- Joined
- Aug 25, 2009
- Messages
- 2,754
Recently I purchased this knife at a decent price, and have mixed feeling feelings about it. Great steel and excellent action, pleasing aesthetics, blue anodized(?) liners but with a couple of drawbacks, one of them an easy fix, the others not much of an issue.
The first one that pops to view is the proprietary pivot screw. If disassembly was required, it will take ingenuity and patience to take that one off without marring the finish. Not an issue now, but something to consider in the future. I have a 2-prong small tool that might fit, will check later. The rest of the screws have the same blue color as the liners, and have both a torx hole and slots for a small screwdriver, a nice detail.
The second issue becomes apparent when you try to flip it. I guess the people at Artisan decided to give the knife a truly shark-like profile, and the flipper looks like a shark's dorsal fin. The problem is that there is no jimping on it, and as it is a smooth, backward curve, trying a fast flip often results on the index slipping over it; a straight down push will defeat the detent and send the 4" blade flying out, but a casual flip could be frustrating. I do have flippers with no jimping on the tab, but they all have some dip, curve or horn-like projection to aid in grip. I decided it was no biggie, and took a diamond dremel cut wheel to it to add some lines. Haven't missed a flip since.
Third issue is more about perception, and I'm a bit wary to prove my point but eventually will try to resolve the question. The carbon fiber scales feel heavier, slicker and are missing the usual wavy lines seen on cf scales when looking at the sides. Upon closer inspection, a thin line can be seen from the top. I do suspect it is just a cf sticker over G10. On that note, I wouldn't mind if the knife is sold as having G10 scales as most of their offerings do (the D2 Shark has G10 scales), since it has an S35 blade, but I would prefer honesty. I wrote to Artisan a couple of weeks ago, pointing out these same issues, and have not received a reply.
Verdict? I'm keeping it. The knife has a very good steel, pleasing to my eye, the tab has been fixed, the deep carry clip and slim profile make it unobstructive in the pocket, and the real nature of the scales is not a deal breaker; on the other hand, had I paid what most sites are asking for it, I would have returned it. So far I have been impressed with Artisan knives quality, as this is my fourth knife from them.
thin line at the top, no waves. I will take a razor to it soon:
jimped tab
The first one that pops to view is the proprietary pivot screw. If disassembly was required, it will take ingenuity and patience to take that one off without marring the finish. Not an issue now, but something to consider in the future. I have a 2-prong small tool that might fit, will check later. The rest of the screws have the same blue color as the liners, and have both a torx hole and slots for a small screwdriver, a nice detail.
The second issue becomes apparent when you try to flip it. I guess the people at Artisan decided to give the knife a truly shark-like profile, and the flipper looks like a shark's dorsal fin. The problem is that there is no jimping on it, and as it is a smooth, backward curve, trying a fast flip often results on the index slipping over it; a straight down push will defeat the detent and send the 4" blade flying out, but a casual flip could be frustrating. I do have flippers with no jimping on the tab, but they all have some dip, curve or horn-like projection to aid in grip. I decided it was no biggie, and took a diamond dremel cut wheel to it to add some lines. Haven't missed a flip since.
Third issue is more about perception, and I'm a bit wary to prove my point but eventually will try to resolve the question. The carbon fiber scales feel heavier, slicker and are missing the usual wavy lines seen on cf scales when looking at the sides. Upon closer inspection, a thin line can be seen from the top. I do suspect it is just a cf sticker over G10. On that note, I wouldn't mind if the knife is sold as having G10 scales as most of their offerings do (the D2 Shark has G10 scales), since it has an S35 blade, but I would prefer honesty. I wrote to Artisan a couple of weeks ago, pointing out these same issues, and have not received a reply.
Verdict? I'm keeping it. The knife has a very good steel, pleasing to my eye, the tab has been fixed, the deep carry clip and slim profile make it unobstructive in the pocket, and the real nature of the scales is not a deal breaker; on the other hand, had I paid what most sites are asking for it, I would have returned it. So far I have been impressed with Artisan knives quality, as this is my fourth knife from them.
thin line at the top, no waves. I will take a razor to it soon:
jimped tab
