Darrel Ralph ~ Gun Hammer Or Strider ~ Rc(fng)

KimberComp said:
Have any of you tried the assisted opening knives he offers. I like the idea but my experience has been bad so far (of course, from knives no where near this caliber). I've had a Kershaw and Smith & Wesson folder. The Kershaw has lots of blade play. When you took the play out the assisted opening did not assist. I've had two Smith & Wessons break on me.

Again, like the idea, just wondering how well these things are working out for others.
Click to expand...

I have tried the assisted, manual and the IKBS.

Get th IKBS... it is the best of both worlds.... opens like an auto without being one. It is the smoothest opening knife I have ever handled. BTW.. mine is assisted.

Here is Darrel working over an IKBS this afternoon... putting an edge on it!!

:D

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Hmmmmmmm!!?
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BBBzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZ.. Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! :) One very sharp GH comin up!
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I CAN NOT wait until I can get my GH-MT paid off!!! I sooooooo want it! And I am saving for an AXD-NG!!!
 
I have several Strider SMF's including custom ones. The only thing I don't like about them is, for me they are much slower to deploy. The problem seems to be, the relieved area on the lock bar is on the outside,and the pants pocket seems to bunch up in that area making it a two hand process sometimes.
From the pictures I've seen the RC may have the relieved area on the inside,which should solve this problem. I have several DDR's, including the GH.
there is no comparison as far as fit and finish. Darrel's work is flawless! The GH is a very beefy strong knife, and You can order it the way You want it!
 
Thanks all fo rthe faith in my work.
The assists that I make are solid tight and fast.
The blades have little to no wobble.
The IKBS is so fast and smooth you dont need assist.
It is bearings n the pivot.
It flips without any wrist action.
One other thing is that we have taken steps to make ever part of our knives in or shop. EVEN the screws

This for me has been my dream since I have started making knives. Now everything is under my roof....

YIPPEE!
 
For EDC what type of blade would you guys choose for the GH? On Darrel’s site he promotes the MT, TG, and EDC-X for EDC use. Which blade is a better self defense blade but will also do a great job at everyday cutting? Darrel which is your favorite blade to carry? BTW, great input from everyone! THANKS.
 
It depends on what you are doing with the blade.
The EDC-X blade is my standard EDC blade.
It is for EDC carry.
The MT and Radian have been put through hell by many with surprising results for an edc.
The tanto is for those who want no recurve and a piercing tip.
 
If you are trying to choose between these two knives, you should also keep in mind the size and availability differences of the knives. The Strider RC is a very large folder. I have one and I really like it, but several of my friends feel that it is too big to comfortably carry. The Gun Hammer isn't much shorter, but it is significantly narrower, if I recall correctly from handling the knife. If you want a bigger knife, you'll probably prefer the RC. If you want something more mid-sized, you'll probably like the Gun Hammer better.

Also, availability may be an issue, especially if you want the knife ASAP. Strider's first run of 100 RCs is completely pre-sold out, and to my knowledge, only about 25 of those knives have been made and delivered so far. It's going to be a while before there are more RCs readily available. On the other hand, if I'm not mistaken, Darrel is still taking orders on Gun Hammers, and at least one purveyor that I know of has them in stock.

I have a question for those of you who EDC IKBS folders (Darrel's or anyone else's). Are there any problems with debris and dirt getting into the exposed bearings of the IKBS pivots? I know with balis, there's enough flip leverage so that even if that happens, you can flip the knife fine, but with a flipper, I'd imagine that it can mean the difference between needing wrist action and not needing it to open the flipper.
 
commodorewheeler

commodorewheeler

There are NO standard Gun Hammers on the market for immmediate sale. Some people claim to have them them but, if you check, they do not.

This knife is available by custom order only, due to the large number of orders that came when it hit the market. At this time we are 90-180 days for delivery.

We have delivered only 37 Gun Hammers so far. I keep track. We cannot build them quickly by any means, with the kind of quality we produce.

The IKBS has been tested by us and several clients. If you get anything in the pivot just spray it out with air or WD-40, and re-lube. Maintenance is no different than for any other folder pivot.

The power-assist system is the same: FAST and good to go with a little lube (like any other folder.)

Mr. Lombardo said everything about lock strength that I can say. He and several others have some exciting observations about the heat treat we use on the S30V if you ask them.... Their comments may be of interest to you.

Thanks for the help.
--
 
Darrel, thanks for the info about cleaning out the IKBS pivots.

According to the True North Knives website, there are 2 Gun Hammers in stock right now. I guess Neil hasn't updated the site recently then?
 
Hi everyone,

To clarify- the 2 Gun Hammers that I have on hand are the higher end EDC-X ones with Pearl or Damascus inlays.

For the exclusive Gun Hammers Radians, in either SAO or IKBS, we are on a 3 week "made-to-order" schedule to get them done.

Darrel is shipping them directly from his shop as soon as he has them built.

Take care, Neil
 
The GH's in stock at TNK are not standard GH models.
They are made for Neil special with a some upgrades.
I skipped the word standard in my post above...OPPS
At this time Neil TNK has bought all of my production on the GH .... He has the exclusive on the GH Radian. We fill orders by the order by the date.

From me a Gun Hammer MT, TG, EDC-X is 90-180 days depending on what you order. We are developing several tangents to the knife now that you will see soon. Damascus is available for those who want it.

I hope this clears it up...;)

BTW
I want to thank everyone that has put there faith in my work
 
Commodorewheeler, I didn't have personal experience with IKBS and also (just being naive) wanted to know more about actual in-use experience with the system, as "it would seem" that the partially exposed ball bearings would be susceptible to day to day lint and dirt etc, so, I researched it a bit.

Doing pretty thorough searches on several forums, I could find no bad news. It truly seems to be a "terrific" thing, for those who want a fast moving / fast opening system (and I am in that camp LOL).

Though there were several threads that had great input from folks who had long term use (and feedback to provide), here's one that I thought pretty well told the story, this is re: Korth's IKBS's which have been in use enough years to be able to know if there are any frailties to be concerned about, the feedback seems to be a resounding "no problem":

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2990066&highlight=ikbs+dirt#post2990066

My observation with Darrel is that he's quite a problem solver and he "thinks" while implementing, I would not be surprised to see evolutions of dependability and quality with IKBS being rendered under his roof. He's recently expanded his shop and bought more machinery and my take is that he is passionate about delivering the best technology in the best way for the knives that leave the shop and for the customers on the receiving end.

For me anyway, my study-up on this has moved me from wondering about possible troubles to being now of the mind that I want several IKBS's, from Darrel, as I can afford it! A few good ones is always more fun than a bunch of "so-so" ones, so I'll be saving up for a few good ones!

Good on Darrel for literally licensing the use of this technology, and making it available in the way that he is doing on his knives!

Frank H.
 
Darrel Ralph is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. EVER!
Get the Ralph and don't look back.
 
[SIZE=-0]Frank and all,

You are right about the IKBS Pivot System. It is ultra-fast and very strong. I would say that the GH-IKBS is one of the smoothest and fastest manual opener on the market.


Licensing the IKBS Pivot for my folders just made great sense to me right now. But, I have been keeping a lot of new ideas on the back burner for a while, and when the my CNC lathe arrives I'll have some even newer things to show.


I try to raise the bar on every new knife design. My goal is to give the client the most and the best he can get for his money.
I've instilled this guiding principle into my son, Ryan Bailey, and I think you'll see how he's taken it to heart when his first knife comes out (very soon.)

If you look at the progress in folding knife design over the last fifteen years, you can see how much things have changed for the better.
Blade to handle ratios make more functional sense now, both in length and width. The CAD and CNC machine age has really helped to
modernize the function of the folding knife.

Ti Knives and Speed Tech started the 3D machined era, years ago. Both companies were well ahead of their time. I came along next with my Static Maxx folders, whose frames were 3-D machined and painstakingly finished by hand.

Recently, Strider has been making great strides in 3-D machining their frames. They are the industry leaders in production manual folding knives, and the best knives they've ever built are being made right now. I've used one of their RCs and think it's a fantastic folding knife.

Thanks to all
Enjoy



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Frank, thanks for the reply and the link, it was very informative.

Darrel, thanks for the preview of what's coming soon. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next from you and Ryan.
 
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