Looking at the Wilson Combat web site this morning revealed the Les George Talon- a full-sized thumb stud folder that is a close brother to the Eagle. Looks really nice... and it's on sale and available. Oh boy, do I get myself in trouble...?
Hello Wavicle . I'm on the same boat. Did you end up getting it? I've never had a Les George, and was wondering how much better can this be as compared to the StarTac and StarBenza I already have.
I have not purchased one yet. I do have the Eagle, just purchased in November. My first impression of the Eagle was, " really, > $500?" because I also have a Sebenza 25 and several Sebenza 21's and the comparison was inevitable. However, with the Les George knife I have come to the conclusion that less is better. The beefy materials and impeccable finish add up to a top-quality custom knife. These are large knives and the are built for rugged use. I hope to get a Talon but too many recent additions to my collection are holding me back at the moment.
I've been torturing myself over the Talon also. I'm trying to talk myself out of it because I also have the Eagle and I'm not quite comfortable spending that amount after the psychotic knife buying rampage I've been on lately. The Eagle and Talon seem very similar. The Talon looks to be slightly heavier according to the specs. (if I remember correctly). The Talon's blade is slightly thicker also. And as stated, the Eagle is a flipper and the Talon has thumb studs. The handle slabs look very similar. The Eagle does feel different different than the Wilson CRKs (if your looking for an excuse to get something slightly different from the CRKs). I haven't compared the weight differences. While they are similar in blade and handle lengths, the Eagle (and probably, the Talon) have slightly wider blades and handles. I think I might actually prefer the feel of the Les George models to the CRKs (though not losing the CRKs anytime soon). I also prefer the smoother finish on the Les George model. I don't know that this helps anyone at all, and it hasn't helped me talk myself out of it yet. Maybe wait long enough and they'll be out of stock for awhile? Mike
Thank you both for your replies. I find the fit and finish on the CRK Starbenza and Startac to be outstanding. However, don't have a Les George. For you that have both, how do the fit and finish on the Les George knives compare to that of the CRK? Another knife I'm considering at this price point is the Three Sisters Forge Gorgon. Any thoughts on how the Gorgon compares to the Talon?
As far as fit and finish between the CRKs and the Eagle, I'm not sure I can offer a really quantitative judgement. As you (rrpalma) state, fit and finish on the CRKs is excellent. That is why they win awards just about every year. The fit and finish on my Eagle is very good. The scales feel very nice in hand - nice smooth, rounded edges, and the actual surface finish is something like a smooth tumbled or scotchbrite finish. Though I don't know exactly what it is. It looks like some of the CRKs that have had the scales scotchbrite finished. I actually prefer it, but that is just my personal taste. The Eagle's blade also is finished very well. It came with a clean, razor sharp edge. I will say the Eagle was not quite as smooth out of the box as my CRKs and had pretty severe lock stick. I'm not a habitual flipper, so if I had not taken some extra time and effort with some pencil lead applications and extra opening/closing, I may still be struggling with it. It is pretty decent now. My personal, and subjective, take is that the CRKs feel a bit more smooth and solid. I still think that the Les George models are great knives and if you want something a bit different, and a bit larger than the CRKs, go for it. And, the XHP steel is nothing to sneeze at. My Eagle is frequently in my EDC rotation. I'll have to look the Gorgon up. I'm not familiar with it yet. Mike
Similar to what Mike157 stated, the Les George knives have the feeling of being hand-crafted with extra attention to having no sharp/grabby edges except the blade. The Eagle I have has flipped and locked perfectly from day one with no stick on the lock bar. The Eagle, and especially the Talon, are large knives intended for serious use-- and the 0.160 blade stock on the Talon must be very impressive in person for an almost 4 inch blade. From my experience with four CRK Sebenza's, I would say that you can order one and know exactly what to expect- they are uniformly perfect, and mostly due to the tight tolerance fabrication process. Les George may put more labor into each knife to achieve perfection whereas CRK does that with high tech machining and journeymen operators. That my guess and impression after handling both. I have no experience with Three Sisters Forge so I can't offer any feedback. However, I know that I must have a Talon, but have not rationalized the reason why just yet. Won't be long.
Since I now see it on sale...any of you folks on the fence about getting one should jump on the sale price. I own the Talos and it is one of my current edc knives. Shortly after my acquisition of the Talos I sold/traded all of my Sebenzas off. They were great knives, but with my Talos they no longer fit into my rotation.
Thank you all for your comments. How different though is the Talos you own 1SHOT from the WC Talon? If I'm not mistaken, the Talos is a true custom, while the Talon is more of a mid-tech, right?
They are both mid techs (Talon/Talos) the custom that you're thinking of is the FM-1. The only difference between the Talon and the Talos is the machining for Wilson Combat.
My torture is over- the order is processing in Berryville, AR. Can't wait to see this thing! Merry Christmas, Les.
Just pulled the trigger on one as well, Les is my favorite maker and I can't get enough of the sunburst pattern. My fourth WC knife!
Mine just arrived a few hours ago, so take my impressions with a grain of salt! It's got a great handle to blade ratio, which makes it appear larger than it is (it's pretty much the same size as a large Sebenza 21). It definitely has some heft to it but it's still eminently pocketable, since it still has a relatively thin profile. No stick, lockup is as solid as expected, and it's really smooth when you release the lockbar. Like my Eagle, the detent ball has a fair bit of friction to it without any lube, but as it wears in that will improve. I love how thinly ground the edge is, should make for an excellent slicer! The edge Les put on it is fantastic as well.
Thanks for the pictures guys. Nice. I hand't noticed the "George" ingraved on the inside scale. A nice touch. Mike
