What exactly makes a hunting knife “good”?
Noblie set out to make a “traditional” hunting knife. And that notion boils down to a short wish list:
Has to work on hunting requirements. This includes butchering game (animals) – the blade must be made for a specific purpose, so this must be taken into account.
Has to look well at a meeting of local hunters. There is no need for a “traditional” knife if all you want is functionality.
Should be durable enough. For example, if the edge dulls quickly, this is the wrong knife. If it breaks off when you bump it into something, it is the wrong knife.
Noblie has done a great job, because from an almost endless list of choices, we have selected those that fit the said description. That is why this knife can be considered beautiful and meets all requirements.
Anatomy of this hunting knife
Let’s look at the rough schemes of our beauty.
The front bolster and the part behind it on the right form the handle of the knife. The front bolster helps to keep the fingers on the right side of the knife and hold it firmly in the hand. The part to the left of the front bolster is the blade. Let’s look at the handle first, then the blade.
Do not worry about all the fancy words. We will get back to them in due course, and feel free to jump to the headline if you are interested in a particular part.
Overall, this is not a very complicated knife. Moreover, in fact, the lack of some details and customizations that were not added are part of the appeal and design. Invite to consider this in more detail.
Full tang knife blade
Full-tang this when the tang or part of the knife steel below the blade reaches the pommel, following the full shape of the handle. The handle is then usually decorated with two scales that are attached on either side of the steel tang. As a rule, knives with a full tang are tapered. This means that the tang gets thinner towards the butt of the knife. Why is it necessary to taper the tang? One of the reasons is very simple: appearance.
The knife handle
The handle of this custom knife is made of ebony wood. Ebony wood is quite durable and beautiful, and is very suitable for making knife handles. In order to ensure that the wooden handle of the knife can serve for a long time and not absorb moisture, we recommend periodically waxing the Renaissance.
The shape of the blade
How the blade transitions from the bolster to the tip of the blade—the point—and back to the bolster determines the style of the blade. The length of the blade opposite the cutting edge is called the spinet, or back.
This knife has a “drop point”-style blade. The spine follows a downward curve to the point. Then from there, the cutting edge draws the curve of the belly back to the bolster. This hunting knife has a drop point so that the hunter can easily pierce and cut when butchering an animal.
The ricasso
The ricasso is the unsharpened part of the blade after the bolster, that is, the steel between the bolster and grind. Not all knives have this, but Noblie’s knives have it.
Why?
Firstly, it can serve to strengthen the blade; especially if it is “stretching” towards the point as in this case. A blade whose cutting edge does not end at the bolster is easier to make and sharpen (without ruining the bolster).
The knife steel
The blade of this hunting knife is made of high quality Bohler N695 stainless steel. This European steel holds sharpening well, is not brittle, and is just right for a good hunting knife. This blade has a hardness of 58 Rockwell.
That makes sense – that is beauty
To sum it up – the grind, the full untapered tang, the bolsters, and subtle quillons, the steel: all these parts together form a quality-hunting knife that will last a long time. This knife is designed for more than just cutting and durability. It should also look the appropriately. The choil and the material of the handle evidence this. After all, it must be a traditional hunting knife.
However, with this “looking” goal in mind, it does not make sense to throw as many things on it as possible. It is simple in form and function.
And that is what you have to love about this knife: it is made for a purpose. That is a beauty.
Where to find more information about knives?
We recommend finding and visiting the Noblie knife maker’s website for more information on custom knives and their manufacture.
If you have questions, «Blade forums» is also a great place with lots of information and even more opinions to browse.