Kaizen1
Gold Member
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2006
- Messages
- 6,316
Just got the pictures from Andrew yesterday. Looks like he didn't put the final edge on the knife at the time of this photo, but it should be shipping out today:
Specs:
Blade: 3.75" Blade. 3.5" Edge (Smaller version)
Handles: 0.1" Titanium Liners. Jade Green Translucent G-10
Special request: Reinforced Tip
I know the reinforced tip isn't going to be something everyone here will like, but I like them and I wanted mine to be different.
Pics from Andrew:
=========================================================
Updated: 2/28/11 Apologies ahead of time for crappy pics.
Okay, just got it in the mail today. The first thought I had when I got it in my hand, was "This is ridiculous!" with a big grin on my face. So far I'm extremely happy with this purchase. The weight isn't as big a deal as I expected. I don't know the exact weight, but it feels just slightly lighter than my Leatherman Wave. It's a big folder when closed (the 0.1" ti liners don't help), but I also expected that, so no biggie for me. I'm able to keep my wallet in the same pocket and it's no more difficult to get the wallet in and out than when I'm carrying my other primary knives (XM-18, Spyderco Military) in my rotation.
In the hand, the 0.1" ti liners really make the folder comfortable. It really fills the hand. It feels like a small-medium sized fixed blade should feel in the hand. Even though the G-10 is (comfortably) smooth, the handle doesn't feel like it would go anywhere due to the contours of the handle design.
A big plus, the pocket clip appears to be easy on the pocket. My XM-18's clip tends to wear on the jeans over time, though not as bad as my last Strider SnG. The clip feels as smoothly going in and out of the pocket as my Spyderco Military does. I suspect it won't do as much damage to the pockets as my XM-18, but time will tell.
As you can guess, this folder is not for those looking to be discreet about their EDC. Clipped to the pocket, it's probably not shouting out at people, but it certainly isn't trying to be a ninja. Here's a comparison shot of my 3 EDCs clipped to the pocket:
Choking up on the blade and using the finger choil feels comfortable. It's not that big of a choil so I imagine larger fingers might not be able to make too much use of it. In terms of how close my finger gets to the edge when using the choil, it's similar to my 3.5" non-flipper XM-18. The finger choil on the flipper XM-18s are smaller than the non-flippers because the flipper takes up some of the space. The finger choil on the Spydero Military is smaller than both of the choils on the AD-10 and XM-18 but it feels safer to use hard in that grip because the edge on the Military isn't as close to where your finger is on the choil. You might be able to see what I'm talking about in the next pic.
Here's a side shot of my 3 EDCs. The Leatherman Wave I keep in the computer bag, so that's an EDC also, but it rarely sees daylight. The Leatherman Wave, when in this position measures at 8" in length to give you an idea of how long the AD-10 is:
Here's a comparison shot of the tips. The AD-10's tip is much thicker than the XM-18's. However, I used to own a 2nd Gen XM-18 and the tip on that one was thicker than the tip on my 3rd Gen in this picture.:
I'm measuring the blade stocks of the 3 as follows:
AD-10: .1875" or 3/16"
XM-18: .15625" or 5/32"
Military: .125" or 1/8"
I think it's interesting that the Military's stock is only 1/32" thinner than the XM-18. Anyway, here's a shot of where the blades meet the handles to give you an idea of how they compare in terms of thickness at the handle and blade stock areas:
My XM-18 is designed to be beyond tough for a folder. This AD-10 dwarfs it.
Andrew was a pleasure to work with. He stayed on the agreed schedule and was flexible when I made a last minute request to change the G-10 color. He was also kind enough to make the tip on this thicker for me. It's getting more and more difficult to find makers that are willing to really take a custom order (including any changes to the design like my thicker tip request) on knife models that are as in demand as the AD-10. As mentioned before, I suspect his waiting list is growing as you're reading this. You would be wise to put in an order now before it gets ridiculously long. That's all I got for now.
Specs:
Blade: 3.75" Blade. 3.5" Edge (Smaller version)
Handles: 0.1" Titanium Liners. Jade Green Translucent G-10
Special request: Reinforced Tip
I know the reinforced tip isn't going to be something everyone here will like, but I like them and I wanted mine to be different.
Pics from Andrew:
=========================================================
Updated: 2/28/11 Apologies ahead of time for crappy pics.
Okay, just got it in the mail today. The first thought I had when I got it in my hand, was "This is ridiculous!" with a big grin on my face. So far I'm extremely happy with this purchase. The weight isn't as big a deal as I expected. I don't know the exact weight, but it feels just slightly lighter than my Leatherman Wave. It's a big folder when closed (the 0.1" ti liners don't help), but I also expected that, so no biggie for me. I'm able to keep my wallet in the same pocket and it's no more difficult to get the wallet in and out than when I'm carrying my other primary knives (XM-18, Spyderco Military) in my rotation.
In the hand, the 0.1" ti liners really make the folder comfortable. It really fills the hand. It feels like a small-medium sized fixed blade should feel in the hand. Even though the G-10 is (comfortably) smooth, the handle doesn't feel like it would go anywhere due to the contours of the handle design.
A big plus, the pocket clip appears to be easy on the pocket. My XM-18's clip tends to wear on the jeans over time, though not as bad as my last Strider SnG. The clip feels as smoothly going in and out of the pocket as my Spyderco Military does. I suspect it won't do as much damage to the pockets as my XM-18, but time will tell.
As you can guess, this folder is not for those looking to be discreet about their EDC. Clipped to the pocket, it's probably not shouting out at people, but it certainly isn't trying to be a ninja. Here's a comparison shot of my 3 EDCs clipped to the pocket:
Choking up on the blade and using the finger choil feels comfortable. It's not that big of a choil so I imagine larger fingers might not be able to make too much use of it. In terms of how close my finger gets to the edge when using the choil, it's similar to my 3.5" non-flipper XM-18. The finger choil on the flipper XM-18s are smaller than the non-flippers because the flipper takes up some of the space. The finger choil on the Spydero Military is smaller than both of the choils on the AD-10 and XM-18 but it feels safer to use hard in that grip because the edge on the Military isn't as close to where your finger is on the choil. You might be able to see what I'm talking about in the next pic.
Here's a side shot of my 3 EDCs. The Leatherman Wave I keep in the computer bag, so that's an EDC also, but it rarely sees daylight. The Leatherman Wave, when in this position measures at 8" in length to give you an idea of how long the AD-10 is:
Here's a comparison shot of the tips. The AD-10's tip is much thicker than the XM-18's. However, I used to own a 2nd Gen XM-18 and the tip on that one was thicker than the tip on my 3rd Gen in this picture.:
I'm measuring the blade stocks of the 3 as follows:
AD-10: .1875" or 3/16"
XM-18: .15625" or 5/32"
Military: .125" or 1/8"
I think it's interesting that the Military's stock is only 1/32" thinner than the XM-18. Anyway, here's a shot of where the blades meet the handles to give you an idea of how they compare in terms of thickness at the handle and blade stock areas:
My XM-18 is designed to be beyond tough for a folder. This AD-10 dwarfs it.
Andrew was a pleasure to work with. He stayed on the agreed schedule and was flexible when I made a last minute request to change the G-10 color. He was also kind enough to make the tip on this thicker for me. It's getting more and more difficult to find makers that are willing to really take a custom order (including any changes to the design like my thicker tip request) on knife models that are as in demand as the AD-10. As mentioned before, I suspect his waiting list is growing as you're reading this. You would be wise to put in an order now before it gets ridiculously long. That's all I got for now.
Last edited:
nice beast !
