*** GM3 Quick Review ***
My GM3 Just dropped, so I wanted to give you a quick and dirty initial review.
First, some size comparisons to the current king of my right front pocket: the Small Inkosi
Now onto my initial review. Keep in mind I've owned this thing for about 30 minutes.
Looks: Beautiful and very classy. The two-tone Ti look is great with the contrast between the smooth and shiny handle slabs and the accent pivot ring, backspacer and clip. As far as the slab finish goes: think Spyderco Slysz Bowie and you'll be there. These have a nice polished look that I think will stand the test of time. I'm thinking you'll see some wear fairly quickly on the clip due to the finish used, but overall it's a very classy knife. I even like the look of the nail nick as that gives the knife a little extra bling without being out of place. Both means of deployment work exceptionally well. Speaking which...
Flipping Action: Stellar!!! The best flipper I've had was a Southard Tolk. While I've heard that they can be hit and miss, mine was an absolute dream and is the benchmark for any other flipper I buy. The GM3 is as good, if not better than the Tolk. The firm detent makes the knife actually feel like an assisted opener. I know that comparison gets thrown around a lot, but what I mean is that there is a solid amount of detent pressure, then once that is overcome, the blade fires out like it has some type of spring added to it. Again it's early in the game, but if you're looking for a great flipper, this HAS to be on your list!
Drop Action: This WILL free-drop easily without tension, and will do so with the lock-bar engaged and a decent wiggle. While the action is great, the fact that the blade is so light and thin makes it tough to drop as good as, say, a ZT0562CF or any other heavier bladed knife. It WILL do it, but not like a knife with a blade that weighs twice as much (or more) that this has.
Fit & Finish: Excellent. There is chamfering on the top and bottom of the handle that creates no hot spots, and the shape is great. The knife feels very smooth and refined.
Lock stick: Zero, Zip... NADA.
Lockup: Dead centered and rock solid.
Weight: Perfect. I logged on early enough to get my choice of the Ti and the Bronze, and in fact had both in my cart at check out time. After a few seconds of thought, I decided to go with just the Ti due to a combination of the looks AND the lighter weight. The knife feels very solid without being overly heavy. I'm not saying that the bronze would be *too* heavy, but I'm glad I got the Ti based on weight alone.
Ergos: This is a preference thing, but as stated the knife feels *very* good in the hand. There are no hot spots for my size Medium hands and fairly slender fingers, but YMMV. It is very thin top to bottom so I imagine carrying this will be a dream. I'm used to a Sebenza, which is fairly thick top-to-bottom, so this feels very thin to me. Again this is not a bad thing, just a very different thing. If you like slim, you'll love the GM3.
Overall Impression: I am very impressed with the GM3. Cost-wise it's a chunk of change for a Ti liner lock, but overall I think the value is definitely there. Add that to the fact that there are only going to be 300 of these (mine is 273), then I think it's a solid deal!
Edit: Forgot to add a picture of what was in the box!:
