Freeman Outdoor Gear (FOG) is owned and operated by Jeff Freeman. Located just outside Portland Oregon in a town called Tigard, Jeff specializes in outdoor fixed blade knives designed to take a beating and perform in a number of environments. Jeffs real world experience as a firefighter, Machinist in the Army and 15+ years with Gerber knife Co. really help set him apart when it comes to heavy-duty, hard use fixed blade knives. If you have a few minutes to spare definitely take a look at Jeff's background here.
Today we're going to take a look at the FOG 451 compact and full sized fixed blades. These were designed for anything from general field and utility work, to use as a full on survival knife or bug out bag blade. If you are looking for a fixed blade you will certainly wanna look at these Freeman 451 fixed blades. With two sizes available, you can perfectly match a fixed blade for your systems.
FOG 451 Compact Specifications:
Overall Length - 8.00"
Blade Length - 3.25"
Blade Thickness - 0.19"
Handle Length - 4.75"
Handle Thickness - 0.50"
Handle Material - G10
Blade Steel - S35VN, 59-61RC
Weight - 6.23oz
FOG 451 Full Size Specifications:
Overall Length - 8.875"
Blade Length - 3.75"
Blade Thickness - 0.19"
Handle Length - 5.125"
Handle Thickness - 0.50"
Handle Material - G10
Blade Steel - S35VN, 59-61RC
Weight - 7.68oz
The FOG 451 compact and full size fixed blade are full tang construction and comes in two Cerakote coating options, cobalt black and flat dark earth. What is Cerakote you may ask? Cerakote is a ceramic based finish that can be applied to a varity of materials. The unique formulation used for Cerakote ceramic coating enhances a number of physical performance properties including abrasion/wear resistance, corrosion resistance, chemical resistance, impact strength, and hardness. Each of these properties is rigorously tested to guarantee that Cerakote products remain at the foreforont of the ceramic coatings market.
The blades on both models are constructed out of CPM-S35VN stainless steel with a drop point blade that features a main flat grind with a thick secondary swedge for maximum toughness and piercing ability. CPM-S35VN is a tougher version of the popular CPM S30V, due to the addition of niobium. With the addition of .5% niobium, niobium carbides are formed, making CPM S35VN tougher and better. Out of the box both of these came extremely sharp!
The two pictures above illustration the quality in the Cerakote finish. These pictures were taken after batoning about two dozen 6" round logs, breaking down about twenty or thirty heavty-duty shipping cardboard boxes and about eight bamboo teekee torches. Some companies offer cerakote but the quality just doesn't stand up to the rigorous tasks and in some cases rub off. That's not the case with these knives. And the edge retention is just sick! After all that cutting and chopping it's still hair popping sharp!
In the above picture I'd like to point out a few things I really like about both of these knives. First off is the jimping, as you can see it has jimping on the backspine that wrap down alone the broadside of he blade. That isn't a cosmetic touch, if your slicing something you can get thumb traction on the side of the blade for making precise cuts. Whether you're wearing gloves or barehanded, getting a solid grip is no problem even in wet conditions due to the substantial jimping and the wonderfully CNC machined G10 scales.
Another thing I really like about these knives is Jeff's attention to fine detail. And what I mean by that is the quality in the chamfered edges. Not only is the blade stock chamfered, but the G10 handles are chamfered as well. Here are some more pictures illustrating the chamfering and jimping:
Picture 1
Picture 2
In picture 2 above you can see there is a nice patch of jimping on the rear lower portion of the handle for added support in a regular cutting position or reverse grip. Also you get a loophole for attaching a lanyard.
The scales on these FOG 451 fixed blades are constructed from CNC machined G-10 with milled grooves for a secure and comfortable grip. They are fixed onto the tang with 3 bolts. The handle scales are nicely milled and chamfered as I mentioned earlier. They provide good grip and the knife feels good in the hand with no noticeable “hot spots” after repetitive hard use. The level of fit and finish on these two knives is very high, and one way to confirm that is by examining how the handle and the blade stock meet together. Examining the handle and the blade stock on the these knives reveals that everything is flush with no edges or gaps. This is a nod to the high quality control and production values Jeff adheres to.
For a knife that is meant to be used, a large and comfortable handle is very important and Jeff did a great job with the handle on these two knives! Color options for the G10 scales are: Black, Orange, Blue, Earth Brown, and Desert Sand.
Jeff offers these knives with two different sheaths: Kydex and a Spec-Ops design. I chose the kydex for my two FOG knives. The kydex thermo-formed sheath features a secure and tight friction fit with multiple attachment points for horizontal, vertical, PALS and 550 cord lashing/mounting. When you secure the knife in the sheath there is a nice snap as it fits together. There are small drain holes at the base of the sheath which helps keep the blade dry.
Inside each aside from your neatly packaged knife from Jeff you will receive a Freeman Outdoor Gear sticker and Jeffs business card with his personal mobile number. Little things like that aside from getting awesome quality knives really gave me a piece of mind and eager to do business with FOG again... And in fact I did..... But that review is another day *wink*
My final conclusion on the Freeman Outdoor Gear 451 Fixed Blades: The FOG 451 fixed blades are very heavy duty and high quality fixed blade knives. Whether you are looking for a small or something on the larger side the FOG 451 series fixed blades would be a great choice. I love that these knives are built in the USA to very high tolerances and is backed by a lifetime warranty. While these aren't the cheapest fixed blades on the block, I am a firm believer that you will definitely get what you pay for when buying one of these. And that's high quality materials, high attention to detail and best of all, made in America!
Definitely check out Jeffs work at Freeman Outdoor Gears website. He has some real nice neck knives and eventually will be releasing a folder which I am eager to see. You can also place a order for one of these knives on his website.
If you have any questions please feel free to post them below or you can follow me on your favorite social media site and ask me there.
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