- Joined
- Sep 27, 2011
- Messages
- 1,864
Alan Davis is an excellent knifemaker, a skilled craftsman, and a gentleman. I recently purchased a Mini Ti Framelock from Alan and have been using it over the past few weeks and wanted to express my satisfaction with the knife as well as for Alans excellent customer service. I have outlined a few of the details below and included some pictures of the daily tasks I have completed with the knife and some comments on my experiences.
Specs:
overall length - 6 3/16" I find the size of the knife to be just a tad smaller than my sweet spot, but it is sufficient for EDC tasks and fits comfortably in a 3-finger grip.
blade - 2 5/8" tip to frame The blade length is adequate and is in excellent ratio to the length of the handles.
Steel - Alabama Damascus (contains 52100, 5160, 15n20 and 203e)This has been my first experience with any Damascus steel and I was hesitant at first, but it is sharp, strong, and touches up nicely on a loaded strop.
frame and clip - hand carved titaniumThe framelock was a bit sticky at first, but with some graphite on the blade tang and several hundred openings it has smoothed out very nicely and feels fluid and even. I like the LOOK of the snake shaped clip, but ultimately removed it because of its sharp edges and it took away from the ergonomics of the knife.
thumbstud - single stainlessThe thumbstud is a little large for a blade this size, but it works well and is functional in shape and design.
weight - 1.76 oz.Very light and easy to carry.
I used nylon sheathed steel ball bearings for a fast and smooth operation. Strong detent, strong secure lock up and zero blade play in any directionAlans system with these bearings is smooth, fast, and breaks in quickly. It flicks open easily and is easy to control with a smooth, slow opening. The detent is set just right and there is zero blade play in any direction. One disclaimerthe pivot developed some side-to-side play, but once tightened with the included tool (with a drop of blue Loctite) it stays firmly in place with zero issues.
SEE PICS/ADDITIONAL COMMENTS IN THE FOLLOWING POSTS
Specs:
overall length - 6 3/16" I find the size of the knife to be just a tad smaller than my sweet spot, but it is sufficient for EDC tasks and fits comfortably in a 3-finger grip.
blade - 2 5/8" tip to frame The blade length is adequate and is in excellent ratio to the length of the handles.
Steel - Alabama Damascus (contains 52100, 5160, 15n20 and 203e)This has been my first experience with any Damascus steel and I was hesitant at first, but it is sharp, strong, and touches up nicely on a loaded strop.
frame and clip - hand carved titaniumThe framelock was a bit sticky at first, but with some graphite on the blade tang and several hundred openings it has smoothed out very nicely and feels fluid and even. I like the LOOK of the snake shaped clip, but ultimately removed it because of its sharp edges and it took away from the ergonomics of the knife.
thumbstud - single stainlessThe thumbstud is a little large for a blade this size, but it works well and is functional in shape and design.
weight - 1.76 oz.Very light and easy to carry.
I used nylon sheathed steel ball bearings for a fast and smooth operation. Strong detent, strong secure lock up and zero blade play in any directionAlans system with these bearings is smooth, fast, and breaks in quickly. It flicks open easily and is easy to control with a smooth, slow opening. The detent is set just right and there is zero blade play in any direction. One disclaimerthe pivot developed some side-to-side play, but once tightened with the included tool (with a drop of blue Loctite) it stays firmly in place with zero issues.
SEE PICS/ADDITIONAL COMMENTS IN THE FOLLOWING POSTS
