New to collecting... Hell of a forum you have here! *updated*

Ugh. My weekend (Monday/Tuesday) went by waaaaay too fast.

On the plus side, I got to spend the entire day today sharpening knives (I did seven) and watching videos on Edge Pro tips. I'm really liking how easy it is to pick up and I'm just really loving the system overall. Thanks again @bhyde! My left arm is still partly useless because of my shoulder surgery so the clip side edge of my knives tend to turn out better than the display side, but my ability and speed has already GREATLY improved compared to when I first started with Edge Pro a dozen knives ago. After talking to Mr. Dale from Edge Pro I ended up ordering a 1000 grit stone to replace the 800 I'm using now... And I plan on picking up the 2300 grit and 4000 grit polishing stones in the next month or so when I get a bit better with the system. I'm LOVING the drill stop collar, quick release spring and magnets so far. I have to change the masking tape more often with the magnets, but it makes it a lot easier to sharpen with my gimpy arm.

I've been using an AngleCube to set the edges exactly where I want them and the drill stop collar has kept that angle to within a small fraction of a degree (the MadRookieSBL video on this is excellent). It's pretty awesome. I've mainly been sharpening kitchen knives and setting the angle to 18 degrees simply because I wanted some practice reprofiling and I liked the number, lol. I think I'll probably go back and reprofile all of them to around 15 degrees now that I'm a bit more practiced as I tend to like Japanese kitchen knives over American kitchen knives and most of the ones I've used have had a 15 degree edge. We'll see how it holds up on my Victorinox chef knives. I think I'm going to reprofile all/most of my pocket knives to a 20 degree edge with the edge pro and then use the sharpmaker to set and maintain the secondary bevel at 15 degrees. Anyone think that's a terrible idea??

The other cool thing about the system is that it's been teaching me a bit about different steels. The first knife I sharpened was made of high carbon steel (KAI Pure Komachi 2) and the second knife I sharpened was a Gerber Gator with 420HC. I was able to easily get the high carbon blade to a hair shaving sharpness right off the bat, while I was only able to scrape hair away with a little difficulty after sharpening the 420HC. I've also been able to get longer blades (chef knives) sharper than smaller blades so far for some reason.

Here's a pic of my very first attempt with the Edge Pro a couple weeks ago. It's on a small KAI paring knife. I used the 120 to reprofile (probably wasn't needed) and then progressively went through the 220, 320, 800 and then hit it a with a couple light passes with the 2000 grit tape. It's not a perfect mirror or anything, but I was proud of my first attempt, lol. I'll be sure to post a new pic when the 1000 grit stone arrives to show the difference a couple weeks has made. :)

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Also... New Knife Day!!

I picked up that Morakniv Bushcraft Survival that I traded my Seal Pup Elite for. :D My buddy was feeling extra generous and threw in a couple extra Moras he had laying around (a Companion with Sandvik and a Clipper with Carbon) bringing my total of Moraknives up to four, lol. The Bushcraft will be my new belt knife while I'm camping and the Companion, Craftline Pro S and Clipper will be food prep knives while camping.

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I think I'm going to buy one more stone to bridge the gap from the Norton 100/280 Crystolon and the strop with Bark River Black and White compounds I have. Any suggestions? I was thinking maybe a cheaper 1000/6000 grit waterstone like a King or something. I don't need anything too fancy at this point as I'll just be using it on the Moras and the Svord since I have the Edge Pro for everything else.

I also have a couple really cool knives coming, but it looks like they're a month or so out so I'll wait until then to talk about that. :)
 
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Welcome and hope you are enjoying the hobby.

Here's a Jarrett Fleming fixed blade

http://s462.photobucket.com/user/gadawg24/media/IMG_8061_zpsmeqjq8vn.jpg.html

Here's a J. Oeser slippie!
http://joeserknives.blogspot.com/?m=1

I've been at it a while running in circles and have settled comfortably into Spydercos for regular modern knife use. But these 2 makers still tickle me pink.

The fixed blade maker comes from what only can be described as a school

https://fiddlebackforge.com

Some great makers to keep in the back of your mind!

I had a Fleming talus for a bit but traded which I shouldn't have done, lol.
 
The Edge Pro 1000 grit stone came in a day early! I work tonight, but I don't go in until 4:30pm tomorrow so I plan on giving the 1000 a go first thing tomorrow. From what I understand, the 1000 should both cut and clean up easier than the 800, while still leaving a better finish. I also have the leveling plate on the way. It'll be great for leveling the sharpening stones, but the other reason I got it is because I don't love how the suction cups on the Edge Pro Apex adhere (or don't) to some surfaces. They work great on the dining room table, but not so well on the executive desk I use as a computer desk. I'm also giving a little thought to picking up the Small Knife Attachment for the Edge Pro too...

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On a side note... I am absolutely blown away by how sharp you can take a knife with just a double sided strop with black and white compound. It's unreal.

Welcome and hope you are enjoying the hobby.

Here's a Jarrett Fleming fixed blade

http://s462.photobucket.com/user/gadawg24/media/IMG_8061_zpsmeqjq8vn.jpg.html

Here's a J. Oeser slippie!
http://joeserknives.blogspot.com/?m=1

I've been at it a while running in circles and have settled comfortably into Spydercos for regular modern knife use. But these 2 makers still tickle me pink.

The fixed blade maker comes from what only can be described as a school

https://fiddlebackforge.com

Some great makers to keep in the back of your mind!

I had a Fleming talus for a bit but traded which I shouldn't have done, lol.

Wow.... That Jarrett Fleming is stunning! I love the handle and the beaten steel. /drool

That Fiddleback Forge knife on their homepage is incredible too! Holy crap. Are those handles just dyed wood?
I'm REALLY liking their work! When it comes time to drop a little money on a higher end fixed blade I think I'm going to look deeply into Fiddleback Forge.

Thanks for the links! I have sooo many incredible bookmarks because of this forum. :D
 
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Alot of the handle materials are stabilized woods or stuff like Shadetree Burlap Micarta which are a lovely material!
 
Alot of the handle materials are stabilized woods or stuff like Shadetree Burlap Micarta which are a lovely material!

Thank you for bringing stabilized wood to my attention! I remember thinking it was really cool back when stabilized wood tables and rings started getting popular, but I completely forgot about it!

The first custom fixed blade I have created personally for me is starting to come together in my head a bit! I'm thinking a stabilized wood and Timascus sloping handle with a simple drop point blade with a finger choil.
 
I'll make a thread about it if I don't get an answer here... But I have a question about finding a custom bladesmith and custom scale maker.

I would like to have a small, thin blade made with mokume gane (it will be a show piece, not a user and I'm trying to avoid galvanic corrosion so probably nickel and copper). The scales would be made out of basalt fiber.

How do you go about it when you are looking to have something very specific made out of very specific materials that aren't exceptionally common? Do you just go through the "The Custom Shop: Services Offered" subforum and start sending messages? Or is there a better way to go about this?
 
Just a small update today. I ordered a Norton India stone and it just came in. :) I figured I might as well, since I now have four Moras and a Svord to maintain by freehand sharpening. It should go along nicely with the Norton Crystolon that I already have. I'll probably end up picking up a couple Arkansas stones here soon too. For now I have some bench stone shaped sandpaper (400, 600, 1000, 1500, 2000, 25000) that I plan on using up to bridge the gap from the India stone to the strop. I'm also going to give the SharpMaker Medium and Fine rods another try as benchstones. I'm thinking they might work out ok since I'll be taking the majority of the steel off of the Moras with the Norton stones.

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I haven't had a chance to try out the 1000 grit Edge Pro stone just yet (who would have thought recovering from a surgery while planning a wedding and a move would be time consuming!?), but I should have some pics of my progress with that soon. I'm also still adding coats of Formby's Tung Oil to my Opinel No. 7. I have to be over twenty coats by now. I'll probably do another ten or so before I call it quits. The later coats have been a little bit slower to dry so I'm only adding one a day or so. I decided not to add a thumb pinch to it since I can pinch it open pretty easily with my baby hands and I don't want to compromise the integrity of the wood. I'll probably refine the blade shape a tiny bit more and I'm thinking of removing the forced patina and applying a new one or polishing the blade.

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Other than that... I'm playing the waiting game right now and have a few fun things in the mail, so I should have some more interesting updates soon. Some of the things I'm waiting on include:


Leatherman Charge TTi
Spyderco Native 5 (or better depending on my luck)
Spyderco Delica Wharncliffe with HAP40 steel and Burnt Orange scales
Swiss Bianco Titanium SAK scales
Edge Pro Leveling Kit
Edge Pro Small Knife Attachment
Edge Pro 400 and 600 grit stones
Kershaw Natrix Copper
Spyderco SharpMaker Ultra Fine rods
Kershaw Dividend deep carry clip
Buck Vantage Pro Small

Should be fun!!!
 
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My niece joined the Girl Scouts this year and is going on her first camping trip! To help get her excited, I bought her a personalized Buck 500 Duke and passed down my Leatherman Wave (she already has a Pioneer X SAK). Ok... Maybe I just wanted an excuse to buy the Leatherman Charge TTi that @Green Recluse was selling (thanks for the great deal!). What of it!?

Regardless of the reasoning... I got a new toy! There's obviously not a whole lot of difference between the Wave and the Charge, but I'm already appreciating the subtle upgrades. The belt cutter will likely never be used for it's intended purpose, but I like having it there. The titanium scales feel a lot better in my hand than I was expecting, although I'm a little surprised that the Charge TTi has a little more heft when compared to the Wave. No biggie though. Last but not least... The blade. I typically always have a dedicated knife on me, but knowing that I have a capable S30V blade as backup when I'm camping and whatnot is awesome. This site has me quickly becoming a steel snob. I blame all of you.

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Big update today!

Since a Canadian Border Agent decided he had to have my SAK... I picked up a new Swiss Army Compact. I REALLY want a Yeoman, but until @swissbianco decided to do another run of them, this along with a keychain Phillips head bit will have to do. I also picked up a Limited Edition "City of Love" SAK for my fiance as we just spent some time in Paris and she thought having scissors/nail cleaner/etc would be useful.

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I also decided to pick up some titanium scales from Roger over at @swissbianco. :D They look very well done and look like they'll be a great fit. I may have to shave down the toothpick a tiny bit, but other than that, all the accessory tools (pen, pin, tweezers) seem to fit great. I just dug out my JB Weld but I have a lot of projects I'm working on today, so I may not get around to installing them for a couple days. I'll be sure to post the results though.

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Next... The free deep carry clip that Kershaw sent came in the other day. I really like how the Dividend sits in my pocket now. The only bummer is that Kershaw sent the wrong sized screws so I had to use the screws from the old pocket clip. The old pocket clip screws are rounded, while the deep carry screws are flat and counter-sunk. The rounded screws tend to catch on my pocket a little when I put away my knife. Oh well, can't complain about free! The rounded screws will be fine until I can run to Fastenal or something.

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The Edge Pro Stone Leveling Kit and Small Knife Attachment also came in! I had a discount available at Oldawan so I went ahead and purchased the Edge Pro 2300 and 4000 Polishing Stones too! Unfortunately the 2300 stone arrived a bit damaged but Oldawan stepped up and provided absolutely AMAZING customer support! Bob from Oldawan had a new 2300 stone shipped directly from Edge Pro the SAME DAY I contacted him. On top of that, the return shipping label will be included with the new 2300 making the return simple. I've always felt you have to wait until something goes wrong before finding out if a company is worth a damn or not. Oldawan gets an A+ as far as I'm concerned.

I still have some 2000 Grit Polishing Tapes for the Edge Pro so I can use those between the 1000 grit stone and 4000 grit stone for now. In fact... That (and some freehand sharpening) is what I'll be doing as soon as I finish posting this. I'll be sure to post some pics late tonight or tomorrow.

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I also picked up a Soft Arkansas Stone from Dan's Whetstone Company. It looks to be great quality and is very flat. It should work very well on the Sandvik 14c28n and Mora/Svord carbon steel I plan to use it on. I'm going to give it a go tonight. :D

I also want to pick up either a Surgical Black Arkansas Stone or a Hard Translucent Arkansas Stone to use for finishing. I haven't decided which, but I am leaning towards a translucent.

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I still have a few things coming in the mail. The Natrix Copper isn't coming out until September... And who knows when the Delica Wharncliffe HAP40 will be released (Buck Vantage Pro, 400 grit, and 600 grit Edge Pro stones won't ship until then)... But I should have a Spyderco Native 5 from the Massdrop Mystery Bluebox deal in just a few days. And by the weight of the package, it looks like I may have gotten an upgrade of some sort. :D

I also ordered a @Landi MPS with black and gray G10 from John, which should be here in a week or so. I'm pretty damn excited about that!

Lastly, I had ordered the Spyderco Ultra Fine rods for the Sharpmaker, but the shipper (3rd party from the big "jungle" site, which was my mistake) is claiming that USPS lost the package, while USPS claims they never received the package. Fortunately, the shipper did issue a refund since they didn't have any others in stock. I have a new set on the way through a reputable seller and should have them on Wednesday.

I guess that's all for now! I have the rest of the day off and I don't work until 6pm tomorrow, so I'm going to have some fun with my new toys!
 
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Ok... No pics of my handiwork with the Edge Pro tonight. Although the difference is visible in person, the camera on my iPhone isn't good enough to pick up the difference between the 800 grit stone and the 1000 grit stone... Nor is it good enough pick up on the difference between the 3000 grit polishing tape and the 4000 grit stone. I'll just have to type out my experiences with the stones until I can figure something out with the camera situation.

I ended up reprofiling the edge on my Victorinox 12" Straight Butcher to an 18 degree angle, my Victorinox 10" Fibrox Pro Chef's Knife to 15 degrees, and the SAK Compact to 15 degree backbevel with a 20 degree edge. That might be a little too aggressive for all three knives, but we'll see. The Swiss Army Knife was a little difficult to sharpen even with the Small Knife Attachment because of the width of the scales. The Small Knife Attachment would have to be a good 1/2" taller (thicker) to work well with SAKs which might make it a bit awkward. It should get easier as I regain more use of my left arm.

The 1000 grit stone DEFINITELY takes off material faster than the 800 grit stone does, that's for sure. It also leaves a better finish and I like the feedback it gives more. The 1000 grit stone is leaps and bounds better than the 800 grit stone all around in my opinion. Excellent change by Edge Pro. The 4000 grit stone leaves a nicer mirror finish than the 2000 grit polishing tape but it takes off material a lot slower. Once I get the replacement 2300 grit stone in, I'll compare it to the 2000 grit tape. I have a feeling the 2000 grit tape is going to take material off a lot faster than the 2300 grit stone. I'm pretty curious to see the difference in finish. I know the polishing tapes aren't exactly super popular with users, but I actually like them (at least the 2000 grit tapes). They take off material decently quickly and give me a consistent edge and good feedback after the first couple uses (but that unfortunately only lasts for a couple knives). I think I'm gonna go ahead and pick up a pack of the 6000 grit polishing tapes to use after the 4000 grit stone just for the hell of it.

I still have a few hours before I plan on going to bed so I think I'm going to sand the black stuff (black oxide?) off of my Svord Mini Peasant (I know it helps prevent rust), give it a bit of a polish and then sharpen it on the Crystolon/India/Arkansas stones. :)

Today's been a good day.
 
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Biiiig update today! I've been sick the last few days and I have a move coming up so things have been and will continue to be crazy until early next month. I'll try not to let the updates pile up this much again though, lol.

The SharpMaker Ultra Fine rods came in the other day. I haven't had a chance to really use them just yet, but that should change by tomorrow I imagine. The set I ordered a few weeks ago also came in, lol. I contacted the seller so I could return them and we agreed to a partial refund (I had full refund pending) if I kept them, so I'll probably just sell the extra set here on BF.

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I also had a couple more Edge Pro stones come in so I now have a pretty complete setup. :) I'll probably be retiring the EP 320, EP 800, and 2000 grit tapes here soon. Pictured are the EP 120, 220, 320, 400, 600, 800, 1000, 2000 tape, 6000 tape, 2300, and 4000 polishing stones.

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Now for the more exciting stuff!

The Spyderco Delica HAP40 Wharncliffe sprint run I ordered from BladeHQ came in yesterday! I am soooo in love! It's my ultimate work knife for when I'm in the cooler (which is OFTEN). The blade is VERY sharp. The burnt orange scales look amazing. I really like the slightly uneven demarcation between the two sandwiched steels. And I REALLY appreciate the polished clip over the painted black clips the VG-10 Delica Wharncliffe comes with. I honestly can't wait to scratch the SUS410 on it all to hell! This thing will be have to be pried from my cold, dead hands before I get rid of it. Guess I gotta sell the VG-10 Wharncliffe to justify having this though, lol

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Next to come in was the Buck Vantage Pro (small). It's a cool little knife. When they say "small", they MEAN it though! I really underestimated just how tiny it would be. I have baby hands and this is a little too small even for me. I'll likely post it for sell later tonight too, can't expect KnifeCenter to pay for my mistake, lol. The action is better than I expected and the G10 feels great in the hand. I really like the deep carry pocket clip. I've heard nothing but good things about the Bos heat treat on these so I'm tempted to pick up a large version.

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The Native 5 I ordered also came in. Unfortunately there was a mistake made with the steel that was sent so it will be going back. :( I thought about repurchasing the knife in a premium steel but I don't think I will be doing that. I'm a little underwhelmed with it too be honest. I think I had it built up as just a slightly scaled up Chaparral, and it's close... But it's just not the same. Maybe one day they'll make a slightly scaled up Chaparral (ideally with a compression lock), or better yet a Chaparral Wharncliffe, but until then, the FRN Chaprarral will do just fine.

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Here are my issues with the Native 5 Lightweight:

First I think it was a mistake not going with a deep carry, wire clip in place of the standard clip on the Native 5. The current clip on the Native 5 leaves a whole lot of knife sticking out of your pocket. I was a bit disappointed by the large increase in handle size with only a very small increase in usable blade over the Chaparral. I also MUCH prefer the FRN pattern on the Chaparral over the pattern on the Native 5. I'm really surprised by the difference in feeling and I would love to see the Native 5 and Delica switch to the same pattern as the Chaparral.

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I was also really surprised by the sheer thickness of the Native 5 considering both the Chaparral and the Native 5 I have are FRN Lightweight versions.

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Last, I also really wish the back spacer (is that the right word?) on the Native 5 was steel all the way through like on the Chaparral. The extra bit of steel makes a surprisingly big change in the balance and feel of quality you get from the knife (in my opinion).

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And last, we have the most exciting part of the update (for me)!

The @Landi MPS I ordered from John, came in the other day! I really, really like it! I thought I would do a little mini review on it here in the thread.

First and foremost I have to say that this knife is an INCREDIBLE deal at $59! Like wow!

The knife offers a whole lot of blade for a very minimally sized handle. The knife is VERY comfortable in my hand and looks wonderful. The steel is 1095 which is a solid choice for it's intended uses and has been heat treated by Peter's Heat Treat. The sharpening choil was very well done and is something I really appreciate. The blade has a fantastic polish job and the grind on the spine is flawless. The G10 follows the tang of the blade PERFECTLY and most surfaces have beautifully rounded bevels. The "finger grooves" are also very well done. The lanyard hole is large enough to be useful and is superbly positioned. This is the first knife I own that I am really excited to dress up with a lanyard bead and paracord. I also really like the kydex sheath it comes with. I could easily see spending $15 - $20 dollars on the sheath alone. It may not be the best sheath if you like to keep your knife in pristine, unscratched condition... But as a functional outdoors sheath, this is perfect. And you get all this for $59. Insane.

I really expect to get a lot of use out of this knife and I am ECSTATIC with my purchase!

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That all being said... It's not perfect (not that should you expect anywhere near perfection at this price). The G10 at the top, rear of the knife is rather sharp and makes for a bit of a hot spot in my palm. Easily fixed with a little sandpaper. The G10 also has a couple of shiny spots from being ground. I imagine that will also be easily fixed with sandpaper, lol. The rivets are a bit rough and scuffed up. They would look a bit nicer if they were a bit more polished. Again... fixable with sandpaper (although maybe not too easily). The grind on the blade is a little uneven on both ends and there is a slight recurve towards the rear of the blade. I like to set my own edge so that won't be an issue either. And lastly (and this is the biggest in my opinion), starting from the tang, the knife begins with grey G10 on one side and black G10 on the other. Because of this, to ensure the knife ended with gray on both sides, it ended up with 11 layers of G10 on one side and 12 layers on the other. This makes the knife handle slightly, but pretty visibly thicker on one side. This is the only issue that can't be fixed with a few minutes of elbow grease on my part and it doesn't bother me.

Other than the G10 layer difference, all of the issues I mentioned are super minor and will be able to be taken care of by myself in no time at all. In fact, I think I would actually rather a knife I have to do a tiny bit of TLC on if it saves me this much money. The only reason I bring them up is because I'm not sure if the extra time would be worth the difference in money, but if those minor details were taken care of, I (and I think most people) would have ZERO issues paying closer to $100 for this knife.
 
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Looks like KnifeCenter messed up and shipped me a HAP40 Delica Wharncliffe after I had cancelled the order... Now to decide if I need TWO of the sprint runs or if I should just send it back.

This shouldn't be that difficult of a decision! Maybe I have a problem...
 
Try a spyderco Wayne Goddard I was gifted an awesome one but gave it to my brother who didn't have a Spyderco. Kinda like a halfway between a stretch and a native.
 
The Spyderco Delica Wharncliffe HAP40 that KnifeCenter sent me by mistake came in today and I noticed something interesting. Looks like Spyderco is using two different pocket clips on this sprint run. The Delica from BladeHQ has the cutout for the pivot screw if you want to switch it to tip down, while the Delica from KnifeCenter does not. You'd have to switch the clip out if you wanted to do a tip down carry.

The demarcation on the KnifeCenter is a little better than on the Delica from BladeHQ, but I think I'll keep the BladeHQ version simply because of the pocket clip (not gonna be the guy that swaps clips and then ships it back).

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Try a spyderco Wayne Goddard I was gifted an awesome one but gave it to my brother who didn't have a Spyderco. Kinda like a halfway between a stretch and a native.

I wasn't even aware that knife existed. I'll keep an eye out for one. Looks like it could use a finger choil though. :p
 
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I'm packing up for a move, so just a quick update!

Saw this for $25 the other day and I couldn't walk away... I don't know what it is about the Leek but I'm still infatuated with them.

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I also jumped on the BladeHQ exclusive M4/Natural G10 Paramilitary 3 today! Pretty excited about that! I was going to hold out for a Para 2 in M4, but I have a very strong feeling it would have been a catch and release. I just really prefer blades in the 3" range I've found. I also got in in the Carbon Fiber Gent. I've been waiting for a CF version to come out so I could give it a go. WE Knives and Ferrum Forge have been putting out some decent budget options by the looks of it. I also saw a Morakniv Bushcraft Orange, Bushcraft Forest, and Classic 612 for just under $50 total and ordered those, lol.

Well... Back to packing!

Hope you all have a great day!
 
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I've been moving all day and I'm about to head out to work, so just a super quick update today.

The Postman just dropped this off a few minutes ago!

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It's a beautiful knife! I'm not quite sure the Paramilitary lineup is for me though. I just can't seem many reasons to need such a big handle... And this is the Para 3! I couldn't imagine having a Para 2 or standard Paramilitary. The Delica and Native are about the biggest handles I could see myself needing with the type of stuff I do with my knives. In fact... I'm kind of having second thoughts about picking up a Manix 2 now. I just don't think I like large handled or bladed knives are for me. I'm gonna give it a little while to see if it grows on me.
 
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We're all moved and mostly settled in the new place. Finally. What a pain in the butt!

As an update to my last post about not knowing if the Paramilitary lineup was "for me" or not... I've completely changed my mind. I like the Para 3 a lot and I'll be keeping it. Turns out you have to actually USE the knife (and not just play with it) to appreciate it. Imagine that. I used it exclusively during our move and it performed marvelously. I like the idea of having a couple folders around with thicker blades made of tough steel that can take some abuse. The Para 3 also reminded me of a lesson I shouldn't have forgotten. Respect the knife!!! I was "finger flicking" the knife with a really poor technique and lost my grip on the knife. I ended up slicing off a good portion of the pad of my right ring finger. Pretty damn deep. Like bled profusely every time I changed the bandage and took off pressure for the first two days deep. I probably should have have gone to Urgent Care... But you know... My pride. Today is day three and if it bleeds much when I change the bandage I'll probably take my dumb*ss to the doctor.

On a happier note, I did pick up a few new toys. :)

First to come in was a Spyderco Ladybug in ZDP-189! I love this knife! I picked it up to serve as a designated "desk knife". It's not too often that I am without a knife within arms reach, but every so often it happens. I figured this could live at my computer desk and would be perfect for opening mail and whatnot. Of course this was before I decided to store my folders in one of the drawers of said desk, lol. Oh well. Still a fantastic knife that has proven to be WAY more capable than I originally thought it would be. My fiance finds it adorable and STRONGLY hinted that should would love one in purple. So of course I have one on the way for her. :) It will go well with her Paris SAK Classic SD.

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I also found a deal on Moras that I couldn't walk away from /facepalm. I picked up all three of these for about $50 so no real damage done. The one on top is a Bushcraft Orange. It's the same knife as my Bushcraft Black, just with an orange handle (obviously), and an uncoated, stainless, Sandvik steek blade. Unless it's for use while I'm fishing I usually prefer a high carbon steel blade for my fixed outdoor knives so I'll probably give this to my brother or soon to be brother in-law. The next down is a Bushcraft Hunter. It has a green handle in the same shape and material as all the other Bushcrafts and features a Sandvik, stainless steel blade. The big difference is that the blade is "profile ground", which apparently means that blade gets thinner as you get towards the tip. My fiance likes that it's stainless and commented right away that the thinner tip would be great for prepping food (I'll make a "knife knut" of her yet), so it will be our camp kitchen knife from now on. At the bottom we have Classic Craftsman 612. It has a carbon steel blade with a finger guard, and a handle made of birch. I really like this knife for some reason and will be keeping it, although I don't really have a use for it. Maybe I'll grind the blade down a bit and use it to whittle.

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I now have more Moras than I can possibly use so I think I'll probably be giving a few of them away. I'm thinking I'll keep the Bushcraft Black as my camp knife (with my Landi MPS for hard use/batoning fun), the Bushcraft Forest for a camp kitchen knife, the Craftline Pro S for fishing, and the Classic 612 for... Apples, idk. I'll probably be giving the Bushcraft Orange to a family member, but I might as well give the Clipper 840 and the Companion away here. Maybe I'll just make them freebies in that "pay it forward" thread unless I think of something else.

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I have a bunch of knives in the mail as we speak so I should have several updates coming up (should be easier now that we're settled in). Arriving in the next few days are:

Benchmade 555-1
Buck 110 in 5160 and Oak
Spyderco Ladybug VG-10 (purple)
Steel Will Cutjack Mini D2
Mam Sheepsfoot Linerlock

And still on pre-order are:

Spyderco Dragonfly in V-Toku2
Spyderco Calypso Jr in Superblue
Kershaw Natrix Copper
Ferrum Forge Gent Select Carbon Fiber
2018 Traditional Folder Forum Knife

After those come in, I'll have purchased literally every knife (and then some) under $150 that I wanted to try other than the Manix 2 (which I think I've decided is too big for me. I think I'm gonna go with the Para 3 and a G10 Native 5 for my hard use folders). At this point I am done buying knives for now. I'm going to spend some good, quality time with the knives I have and then start paring down the EDCs. Maybe seven (one for every day) true EDCs and just one or two from each "class" (hard use folder, SAK, etc)... And the Leeks (they're not going anywhere). Then I can use the money from selling those knives to start checking out the $150 - $300 offerings... But maybe after the wedding.
 
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Cleaned up the OP so I could add photos. Your puny twenty picture limit has no hold over me (that 10,000 character limit could be a problem though)!

I also just ordered SEVEN Swiss Army Huntsman (hardwood scales) to use as groomsmen gifts (had to get one for myself too of course)... So that's exciting. :)
 
Exciting day today, five knives came in! :D

First up, the Benchmade 555-1 I purchased off a fellow member arrived. It took me all of five seconds to decide I love it. It fits my minuscule baby hands perfectly! The only real negative I can say about it, is that I wish it came with a polished pocket clip. I really dislike painted clips. That's easy enough to fix though. Benchmade sure crammed a lot of blade into the knife for such a minimal handle... You have to be a little careful when you close it or it can get your palm. I think it's a more than fair trade off in this case though, so much useful blade in such a small carrying package. It'll probably be living in my pocket for the next few days. I also don't think I could imagine paying full retail for it, but at the price I paid... Wow, what a knife! The shades of gray and blue G10 are literally my all time favorite color combination (as you'll see in a couple days when I get around to posting my EDC setup, lol). I love M390, so I see no reason why I wouldn't love CPM-20CV and the blade shape is something I've been wanting to try out for awhile. The wharncliffe is my all time favorite blade shape, so I'm curious how a modified Sheepsfoot will perform with that little bit of belly.

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Next was the Steel Will Cutjack Mini. Cool little knife. Great flipping action and I feel like D2 is a great choice of steel in a knife this price. The skeletonized liner was a nice surprise, I was thinking it was linerless on one side for some reason. I'm not liking the ergonomics for some reason though. Whether I use the finger choil or not, it just doesn't right in my hand. I'll probably mess around with it a for a few days and then put it up on the exchange. :(

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Now here's a keeper! The Buck 110 in oak and 5160 carbon steel. Holy cow! I freaking LOVE it! The weight, the look, the sound... Everything about it reminds me of my Great Grandpa. I was a little unprepared for the feels it brought. :) Buck and Copper & Clad really knocked it out of the park with the collaboration too! The fit and finish is excellent with the bolsters and back spacer about as perfect as can be. The oak scales are immaculate and have a wonderful "hand feel." It's weird how wood scales seem to almost radiate a warmth, at least it seems that way to me, but maybe that's just the nostalgia. The bevel on the blade is beautifully done and the polish job is pristine. It's going to look stunning once the patina sets in. This knife is most definitely going in the permanent collection and I can't wait to pass it down some day.

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Next to come in was the MAM knife I ordered. This was a little bit of a disappointment to be honest. I REALLY wanted to like this knife, but it has a very large amount of vertical play (like a good 1/4" at least). I know it's only a $12 knife, but I guess I was expecting quality similar to an Opinel. I'll either throw it in the trash or send it back (such a pain), as I don't know how safe it really is in it's current state. It could just be a bad egg, so I'm going to read up and see if others have had bad vertical play, and if not, I'll give them another go.

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And last but not least... The Spyderco Ladybug VG-10 in purple that I ordered for my fiance came in today. She LOVES it. She's been actively looking for reasons to use it to open things. I saw her open a bag of frozen fruit for a smoothie with it earlier. The bag had a pull tab which she ignored, it was awesome! :p Anyways, I figured I'd post a pic of her daily carry knives. Next to her Ladybug is her limited edition "City of Love" Swiss Army Classic. Quarter for scale!

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Super busy day, so just a quick post.

The seven Walnut Hardwood Swiss Army Huntsman I ordered as groomsmen gifts (and one for me) came in yesterday. :D They look fantastic! The wood scales are very well done and the Huntsman looks to be a marvelous camp tool. My fiance took a liking to it too so I ordered her a standard version to replace her Gerber Air Ranger as a camp knife (paired along with her SOG Field Pup).

I also wanted to give a shout out to KnivesPlus for some awesome customer service! I just moved to a building that was JUST built so the address hasn't been updated in a lot of systems. They called me minutes before shipping out the package to ensure they had the correct address and building number. I've been having some issues with the mail since moving in, so I really appreciated it. As a heads up, KnivePlus has the walnut SAK Huntsman Hardwood for $32.99 and the walnut SAK Spartan Hardwood for $23.99 right now (I think this is allowed since they are sponsor of the forum correct?). Seems like a heck of a deal considering the standard version of the Huntsman and Spartan regularly go for around that much (and sometimes more).

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