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My Scramasax, as made by Vince Evans, arrived yesterday.

I purchased this piece from Nordic Knives, a California based company. In spite of being nearly ten years old this knife is still in mint condition. It was obviously part of a collection rather than a using knife. The piece arrived on time, and well packaged.

The etching of the blade is rather subdued and does not exhibit the level of contrast that I have seen in pattern welded blades by other makers. This is a good thing, as it runs more in-line with my own personal tastes. I just don't care for the rather garish contrasts of much of the pattern welding currently being done.

The grip is fashioned from birds eye maple and its shape fits my hand perfectly. The file work on the brass furniture adds a nice touch of detail, without looking overdone. There is actually more detail to it then can be seen in the above photograph. This knife is that perfect compromise in terms of size. It is large enough to be used as an effective weapon, yet handy enough to be carried for everyday uses. While this is a custom piece I wouldn't feel uncomfortable using it as an everyday tool. If I was still involved in ren-faire and re-enactment work it would do just that. The knifes sheath is also well done with an authentic appearance. The sheath has a nicely rendered styilized Raven tooled into its front. Again, a nice touch of detail. The whole ensemble has a nice rustic yet quality feel to it. A perfect weapon to hang from the belt of a Viking warrior or Saxon Cheiftan.

It is interesting to compare this decade old knife to the newer Evans pieces in my collection. While it stands as a fine example of the bladesmiths craft, the small minute areas of its manufacture are a bit rougher around the edges than my more recently made pieces. It's a good hands-on example of a smiths evolution. All in all this Scramasax is a fine addition to my collection, and well worth the $500.00 price tag.

http://nordicknives.com/front.html

Congrats on the new piece, Patrick. Sounds like it was made for you before you knew you wanted it!

Take care,

Nice .... very nice !

Time for you to do an article on these babies :- )

Congrats again, Patrick ! Mac

Thanks for your report on the initial impression of the Scaramasax.

Wonder when it was made. The earliest Evans blade I own is a Bowie, #825, purchased in 1995 new. It boasts the subdued contrast you spoke of on your Sax. Did you get a chance to ask Vince when he made it?

Like you, I look through my collection and sort of lay out the Evans pieces chronologically and try to see the progress made in technique and aesthetics. Good fun.