"Made in Spain" First Impression Review: Cudeman 298 Kc

I love the Spanish-made Cudeman knives I have had the pleasure of reviewing and using some of the vast range.

Cudeman knives are synonymous of quality using premium steels like Bohler or Mova and non-rotting handles like micarta and G10 and in some occasions a nice exotic wood. Cudeman have been making knives for over 25 years and have produced some of the sharpest blades that exceed the demands of their users. Easy to sharpen, Easy to maintain and best of all easy to sharpen when needed.

the Spanish are one of the world's most experienced edged tool makers with a tradition that goes back to when the Romans invaded Spain in 236BC. They came up against warriors armed with Toledo swords and spears. History tells us that the Romans won and that Spanish Toledo steel weaponry became the standard for the Roman legions.

The SPECS:

• BLADE LENGTH: 11 cm
• HANDLE LENGTH: 12,5 cm
• OVERALL LENGTH: 23,5 cm
• BLADE  THICKNESS: 5,33 mm
• BLADE WIDTH: 3,8 cm
• GRIND: FULL FLAT GRIND
• BLADE FINISH: SATIN FINISH
• BLADE SHAPE: DROP-POINT
• STEEL: N695 BÖHLER
• HARDNESS: 59/61 HRc
• TANG TYPE: FULL-TANG
• HANDLE MATERIAL: COCOBOLO WOOD
• SHEATH: BROWN LEATHER (INCLUDED)
• KNIFE WEIGHT: 254 gr
• SHEATH WEIGHT: 286 gr
• OVERALL WEIGHT: 646 gr

EXTRAS:

• HOLE FOR SAFETY CORD
• MULTI-POSITION SHEATH
• PARACORD 280 cm
• FIRESTEEL
• LEATHER LOOP WITH ACCESSORIES
• SHARPENING STONE + SIGNALLING MIRROR

The 298 KC come with a sturdy multi-position leather sheath, along with a sharpening stone combined with a signalling mirror, a Ferro rod and striker and some paracord.

The knife handle in incredibly ergonomic and very comfortable in the hand, The Back of the blade had a flat grind suitable for striking a Ferro rod if you prefer this to the striker. By personal choice, I prefer the full flat grind on this compared to other knives which have a scandi finish. This will be an excellent knife for game prep in the field along with many other tasks in the field.

Like all Cudeman knives, the 298 Kc shaving sharp right out of the box meaning is ready to use the day you buy one. Overall, this looks one superb all around bush knife.

I am planning to give the 298 Kc a lot of use over the next couple on months and I shall give an in-depth review within a couple of months

"Made in Spain" First Impression Review: Cudeman MT5 120-K Wilderness Survival Knife

Cudeman was kind enough to send me their MT5 120-K  Wilderness Survival Knife to test and review. I thought I would post a quick "First Impression" review ahead of the main review so that readers can get an idea of the looks, dimensions and sheath.

The SPECS:

• Overall length: 22.5 cm 
• Handle length: 11.5 cm 
• Handle Material: Cocobolo wood or Micarta (in various colours)
• Blade length: 11 cm 
• Blade thickness: 5 mm
• Steel Blade: Bohler N695 58-60 HRC
• Weight: 225 g
• Sheath: Leather sheath

The Cudeman MT5 120-K   came packaged inside their a beautifully presented box.

My first impression after pulling it out of the box was that the MT5 120-K   looked more attractive than most of the stock photos I've seen on the internet. The leather sheath's earth-toned "Deep Brown" colour coupled with the satin cocobolo wood  handle offers a pleasing contrast, with a look that says "serious wilderness knife."

The Cudeman MT5 120-K features a 22.5CM  Stainless 11CM long blade with a full flat ground/spear-point design and a small bevel at the edge. The cocobolo handle is secured to the tang of the knife with three stainless steel Allen screws. One feature I particularly like is the wide lanyard hole in the handle. It should make lashing the knife to a pole for use as an improvised spear easier. MT5 120-K   has a full tang and the blade is just over a 5MM thick.

Sheath

The sheath is a high quality, heavy duty leather with multi-position belt fixings. The knife is held in place by a single retention strap with a heavy button snap.

Comparison Shots

MT5 120-K  next to the Mora Bushcraft Forest

First Impression Summary

The MT5 120-K  looks to be a very promising medium-sized bushcraft/wilderness survival blade. It is comfortable in the hand, and the blade is a simple, no-nonsense design that's built for function over style, something I find appealing. The back of the blade is sharp enough to spark a fire steel or to scrape magnesium or natural tinders for fire-making.

The back of the blade is also ground flat all the way to the tip, making it well-suited to batoning. The leather sheath is very attractive and functional.

The knife came shaving sharp right out of the box, something I've only ever seen with mora knives when they're new. It's nice to see this knife rivals the latter.

Overall, this looks to be a great all around bush knife. The Bohler N695 stainless steel blade should hold an edge well, and the full flat grind should lend itself nicely to wood carving, food prep and batoning. I plan to give the MT5 120-K  a good thrashing over the next couple of  months in the field, and I'll report my findings in an in-depth review sometime in April/May