I have intended to buy this damn knife since 1993 and FINALLY got one. Thanks Murray @ ProEdge - excellent service from a fine gentleman and fellow cop.
A more thorough review will follow, at the end of the month, after the caribou migration gets moving, and the herd is downsized/my freezer upsized.
But first impressions last forever, so here goes.
Out of the box - very sharp, edge is perfectly symmetrical, blade coating is absolutely flawless.
Toward the point, just past the "tanto-ish" corner, the bevel grind is uneven, slightly (still symmetrical, though). This just may be because of the way the hollow grind and this point style meet, I don't know. Also, the thumb grooves on the back of the blade are too shallow to really improve purchase at this part of the blade, and because the handle is smooth at this end, it makes choking up on the blade less secure than it could be. The smooth part I'm talking about is where the handle meets the guard. It is constricted for about 2/3 of an inch and this portion is not knurled. I don't think it will affect my ability to use the knife for close, detailed work, because the knurling is so well done on the rest of the handle that the knife should still be quite secure. Time will tell.
Most CRK one-piece knives have a double guard, but this one only has a single one. Perfect for a camp knife IMHO, as the second guard gets in my way. Where the second guard would be, the now-flat part is ground a little uneven, meeting the blade about 1/2 mm further up on one side. Barely noticable, but it is there.
One last nit to pick, when the buttcap is screwed down, metal to metal (very tight by the way) the lanyard hole is off center by about 20 degrees.
In fact, of the things I mentioned, this was the one that was the most obvious, and to me, annoying.
I studied this knife VERY thoroughly last night. These are the only issues I could find, and they are very minor, almost invisible. In fact, I will likely never notice them again, because this knife is here to work, and work it will! If I was a non-user type collector, I would consider calling CRK to remedy these imperfections, but that is not the case.
Overall, I am thrilled with the knife, and can't wait to give it a full workout. It looks like it will be a winner. I will also post on the Wilderness/survival forum the contents and functionality of the hollow handle.
I do have a question...
The sheath is beautiful, but I am concerned with the snap closure on the belt loop. Is it secure? If not, what do you suggest?
Thanks for reading
Jim
A more thorough review will follow, at the end of the month, after the caribou migration gets moving, and the herd is downsized/my freezer upsized.
But first impressions last forever, so here goes.
Out of the box - very sharp, edge is perfectly symmetrical, blade coating is absolutely flawless.
Toward the point, just past the "tanto-ish" corner, the bevel grind is uneven, slightly (still symmetrical, though). This just may be because of the way the hollow grind and this point style meet, I don't know. Also, the thumb grooves on the back of the blade are too shallow to really improve purchase at this part of the blade, and because the handle is smooth at this end, it makes choking up on the blade less secure than it could be. The smooth part I'm talking about is where the handle meets the guard. It is constricted for about 2/3 of an inch and this portion is not knurled. I don't think it will affect my ability to use the knife for close, detailed work, because the knurling is so well done on the rest of the handle that the knife should still be quite secure. Time will tell.
Most CRK one-piece knives have a double guard, but this one only has a single one. Perfect for a camp knife IMHO, as the second guard gets in my way. Where the second guard would be, the now-flat part is ground a little uneven, meeting the blade about 1/2 mm further up on one side. Barely noticable, but it is there.
One last nit to pick, when the buttcap is screwed down, metal to metal (very tight by the way) the lanyard hole is off center by about 20 degrees.
In fact, of the things I mentioned, this was the one that was the most obvious, and to me, annoying.
I studied this knife VERY thoroughly last night. These are the only issues I could find, and they are very minor, almost invisible. In fact, I will likely never notice them again, because this knife is here to work, and work it will! If I was a non-user type collector, I would consider calling CRK to remedy these imperfections, but that is not the case.
Overall, I am thrilled with the knife, and can't wait to give it a full workout. It looks like it will be a winner. I will also post on the Wilderness/survival forum the contents and functionality of the hollow handle.
I do have a question...
The sheath is beautiful, but I am concerned with the snap closure on the belt loop. Is it secure? If not, what do you suggest?
Thanks for reading
Jim
