- Joined
- Nov 23, 2014
- Messages
- 674
Onejim asked me if I could spare a few thoughts about my favorite pocket companion the Northwoods Presidential. Little did he know the can of worms he was opening. Of life's many pleasures there are few I cherish as much as talking about knives. So here goes, let's start with the facts:
With a Vic Pioneer for scale and an undercooked potato for a camera we see the El Pres. As you can tell this not a petite knife. The main blade has sharpened length of 2 3/4".
The wharncliffe secondary has a very handy and generous sharpened length of 1 3/4".
Yet with 4 1/2" of sharpened blade length in a 4" frame it is a svelte 3/8" thick!
Because you're packing so much blade in such a small package, blade rub is the Achilles' heel of this design. In this example we see the bright line where the tang of the secondary is rubbing the main blade.
To me the most striking quality of the Pres is it's versatility. The main blade is thin enough for superb slicing and somehow robust enough to feel strong when carving into wood. The spear shape is less threatening than say a clip and so despite it's length it seems to attract less attention than say the clip on my 48.
The medium length secondary blade on this knife is a master stroke. It is 63% of the size of the main and contributes greatly to the overall usefulness of the knife.
It's rounded shape of the spear seems to flow well with the overall profile of the knife when closed. It allows one to very comfortably put their index finger forward of the folded master blade and actually enhances the grip. In any grip this knife is very comfortable in the hand and though it has been used well and often, no hot spots have occurred.
Blade rub aside this knife has better fit and finish than either my Hawthorne or Norfolk Whittler. The bone is seamless with the bolsters, the pull is 7 with no half stops, before I got ahold of it everything was perfectly polished and lovely.
The blade rub is unavoidable I suppose and Derrick warns buyers that it will be present in this pattern. I would love to tell you that it doesn't bother me at all but it does. Just a tiny bit. It is merely cosmetic and very inconsequential. A tiny blemish made all the more obvious by the surrounding perfection. If it wasn't such an otherwise good looking knife I wouldn't mind at all.
The pocket is where that blade rub pays off. This knife absolutely disappears in the pocket. It's 2.8 oz are spread across a very slim 4", it floats. It makes no impression in slacks. Wonderful.
So there you have it.
A very interesting pattern indeed. A President that wears it's flaws on it's sleeves.
With a Vic Pioneer for scale and an undercooked potato for a camera we see the El Pres. As you can tell this not a petite knife. The main blade has sharpened length of 2 3/4".
The wharncliffe secondary has a very handy and generous sharpened length of 1 3/4".
Yet with 4 1/2" of sharpened blade length in a 4" frame it is a svelte 3/8" thick!
Because you're packing so much blade in such a small package, blade rub is the Achilles' heel of this design. In this example we see the bright line where the tang of the secondary is rubbing the main blade.
To me the most striking quality of the Pres is it's versatility. The main blade is thin enough for superb slicing and somehow robust enough to feel strong when carving into wood. The spear shape is less threatening than say a clip and so despite it's length it seems to attract less attention than say the clip on my 48.
The medium length secondary blade on this knife is a master stroke. It is 63% of the size of the main and contributes greatly to the overall usefulness of the knife.
It's rounded shape of the spear seems to flow well with the overall profile of the knife when closed. It allows one to very comfortably put their index finger forward of the folded master blade and actually enhances the grip. In any grip this knife is very comfortable in the hand and though it has been used well and often, no hot spots have occurred.
Blade rub aside this knife has better fit and finish than either my Hawthorne or Norfolk Whittler. The bone is seamless with the bolsters, the pull is 7 with no half stops, before I got ahold of it everything was perfectly polished and lovely.
The blade rub is unavoidable I suppose and Derrick warns buyers that it will be present in this pattern. I would love to tell you that it doesn't bother me at all but it does. Just a tiny bit. It is merely cosmetic and very inconsequential. A tiny blemish made all the more obvious by the surrounding perfection. If it wasn't such an otherwise good looking knife I wouldn't mind at all.
The pocket is where that blade rub pays off. This knife absolutely disappears in the pocket. It's 2.8 oz are spread across a very slim 4", it floats. It makes no impression in slacks. Wonderful.
So there you have it.
A very interesting pattern indeed. A President that wears it's flaws on it's sleeves.
