This won't be a full review, and no photos (plenty of them on the internet), but I wanted to give a brief review of two knives I got from Custom Knife Factory. I bought both an Elf and a Sukhoi; I also just returned both very recently.
Both knives were quite impressive in terms of the fit/finish/materials used/etc, especially at the price points. Yes, you could see some machining marks in the Ti, but they were such that it was aesthetically pleasing for the most part, almost like part of the design, so they were fine. The carbon fiber was well done. The Elf was a little hard to flip at first, but quickly broke in and became excellent. The tab could have been a bit better (no jimping and sometimes would press uncomfortably into my finger), but it did start flipping fast and confidently, so I can't really complain. Both knives were also extremely smooth, had perfect centering, and good lockup. The Elf seems large by the specs, but it actually was very reasonable "feeling." So why did I return them?
My Elf had a problem with the pocket clip. The tip was so close to the knife that to put it on a normal pair of jeans, I had to use my fingertip to pry it out to be able to slip it over the pocket. There's a potential it could have loosened up (I tend to feel it would not), or, I could have machined it a bit. But I shouldn't have to do that and end up with a marred finish at the price of this knife. Mine could have been defective - has anyone else seen this problem with their Elf?
My Sukhoi had a VERY weak detent. Detents seem to be a personal thing, but this was much too weak for me. The blade still flicked out effortlessly (sometimes it won't with a weak detent), but I could also easily shake the blade out while holding the handle. The pivot almost seemed "too smooth" if that's possible. Because of this, I looked at the pivot. One side has a normal torx fitting, the other side is custom with no standard tooling. I actually discovered I didn't even need a torx bit - I could just press my fingers against the pivot and spin it. Unfortunately, when I did that, the other side spun also (I'd hoped the side with no standard tooling would be fixed somehow in the frame). Most likely, it was or should have been loctited, so it may have been possible to break the screws from the two sides free from each other with some technique such as heat application, but I did not want to try that with a knife I might return. This whole aspect made me wonder if I'd be able to disassemble, adjust, or clean it, like if I'd wanted to try to adjust the detent. It made me wonder about having to ship it in for service if it ever came to that also.
As a side note on both knives, they were also quite dull. I don't have problem sharpening a knife I will carry and use, so it wouldn't have been a big deal, but I didn't expect it at that price.
Once again, some of these problems could have been on my knives only. The issues I had and worried about on the Sukhoi especially may not bother others who don't mind the detent and figure they will never have to adjust or disassemble. I was glad I got them from KnifeCenter and could easily return them with just a small restocking fee. I actually still wouldn't be against trying other offerings from the company in the future, especially with the option of returns, and hopefully will see some of these little details get ironed out as they continue on since there were some very nice aspects to these knives.
Both knives were quite impressive in terms of the fit/finish/materials used/etc, especially at the price points. Yes, you could see some machining marks in the Ti, but they were such that it was aesthetically pleasing for the most part, almost like part of the design, so they were fine. The carbon fiber was well done. The Elf was a little hard to flip at first, but quickly broke in and became excellent. The tab could have been a bit better (no jimping and sometimes would press uncomfortably into my finger), but it did start flipping fast and confidently, so I can't really complain. Both knives were also extremely smooth, had perfect centering, and good lockup. The Elf seems large by the specs, but it actually was very reasonable "feeling." So why did I return them?
My Elf had a problem with the pocket clip. The tip was so close to the knife that to put it on a normal pair of jeans, I had to use my fingertip to pry it out to be able to slip it over the pocket. There's a potential it could have loosened up (I tend to feel it would not), or, I could have machined it a bit. But I shouldn't have to do that and end up with a marred finish at the price of this knife. Mine could have been defective - has anyone else seen this problem with their Elf?
My Sukhoi had a VERY weak detent. Detents seem to be a personal thing, but this was much too weak for me. The blade still flicked out effortlessly (sometimes it won't with a weak detent), but I could also easily shake the blade out while holding the handle. The pivot almost seemed "too smooth" if that's possible. Because of this, I looked at the pivot. One side has a normal torx fitting, the other side is custom with no standard tooling. I actually discovered I didn't even need a torx bit - I could just press my fingers against the pivot and spin it. Unfortunately, when I did that, the other side spun also (I'd hoped the side with no standard tooling would be fixed somehow in the frame). Most likely, it was or should have been loctited, so it may have been possible to break the screws from the two sides free from each other with some technique such as heat application, but I did not want to try that with a knife I might return. This whole aspect made me wonder if I'd be able to disassemble, adjust, or clean it, like if I'd wanted to try to adjust the detent. It made me wonder about having to ship it in for service if it ever came to that also.
As a side note on both knives, they were also quite dull. I don't have problem sharpening a knife I will carry and use, so it wouldn't have been a big deal, but I didn't expect it at that price.
Once again, some of these problems could have been on my knives only. The issues I had and worried about on the Sukhoi especially may not bother others who don't mind the detent and figure they will never have to adjust or disassemble. I was glad I got them from KnifeCenter and could easily return them with just a small restocking fee. I actually still wouldn't be against trying other offerings from the company in the future, especially with the option of returns, and hopefully will see some of these little details get ironed out as they continue on since there were some very nice aspects to these knives.
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