I had a Rask picked out and got to the paypal part of the transaction twice during pre-orders and just couldn't pull the trigger on the wait time. I now regret not taking the gamble to order. Very nice, Nick.
I got my rask two weeks ago after a 553 day wait. Yes, an annoying way to do business but it was very clear that preorders were to fund the expansion into a new workspace, upgrade in machines, etc. And John's videos gave me confidence that he is utterly honest about meeting his commitments and maintaining the highest quality possible. He has also been prompt and completely open with messages and email. On design: you see the Norseman as exotic and interesting; I see it as goofy to the point of embarrassing. You see the rask as vanilla; I see it as elegant (I think the most beautiful knife in my humble collection is my Al Mar Eagle). De gustibus non disputandum est. And no, my rask is not for sale, not even for $1100.
Oh, I'm Disputandum that! :) Agreed, in some ways, it's no different than a "Kickstarter" or other crowd-funding. But I felt like I needed to call it out here, and mention that it's generally not wise, because it's a really common failure mode among new momentarily hot makers. Take a bunch of full-price preorders, spend it on new equipment or materials and whatnot, and then run out of money when it's time to actually make the knives. "The Case of the Disappearing Knifemaker" almost always starts the same way this story did, so I encourage people to avoid those situations except in exceptional circumstances. One major integrity move on the Grimsmos part that I forgot to mention: To the best of my knowledge, not *one* Rask has sold to a non-preordered customer at this point. So, every preorder will be filled (they claim) before any sell to other folks. This is very nice, and feels way better than "Preorders are in progress OR COME TO BLADE SHOW!!! :D" I'm glad it worked here, absolutely, and I'm thrilled that my loan helped them buy a nicer lathe and mill, but I just don't want to see this become a norm.
I really like the Grimsmo's, and I love my Norseman...........However, I have to agree the Rask is waaaay to vanilla for almost $700.00. It actually (sorry John) looks like about 70% of the Ti folders coming out of China. Good engineering is great, but for this price, the Rask needs some oomph and visual impact in it's aesthetics. Making a better mouse trap that looks exactly like all the other mouse traps takes a little away from the new in a product. Have to agree, the Norseman is worth the money, the Rask not so much. Overall it's just kind of ......meh.
Thanks for another honest review! Personally I agree with you that the Noresman is a much more appealing knife, and I would order that first. (if I had the money) but for edc the rask would be a great go to knife. In a different note, I would love to see how it holds up to heavy edc use, I came across a CR large sabenza the other day that a state park ranger uses for his edc. It was Beat UP! but still performed very well. I wonder how a Grimsmo would hold up to the same abuse? I would love to hear your opinion on it! keep up the great work and content!
I was glad to see them do something not too different looking, like the norseman, but I see a lot of plain look, and forgotten details for a full pre-order price at that level.
Did you notice that knives that have internal stop pins closer to the lockface tend to have some flex under pressure? There's no lock-rock but you can force some flex compared to knives that have regular stop pins. Is that the case with this knife?
Great video Dr. Nick. Both this one and the disassembly Makes be excited to get my Rask that may be coming soon since John asked to confirm my shipping address. Also, I too am a little disappointed in the size. Slightly smaller would have clearly been in the sweet spot. Guess I'll just have to pre-order the min-XXXX when it is announced.
Some people are impatient. If you combine that fact with limited availability / long waits for a product, what you get is people paying not for the product, but paying for having the product *now*. Yep, it's pretty ridiculous. And one side effect is that if you pre-order early and have the capital ... you can order two, then once you receive them, sell one and end up with an excellent blade for a very low cost.
Vanilla perhaps, but a beautiful knife nonetheless. I waited the entire video for a knock on the engraving on the blade. To my eye, it looks a bit clunky. And if it wasn't a CDN $1000+ knife, I'd grind in my own sharpening choil. But alas, that's a job I won't be contemplating unless John and Eric gift one to me :-)
You know, I went back and forth on including the blade writing under bad. "RASK" is absolutely not needed there. But I just don't care *that* much, so I skipped it, knowing the video would already be freakin' huge.
Nice to see the Grimsmo Rask against the Norseman. I wonder, have you ever given any thought to 'comparison video's'? Maybe, for example comparing the Norseman to, say, the Todd Begg Bodega? Or even this new Grimsmo Rask to my all time favourite, the K-Bar Dozier folder?
Cannot. Wait. I hope the manage to make it nice and slim similar to the Rask and Norseman. Want to talk 'ultimate EDC'? Move over, 940. Grimsmo, if anyone would be the guys to make me pull the trigger on a custom knife, and that's the model that would do it.
I just bought another norseman for 1300, even though I only have 1000 invested (long story). here is why. 1st, wanted it now 2nd, I do believe that the Rask secondary will come back to Earth almost instantly, but due to John's own statemen, I think that the Norsemans will take a long time before they get back to maker price. John said that at this point, and after, he is producing 90% rasks and 10% Norseman. this coupled with him saying he was tired of making norsemans before Rask production I think that it will be a while before the market is flooded with norsemans. also, John has shown a mini Rask proto so that might be their next project.
Nice knife, just wish they would try doing/learning some custom blade grinds. A cnc made blade just doesn't have the appeal to me that a nice custom hollow grind has.
Dianne Henderson I hope you didn't end up buying one of these. I ran in to a load of them and they basically glean designs from more popular brands, remake them in "D2" or another premium steel name, and sell em for uber cheap. Craftmenship is super shoddy, and overall less than junkdrawer status. They are way over-priced m-techs and to melt all of the ones on display would have been an act of kindness to the knife world.
min is #83. it has hardly left my side since i received it from them. i never got on the norseman train (the blade shape just isnt for me) but the rask is a flat out home run. even after the honeymoon phase its a keeper for life
I am with you on the Norseman,it did nothing for me.When I saw the pre order for the Rask I liked the design. have have heard nothing but praise for the quality of the Norseman so I ordered a Rask. Enjoy your Rask.
Thanks Nick for another great review. For me, the full ask up front coupled with the long delay in getting the knife out to the customer made the Rask not worth the risk for me and I requested a refund of my pre-order. I still hope to own a Grimsmo someday when I can acquire one at the maker's price.
good video...all the $ up front not so good...the wait time not so good...you hit all the spots on this knife best over all video I've seen you do so Far👍
Why do I watch the videos on the Grimsmo knives? They're my Grail knives and I'll never be able to afford one... They're beautiful though, and they look perfect. Amazing knives
I don't want to see anybody lose money, but I am looking forward to that bubble bursting to see where these knifes actually land on the used market. Maybe then I can seriously look at picking up a Norseman or a Rask.
great video. one day i hope to own a knife with the action of a grimsmo or a shirogorov but right now im still loving my zt les george 0900 and my slysz bowie from spyderco
I don’t mind if they did a full price pre-order. I think it’s pretty clever myself. Wanna go to the bank and pay interest when you can just so pre-orders and not pay the interest to deal with the hassle. Great business move if you asked me
It is now 2 years (Jan 2020) after this video was made and as I see it the price bubble and availability has not changed as Nick said it might. Prices have risen so start saving!!!!
Hard to believe the lack of a lockbar insert wasn't listed under ugly. Not only would it have solved the lockstick problem, it would have ensured long term use of the knife. Also, RWL34 is a sorry excuse for a $700 blade. It's like paying $500 for D2. Just awful. If you're paying this much for a simple design, it better have top notch materials. M390 would have been a much better choice.
Don't get me wrong $700 is ridiculous for a non super steel knife no matter which way you slice it and I would be absolutely opposed to spending that level of money aside from three major mitigating factors. 1. Cost: the cost of super steel, especially on the level the grimsmo's would need is astronomical. 1a. The cost of even run of the mill super steel capable heat treating equipment is no small investment especially in comparison with point one. 1b. Most super steels out there have a much higher degree of corrosion resistance especially in the non heat treated format and this will chew up their machine bits at a much higher rate thus increasing their cost per knife both in tooling and lost production time which is significantly more expensive than the cost of a part. 2. The level of work they put into their knives is fanatical, as Nick said in different words but essentially the same thing the only thing they don't do in house is produce the raw materials for their knives. 2a. Because they do everything in house they have absolutely no one to blame but themselves for defects presented in the final product and I believe that to be the highest form of craftsmanship, because for every knife that comes out of their shop their name and reputation is 100% on the line. 3. Value: out of all the reviews of the work the grimsmo's work and watching their videos , their knives in terms of aesthetics and overall quality and consistency would cost an absolute fortune if they chose a different path of knife making.
Have two Norsemans. Just bought a Rask. Expect to love it, too. The Grimsmo bros. make the best knife on bearing (period). Man, complaning about $700. These are going for twice that amount on the secondary. Apparently people are willing to pay twice the amount everyday.
Your price prediction has come true. Buying a new Grimsmo is like driving a new car off the lot: instant major depreciation. And its laughable that, as of May 2023, Knife Center is peddling the Norseman at more than $300 over Grimsmo-direct table price, when the secondary is selling at $300 to $400 below table price.
I come across this video once and while, and I watch it, just to look at the rask. This is a very good looking knife, made with their signature, flat detent “ball”, giving it that drop shut action. The Norseman is kinda nice looking, I just can’t get past that blade shape. For the money, I have to be able to stand to look at at. Honestly, however, I’m not into rwl 34, and there’s no lock bar insert. I have a crk large sebenza, and its carburized lock face has been just fine. It locks up early, and disengagement is so smooth. Unfortunately, that’s the first and last knife I’m going to own without some kind of beefier interface, like an insert, or my large inkosis ceramic detent/interface ball. The thing that bugs me are companies that only do small batches, and you gotta win a “lottery” to get on a list to buy one. Then, you get to wait months, or a year to see it. No thanks. I have 4 shirogorov, the price is the same as these, and the action on mine are outstanding. The best part is, you go to recon 1, there they are, no waiting for it to be made. The only lottery is for some higher end customs. Also, the blade steels are better. Obviously, the draw back is the warranty. But, again, recon1 handles that. Might be a bit of a wait as it goes back to Russia. But for me, it’s worth it to get something, that in my view, is an all around better knife. The rask is still a good looking knife, but on the secondary market, forget about it.
@ 13:49 I think "safe" is exactly what they were going for with this knife though. Their first knife, the Norseman, was more of an "art knife" as you put it, and I bet a lot of people will never EDC their Norseman, due to size, blade shape and price. So I think they were going for a "safe" more traditional knife that people will actually EDC. The Grimsmo brothers probably asked themselves what they'd like in an EDC blade, and then used that design language to produce this. I do agree however with your point regarding it's size. Even though it is fairly light and slim, I think it would have made a much better EDC package if they had gone with a ~ 3 inch blade. But hey, some people like bigger knives! I think it would be a *very intelligent* business decision if they were to make another version of this _with_ a 3 inch, or even sub 3 inch blade though! It's much easier to scale a design down and make a few tweaks than to produce a brand new design, and they would _really_ be covering their bases as far as what people desire in an EDC if they did so. It'd be epic to see a lineup of these and a lineup of a smaller EDC version at Bladeshow!
Great video nick as always 👍🏼I've been looking for one of these in damasteel for the longest time I'm so stupid i dont know why I waited. Now there books are closed and I'm S.O.L 😠. And also I'm not really trying to pay $1,100 on a knife like this.
Looks awesome. Just dont like the idea of a full price preorder, then a year wait. I would have no issue on half down, half before shipping. If they had been in business for fifteen years, sure i would give them full retail. No way am i giving a startup company a grand to hang on to while i wait. Too bad because i would love to support a fellow Canadian company. Hopefully when they grow a little bit they wont ask for capital up front.
Whether u believe it or not a link to buy or track the items looked at is a tremendous service of convein to us. Also price point near open remarks helps too
Realize that price points change regularly, and if I include links to buy (which I couldn't, in this case, as it's not easily available), I'd be choosing a single store to endorse, and I don't love that. Sadly, Google is your friend.
06:49 Nick am I crazy or does that jimping look out of place like a Dremeled after tought. So far great review as always. The steel choice is perplexing but I love the color match and blade shape. Also, Tmthe weight and dimensions of the knife sounds like a very nice pocket jewel that you may forget you're carrying. Even in an ugly way like when you startle yourself as you dont feel it in your pocket.. OH GO... oh there it is... 😅. Thanks for sharing.
Nick et al here's a hedonic adaptation question for you; I just got a ZT 0450 and it's awesome in my opinion. How much better is the Grimsmo Rask experience ?Thanks
Thanks Nick, that's what I figured based on the law of diminishing returns. I paid $145 for my ZT 0450 (Veteran's Day Discount) and I can't see spending $600-plus for a 5 percent improvement.
And the full price preorder is something no knife maker and no customer should have to put up with. Doesn't matter if their reputation is stellar. there have been too many examples where things dont go as planned and shit hits the fan. Especially for these knives since they are not custom knives.
Sadly, I sold the NeOn a week or two before this arrived (not knowing!). But this wins on Details and clip and construction. The NeOn was a nicer size though!
Hold on.. So you bought a knife that you could "customize" style wise, then later you complain that it looks dull? While you could order an exotic timascus blade for example and have it look very different. Right..
I disagree with your criticism of the (lack of a) sharpening choil here. While I'll admit that it looks like the edge could have been sharpened a little better, I cannot understand why you would prefer to have an abrupt gap in the edge that catches and tears instead of a gentle transition that 'pushes back' against an overzealous slice. Aesthetics? Maybe. Ease of sharpening? Maybe on a clamped system whose geometry prevents you from avoiding the shoulder of the plunge grind - seems like a criticism better leveled at the sharpening system, not the knife. More generally, a sharpening choil is not always necessary on a knife and, to my mind, can even detract from its usefulness when done poorly. To include it on a checklist of knife design 'must-haves,' as you and other critics seem to do, overlooks the fact that sometimes it's omitted intentionally, and isn't always a design improvement. The ricasso is a challenging area to design well, but a sharpening choil is not the only way to go.
I have no problems sharpening my knives without choils, and in fact rather enjoy the way the edge neatly tapers away at the plunge grind on e.g. my Ka-Bar Dozier. I'm not saying a sharpening choil is a bad thing - it can be a positive if it makes sense on a given design. I'm just pushing back against the idea that it's a "must-have" that always improves a knife design. I think if my Spyderco Military or Paramilitary, for example, were to receive sharpening choils they'd actually become worse knives. You'd lose the ability to carve pushing right up against the finger choil; something I did just a few hours ago when I cut and smoothed out a chip that was splitting off one of the wooden spoons in my kitchen.
HammerHill I really like a sharpening choil but definitely not necessary for me personally. My ZT0801 doesnt have it and i manage to sharpen it no problems.
Hey Nick, I'm also curious how can you make such wide sweeping conclusions on the "laws of economy". Yes there is a demand, and yes there is a supply, and currently demand greatly exceeds supply causing the markup. But what makes you so sure that supply will ever reach demand? It is very likely for this never to be the case. Consider there are nearly 700 Norsemans in circulation, demand is clearly MUCH higher than that. So what is the demand? 1000? 2000? 10000? And as Grimsmos grow their brand, wouldn't they grow their demand? If they stick to their current style of production, hand finishing and producing their own parts, there is a very real ceiling at which they can turn these out. They have been pretty much in full production on rasks since late-2016, and they're on like #140? It's going to definitely be a lot more than a few months before this theoretical "market saturation" you speak of. And with the creative engineering minds that Erik and John are, what happens when they tackle new projects? I'm a big fan of their stuff, owning a Rask does not satiate my needs of wanting a Norseman, or the integral. So with more models, their demand grows multiplicatively. How are you so certain that supply will one day = demand? I feel like we both have the same level of education in economics, which is to say we took a GE once. So I'm curious how we come to such different conclusions. There is a very REAL ceiling with which limits how many knives they can physically make in their lifetime. 200 knives a year, 20 years, 40000 knives. Is it hard to believe that demand for their products exceed that? God forbid they start their top/spinner production.
2hvy: I'm not, and I'm not an economist, but demand here comes in two types: People who want one around retail-ish, and people who are willing to pay 200% to buy one. The first group will likely be satisfied quickly, acting quickly to get on lists and buying as the scalpers divest. Also, the scalpers will stop buying these knives as "investments". This will bring the prices back down to a reasonable level. We saw this in the Hinderer market. Once saturation hit, the scalpers stopped buying to sell, and the folks who wanted one NOW were sated, the bottom fell out. You're right that they're unlikely to supply for everybody in the "I want one around retail price" group, so I doubt they'll sell below retail used for the forseeable future. But I'll bet the "I'm willing to pay stupid prices" supply is met soon after the start of real production. This, in turn, changes the math for the scalpers. Right now, stupid secondary prices are the ONLY WAY to a Norseman, so $1200 makes sense to some people. But if the people willing to pay that are sated, and new knives arrive, scalpers will realize that they're now competing with "Or wait a few months and just but at retail". And ideally, there won't be enough profit there to merit the risk, and boom, they leave the market and more supply.
I think the grimsmos are producing knives that bat above its price range. IMHO If you think a neon is worth $650, then a rask is worth $900-1000. They are a step above. The hinderer example doesn't quite fit, nor does the marfione sigil example. Both were production models. Both were produced in mass by companies driven by profit. Grimsmo doesn't strike me as that kind of people. If they become sellouts and outsource their bevels, edges, etching, screws, etc then I can see it reach that point. But until there's a drastic change in their philosophies, my money is with them. I really think they should mark up the prices on their knives to reflect the quality that they're producing, especially since they're now making homemade bearing cages and hardware... Scalpers are a huge problem yes. I've gotten multiple offers of $2000+ cash for mine, but it's not leaving my sights for the forseeable future. I think there are different levels of scalpers, those wishing to seek a $1500 return, and everything in between. The demand for a norseman in its current maker's price is literally off the charts, I'd easily wager tens of thousands of people want it. At the price point of $1500, that number goes significantly down. But what about $1200, $1000? Hard call I think. I don't think the secondary market will ever reach that of maker's price unless Grimsmo step up their pricing. So far they've been completely upstanding folks. Fulfilling orders etc, I wouldn't hesitate to do another full, upfront pre-order with them. Sign me up for two! They are two people driven by passion, not by profit.
Talked to John a few days ago and he going to be selling the norseman at a much higher price, roughly 950 for regular and 1300 for the damasteel.....so the price on the secondary market is about right unfortunately
Nick Shabazz ok so say it doesn't work work out for him for whatever reason, u don't think that the knives that are already out there will become even more insanely expensive?? maybe pushing 2k+ for a basic cuz thoes are already 1k+.....just a thought, thanks for the quick reply
+aaron s "Doesn't work out" is "embarrassing downward price adjustment", not going out of business. Barring serious mismanagement, I don't see them going anywhere.
I just saw this vid. I gotta be honest. I’ll take my neon zero, with m390 or my ultra lite with elmax, or even my f95nl in s30v over this. And the Norseman, well I can’t get past that blade deign anyway. Not a fan of rwl34, and that they carbidize the lock face rather than a hardened steel insert. And I’m no fan of lists, or lotteries to win the chance to spend the money and wait months to get the knife. That process bothers me, but it seems to fine for other people.
So, R U going to buy the next one/model that comes out???????? And right on about the price, do we remember Hinderers for $1200, got my H. for $425, just waited. If I would have spent 1200 bucks on a knife, my wife would use it on my pocket pecker!!! Oh damn.
LOCKSTICK: from my understanding, and what I've been told by norseman/grimsmo fanatics, the lock face is carborized, a heat treat for the ti like the sebenza, not carbidized. the carborization would account for the small amount of maybe "hydraulic like" stick.
The thing is, the Norseman (which I think is carborized in the same way) has zero stick. So, at the very least, they've gone downhill in Stick. Also, nice catch on Carborized vs. Carbidized. My bad.
Nick Shabazz Ya... that's one thing I don't understand. my past two norsemans have had stick, but my current has none. I guess maybe the hardness of the ti kind of varies from heat treat to heat treat, or it depends on lockup geometry. either way I do kind of like carborization more. and thx, not that big of a deal. I wouldn't have known of I didn't ask a bunch of grimsmo pros. 👍
without having held one of these... i can't reallyyyyy say...but i would take the shiro over it...and I agree it's almost boring looking. Pretty...but a bit plain.
I like the knife, but what the heck, they are building a spinner/fidgie thing. They need to get out their orders before starting other projects. Just saying!...
Remember back in 2017 when you said "I suspect they'll be more available", "I'm sure it will get there".....yeah, not so much. Too many other nice knives out there to worry about a maker that never makes some of their models, and profiles the blade of their other one to look like an elephant dick.
I dont like the full payment up front. I agree. Look at the j davis dilemma. He took everyones cash and ran off. People trusted him and he was very well respected as a reviewer. That shit dont fly with me.
too small? Nick you are a grown man and this knife is too small? if it was any smaller than it is you would not be able to get a full four finger grip. you are incredibly knowledgeable on folding knives and I do respect your opinion, but I guess we just disagree on how big a knife should be. thanks for the great fear and I will be waiting for the next one
True, and I knew this before I made the comment, but I still had to say it for some reason lol. Also, I have never had a response that quick and "that's a beautiful thing" lol!
Thanks for Vid Nick. The Norseman is what put them on the map. They should stick with uniqueness like Norseman 2. The rask is great but it's a dime a dozen. Next time I won't wait unless unique design. Otherwise $700 buys a lot
Nick love your reviews, but I do not get your love for Grimsmo knives. Utterly ridiculous knife, that polished aluminium is slippery as hell, and its over priced gimicky bs. Im glad you kinda acknowledged this, but a polished aluminium handle is useless in the field. Micarta or G-10, otherwise its nothing more then a show piece.
I've never been more excited to see the faint glimpse of some guy's face on a dull mirror. And I'm not even gay.
Rofl
Would be even more impressive if you were! Then we'd know it wasn't the first!
I had a Rask picked out and got to the paypal part of the transaction twice during pre-orders and just couldn't pull the trigger on the wait time. I now regret not taking the gamble to order. Very nice, Nick.
I got my rask two weeks ago after a 553 day wait. Yes, an annoying way to do business but it was very clear that preorders were to fund the expansion into a new workspace, upgrade in machines, etc. And John's videos gave me confidence that he is utterly honest about meeting his commitments and maintaining the highest quality possible. He has also been prompt and completely open with messages and email. On design: you see the Norseman as exotic and interesting; I see it as goofy to the point of embarrassing. You see the rask as vanilla; I see it as elegant (I think the most beautiful knife in my humble collection is my Al Mar Eagle). De gustibus non disputandum est.
And no, my rask is not for sale, not even for $1100.
Oh, I'm Disputandum that! :)
Agreed, in some ways, it's no different than a "Kickstarter" or other crowd-funding. But I felt like I needed to call it out here, and mention that it's generally not wise, because it's a really common failure mode among new momentarily hot makers. Take a bunch of full-price preorders, spend it on new equipment or materials and whatnot, and then run out of money when it's time to actually make the knives. "The Case of the Disappearing Knifemaker" almost always starts the same way this story did, so I encourage people to avoid those situations except in exceptional circumstances.
One major integrity move on the Grimsmos part that I forgot to mention: To the best of my knowledge, not *one* Rask has sold to a non-preordered customer at this point. So, every preorder will be filled (they claim) before any sell to other folks. This is very nice, and feels way better than "Preorders are in progress OR COME TO BLADE SHOW!!! :D"
I'm glad it worked here, absolutely, and I'm thrilled that my loan helped them buy a nicer lathe and mill, but I just don't want to see this become a norm.
How about $1500? Lol
I really like the Grimsmo's, and I love my Norseman...........However, I have to agree the Rask is waaaay to vanilla for almost $700.00. It actually (sorry John) looks like about 70% of the Ti folders coming out of China. Good engineering is great, but for this price, the Rask needs some oomph and visual impact in it's aesthetics. Making a better mouse trap that looks exactly like all the other mouse traps takes a little away from the new in a product. Have to agree, the Norseman is worth the money, the Rask not so much. Overall it's just kind of ......meh.
Now they retail at $950.... lol
Try $1200 in the secondary market.
@@northernninety7damn! In the chris tucker voice from Friday.
Thanks for another honest review! Personally I agree with you that the Noresman is a much more appealing knife, and I would order that first. (if I had the money) but for edc the rask would be a great go to knife. In a different note, I would love to see how it holds up to heavy edc use, I came across a CR large sabenza the other day that a state park ranger uses for his edc. It was Beat UP! but still performed very well. I wonder how a Grimsmo would hold up to the same abuse? I would love to hear your opinion on it! keep up the great work and content!
I was glad to see them do something not too different looking, like the norseman, but I see a lot of plain look, and forgotten details for a full pre-order price at that level.
Did you notice that knives that have internal stop pins closer to the lockface tend to have some flex under pressure? There's no lock-rock but you can force some flex compared to knives that have regular stop pins.
Is that the case with this knife?
Great video Dr. Nick. Both this one and the disassembly Makes be excited to get my Rask that may be coming soon since John asked to confirm my shipping address. Also, I too am a little disappointed in the size. Slightly smaller would have clearly been in the sweet spot. Guess I'll just have to pre-order the min-XXXX when it is announced.
Some people are impatient. If you combine that fact with limited availability / long waits for a product, what you get is people paying not for the product, but paying for having the product *now*.
Yep, it's pretty ridiculous. And one side effect is that if you pre-order early and have the capital ... you can order two, then once you receive them, sell one and end up with an excellent blade for a very low cost.
Also: can't wait to get mine. Thanks again, Nick, for your time and effort.
Vanilla perhaps, but a beautiful knife nonetheless. I waited the entire video for a knock on the engraving on the blade. To my eye, it looks a bit clunky. And if it wasn't a CDN $1000+ knife, I'd grind in my own sharpening choil. But alas, that's a job I won't be contemplating unless John and Eric gift one to me :-)
You know, I went back and forth on including the blade writing under bad. "RASK" is absolutely not needed there. But I just don't care *that* much, so I skipped it, knowing the video would already be freakin' huge.
Nice knife, almost as good as the Master knife you reviewed a while ago.
Nice to see the Grimsmo Rask against the Norseman. I wonder, have you ever given any thought to 'comparison video's'? Maybe, for example comparing the Norseman to, say, the Todd Begg Bodega? Or even this new Grimsmo Rask to my all time favourite, the K-Bar Dozier folder?
paul greenwood in my opinion this knife will look way too overpriced if compared side by side with a Todd Begg. But that's just me.
Wait until they put out that 3inch integral John was talking about a few months ago.
Sploosh.
Cannot. Wait. I hope the manage to make it nice and slim similar to the Rask and Norseman. Want to talk 'ultimate EDC'? Move over, 940. Grimsmo, if anyone would be the guys to make me pull the trigger on a custom knife, and that's the model that would do it.
I just bought another norseman for 1300, even though I only have 1000 invested (long story). here is why.
1st, wanted it now
2nd, I do believe that the Rask secondary will come back to Earth almost instantly, but due to John's own statemen, I think that the Norsemans will take a long time before they get back to maker price. John said that at this point, and after, he is producing 90% rasks and 10% Norseman. this coupled with him saying he was tired of making norsemans before Rask production I think that it will be a while before the market is flooded with norsemans. also, John has shown a mini Rask proto so that might be their next project.
The time has come
I want one so bad but I missed the boat on the pre order and the secondary market prices are absolutely ridiculous.
Nice knife, just wish they would try doing/learning some custom blade grinds. A cnc made blade just doesn't have the appeal to me that a nice custom hollow grind has.
Would love to hear what you have to say about twosun knives.
Dianne Henderson I hope you didn't end up buying one of these. I ran in to a load of them and they basically glean designs from more popular brands, remake them in "D2" or another premium steel name, and sell em for uber cheap. Craftmenship is super shoddy, and overall less than junkdrawer status. They are way over-priced m-techs and to melt all of the ones on display would have been an act of kindness to the knife world.
min is #83. it has hardly left my side since i received it from them. i never got on the norseman train (the blade shape just isnt for me) but the rask is a flat out home run. even after the honeymoon phase its a keeper for life
I am with you on the Norseman,it did nothing for me.When I saw the pre order for the Rask I liked the design. have have heard nothing but praise for the quality of the Norseman so I ordered a Rask. Enjoy your Rask.
Thanks Nick for another great review. For me, the full ask up front coupled with the long delay in getting the knife out to the customer made the Rask not worth the risk for me and I requested a refund of my pre-order. I still hope to own a Grimsmo someday when I can acquire one at the maker's price.
Such a gorgeous piece. The blade shape seems a little dull though, I love the exotic design of the Norseman
good video...all the $ up front not so good...the wait time not so good...you hit all the spots on this knife best over all video I've seen you do so Far👍
Why do I watch the videos on the Grimsmo knives? They're my Grail knives and I'll never be able to afford one... They're beautiful though, and they look perfect. Amazing knives
Watching this video exactly 2 years later.
Love the rask.. the Norseman ehh not found of the blade shape
I don't want to see anybody lose money, but I am looking forward to that bubble bursting to see where these knifes actually land on the used market. Maybe then I can seriously look at picking up a Norseman or a Rask.
great video. one day i hope to own a knife with the action of a grimsmo or a shirogorov but right now im still loving my zt les george 0900 and my slysz bowie from spyderco
Did you make sure you didn't get any of the lube on the lock face of either the lock bar or the blade tang?
I don’t mind if they did a full price pre-order. I think it’s pretty clever myself. Wanna go to the bank and pay interest when you can just so pre-orders and not pay the interest to deal with the hassle. Great business move if you asked me
It is now 2 years (Jan 2020) after this video was made and as I see it the price bubble and availability has not changed as Nick said it might. Prices have risen so start saving!!!!
But does it cut well???
You dont actually cut with a knife like that.
Hard to believe the lack of a lockbar insert wasn't listed under ugly. Not only would it have solved the lockstick problem, it would have ensured long term use of the knife.
Also, RWL34 is a sorry excuse for a $700 blade. It's like paying $500 for D2. Just awful. If you're paying this much for a simple design, it better have top notch materials. M390 would have been a much better choice.
Don't get me wrong $700 is ridiculous for a non super steel knife no matter which way you slice it and I would be absolutely opposed to spending that level of money aside from three major mitigating factors.
1. Cost: the cost of super steel, especially on the level the grimsmo's would need is astronomical.
1a. The cost of even run of the mill super steel capable heat treating equipment is no small investment especially in comparison with point one.
1b. Most super steels out there have a much higher degree of corrosion resistance especially in the non heat treated format and this will chew up their machine bits at a much higher rate thus increasing their cost per knife both in tooling and lost production time which is significantly more expensive than the cost of a part.
2. The level of work they put into their knives is fanatical, as Nick said in different words but essentially the same thing the only thing they don't do in house is produce the raw materials for their knives.
2a. Because they do everything in house they have absolutely no one to blame but themselves for defects presented in the final product and I believe that to be the highest form of craftsmanship, because for every knife that comes out of their shop their name and reputation is 100% on the line.
3. Value: out of all the reviews of the work the grimsmo's work and watching their videos , their knives in terms of aesthetics and overall quality and consistency would cost an absolute fortune if they chose a different path of knife making.
You mean Medford is a shitty company? *cough*
How long does it take you to make 1 complete knife? Or multiple if running multiple at a time. Hours, minutes per days for a complete knife.
Wow, edge on that rat was glowing! Is your last step bare leather or a compound?
Have two Norsemans. Just bought a Rask. Expect to love it, too. The Grimsmo bros. make the best knife on bearing (period). Man, complaning about $700. These are going for twice that amount on the secondary. Apparently people are willing to pay twice the amount everyday.
Your price prediction has come true. Buying a new Grimsmo is like driving a new car off the lot: instant major depreciation. And its laughable that, as of May 2023, Knife Center is peddling the Norseman at more than $300 over Grimsmo-direct table price, when the secondary is selling at $300 to $400 below table price.
Everything I hoped for Nick. Thanks. You've solidified it for me... I'm empowering my inner sloth and waiting for my Norseman. Cheers 🍺
Mr Nick: curiosity is getting the better of me what do you cut with your Norseman/Rask since like myself I buy tools to use?
I come across this video once and while, and I watch it, just to look at the rask. This is a very good looking knife, made with their signature, flat detent “ball”, giving it that drop shut action. The Norseman is kinda nice looking, I just can’t get past that blade shape. For the money, I have to be able to stand to look at at. Honestly, however, I’m not into rwl 34, and there’s no lock bar insert. I have a crk large sebenza, and its carburized lock face has been just fine. It locks up early, and disengagement is so smooth. Unfortunately, that’s the first and last knife I’m going to own without some kind of beefier interface, like an insert, or my large inkosis ceramic detent/interface ball. The thing that bugs me are companies that only do small batches, and you gotta win a “lottery” to get on a list to buy one. Then, you get to wait months, or a year to see it. No thanks. I have 4 shirogorov, the price is the same as these, and the action on mine are outstanding. The best part is, you go to recon 1, there they are, no waiting for it to be made. The only lottery is for some higher end customs. Also, the blade steels are better. Obviously, the draw back is the warranty. But, again, recon1 handles that. Might be a bit of a wait as it goes back to Russia. But for me, it’s worth it to get something, that in my view, is an all around better knife. The rask is still a good looking knife, but on the secondary market, forget about it.
Your edges are looking better nowadays Nick. Did you switch to the kangaroo strops on the KME?
@ 13:49 I think "safe" is exactly what they were going for with this knife though. Their first knife, the Norseman, was more of an "art knife" as you put it, and I bet a lot of people will never EDC their Norseman, due to size, blade shape and price. So I think they were going for a "safe" more traditional knife that people will actually EDC. The Grimsmo brothers probably asked themselves what they'd like in an EDC blade, and then used that design language to produce this.
I do agree however with your point regarding it's size. Even though it is fairly light and slim, I think it would have made a much better EDC package if they had gone with a ~ 3 inch blade. But hey, some people like bigger knives! I think it would be a *very intelligent* business decision if they were to make another version of this _with_ a 3 inch, or even sub 3 inch blade though! It's much easier to scale a design down and make a few tweaks than to produce a brand new design, and they would _really_ be covering their bases as far as what people desire in an EDC if they did so. It'd be epic to see a lineup of these and a lineup of a smaller EDC version at Bladeshow!
Lock stick,ughh. Great looking.agree with a lil smaller. Love a 3 inch blade. Sounds like Norseman wiil be their stellar outstanding knife.
But... how is it, compared to the Master Knife?
How does it compare to the norseman?
Great video nick as always 👍🏼I've been looking for one of these in damasteel for the longest time I'm so stupid i dont know why I waited. Now there books are closed and I'm S.O.L 😠. And also I'm not really trying to pay $1,100 on a knife like this.
Looks awesome. Just dont like the idea of a full price preorder, then a year wait. I would have no issue on half down, half before shipping. If they had been in business for fifteen years, sure i would give them full retail. No way am i giving a startup company a grand to hang on to while i wait. Too bad because i would love to support a fellow Canadian company. Hopefully when they grow a little bit they wont ask for capital up front.
From a distance it looks like a dark grey utility knife with a blade on it.
finally :D I've been waiting for this one for a while.
Whether u believe it or not a link to buy or track the items looked at is a tremendous service of convein to us. Also price point near open remarks helps too
Realize that price points change regularly, and if I include links to buy (which I couldn't, in this case, as it's not easily available), I'd be choosing a single store to endorse, and I don't love that. Sadly, Google is your friend.
06:49 Nick am I crazy or does that jimping look out of place like a Dremeled after tought. So far great review as always. The steel choice is perplexing but I love the color match and blade shape. Also, Tmthe weight and dimensions of the knife sounds like a very nice pocket jewel that you may forget you're carrying. Even in an ugly way like when you startle yourself as you dont feel it in your pocket.. OH GO... oh there it is... 😅.
Thanks for sharing.
Sure wish this knife was still $675. Lol. Currently about $1800 on the secondary and not possible to buy them new😞
Nick et al here's a hedonic adaptation question for you; I just got a ZT 0450 and it's awesome in my opinion. How much better is the Grimsmo Rask experience ?Thanks
+Bryan Stone 95% as good
Thanks Nick, that's what I figured based on the law of diminishing returns. I paid $145 for my ZT 0450 (Veteran's Day Discount) and I can't see spending $600-plus for a 5 percent improvement.
And the full price preorder is something no knife maker and no customer should have to put up with. Doesn't matter if their reputation is stellar. there have been too many examples where things dont go as planned and shit hits the fan. Especially for these knives since they are not custom knives.
How long the VG-10 hold its edge compared to other steel?
This is RWL-34 steel.
Bad English... Sorry
But compared to VG-10
RWL-34 has better edge retention than VG-10, in my experience.
Don't know if the norse theme is deliberate but Rask means fast in Norwegian🔪💨
every time he says "nice" take a shot. lol.
naw, seriously tho, good video.
3 years later not another rask has been made.....
I wonder in what ways he's better than the neon? can you do a head to head video?
Sadly, I sold the NeOn a week or two before this arrived (not knowing!). But this wins on Details and clip and construction. The NeOn was a nicer size though!
Nick thats your best review yet
Hold on..
So you bought a knife that you could "customize" style wise,
then later you complain that it looks dull?
While you could order an exotic timascus blade for example and have it look very different.
Right..
Damn you Nick! I've purchased a Rask, Neon, and Slysz Bowie since watching your channel!
hows the action
8:23
And now Rasks are listed on the site at $925 minimum... I wanted one after I saw this; until I saw that.
I disagree with your criticism of the (lack of a) sharpening choil here. While I'll admit that it looks like the edge could have been sharpened a little better, I cannot understand why you would prefer to have an abrupt gap in the edge that catches and tears instead of a gentle transition that 'pushes back' against an overzealous slice. Aesthetics? Maybe. Ease of sharpening? Maybe on a clamped system whose geometry prevents you from avoiding the shoulder of the plunge grind - seems like a criticism better leveled at the sharpening system, not the knife.
More generally, a sharpening choil is not always necessary on a knife and, to my mind, can even detract from its usefulness when done poorly. To include it on a checklist of knife design 'must-haves,' as you and other critics seem to do, overlooks the fact that sometimes it's omitted intentionally, and isn't always a design improvement. The ricasso is a challenging area to design well, but a sharpening choil is not the only way to go.
but as you sharpen the knife, a choil will feel necessary to prevent you from messing up the edge.
I have no problems sharpening my knives without choils, and in fact rather enjoy the way the edge neatly tapers away at the plunge grind on e.g. my Ka-Bar Dozier.
I'm not saying a sharpening choil is a bad thing - it can be a positive if it makes sense on a given design. I'm just pushing back against the idea that it's a "must-have" that always improves a knife design. I think if my Spyderco Military or Paramilitary, for example, were to receive sharpening choils they'd actually become worse knives. You'd lose the ability to carve pushing right up against the finger choil; something I did just a few hours ago when I cut and smoothed out a chip that was splitting off one of the wooden spoons in my kitchen.
HammerHill I really like a sharpening choil but definitely not necessary for me personally. My ZT0801 doesnt have it and i manage to sharpen it no problems.
Hey Nick, I'm also curious how can you make such wide sweeping conclusions on the "laws of economy". Yes there is a demand, and yes there is a supply, and currently demand greatly exceeds supply causing the markup. But what makes you so sure that supply will ever reach demand? It is very likely for this never to be the case.
Consider there are nearly 700 Norsemans in circulation, demand is clearly MUCH higher than that. So what is the demand? 1000? 2000? 10000? And as Grimsmos grow their brand, wouldn't they grow their demand?
If they stick to their current style of production, hand finishing and producing their own parts, there is a very real ceiling at which they can turn these out. They have been pretty much in full production on rasks since late-2016, and they're on like #140? It's going to definitely be a lot more than a few months before this theoretical "market saturation" you speak of.
And with the creative engineering minds that Erik and John are, what happens when they tackle new projects? I'm a big fan of their stuff, owning a Rask does not satiate my needs of wanting a Norseman, or the integral. So with more models, their demand grows multiplicatively.
How are you so certain that supply will one day = demand? I feel like we both have the same level of education in economics, which is to say we took a GE once. So I'm curious how we come to such different conclusions.
There is a very REAL ceiling with which limits how many knives they can physically make in their lifetime. 200 knives a year, 20 years, 40000 knives. Is it hard to believe that demand for their products exceed that? God forbid they start their top/spinner production.
2hvy: I'm not, and I'm not an economist, but demand here comes in two types: People who want one around retail-ish, and people who are willing to pay 200% to buy one. The first group will likely be satisfied quickly, acting quickly to get on lists and buying as the scalpers divest. Also, the scalpers will stop buying these knives as "investments". This will bring the prices back down to a reasonable level. We saw this in the Hinderer market. Once saturation hit, the scalpers stopped buying to sell, and the folks who wanted one NOW were sated, the bottom fell out.
You're right that they're unlikely to supply for everybody in the "I want one around retail price" group, so I doubt they'll sell below retail used for the forseeable future. But I'll bet the "I'm willing to pay stupid prices" supply is met soon after the start of real production.
This, in turn, changes the math for the scalpers. Right now, stupid secondary prices are the ONLY WAY to a Norseman, so $1200 makes sense to some people. But if the people willing to pay that are sated, and new knives arrive, scalpers will realize that they're now competing with "Or wait a few months and just but at retail". And ideally, there won't be enough profit there to merit the risk, and boom, they leave the market and more supply.
I think the grimsmos are producing knives that bat above its price range. IMHO
If you think a neon is worth $650, then a rask is worth $900-1000. They are a step above.
The hinderer example doesn't quite fit, nor does the marfione sigil example. Both were production models. Both were produced in mass by companies driven by profit. Grimsmo doesn't strike me as that kind of people. If they become sellouts and outsource their bevels, edges, etching, screws, etc then I can see it reach that point. But until there's a drastic change in their philosophies, my money is with them. I really think they should mark up the prices on their knives to reflect the quality that they're producing, especially since they're now making homemade bearing cages and hardware...
Scalpers are a huge problem yes. I've gotten multiple offers of $2000+ cash for mine, but it's not leaving my sights for the forseeable future. I think there are different levels of scalpers, those wishing to seek a $1500 return, and everything in between. The demand for a norseman in its current maker's price is literally off the charts, I'd easily wager tens of thousands of people want it. At the price point of $1500, that number goes significantly down. But what about $1200, $1000? Hard call I think. I don't think the secondary market will ever reach that of maker's price unless Grimsmo step up their pricing.
So far they've been completely upstanding folks. Fulfilling orders etc, I wouldn't hesitate to do another full, upfront pre-order with them. Sign me up for two! They are two people driven by passion, not by profit.
Following up on the Norseman is akin to following up on a hit song - never quite lives up to expectations, even if it's great in its own right.
+Mitchell Delmar The Grimsmo Macarena does have a certain ring to it.
Nick Shabazz "Who let the Grims out"
Talked to John a few days ago and he going to be selling the norseman at a much higher price, roughly 950 for regular and 1300 for the damasteel.....so the price on the secondary market is about right unfortunately
+aaron s I saw that. I hope that strategy works out for him. But I'm afraid that once the bubble pops, he may not be in a great position.
Nick Shabazz ok so say it doesn't work work out for him for whatever reason, u don't think that the knives that are already out there will become even more insanely expensive?? maybe pushing 2k+ for a basic cuz thoes are already 1k+.....just a thought, thanks for the quick reply
+aaron s "Doesn't work out" is "embarrassing downward price adjustment", not going out of business. Barring serious mismanagement, I don't see them going anywhere.
Nick would you be brave enough to make your own sharpening choil with a dremel?
I've contemplated. But I don't know that it'd win me enough here. We'll see what I can do when sharpening carefully.
Nick Shabazz Ya I've had a similar problem with some of my Spydercos before but it was fixed after sharpening
I just saw this vid. I gotta be honest. I’ll take my neon zero, with m390 or my ultra lite with elmax, or even my f95nl in s30v over this. And the Norseman, well I can’t get past that blade deign anyway. Not a fan of rwl34, and that they carbidize the lock face rather than a hardened steel insert. And I’m no fan of lists, or lotteries to win the chance to spend the money and wait months to get the knife. That process bothers me, but it seems to fine for other people.
Yeah to bad nobody can get one i have the money too!!
So, R U going to buy the next one/model that comes out???????? And right on about the price, do we remember Hinderers for $1200, got my H. for $425, just waited. If I would have spent 1200 bucks on a knife, my wife would use it on my pocket pecker!!! Oh damn.
Looks a bit like the Kershaw leek
🤦♂️🤷♂️💸
LOCKSTICK: from my understanding, and what I've been told by norseman/grimsmo fanatics, the lock face is carborized, a heat treat for the ti like the sebenza, not carbidized. the carborization would account for the small amount of maybe "hydraulic like" stick.
The thing is, the Norseman (which I think is carborized in the same way) has zero stick. So, at the very least, they've gone downhill in Stick. Also, nice catch on Carborized vs. Carbidized. My bad.
Nick Shabazz Ya... that's one thing I don't understand. my past two norsemans have had stick, but my current has none. I guess maybe the hardness of the ti kind of varies from heat treat to heat treat, or it depends on lockup geometry. either way I do kind of like carborization more. and thx, not that big of a deal. I wouldn't have known of I didn't ask a bunch of grimsmo pros. 👍
without having held one of these... i can't reallyyyyy say...but i would take the shiro over it...and I agree it's almost boring looking. Pretty...but a bit plain.
Will you ever let yourself live down the bearing fiasco?
Bearing fiasco?
Ken Lafleur: Never.
The Savage Llama: No idea what he's talking about. Clearly never happened.
it's definitely not a z-hunter.
Don MacArthur Exactly. I can't believe he left off "no skulls" and "not toxic green" off the ugly list.
great video. but I still think I want the norseman more. I just love the blade on the the norseman
I like the knife, but what the heck, they are building a spinner/fidgie thing. They need to get out their orders before starting other projects. Just saying!...
It’s way overpriced nowadays buts it’s easily one of my favorites. It’s a very expensive knife that I’m actually willing to carry.
Looks like the neOn
holy its only 600 bucks. I thought they were double that
He was on preorder.. secondary market price is usually $1000-$1500
They are ok. Good luck getting it from them. 2 years out.
Remember back in 2017 when you said "I suspect they'll be more available", "I'm sure it will get there".....yeah, not so much. Too many other nice knives out there to worry about a maker that never makes some of their models, and profiles the blade of their other one to look like an elephant dick.
I wonder if I'm early enough to get a reply from the good Nick himself?
Always.
Hey Nick, Is there a way to get one of these that's easier than waiting for someone to sell one on forums or something?
Looks very similar to the viper dan 1.
Yeah, there's some Viper, some Hati, a touch of Southard, and more. Not a bad design, and not unattractive, but middle of the road.
Wonderful rask of the day?
I dont like the full payment up front. I agree. Look at the j davis dilemma. He took everyones cash and ran off. People trusted him and he was very well respected as a reviewer. That shit dont fly with me.
Finally!!!
Canadians are all about that detent.
Two bearings? Who knew? 😉
too small? Nick you are a grown man and this knife is too small? if it was any smaller than it is you would not be able to get a full four finger grip. you are incredibly knowledgeable on folding knives and I do respect your opinion, but I guess we just disagree on how big a knife should be. thanks for the great fear and I will be waiting for the next one
Too big was my complaint, but yep, it's well known that I have a bias towards knives in the 3-3.25" range. And also, smaller hands than most. :)
True, and I knew this before I made the comment, but I still had to say it for some reason lol. Also, I have never had a response that quick and "that's a beautiful thing" lol!
I'm never going to get this knife, so watching past a few minutes is pointless. Have fun with your new gem.
Every time you close that fucking thing, sploosh.
Thanks for Vid Nick. The Norseman is what put them on the map. They should stick with uniqueness like Norseman 2. The rask is great but it's a dime a dozen. Next time I won't wait unless unique design. Otherwise $700 buys a lot
I RaSk u once I rAsK u twice.... what is it with this blade? is it better than the good ole Norseman? tell us about ole Nick ole buddy!!!
20:45
Finally a Grimsmo knife that isn't huge.
Yes finally!
you nave eyeglass and Brown hair
Nick love your reviews, but I do not get your love for Grimsmo knives. Utterly ridiculous knife, that polished aluminium is slippery as hell, and its over priced gimicky bs. Im glad you kinda acknowledged this, but a polished aluminium handle is useless in the field. Micarta or G-10, otherwise its nothing more then a show piece.
thats a nice knife!