I was visiting Sudbury again when I found an Outddor Edge Harpoon at an outdoor store.
This little neat knife was different enough that I had to take one home with me for the collection. So here are my thoughts and some photos:
The packaging was eye catching and that got me to notice it, otherwise, I would have probably walked right by it and not give it a second glance. The cardboard retainer did have a lot of information, and once I got the knife and extras out of the clam-shell packaging, I found there was even more information inside the folded cardboard backgrounder.
So this is what is included in the packaging:
1 knife with para cord wrapped around the handle.
1 knife sheath
1 plastic blade holder
1 screw in compass end cap.
Here you can see all the pieces together.
This is one versatile little knife system due to the many variations you can use and carry it. For instance, the sheath can be either the full knife sheath with included belt loop, or you can remove that belt loop and have it as a dedicated harpoon keeper. Nothing to stop you from using it as a dedicated harpoon keeper with the belt loop attached as well.
The knife can be kept as it is, a knife with para cord wrapped handle. You can unwrap the para cord and re-wrap it attached to the included knife holder. You could even eliminate the para cord altogether if you so desire. Once attached to the knife holder, you can screw in the compass end cap which will leave you with a small survival gear storage compartment inside the knife holder. Or, you can eliminate the compartment and compass and screw the knife holder into an average broom handle or some found stick in the woods. The plastic holder is threaded for broom handles if you so desire to go that route.
So as you can see, flexibility is a key element in the Outdoor Edge Harpoon kit. You can carry and use it as the situation or need demands.
Here we have the small button compass on the threaded end cap screwed into the knife holder.
I decided to attach the knife carrier to the knife. This meant I would have to unwrap the para cord and attach the two pieces together and re-wrap it. Here is the knife without the para cord handle.
I must say, this is one freaking sharp blade. Be very careful. I decided to take a page from the N_N_R's guide to self mutilation by managing to slash my leg while re-wrapping the holder to the knife. I attempted to do this with the sheath attached, but I found it got in the way. Even being very careful I managed to cut myself. Nothing serious...but the fact that I didn't feel it until I saw a little blood later attest to the sharpness of this blade.
After much fiddling and a few restarts, I managed to get the deed done. Here it is in its permanent configuration. This allows all the amenities including the small storage compartment and the compass end cap.
I found the original knife to be somewhat smaller in my big hands and thus, the addition of the knife holder made it a lot more comfortable for me. I found there is plenty of control with this type of shape, as I was able to make precision cuts easily with the included knife holder. It did however make it a bit more awkward to belt carry in this configuration however. The extra features and comfort whilst using the blade makes the extra carry hassles a minor inconvenience in my opinion.
Time to see if I can screw in a metal broom handle I had kicking around...that is once I detached the broom head. Yep, it screws in nicely.
Now some general thoughts on this. The whole package is designed to be very flexible, and therein lies some of my issues with this product. Mind you, I consider them minor ones.
1. The sheath can be converted but with great difficulty. The upper belt loop is held via 2 screw in posts that use a flathead screwdriver. However, when I tried to do this, I couldn't prevent the bottom ends from turning along with the top screws. You may mar the sheath to remove them. To me, that is a slight negative.
2. Removing the para cord and reattaching it is a dangerous endeavor especially as the sheath gets in the way. Most folks will remove it for convenience and greater control. Just be careful with this part of the operation. I thought I was and still managed to nick my leg just above my knee. The instructions tell you use the sheath. A good point to follow the instructions even though it may cause you a few smurfing sessions.
3. Attaching the knife holder to the knife was awkward due to the shape of the knife and holder. There are 3 holes provided, one through the knife only, and 2 others that go through both the knife and holder. Once you manage to successfully wrap the para cord tightly and in a good configuration around the knife and holder, I would imagine very few folks with reconvert this back to its original format.
4. So what exactly are you supposed to do with the extra pieces. For example, once you manage to remove the belt loop, where do you store it? If you use it as a dedicated harpoon, what do you do with the compass end cap, or even the plastic knife holder if you decide to use just a piece of found wood in the forest? From personal experience, extra pieces in a kit with no viable storage solution tend to get lost.
5. There is a built in spring loaded button on the knife holder that is designed to mate with the end hole on the knife. I found this to not do a good job of making a positive fit, thereby not holding the knife as well to the knife holder as it should. On the flip side, there is a plastic screw that allows you to tighten the knife holder onto a broom handle or stick of equal size.
Those are the slightly negative aspects of this Harpoon kit. For some of you, they may not register as a negative. With that said, I really like this kit. The knife is super sharp, and feels ok in the hand. The addition of the knife holder, although awkward with the need of having to tie it with the included para cord...or I guess you could just use zip ties if needed or anything handy if you don't like the included para cord, does add a few nice features to the knife.
Overall, I much like the Outdoor Edge Harpoon. The positives far outweigh any negatives, and I can highly recommend this to anyone looking for a very versatile little survival knife system that can transform itself into a survival harpoon.
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