The Steel Will Druid 200 – Part Two,
Part Two Last time we covered the essentials, but I imagine there is still a 900 pound gorilla in the room. Wondering how a outdoor knife of this quality cost only $70? (Amazon.com) Good question. After all a decent pocket knife costs more. Okay here we go. The Steel Will Druid 200 is made in China. Scare you off? It shouldn’t. While my Druid arrived with a minor shortcoming, it rivals high-end field knives costing 5 times as much. What was the issue? The blade has a good sabre grind, however, the apex bevels are not equal on both sides. One is right on the money. The other is not. Consequently the knife is very sharp, but not as sharp as it should be. Yes, a little disappointing. Yet its something I can take care.
Steel Will Druid 200 – Part Two
Steel Will Druid 200
The Druid is made with 9Cr18MoV stainless. Frankly I have zero experience with this steel, but I looked it up and discovered it is similar to 440C. Which I am very familiar with.They have the same amount of carbon. The 440C has a bit more chromium, but the 9Cr18MoV has a more vanadium and cobalt. And both have a Rockwell of 58-59. Based on all that, I expect the Druid to perform much like 44oC. Which mean it is highly corrosion resistant, holds a decent edge and is not hard to sharpen. Fair enough.
The Druid’s tang protrudes from grip’s far end. (see below) This permits you to use the exposed tang as a light-duty hammer. Fix a fender on your car? Na..nothing like that. Maybe drive a tent stake. Not sure, you’ll have to decide what tasks best suit you. Be safe. The lanyard hole proved a bit too tight for paracord. Perhaps you’ll have better luck. Hence I fashioned a lanyard from a leather boot lace. Did the job. All in all I look forward to many years of use from this good looking, well-made, inexpensive field knife. Oh one more thing. I hear the Druid got its name from the Celtic pattern on the grip. Happy St. Paddy’s Day! Or should I say Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Duit!
Druid Exposed Tang
