The Martialist: The Magazine For Those Who Fight Unfairly

“Stay ‘unreasonable.’  If you
don’t like the solutions [available to you], come up with your
own.” 
Dan Webre

The Martialist does not
constitute legal advice.  It is for ENTERTAINMENT
PURPOSES ONLY.

Copyright © 2003-2004 Phil Elmore, all rights
reserved.

Fallkniven G1 Garm Fighter

A Review by Phil Elmore

It’s hard to quibble with
Fallkniven’s quality
or pedigree.  The Swedish company knows knives and is nestled in a
country with, traditionally, a cultural appreciation for blades as hunting and
utility tools.  As of this writing, Fallkniven has been in business for
20 years as a “purveyor to his majesty the king of Sweden.”

The G1 “Garm Fighter” with factory sheath and box.

The majority of the Fallkniven catalog contains the clip-
and drop-point fixed blades you would expect from such a company, many with
stacked leather handles and named for figures from Norse mythology. 
Fallkniven also offers high-quality chef’s knives, sharpened blades with
unfinished handles, and several modern outdoor/survival knives.

Amidst the company’s more contemporary hunting and fishing
knives – and listed above the sizable MC1 “mine clearance knife” – is the GI
“Garm Fighter.”  According to a footnote on the box, Garm was the dog
that guarded “the gates to Hell in Old Norse mythology.”

Black coating on the blade prevents corrosion and
mutes
reflection (though not entirely, as shown in this photo).

Distinctively “tactical” with clean lines, the double-edged
G1 has a black blade coating of “Ceracoat 8H,” which prevents both corrosion
and some reflection.  The three and five-eighths inch VG10 blade was
reasonably sharp out of the box and tapers to a needle point.  It
penetrated my stacked cardboard tester extremely well, fairing moderately well
in slashing.  Given its small size and light weight, the knife moves very
well and is an excellent thrusting tool.

The G1 has a needle-sharp tip.

The checkered “Thermorun rubber” handle provides good
traction.  It has ergonomic contours and flares at the butt and guard. 
The lanyard hole is lined and the rubber around it is perfectly shaped. 
I found the guard just wide enough to protect my hand, but on a knife
this size there is no way to make the guard larger without making the knife
feel awkward or look ungainly.

The G1 penetrated stacked cardboard deeply.

The knife ships with a simple Kydex sheath and heavy Nylon
cord.  It could be worn as a neck knife, though I find it both too long
and too heavy for comfortable under-shirt carry.  With the cord properly
adjusted, the sheath is perfect for “static cord” carry, which is how I toted
it during testing.  Those determined to wear the knife around their necks
would do well to replace the cord with something thinner and more comfortable.

Factory sheath was perfect for “static cord.”

The Kydex sheath is also designed with a slot to which a
Tek-Lok can be affixed.  This works well for belt carry.  The knife
draws smoothly (though it makes the typical “clack” sound associated with
Kydex sheaths).  The subtle cant to the knife’s sheathed position is a
welcome design feature.

The Tek-Lok is an option available from Fallkniven.

Tek-Lok equipped sheath rides nicely.

I don’t know how many dogs at the gates of Hell I’ll be
fighting with it, but the G1 is a great little self-defense dagger.  It
is of high quality, has a nicely executed and attractive design, and is
packaged with a useful sheath that does not suffer from over-engineering. 
I am extremely pleased with my GI and can easily recommend it to those looking
for a dagger in this size range.

Heel, Garm.  Down, boy!