Chuck Gedraitis Black Lip folder for your viewing pleasure and commentary

Kohai999

Kohai999

Second Degree Cutter
Joined
Jul 15, 2003
Messages
12,554
Hey All,

Per my usual, if you don't like it, don't be bashful, say something!! I freakkin hate it when the p******s who lurk here post a picture of thier new knife and get mad when you say something negative. Screw decorum and crap, I say, what's on your mind?

Chuck posted a picture of a knife he completed probably back in November. I posted that I thought it was a beautiful knife(you can check the prior postings here) but that it was too small for me, and if he made a bigger one, I would buy it. He contacted me offline, and said he could, and would do it, was I interested. Hell yes, I said.

We had some interesting dialogue along the way. He is an up and comer, confident, yet not cocky. He is working at being a better salesman, and listening to what the customer wants. These are really, really important qualities to have as a self-employed business owner.

The knife is pretty damn perfect, the pictures are from Chuck, when he finished it, he e-mailed me.

The facts:3 5/8" Jerry Rados Ladder pattern blade, and bolsters. Fileworked, anodized titanium thumbstud. Heat colored, slotted screws. Closed back, fully file worked, engine turned interior. Fluted black lip pearl. Anodized liners. 8 1/16" OAL .

I paid more for this knife than I have for any, but two other ones that I own. This is the first time that I have taken a gamble on a maker this young and fresh, but I am rolling the dice on him, Nick Wheeler, and John Young.
Chuck and I spoke briefly about knives as an investment, and I explained to him my opinion in the differences between a hobby and an investment. The bottom line is that you don't want to lose money. If you break even you are happy. This is a keeper, no matter what. This is the first time that I have seen a New England maker this precise since I first became friends with Bill McHenry, and Chuck is a lot easier to work with :D

Thanks Chuck, and good luck in Las Vegas, I am off to Reno.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Hello Steven :)
Excellent he sould be proud that one. How long has he been making knives? Talk to you soon.
 
Having handled many of Chuck's knives, I am certain you are satisfied with the fitment and finish. He's got a good sense of this.

The FIRST thing I notice on this is the distinct hollow ground blade. This is unusual for Chuck, in that I am used to his combination of convex and flat ground blades. Si or no?

Glad to see it in good hands. Good for both of you! :cool:

Coop
 
Thanks for the kind words Steven. I hated to part with this knife but I'm sure that it has gone to a good home. Here are a few additional pics.

And Coop- That blade is flat/convex ground ala my grinding technique.
 
In the next series of photos I see a change. The lighting was playing tricks on me. ;) Either style is great--I just noticed what appeared to be an out-of-the-norm grind from you. :D

Coop
 
I met Chuck in Marborough, MA a few years ago. It was as obvious then as it is now that he is a premier knife maker. The kid has huge talent.

Good luck in Vegas Chuck!!!
 
wolfmann601 said:
I met Chuck in Marborough, MA a few years ago. It was as obvious then as it is now that he is a premier knife maker. The kid has huge talent.

Good luck in Vegas Chuck!!!
Click to expand...
What WF said.

Got to spend a little time with Chuck at Blade last year, for what little my thoughts are worth, the man is as fine as the knives he makes and for me that counts for a lot too.
 
I was playing with this knife last night, and it struck me how well it is put together.

The blade is ground very well, the grind lines meet and greet in the right places, and it tapers to a thin, "pointy" point, one of the kind that pierce your skin just when you are testing it.

The thumbstud is very nicely made, and is anodized the exact color that I wanted. All the titanium is. The filework is unique, artistic, well-done technically, and attractive. The pivot tension is adjustable from "fling open" to offering a bit of resistance, without slop or wobble.

The flutes on the pearl match. Not perfectly, only a machine could do that, but very closely and angles on each side were maintained, depth of flutes are consistent as well. The scales butt up perfectly to the bolsters, with no gap.

The knife is slim where it shoud be slim, and substantial where physics dictate the need. The Japanese have a word called "shibumi" , it means "effortless perfection", but like many Japanese words, it can have many meanings, and the word works for me to describe this knife.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
My opinion is there is not enough contrast. damascus on the bolster takes away from the damascus on the blade and vice versa, further reinforced by the color of the scales.

There's no visual POP, in this case I think less would have been more.
 
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I agree with DaveH about the contrast in the knife. I think the pearl handle would have looked a lot nicer without the fluting also.

Cool knife though. F&F look superb!
 
from the pictures, when I saw them, but kept an open mind.

The chatoyancy of the damascus balances the fluting perfectly. You know that the "shimmer" of damascus is hard to photograph sometimes. The blade is darker than the bolsters and the lines run in slightly different directions.

I does not POP but it flows SOOOO well. This knife is like a Cadillac STS, sedate, yet impressive, nonetheless.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
This knife speaks for itself. You either like it or you don't. To hold it is to really appreciate it. If this is seen as arrogance instead of confidence in one's own taste, so be it.

STeven Garsson
 
I love the lines of the knife and the damascus. I love black pearl too but I think that the fluting is a little bit over the top. Sorry
 
I appreciate them. Kam, no worries, nothing to be sorry about. I am happy with this knife, VERY happy, and just like Keith with his Tai Goo bowie, taste in what you acquire really matters to the person who owns the knife.

I wanted to hear what everyone had to say. Chuck is a maker to watch in my opinion.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Personally, I like the fluting, if fluting pearl handles is a bad thing, somebody better go tell Mel Pardue and Joe Kious they're continually screwing up... :)

This is one of my favorites from Chuck so far.
 
I really like the knife, and can imagine how it looks in person with the shimmer of the steel. Awesome set of pearl scales, and Chuck obviously has a set of cohones to flute such a beautiful...and thin set of scales. From a strictly artistic point, the only thing I would change would be the file work on the liners. With laddered steel, and the round bottom flutes, you get a style of reflection that contrasts with the flats on the filework. I would perfer a round groved filework to give the same style of light reflection. Holding the knife in person may tell a different story, and with Chucks obvious talent, it is probably as right as it could be the way it is.
 
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