By Terry Houin
When I first joined the team at Field Ethos, Jason tasked me with designing a new collaboration with the incredible team at Winkler Knives. His only direction was to “design something you would use that’s cool,” so my mind immediately went to a Rambo-style knife with a saw blade and wire cutter built in. It would need a hollow handle for my waterproof matches and fishing hooks for when the shit hits the fan and the compass so I can navigate through the trenches.
Then my mind jumped to a concealable assassin’s razor-sharp spike that I could slide into my victim’s kidney on a crowded street and be gone before anyone in the crowd realized that the man bleeding out in front of them had let his moral lapses cross the wrong path. I briefly considered a heavy-duty field knife that I could cut down trees, start a fire, or fight a grizzly with before reality came back into play. I finally figured I should design something a little more practical for everyday use for the Field Ethos family.
With functionality and usability at the forefront, I started writing down the different attributes that I wanted to incorporate for an everyday carry-type blade that would also function well cleaning and skinning animals. I I have a tendency to shoot a lot of animals each year.
FE HOuin X Winkler Sweet T Features
First was the overall size, as it needed to be small enough to carry daily without getting in the way or being too cumbersome for people. We settled with an overall length just under 8 inches with the blade being about 3.5 inches and full tang for maximum strength. This size is big enough to fit the average hand comfortably to allow a good grip when using the knife. The remaining 3.5 inches of blade would be a hybrid of a skinning blade with a nice curve to the belly for caping animals. A drop point aids daily use around the house or some wet work.
With the big pieces laid out, it was time to fine tune a few things. On the spine of the knife we added a thumb ramp with texturing and an index finger groove for when you really need to put some pressure down. I also wanted to curve the design from the tip to the butt for a more concealable blade for those carrying IWB or cross draw. Not to mention, the curve makes it a little more comfortable skinning multiple animals.
The butt of the knife has a lanyard cutout and is slightly extended for those that like to use them as hammers or persuasion devices. The grips will come in two different styles, with one batch being sculpted maple for a durable textured finish. The other batch will have a smooth finish and an exotic wood for those wanting a fancier, more dressed up EDC to fit their buttoned up daily lifestyle. On the point, we have added a bit of a false edge for some style points and extra character, not that this Sweet T needs it.
Cost: $365
Pros: Overall, I’m pretty stoked at how the Sweet T turned out. The prototype has already cleaned and skinned double-digit animals in multiple states and two continents without a hiccup. Only some moderate sharpening along the way.
Two very biased thumbs up on this collaboration with Winkler. Would make the perfect Friday gift for yourself and your 10 best friends.
Cons: You’ll wish you could carry two of them.
