- Joined
- Nov 4, 2018
- Messages
- 221
I had seen it it a few months ago, read reviews, thought about it, and decided I wasn't paying the money wanted for the multitude of issues that seemed to come along with it.
So yesterday I was in a store (outdoors clothing) and saw one in a glass case. I asked to see it, and as I was looking, saw saw it was originally $108, marked down to $76.99, and the sales guy told me it was on 30% off marked price. So, liking the profile I bit. It seemed ok. Boxed it up and put it in the bag with my other purchases.
Once home, I took it out and was a little dismayed to feel burrs on the tip. Fixed easily enough. It also felt a little gritty-ish opening, but keeping with what I had read, I left it alone intending to give the break-in it's due. I also noticed dark rust staining in the pivot area, particularly where the flipper stud flows into the blade. Added some mineral oil and left it overnight.
This morning, looking at it and flipping open and just getting a feel for it, noticed the staining had not moved, shoved a flattened q-tip into the abyss and dug out some of the staining and decided I was taking the knife down to parade rest.
The bearing races are crappy, one side the balls stay equidistant from each other, the other they are all willy-nilly in pairs or not. The brown I thought was rust (was trying wrap my head around rust and VG10 - maybe the steel races deteriorating?) was seriously dried and hardened previously applyed (someone's idea of) lubrication. Last time I saw that was on a Winchester M94 that had been shot, cleaned and lubed then put up in a safe for 30 years. Anyway, so I used a good penetrant, wiped off almost all the old (now) varnish, some was left behind in one bearing race because I didn't want to tear it up with aggressive scrubbing, carefully (three times before I got it right) reassembled and fought to center the blade, but lost. It doesn't run, but it's off more than I'd like.
The liners are cool looking Ti, the wood scales are not pretty or even have a smooth rubbed finish, they are just adequate. The blade profile is the reason I wanted it, and it's good, jury out on VG10 still, the pivot mechanism is a perfect example of a terrible choice. The bearings need to be more and captured in hardier races, period. The knife itself is not a heavy worker, what would be wrong with a nicely setup bronze washer system?
A "gentlemen's" folder? Ok. A lightweight around the house for grilling slicing and trimming stuff, ok. Am I pleased? Let's just say that I should have just stayed away from it after reading the problem issues with the knife, and that's what originally kept me away. The drop in price is what got me. I don't mind a little TLC to get a blade the way I want it, I prefer not to have to tear into the mechanism of a "new" knife to make it function and feel the way it should.
I can only say that I like it, not head over heels with it. I will carry it a bit. If I find someone that will take it off my hands for $58, I won't be sad to see it go. That's it, meh.
So yesterday I was in a store (outdoors clothing) and saw one in a glass case. I asked to see it, and as I was looking, saw saw it was originally $108, marked down to $76.99, and the sales guy told me it was on 30% off marked price. So, liking the profile I bit. It seemed ok. Boxed it up and put it in the bag with my other purchases.
Once home, I took it out and was a little dismayed to feel burrs on the tip. Fixed easily enough. It also felt a little gritty-ish opening, but keeping with what I had read, I left it alone intending to give the break-in it's due. I also noticed dark rust staining in the pivot area, particularly where the flipper stud flows into the blade. Added some mineral oil and left it overnight.
This morning, looking at it and flipping open and just getting a feel for it, noticed the staining had not moved, shoved a flattened q-tip into the abyss and dug out some of the staining and decided I was taking the knife down to parade rest.
The bearing races are crappy, one side the balls stay equidistant from each other, the other they are all willy-nilly in pairs or not. The brown I thought was rust (was trying wrap my head around rust and VG10 - maybe the steel races deteriorating?) was seriously dried and hardened previously applyed (someone's idea of) lubrication. Last time I saw that was on a Winchester M94 that had been shot, cleaned and lubed then put up in a safe for 30 years. Anyway, so I used a good penetrant, wiped off almost all the old (now) varnish, some was left behind in one bearing race because I didn't want to tear it up with aggressive scrubbing, carefully (three times before I got it right) reassembled and fought to center the blade, but lost. It doesn't run, but it's off more than I'd like.
The liners are cool looking Ti, the wood scales are not pretty or even have a smooth rubbed finish, they are just adequate. The blade profile is the reason I wanted it, and it's good, jury out on VG10 still, the pivot mechanism is a perfect example of a terrible choice. The bearings need to be more and captured in hardier races, period. The knife itself is not a heavy worker, what would be wrong with a nicely setup bronze washer system?
A "gentlemen's" folder? Ok. A lightweight around the house for grilling slicing and trimming stuff, ok. Am I pleased? Let's just say that I should have just stayed away from it after reading the problem issues with the knife, and that's what originally kept me away. The drop in price is what got me. I don't mind a little TLC to get a blade the way I want it, I prefer not to have to tear into the mechanism of a "new" knife to make it function and feel the way it should.
I can only say that I like it, not head over heels with it. I will carry it a bit. If I find someone that will take it off my hands for $58, I won't be sad to see it go. That's it, meh.
