all about the Chinook

[Runs With Scissors]

Just picked one up yesterday. I have become very sore kickin' myself in the a$$ for not picking one up sooner! WAAAAYYY cool knife!! It's got everything I could really ask for in a knife. I like the plain ole dependable backlock, no tiny screws to get lost, decent steel, and the design itself is awesome! a knife that truly lends itself equally well to SD, heavy duty work, or the outdoors. My wife took one look at it and told me "this knife definitely suits you, one of the few things you own that you may not be able to break. You better keep this one, and not go on one of your silly trading tangents with it..." Hey...no argument from me!

I've been wondering how the new one is gonna stack up, guess I'll have to wait a little bit and find out. That big stout blade of the first generation seems the blessing and the curse, although it really doesn't give up as much in cutting efficience as I would have expected. From what I can guess looking at pics, it looks like it should have the same easy cutting performance as the older one, with less weight, and perhaps a tiny bit less blade strength if you're defending yourself against a Case Backhoe with it...

I haven't seen or read hardly anything about Keatings own thoughts on this one. I wonder which design has the most of his direct influence?

They say that the 440V is kinda the precursor to S30V...where do they differ, and what exactly does the 440V give up to the S30 stuff?

The darn thing was ROUGH when I got it outta the box, but it's already smoothened up drastically after only a day. Some oil helped too, and I think maybe I'm just getting the feel of it now. Opening it is becoming much more instinctive and dependable than just a day ago. Don't think this would be a good one if you're really into flingin' yer knives open an' stuff, seems yer best off to just follow all the way through with yer thumb, period.

One thing I do need to see about with this one is getting the clip reversed, one of them personal preference things I guess.

Ya' think anyones broken one of these yet?

I wanna hear more about y'alls Chinooks!

Running off to find something to cut, slice, sever, pierce, and hack for awhile....Damn I love my new toy!

 

[John Frederick]

I've been carrying mine for 2 years now. It definately ROCKS! A tougher knife would be hard to build.
One piece of advice...don't let it get too dull before sharpening. You will wear out before the dull edge does. Diamond stones solve that however.

 

[brownie0486]

I've been carrying mine on and off as a primary EDC for a few months now.

Strong lockback lockup, heavy liners, heavy blade, good steel. It is a heavy knife in the hand as well.

When I'm wearing lighter type pants, I put it up on the belt in a ballistic nylon holster.

Manual dexterity drils with this one need special attention to retention or you are going to drop it.

The g-10 scales I'm still debating on. I like their "feel" as they are not roughed up, but a little more roughed and it would be easier to hold onto while deploying quickly.

It is a bear to "pop" open but it is capable of it with some practice. It came with a blade that was very tight in opening yet smooth and not "gritty", it has smoothed out considerably since then.

Others state they aren't crazy about the blades upswept swage. I like it quite a bit. From what I can gather from the posts, the ones who don't like the blades design think it has too much belly and want more of a "sticker" profile.

I wondered about that myself until I got mine and checked it out. If you will notice, Mr. Keating has the tip [point] of the blade in the middle of the blades width where it belongs and can be used to effectively stab something. The tip looks like it sits higher than it does.

When I get back from the Riddle with Jim in October, I will be doing an eval on this and stabbing and slashing will be tested as this is a serious defensive knife.

Only one other knife [ folder] that I've handled has the same "feel" of strength and weight [ and also happens to be a lockback design ].

It should outlast me, and it's one I won't trade away and will always have in the drawer if not carried.

Brownie

 

[brownie0486]

Over the weekend, I modified the serrations at the top of the spine of the blade some. I radiused the serrations so that they did not "grab" the pocket on the way out and consequently slow the presentation speed.

One should be aware that the serrations there come extremely sharp and are almost abusive in nature on the pockets. I didn't feel I needed that much bite [ a lot ]and could live with a little less "grab".

All is well in the EDC world again today.

Brownie

 

[sc_rebel1957]

WOW! I just got 1 I traded for in the mail this afternoon, this thing is a tank of a folder.
It only took me about 30 mins on my 204 to make it shave hair, I love the CPM440V blade.
It's blade geometry is amazing, to me it's the perfect example of a folding bowie.
Also it's somehow comforting to hear that loud CLUNK when it locks up, lock feels like it would hold a ton.
I can't imagine a task too tough for this knife. Ron

 

[poboy]

I bought one used a couple months ago and it hasn't left my pocket yet. Of all the folders I own, this one inspires the most confidence. The only drawback, as far as I'm concerned is speed of presentation. It takes longet to get out of my pocket and opened than any other knife I've owned. But I carry an axis AFCK in my other pocket for that. Overall, it's a great knife. I don't think I could come close to breaking it.

 

[BOK]

I acquired the old style with an S30V blade a few months ago.

Can't say that I've carried it too much since my Gunting and small Sebenza hog all the space on my strong side.

Personally I prefer blades that are more slender in profile such as the G10 Police or BM AFCK but the size and robustness of the Chinook do instill a certain confidence that some other folders don't.