EKI crincle La Griffe

Haze

Haze

Joined
Aug 2, 2004
Messages
18,850
I picked up a new La Griffe yesterday with the crincle finish. When i took it out the box right away it felt different in the hand compared to the oxide finish (smoothe) La Griffe. It feels a bit "softer" in the hand and mayber a bit thicker because of the coating but essentially i suppose there just the same.

I will say I dont like the crincle much as im more used to the smoothe finish and as metioned here not long ago the finish was a bit chipped at the edges out the box. I presume that happens when the edge is put on it in the factory, the crincle finish is quite brittle and even a bit of agitation with the finger nail will pick the finish off so i cant see it lasting too long if you use it with any regularity. Crincle coating does tend to smoothe off over time and become a bit better but i would still much prefer the oxide coating if given the choice.

One positive is the sheath, The sheath i got with this one is a one piece folded kydex sheath, its slim and feels better than the sandwich concelex sheath i got with my other two smoothe ones.
I hate neck knife carry so i always mount small fixed blades on a belt or shoulder rig of some sort if i carry them and this sheath feels and sits much better, even though iv only carried it for one day so far :p

All in all the La Griffe is still clearly a superb knife and will continue to be for ever probably but the change in coating on EKIs version has knocked there one down just a tiny wee bit for me.:(

I think we all know where this will be getting sent for an over haul ;):thumbup:

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i cant imagine why ernie would use this finish on this knife, and only this knife.

i think im gonna strip the coating off mine.
 
i couldnt wait:

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there is a very consistent stonewash type finish underneath. the logo is still clearly visible.

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next i may try a cold blue. is that easy to do?
 
Yeah, I've had two and they both had chips in the finish near the edge. The coating simply sucks. It makes the knife thicker than it should be, and I would imagine it would create more friction when slicing for everyday utility purposes. I feel the only advantage is the increased grippiness, but the outstanding design of the knife makes that almost pointless. I wasn't sure if I was going to try my luck on a third, but I'm more tempted after seeing the above pics. MORIMOTOM, what did you use to remove the coating?
 
I took the coating off mine about 5 mins after i posted those pics.:D:thumbup:

here is a pic of it half way done with a two tone finish. I always say im not fond of two tone finishes but that actually looked ok.:o
I'll take it to get a bead blast finish for esthetics later today.;)

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What are you guys using to strip the finish off so cleanly?

I couldn't wait last night, so I took out the la griffe I was going to return and used some sandpaper to bring it to a nice smooth finish. I'm content with the way it looks, but I now do realize the tactile advantage of the crinkle coat.
 
I sanded mine then "scotched" it, i presume big M. used a chemical stripper.

I was going to leave mine "scotch satin" but its a bit too shiny. I should have just bead blasted the finish off in the first place. The stone wash M. got looks pretty good as well :)
 
After stripping mine, I've decided to send it off to Krein for a regrind. I also wanted a stock version, so I ordered another one. And again, this one (my third example) has a very uneven chipped edge near the edge. Its not worth my time to return it (i've returned too much to the vendor already), and I'm not confident that the next one will be good anyway. So this one will be a user/abuser knife and I won't be getting another until Emerson changes to the older coating.
 
SkinnyJoe said:
Very nice. Who made the sheath?
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dwayne pucket, armoral leather. aka leatherman.

i was not happy with the factory sheath. i dont like neckers, and wasnt able to attach a belt clip to my satisfaction.

and i just love leather sheaths!
 
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