By Phil Spano
Ravens. Crows. Whatever you want to call them. I see them everywhere I go. People say a lot of things about what that may or may not signify, but the continued presence of animals usually mean that you have a spirit guide. Now I thought that my spirit guide was a bear but it seems I’ve been mistaken.
So depending on how you see this, seeing a crow or raven can either be a bad omen, or a sign that things are changing around you, which I guess could be considered a bad omen depending on your situation but I like to keep thing’s positive.
Change is good. It’s good for your soul and your spirit. Continuing to do the same thing over and over and not getting different results is the literal definition of insanity.
Where were we? Oh, right, knives.
So typically you’d see a fixed blade knife in my pockets, but when Real Steel released the Huginn and Muninn, I want them just for the name.
Huginn and Muninn, if you don’t follow mythology or sci-fi shows, were Odin’s ravens. They were said to be helping spirits of his. Messengers, basically. They would fly around and come back to report to Odin in what they had seen, which is why he is sometimes referred to as the all-father because he knows everything thanks to these two birds.
I could go on forever talking about Odin and his ravens, but that’s not what we’re here for. In this article I’m going to give you the scoop on the Real Steal Muninn (moo-nin).
I picked this knife up mainly because of the name of it. I’ve always been intrigued with Odin and I figured why not give them a try.
The Muninn from Real Steel is an 8.22” knife with O.D. Green G-10 handles that are so damn grippy that even in the wettest conditions wouldn’t slip out of your hands. It has a 3.62” VG-10 blade with a false edge on one side making it almost a spear point but only has the edge on one side. The shape of this is very interesting. If you look at it right and you have an imagination, it almost looks like a ravens face.
The locking mechanism is very familiar with the slide lock, which is very similar to Benchmade’s axis lock.
The deployment is thumb studs and the jimping on top is in the perfect position for thumb grip.
The Muninn was designed as more of a tactical option where the Huginn was more for EDC. It has a fairly quick deployment which very smooth action on bronze washers. A reversible deep carry pocket clip held on by just one screw on the butt (uhuhuh) of the knife, and a g-10 backspacer.
Overall the RealSteel Muninn is a great knife for everyday use. I’ve put it through its paces like I do with any knife. This was my first introduction to VG-10 and while it doesn’t hold an edge all that great, it is fairly easy to sharpen and the coating they put on it hasn’t scraped or worn away yet with me cutting through wires, boxes, tape, and anything else I could find.
Don’t take my word for it though, this thing is priced right with budget in mind if you’re cool with G-10 at around $107 and I’ve seen them in micarta for around $137. It is a lot of knife for not a lot of money that you’ll find yourself flicking open and closed on your way into work in the morning and then opening your packages or cutting holes in sheet rock when you’re working.
The Muninn from RealSteel Knives. Go check one out for yourself!
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