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Fit & Finish

anthony cheeseboro

anthony cheeseboro

Joined
Aug 8, 1999
Messages
5,094
Which of your knives has the best fit and finish? My two best made customs are my Andre De Villiers Exectac Spearpoint and my Stan Fujisaka Utility Folder. I guess my best finished factory knife would be my William Henry Monarch. I think that we knifenuts get so wrapped up in new steels that we forget sometimes about how fit and finish are realy key in whether or not a knife will last or if we can actually use it.
 
Best fit and finish: probably Hendrickson's pieces. More like art knives, but actually hunters.

Factory : Chris Reeve knives

Best cutter : no doubt Fowler's pieces and RJ Martin's
 
"I think that we knifenuts get so wrapped up in new steels that we forget sometimes about how fit and finish are realy key in whether or not a knife will ast or if we can actually use it."

I can enjoy a nice finish, and even fancy touches like mammoth ivory scales and engraved bolsters. However, I use my knives hard. I know that, soon enough, the coating will be scuffed or worn away, the blade will be smudged with tree sap, the butt of the handle will be scratched, the edge will be (mediocrely) resharpened by my own hand, etc.

The suitability of the knife design (the geometry, how far forward it is weighted, how it feels in my hand, etc.) matters a lot to me. Because I may have to rely on my knife in a serious survival situation outdoors, I also want my knife to have as much toughness, strength, ease of maintenance, and other aspects of reliability, as I can get without compromising the design, too far--and thus the suitability of the steel (and heat/cryo treatment) to my uses also matters a lot to me.

But fit and finish? As long as there is nothing so bad as to be uncomfortable or similarly problematic, I don't care much about the finish on a hard-user knife. It would be absurd for me to be very concerned about them. Of course, if I bought a knife strictly as an art/craft piece, then fit and finish would be of paramount importance to me.

I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with buying knives with an eye toward beauty, and, thus, being concerned with the quality of fit and finish. It's perfectly valid, and I hope to do it, myself, when my lifestyle allows. I just want to make clear that buying knives with an eye toward utility, and, thus, being more concerned with steel (among other aspects), is equally valid.

It's not a matter of "getting so wrapped up in new steels that I forget" about fit and finish; it's just a matter of having my priorities in accordance with my needs. I'm sure the same applies to many knifeknuts.
 
I think that you misunderstood what I meant by fit and finish. A well fitted knife should have even grind lines, a tight lockup, it's scales should be well fitted, etc. A hard use knife will perform better and last longer if it painstakingly put together. Excellent materials, poorly executed defeat the purpose of their being used in the first place.
 
My Cutters Knife and Tool Brend #2 has to be up there. I can't find a single TINY little flaw. Nothing, I mean nothing. Which of course makes me apprehensive in using it. I need to close my eyes and take a thumb tac to it so I will feel better about using it more in my EDC rotation:eek:
 
My Sebenza has the best fit and finish I have seen on a factory knife. Perfect lockup, perfect grind, perfect handle finish. It's a simple knife, but what is there is done to perfection.
 
My Carson collaboration M4 is one of the best knives I have in terms of fit and finish. I would say it is probably one of the best framelocks I have handled. Here is a pic:

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As far as production folders. . .CRK Sebenza and anything outta Microtech.

Customs. . .Kit Carson M4's, Tom Mayo TNT's, Koji Hara Carbon Clipper, Greg Lightfoot Supressor, Brad Duncan Framelock and After Shock, Larry Chew Spitfire Covert, and a Grant Hawk DOG. . .just to name a few.

I've had only 1 custom knife come to me that had a poor fit and finish. . . .scales/blosters smaller than liners, liner edges not smooth, blade couldn't cut butter, grind divots on the blade flats, left and right scales not even, and almost needed vice grips to get the lock to disengage the blade. What's worse. . .I purchased the knife from a dealer. So disappointing ! :(

When you pay the prices for custom and high-end productions knives. . .fit and finish should be there ! No questions asked !
 
I would have to say for a folding knife my S2K is the best in the fit and finish department. Higly polished liners, exact fit of scales to liners and the liner lock itself is like a bank vault. Probably one of the reasons I haven't really resorted to going to a full custom on a knife that I use for hunting anyways. The blade grinds are even, it has no tool marks anywhere on it and the piece feels so damn good in the hand with such excellant steel used that I see no point in trying to match it. I know I could probably get a more exotic folder for a lot more money but it wouldn't be a lot more knife.

For a fixed blade I just recieved a khukuri through P who is a gold member here. Here again this thing is absolutely pretty much flawless for a tool of this type. Handle is buffalo horn and fitted perfectly to the tang. It is very highly polished with a couple of streaks for character through it. Brass funiture fittings for the choil and end of the pommel are highly polished and extremely well finsihed to the knife. The blade ah now the heart soul of anything sharp is again being a primitively handmade made piece is well just about perfect. It is highly polished so much so I thought it was chromed. There are no grind lines to see at all and maybe just a hint of color to the edge from tempering. Have to hold it in the light a certain way to see it though. The convex edge is done perfectly too. Sharp when I recieved it and sharper now. No grind marks, wavers to the spine or dips from shaping and polishing. The sheath is made very well that allows for a snug fit but a quick draw. It is very tightly stretched buffalo hide over the rosewood frame. Balance is blade heavy as one would expect in a knife of this sort.

Thats it for users. There are other manufacturer's that do just as well in all likely hood but these two stand out as to ones I own and appreciate. Keep'em sharp
 
I just got a Kershaw Blur and I have yet to find any flaw at all. Seems to be an excellent knife.:)
 
My best fit and finish knives are my CRKs and my alox SAKs.
I think fit is far more important than finish. The knife will just plain function better, be more reliable, and safer if everything fits together properly. A good finish shows how much pride a maker or manufacturer takes in his/her product. Odds are if you have both fit and finish, you're gonna have a quality final product.

Paul
 
Customs would be my Andre De Villiers Small Operator that I traded for from Gadi, my medium TnT and my Hinderer Firetac. All have the blade perfectly centered, solid lock-up with about 1/3 contact with the blade, perfect grindlines and ultra smooth pivots.
 
Best fit & finish?...That would have to be my pair of Al Mar SERE 2000 folders...They are both perfect in the "fit & finish" department.

As far as fixed-blade goes...That honor will go to one of my 2 Camillus CUDA CQB-1 knives...It is totally perfect.
 
I'd have to say it's a dead heat between my two CRK's (Small Sebbie and Mnandi) and my WH (Black and Tan T-10).
 
  • Perfect: CRK Mnandi, Spyderco SS Cricket
  • Close to perfect: Passaround Spyderco ATR
 
Best fit and finish? At the top of the list, Frank Centofante tail lock folder with abalone scales. Not flawless, mind you, but created, assembled, and finished beautifully.

Other customs: Bailey Bradshaw, Tom Mayo, Scott Cook, Jot Khalsa, Tom Anderson.

Semi-production: Whitewing (Bailey Bradshaw) and William Henry.

Production folders: several Spyderco, including, very notably, a white Micarta baby Horn.
 
As far as fit and finish are concerned the best production knife I have owned was a Wood Sebenza. The knife was flawless. Coming in a close second is a knife that I still own, my stainless steel Spyderco Police. This knife really is well put together.

In customs, the best knife with the best F&F was a Darrel Ralph Madd Maxx that I once owned, but knives that I still have from Mike Snody and John Fitch are right up there.
 
The best fit and finish for me is a Stout Dress Protégé folder - one I decided to sell while looking to get some more knives.
 
I am an absolute nutcase when it comes to F&F, i crave precision and am often disappointed with knives i receive in this dept.

There are a few knives though that rarely disappoint, production, obviously Chris Reeve is at the top, it is very rare to get a Sebenza that isnt very close to perfection. Microtech is also very good, but not quite as consistant, but i do own several of them that are truly flawless in every respect.

In customs, i have actually found it even tougher to be satisfied, even with the top makers, their knives do vary quite a bit in F&F, i have seen at least one flawed knife from just about every custom maker, however, there are a few who get it right most of the time, at the top of my list is JW Smith, this guy is a machine, his knives are just as perfect as a knife can get, followed closely by Tom Mayo, Tom's TnTs are just so amazingly smooth and precise, unless you have actually examined one in person, you really can't know what i mean, they are about as good as it gets and its an awesome design. Next, i would have to put Phil Boguszewski, his flippers are just as smooth as silk and they are so well made, its like a fine swiss watch. Next would be Carson or Mike Obenauf, of course its hard to distinguish between the 2 since Mikes knives are heavily inspired by his mentor's, i believe that Mike's knives are now as good as Kit's in the F&F dept, which is quite a compliment since Kit's knives are so well made. Finally, a name you dont hear a lot about, but Aaron Frederick makes an incredibly smooth, well made tac/utility folder at a very reasonable price for the materials and quality.

Well, thats my take on this topic, and i do put an awful lot of effort into deciding which makers consistantly offer the best quality and F&F and so far, this is what i have found to be true.
 
Megalobyte, I agree 100% that it is harder to get consistent fit & finish from custom makers than factory knives. This is not meant as a slam against custom makers. I just think that some things like liner locks, vertical play, etc. are more easily done with precise CNC machinery than by hand. Customs make up for it by being beautiful and often being made to the buyers specifications. I have to speak up once again for Andre De Villiers and Stanley Fujisaka. These knives are pleasure to open and close the way opening and closing the doors a fine car exudes quality. I also love obenauf because no one gives a better deal for the money except for maybe Rick Hinderer.
 
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