- Joined
- Feb 19, 2000
- Messages
- 168
Hi guys
A month ago I received a BM730 (plain, uncoated) and a Spyderco 204 from Knife Outlet (excellent service BTW).
Like any good knife nut I went straight for the blade. This is my first use of an axis lock, nice, very smooth, beautiful lockup. Previously I have carried a BM large Eclipse and then an EDI Genesis 1.
The handle suits my mid-size hands very well and the purple/maroon colouring is a nice change from straight black, I have had several comments about how 'pretty' it is from non-knife people. Since I received it I have taken to the handles with a jeweller's file and cut notches into them in line with the small serrations in the liners to help with the grip.
Blade sharpness was pretty good out of the box; the grind lines are straight and even.
All in all a nice knife and one that suits me very well
Now onto the 204, I had not used one before, but I understood the concept. The video was a real help in getting started while the instruction manual provided plenty of extra detail.
Note to people outside the US: the video is in NTSC format, you will need both a TV and Video-player that handles this to watch the tape.
I tried the 204 out on my Genesis to get the hang of the technique. Very quickly I had a nice shaving edge. At this point I was in Knife Nut Nirvana. A new blade and any easy way to keep them sharp in one package - this is what life is all about
Even better, it packs up into a nice compact container for storage and transport.
I gave my 730 the Spyderco treatment with the same results. The next step is to put a proper back-bevel on it. Maybe this weekend.
About a week later I went out hunting. On the first night the property owner took us out spotlighting and asked us to shoot two Kangaroos for dog-meat. Once the deed was done, it turned out that I was the only person carrying a knife. With some trepidation I handed over the 730 and proceeded to cringe as he took to the 'roos with a vengeance, I have since done severe penance for this and have apologised to all my knife using ancestors
. Anyone who has seen a farmer go to work on a carcase knows what I mean.
The upshot of this was that very quickly he had the back legs off the two 'roos. I saw (and heard
) the edge get dragged across the ball joint in each hip. He then wiped the blade on the 'roos fur which did very little good as the entire knife was covered in blood by this time, closed it (a tribute to how intuitive the axis lock is, as he had never seen it before then and I said nothing about it) and handed it back.
We finished late (past midnight) and the next morning I proceeded to clean my knife. At first I could barely move the blade because of the action being gummed up with blood. After some careful work with warm water and an old toothbrush I had it clean and back to its original smoothness (with the help of a drop or two of gun-oil.
Despite the rough use the night before the edge was still very sharp, not quite able to shave hair off my arm but still able to cope with any utility job I threw at it.
To sum up: I really like this knife, nice steel, a great lock and very comfortable. The axis lock does need a bit of extra attention to keep it moving smoothly (although to be fair, when I use knives for animal prep I take a lot more care to keep them clean as I go, so this may not be a real worry in the future).
Combined with the Sharpmaker, this little beauty is a great performer.
[This message has been edited by Ash (edited 05-19-2000).]
A month ago I received a BM730 (plain, uncoated) and a Spyderco 204 from Knife Outlet (excellent service BTW).
Like any good knife nut I went straight for the blade. This is my first use of an axis lock, nice, very smooth, beautiful lockup. Previously I have carried a BM large Eclipse and then an EDI Genesis 1.
The handle suits my mid-size hands very well and the purple/maroon colouring is a nice change from straight black, I have had several comments about how 'pretty' it is from non-knife people. Since I received it I have taken to the handles with a jeweller's file and cut notches into them in line with the small serrations in the liners to help with the grip.
Blade sharpness was pretty good out of the box; the grind lines are straight and even.
All in all a nice knife and one that suits me very well
Now onto the 204, I had not used one before, but I understood the concept. The video was a real help in getting started while the instruction manual provided plenty of extra detail.
Note to people outside the US: the video is in NTSC format, you will need both a TV and Video-player that handles this to watch the tape.
I tried the 204 out on my Genesis to get the hang of the technique. Very quickly I had a nice shaving edge. At this point I was in Knife Nut Nirvana. A new blade and any easy way to keep them sharp in one package - this is what life is all about
I gave my 730 the Spyderco treatment with the same results. The next step is to put a proper back-bevel on it. Maybe this weekend.
About a week later I went out hunting. On the first night the property owner took us out spotlighting and asked us to shoot two Kangaroos for dog-meat. Once the deed was done, it turned out that I was the only person carrying a knife. With some trepidation I handed over the 730 and proceeded to cringe as he took to the 'roos with a vengeance, I have since done severe penance for this and have apologised to all my knife using ancestors
The upshot of this was that very quickly he had the back legs off the two 'roos. I saw (and heard
We finished late (past midnight) and the next morning I proceeded to clean my knife. At first I could barely move the blade because of the action being gummed up with blood. After some careful work with warm water and an old toothbrush I had it clean and back to its original smoothness (with the help of a drop or two of gun-oil.
Despite the rough use the night before the edge was still very sharp, not quite able to shave hair off my arm but still able to cope with any utility job I threw at it.
To sum up: I really like this knife, nice steel, a great lock and very comfortable. The axis lock does need a bit of extra attention to keep it moving smoothly (although to be fair, when I use knives for animal prep I take a lot more care to keep them clean as I go, so this may not be a real worry in the future).
Combined with the Sharpmaker, this little beauty is a great performer.
[This message has been edited by Ash (edited 05-19-2000).]
