The Wotan Project

The Wotan Project

Background:

"The Gebruder Weyersberg (Weyersberg Brothers) was founded in Solingen, Germany in 1787 and represented a tradition of forgers and sword makers dating back to the 1600’s. Operating in Brazil since 1932, under the name INDÚSTRIA e COMÉRCIO CORNETA S. A. the company had established a business making pocketknives using forged blades. Knives and scissors of many kinds of domestic cutlery were added to the line as the company grew. Increasing demand from the automotive industries led to Corneta focusing its production on forged auto parts almost exclusively.
Having been away from the cutlery industry for over twenty years, CORNETA made the wise decision to contract a custom knife maker to head up the project. Peter Hammer was chosen and brought to the project a deeply professional commitment to quality and functionality." Background History provided by Mr. Helio Barretos.

My Review:

Brazilian knifemaker Peter Hammer certainly did his homework before designing the new series of tactical knives for the Wotan Project. The knife I received for review has a seven and three quarter inch clip point saber ground blade. It is a very rugged knife, being approximately six millimeters thick. My sample blade has an unsharpened false edge and its overall shape somewhat resembles the popular Cold Steel™ SRK. While a clip point, saber ground knife is nothing out of the usual, this one is drop forged with an integral guard. Corneta’s trademark, a coronet, is stamped into the precisely formed ricasso. The low gloss black finish applied to the blade is similar to that found on many modern tactical knives. This Wotan knife was sharp enough to shave hair from my arm, but not razor sharp. Since this is a combat oriented knife, and not intended for slicing tomatoes or filleting fish, it is certainly sharp enough. The stout blade tip lies on center, which is something I advocate when buying a fighting knife.
The integral double guard is very well formed and smoothly radiused into the ricasso. This is one of one thousand knives in the series and the guard is stamped 00080. Accompanying the knife was a certificate of authenticity and quality signed by Peter Hammer. Although my Portuguese language skills are nonexistent, there are detailed instructions on how to maintain and re-sharpen the knife when it becomes necessary. I am sure that with importation of the knives into the USA the instructions will be printed in English.
The roughly four and one half inch long handle is molded in Kraton with crisp checkering and a lanyard tube. A well placed palm swell provides a comfortable and secure grip. The only negative I could find with this knife is that it was awkward to use a fencer’s grip on the handle. Resting my thumb against the guard forced my hand too far back and off the end of the handle. While a five inch handle might have been better, when held in a hammer grip the fit was excellent.
The quality of the sheath is far better than most of today’s competition. It is made from a heavy nylon web belting material folded and stitched up the sides, ending in a reasonably sized belt loop. It has an above average nylon strap and snap for retention. A metal extension on the snap allows one to easily unsnap the retainer, unlike those sheaths with only a floppy nylon tab to pull on. A right or left-hand arrangement of the strap can be accomplished by merely rotating the strap on its rivet from left to right. There is also a provision at the bottom of the sheath for a leg tie down if you desire to use one.
If I were going off to serve my country, or on an extended camping trip, this knife would readily handle most of the day to day chores and more than adequately fulfill a self-defense role as well. Other knives in the Wotan lineup include a shorter six inch blade and a choice of a saber or flat grind. Prices for these knives were not available at the time of the writing. The sample sent to me will be comparably priced to knives of similar quality and retail just under $200 according to Mr. Neto. Please contact me for further information.