CFK Knife update and company history

Yeah, if we find out they're using real D2 and that they're as good as they say, we're duty bound to admit we were wrong and spread as many negative falsehoods as we can to drive prices down. I've already bought as many of them as I want and need at the prices I wanted them at and, since the prices are going up, I don't have to worry if the steel is D2 -- everything else is good about them. Even if the blades turn out to be 420, I still like the looks and the configuration. I'll just use 'em in the boat to hack up sharks! If I ever want more, I'll sell the ones I have on eBay and say they're from a little village in Pakistan and that magnets won't stick to the blades! Then once their prices go back down, I'll buy more.

Hey, all I want in life is an unfair advantage!
 
Not sure how the patina test is silly, but to each his own.

Here's a handheld XRF scanner.

https://www.bruker.com/products/x-r...is/handheld-xrf/s1-titan-series/overview.html

As for HRC testing you will likely find someone in the Shop Talk forum that wouldn't mind running a test. You pay shipping both ways of course.

No need to worry about carrying a fixed blade in California, so long as you aren't in SF and one other city that escapes me. So long as it's not double edged and is carried openly your good. I carry a 4" Fiddleback Forge Kephart often. I've had a couple of people ask me about it, after I tell them I'm a leather craftsman they just think it's cool.
 
Omega Leather Works said:
Not sure how the patina test is silly, but to each his own.

Here's a handheld XRF scanner.

https://www.bruker.com/products/x-r...is/handheld-xrf/s1-titan-series/overview.html

As for HRC testing you will likely find someone in the Shop Talk forum that wouldn't mind running a test. You pay shipping both ways of course.

No need to worry about carrying a fixed blade in California, so long as you aren't in SF and one other city that escapes me. So long as it's not double edged and is carried openly your good. I carry a 4" Fiddleback Forge Kephart often. I've had a couple of people ask me about it, after I tell them I'm a leather craftsman they just think it's cool.
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I was just being sarcastic, I see how the test was helpful. Yeah if I ever carry a fixed blade I just tuck my shirt on the sheath side at least in between belt and sheath. But I'd rarely have one unless it was on a pack or on my property.
 
Stargater said:
I'll sell the ones I have on eBay and say they're from a little village in Pakistan and that magnets won't stick to the blades! Then once their prices go back down, I'll buy more.
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I guess that'd be half right. I checked the two in my kitchen knife drawer that I cut ribs and chicken bones with and take into the backyard sometimes for minor pruning. Magnets stick just like they do to the fridge. They stick to the Mora and Dexters in the drawer too.
 
MrMotivations said:
If they continue upward, my interest for this attractive commodity will shift to some other source. That's why there is competition. (I worked for an industrialist whose favorite saying was, "All I want from life is an unfair advantage..")
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(( not paid Bladeforums dealers ))

Etc...

There's not a whole lot of difference between a custom knife handmade in Colorado and one made in Oregon, though it is helpful they print "D2" right on the blade kind of like a cheap Chinese knife. Gives me the warm and fuzzies.

Sorry, got a bit carried away posting links. I didn't think anyone would buy any knives from said links. The sellers I posted had knives very similar to the ones we are discussing down to the sheaths, pins, damascus type, similar grinds, similar logo stamping, micarta looks exactly the same, etc... I inquired where they source the product. I'll post if anyone answers.

The place in Colorado has similar blurbs about being handmade, etc... definitely a copycat, but with similar sources it appears.
 
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I believe he was joking about magnets sticking. You know the old saying that Paki blades are made from old beer cans etc. The only way a magnet wouldn't stick is if the blade were titanium, or some other non ferrous metal. Aluminum qualifies. I've seen some pretty cool knives that qualify, but they are usually actual custom knives that have prices that reflect that fact.
 
Omega Leather Works said:
I believe he was joking about magnets sticking. You know the old saying that Paki blades are made from old beer cans etc. The only way a magnet wouldn't stick is if the blade were titanium, or some other non ferrous metal. Aluminum qualifies. I've seen some pretty cool knives that qualify, but they are usually actual custom knives that have prices that reflect that fact.
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I thought austenitic stainless steels were not magnetic or are so weakly so that a magnet will not "stick."
 
The online auction Colorado Knife guy says his knives are all handmade, didn't say where. He said the D2 steel is sourced from Japan.
 
crufflers said:
The online auction Colorado Knife guy says his knives are all handmade, didn't say where. He said the D2 steel is sourced from Japan.
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Interesting I emailed the Colorado Knife guy and CFK concerning the same information about six months ago and never heard a peep from either one of them.
 
buckfynn said:
Interesting I emailed the Colorado Knife guy and CFK concerning the same information about six months ago and never heard a peep from either one of them.
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Yeah I wasn't sure I was nice enough to get a reply, but apparently I was. I said, "Nice looking knives. Can you tell me where the knives are from ? Imported blanks or history? Thanks."


He answered:
"These knives are all handmade. The steel is from Japan.

John"

I guess I could have been more coherent with what I wanted answered.
 
"Handmade" is one of those words routinely used as they sound favorable in an undefined way, like "custom" or "vintage."
 
So far I've been happy with all of my purchases, though there does seem to be a notable difference between the CFK-Cutlery brand and the iPak brand. Some of the iPak knives have hex screws that look like they were swept off the floor of a 1940s railroad shop and screwed into the handles to keep the scales on. The steel also seems to be an issue. When I ordered a long-bladed "hunting fighting Bowie" with a 420HC polished blade, I was willing to accept a 420 knife -- something I could keep in the trunk of my car. But when I got the knife today, the "Certificate of Authenticity" stated that the model number is 49282, and that the blade material is “D2“. Hmmmm. So now I'm left to wonder, is the blade D2 or 420HC? Are _any_ of the blades D2? The knives marked "CFK-Cutlery" seem to have a superior blade polish than the iPak knives -- and many of the latter are now being marketed as 420HC “stainless.“ The logo in the steel also seems to be more clearly stamped in the former than the logo in the latter. Does that mean anything? _Who knows?_

Again, the knives seem fine, but the information vague. I was wondering, what would cold blue (the stuff sold in gun stores) do to true D2? If I could get ahold of some of it, I could put a drop on one of CFK's D2 blades and the same on one of its 420HC blades and see if there's a difference. If the 420HC resists discoloration, it would tend to show that it's safe to leave in the car. But if it does, it could indicate that the steel might be a carbon steel like D2, though it would not be definitive.
 
If it was Japanese it would have a designation like SKD11. Why call it D2 if it's not?

Am I the only one that thinks iPak(istan) is suspicious?

Mustard will tell you if you have a very stain resistant blade versus D2 which will stain far more readily. Cold blue is not necessary.
 
Omega Leather Works

http://www.customforgedknives.com/abooutipak/

This has ALL the facts on iPak Survival.

Stargater - Sorry the COA card was written out incorrectly, if you contact us in eBay we will gladly fix it. As they are all hand written at the time of shipping, it was marked as D2 in error. I also sent you a message there.

Thanks,

Jason Baker
 
Omega Leather Works said:
Am I the only one that thinks iPak(istan) is suspicious?
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Well, many have wondered the same thing, but I'd hardly expect to see someone advertising that their products are from Pakistan. And I can see someone using a "packed" handgun logo and an iPak name. I'd probably have called it "iPack" and that would have removed all doubt about the name.

As Jason noted, the certificate of authenticity is only handwriting on a printed card. There are no serial numbers, no stamps and no evidence that they are what they claim to be; however, time will tell. If CFK remains in business, I think it'll prosper and grow; if not, it most likely will just vanish. Frankly, I hope they're on the level and that a few years from now many of us will be wishing we had bought their knives while they were so cheap. But if I'm wrong, we'll remember them as the opportunists who dropped a load of cheap Pakistani knives on the knife world and vanished, leaving only the knives and a bunch of handwritten certificates behind.

So far, I'm a satisfied customer and hope to remain one. Each of the knives I've purchased has been sigfificantly better than what I've expected. They're well polished, well ground, attractive, have solid, exceptionally made leather sheaths that are well worth more than half the prices they sell for and the scales are attractive, fit the knife just right and are very comfortable. In other words, if they wanted to make a cheap product, why try so hard on the rest and just cheap out on the steel? Or, if they gave us the same product with the sheath sold separately, or if they sold the knife as a 420j2 blade, then people most likely would still buy the knife and figure it would be a bargain. But with CFK cranking out quality sheaths, great (beautiful and comfortable) scales, well polished and ground blades with everything fitting so well together, I can't think of any indication other that they're be anything other than what the sellers claim. In short, it all appears that they're doing everything they say they are, and that's providing people with decent, useful knives they'd otherwise be hard pressed to afford.

I only wish they could cobble up a knife or two with some stars and bars on the grips! Now I don't think eBay would let 'em on there anyway. Bummer.

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Well said confederate. I too hope they are on the level. It's important (for me) to remember that I have no vested interest in any of their actions, but it's not for not trying. I simply keep getting outbid! :D

As I've mentioned, I really do like some of their designs. Hopefully, given enough time, I'll be able to decide for myself on a lot of the questions I have.

As for the sheaths, I'll probably be pretty critical. They are gonna have to do pretty well to impress me. ;)
 
I know leather has fallen into disuse over the past decade or so, but I remain an advocate. My dad carried his Ka-Bar all over the South Pacific during WWII and he carried it in rain and shine. He used the blade to record all the places he visited on the sheath's back and we aim to keep it in the family for generations.

As far as D2 steel goes, the following link provides some valuable information. Jason, do you know enough about how your D2 blades are made to comment? Seems like excellent steel if it's not too brittle. Are CFK blades made on the hard side or softer? I have some of your longer blades and don't intend to use them to pry, but I'm concerned about chopping (especially wood).

http://www.knivesillustrated.com/does-d2-tool-steel-make-a-good-knife/
 
More people who own these should post pics in the CFK photo thread. I took some today that I will post. I fondled all my CFK's today and oiled them up since I keep them in their sheaths. If I have to do that too often, I will have to figure something else out as far as knife stand or something where they aren't in leather that's soaking up the oil. I used the SEAL 1 paste sample I got today and I liked the consistency... not like CLP, more like a butter or coconut oil when it is congealed. Sticks to blades well unlike rem oil Breakfree.
 
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