- Joined
- Apr 6, 2003
- Messages
- 1,913
I received the Col Moschin [ pronounced kole moskeen ]today. It was waiting for me when I got home from the grind.
It came in the same type black box as the MPC. I now have #100 of the 150 into the US. The knife came with the blade completely covered in a light grease inside the sheath.
The sheath has a good carry system being a hard phenolic resin of some form [ thats what it looks like to me anyway ]with a double button retention strap around the handle and two leg tiedown straps made of ballistic nylon. The belt loop is large enough to accept the military w-2 cartrdge belts, police sam browns, etc.
Initial impresions:
The carry system is designed for hard use. The leg tie downs and belt loop are what I can only describe as double width ballistic nylon which felt comfortable when strapped to the leg. These are no "string" type nylon straps by any means.
The extra width should not only add strength to the system [why I am not surprised ER did this ], but also allow for less binding and restriction of blood flow when active as they don't appear as they will roll easily under hard use in a constricting manner like most I've seen available from other makers.
The sheath, when set up on the belt and tied down to the leg, will stay put and not roam around. This should aid in deployment of the blade from the sheath as one will be able to gain muscle memory as to where the handle is at all times.
Secondly, the double snapped retention strap is unlikely to release both snaps simultaneously during rigorous activities where the knife may be afforded a chance to escape and be lost.
The knife is lighter in weight than I had imagined based on the weight of the MPC I recieved a few weeks ago.
In a few quick manual dexterity drills in the kitchen [ I couldn't wait to take it up to my office ], the handle material is very conducive to retention and allows for a very positive grip. The "sorta" flat sides of the handle allowed me to move the knife effortlessly from saber to reverse and from one hand to the other in "passoff" drills.
In low line to high line redirects from saber to reverse, I found the handle to be about right for my hands and had no diffculty in maintaining complete control of the blade as it was redirected. This also has to have something to do with the handle having a "feel" to it that begs you to have to let go of the knife for it to slip in your hand or be dropped accidently.
On a knife designed with combat in mind, these are all cherished features and can only enhance the civilians hands maintaining control of the blade.
The overall appearance of the knife is a matte subdued look, like gun metal grey almost but in a satin finish which won't reflect light off it well [ thats a good thing if you are being hunted or hunting others ].
The blade made little noise when withdrawn from the sheath, another well thought out feature and perhaps the reason the sheath material was shosen over kydex or concealex. The sheath has more "give" to it than either of the other materials normally used but at the same time remains rigid.
The blade length seems about right for me if I am in need of a survival knife, defensive blade [ nice to have two edges to destroy and can be used twice as long in service before needing to hit the stones in a worst case sceanrio ].
I didn't get the impression it was too short or too long for it's intended roles. The balance of the knife in my hand felt good during the drills and did not appear to be blade or handle heavy which affects these types of movement in the hand.
I really like the handle material used. Grippy but not sticky, easily moved with the fingertips. Of course I have not soaked the knife and did not wet the hands to determine if the grip retains it's feel and such under these conditions but you get the sense unless you greased you hand or the handle the knife is not going anywhere [ leave your hand ]anytime soon until you want to release it. I have a feeling the handle will also be conducive to not creating hand fatigue with prolonged use. It is very comfortable [ did I already mention that? ].
There you have it. My initial impression?
Well designed and thought out like the MPC. Rugged to the extreme but understated visually.
Stay safe
Brownie
It came in the same type black box as the MPC. I now have #100 of the 150 into the US. The knife came with the blade completely covered in a light grease inside the sheath.
The sheath has a good carry system being a hard phenolic resin of some form [ thats what it looks like to me anyway ]with a double button retention strap around the handle and two leg tiedown straps made of ballistic nylon. The belt loop is large enough to accept the military w-2 cartrdge belts, police sam browns, etc.
Initial impresions:
The carry system is designed for hard use. The leg tie downs and belt loop are what I can only describe as double width ballistic nylon which felt comfortable when strapped to the leg. These are no "string" type nylon straps by any means.
The extra width should not only add strength to the system [why I am not surprised ER did this ], but also allow for less binding and restriction of blood flow when active as they don't appear as they will roll easily under hard use in a constricting manner like most I've seen available from other makers.
The sheath, when set up on the belt and tied down to the leg, will stay put and not roam around. This should aid in deployment of the blade from the sheath as one will be able to gain muscle memory as to where the handle is at all times.
Secondly, the double snapped retention strap is unlikely to release both snaps simultaneously during rigorous activities where the knife may be afforded a chance to escape and be lost.
The knife is lighter in weight than I had imagined based on the weight of the MPC I recieved a few weeks ago.
In a few quick manual dexterity drills in the kitchen [ I couldn't wait to take it up to my office ], the handle material is very conducive to retention and allows for a very positive grip. The "sorta" flat sides of the handle allowed me to move the knife effortlessly from saber to reverse and from one hand to the other in "passoff" drills.
In low line to high line redirects from saber to reverse, I found the handle to be about right for my hands and had no diffculty in maintaining complete control of the blade as it was redirected. This also has to have something to do with the handle having a "feel" to it that begs you to have to let go of the knife for it to slip in your hand or be dropped accidently.
On a knife designed with combat in mind, these are all cherished features and can only enhance the civilians hands maintaining control of the blade.
The overall appearance of the knife is a matte subdued look, like gun metal grey almost but in a satin finish which won't reflect light off it well [ thats a good thing if you are being hunted or hunting others ].
The blade made little noise when withdrawn from the sheath, another well thought out feature and perhaps the reason the sheath material was shosen over kydex or concealex. The sheath has more "give" to it than either of the other materials normally used but at the same time remains rigid.
The blade length seems about right for me if I am in need of a survival knife, defensive blade [ nice to have two edges to destroy and can be used twice as long in service before needing to hit the stones in a worst case sceanrio ].
I didn't get the impression it was too short or too long for it's intended roles. The balance of the knife in my hand felt good during the drills and did not appear to be blade or handle heavy which affects these types of movement in the hand.
I really like the handle material used. Grippy but not sticky, easily moved with the fingertips. Of course I have not soaked the knife and did not wet the hands to determine if the grip retains it's feel and such under these conditions but you get the sense unless you greased you hand or the handle the knife is not going anywhere [ leave your hand ]anytime soon until you want to release it. I have a feeling the handle will also be conducive to not creating hand fatigue with prolonged use. It is very comfortable [ did I already mention that? ].
There you have it. My initial impression?
Well designed and thought out like the MPC. Rugged to the extreme but understated visually.
Stay safe
Brownie
