or when prying them out of targets. It's something you notice after a while and may not discover from a quick glance at a picture. Things that look cool are not always so when the practical aspects are to be assessed.

In general, this knife belongs to the lighter category when it comes to throwing knives, despite the "XL" suffix to the name. That's why I'm a little skeptical about the originals. Of course, you can throw knives as light as you like, including Bo Shuriken's with a weight of around 100 g, but in general, it can be said that a line between lighter and heavier no-spin knives can be drawn between those weighing under respectively over 250 grams. Although Huginn belongs to one of the heavier ones from Yggdrasil Forge, the knife still belongs to the lighter category. It is not a decisive factor but worth considering. 

- Rotational Throwing

When throwing rotational with these knives, they can be treated like any other shorter and lighter knife. This means that the thrower has to compensate a little for the length by holding a bit further out on the handle and thus making it feel longer. Or rather, that's how I do it. Since both that and the light weight make the knife rotate more quickly, the knife can be angled more forward in the hand while the rotation starts later. The latter is achieved by letting the throw strive towards the target to a greater extent than otherwise.

Throws with Huginn and Muninn and Ullr

If you do this, Huginn XL is fairly accurate from both 3m (one rotation) and 4m (one-and-a-half rotation) as well as 5m (two rotations). Much further than that I don't like to throw this knife, at least not with spin. Knives this light have a tendency to flutter a bit in the air and this is especially true if it is not completely windless. In addition, the rotation is not entirely easy to control. A heavier knife simply spins more slowly and more majestically. This makes it easier to assess the rotation speed and the reverse of course applies to smaller knives.

- Half Spin

For half-rotation techniques, Huginn is very good. Shorter throws from two to four meters work great, especially with military half-spin. The same applies to backhand throws and not least underhand throws. The latter I think is no problem to manage up to six meters. It is certainly possible to throw longer distances with this knife as well, but it is not optimal for that. It is easier to master with longer and heavier knives. At least that's true for me. It is always the thrower that is the measure of everything, unless the knives are completely wrongly designed that is.

Instinctive No spin with an index finger on the edge is not my favorite technique with this knife as it actually borders on being too wide and has too much edge in my opinion. Not that you can cut yourself on the safety edge but that combined with the rather sensitive metal I mentioned earlier makes me hesitate to let it slip out of my hand without checking it first and even then it gives a slightly uncomfortable feeling. If you get over it, of course, that technique also works.

However, if you compare it with a knife that has flatter sides to rest your finger against, such as the Yggdrasil Forge Muninn XL, the difference becomes obvious.

- No Spin

It is, of course, within this area that this knife's main merits are to be found. After all, it has a fairly classic "throwing knife look" and a spearhead shape. Anyone who sees Huginn does not have to doubt what it is. And anyone who knows a bit more about knife throwing quickly realizes that it is mainly a no-spin knife.

Mixed throwing techniques withHuginn XL

As such, it behaves calmly and controllably. No direct surprises in any direction, either negative or positive. The knife performs as it looks, so to speak. This means a knife that has a nice balance in the air and is fairly easy to stick in a target. 

Penetration is good without being exceptional. With the relative sharpness and those edges, I would have expected even harder hits actually. But the tip is quite broad and when I throw it likes to turn half a turn around its own axis whereupon the tip hits the target across against the wood grain. It gives slightly less penetration but not so bad that it affects the overall impression. Then I'm talking about targets made from hard, slow-grown birch being used as a reference**. The modest weight also means that the knife does not have to hit so hard to stay in place. Then it should be added that it is my technique that contributes to its turning, not the knife.

Conclusion

As I do not have a complete set of three of this particular model, there have been slightly fewer throws than usual for the review. But since I've had the knives since early 2023, there have still been just over 1,000 throws with Huginn XL.

With both that time and those throws behind me, I can state that I think this is a good throwing knife model, especially for beginners. Maybe even for the slightly more experienced by all means, but let me explain. I believe that it is the novice who needs extra good knives that are easy to throw and thus learn with. The already fully-fledged can throw basically anything and both stick knives and do it with precision. 

If you are less experienced, it is good if knives are predictable and do roughly what you expect from them. That's what Huginn XL does. It is a knife with the center of gravity slightly shifted towards the back end, which makes it most suitable for no-spin throwing. The same weight ratio also makes it a very good semi-rotational knife. However, this model is not so extreme that you can't use it for rotational techniques. That characteristic also makes it beginner's friendly. You simply don't have to decide! Once you've decided, there will be more knives in your life, believe me.

Then there are things that could be better and that is especially true of this knife. After contact with Bardsley, I know that he has different and better equipment for heat treatment now than was the case a year ago. This means that the knives you buy today are better in that area. This particular knife is too soft, especially in the handle for my liking. Of course, if you only throw one knife per target, indoors with some kind of rubber mat underneath, there might not be a problem. If you, like me have an outdoor throwing range as well as throw in the forest where there is both gravel and stone and not least practice a lot, damage occurs too easily. This particular steel also has a tendency to chip rather than get soft dents, if I put it that way.

It can also be noted that the edges are not completely symmetrical, for example. But those are details that don't matter on a throwing knife and that I consider to be more the charm of a mostly handmade item rather than a flaw. It gives charm and personality. You pay for a handmade product and that's what you get!

Odin's bird and Thor's hammer get along well together. I too enjoy spending time with Huginn XL from Yggdrasil Forge

You also get an all-around focused throwing knife with a focus on no-spin throwing, which also looks good! The finish was good on this example but the other option with the heat treatment color is more pronounced. But be prepared to look further for your knives if you buy the dark version.

Along with that comes the fact that you're getting a pretty unique product that not everyone else has and that you're supporting a small business.

If this sounds like something to you, a set costs SEK 1,900 at the time of writing. The knives can also be purchased separately if desired. There used to be a website, but currently, the knives are most easily bought via Yggdrasil Forge at Etsy. 

Yggdrasil Forge

Specifikcations:

Steel: 1080 Carbon Steel

Length: 250 mm

Width: 31,2 mm

Thickness: 6 mm

Weight: 238 g (Stated 250g)

Point of Balance: 106 mm/144mm from the back of the handle/tip

/ J - let the knives fly

* A model designed by the German knife thrower Thomas "Tom Tom" Hampich and which has gained many followers. 

** At least one, the one to the right in the film clips. 

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