- Joined
- Jan 29, 2005
- Messages
- 6,768
Well , got my Flatbyrd in the mail the other day , the price was right at $21 w/shipping. I have seen them for the over $35 plus shipping on the 'bay' , which IMO is far too much to pay for this little guy.
Here are some side by sides with my Native , for size comparison.
Not a bad little package.
Here it is in my mitt for hand size comparison , it is a good fit and as odd as the handle shape is it's not really uncomfortable.
Look how thin it is !
The edge of the blade is uber thin , when I get a few minutes I'm going to see just how sharp I can get 'er.
Ok , basics...
Steel is 8Cr13MoV , which IMO is a good , working steel. The finish on the overall package is fine and consistant , nothing fancy but still pleasing. No pocketclip , keeping the profile slim. As you can see by the wallet pic below this can easily fit inside of a wallet , unless you have one of those thin girly wallets
just playin' , this really is a slim little folder though.
I like the overall look of it too ,, this knife screams 'utilitarian' , I would imagine it can be made razor sharp with little efort. It was user sharp OOTB but not shaving.
One of the smaller holes could easily be used for a lanyard if one desired in lieu of a pocketclip.
This knife would be IDEAL for a small PSK.
Ok now I have something to say which is negative , that is on the lockup. Bear in mind there is no play in any direction but the lock barely engaged the blade upon examination and failed several spine whacks at first.
I was crestfallen. The more I opened and locked it and whacked it the more I was disappointed , although this is nothing I could not fix myself by taking it apart and doing some judicious filing , which I will do anyway but for those who do not know how to do so , I hope your lockup was better than mine.
However the Flatbyrd redeemed itself shortly , I started to flick it open an close it , after several flicks I noticed the lock was actually engaging nicely , I re-did spine whacks , no failure , tried opening it manually , same engagement - no failure... Perhaps it just needed to be worked in ? After many flicks ( not a normal habit of mine BTW) the play is zero and the lockup is good but not as good as I want it , so I will take 'er apart and make my own adjustments. I am thinking on polishing the whole knife too , or something to make it my own.
I have only cut various papers with it thus far and it performed fine , I do not see this as a devourer of cardboard and thicker materials , the thinness of of the blade lends itself to more delicate tasks , IMO.
Although I could easily see this knife used in a SD role if need be , it would make a wonderful slasher - God forbid.
It is not overly wieghty but not featherlight either , the holes in the handle not only add grip but lessen weight and add some class to boot.
The lock is a bit different , I do not know what to call it other than a modifeid framelock ( to unlock it your push thru the handle onto the back of the lock itself to close it), perhaps Mr. Glesser can comment on this ?
Not bad looking , huh ?
Can easily fit into a larger wallet.
All in all , I am not disappointed that I added this Byrd to my collection ,although I would not pay over $25 for it , do some shopping and you'll do better than those that paid over $40 on the 'bay'.
Thanks for reading.
Here are some side by sides with my Native , for size comparison.
Not a bad little package.
Here it is in my mitt for hand size comparison , it is a good fit and as odd as the handle shape is it's not really uncomfortable.
Look how thin it is !
The edge of the blade is uber thin , when I get a few minutes I'm going to see just how sharp I can get 'er.
Ok , basics...
Steel is 8Cr13MoV , which IMO is a good , working steel. The finish on the overall package is fine and consistant , nothing fancy but still pleasing. No pocketclip , keeping the profile slim. As you can see by the wallet pic below this can easily fit inside of a wallet , unless you have one of those thin girly wallets
just playin' , this really is a slim little folder though.I like the overall look of it too ,, this knife screams 'utilitarian' , I would imagine it can be made razor sharp with little efort. It was user sharp OOTB but not shaving.
One of the smaller holes could easily be used for a lanyard if one desired in lieu of a pocketclip.
This knife would be IDEAL for a small PSK.
Ok now I have something to say which is negative , that is on the lockup. Bear in mind there is no play in any direction but the lock barely engaged the blade upon examination and failed several spine whacks at first.
I was crestfallen. The more I opened and locked it and whacked it the more I was disappointed , although this is nothing I could not fix myself by taking it apart and doing some judicious filing , which I will do anyway but for those who do not know how to do so , I hope your lockup was better than mine.
However the Flatbyrd redeemed itself shortly , I started to flick it open an close it , after several flicks I noticed the lock was actually engaging nicely , I re-did spine whacks , no failure , tried opening it manually , same engagement - no failure... Perhaps it just needed to be worked in ? After many flicks ( not a normal habit of mine BTW) the play is zero and the lockup is good but not as good as I want it , so I will take 'er apart and make my own adjustments. I am thinking on polishing the whole knife too , or something to make it my own.
I have only cut various papers with it thus far and it performed fine , I do not see this as a devourer of cardboard and thicker materials , the thinness of of the blade lends itself to more delicate tasks , IMO.
Although I could easily see this knife used in a SD role if need be , it would make a wonderful slasher - God forbid.
It is not overly wieghty but not featherlight either , the holes in the handle not only add grip but lessen weight and add some class to boot.
The lock is a bit different , I do not know what to call it other than a modifeid framelock ( to unlock it your push thru the handle onto the back of the lock itself to close it), perhaps Mr. Glesser can comment on this ?
Not bad looking , huh ?
Can easily fit into a larger wallet.
All in all , I am not disappointed that I added this Byrd to my collection ,although I would not pay over $25 for it , do some shopping and you'll do better than those that paid over $40 on the 'bay'.
Thanks for reading.