I GOT IT!!!!! I received the Lord Greystoke today and I love it. Bryan, thank you so very much, this is excellent work. For those of you who don't know, Lord Greystoke is the proper Royal title of John Clayton, AKA Tarzan. For Bryan, Tarzan is the ultimate survivor. He wanted a name for this knife design that showed the qualities of this knife as "King of the Jungle," but also as "Urban Lord;" something that speaks of strength, resilience, and survival, but also of elegance and versatility. He finally decided on Lord Greystoke and I couldn't like it any more.
My first impressions.
The Lord Greystoke is one beautiful chopper. The blade is well made with no visible imperfections. At first it looked dull, but that was the result of it been rubbed with a protective compound. A little cleaning with a piece of cloth and it was, in the words of Victor Creed, "oooooh, shinny." The edge is convexed, very sharp, and well centered. The micarta scales are well shaped and even with the tang. There are neither gaps nor rough/grating spots. The handle fits my hand very well and feels "grippy".
Bryan chose to use tubes instead of pins to keep the scales in place. I like that; it allows to add an elastic lanyard to the handle in the fingers area for additional grip/security. I also like the exposed tang/pommel. It allows for hammering if necessary without damaging the finish/look of the micarta scales. Not that micarta can't take the punishment, but why scratch it unnecessarily? The divot drilled into the handle allows the handle to be used as bearing for a bow drill for fire making. It comes in handy for those who like practicing primitive survival skills.
The weight distribution is excellent. The knife is well balanced and the longer handle allows for three hand positions, each better suited for a particular task. In the choke up position (closer to the blade), the knife feels "alive" and very nimble. In this position, the knife can easily perform precision/delicate tasks usually reserved for a smaller blade. The middle position (normal use) feels very comfortable and you start feeling the weight of the blade, but not too much. The chopping position (farthest from the blade) feels very secure due to the shape of the back end of the handle. In this position, the knife feels weight-forward in a very satisfying way when doing chopping motions.
The kydex sheath is very well made with no rough edges or imperfections. It keeps the knife secured in place; the knife doesn't come out of the sheath nor does it rattle when shaking it. It includes a firesteel loop fixed in place by a hollow rivet. This allows the loop to be part of the sheath without limiting your options of what or where you can add an attachment to the sheath. Since I plan to carry it baldric-style, he did not add a belt loop but that was an option. I wanted something that does not scream "tactical," especially for a knife of this size. Instead, I wanted a look that says camping, hiking, tool, bushcraft. Bryan recommended Coyote Brown kydex and I'm happy he did.
I'll do a full review after the 25th. Since it is my Christmas gift, my wife confiscated it until Christmas. Well, I can wait. The bottom line, I couldn't be happier with my chopper. From name to workmanship, I'm more than satisfied.
. But to start thinking You might go and steel it then yea that will be a problem
Wow, Lord Greystroke... I have to come up with a name for my chopper-to-be! And one more soul joins the flock of zombie preppers... welcome to the club good sir.
