Lionsteel Shuffler short review (and rant)

miso2

miso2

Joined
Nov 19, 2014
Messages
2,633
Hi all,


I've got another modern slip joint knife, Lionsteel Shuffler Barlow, since I was so impressed with the construction of their Bolus Otnat.
Mine is directly from the manufacturer, not CK.

Shuffler.jpg



The specs
Code: 
                         Barlow               Otnat REK regrind     Proper Krein regrind         Wasp
  Overall length:        168 mm (6.61")       168 mm (6.61”)        170 mm (6.69")               176 mm (6.93”)
  Closed length:         95 mm (3.74")        97 mm (3.82”)         97.8 mm (3.85")              101 mm (3.98”)
  Blade Length:          74 mm (2.91")        73 mm (2.87”)         72 mm (2.83")                75 mm (2.95”)
  Blade thickness:       2.54 mm (0.1")       2.54 mm (0.1”)        2.04 mm (0.08")              2.3 mm (0.09”)
  Primary grind angle:   7.4 inclusive        8.8 inclusive         6.4 inclusive                4.8 inclusive
  BTE at 15 DPS:         0.64 mm (0.025")     0.13 mm (0.005”)      0.25 mm (0.01")              0.23 mm (0.009”)
  Edge angle:            20 DPS               15 DPS                20 DPS                       15 DPS
  Blade material:        M390                 M390                  S30V                         S90V
  Blade grind:           Flat                 Flat                  Flat                         Flat
  Handle thickness:      11.85 mm (0.47")     13.14 mm (0.52”)      11 mm (0.43")                16 mm with clip (0.63”)
  Closed width:          24.64 mm (0.97")     29.8 mm (1.17")       30 mm (1.18")                30 mm (1.181")
  Handle material:       Natural Micarta      Red linen Micarta     Canvas Micarta               Orange G10
  Weight:                60 g (2.12 oz)       67 g (2.36 oz)        57 g (2 oz)                  78 g (2.75 oz)
  Nail nick:             Double               Double                Single                       Single
  Stops:                 One                  One                   One                          Three
  Pull (5 for SAK):      5~6                  6                     5~6                          7
  Pinchable:             Yes                  Yes                   Yes                          Yes
  Pocket clip:           No                   No                    No                           Yes
  Lanyard hole:          No                   Yes                   Yes                          No
  Internal stop pin:     Yes                  Yes                   Yes                          Yes
 
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It is a very well constructed knife just like Otnat.
Nice walk and talk.
Good fit and finish.
The only and big complaint about the knife is the blade.
Just too thick behind the edge!

I saw some Youtube reviews and comparisons to the Roundhead.
They all say that Shuffler is better ground and thinner behind the edge than the original Roundhead.
Even though I was intrigued more with the Roundhead blade, I bought Shuffler because of that.

It appeared not too thick behind the edge at the stock 20~21 DPS angle.
But it was already 0.02" or so at that angle and became 0.025" after sharpening at 15 DPS.
Why this small thin slip joint has to have the edge as thick as a batoning knife!?
It's just beyond me.


I like to eat carrots as a snack and often cut them with a knife I carry.
Shuffler splits/breaks them instead of cutting/slicing them.
I also have to apply a lot of pressure to do so.

My Otnat is superbly reground by Josh at REK to 0.005" BTE and cuts really really well despite its short saber grind.
With the primary grind at the steep >8 degree, I guess the original blade would be a terrible slicer with BTE of 0.025".
The original Proper would also be a terrible slicer with the short saber grind and thick BTE.
Krein regrind Proper is, to me, what this blade is supposed to be in the first place as a sub 3" pocket knife.
It also is a good slicer.

Otnat_Proper.jpg
 
Back to the Shuffler.
I was almost ditching it in a drawer because of the thick edge and poor slicing performance.
But, man, the look, feel, and action are phenomenal.

So in desperation, I decided to thin the edge myself.
I took #120 silicon carbide paper and sanded the blade with more pressure toward the edge bevel than to the spine.
After about 40 min, I was able to remove 0.1~0.2 mm layer of metal from each side.

Shuffler_sanded.jpg


(If you try this, dull the edge first. Otherwise, you would cut yourself deep.)


Then, went up to #180 paper.
The original plan was to polish the blade by going through increasing grits up to #2,000 and then finish with #600 satin.
But at the #180 paper, the scratch pattern looked pretty good, and I was tired.
So I just finished it with #1,000 paper.

After the 1 hour struggle, BTE came down to about 0.01", now comparable to that of Proper.

Shuffler_Proper.jpg




It cuts really well, like GEC 73, with good edge retention as a bonus.
I am happy with the look of the blade, too.


I am not sure if I can recommend this knife to others.
If you are a sucker for slicing blades like me, I wouldn't.
Otherwise, it is a beautiful knife and fun to operate.
M390 takes a keen edge, and the knife does cut.
It just doesn't slice as well as traditional slip joint knives (or Manly Wasp).

I hope Lionsteel grinds their slip joint thinner on their future products.
They are capable of making the high precision Thrill, so I am certain they can easily do it.

Anyway, in the mean time, I may get their Roundhead as well, as I know I can make the edge thinner.


Thanks for reading.
Cheers.

Shuffler_beer.jpg
 
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Nice write up and well done on the thinning. It looks nice. As someone who recently embarked on that mission for a chef's knife, I can appreciate your effort and result!
 
Eli Chaps said:
Nice write up and well done on the thinning. It looks nice. As someone who recently embarked on that mission for a chef's knife, I can appreciate your effort and result!
Click to expand...

Thanks!

I have done a similar thinning task on Spydiechef before.
It was much harder and more time consuming just because the blade is bigger than Shuffler's.
Thinning a Chef's knife would be quite a task.

Good luck with your endeavor.
And show us yours when it's done.
 
miso2 said:
Thanks!

I have done a similar thinning task on Spydiechef before.
It was much harder and more time consuming just because the blade is bigger than Shuffler's.
Thinning a Chef's knife would be quite a task.

Good luck with your endeavor.
And show us yours when it's done.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it was a good experience but I won't do it again by hand. Just too big. The knife cuts like a dream now but the finish isn't spectacular and I haven't been inclined to care. :)
 
A rugged knife that slices like a dream is, to me, a lot better than a beautiful shiny looking knife that doesn't work even as a good wedge.
Also, the long hand rubbing sessions gave some sentimental values to the Shuffler and Spydiechef.
I think the effort paid off.
 
Nice write up and thanks for sharing your results.

I like and appreciate a thinner knife for something carried in the pocket as well.

Splitting things is not as graceful as a nice clean cut can be.
 
Just a heads-up.

I purchased mine from Lionsteel.
I wanted one with Micarta, and what I got is the only one with Micarta.
CK had two versions of naturally colored Micarta, natural Micarta and natural canvas Micarta.
The former is much darker than the latter.

From the picture in their product page, I mistakenly thought that the one Lionsteel offers is the lighter natural canvas Micarta.
But it was actually the darker natural Micarta version.
 
Wow Miso, you did an awesome job!

I’ve had two Lionsteel knives (still have one).
Both were thick behind the edge.
 
Thanks, 4mer_FMF!
They would be truly awesome knives, if they were ground much thinner!
 
Thanks for the review. I just picked one up off the exchange, and I'll have to compare the slicing to my GEC #73 Trapper in gator bone soon.

IMG_0124.JPG
IMG_0122.JPG
 
I ordered mine with G10 covers because I wanted an ultra durable slipjoint with the benefit of a modern stainless blade. A super thin slicer was the least of my concerns. 🤷🏻‍♂️
 
Lee D said:
I ordered mine with G10 covers because I wanted an ultra durable slipjoint with the benefit of a modern stainless blade. A super thin slicer was the least of my concerns. 🤷🏻‍♂️
Click to expand...
Same here, slicing a carrot vs breaking/splitting a carrot when cutting didn't even cross my mind :D The micarta scales do feel very tough and durable.
 
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