The Bears' Den--Shirogorov Showcase

Pompous said:
Looks/sounds like the old MEFP was based off the higher end/3 bears version of the F95, and the new run is based on the budget version. Similar trend to what we've seen with some of the retailer exclusive collabs like the R1 pattern, E knives pattern, etc Quantums being based off the Ursus version with lower end blade steels, minimal weight reduction, simplified blade shapes, etc.
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I had no chance to handle and inspect thoroughly an old-school MEFP, but according to the screenshots it the post #6535 those knives were "Individually serialized". I have no clue about the volume of the 3M-grade batch made for ME, but it seems to be a limited offer. To sum up: "M390 + milled scales + LE" hence more expensive ($1'095 seems a bit overpriced though).

By the way, Ursus line made a step up, it's closer to 2M-grade nowadays — the scales are milled and the pivot features 18-balls MRBS.

Pompous said:
The Fit Strip was another disappointment to see from my side - releasing an identical design and not even bothering to change the spec, with the only variable being blade and handle thickness is some shit.
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I'm a bit disappointed myself — mostly by the same (85mm) blade length — but it doesn't seem fair to call the design of Fat and Fit versions "identical":
1) the Fit's blade grind is more practical — unfortunately they both miss a sharpening choil, but again it's typical for Sinkevich blades
2) the Fit's handle is asymmetrical, the front scale "curves inward" — here's a quoting from the official announcement: "one [back] handle scale is now convex, while the other [front] one is concave". I wonder how it feels by hand, anyway it should be more comfortable to carry in the pocket.

At the end of 2023 (on the MRE show in Moscow) Sinkevich gave a hint about the forthcoming collaboration with Shirogorov, he was pretty vague, but said something about "two versions of the same knive", hence I see no reason to complain — these are two versions of the same model indeed.

Ironically, I consider Bio one of the best Sinkevich collaborations so far, while Bio Light & Dark versions were really "identical" except for the color scheme 🙃

Actually the Fat one almost looks like a "deliberately uglified version" of the "normal" Strip.

FIT​
FAT​
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Pompous said:
The Astrum lineup is looking pretty good and has been the most positive group of releases for me in quite some time.
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Agreed! I'm extremely satisfied with my Astrum and Stellar FP.

Also agreed on the weird Bear pattern, but may be some folks would find it appealing. Personally I'm very eager to see any time soon (1) Hati Gen.4 (double CPS, updated blade style and hopefully no inlay, no sating scratches, (2) Quantium 3M with a spacer.
 
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Pompous said:
I tend to be a bit of a downer when it comes to Shiro releases - especially serial production releases lately - and the BearPattern unfortunately elicits the same response from me. Just looks like an absolute mess in my eyes, and the official photography did an awful job of highlighting the scratched polished finish on the high spots imo. Very much not my thing.

The Astrum lineup is looking pretty good and has been the most positive group of releases for me in quite some time. I really like the finishes they chose for this batch. Some irony in what would normally be the least exciting/change from what was already out there being the one i appreciate and enjoy the most.
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I was hot on the F95 Bear when I first saw the teaser pics and the initial video release on Instagram but it didn’t take long for my eyes to start to hurt, after a bit the pattern just looks like a gritty, sidewalk style polk-a-dot. I’m wondering what the pattern would look like if they had kept the bears the same size as the one used as company logo at the rear of the handle?

I haven’t purchased an Astrum yet but I planned to get one eventually and the colored hardware is making that a bit more tempting!!
 
B Bacchus , the part about the knives being “individually serialized” is just some marketing fluff, the MEFP knives don’t have a special marking like “1 out of 250”, “#145”, etc. on them anywhere, they just come with the same numbers marked inside the frame as shown on the COA like all other Shiro’s.

My F95 MEFP inlay version from a previous release had the same line in the description but it’s just a normal COA and number inside the knife.
 
Jsega51 said:
B Bacchus , the part about the knives being “individually serialized” is just some marketing fluff, the MEFP knives don’t have a special marking like “1 out of 250”, “#145”, etc. on them anywhere, they just come with the same numbers marked inside the frame as shown on the COA like all other Shiro’s.
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Didn't know about that, thank you! It's a kind of dirty marketing trick in my book.

I also wonder why Shiro "Special Edition" production projects like Elemental or Outdoor have not been serialized.

It seems fair to expect at least "1 of 100" on the inner side of the scale, the extra cost of engraving is pretty neglectable. But the exact batch size is never disclosed. The only logical explanation I see so far is those projects are not as "limited" as they want us to believe.
 
Bacchus said:
Well, I'm going to check it out firsthand 🙃 It's the 1st time I won a lottery for a Shiro collab.

Not sure if I like Strip enough to keep it as a companion for NeON, but I'm going to take a picture of Starship and Strip next to each other... 😆
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I liked this variant more than the Fat Strip, the new blade grind looks much nicer! Congrats on getting one from the start!
 
Bacchus said:
Well, I'm going to check it out firsthand 🙃 It's the 1st time I won a lottery for a Shiro collab.

Not sure if I like Strip enough to keep it as a companion for NeON, but I'm going to take a picture of Starship and Strip next to each other... 😆
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Curious to hear what you think! Your earlier post with the side-by-side between the Fat and Fit Strip made me appreciate that the Fit design is a bit more desirable in my eyes at least - between the two.
 
Bacchus said:
I had no chance to handle and inspect thoroughly an old-school MEFP, but according to the screenshots it the post #6535 those knives were "Individually serialized". I have no clue about the volume of the 3M-grade batch made for ME, but it seems to be a limited offer. To sum up: "M390 + milled scales + LE" hence more expensive ($1'095 seems a bit overpriced though).

By the way, Ursus line made a step up, it's closer to 2M-grade nowadays — the scales are milled and the pivot features 18-balls MRBS.



I'm a bit disappointed myself — mostly by the same (85mm) blade length — but it doesn't seem fair to call the design of Fat and Fit versions "identical":
1) the Fit's blade grind is more practical — unfortunately they both miss a sharpening choil, but again it's typical for Sinkevich blades
2) the Fit's handle is asymmetrical, the front scale "curves inward" — here's a quoting from the official announcement: "one [back] handle scale is now convex, while the other [front] one is concave". I wonder how it feels by hand, anyway it should be more comfortable to carry in the pocket.

At the end of 2023 (on the MRE show in Moscow) Sinkevich gave a hint about the forthcoming collaboration with Shirogorov, he was pretty vague, but said something about "two versions of the same knive", hence I see no reason to complain — these are two versions of the same model indeed.

Ironically, I consider Bio one of the best Sinkevich collaborations so far, while Bio Light & Dark versions were really "identical" except for the color scheme 🙃

Actually the Fat one almost looks like a "deliberately uglified version" of the "normal" Strip.

FIT​
FAT​
1-1745614928.jpg
1-1738920909.jpg



Agreed! I'm extremely satisfied with my Astrum and Stellar FP.

Also agreed on the weird Bear pattern, but may be some folks would find it appealing. Personally I'm very eager to see any time soon (1) Hati Gen.4 (double CPS, updated blade style and hopefully no inlay, no sating scratches, (2) Quantium 3M with a spacer.
Click to expand...


49548878ta.jpeg
 
Pompous said:
Looks/sounds like the old MEFP was based off the higher end/3 bears version of the F95, and the new run is based on the budget version. Similar trend to what we've seen with some of the retailer exclusive collabs like the R1 pattern, E knives pattern, etc Quantums being based off the Ursus version with lower end blade steels, minimal weight reduction, simplified blade shapes, etc.

I tend to be a bit of a downer when it comes to Shiro releases - especially serial production releases lately - and the BearPattern unfortunately elicits the same response from me. Just looks like an absolute mess in my eyes, and the official photography did an awful job of highlighting the scratched polished finish on the high spots imo. Very much not my thing.

The Astrum lineup is looking pretty good and has been the most positive group of releases for me in quite some time. I really like the finishes they chose for this batch. Some irony in what would normally be the least exciting/change from what was already out there being the one i appreciate and enjoy the most.

The Fit Strip was another disappointment to see from my side - releasing an identical design and not even bothering to change the spec, with the only variable being blade and handle thickness is some shit. My only wonder now is if they're going to try to eclipse the RJM collabs and just keep releasing new flavors or new colors of the same design over and over again until they stop selling them.

For my part today was knife cleaning day for my daily carry CDX, and to save myself some time on setup I went ahead and cleaned up my Snecx Vision Q at the same time. Re-seating SRRBS remains one of my biggest pet peeves in the knife hobby but I'm certainly getting better at it - and the new grease I'm running helped keep the rollers in place for re-assembly so that was nice. Trying out some new Moly Hi-Slip grease in both knives and really, really pleasantly surprised. I was concerned on the thickness of the grease initially so I was pretty careful on application, but the action is buttery smooth already and I'm sure it will get smoother as the grease settles into the nooks and crannies it needs to.


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I'm not usually a grease guy, but I bet it's much easier to keep the bearings in place. And not cause a catastrophe! What do you recommend? I've been cleaning and then using kpl.
 
TeggedOutt said:
I'm not usually a grease guy, but I bet it's much easier to keep the bearings in place. And not cause a catastrophe! What do you recommend? I've been cleaning and then using kpl.
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I’ve been using the grease supplied by CRK with their knives and have no complaints at all. It helps the little balls stick to their spots in the cages to make reassembly MUCH easier. I tend to put a little dab on my finger and spread it around after getting the balls put back into place, I also rub a little around the pivot barrel as well.
 
TeggedOutt said:
I'm not usually a grease guy, but I bet it's much easier to keep the bearings in place. And not cause a catastrophe! What do you recommend? I've been cleaning and then using kpl.
Click to expand...
I used Sentry Solutions Hi-Slip grease on the recommendation of a knifemaker(Gerry McGinnis) and I've been really happy with it in every knife I've run it in. I typically have maybe 5-10 different options around in terms of oils or greases to rotate through and try out and I've been pleased with this one and used it on a few different knives now.
 
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