- Joined
- Dec 21, 2006
- Messages
- 1,155
Alright so I have had my Great Eastern Cutlery Northfield Pioneer with red bone handles for quite a while now and I think it is time to take a stab at writing a review for it. Overall I love the knife, it is currently my favorite slip-joint. So here are my thoughts broken up into a few different categories
Fit and finish:
The fit and finish on the knife is really quite good. The blades were finished well and there was no unevenness in the finish and no scratches stood out. The nickel silver bolsters as well as the brass pins and liners were nicely polished and even. There was no wiggle in the blades at all and the die on the handles was consistent with darker coloration in the grooves and lighter coloration on the flats. The only flaw in the finish was that the back-springs were not perfectly even in length
Handle
As I already stated the finish on the handle scales was nice. The shape of the handle is also very ergonomic. The UN-X-LD shield on the scale is fastened securely and does not make the handle and less comfortable. The bone scales are not very grippy, but because of the type of knife it is, and the fact that I prefer smoother handles that is not much of a problem.
Blade:
And now for the part you have all been waiting for, the blades. My knife came with two flat-ground 1095 blades a clip point and a spey blade. For the purposes of this review I am going to break the blade section up into two different categories Factory and post sharpening.
Factory- The primary grinds are nice and even and the blade stock is thin leading to a very thin edge area. The shapes of the blades are also very nice with long straight edges and appropriate amounts of belly. The edges however were terrible from the factory, the straight parts were dull, and on the belly the grinds from each side did not even meet to form an edge, and you could that the "edge" was flat. After a trip to the sharpmaker and some stropping on a leather belt the problem with the straight parts of the edge were solved and it cut well, but the bellies remained about as dull as the edge of a dime.
After sharpening- After a few months of being fed up with the edge problems I decided to convex the edges on my Knives ship free sharpening kit, and now I am finally impressed. I re-profiled on 400 grit paper and then I increased grits up to 2000 grit then stropped with black and green compound. The knife now cuts like a laser although it does not shave well because it is only the second knife that I have convexed and I am still learning (it shaves better than the other knife though). The 1095 steel also holds its edge pretty well, it loses the razor edge rather quickly but holds a sharp working edge for quite a while. Now the knife has a secure place in my edc rotation.
Other comments:
The 1095 steel develops a great patina after cutting fruits and does not rust(orange rust) as readily as I expected.
The back springs are uber stiff and that in combination with a sudden stop at the half-stops caused my thumb to slip from the nail nick and I cut my knuckle pretty badly. However, I have broken the back-spring in and that is a thing of the past.
Please feel free to comment on your experiences with GEC and to comment on the quality of my review because I am trying to become a better reviewer. Yes, I know I need pictures and I'm working on that now.
Fit and finish:
The fit and finish on the knife is really quite good. The blades were finished well and there was no unevenness in the finish and no scratches stood out. The nickel silver bolsters as well as the brass pins and liners were nicely polished and even. There was no wiggle in the blades at all and the die on the handles was consistent with darker coloration in the grooves and lighter coloration on the flats. The only flaw in the finish was that the back-springs were not perfectly even in length
Handle
As I already stated the finish on the handle scales was nice. The shape of the handle is also very ergonomic. The UN-X-LD shield on the scale is fastened securely and does not make the handle and less comfortable. The bone scales are not very grippy, but because of the type of knife it is, and the fact that I prefer smoother handles that is not much of a problem.
Blade:
And now for the part you have all been waiting for, the blades. My knife came with two flat-ground 1095 blades a clip point and a spey blade. For the purposes of this review I am going to break the blade section up into two different categories Factory and post sharpening.
Factory- The primary grinds are nice and even and the blade stock is thin leading to a very thin edge area. The shapes of the blades are also very nice with long straight edges and appropriate amounts of belly. The edges however were terrible from the factory, the straight parts were dull, and on the belly the grinds from each side did not even meet to form an edge, and you could that the "edge" was flat. After a trip to the sharpmaker and some stropping on a leather belt the problem with the straight parts of the edge were solved and it cut well, but the bellies remained about as dull as the edge of a dime.
After sharpening- After a few months of being fed up with the edge problems I decided to convex the edges on my Knives ship free sharpening kit, and now I am finally impressed. I re-profiled on 400 grit paper and then I increased grits up to 2000 grit then stropped with black and green compound. The knife now cuts like a laser although it does not shave well because it is only the second knife that I have convexed and I am still learning (it shaves better than the other knife though). The 1095 steel also holds its edge pretty well, it loses the razor edge rather quickly but holds a sharp working edge for quite a while. Now the knife has a secure place in my edc rotation.
Other comments:
The 1095 steel develops a great patina after cutting fruits and does not rust(orange rust) as readily as I expected.
The back springs are uber stiff and that in combination with a sudden stop at the half-stops caused my thumb to slip from the nail nick and I cut my knuckle pretty badly. However, I have broken the back-spring in and that is a thing of the past.
Please feel free to comment on your experiences with GEC and to comment on the quality of my review because I am trying to become a better reviewer. Yes, I know I need pictures and I'm working on that now.
