Just received my first one of these. I say first because I think I'll be getting another one of these and a smattering of inserts in a few months.
It can't be a review at this point, just initial impressions.
Jammed full of foam peanuts that came with it for packing, it measures roughly 12 inches long, by 7.5 high by 5 wide. A size that should fit most anywhere you want to store it.
The pockets and walls are padded, as expected, but nicely done none the less.
The packcloth is a pretty good grade, perhaps a touch coarser than I anticipated, but not annoying. It should pick up a good nap from wear.
The handles are well attached and should support the bag well with all the metal it will hold. The seams have all been sealed in with the standard edging common to nylon fabric products. No loose seams or raveling cloth or threads detected.
The zipper, while not a YKK, is of a decent quality and performance. Have to see how it wears/repairs.
One of the nice touches is that the inserts can velcro to the bottom of the inside of the bag as described in the product description. There is also a band of velcro above the pockets on both walls of the bag so you could make the inserts fold over the interior pockets as protection and a spiffy fold out wing for access. This makes installing three inserts a breeze with a design to prevent knocking of the knives in neighboring pockets. Getting a fourth to hook to the bottom shouldn't be a problem either. With four, it might be more crowded than I would prefer though.
The large folder insert is also well thought out. The velcro is a lengthwise rolled strip so that it kind of hinges itself for easy attachment to the bottom or top of the recieving strips. It's usefulness for small fixed blades depends on their sheathing system or your tolerance for sliding a naked blade into the slots. Perhaps a cardstock overwrap might be worth creating for protecting the insert from the kinds of edges common to knives. I'd probably hot glue them closed to avoid the acidic nature of tape.
I foresee one bag eventually being relegated to the ancillary support stuff. The sharpmaker fits nicely inside along with my Tuff Cloth baggie. Extra rods would fit nicely in the large folder/small fixed blade slots. Or perhaps the larger diamond stones/files. The DMT butterfly files go in some folder slots. The screw driver handle goes in another. The driver bits in one more. The tuff glide, thread lock, mineral oil, mineral spirits, all get pockets....
Starts to fill up pretty fast.
My only complaint would go against the logo. And it's not poorly done either. Clean, crisp lettering and design. Well executed and attached. It's just never been to my taste. I haven't decided if I'll cut it off or not yet.
I'd have preferred a stitched BladeForums.com, but that's probably more expensive and doesn't really add anything I need to the whole thing.
I'd give it a 3.5 - 4 out of a 5 rating on initial impression so far. For it's price point, a solid 4.
Phil
It can't be a review at this point, just initial impressions.
Jammed full of foam peanuts that came with it for packing, it measures roughly 12 inches long, by 7.5 high by 5 wide. A size that should fit most anywhere you want to store it.
The pockets and walls are padded, as expected, but nicely done none the less.
The packcloth is a pretty good grade, perhaps a touch coarser than I anticipated, but not annoying. It should pick up a good nap from wear.
The handles are well attached and should support the bag well with all the metal it will hold. The seams have all been sealed in with the standard edging common to nylon fabric products. No loose seams or raveling cloth or threads detected.
The zipper, while not a YKK, is of a decent quality and performance. Have to see how it wears/repairs.
One of the nice touches is that the inserts can velcro to the bottom of the inside of the bag as described in the product description. There is also a band of velcro above the pockets on both walls of the bag so you could make the inserts fold over the interior pockets as protection and a spiffy fold out wing for access. This makes installing three inserts a breeze with a design to prevent knocking of the knives in neighboring pockets. Getting a fourth to hook to the bottom shouldn't be a problem either. With four, it might be more crowded than I would prefer though.
The large folder insert is also well thought out. The velcro is a lengthwise rolled strip so that it kind of hinges itself for easy attachment to the bottom or top of the recieving strips. It's usefulness for small fixed blades depends on their sheathing system or your tolerance for sliding a naked blade into the slots. Perhaps a cardstock overwrap might be worth creating for protecting the insert from the kinds of edges common to knives. I'd probably hot glue them closed to avoid the acidic nature of tape.
I foresee one bag eventually being relegated to the ancillary support stuff. The sharpmaker fits nicely inside along with my Tuff Cloth baggie. Extra rods would fit nicely in the large folder/small fixed blade slots. Or perhaps the larger diamond stones/files. The DMT butterfly files go in some folder slots. The screw driver handle goes in another. The driver bits in one more. The tuff glide, thread lock, mineral oil, mineral spirits, all get pockets....
Starts to fill up pretty fast.
My only complaint would go against the logo. And it's not poorly done either. Clean, crisp lettering and design. Well executed and attached. It's just never been to my taste. I haven't decided if I'll cut it off or not yet.
I'd have preferred a stitched BladeForums.com, but that's probably more expensive and doesn't really add anything I need to the whole thing.
I'd give it a 3.5 - 4 out of a 5 rating on initial impression so far. For it's price point, a solid 4.
Phil
