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- Jan 13, 2007
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I received a couple of 'folding kwaiken' designs within a short space of time recently, so I thought I would offer some impressions.
Hoback Kwaiback
I was lucky enough to get on Jake's books for a custom A15 before his knives became wildly popular - in fact that custom A15 in 4V steel had a shorter wait than this midtech (or what he calls UHEP - ultra high-end production), and was cheaper than the UHEP Kwaibacks retail for. I was never very excited by his Kwaiback design or understood why it was so popular - it seems too angular and agricultural to me - but I knew he made a very solid knife, so I was interested to try it out when he opened the list on the latest run of the midtechs.
Long story short, as soon as I got it in hand, I understood why it was so popular. Despite looking angular and awkward, the ergonomics work very well. For me, the handle locks into my hand with my thumb falling naturally on the spine jimping, and is just the right length to leave a striking point protruding from the back of my hand. The solidity of the construction and smoothness of the action go without saying, but I really like the fact that the interior of the handles is milled so that the balance is also right on the first finger. The only thing I would change if I could would be to make the blade about a 1/4 longer, so that it extends to the end of the handle when closed (although granted that would produce a challenge in terms of the placement of the stand-offs).
Begg / Reate Steelcraft Kwaiken
Similarly, I was already familiar with Reate's manufacturing quality before buying this, so I knew what I was getting. I'd never handled a Todd Begg knife, though, so was interested to try one of his designs, and this thing just looked cool.
The construction quality didn't disappoint, and I am content with the knife, but I haven't taken to it as strongly as the Kwaiback. Standing some way proud of the handle scale, and right at the top, the clip is not the most comfortable for my hand (not too bad either, but I notice it there). And for me the sweep of the blade doesn't flow into the lines of the handle as well as it could. It's difficult to appreciate from photos, but the lower line of the handle actually flares out a tiny amount towards the pivot, and there is a noticeable step between that and the line of the cutting edge. For both form and function, I would prefer if there were a slight first finger indent and the blade was a fraction wider towards the base. For me (and this is a very subjective opinion), the Begg Kwaiken sacrifices a little ergonomics to esthetics, but also gets that slightly wrong.
Boker / Burnley titanium-bolstered kwaiken
I was really hoping that this knife would be the one that proved that spending over $400 for a kwaiken designed by a renown maker was pointless, but in the end it reminded me that there is a noticeable, if modest difference in quality between a $150+ and a $400+ knife.
I like the Burnley kwaiken flipper design, but didn't like the weight and balance of the originals. When the version with CF handles came out, I got it and was impressed, although the balance point was still a little further back than I like. When I saw this new version with ti liners and a bolster as well, I thought this would be THE version. However, the first one I received had to go back to the retailer because one of the ti scales wasn't flush with the liner due to protruding screw heads, AND the locking liner contacted the flat of the blade and was causing a little scuffing. The replacement didn't have the problem with the scale or the scuffing, but the liner still contacts the blade lightly (it seems that the lock bar is too soft and bends slightly), and the overall finish just isn't quite on par with the Reate or Hoback finishing (unsurprisingly). Certainly, this is a great knife, and the most suitable of the 3 for EDC use, but it doesn't give you the same sense of manufacturing perfection as the much more expensive midtechs.
Hoback Kwaiback
I was lucky enough to get on Jake's books for a custom A15 before his knives became wildly popular - in fact that custom A15 in 4V steel had a shorter wait than this midtech (or what he calls UHEP - ultra high-end production), and was cheaper than the UHEP Kwaibacks retail for. I was never very excited by his Kwaiback design or understood why it was so popular - it seems too angular and agricultural to me - but I knew he made a very solid knife, so I was interested to try it out when he opened the list on the latest run of the midtechs.
Long story short, as soon as I got it in hand, I understood why it was so popular. Despite looking angular and awkward, the ergonomics work very well. For me, the handle locks into my hand with my thumb falling naturally on the spine jimping, and is just the right length to leave a striking point protruding from the back of my hand. The solidity of the construction and smoothness of the action go without saying, but I really like the fact that the interior of the handles is milled so that the balance is also right on the first finger. The only thing I would change if I could would be to make the blade about a 1/4 longer, so that it extends to the end of the handle when closed (although granted that would produce a challenge in terms of the placement of the stand-offs).
Begg / Reate Steelcraft Kwaiken
Similarly, I was already familiar with Reate's manufacturing quality before buying this, so I knew what I was getting. I'd never handled a Todd Begg knife, though, so was interested to try one of his designs, and this thing just looked cool.
The construction quality didn't disappoint, and I am content with the knife, but I haven't taken to it as strongly as the Kwaiback. Standing some way proud of the handle scale, and right at the top, the clip is not the most comfortable for my hand (not too bad either, but I notice it there). And for me the sweep of the blade doesn't flow into the lines of the handle as well as it could. It's difficult to appreciate from photos, but the lower line of the handle actually flares out a tiny amount towards the pivot, and there is a noticeable step between that and the line of the cutting edge. For both form and function, I would prefer if there were a slight first finger indent and the blade was a fraction wider towards the base. For me (and this is a very subjective opinion), the Begg Kwaiken sacrifices a little ergonomics to esthetics, but also gets that slightly wrong.
Boker / Burnley titanium-bolstered kwaiken
I was really hoping that this knife would be the one that proved that spending over $400 for a kwaiken designed by a renown maker was pointless, but in the end it reminded me that there is a noticeable, if modest difference in quality between a $150+ and a $400+ knife.
I like the Burnley kwaiken flipper design, but didn't like the weight and balance of the originals. When the version with CF handles came out, I got it and was impressed, although the balance point was still a little further back than I like. When I saw this new version with ti liners and a bolster as well, I thought this would be THE version. However, the first one I received had to go back to the retailer because one of the ti scales wasn't flush with the liner due to protruding screw heads, AND the locking liner contacted the flat of the blade and was causing a little scuffing. The replacement didn't have the problem with the scale or the scuffing, but the liner still contacts the blade lightly (it seems that the lock bar is too soft and bends slightly), and the overall finish just isn't quite on par with the Reate or Hoback finishing (unsurprisingly). Certainly, this is a great knife, and the most suitable of the 3 for EDC use, but it doesn't give you the same sense of manufacturing perfection as the much more expensive midtechs.
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