Originally posted by martin j
Has anyone taken thier BA3 or Groovemaster out to play yet?
My Groovemaster came today(!), and I've cut a few things with it. Had to touch up the edge right out of the box, which kind of stifled my excitement over getting it. The flat side didn't even go all the way to the tip...
Most of the edge was ok, though, so I didn't have to fool with it long.
Cut up a box, a plastic jug, went out in the yard, and made a few fuzz sticks, made some stakes, beat it through a couple of branches with a baton, little stuff like that, "just to see". Had no effect on the edge (naturally
).
The GM is super comfortable, especially when you choke up and use the forward groove and the choil. Really lets you bear down, or be precise with the tip, depending on what you're doing, too.
For my small hands, the handle, because of its length, actually supports three grips, much like an E-handle. Choked up, which was great for making the fuzz sticks-very comfortable. "Normal", which I used while cutting up the box, jug, etc., and choked back, which made pointing stakes alot easier (the knife balances at the rear of the index finger groove, which is great for control, but not for light chopping).
I like the curvature of the edge, which should help in slicing-it's like a skinner on steroids. I haven't used it enough to really comment on the difference between it, and say, a Basic with a straighter edge, though. The difference in thickness would cloud that up, anyway.
Cutting performance was about what could be expected for a relatively thick, narrow blade. No surprises. Not great, not horrible. Thinning out the edge a little will surely help.
I wanted something that's a decent cutter, stout enough to depend on in heavy use, but comfortable and versatile enough for a wide variety of tasks, so I can just carry it and a multitool or SAK when I go camping/hiking, and don't expect to do any chopping.
This knife is all of that. It's groovy
btw, the sheath kicks boo-tay, too! Well thought out, stout, and versatile. Much like the knife...
