TRfromMT
Gold Member
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2016
- Messages
- 5,666
I love this knife....
For the past 6 months or so I have been thinking I needed a 3.5. Then I got a 3.5 in from a customer to do a set of handles, as well as taking a 4.1 in on trade. So I had both side by side for awhile. I came to the conclusion I wasn't as enamored with the 3.5 as I thought I'd be. For that size knife I prefer a stout folder/flipper. But the old spec 4.1 was immediately a favorite. I simply have very little real use for anything larger than the 4.7. I have a 5.1 and have been tempted to jump on a 7/7, but it just wouldn't get as much use as I'd like (let's face it - I'm a suburban family man, and my outdoor days are pretty limited). Between the 4.7 and 5.1 (I think both are fantastic), I lean to the 4.7 because of the perfect handle ergonomics. When I got the old spec 4.1 it immediately spoke to me because of the compact size and blade shape. Also this whole time I have been eagerly awaiting the new 4.1s coming out and been hopeful for a flash Monday sale.
A week ago a new spec 4.1 came up on the Facebook page. I had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach as I went back to the post about 12 times to stare at it. I figured out how to scrape together the cash and pounced on it, and man am I glad I did. What a knife!
This comparison will be to the 4.7. My old spec 4.1 is out of my possession for a little while getting some work done.
So for overall impressions...
This knife is just slightly smaller than the new 4.7. At first it doesn't really seem visually smaller, but in hand you get an "oh... this is different." It is somehow an immediate difference to your muscle memory - I don't know how to describe it. The blade profile is the same, just shorter and not as tall from edge to spine. The stock material is also thinner (0.160" vs 0.175"). The handle, while it has the same new-spec GSO contours, is not quite as down-swept from the middle fastener to the back end. It has maybe 1/8" less down sweep. The belly of the knife is nearly as deep from top to bottom, but the handle is just a little smaller 'circumference'. More on the handle later.
The sheath is the same overall width and height - identical to my eye. The hole patterns line up on the sheath, so my guess is it is the same basic pattern, just a different mold.
Pictures below of the two blades are all taken with all of the jimping notches lined up along the spine. With the notches lined up, the front fastener hole is almost exactly aligned, so this seemed like a good way to index the two blades...
Picture with 4.1 sheath on top of the 4.7 sheath...
Handle of the 4.1 with slightly less downward sweep in the back half. Also notice the slightly shorter depth of the finger pocket to the spine of the 4.1.
4.7 blade is on top in this photo. The spine on the 4.1 has a little bit straighter line on the top, front half, without the same amount of hump as the 4.7.
4.1 handle scales on top of the 4.7 scales.
For the past 6 months or so I have been thinking I needed a 3.5. Then I got a 3.5 in from a customer to do a set of handles, as well as taking a 4.1 in on trade. So I had both side by side for awhile. I came to the conclusion I wasn't as enamored with the 3.5 as I thought I'd be. For that size knife I prefer a stout folder/flipper. But the old spec 4.1 was immediately a favorite. I simply have very little real use for anything larger than the 4.7. I have a 5.1 and have been tempted to jump on a 7/7, but it just wouldn't get as much use as I'd like (let's face it - I'm a suburban family man, and my outdoor days are pretty limited). Between the 4.7 and 5.1 (I think both are fantastic), I lean to the 4.7 because of the perfect handle ergonomics. When I got the old spec 4.1 it immediately spoke to me because of the compact size and blade shape. Also this whole time I have been eagerly awaiting the new 4.1s coming out and been hopeful for a flash Monday sale.
A week ago a new spec 4.1 came up on the Facebook page. I had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach as I went back to the post about 12 times to stare at it. I figured out how to scrape together the cash and pounced on it, and man am I glad I did. What a knife!
This comparison will be to the 4.7. My old spec 4.1 is out of my possession for a little while getting some work done.
So for overall impressions...
This knife is just slightly smaller than the new 4.7. At first it doesn't really seem visually smaller, but in hand you get an "oh... this is different." It is somehow an immediate difference to your muscle memory - I don't know how to describe it. The blade profile is the same, just shorter and not as tall from edge to spine. The stock material is also thinner (0.160" vs 0.175"). The handle, while it has the same new-spec GSO contours, is not quite as down-swept from the middle fastener to the back end. It has maybe 1/8" less down sweep. The belly of the knife is nearly as deep from top to bottom, but the handle is just a little smaller 'circumference'. More on the handle later.
The sheath is the same overall width and height - identical to my eye. The hole patterns line up on the sheath, so my guess is it is the same basic pattern, just a different mold.
Pictures below of the two blades are all taken with all of the jimping notches lined up along the spine. With the notches lined up, the front fastener hole is almost exactly aligned, so this seemed like a good way to index the two blades...
Picture with 4.1 sheath on top of the 4.7 sheath...
Handle of the 4.1 with slightly less downward sweep in the back half. Also notice the slightly shorter depth of the finger pocket to the spine of the 4.1.
4.7 blade is on top in this photo. The spine on the 4.1 has a little bit straighter line on the top, front half, without the same amount of hump as the 4.7.
4.1 handle scales on top of the 4.7 scales.
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