- Joined
- Feb 7, 2000
- Messages
- 3,221
Well, I have recently had the opportunity to try out a Camillus Talon. Thanks go out to those who made this possible; you know who you are. I just received the knife today, so these are only my initial impressions of it, having spend a few hours playing around. I will be posting more at a later date, once I've had a chance to actually use the a bit.
Sheath:
Let's get this out of the way first, as it is, IMHO, the least important part of the knife, since there are so many aftermarket sheathmakers out there. I have to say, this is a very clean-looking sheath. While I prefer a simple clip made out of Kydex or Concealex for attachment to the belt, given the slimmer design, I have to say that the 'Tek-Lok' is much more secure and adjustable, and I would highly recommend it for field use, where these features outweigh the slightly greater bulkiness. Another thing I noticed on the sheath is that all the edges are properly radiused, and the whole thing just looks more like a custom sheath than a production sheath. It even has a drain hole at the point of the blade which, while unimportant as far as rust is concerned, since this is a Talonite knife, makes it much easier to clean out the sheath.
Now, for the bad part: the retention on this sheath is definitely sub-par. While this makes for a very smooth and quick draw, a flick of the wrist while holding the knife handle sends the sheath on its merry way. This is something Camillus definitely should look into, as the benefits of the Tek-Lok are lost if the knife will not stay in the sheath. Since this knife is very suitable as a camp food-preparation knife, rather than a defensive knife, I wouldn't even mind seeing a form of secondary retention added.
Handle:
While a little on the small side for my preferences, the handle should be very comfortable to the average person. The thumb and finger serrations (cut into the tang, and only about 1/16" wide) add quite a bit of grip retention to the knife, without being uncomfortable. The areas where these are located (thumb ramp and front half of the index-finger cutout) feel 'sticky' more than anything else, which is quite reassuring.
The handle slabs are G10, with three lengthwise grooves milled into them. The G10 itself is fairly smooth in comparison to, for example, Benchmade's G10. However, these grooves really help to prevent the knife from twisting in the hand, and should function more effectively when wet than traditional textured G10. The handle slabs themselves do not work too effectively in preventing the hand from sliding forward and back (two grooves similar to the three lengthwise ones, cut from top to bottom and spaced evenly along the shorter lengthwise groove, would seem to solve that very effectively). The addition of a cutout for the index finger, in combination with the finger serrations, make that problem a minor one, as they are more than adequate to prevent the hand from sliding under normal (and slightly excessive) use.
So, if I had to make any suggestions to change things about the handle, I would add those two grooves in the scales, and probably add a bit of a finger guard (just because I prefer finger guards
). Still, all-in-all, this is a very comfortable handle, and should easily perform any of the tasks which one would normally expect of a knife of this size and style.
Other Ergonomics:
I would specifically like to note the balance of this knife. At first, it felt slightly odd, since the balance point is directly at the back end of the index-finger cutout, as opposed to being centered over the finger. This is actually quite comfortable, and the blade seems to 'disappear,' as the balance tends to feel as if there is nothing past the end of the handle. If I was Camillus, I might drill a couple of holes in the tang to lighten the knife (not that it's abnormally heavy) and more the balance forward a little; I might not. I'm glad I don't have to make those decisions, since I really couldn't choose which I prefer.
The blade shape - a pretty traditional drop-point, with the axis of the blade angled slightly down from the axis of the handle (the point is in line with the lowest milled groove in the handle) - is quite nice as a utility blade. I will bring up again my feeling as to the 'correct' use of this knife: I see it as a knife primarily for camp use, given the blade shape and the corrosion-resistant properties of Talonite. It could be used for any number of other uses, but this is where I really see this knife fitting in.
The Blade:
While I just addressed the shape of the blade briefly, I would like to now point out some other things I have noticed about the blade. First, Talonite definitely will take a shaving-sharp edge. How long it will keep that edge remains to be seen, but it definitely will shave quite easily. The blade is also no more hand-flexible than any other modern steel blade of the same thickness which I have handled, so anyone who has been worried that Talonite may be similar to Aluminum in strength can stop worrying. The blade is flat ground, again encouraging the use of this knife in a utility role. The grinds come down to a pretty thin edge. While it is not quite as thin as that of some other knives, it is by no means as thick as some have seemed to imply is necessary with Talonite.
Another thing I have noticed is how slippery the surface of the blade feels. I am not certain if this is a result of the blade finish only, or if it is due to the 'inherent lubricity' of the Talonite. Whichever is the cause, in practical use, it should allow the blade to cut with less drag.
The Conclusion:
Well, those are just my initial impressions. I will have more for you all after I've spent some quality time with the knife.
--JB
------------------
e_utopia@hotmail.com
Sheath:
Let's get this out of the way first, as it is, IMHO, the least important part of the knife, since there are so many aftermarket sheathmakers out there. I have to say, this is a very clean-looking sheath. While I prefer a simple clip made out of Kydex or Concealex for attachment to the belt, given the slimmer design, I have to say that the 'Tek-Lok' is much more secure and adjustable, and I would highly recommend it for field use, where these features outweigh the slightly greater bulkiness. Another thing I noticed on the sheath is that all the edges are properly radiused, and the whole thing just looks more like a custom sheath than a production sheath. It even has a drain hole at the point of the blade which, while unimportant as far as rust is concerned, since this is a Talonite knife, makes it much easier to clean out the sheath.
Now, for the bad part: the retention on this sheath is definitely sub-par. While this makes for a very smooth and quick draw, a flick of the wrist while holding the knife handle sends the sheath on its merry way. This is something Camillus definitely should look into, as the benefits of the Tek-Lok are lost if the knife will not stay in the sheath. Since this knife is very suitable as a camp food-preparation knife, rather than a defensive knife, I wouldn't even mind seeing a form of secondary retention added.
Handle:
While a little on the small side for my preferences, the handle should be very comfortable to the average person. The thumb and finger serrations (cut into the tang, and only about 1/16" wide) add quite a bit of grip retention to the knife, without being uncomfortable. The areas where these are located (thumb ramp and front half of the index-finger cutout) feel 'sticky' more than anything else, which is quite reassuring.
The handle slabs are G10, with three lengthwise grooves milled into them. The G10 itself is fairly smooth in comparison to, for example, Benchmade's G10. However, these grooves really help to prevent the knife from twisting in the hand, and should function more effectively when wet than traditional textured G10. The handle slabs themselves do not work too effectively in preventing the hand from sliding forward and back (two grooves similar to the three lengthwise ones, cut from top to bottom and spaced evenly along the shorter lengthwise groove, would seem to solve that very effectively). The addition of a cutout for the index finger, in combination with the finger serrations, make that problem a minor one, as they are more than adequate to prevent the hand from sliding under normal (and slightly excessive) use.
So, if I had to make any suggestions to change things about the handle, I would add those two grooves in the scales, and probably add a bit of a finger guard (just because I prefer finger guards
Other Ergonomics:
I would specifically like to note the balance of this knife. At first, it felt slightly odd, since the balance point is directly at the back end of the index-finger cutout, as opposed to being centered over the finger. This is actually quite comfortable, and the blade seems to 'disappear,' as the balance tends to feel as if there is nothing past the end of the handle. If I was Camillus, I might drill a couple of holes in the tang to lighten the knife (not that it's abnormally heavy) and more the balance forward a little; I might not. I'm glad I don't have to make those decisions, since I really couldn't choose which I prefer.
The blade shape - a pretty traditional drop-point, with the axis of the blade angled slightly down from the axis of the handle (the point is in line with the lowest milled groove in the handle) - is quite nice as a utility blade. I will bring up again my feeling as to the 'correct' use of this knife: I see it as a knife primarily for camp use, given the blade shape and the corrosion-resistant properties of Talonite. It could be used for any number of other uses, but this is where I really see this knife fitting in.
The Blade:
While I just addressed the shape of the blade briefly, I would like to now point out some other things I have noticed about the blade. First, Talonite definitely will take a shaving-sharp edge. How long it will keep that edge remains to be seen, but it definitely will shave quite easily. The blade is also no more hand-flexible than any other modern steel blade of the same thickness which I have handled, so anyone who has been worried that Talonite may be similar to Aluminum in strength can stop worrying. The blade is flat ground, again encouraging the use of this knife in a utility role. The grinds come down to a pretty thin edge. While it is not quite as thin as that of some other knives, it is by no means as thick as some have seemed to imply is necessary with Talonite.
Another thing I have noticed is how slippery the surface of the blade feels. I am not certain if this is a result of the blade finish only, or if it is due to the 'inherent lubricity' of the Talonite. Whichever is the cause, in practical use, it should allow the blade to cut with less drag.
The Conclusion:
Well, those are just my initial impressions. I will have more for you all after I've spent some quality time with the knife.
--JB
------------------
e_utopia@hotmail.com
