Grimsmo Norseman Crosshatch, Serial Number 5683
Look at the blade flat on this Grimsmo Norseman Crosshatch and you will see fine parallel lines running toward the edge. Those are not scratches and not a finish. John and Erik Grimsmo machined that grind in steps two thousandths of an inch apart, on a CNC, rather than grinding it.
The card signed by both brothers records the rest. Serial 5683, cryogenically treated RWL 34, stonewashed. Handles in 6AL-4V titanium cut with the Crosshatch pattern and finished silver. Purple hardware. Si3N4 ceramic bearings. Completed 7 February 2022. It joins our folding knives.
John and Erik Grimsmo
Two brothers in Ontario, Canada, who came to knifemaking through CNC machining rather than through a forge. That order matters. It shaped everything about how a Norseman gets built and why it costs what it does.
Grimsmo machines its own bearings, its own pivots, its own hardware, and the blades themselves. Almost nobody at this level does that. Most makers buy hardware and bearings from suppliers, but the brothers cut theirs in house, which is why the tolerances hold and the action does what it does. They sit among the master custom knifemakers whose work holds value.
Norseman means Man of the North. The name comes from the family’s Norwegian heritage.
A Grind That Was Machined Instead of Ground
Almost every knife blade in the world gets its grind from a belt. Grimsmo does it differently. The Norseman grind comes off a CNC in stepped passes, each one two thousandths of an inch from the last, which produces a continuous surface that will not snag on material as you cut.
The visual result is the striation you can see in every photograph of this blade. It reads as fine parallel lines under the stonewash, tightening as they approach the edge. No other maker’s blade looks quite like it. Our knife knowledge library covers what different grinds do.
The steel is RWL 34, a Swedish powder stainless. Grimsmo heat treats it in house to 60 to 61 HRC and cryogenically treats every blade. Blade length is 3.5 inches with 3.35 inches of cutting edge, at 0.125 inches thick. The tip is a rounded tanto, thick and deliberately blunt in profile, built to resist breaking rather than to pierce.
Crosshatch Titanium in Silver and Purple
Grimsmo randomises the finish, colour and milling pattern across Norseman production, so combinations rarely repeat. This one pairs the Crosshatch pattern with a silver finish and purple anodized hardware.
Crosshatch is a tight diagonal grid milled into the 6AL-4V titanium. It grips without biting, which is the hard part of any texture pattern. Silver titanium hides carry marks better than any anodized colour, so this configuration wears well rather than showing every contact.
Against that neutral handle, every fastener runs purple: pivot screws, body screws, standoffs and the thumb lug. The knife measures 8.7 inches open and 4.98 inches closed, with the assembled handle 0.4 inches thick and the whole thing at 5.15 ounces. Read how to choose a custom knife for how material choices affect value over time.
Condition and What’s Included with This Grimsmo Norseman Crosshatch
This Grimsmo Norseman Crosshatch is preowned and in excellent condition. It carries no damage and no modification. The silver titanium shows no marks we could find, and the blade engraving and hardware anodizing are both intact. Read how we grade before you buy.
The kit matters on a Grimsmo. Knives separated from their card and case sell at a discount, and this one retains everything:
- Card of Authenticity, hand completed and signed by both John Grimsmo and Erik Grimsmo, recording the serial, materials, finish, colours and completion date
- Grimsmo hardshell foam-lined storage case with the Grimsmo Knives mark on the lid
- Bondhus T9 Torx driver
- Nano-Oil lubricant applicator
- Grimsmo Knives sticker
Grimsmo Norseman Crosshatch Specifications
Materials and colours are transcribed from the signed Card of Authenticity. Dimensions follow Grimsmo’s published specification for the Norseman. Compare it against our preowned collector knives.
- Maker: Grimsmo Knives, Ontario, Canada
- Makers: John Grimsmo and Erik Grimsmo
- Model: Norseman
- Serial Number: 5683, engraved on the blade and recorded on the card
- Date Completed: 7 February 2022
- Type: Custom folding knife, flipper
- Lock: Titanium frame lock with steel lockbar insert
- Overall Length (open): 8.700 in / 221.0 mm
- Blade Length: 3.500 in / 88.9 mm
- Cutting Edge Length: 3.350 in / 85.1 mm
- Closed Length: 4.980 in / 126.5 mm
- Blade Thickness: 0.125 in / 3.18 mm
- Handle Thickness (assembled): 0.400 in / 10.16 mm
- Weight: 5.150 oz / 146.0 g
- Blade Steel: RWL 34, cryogenically treated
- Hardness: 60 to 61 HRC
- Blade Finish: Stonewashed over stepped CNC milling
- Blade Profile: Tanto with a rounded tip
- Handle Material: 6AL-4V titanium
- Milling Pattern: Crosshatch
- Handle Finish: Silver
- Hardware Colour: Purple anodized
- Bearings: Si3N4 ceramic
- Pocket Clip: Titanium, hidden screw, Grimsmo shield engraved at the base
- Lanyard: Lanyard hole at the butt
- Country of Origin: Canada
- Condition: Preowned, excellent
- SKU: 00189-GRIM-NORSEMAN-5683-CROSSHATCH-20220207
- Included: Signed Card of Authenticity, hardshell case, T9 driver, Nano-Oil, sticker
Video Description: 2022 Grimsmo Norseman
The Grimsmo Norseman, serial 5683, preowned and excellent. John and Erik Grimsmo built it in Canada and completed it on 7 February 2022. The blade is 3.5 inches of cryogenically treated RWL 34, stonewashed, with a 3.35 inch cutting edge. Fine parallel lines run toward the edge. Those are stepped milling cuts, two thousandths of an inch apart. The tip is a rounded tanto.
Handles are 6AL-4V titanium in Grimsmo’s Crosshatch pattern, finished silver. Purple anodized hardware runs throughout: pivot screws, body screws, standoffs and the thumb lug. It locks on a titanium frame lock with a steel lockbar insert, running on Si3N4 ceramic bearings. Open length is 8.7 inches, closed 4.98 inches, weight 5.15 ounces. It ships with its hard case, signed card, T9 driver and Nano-Oil.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the lines on the blade?
Stepped milling. Grimsmo machines the grind on a CNC in passes two thousandths of an inch apart instead of grinding it on a belt. That produces a continuous surface which does not snag on material as it cuts, and it leaves the fine striation you can see under the stonewash.
Why does the serial number matter on a Norseman?
Grimsmo numbers every knife and issues a card recording that knife’s exact configuration. Serial 5683 is engraved on the blade and written on the card in the brothers’ hand. The two together tie this specific object to its build.
How rare is this configuration?
Grimsmo varies finish, colour and milling pattern across production rather than running fixed batches, so combinations rarely repeat. Silver Crosshatch titanium with purple hardware is not a catalogue option you could have ordered. It is what came out of the shop that week.
Does the original case and card affect value?
Yes, materially. Grimsmos separated from their card and case sell at a clear discount on the secondary market. This one retains the signed card, the hardshell case, the T9 driver, the Nano-Oil and the sticker. See how we document provenance.
How does it ship?
Insured, in its original hardshell case with the card. Full terms sit in our shipping and return policy.
Buy This Grimsmo Norseman Crosshatch
We inspected this Grimsmo Norseman Crosshatch in hand and described exactly what we found. Nothing here is guesswork. See the rest of their work on the Grimsmo Knives brand page. If Grimsmos are sitting unused in your safe, we will make you an offer when you sell your knife collection.
