I just got this knife in today and thought I would post a thread with my initial thoughts and review. I have not heard this maker, Brad Jansen, discussed here before that I recall. I stumbled upon his instagram page and asked if he takes orders. He does not, and I got the feeling knifemaking is more of a passion project than a full time career for him (he said that orders take all the fun out of it for him). However, he had some knives available and MAN OH MAN was it difficult to resist purchasing more than one. He had another similar but larger folder (I convinced myself I preferred not 1095 in a handmade knife, if only to differentiate it from my production knives) and several really incredible looking fixed blades (camp knife, bowie, hunter, bushcraft) all at really incredible seeming prices.
I went with a small Lanny's Clip style folder/slipjoint in CPM-154 and orange g10. I have been interested in the Lanny's Clip pattern for a while, and also liked his smaller interpretation of it. It is just under 3 3/8" closed. I think the orange g10 looks good, and gives it a working / using knife look similar to classic orange delrin.
I have quite wide hands, but am still able to get a comfortable 4 finger grip on the handle. It is really well formed and seems to have nice ergonomics in both a normal and pinch grip. Particularly in the pinch grip, the well rounded butt area fits into the palm of your hand for a secure hold. Sorry for the poor pictures, I didn't think to take them earlier. They show how it fits in those grips.
I have never had a knife if CPM-154 but I've heard good things, so I'm looking forward to seeing how well it maintains its edge. I asked if it was thinly ground for good slicing, as I wanted it to be a knife that would cut well and not just look good. Brad told me it was about .030" before sharpening, which is definitely thicker than most GEC knives which is what I'm used to mostly. However, the next day (after I had already agreed to purchase it actually) he told me he reground it thinner (on a 14" wheel) and gave it a hand rubbed finish (at no additional cost)! It seems to be ground thinly, it came hair shaving sharp, and the blade finish looks really great.
The action on this knife is incredible. Probably the best walk and talk I've had. It has mill relieved liners, so there is very little friction on opening and closing. I'd call the pull about a 6.5, but it is easily pinched open. The nail nick functions finely, but I do seem to gravitate toward pinching it open. It also is rock solid when open, with absolutely no discernable blade play or wobble. The pins are also all ground smoothly and fit well.
Now, I will be fair and point out the few imperfections it does have. The blade seems to prefer to sit slightly off center toward the pile side. It can be pushed to center and stay there, but when allowed to close normally it sits a millimeter or so off center. That said, it doesn't seem like hitting or rubbing on the liner will be an issue, it does not come close and doesn't seem to be worsening the more I open and close it. It also has some small gaps on both sides of the spring between the liners. I suspect this is either due to the milling process done to the liners. This is not something that I mind greatly, but a knife does look more refined without gaps. The spring sits slightly low, less than a millimeter maybe half, in the closed position. Again, this isn't something I mind greatly but it looks more refined if it does sit flush (as it does in the half stop and open positions). That said, I can definitely overlook these imperfections considering the materials, cool design, and superb walk and talk / action especially considering the price. Oh, and it came with a nice little pouch and note.
This knife was well under $200, which I wouldn't mention if it weren't relevant to the above paragraph. I think it's well worth what I paid for it and I look forward to seeing what folders Brad makes next. If you're interested in getting a well built hand made knife I suggest checking out Brad Jansen and seeing if he has anything available that interests you!
I went with a small Lanny's Clip style folder/slipjoint in CPM-154 and orange g10. I have been interested in the Lanny's Clip pattern for a while, and also liked his smaller interpretation of it. It is just under 3 3/8" closed. I think the orange g10 looks good, and gives it a working / using knife look similar to classic orange delrin.
I have quite wide hands, but am still able to get a comfortable 4 finger grip on the handle. It is really well formed and seems to have nice ergonomics in both a normal and pinch grip. Particularly in the pinch grip, the well rounded butt area fits into the palm of your hand for a secure hold. Sorry for the poor pictures, I didn't think to take them earlier. They show how it fits in those grips.
I have never had a knife if CPM-154 but I've heard good things, so I'm looking forward to seeing how well it maintains its edge. I asked if it was thinly ground for good slicing, as I wanted it to be a knife that would cut well and not just look good. Brad told me it was about .030" before sharpening, which is definitely thicker than most GEC knives which is what I'm used to mostly. However, the next day (after I had already agreed to purchase it actually) he told me he reground it thinner (on a 14" wheel) and gave it a hand rubbed finish (at no additional cost)! It seems to be ground thinly, it came hair shaving sharp, and the blade finish looks really great.
The action on this knife is incredible. Probably the best walk and talk I've had. It has mill relieved liners, so there is very little friction on opening and closing. I'd call the pull about a 6.5, but it is easily pinched open. The nail nick functions finely, but I do seem to gravitate toward pinching it open. It also is rock solid when open, with absolutely no discernable blade play or wobble. The pins are also all ground smoothly and fit well.
Now, I will be fair and point out the few imperfections it does have. The blade seems to prefer to sit slightly off center toward the pile side. It can be pushed to center and stay there, but when allowed to close normally it sits a millimeter or so off center. That said, it doesn't seem like hitting or rubbing on the liner will be an issue, it does not come close and doesn't seem to be worsening the more I open and close it. It also has some small gaps on both sides of the spring between the liners. I suspect this is either due to the milling process done to the liners. This is not something that I mind greatly, but a knife does look more refined without gaps. The spring sits slightly low, less than a millimeter maybe half, in the closed position. Again, this isn't something I mind greatly but it looks more refined if it does sit flush (as it does in the half stop and open positions). That said, I can definitely overlook these imperfections considering the materials, cool design, and superb walk and talk / action especially considering the price. Oh, and it came with a nice little pouch and note.
This knife was well under $200, which I wouldn't mention if it weren't relevant to the above paragraph. I think it's well worth what I paid for it and I look forward to seeing what folders Brad makes next. If you're interested in getting a well built hand made knife I suggest checking out Brad Jansen and seeing if he has anything available that interests you!
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