- Joined
- Jun 5, 2002
- Messages
- 2,761
I just received an ER Nemesis folder from the great folks at Distinctive Edge.com, and, I must say, I am impressed, this is one hell of a knife!
No doubt, it has a unique appearance, I read in one earlier thread where someone said that they looked like they were designed with function secondary to form, I have to disagree, I think they look odd because form does follow function here.
If you have been frequenting this forum for a while, no doubt you have read more than one thread in which many people opined that the liner/framelock was not an inherently reliable type of lock, and further, was a hard lock for the maker/manufacturer to get just right, I agree with this, while I LOVE a well executed frame or liner lock, I cannot argue with the notion that they are indeed hard to get just right, as is evidenced by the countless liner/framelocks I have examined that had less than perfect locks, and frankly, I am sorry to say, the badly executed, questionable liner/framelocks I speak of, are not limited to cheaper production knives, I have seen plenty that were made by some very popular custom makers. It can be a good lock, if it is properly made, trouble is, they simply aren't that easy to get right.
Further, even when they are correctly made, they can, under certain circumstances, become inadvertantly disengaged, framelocks less so that liner locks, but even some framelocks can disengage under certain types of use. And, so, a lot of people feel that as appealing as the liner/framelock is, it is not the most reliable lock.
I have long been a fan of the good old lockback design, but, they're generally found more often on the fancier customs, while most heavy duty tac/utiity customs and production knives use liner or framelocks, Spyderco being a notable exception. I once asked the question aloud, what if Strider made a lockback? Meaning, what if there was a lockback, a long proven design, that doesn't suffer from the issues mentioned above that liner and framelocks can suffer from, but, not just any lockback, a hard core, heavily overbuilt and extremely stout and robust one? I had never seen one, and Strider has no plans to make one...
Enter the ER Nemesis folder.
A lockback that is as overbuilt and robust as a Strider, and, being a Strider fan, I don't say that lightly. The ER is a fairly conventional lockback, but, it is massively constructed, with what appears to be the thickest, potentially strongest lockback mechanism I have ever beheld. The heavy duty nature of this knife doesn't end there though, the blade is thick, .25" to be exact, and has a fairly thick edge, meaning, its not going to be "scary sharp", but, what it will be is, extremely tough and strong, and, further adding to the utility, heavy duty role of the knife, the edge actually gets much thicker starting just as the edge begins to sweep upwards to the tip, making the tip area, to my eyes, just as strong and reinforced as a tanto tip, but its not quite a tanto in shape. I cannot see how this tip could ever break off in use, or even abuse.
The fit and finish on the knife is clearly "Sebenza-like", meaning, world-class and at a level rarely seen in production knives. Though the design is very different, I would rate the quality and F&F very close to the Sebenza, which I hold to be a benchmark in the knife world.
I cannot ever picture the massive 1/4" thick backlock coming disengaged accidentally, as it is placed where it wont be pressed until you mean to, and further, has a very strong spring, but, just in case, you are paranoid about your fingers, there is a rifle-like cross bolt safety! With this feature, there seems to be literally no way this knife can close on you accidentally, something I would never say about a liner or framelock, much as I love them. Also, you dont need to worry about this knife ever opening accidentally in your pocket, the backspring is very strong, unlike many liner/framelocks with ball detents that either dont work, or are relatively weak, this blade really cannot open accidentally, yet is easily opened with the thumbstud.
I find the odd shaped handle very comfortable for my gigantic hands and the knife seems to be comfortable, for me at least, in regular and reverse grips. The end of the thick lockbar is slightly angled to serve as a glass and skull breaker. The pivot pin is larger than normal, and seems to be heat hardened and the blade is of course that somewhat unusual, but highly regarded N690 cobalt alloy made in Austria.
Though I haven't yet tried it, it looks like the knife can be asily disassembled for maintainance.
While Striders, of which I own plenty, have always struck me as the end all, be all of hard core, heavy duty folders, the ER has that same feel and persona, and, the fact that it uses a massively overbuilt lockback design, well, it may just give it the edge in overall, ultimate lock reliablility.
I am not saying it is better than a Strider, I think I still prefer Striders for certain reasons, however, if you are like me and appreciate how massively strong and overbuilt Striders are, I have a feeling you will also appreciate how capable, and brutally strong the ER folders are, and, as far as I know, they are unique in offering such a strong, overbuilt folder, with a lockback design, a combination I must admit, the more I think about it, is very appealing to me.
No doubt, it has a unique appearance, I read in one earlier thread where someone said that they looked like they were designed with function secondary to form, I have to disagree, I think they look odd because form does follow function here.
If you have been frequenting this forum for a while, no doubt you have read more than one thread in which many people opined that the liner/framelock was not an inherently reliable type of lock, and further, was a hard lock for the maker/manufacturer to get just right, I agree with this, while I LOVE a well executed frame or liner lock, I cannot argue with the notion that they are indeed hard to get just right, as is evidenced by the countless liner/framelocks I have examined that had less than perfect locks, and frankly, I am sorry to say, the badly executed, questionable liner/framelocks I speak of, are not limited to cheaper production knives, I have seen plenty that were made by some very popular custom makers. It can be a good lock, if it is properly made, trouble is, they simply aren't that easy to get right.
Further, even when they are correctly made, they can, under certain circumstances, become inadvertantly disengaged, framelocks less so that liner locks, but even some framelocks can disengage under certain types of use. And, so, a lot of people feel that as appealing as the liner/framelock is, it is not the most reliable lock.
I have long been a fan of the good old lockback design, but, they're generally found more often on the fancier customs, while most heavy duty tac/utiity customs and production knives use liner or framelocks, Spyderco being a notable exception. I once asked the question aloud, what if Strider made a lockback? Meaning, what if there was a lockback, a long proven design, that doesn't suffer from the issues mentioned above that liner and framelocks can suffer from, but, not just any lockback, a hard core, heavily overbuilt and extremely stout and robust one? I had never seen one, and Strider has no plans to make one...
Enter the ER Nemesis folder.
A lockback that is as overbuilt and robust as a Strider, and, being a Strider fan, I don't say that lightly. The ER is a fairly conventional lockback, but, it is massively constructed, with what appears to be the thickest, potentially strongest lockback mechanism I have ever beheld. The heavy duty nature of this knife doesn't end there though, the blade is thick, .25" to be exact, and has a fairly thick edge, meaning, its not going to be "scary sharp", but, what it will be is, extremely tough and strong, and, further adding to the utility, heavy duty role of the knife, the edge actually gets much thicker starting just as the edge begins to sweep upwards to the tip, making the tip area, to my eyes, just as strong and reinforced as a tanto tip, but its not quite a tanto in shape. I cannot see how this tip could ever break off in use, or even abuse.The fit and finish on the knife is clearly "Sebenza-like", meaning, world-class and at a level rarely seen in production knives. Though the design is very different, I would rate the quality and F&F very close to the Sebenza, which I hold to be a benchmark in the knife world.
I cannot ever picture the massive 1/4" thick backlock coming disengaged accidentally, as it is placed where it wont be pressed until you mean to, and further, has a very strong spring, but, just in case, you are paranoid about your fingers, there is a rifle-like cross bolt safety! With this feature, there seems to be literally no way this knife can close on you accidentally, something I would never say about a liner or framelock, much as I love them. Also, you dont need to worry about this knife ever opening accidentally in your pocket, the backspring is very strong, unlike many liner/framelocks with ball detents that either dont work, or are relatively weak, this blade really cannot open accidentally, yet is easily opened with the thumbstud.
I find the odd shaped handle very comfortable for my gigantic hands and the knife seems to be comfortable, for me at least, in regular and reverse grips. The end of the thick lockbar is slightly angled to serve as a glass and skull breaker.
The pivot pin is larger than normal, and seems to be heat hardened and the blade is of course that somewhat unusual, but highly regarded N690 cobalt alloy made in Austria.Though I haven't yet tried it, it looks like the knife can be asily disassembled for maintainance.
While Striders, of which I own plenty, have always struck me as the end all, be all of hard core, heavy duty folders, the ER has that same feel and persona, and, the fact that it uses a massively overbuilt lockback design, well, it may just give it the edge in overall, ultimate lock reliablility.
I am not saying it is better than a Strider, I think I still prefer Striders for certain reasons, however, if you are like me and appreciate how massively strong and overbuilt Striders are, I have a feeling you will also appreciate how capable, and brutally strong the ER folders are, and, as far as I know, they are unique in offering such a strong, overbuilt folder, with a lockback design, a combination I must admit, the more I think about it, is very appealing to me.
