Spartan Blades Harsey Fighter | SBSL006BK, Black

Impressive design. Good balance of weight, steel (1095), shape, grip, sheath. Feels natural in the hand, not heavy, but solid, substantial and balanced. The blades shape may seem a little narrow at first glace but it is solid and allows more rapid response and movement. Think a Kabar scalpel with heft.The grip is a compsite, injection molded and contoured that allows qick transition between grips and the jimping molded into the grip gives added security and does not impede a reverse grip. Would like to see a micarta option for the grip. The thumb lock is secure and quickly releasable should the need arise.Arrived sharp, you can feather a branch to start a back country fire right out of the box.The price was good and delivery was quick.

It is well-made and affordable. The sheath is better than most and has a quick release lever/button. Easy out and easy back in the sheath. Definitely a well thought out design.

Everything they promised it would be. No sheath rattle and the thumb release is perfect. Razor sharp out of the box. I’ve always used ESEE but the ergos on the Spartan is far superior. Highly recommend.

My biggest problem is with the bottom of the handle. If your hand (or at least my hand, but I feel that anyone is susceptible) happens to slip, the handle is shaped such that the knife will fly away from you. And because it is curved, the knife is likely to go at 90 degrees (or more) from the direction you were applying the force. (Because the curve hooks the knife just enough for it to change the direction, but not enough for you to stop it.) While most curved handle knives are susceptible to this problem, to a small extent, I feel this handle in particular is worse than an average curved handle.It is not a problem if you are holding the knife tight, but if you happen to hold it in a loose grip, for example when chopping wood, or practicing knife combat drills, (After all, the word "fighter" is in this knife's name!) it can get very dangerous, in my opinion. Additionally, I believe this handle makes it much easier for an attacker to disarm you, if you are using the knife for self defense. Also, this shape makes it virtually impossible to hold the knife in a reverse grip - the edge towards you, because you will end up pointing the tip at yourself, rather than away from you.Lastly, the sheath release button is impossible to press unless you draw the knife strictly in a conventional grip. If your thumb can not reach the button as you are pulling on the knife, you will not be able to extract the knife. So you can not count on it in an emergency, when you do not have the luxury to get a hold of it using your ideal grip.To be fair, this knife does have a few pros:This grip does have two advantages: 1. It is comfortable when you are holding the knife tight. But that limits the knife's usability both in utility and combat roles. 2. If you really know what you are doing, in its combat role, this curve will make it easier to index the blade in the direction you want the edge to point, and it will provide extra leverage when needed. However, it is an advanced technique, and I feel that the curve is more of a liability than the asset for most people, including professionals - the military and police.I do love the blade geometry. I feel it’s a perfect compromise between the strength and function while being an excellent dual purpose utility/last ditch defense blade.Advantages over Ka-Bar/USN Mark II are as follows:1. Pointier tip.2. Thicker blade.3. Sturdier tang/handle. (I don’t necessarily think that a full tang is always better. However, the Ka-Bar tang is so thin, that I can feel the flex in the handle - main reason I started looking for an alternative to the ka bar.)Fit and finish is immaculate, making it enjoyable to hold in your hands and look at it - as a part of a collection.I wish I could talk to Mr. Harsey - the designer of the knife, to find out the reasoning for such a design, but in the absence of his input, I have to give it two stars.

Review is based on visual appeal and light handling upon arrival. Otherwise, a great addition to my collection. Would purchase gain.

Will be buying another soon. If you like the esee 6 and kabars but can't choose between then look no further.. this thing is a tank it will be going in my combat kit to replace my esee 6. Love this thing and will be buying more.

I tend to do a lot of research before many of my purchases. When I saw that Kabar had teamed up with Spartan Blades again, I was curious. I really liked the Damysus, but I found the handle quite squared off and aggressive. It still felt great in the hand, but maybe (probably) not good for me with prolonged bushcraft use. I’m pretty sure I’d get in trouble if I didn’t wear gloves.When I looked into this tool, I read a number of reports that the handle it had was very comfortable. So comfortable, in fact, that one user reported he didn’t have to buy a set of aftermarket handle scales. I love my Beckers a lot, but even though the stock handles are very comfortable, my Micarta scales are a huge upgrade. I’m not sure that this knife needs such an upgrade as much. The stock scales somehow feel a little more solid and have a better feel to them. The gimping is not aggressive but seems to do the job for me. I like the Damysus blade a little more, but both are solid knives and inspire confidence for heavier use while still feeling nimble enough without the sharpened crowbar experience. The Harsey feels very comfortable and appropriate as a fighter for sure, but I think it will do well in the woods; only experience will tell. I like the sheath even though there’s some slight rattle to it, far less pronounced in actual use than when I just grab it and shake. I think it will do great with inverted carry on my shoulder strap. I’ll probably set up a paracord dangler for it as well. A quick note: if you just push down away from the handle, my specimen’s lock won’t release, but if I slide my thumb down the handle it lets go just fine. It’s more a forward slide design than a push button.The grinds are even, not too thick behind the edge, it’s quite sharp and the handle scales are well fitted. It’s not lightweight, yet feels much more nimble in hand than its actual weight would suggest. The painted blade is nice and smooth, not rough, which is preferable for me. As for the coating’s durability - only time will tell.The unsharpened false edge will most likely chew up a baton in a survival situation, but the knife itself should fare well. Overall I’m quite happy with my purchase.A picture comparing the Harsey Fighter with one of my all time favorites, the Ontario Tak-1.