DP Knives first impressions...

L

LeeCQC

Joined
Oct 30, 2007
Messages
617
So, I got the Camp Master (a new design from DP Knives) today, and my first impressions were sort of mixed. I dont want to sound too critical, or anything, but I'm going to try to be honest but fair. The sheath.. really needs some work. It functions as a sheath, sure, but the belt loop was so tight that I had to stretch it with pliers before it would fit my belt. Still not sure how I'm going to get it off the belt. :p Also, the knife came dull. I've never had a convex knife before, and I'm not good at sharpening to begin with, so I was pretty disappointed with that. I tried making fuzz sticks with it, but I couldnt get the edge to bite, because it wasnt very sharp and the edge geometry just wasnt what it should be, because the knife is so thick. It's not a great slicer/whittler, out of the box. (I tried to sharpen it using a Smith Bro's pocket sharpener, got it a little bit sharp and it did a touch better with fuzz sticks, still nothing to get that hyped over.)

For the positives, it's a well-made knife, solid as hell. I mean, you probably could baton this thing through a redwood, that's how solid it is. The canary wood scales and cinnamon liners look really good, and the contoured handle feels great in the hand. It's got the right amount of 'heft' to it for a hard-use knife, and I wouldnt be at all afraid to pry with this thing. The balance is good, also.

Just some thoughts.

EDIT: I reread this, and it makes it sound like I dont like the knife. That's not the case. I just wish it would have been sharper, or that I was better at sharpening.
 
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Hey Lee this was the very first one of it design and my first convex grind. I am glad overall you like the knife But I wish you would have emailed me about it. I stand behind my knives and would have been glad to do what I had to do to make it right. I am working on perfecting the convex design and sharpening I must not have had it as good as I hoped. Send it back and I will work it out for you. Doug
 
doug, i had a feeling you would be here, good that you want to make his knife right.

i would hope that all here remember that knifemakers are small business men, give them a chance to make things right and compliment them on their honesty when they do.

lee this is not an attack on you or anyone, but business folks are very senitive to any negative comments about their products . i understand your comments and i understand dougs commens, i hope that you will be satisfied with your knife.

alex

alex
 
DPKnives said:
Hey Lee this was the very first one of it design and my first convex grind. I am glad overall you like the knife But I wish you would have emailed me about it. I stand behind my knives and would have been glad to do what I had to do to make it right. I am working on perfecting the convex design and sharpening I must not have had it as good as I hoped. Send it back and I will work it out for you. Doug
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Heya, Doug. Maybe I should have emailed, but like I said... I liked the knife, and I didnt mean for that to sound like a negative review. It wasnt. It's a solid knife, made for hard use, and it lives up to that. My wife says that I am too picky, so that's probably a lot of the "problem". Me. :p I love the knife, and the pictures didnt do it justice in the looks department. I dont want to, or feel there's a need, to send it back. I've already got the edge a little bit keener and I think part of the deal is that I've never had a knife with a grind like this, or quite this thick. I might need to tweak my technique a bit. :D

I will say, you're a stand up guy for offering, though. This wont be my last purchase from you. :thumbup:
 
LeeCQC said:
Heya, Doug. Maybe I should have emailed, but like I said... I liked the knife, and I didnt mean for that to sound like a negative review. It wasnt. It's a solid knife, made for hard use, and it lives up to that. My wife says that I am too picky, so that's probably a lot of the "problem". Me. :p I love the knife, and the pictures didnt do it justice in the looks department. I dont want to, or feel there's a need, to send it back. I've already got the edge a little bit keener and I think part of the deal is that I've never had a knife with a grind like this, or quite this thick. I might need to tweak my technique a bit. :D

I will say, you're a stand up guy for offering, though. This wont be my last purchase from you. :thumbup:
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Hey man, don't feel bad. Makers will benefit more from honest feedback than glowing positive reviews. None of us can improve unless we know where our weaknesses lie.

I've handled lots of DP knives and they are well made like you said. Mastering the convex edge is like mastering any other knifemaking skill...it takes time.
 
ilbruche said:
Hey man, don't feel bad. Makers will benefit more from honest feedback than glowing positive reviews. None of us can improve unless we know where our weaknesses lie.

I've handled lots of DP knives and they are well made like you said. Mastering the convex edge is like mastering any other knifemaking skill...it takes time.
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Yeah, like I said from the start, I was just trying to being as straight-forward about it as I could. Doug is a good guy, and it wasnt an attack on him, or his product.

On a side note, you feel up to fitting this bad boy with some new pants? (I'm just not much of a kydex man, myself.) I'm thinking something sexy, set up for horizontal carry... mmm.... :D Maybe you could take a whack at getting a finer edge on it. I'm such a bad sharpener. :barf:
 
My convex skills are good enough for my use....but there are lots of people that do a much better job than I. But I'd be happy to make pants for it.
 
Lee I did not take it as an attack, I need to know when things are not right like Bruce said so I can correct them. Thanks for you honesty and I really do hope you enjoy it a bunch. Doug
 
Sometimes I've gotten the feeling that a customer didn't particularly like my knife but they've not spoken up. Had they posted, I could have backed my work like you've done Doug, and learned from it. No way to know for sure unless someone speaks up.

Tracy Mickley tells a story of getting a knife back, and said it was the best thing thats happened to him as a knifemaker.
 
ilbruche said:
My convex skills are good enough for my use....but there are lots of people that do a much better job than I. But I'd be happy to make pants for it.
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Heh. I bet your skills are better than mine. :p You got an outside email, and I'll shoot you a line about sending it out your way.
 
I got my Woodsman a few weeks ago and love it. Mine also didn't come super-sharp, but still got the job done well. I sent it back to Doug to convex the edge (was originally a taper grind) and it is now one of my sharpest knives. It easily pushcuts paper and pops hair.

Doug is a great man and even did the convexing "on the house"! I'm looking forward to doing business with him again.
 
Lee I'd like to give you a big pat on the back for being totally honest, a trait that I'm sure is often lacking on this forum for fear of offending people !
Like Andy said if they don't get honest feedback from their buyers how can they learn from their mistakes ?
I'd also like to pat Doug on the back for taking the comments in a positive manner and offering to make good on the knife ! Doug's knives all look awesome and I'm sure he will now perfect the convex grind so they perform as good as they look !!!!
 
Having been in business for myself for many years, I can understand that you give the knife an honest review. Nobody can criticize you for that. That said, I believe one should contact the man who did the work privately before being critical in Public. If Doug had fixed it for you and you still were not happy then Bring it out and hash it over. Just saying how I would like to have a problem handled if I had done the work.

It's probably not a big deal because I think everyone here knows that Doug would stand behind his work every time.
 
Doug is a great guy and a his knife making gets better with every design. I like when makers take a chance on diffent things.

I don't think Lee meant any harm in his statement and Doug couldn't have replied better. I will be buying more of Doug's knives when I can afford them. I really like his two new designs alot.

His sheaths well... I am a leather guy myself.
 
udtjim said:
Having been in business for myself for many years, I can understand that you give the knife an honest review. Nobody can criticize you for that. That said, I believe one should contact the man who did the work privately before being critical in Public. If Doug had fixed it for you and you still were not happy then Bring it out and hash it over. Just saying how I would like to have a problem handled if I had done the work.

It's probably not a big deal because I think everyone here knows that Doug would stand behind his work every time.
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Right. I completely get what you're saying, and I agree. Again, I wasn't bad mouthing the man, his product, or his business. I think he's one hell of a guy, and I'll be buying from him again.

When I posted that, it wasnt a complaint, so to speak. I wasn't fishing for a return offer, or anything. I know that if it needs to be sharpened, Simon can do that. If it needs a new sheath, Bruce can do that. It's an awesome knife, and I think I basically stole it for what I gave him. I was just doing what I do with any review, and that's tell what's good and what I think could be better. Again, I didnt mean to snipe Doug with this, or anything of the sort. This thing has been riding on my hip since I opened it, and that's a fact. I'm pleased, and didnt mean to sound like I wasn't (hence why I added the edit to my original post).

On a side note, hell this thing is basically a collectors item! It's the first one of it's design, the first convex grind he ever did... and, considering those two things, I think it's top-f'ing-notch. :D
 
udtjim said:
It's probably not a big deal because I think everyone here knows that Doug would stand behind his work every time.
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Spot on.

Every maker here has an outstanding reputation and all of them back their work. Anybody who grinds a blade by hand will find imperfections, that is just part of hand made stuff. Stomper, Fiddleback, DP, etc. We all know they will back it up.

I like custom knives where I can find these small details. It lets me know that hands with dirt under the nails went into making them instead of some fancy machine with laser cutters and what not.

I agree with Bear, good thread.

Good on the poster for being honest, good on DP for being willing to fix the issue. I understand where the business aspect might want this to be handled privately, but I'll tell you as a consumer you will sell more to me when you own up to your mistakes. It would be foolish for me to expect every blade to come perfect, but I think consumers should expect good service. This just proves that even more.
 
LeeCQC said:
On a side note, hell this thing is basically a collectors item! It's the first one of it's design, the first convex grind he ever did... and, considering those two things, I think it's top-f'ing-notch. :D
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Ya lost me there. WS&S is a group of do'ers, not collectors.

Go beat that thing up. :D
 
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