- Joined
- Jan 21, 2000
- Messages
- 8,888
This big folder has the smoothest, most solid action I've felt on a liner lock. I'd just about given up on finding a truly unyielding liner lock -- everything I've tried to date has had at least some slight blade play. This one is dead solid, whether the blade is opened gently--even delicately--or thrown open hard.
The workmanship on the 420V blade is precise, from the symmetry of its grinds to the evenness of the bead blast finish. Kit does his own heat treat, leaving the blade at about 58 RC. Working this steel is not easy, and many knifemakers won't attempt it. As an aside, Kit offers blade options in the toughtest, strongest, and most corrosion resistant materials available, without regard to the difficulty involved in working the material. I have a forged Cobalt 6B alloy fixed-blade hunter Kit collaborated on, which is one of my most highly prized pieces.
The clip style blade on this Model 4 is very wide and substantial for its handle size--an excellent blade-to-handle ratio, with a very beefy, broad-bellied blade for heavy work but with a good thin point for the delicate stuff. Ergonomics of the handle are subtle, sure and very pleasing.
This knife has bead-blast titanium bolsters and micarta slabs--more detail and pics on Kit's website. Nothing flashy here--an all-performance workhorse.
I've been doing quite a bit of trading on the exchange forums over the past several months, and I've had a chance to look at quite a few folders from other makers in the $300-$600 price range. Many of them are prettier than the Model 4, with all kinds of exotic materials and blade/handle designs. But none of them has moved me to put up an impression here on the Reviews forum for quite a long time--this one did it. Just thought I'd share that reaction.
--Will
The workmanship on the 420V blade is precise, from the symmetry of its grinds to the evenness of the bead blast finish. Kit does his own heat treat, leaving the blade at about 58 RC. Working this steel is not easy, and many knifemakers won't attempt it. As an aside, Kit offers blade options in the toughtest, strongest, and most corrosion resistant materials available, without regard to the difficulty involved in working the material. I have a forged Cobalt 6B alloy fixed-blade hunter Kit collaborated on, which is one of my most highly prized pieces.
The clip style blade on this Model 4 is very wide and substantial for its handle size--an excellent blade-to-handle ratio, with a very beefy, broad-bellied blade for heavy work but with a good thin point for the delicate stuff. Ergonomics of the handle are subtle, sure and very pleasing.
This knife has bead-blast titanium bolsters and micarta slabs--more detail and pics on Kit's website. Nothing flashy here--an all-performance workhorse.
I've been doing quite a bit of trading on the exchange forums over the past several months, and I've had a chance to look at quite a few folders from other makers in the $300-$600 price range. Many of them are prettier than the Model 4, with all kinds of exotic materials and blade/handle designs. But none of them has moved me to put up an impression here on the Reviews forum for quite a long time--this one did it. Just thought I'd share that reaction.
--Will
