A fellow who has been employed at our shop for over twenty years is leaving us. A few months ago he announced his plans to permanently move to Alaska this spring. The guy is a real outdoorsman-wannabe and he is following his long time dream to move to the wild north and spend more time hunting and fishing and such. He is at an age where if his dream is ever going to be realized, now is the time before he gets any older. I admire his courage.
So anyhow, the rest of us threw in together and got him a going away gift. It arrived a few days ago, a Leatherman Steens hunting knife:
I was not able to try the Steens out of course, but I did manage to play with it a bit and snap a few pictures.
My first impression was how large the whole knife is, followed closely by how well it is constructed. The heavy leather sheath is a thing of beauty, harking back to the time when Leatherman was known for its premium leather sheaths. The blade itself is premium S30V. The handles are machined aluminum, with a fancy rosewood inlay.
Overall length of the knife is 9-1/2" (240mm) with the blade being somewhat less than half of that. Blade thickness is about 3/16" (4.5mm) sandwiched between the two aluminum scales.
Being a Leatherman, the Steens is of course more than "just" a knife. Flick the thumbstud and out folds a wicked bone saw, which locks in place over the knife blade.
Length of the saw blade seemed a little short to me, limiting the length of stroke one could make. The teeth were wickedly sharp though. (Notice two rows of teeth)
Much more useful it appeared to me was the large cutting/skinning hook. Push the pivot button on the side of the Steens and it rotates and locks into place. Note that the knife blade is now safely contained in the handle.
Because the gut hook is an integral one piece part of the knife blade, it seemed very stout. Some hooks I've seen on smaller knives are really nothing more than a toy. Not so on the Steens.
And like the late-night television commercial says, "But wait, that's not all!" Contained within the Steens' sheath is a handy little diamond file kit. Slip it out, flip it around and install it on the case/handle and its ready to go.
The diamond file has three different type of surfaces for touching up the Steens should it become dull. A round area, a flat area, and a v-notch groove. (And the diamond file is also sold as an accessory should it ever become misplaced)
So overall I was fairly impressed with the Steens. It is far bigger than any knife I am likely to ever carry, but the fellow we are giving it to is a big guy with big hands. This should be just right for him up in the wilds of Alaska.
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