- Joined
- Oct 29, 2015
- Messages
- 760
PayPal Credit enables so many bad financial decisions. The lenient terms and special offers of 0% interest have allowed me to pick up knives I can't afford. That was the case when I recently received a notice offering 24 months of interest-free credit on purchases over $600. This offer coincided with the posting of an Oeser/Pena collaboration flipper I had long lusted after. Buying high-end knives is risky, and I knew that I would likely not be able to recoup the total price, should I not like it. Fortunately, the knife is better than expected....fortunate because I will be paying it off in monthly installments for the next two years.
The fit and finish are exceptional, and the choice of cover materials (black G10 and grey terotuf) fit my taste perfectly, in terms of both colors and texture. I know grey and black are boring, but I just don't like much flash in my life. The typical brightly-colored standoffs and liners commonly seen in modern knives are a big turnoff to me, and I generally stay away from anodized pieces both because the colors are off-putting and the anodization looks shitty once it begins to wear. The terotuf has a slightly grippy texture that feels great in my hand; although I do predict that the grippiness will result in picking up dirt and grime. But, a bit of warm water will likely take care of that problem.
I was a bit skeptical about the flipping action, due to a bad experience I had with a previous Pena Ti zulu version. In that case, I had more "misfires" than successful openings. But the action on this one is the best in terms of smoothness and consistency of ANY flipper I've handled. It fires hard, opening with a very satisfying "thwack."
My one concern is that the liner-lock mechanism is a bit stiff, especially when compared to CRK's other-worldly smoothness. My guess is that this will improve with use. And yes, I do intend to use it. In fact, this little beaut has been in my pocket since it arrived.
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Due to what I found to be serious design flaws, my love affair with this beautiful flipper has ended; and I sold it at a considerable loss.
The liner lock never smoothed out, and I found it stiff and uncomfortable, compared to similar mechanisms by other makers.
I'm not a clip person, due to the fact that I carry my larger knives in a custom slip by Harp Leather. So, I removed the clip, which revealed two really ugly problems:
1) There was no attempt by the makers to make the knife look good naked (clipless). Whereas other makers will embed the clip by creating a milled indention or otherwise seating the clip into Ti or stainless barrels, this knife just had two holes drilled for clip screws. Removing the screws left the knife looking a bit incomplete.
2) And this is where things got unbearable. In removing the screws, I discovered that the knife was not only a bit unsavory in terms of its appearance, but that doing so allowed the entire scale to come loose. Without the clip screws, only the pivot holds that scale on. So, the scale moved about freely.
I was shocked to see that this was a conscious design decision. For the $2K original price, one should expect something much more thoughtful and well-executed. So, I put the screws back in to hold it together, but doing so wasn't ideal, either, as the screws protruded deeply into the blade well if tightened all the way, or otherwise their heads would snag.
So, if you are looking to spend over $1,000 on a knife, I would invest in something other than a Pena-Oeser flipper. For the money, there are many better options. Hell, you could buy a couple Ferrum Forge flippers which, in my view, are far superior in quality. In fact, I just picked up a Stinger XL with part of the money I received for the Pena-Oeser (and the rest of the money went to pay down what I still owe PayPal Credit for my poor decision-making).
The fit and finish are exceptional, and the choice of cover materials (black G10 and grey terotuf) fit my taste perfectly, in terms of both colors and texture. I know grey and black are boring, but I just don't like much flash in my life. The typical brightly-colored standoffs and liners commonly seen in modern knives are a big turnoff to me, and I generally stay away from anodized pieces both because the colors are off-putting and the anodization looks shitty once it begins to wear. The terotuf has a slightly grippy texture that feels great in my hand; although I do predict that the grippiness will result in picking up dirt and grime. But, a bit of warm water will likely take care of that problem.
I was a bit skeptical about the flipping action, due to a bad experience I had with a previous Pena Ti zulu version. In that case, I had more "misfires" than successful openings. But the action on this one is the best in terms of smoothness and consistency of ANY flipper I've handled. It fires hard, opening with a very satisfying "thwack."
My one concern is that the liner-lock mechanism is a bit stiff, especially when compared to CRK's other-worldly smoothness. My guess is that this will improve with use. And yes, I do intend to use it. In fact, this little beaut has been in my pocket since it arrived.
_____________________________________________________________
Due to what I found to be serious design flaws, my love affair with this beautiful flipper has ended; and I sold it at a considerable loss.
The liner lock never smoothed out, and I found it stiff and uncomfortable, compared to similar mechanisms by other makers.
I'm not a clip person, due to the fact that I carry my larger knives in a custom slip by Harp Leather. So, I removed the clip, which revealed two really ugly problems:
1) There was no attempt by the makers to make the knife look good naked (clipless). Whereas other makers will embed the clip by creating a milled indention or otherwise seating the clip into Ti or stainless barrels, this knife just had two holes drilled for clip screws. Removing the screws left the knife looking a bit incomplete.
2) And this is where things got unbearable. In removing the screws, I discovered that the knife was not only a bit unsavory in terms of its appearance, but that doing so allowed the entire scale to come loose. Without the clip screws, only the pivot holds that scale on. So, the scale moved about freely.
I was shocked to see that this was a conscious design decision. For the $2K original price, one should expect something much more thoughtful and well-executed. So, I put the screws back in to hold it together, but doing so wasn't ideal, either, as the screws protruded deeply into the blade well if tightened all the way, or otherwise their heads would snag.
So, if you are looking to spend over $1,000 on a knife, I would invest in something other than a Pena-Oeser flipper. For the money, there are many better options. Hell, you could buy a couple Ferrum Forge flippers which, in my view, are far superior in quality. In fact, I just picked up a Stinger XL with part of the money I received for the Pena-Oeser (and the rest of the money went to pay down what I still owe PayPal Credit for my poor decision-making).
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