Blade: 4 3/4"long, SAE52100 hand-forged high carbon content steel
Blade thickness: 5mm
Handle: 5 1/2" long, birch burl wood treated with oils and beeswax.
Sheath: Genuine leather sheath with LEATHER BELT LOOP or YAKUT HORSE HAIR BELT LOOP treated with beeswax and natural oils. (Similar to the one in the picture)
BLADE: The blade of a Yakut knife is sharpened asymmetrically. One side of the blade is flat and has a small groove (fuller) that increases its durability, while also reducing its weight. The other side of the blade has a slightly curved shape. This feature prevents the knife from digging into the material during cutting. Therefore, left-handed and right-handed blades have to be a mirror images of each other, otherwise working with them will be uncomfortable for left and right handed users respectively. Regarding the purpose of a fuller on the flat face of the blade, there are many very different hypotheses. There are theories claiming that this element was inherited by the Siberian knives from prehistoric bone knives, and is a kind of imitation of the bone channel. Other hypothesis argue that the fuller is needed to enable blood drain to ensure the handle remains dry and thus prevents the hand from slipping on the handle.
Other explanations are related to metal forging characteristics and the theory of strength. These arguments use plenty of technical terms, but also sound much more convincing. In the nutshell, the strength purpose argument suggests that blades of many types of cold weapons of different nations are supplied with fullers to reduce the excessive weight of the weapon, level temperature conditions at the metal hardening, increase the strength, and to balance the blade.
Yakut knife's reduced surface contact.
The Concave/Convex geometry of the Yakut blade leads to very low surface contact with the material being cut, and thus extremely low resistance. It will never get stuck in the wood because of its geometry unlike a conventional blade. The shape of the blade further allows you to employ the tip as a drill to effortlessly and effectively make holes in wood or leather. These characteristics could become very useful in a survival scenario. Any experienced outdoorsmen would agree that in an emergency situation fatigue and lack of hydration are your two worst enemies. Dehydration, and lack of sleep combined with general fatigue, may cloud your judgment, which would inevitably lead you to lose your survival battle. The performance of simple tasks, that you would perform under normal circumstances effortlessly, could become practically impossible. Therefore, whether you are digging for water, cutting brunches for shelter or skinning that game for food, the less amount of effort you apply the more chances you have to come out alive.
One side sharpening.
The other important characteristic of the Yakut blade is that it is easier to keep sharp in the field environment. Firstly, you save 50% of the effort because you only sharpen the concave (flat) side. Secondly, when sharpening, you don't have to try to hit the same angle, over and over, like with the conventional knife. You lay the Siberian blade flat on the fuller side, and sharpen by sliding the blade bottom to top, thus hitting the same angle all the time. And if your knife is forged form a high carbon content steel, that edge you create, will be held a lot longer than anything made of Chinese stainless steel.
