Ebony & Ivory...UF>>><<< Shiv handle interchangeability trial

[PeteyTwoPointOne]

Ebony and Ivory /
Live together in perfect harmony/
Side by side on my...

DGUF & Shivivvvvvv-yyy

If someone's already done this comparison with pics, I haven't seen it...if you have, I apologize I'm not trying to outdo you....

The subjects:
a. A DGUF with Black G10 dual textured handles
b. A Shiv with Bone G10 dual textured handles

Top down view width comparison:

My two blades, without handles, measured with my micrometer:
a. DGUF thickness at backstrap above center Torx hole without handles-- as pictured = .187"
b. Shiv thickness at backstrap above center Torx hole without handles-- as pictured = .236"

Handles only, matched back to back:
a. DGUF handles <unmounted> width at thickest point-- as pictured = .630"
b. Shiv handles <unmounted> width at thickest point-- as pictured = .721"

Now for the switcheroo!
Shiv handles mounted on DGUF and vice versa:

Subjective summary:
I personally really liked the feel of the Shiv with the thinner UF handles mounted up...as a bonus it still fit really well inside my BuyBrown pancake...matter of fact it was easier to draw out of that particular sheath with the UF handles. No rattle, either unless I really shook it.

The DGUF definitely was a chonk with the Shiv slabs. No doubt some CPKers would love it, but there's no way in H- E - double hockey sticks it's gonna fit in the Mashed Cat pancake. Still I think this config. would land in someone's wheelhouse. Nathan's told us the UF philosophy of use was designed for a more svelte footprint and I consider that the best config. for this model with its intended slabs.

The handles mate up with the Torx holes perfectly as this overlay shot will attest to...
note how perfectly the tips match distally...good stuff:

The Shiv cutouts differ a bit from the DGUF, but that doesn't affect handle fitment.

I'd say the handles in my particular trial fit interchangeably with 99.44/100 fitment accuracy. The only thing that kept them from fitting perfectly was along the backstrap area of the spine, the handles were a hair proud on one knife, a bit short on the other. But the difference was so tiny I couldn't even capture it on my phone.

Also of note, the Shiv Torx/Tubes would slide in/out even when tightened to the limit just a hair when mounted on the UF blank, but if I really wanted to get fine, I'm pretty confident that could be tweaked by changing out the tubes, but I didn't do that because I didn't want to bust the thread locker on the matching, respective hardware.

Nathan and the crew's machining and metallurgy skills get a lot of well deserved praise. But I want this thread to call some attention to the hardware and handles. The near seamless interchangeability of these components is a thing of beauty to me. I've found the tolerances to be outstanding.

I'm also a texture snob. I love the ergonomic design of the handles and I especially love the machining and feel of the texture. Grabbing a CPK is like grabbing a Big Mac at McDonald's-- you know what to expect every time and every time the expectation/experience is met!

A couple parting cheesecake shots showcasing the texturing I enjoy so much...thanks Nathan the Machinist @Jo the Machinist :

 

[Nathan the Machinist]

the holes line up but the profile of the tangs are slightly different so you will get a little bit of proud scale and tang here and there if you swap Shiv with UF. They're similar but they're not the same.

 

[PeteyTwoPointOne]

the holes line up but the profile of the tangs are slightly different so you will get a little bit of proud scale and tang here and there if you swap Shiv with UF. They're similar but they're not the same.

yup, but they're close enough for government work

 

[Comprehensivist]

Great photos and write-up PeteyTwoPointOne . I love to see this kind of experimentation to determine what works and what doesn't. The stacked overlay shot in particular is really well done.

I had that same G10 handle combo on the Shiv I traded a couple of years ago to our friend in Morro Bay. I didn't care for how slick it felt. It's nice to know that a swap to thinner TeroTuf or unbuffed micarta UF scales is a possibility if another Shiv comes my way someday.

Thanks for an awesome post!

Phil

 

[PeteyTwoPointOne]

Great photos and write-up PeteyTwoPointOne . I love to see this kind of experimentation to determine what works and what doesn't. The stacked overlay shot in particular is really well done.

I had that same G10 handle combo on the Shiv I traded a couple of years ago to our friend in Morro Bay. I didn't care for how slick it felt. It's nice to know that a swap to thinner TeroTuf or unbuffed micarta UF scales is a possibility if another Shiv comes my way someday.

Thanks for an aesome post!

Phil

Phil, no problem, I really enjoy creating threads like this.

And yup, if you're gonna swap some new slabs onto an existing Shiv, you're likely only gonna be able to go with UF's for the swap. I don't think there's a lot of original Shiv handles loose in the wild or even at CPK mothership, at that.

I have some unbuffed tri rag UF handles I've swapped onto the Shiv and it's yummy. I just didn't picture them because it didn't fit with my theme.

But yes sir the interchangeability of slabs between these two models gives lots of possibilities both fashion wise and function wise ...I love it.

 

[tinfoil hat timmy]

yup, but they're close enough for government work

Ba dum, CHING!