This newVulture Equipment Works Cholerais describe as an , “ all mountain ” brand . A knife you could employ for everything from making a flame to butchering game . We beat on it everywhere from the beaches of Maui to the woodland of British Columbia to chance out if that claim is reliable .
What ’s It Supposed To Do ? “ There ’s not much this visibility ca n’t do , ” state Vulture . “ Wanna whittle a control stick or butcher an elk ? No trouble ! ”
The tongue was designed by risky venture photographer William Egbert Jr , who spend 15 years with leaf blade designs knocking around his forefront before sitting down to give rise this knife . It attempts to combine the ponderousness of a large fixed - blade survival knife with the control of a small detail blade , all in a bombproof , ergonomically ideal package .
The Cholera stay put with current tongue design practice as far as its 3/16″ fatheaded 1095 atomic number 6 sword blade and linen micarta do by scale . As you could see , 1095 will tarnish and discolor when used outdoors , but we reckon it a superior choice to more expensive stainless steel due to its informality of sharpen . Beyond there , William has devised his own unique brand bod and handle intent .
How ’s It Supposed To Do It ? “ Most type of blades with this case of girth have a tendency to be either tip heavy or butt heavy , get hand balance a bit inept , ” William evidence us . And the Cholera is dead balanced . “ The next most crucial matter is the slope of the stomach to the tip . With slight mutation a house decorator is able to make an edge track better when at odd angles . If you take a marijuana cigarette and require to just off a thin level of the skin , you are capable to habituate just the forward-moving portion of the belly . This allows very frail body of work to be accomplished with such a thick blade . Additionally , the grip is really the backbone of the full design . I spent a good deal of clock time getting the slant of the steel to the slant of the handgrip just so . I also had to check that the handgrip fit in most citizenry ’s helping hand and leave them to get all their finger around the hold and thus make a fist . By getting all your fingers around the blade and being able to close up your hand you may reassign all the in force vigour from your arm , forearm , wrist joint and handwriting into the cutting sharpness of the vane making for a truly powerful cutter . ”
The steel itself uses a modifiedScandi grind . Scandi is a great choice for bushcraft blades , being strong , easy to sharpen and delivering decent fade ability . The Cholera is modify with a further , sharpened edge at 20 degrees per side . This makes it easy to maintain on a traditional stone or grinding bike , but works absolutely on mySpyderco Sharpmaker . Using that , you could bring the tongue back to its razor sharpness in just a few minutes .
Did I mention this is the single sharp blade I ’ve ever get , out of the box ? William personally inspects each knife before it ’s shipped .
Controversially , the Cholera ’s blade features a 90 percentage sharpened fake edge on top of its tip . This aids its power to pierce and drill , and gives you an additional surface from which to scrape up , sparkle a fire blade or do other perpendicular tasks that would otherwise dull the blade ’s primary edge . The fear is , it could abridge the useful area for striking the sword with a truncheon .
Then there ’s the case . Unlike most other steel at a sub-$200 cost point , the Cholera ships with a nice , taco - fashion Kydex case which retain the blade strongly and with minimal weight . That ’s equipped with a Molle - compatible time that rotates , allowing both multiple angles of carry and scooting the sheath inline with your hand when you ’re pulling the blade out or return it .
include in the cocktail dress is a Kydex pocket for Vulture ’s own intercrossed ferro and magnesium fire starter . The single , small diameter ferro move over you the power to farm sparks , while the two Mg rod make an idealistic material to take in that spark and beget a red-hot flame . whiz , and include it so seamlessly on the sheath is a nice extra chemical element of utility .
How Does It Perform ? I used the knife on the beach in Hana , opening coconuts , slice pineapples and processing driftwood for a fire .
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It obviously ca n’t make the short body of work of a coconut husk that a machete can — the 5.5 - inch brand is not a chopper . But , contain it with the blade repoint downwards , confront towards my body in the manner employed by butcher , I was able to quickly and easily hack my way through the coconut ’s dodgy armour . The fine point also drilled hole in the coconut shell with ease , imply we were able to drink its water before opening the coconut fully to eat its heart .
The Cholera is a very thick tongue , but slices like a modest one , creating nice , clean pineapple slices for our campfire - cooked hamburgers .
That fire was more difficult than usual to build . The Cholera just is n’t quite long enough to baton big piece of Mrs. Henry Wood . I was surprised to find that the untrue edge did n’t get in the way of batoning , in real fact it “ match ” the baton well , give up the full force of the work stoppage to the woods being separate rather than allowing the baton to slip off the tongue ’s tip . It ’s thickness and dweeb seem to work against easy wood splitting though .
I was building fires in unmanageable , damp conditions without my usual cotton ball / Vaseline fire appetizer , so the magnesium / ferro combining really came in handy . create a small-scale hatful of Mg sliver , then aim a arc into it meant I was able to use the fine wood shavings I ’d used the tongue to make to get a blast operate with ease . At least the first night , when it was n’t raining .
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I also used the tongue in British Columbia . There , its surprising slicing ability and control were highlighted . I ’d planned on using it again to make fire , but the wood there was so dry and plentiful that all you needed to do was hold a light to a log to get one go . or else , it bear in for forgotten food for thought knives , slicing dried salmon , cheese , steak and even fruit with ease . Not the manliest use ever , but it play up the Cholera ’s versatility , knives this long and dense are n’t typically able to execute food for thought preparation with anything approaching delicacy , this one can .
And the handle stomach up to William ’s claims . It might look lowly , but it fit perfectly in your hand between the bag of the fingers and crease of the palm , provide multiple handle . compare to the larger handle I ’m used to , being able to close my fist fully around the Cholera , while holding my ovolo in the same location I ’d put it to flip a punch really did show to render a surprising amount of power . Very little stands up to the knife ’s edit out major power when held like this .
Esee-6 ( top ) and Vulture Equipment Works Cholera ( bottom ) . Mini Bic light for size of it .
How Does It Compare To Competitors ? My much - lovedEsee-6is a similar 1095 / linen micarta design . It ’s a bit longer which , combine with its flat swot , create it a considerably better puppet for batoning and other wood processing tasks . But , it offer nothing like the hunky-dory ascendance exhibited by the Cholera . Where the Esee is mainly a fervour - prepare tool , the Cholera can also be used to make dinner , whittle stick and stumbler core .
The Esee is more affordable at $ 113 , but ships with a cheesy , mold charge plate cocktail dress an does n’t include the ferro / magnesium rod .
piranha ’s more ergonomic handle is also clearly superior , allow for not only multiple grips , but giving you the power to transpose more force-out to the blade .
The rotating Molle time allow some grade of pivot as you draw or replace the knife . User well-disposed , but mounted too low on the sheath for seamless whack carry .
One net degree to the Esee though , its plastic case admit a more diverse range of carry setup than Vulture ’s kydex token . That rotating clip is user friendly , but it wo n’t keep the vane in guide carry ( horizontal , across your lower back ) and is mounted quite low in comparison to the handle . The multiple holes on the Esee cocktail dress grant you to whip it in any configuration you want using paracord while the clip crustal plate carries the knife ’s pommel flush with the top of your belt . The Cholera jut three or four inches above it , creating a potential for hurt should you fall .
Adventure Ready ? Sure is . The $ 190 Cholera is the close thing to an all - purpose outdoors blade I ’ve found , handle both great and minuscule tasks with equal aplomb . While it ca n’t process Mrs. Henry Wood as well as a big knife , it is more easy carried and more versatile . Where I have been carry one magnanimous tongue for flak fashioning and a smaller one for making food and eating , I can now carry a single blade . 1095 is an learn taste though ; as you may see , it will defile and rust with heavy enjoyment , but it does also combine potent boundary retentivity with total ease of sharpen . This is a tongue designed for hard use , not looking glistening in a exhibit typeface .
Top photo : Scott Rankin
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