Experience with Artisan Cutlery?

jstn

jstn

Gold Member
Joined
Jun 27, 2012
Messages
3,733
Artisan is a brand I've never paid any attention to, but there were quite a few knives from them at Shot Show that really caught my eye, namely the new Pinkerton design, a few knives with a new proprietary lock, and some other nice looking little blades. For those who have owned knives from this company, would you recommend them? How is the quality of their products, etc.?
 
I have two, a Waistline with carbon fiber overlays and a Tomahawk with G-10 scales and copper bolsters. Both seem to be solid well made knives.
 
I'm happy with a d2 version of their waistline. I like it, very sharp and smooth flipper, maybe a little thick steel for such a slim blade, but otherwise it is nice. I don't know that I would spend the money on one of their knives with upgraded materials.
The thick blade stock wouldn't be a problem with a wider blade with a higher grind.
 
Nixelplix said:
I'm happy with a d2 version of their waistline. I like it, very sharp and smooth flipper, maybe a little thick steel for such a slim blade, but otherwise it is nice. I don't know that I would spend the money on one of their knives with upgraded materials.
The thick blade stock wouldn't be a problem with a wider blade with a higher grind.
Click to expand...
That is good to know. I may have to try out one of their budget knives as a test run of sorts.
 
I have two of their "Traditions" in D2, the 3.875" blade and the 3.2" blade. Ceramic ball bearings on a manual flipper, i'm happy with the ones I have.
 
I’ve got no complaints about the zumwalt I own and I plan on checking out the centauri.
 
I've got one of their CJRB flippers with a D2 blade and carbon fiber scales. The scales are a laminate
The knife looks better than it feels. That laminate is way to slick for me. But everything else about the knife is nice.

EDIT: because spelling is hard...
 
Well, at $50 each, I bit, especially with the copper and bronze scales! I like slim large folders and the Shark and Waistline just looked right up my alley. Bronze on the Shark, G-10 on the Waistline. Normally I'd go with CF, but I've seen that fake Chinese CF before and I'm not a fan. Third knife is the Hyperion, 4" clip point with copper scales.
A lot of people are complaining about their wacky styles, but nothing wacky in what I got. Just hoping they make good EDCs.
 
Well, at $50 each, I bit, especially with the copper and bronze scales! I like slim large folders and the Shark and Waistline just looked right up my alley. Bronze on the Shark, G-10 on the Waistline. Normally I'd go with CF, but I've seen that fake Chinese CF before and I'm not a fan. Third knife is the Hyperion, 4" clip point with copper scales.
A lot of people are complaining about their wacky styles, but nothing wacky in what I got. Just hoping they make good EDCs.
 
I have a Tradition that is a good knife for $50. Hefty, but excellent action (only truly drop shut knife I own, maybe there is something to ceramic bearings). Some inconsistency with the milling on the scales but nothing deal breaking. Slightly off center but it's not a big deal.

I want to try the new lock but just can't seem to pull the trigger on the cjrb knives. Seems like they're really hit and miss. It's basically an axis lock with a separate device to actuate it, but would still be fun to play with.
 
I own two Artisan knives, the Proponent and the CJRB Kicker. I bought them as novelties/out of curiosity, but I'm pleased with the fit, finish, and materials in both cases.

The brass Proponent weighs nearly a pound. :D The milling is great and it more or less instantly started to build up an awesome patina. (This pic is from when it was new.)

TfhAWcZ.jpg


The Kicker's lock is a lot of fun to fidget with. It does rattle slightly in all positions, which is a bit annoying (and I believe its due to the design, not my particular example). It'd make a solid EDC all-rounder if you like the style, and IMO the quality punches considerably above its price point.

xI9vO05.jpg
 
I'm curious about Artisan too especially with hard use. I tempted by the Artisan Archaeo and I've just ordered a CJRB Centros.
 
Well all 3 got here and I'm pleasantly surprised with all. The Shark especially with the bronze scales and blue liners is a beauty. Very close to my ZT 452CF in size, but sleeker. Not movement anywhere and drops shut. Detent is perfect.
The Waistline I got in G 10. Detent is a little stiff to open and the slim handle feels a bit awkward at first. The blade is very slim too but thick. When you see it in profile you might be scared the tip may break, but the blade stock is plenty thick enough to keep it safe. For sure the lightest of the 3.
The Hyperion which I got in copper is a monster. All 3 blades are the same length, but the Hyperion is by far the heaviest. The detent is perfect on this as well and it drops shut like a dream. The only thing that may keep me from carrying it is the weight. I was warned in a YouTube video and I should have listened. It's pretty to look at though.
 
rschuch said:
The Waistline I got in G 10. Detent is a little stiff to open and the slim handle feels a bit awkward at first. The blade is very slim too but thick. When you see it in profile you might be scared the tip may break, but the blade stock is plenty thick enough to keep it safe. For sure the lightest of the 3.
Click to expand...
My Waistline was the same, a bit stiff to open. I took it apart, cleaned a bunch of what looked like some sort of polishing compound out of the pivot area, applied a tiny bit of grease and reassembled it. After adjusting the pivot it works perfectly. The lock seemed a bit sticky too. The lock face on the end of the tang was a bit rough, and a couple passes on a piece of fine emery paper fixed that. Lock-up is solid and release is smooth.
Now about the steel since nobody has mentioned it yet - The knife was sharp out of the box, but it was a wire edge type sharp that didn't last. There weren't any real edge bevels, just what looked like a micro-bevel that wasn't sharp at all. I tried to sharpen it using the Lansky with regular stones, but they just skated off the steel and barely touched it.....I had to use the coarse diamond stone to establish new bevels, and even then it took a bit of work. The blade is D2 (thats what it says anyhow), and it seems like its pretty tough stuff. I did mange to get it hair popping sharp though, and it seems to be holding the edge pretty well so far.
My take is these are pretty good out of the box, and if you don't mind a bit of tinkering they can be a lot better. For the comparatively small price tag, you get a knife that can be the equal of knives 2 or 3 times the price.
 
I bought 3 Artisan knives on impulse, when they were featured as SFO's on a dealers site.
At $40 each I didn't expect much, but I was very surprised by the quality of what I received.

Mini Proponent in copper

ARTISAN.jpg
 
I have a waistline and a handful of the copper and brass and bronze scaled model knives. they aren't bad for their price points.

came with decent bevels on them and bit better than working sharp. d2 or chinese equivalent steel seemed proper heat treat from sharpening I've done on them.

some have lighter detents other stronger. bit of variation in the handful I have...even in same models. lock geometry on the liner locks were all done well enough. they all push inwards and not open under spine pressure towards close.

there is lots of Chinese brands out there. this one i feel is a good bargin if thats what ya want.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top