FLEXCUTCutting Knife, High Carbon Steel Blade, Ash Handle, 1-1/4 inch Blade Bevel Length (KN12)

I bought this knife a few months ago to replace an older xacto type carving knife which had a loose blade, I wanted a few months of time to get to know the knife before I wrote a review.First Impressions:right out of the box you can tell its a good quality tool, the blade was mirror fine, the handle was solid, and the whole piece was well constructed.Carving:After a few glides on a strop, I could make deep cuts with little effort, the blade is substantial enough to hold up to heavy push cuts and nimble enough to make silky smooth detail cuts even when the grain isnt helping out.the edge holds for quite a while, I usually have to remind myself to stop cutting and strop it every now and again, it just doesn't snag or slow like other knives do, and that perfect mirror finish makes keeping it sharp a very easy task.the ergonomic shape is also wonderful. not just for comfort, but also for knife control. the handle lets you hold the knife firmly in almost any orientation, which I have found greatly reduces slippage when doing cuts at odd angles, or if (god forbid) your piece breaks while carving.Drawbacks:the only drawback I would consider, is that the blade itself is glued (probably epoxy) into the handle.I do have some reservations about this, since glue and epoxy are not as good at absorbing impulse forces as something like a rivet would be. since this knife wouldnt be used for high impact work anyway this isnt really a problem per-se, but if you enjoy high quality tools that will outlive your great grandkids, then this knife probably wont last that long.tl:dr it is a great knife, for a great price, and if you keep it maintained it will last for a good long time.

Frankly I am not using this knife for its intended purpose, carving wood, so I do not know how it would work for that. I bought it to use for a pattern cutting knife in my leather shop. The blade does come very well polished and wicked sharp right out of the box. It is a full tapered grind with no secondary bevel and so far it has stayed sharp with only a few strokes on the strop every now and again, and it gets used a lot cutting 10 oz harness leather in the shop. I had read the other reviews about the blade comming loose in the handle and can see how that might happen as the handle appears to be Ash or some other similar coarse grained light hardwood. Ash is not a particularly strong wood and the blade is not a full tang blade so I would immagine that if you did a lot of heavy material removal from hardwood stock, say carving White Oak, that the handle would loosen readily. The handle is a traditional curved carving handle shape that works best on the draw stroke, which is the way that I use it, and is quite comfortable and large enought to be easily gripped in my X large paws. Overall I am quite pleased with it especially considering the cheap price.

I am a beginner at whittling and by beginner I mean I started trying to learn a week ago. I bought a set of knives that are pretty good and sharp and since I had nothing to which I could compare them, they were perfectly fine. Well... I just didn't know what better was until I received this knife about an hour ago. The handle alone makes it 100% better. It feels great and doesn't fatigue my hand and I feel I have much better control of the knife. The blade is super sharp right out of the package and the length and shape of the blade makes carving feel effortless. I will be buying more of this brand as I get better and need different knives for different cuts and detail. It is worth the little extra money compared to the others I bought and I recommend for any beginner since that is the only level I've reached thus far.

I just started whittling a week or two ago. I got a super crappy set of chisels from Hobby Lobby for $9, and they sucked... A lot.So I ordered this knife, it was a good price and had a pretty good rating. Rightfully so!It cuts through the basswood I'm carving like butter, leaving beautiful smooth marks behind so sanding isn't necessary if you like the look of the knife marks.The handle is very comfortable and as someone with Carpal Tunnel in my hands that's important! I can carve for hours with little pain.I highly recommend this knife for those interesting in starting whittling, it's a great knife for the price and does a beautiful job. You'll find carving wood very meditative with this great tool. I'm sure I'll be buying more of this brand in the future.

It's a little lighter/flimsier than I expected (like too much pressure would snap the blade). Other than that, for the price it is an excellent piece. It was ready to work right out of the box and the shape of the handle feels completely natural in my hand. I carved a letter opener out of maple and you'd have never known by how sharp the blade still was when I was done. Haven't tried any other brands for particular knife but for the price, I would definitely recommend it.

Flexcut makes good knives, and this is one of them. The blade is well fixed for it's intended use in softer woods, and is easy to keep sharp with some of Flexcut's gold compound and either a wood block or leather strop. I've had one occasion to use their regrind service and found it to be fast and affordable. If you're a whittler or want to be this is a great knife.Pro tip: if you're true interest is carving on the go (while fishing, waiting outside the store, etc.) then take a look at Flexcut's Jack series. That's what I have with me most of the time. This one will stay at home because there's no really convenient and safe way to carry these around.

Great carving knife. I have used this for general whittling and relief carving. It comes very sharp from the factory and has held an edge very well with regular stropping. I have larger hands and have a hard time finding ergonomic handles but this still feels great in my hands after hours of use. It would be nice if this came with a sheath but I knew that before buying. I will be investing in more flexcut knives in the future because you can't beat the quality for the price.