- Joined
- Apr 3, 2006
- Messages
- 453
I had been prowling around looking for a small fixed blade to put into the middle pocket of my Hill People Kit bag. I had/have tossed a variety of folders in there for hikes and wilderness strolls. However, I have never been able to fully trust a folder over a fixed blade... hence the hunt. A month and a half ago, Justin at Allegheny Knifeworks posted a few small fixed blades up in the Exchange. They were his "M25" model. The size and shape were right and the price was more than right. So I contacted him directly and asked for him to work one up with custom model for me. Specs as requested by me:
- 154CM in a satin finish
- Tan/brown G10 handles with blue liners - epoxied
- Kydex sheath spaced for a teklok
- Handles contoured like his "tactical" models
- Overall Length - 7"
- Blade Length - 2.5"
- Thickness - 1/8"
Justin got the process underway quickly. I am going to post pictures from his "updates" below in succesion. This is only a few of the pictures he sent me. Rest assured, I knew exactly what was going on with my knife all the time.
I've requested certain colors from makers before. They are all typically compliant and send along what is closest to my request. Justin took it a step further by lining up all the tan/browns he had in the shop against the blue liner material and letting me select. (Number 1 for those who want to know):
Justin sent the blade off for heat treat at Paul Bos' shop. He let me know when it headed out and when it arrived back in his shop. More on that sweet-mother-of-all-that-is-wonderful heat treat on that 154CM...
In the middle of my knife build, Justin had a medical delay. He was constantly in contact the entire time and very apologetic about it. He even went as far as to share his diagnosis with me (which makes my little EMT heart happy). Honestly, the "delay" was all of 4-5 days. And, the entire process of request to knife in my hand was under a month. It arrived well-packaged and with a handful of goodies:
To be honest, the length of the blade still surprised me, even though I knew what I had ordered. It is a short blade with an ample handle. I think this combination highlights the brevity of the blade. The handle fills my XL hands well for its size and shape. No hot-spots in any of the use that it has received to date.
I have taken it almost everywhere since I received it. I put it on paracord with a breakaway for neck carry and it disappears underneath a sweatshirt. Not only do others not know you have it, but I forget about it sometimes as well. Kydex retention is spot-on with little-to-no rattle.
Now, let's talk about that divine heat treat on the 154CM. It's not quite thawed out here in Anchorage. This little blade has seen a lot of half-frozen birch and willow. I carved a half dozen tent pegs and a couple of walking sticks for my kiddos. I didn't take it easy on the edge at all... in fact, I was trying to make some new LED bulbs fit in my garage door opener and ended up "carving" some of their aluminum to make them fit (long story). This was all without touching the edge as Justin had sent it. It did great, but I could see a couple of flat-spots. So, I took it to my favorite strop and BAM, the edge was back. Haven't had any flat-spots since. It's just a remarkable good edge that is not to difficult to maintain. I apologize for the lack of "working" pictures... cameras aren't my thing.
Gripes? The only major one is of my making. I requested the steel, finish, and kydex. As one would expect, the finish shows some marks from the kydex at this point. The upside of this is that I have continued to talk to Justin about the scenario and he has been making some changes in his offerings to ensure that this isn't as much of an issue in the future.
Overall, a robust little knife with lots of in-hand potential. I have been surprised by how much use I can get out of a short blade. It has really made me question what my necessary blade length is for fire-prep or, even, shelter building. On top of it being a solid knife, Justin is a gentleman and excellent craftsman. He has deep experience working with some better-known knifemakers and it shows. Highly recommend.
- 154CM in a satin finish
- Tan/brown G10 handles with blue liners - epoxied
- Kydex sheath spaced for a teklok
- Handles contoured like his "tactical" models
- Overall Length - 7"
- Blade Length - 2.5"
- Thickness - 1/8"
Justin got the process underway quickly. I am going to post pictures from his "updates" below in succesion. This is only a few of the pictures he sent me. Rest assured, I knew exactly what was going on with my knife all the time.
I've requested certain colors from makers before. They are all typically compliant and send along what is closest to my request. Justin took it a step further by lining up all the tan/browns he had in the shop against the blue liner material and letting me select. (Number 1 for those who want to know):
Justin sent the blade off for heat treat at Paul Bos' shop. He let me know when it headed out and when it arrived back in his shop. More on that sweet-mother-of-all-that-is-wonderful heat treat on that 154CM...
In the middle of my knife build, Justin had a medical delay. He was constantly in contact the entire time and very apologetic about it. He even went as far as to share his diagnosis with me (which makes my little EMT heart happy). Honestly, the "delay" was all of 4-5 days. And, the entire process of request to knife in my hand was under a month. It arrived well-packaged and with a handful of goodies:
To be honest, the length of the blade still surprised me, even though I knew what I had ordered. It is a short blade with an ample handle. I think this combination highlights the brevity of the blade. The handle fills my XL hands well for its size and shape. No hot-spots in any of the use that it has received to date.
I have taken it almost everywhere since I received it. I put it on paracord with a breakaway for neck carry and it disappears underneath a sweatshirt. Not only do others not know you have it, but I forget about it sometimes as well. Kydex retention is spot-on with little-to-no rattle.
Now, let's talk about that divine heat treat on the 154CM. It's not quite thawed out here in Anchorage. This little blade has seen a lot of half-frozen birch and willow. I carved a half dozen tent pegs and a couple of walking sticks for my kiddos. I didn't take it easy on the edge at all... in fact, I was trying to make some new LED bulbs fit in my garage door opener and ended up "carving" some of their aluminum to make them fit (long story). This was all without touching the edge as Justin had sent it. It did great, but I could see a couple of flat-spots. So, I took it to my favorite strop and BAM, the edge was back. Haven't had any flat-spots since. It's just a remarkable good edge that is not to difficult to maintain. I apologize for the lack of "working" pictures... cameras aren't my thing.
Gripes? The only major one is of my making. I requested the steel, finish, and kydex. As one would expect, the finish shows some marks from the kydex at this point. The upside of this is that I have continued to talk to Justin about the scenario and he has been making some changes in his offerings to ensure that this isn't as much of an issue in the future.
Overall, a robust little knife with lots of in-hand potential. I have been surprised by how much use I can get out of a short blade. It has really made me question what my necessary blade length is for fire-prep or, even, shelter building. On top of it being a solid knife, Justin is a gentleman and excellent craftsman. He has deep experience working with some better-known knifemakers and it shows. Highly recommend.
