485 Valet Discussion Thread

TechDoc said:
The scales are just the right size to accommodate a 4-finger grip.

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Oh if only that were true.

Do me a favor and try that again. Except this time, hold the knife in a hammer grip with your index finger in the cutout and your thumb wrapped around it. Then tell me if you can still get a full 4-finger grip on it. If you can, your hand must be much smaller than mine. I sure as heck can't do that with my Sequel and it's got a longer handle than the 485 does.
 
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Hmmm. No response from TechDoc. Anybody else want to step up and answer my question? It's not difficult, really. Can you or can you not get all 4 fingers completely around the Valet's handle if you hold the handle in a hammer grip? If you can do that, please post pics and state your glove size. Otherwise, I know I can't do that with my medium-sized hand and I'm going to assume you can't either. And for me at least, that's a deal-breaker.

Ergos ueber alles!

Thanks. :)
 
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Why so concerned? I think you miss the whole point with this knife. Gentlemens knife.
If you want a heavy duty full grip knife then move on.
 
Yea, I hold mine just like the pic shows. It's a smaller slim knife, better for nicer clothes and less scarry for the sheep. I also like the light weight and the feel of holding it like the pic shows, out in the outer finger joints, it's perfect for that.

I also agree that if you want to hold it like a hammer and need a grip like that you need a different knife like a Contego or Adamas or the 761. And, I can't post pics so can't help ya there either.
 
I have large hands (glove size large) and the only way to get all four fingers on the handle is like TechDoc has it. If I hold on the finger cutout I still have a very solid grip on the Valet because a portion of the pinkie is at the very bottom and closing the grip holds it in place. Sometimes with grips it all depends how you grip. I shoot pistols so my fingers are very tight against each other with no gap at all.
 
485 Valet is a small gentleman's folder and it's actually bigger than Benchmade 480-1 Shoki, CRK Mnandi and Spyderco Air. I think it's tougher than all of those but it's not an end all folder. It has its niche.
 
RamZar said:
485 Valet is a small gentleman's folder and it's actually bigger than Benchmade 480-1 Shoki, CRK Mnandi and Spyderco Air. I think it's tougher than all of those but it's not an end all folder. It has its niche.
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Someone who gets it.
I picked one up today. It's a great small knife. If I feel I need something larger I'll use my ZT 562
 
abizdafuzz said:
I also agree that if you want to hold it like a hammer and need a grip like that you need a different knife like a Contego or Adamas or the 761. . .
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or an 0770CF or a Southard or a Torrent or a Leek or a Kizer Ki3404A3 or a Buck Mayo TNT or an XM-18 3.0" or a . . .

You don't need a big, heavy folder for it to be comfortable and CONTROLLABLE in the hand. Pretty much any folder with a 4" handle will do the job for me, although I really prefer a 4.25" handle. Less than 4" and my ability to control the knife, particularly when I have to adjust my grip to open or close it one-handed, becomes problematic. And the shorter the handle, the worse it gets. YMMV.
 
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Well the handle is short of 4 inches so no it may be too small for certain types of grips. This is definitely not a tactical knife it is a utilitarian Gentleman's folder. In fact I took my pocket clip off to make it more sleek and actually better to grip.
 
I'm curious to see a side by side of the 485 and 586 mini barrage, if someone could snap some pictures and throw them up I'd be most obliged.
 
billym said:
Well the handle is short of 4 inches so no it may be too small for certain types of grips. This is definitely not a tactical knife it is a utilitarian Gentleman's folder. In fact I took my pocket clip off to make it more sleek and actually better to grip.
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The 485 doesn't have to be a "tactical" knife. It only has to be a knife that's designed to open and close with one hand. And just so you know, I carry all my knives clipless. So clips aren't a contributing factor to my ability to easily control the knife when I open and close it. What is a contributing factor is handle length. And for me, a comfortable handle length for one-hand openers begins at 4". Interesting thing is, I've seen other people post exactly the same thing, so I know I'm not alone in feeling this way. In fact, I read a post recently where the guy said he needed at least a 4.25" handle for proper comfort and control. But once again, YMMV.

Oh, and in case you're wondering if anybody makes a true "gentleman's folder" with a handle length of 4" or more, check out the William Henry E10. Talk about a knife that's elegant, smooth as silk and easy to control one-handed . . . ;)
 
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I'm sticking to my story that I can get a 4-finger grip on the Valet. My glove size is 8.5 which is medium but my fingers are pretty thin. Maybe that is the difference. But as you can see in these pictures, I can get a full 4 fingers. But your comparison to a Sequel is correct as the 485 and 707 scales are essentially the same length. The Valet handle has less curvature.

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Here are most of my "gentleman folders" and certainly the Valet is on the small end of the spectrum. But it is larger than a CRK Mnandi and the 480 Shoki. I love my WH E10 but it is really in a larger size class of knives in my opinion.

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In a recent post at Everyday Commentary comparing the 485 Valet and 940-1, the reviewer declared the 940-1 superior to the 485. This didn't concern me so much as the main points that served as a basis for this conclusion seem at least somewhat subjective: M390 versus S90V, spear-point versus reverse-tanto, less belly versus more. To me these factors are variables best determined according to the intended use of the knife as opposed to one knife definitively outperforming the other. However, the complaint about the 485 that made me hesitant to buy it is that there was visible blade play. This is a big problem especially in a knife costing $170, but this could be a problem specific to the review sample and not present in each knife. Have any of you 485 owners noticed any blade play and, if so, how significant is it?
 
No blade play on mine. Vertical blade play is what you need to worry about. Horizontal blade play just means that the pivot screw needs to be tightened and possibly a little blue loc-tite needs to be used.
 
I got mine today, and I like it. I'm a big fan of smaller folders and this one is smaller and daintier than the mini-Grip for sure.

Opening it via the thumbstud does feel a little cramped (reminds me of an AlMar Falcon). The smaller Axis takes some getting used to, but it works well one-handed. The handle size/length works well for what I'd use it for as an EDC. It's sharp, with only the tiniest unevenness in the bevel at the point. I really like the grey G10 and it is very, very smooth.

My first impressions are good, but I'll have to carry it and use it a bit. I love the Spyderco Air, and I'm not yet sure if the Valet will be my new "dress pants" carry leader.
 
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