Graham Razel Knives

photoman12001

photoman12001

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May 23, 2008
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I've been interested in Razel (razor/chisel) design for a bit and picked up a couple of CRKT fixed blade versions over the past couple of months. The SS7 is an amusing knife but I'm not sure how useful it is, at least for me. I picked it up due to a deal via Woot. I've found the stubby fixed Razel to be pretty useful and carry it around quite a bit. I don't like its factory sheath much though. I was interested in a folder but after handling a few CRKT examples at a local store I decided against them.

Unfortunately the actual Graham & Graham Mid-Tech (GMT) Razel folders aren't readily available but I stumbled upon a GMT Stubby Razel Flipper last week and got a decent package deal on it with a small Chris Reeve Starbenza. Overall I think it's a neat little knife. A few thoughts:
  • I like the blade shape and I've found it cuts well. The tip is super sharp.
  • The main edge had some significant dings when I got it and wouldn't even slice through paper well. I was able to fix it up pretty nicely on my Sharp Maker with medium/fine/ultra fine stones and a strop. It slices pretty cleanly through paper now and even has a nice mirrored edge. The dings are still present but diminished.
  • The detent is very strong and the blade flips well with both a push button and light switch technique. The action was not great when I got it. I tore it apart and gave it a thorough cleaning which it needed badly. It has a nice action now.
  • The pivot would work loose so I used some Teflon tape on it which I prefer to Loctite when it works. When the pivot came loose lock stick became really bad, sometimes requiring two hands. Lock stick is light to non-existent when the knife is tuned properly.
  • The external fit/finish is good but I was a little surprised by the internals when took it apart. The pockets milled for the bearings were pretty rough. I expected better from a midtech (this is my first), especially given my experience with Chris Reeves and Hinderers at this price point.
  • I really like the look and shape of the knife. It's very small but fits my medium-size hand well and hides nicely in the fifth (watch) pocket of my jeans and khakis. The stonewash finish is simple and attractive. The little machining cut outs on the presentation side are unique and attractive.
  • The clip is certainly unique and discreet. It looks more like a pen clip than a knife clip. I'm not entirely sold on it though. It's a bit stiff and takes some manipulation for me to get it in/out of a pocket. It also seems like it would bend easily if caught on something and the clip does not appear to be user replaceable. The clip creates a very mild hot spot and pretty much nestles comfortably into the joints where the fingers meet the hand. I've actually been carrying it in a Raine sheath (#3 I think). I prefer to carry pricey knives in a sheath and carry my Chris Reeves that way too.
  • Overall I'm happy with it for the price I paid which was about $280. I probably would not pay much more for one though. It would be great if Zero Tolerance made a version of the folding Razel, something similar to the 0900 with the Razel blade shape, for around $200. That's the route I would have gone.
There's not much information out there about these Graham GMTs aside from a few YouTube videos. I was wondering who else might have one of these GMT Stubby Razels and what your experience has been with it.

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Shown here in the fifth pocket next to a Zero Tolerance 0808 with a deep carry clip in the main pocket.
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Good luck on your search. I've been looking for an inexpensive fixed blade razel for a couple years now without success; enough that I'm considering having a custom one made.
 
I had a custom fixed blade razel and it was a high quality knife. Jon's customs are in a different world quality wise. Delivery was around a year on mine, but I don't thing Jon is currently taking orders.
 
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Thanks for the review. It seems it would be a good utility blade. For that purpose, I'm not sure you would get much more out of a large.
 
JB in SC said:
I had a custom fixed blade razel and it was a high quality knife. Jon's customs are in a different world quality wise. Delivery was around a year on mine, but I don't thing Jon is currently taking orders.
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I'm just looking for a basic utility/scraper/knife to wear on duty. The CRKT small razel would have been perfect, but it's no longer made.
 
SCWillson said:
I'm just looking for a basic utility/scraper/knife to wear on duty. The CRKT small razel would have been perfect, but it's no longer made.
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I have definitely found that little CRKT stubby fixed blade to be a useful tool. I think I'm going to look into a better sheath for it, something with a smaller footprint.

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That's a pretty sweet little knife.

Yeah, there is a time wheb a chisel/pry bar with a sharp edge does make sense. A pry bar.. which just happens to also cut.
 
On the CRKT fixed Stubby the front edge seems to be pretty well convex. The front edge on the GMT Stubby and SS7 is a bevel.
 
I had a CRKT fixed stubby razel. Some asshole stole it out of my car.:mad:
 
photoman12001 said:
On the CRKT fixed Stubby the front edge seems to be pretty well convex. The front edge on the GMT Stubby and SS7 is a bevel.
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I'm going to correct myself on this. I took a look at the CRKT Stubby when I got home from dinner.
  • The front portion of the blade has a convex main grind but does have a secondary v grind bevel.
  • The main section has a hollow grind and secondary v grind bevel.
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What is the thickness of the Stubby Razel blade? At it thickest point.

I was looking online and there are lots of folding Razels on the big auction site at around $30.00 these seem to be made in China. Is there a way to tell which are USA made? I notice some have the scales going past the pivot and some not. Is that a distinguishing factor?
 
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I have the CRKT Ringed Razel (short fixed blade), and the CRKT large folder and the stubby folder Razels. I found the Ringed Razel a bit dangerous for me to carry as a regular knife as I always kept thinking it was a regular knife and I'd get cut if I wasn't paying attention. My intention was to try out the CRKT versions and then order one from Jon at his shop. But, ultimately, the CRKT versions are good enough for the limited use I put them through.

I bought the large Razel folder after they were discontinued and had a lot of trouble finding one. Found one at SMKW store and didn't even ask price. It is the one that I use the most for detailed scraping on jobs.

I need to stop by Jon's shop and see what he's up to.
 
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FOG2 said:
What is the thickness of the Stubby Razel blade? At it thickest point.

I was looking online and there are lots of folding Razels on the big auction site at around $30.00 these seem to be made in China. Is there a way to tell which are USA made? I notice some have the scales going past the pivot and some not. Is that a distinguishing factor?
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I wasn't sure which Stubby Razel you were asking about but here are the measurements I got.
CRKT Fixed Stubby Razel
  • Thickest point (at the spine): 0.1880"
  • Thickness behind the front cutting edge secondary bevel: 0.0570"
  • Thickness behind the main cutting edge secondary bevel: 0.0250"
Graham GMT Stubby Razel Flipper
  • Thickest point (at the spine): 0.1660"
  • Thickness behind the front cutting edge secondary bevel: 0.0360"
  • Thickness behind the main cutting edge secondary bevel: 0.0310"
As for country of origin, here is a summary of what I think to be the case but I'm not an expert so if anyone knows differently please correct me:
  • CRKT: Licensed production knives. I think all of the CRKT Razels were made in China. That's what Blade HQ lists as the country of origin for the various models I've looked at. If there were any US-made versions I'd like to check one out. As for the scales on the CRKT folders, I think the large version had full scales while the small version scales that only covered about 3/4 of the handle.
  • Graham Mid-Tech (GMT): A production facility makes the main components of the knife then the final build/fitting is done by Graham knives. This is my understanding of Mid-Techs in general and from what I've read there are a few (or maybe one) companies that make Mid-Tech components for many custom makers. My Stubby Razel Flipper is an example. These are US-made.
  • Graham Custom: A full custom knife built by Graham in the US.
 
The only Razels made in the US come out of Jon's shop, the mid techs were manufactured by Chad Nichols and assembled by Jon (IIRC).
 
Photo and JB thank you for the information. One of the adds I saw on the folding Razels stated something like this. "This is a U.S. made Razel not Chinese see the color of the box for confirmation"

The price was around $60.00 instead of the $30.ooish on some of the others. Seems he was misrepresenting it.

I am tempted to buy one as the price is low and I like the knife. Not that I need another knife.
 
I want one. I just drool looking at his site. Anybody know the turnaround on a custom from him. Every once in a while you can find one on sites like ArizonaC... but you have to be quick.
 
Boxer .45 said:
I want one. I just drool looking at his site. Anybody know the turnaround on a custom from him. Every once in a while you can find one on sites like ArizonaC... but you have to be quick.
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Jon hasn't taken any new custom orders in years.
 
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