Just came back from a B&M store/Tourist trap, shopping for a cheap folder to make into a trainer.
I recently got the Spyderco Merlin as a gift and originally wanted the knockoff from Eagle. No luck, so I found a close substitute the Jaguar Hawk, a combination of a wharncliffe and hawkbill, which is also made by Master Knives.
http://216.71.158.68/webcat/product358.html
The 3" blade sports an inch of serrations at the base and cannot push cut but drag. The serrations are fairly well made (read pointy) and the thumbdisk has the slightest play. This knife is basically held together by 2 screws, the biggest (a flathead) holds the clip together. Even more fun is the fact you can't fully stick the knife in your pocket and that in the first 5 minutes of owning the knife, the glued in rubber insert fell out.
The Hawk sports a single liner a 1/3" thinner than most liner locks. In layman's terms, the liner is thinner than a dime.
Opening this Hawk was fun, a thumb opening DIDN'T work as the liner wouldn't even engage the beginning of the tang.
What did work was opening the blade an inch from the blade and flicking the blade out in either standdard or reverse grip. End result, the liner hit the right edge of the tang and since it's still new, you can move the liner back into ANY part of the tang you like. The handle of the Hawk isn't lefty friendly but trust me, it makes no difference since you can open this knife only one way.
Hopefully, some bench grinder magic will allow standard thumb openings on this piece.
I recently got the Spyderco Merlin as a gift and originally wanted the knockoff from Eagle. No luck, so I found a close substitute the Jaguar Hawk, a combination of a wharncliffe and hawkbill, which is also made by Master Knives.
http://216.71.158.68/webcat/product358.html
The 3" blade sports an inch of serrations at the base and cannot push cut but drag. The serrations are fairly well made (read pointy) and the thumbdisk has the slightest play. This knife is basically held together by 2 screws, the biggest (a flathead) holds the clip together. Even more fun is the fact you can't fully stick the knife in your pocket and that in the first 5 minutes of owning the knife, the glued in rubber insert fell out.
The Hawk sports a single liner a 1/3" thinner than most liner locks. In layman's terms, the liner is thinner than a dime.
Opening this Hawk was fun, a thumb opening DIDN'T work as the liner wouldn't even engage the beginning of the tang.
What did work was opening the blade an inch from the blade and flicking the blade out in either standdard or reverse grip. End result, the liner hit the right edge of the tang and since it's still new, you can move the liner back into ANY part of the tang you like. The handle of the Hawk isn't lefty friendly but trust me, it makes no difference since you can open this knife only one way.
Hopefully, some bench grinder magic will allow standard thumb openings on this piece.