i'm going to post a review in a little bit like later tonight or tom. But here is the deal. i ordered 3 of them, and of a variety on purpose to see all he has to offer and so that i wouldn't get a lemon, and give the new company a fighting chance and a fair one. But can say this:
The J. black custom Damascus knives are really nice for the money, and what i would recommend. supposedly that maker, makes those knives himself, the whole thing and sheath, and puts a number on the back, which doesn't really mean anything, but is an indicator of what i'm talking about. The fit and finish on those is superior to the rest, and the damascus actually looks good. They all are also so so sharp, like 600 grit i'd say. also they have mosaic pins, rather than just normal rivets. Do not pay more than 70 bucks though!
the rest have problems on QC all over the place. such as the logo, material fixed to handle/blade, sheath marks, fit and finish, etc.
however, i do not yet know if the HT and temper is good yet, or if the steel is really what they say, D2 and 1085/15n Damascus. However, i have a few emails from him i'll post, and pics of the knives. And a lot to say about all of them and the ipak stuff. I can say this though, The j. black Damascus knives are really nice, i was impressed for 61 plus 5.95 shipping, and i paid 41 and 5.95 shipping on the other - he gave me back 3.50 for shipping. he claims that he sells custom knives for dealer prices, and that such imperfections add to the uniqueness of the knife. I think that is just an excuse for sloppy and fast knife making. meaning the HT and temper may not be that great either. however, i was impressed for the money with the Damascus custom by j. black - i call him jack black like the movie star, lol. But i will give out a review here soon.
I can not prove the quality of the steel itself yet though, when i sharpen them i will get a better idea and do a follow up to the review i'm doing later. But tonight we'll look at everything else about the knife and construction, etc. Also, i was concerned that his damascus was just that cheap Pakistan damascus, used by say custom.knife on ebay. However, he sent me a long email about how they get it from England and its very high quality, selling at 40 dollars a bar on ebay right now by him also, lol. But i'll take some pics and get into it later. Until then hold off to see what i have to say, or like i already said, go with the J. black damascus custom versions of his knives (ipak and CFK). So far of the 3 it is nice, and seems good. I'll need to hard use it to get an idea of edge retention, how it sharpens by hand, and so on, to have a more complete picture!
you can tell those ones, as they are smaller and the maker j. black signs the sheath and it is more custom with the work. That one is impressive and nice, how it really performs i do not know yet, but it looks really nice. I will again review it later when i have time and post some more stuff, and pics. you can msg me as well. I'm just a buyer, not in with anyone also! I will say i've tried 10 of the custom.knife seller knives, and hated them in general. so, do not buy those ebay knives. But the damascus looks better on these i will say, and really do hope it is good performing. Put it this way, if it works as good as it looks, i think we have a winner! thanks mike
