Ah, those are actually some great examples, I would even go so far as to say Strider as well (even though I'm not really a fan). Funny enough how those makers/companies made up the "Big 3", perhaps that should put some context into how serious Sergey is about knife making
Also say hello to the newest Custom Division F3NS:
You couldn't say it wasn't coming right? With the release of the production F3NS there was clearly a missing gap in the lineup. The F3 as we all know is a liner lock and this one is a all-ti'd out version similar to the Custom Division 111Ti. The handle is dual anodized bronze and blue and has gorgeous machining with an aesthetic that reminds me a bit of the Russian Hokkaido paired with some of the large diagonal knurling seen on the production F3NS. I'm a big fan of the logo placed in the rear pommel area that we've really only seen on the NeOns and I think it's quite a novel place to have the logo while leaving the rest of the handle available for creative freedom.
Here we can see those screws, as with the Quantum and F3NS the pivot screw has been increased in size and consequently a thinner titanium collar around it. This larger pivot screwn also incorporates a tapering of the slot towards the open end. This will prevent the Shirogorov tool bits from slipping and potentially marring the knife. The rear screw has also been reduced in diameter as well (starting since the CD F95 Antique) this will prevent the screw from contacting the clip when disassembling. Common for Custom Division, the blind screwed clip has been given more detail compared to the production with more machining passes and finishing over the clip resulting in smoother surface especially on the curved portion.
Despite being an F3 liner lock knife, The scales are quite slim. Blade stock is the standard 4mm affair.
Here we have a nice design accent on the flipper tab, a feature we would see Sergey play around with on Customs that is becoming increasingly common on newer Custom Division knives.
The backspacer as on the production F3NS has taken some design cues from the Custom F7, only with a standard width as opposed to the F7 which has an extra wide backspacer that covers the liners. This results in a spacious lanyard loop.
Extra generous milling as always, helpful with a full titanium knife
Ah yes, lastly one with a keen eye might have noticed this already but something funky is definitely going on with the blade. While the blade profile is exactly the same as the production variant with those usual CD satin flats we also have an extremely fine laser engraved pattern on the S90V blade.
