I got my first two in today and I am quite pleased.
My only experience thus far with the #74 frame has been with my single Stallion in Ebony. 'Tis a fine knife and I certainly have not carried it as much as it deserves - with that said, I think I like the mustangs even more. There is something about the cant of the blade on the Stallion that the Mustang lacks - where the clip blade on the Stallion dips down, the drop point maintains a relatively straight trajectory upon leaving the frame (I prefer the latter). All in all, it is just something I observed.
The Black Plum is a pure gem. Relatively perfect right out of the tube with around a 7 pull and wonderfully crisp action. Though purple is generally not my color, this is such a dark and rich hue, I find it captivating and though I might have preferred the federal shield to be just a hair smaller, it really suits this combination well.
The Iron Wood is very, very pretty - not book matched like some posted here but both mark and pile sides have beautiful color and grain to them. I had forgotten until rather recently that GEC doesn't polish the hardware or wood on their Ironwood examples anymore - something that completely baffles me. They used to and I think it made for better knives when dressed up in this striking material. Serious marks against the knife as a whole for the satin bolsters and shield - the covers even are a satin finish and as a result, you cannot truly appreciate the luster of this wood. 'Tis my opinion only, albeit a very strong one...
Another point of note with my Ironwood example is that the pull is significantly lighter than the one on the Black Plum. Still nice and snappy but the lighter pull threw me off a bit.
I am looking forward to the Stag now - aside from my Ironwood complaints, this is a stellar run so far.
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