My #5 (w/combo-edge from 1sks) came today. It was a day later than expected, and I was getting a little nuts already. Have to feel for you guys who wait weeks or months for your knives, especially since I may be joining your ranks soon.
From the moment it came out of the box, this knife felt like it was made just for me. I have medium-small hands and the grip is perfect. Very comfortable. The balance is excellent also. Perhaps due to its thickness, I expected it to be a bit unwieldy and a little heavy, but that is not the case. It feels, as they say, "alive" in my hand. Every time I pick it up, I want to cut something
The #5 quickly found its way to the backyard. It may not match napalm for a defoliant, but it does cut clean and deep. No, this knife's not a chopper, but it does quite well for a 5" blade. It has also already been used to cut cardboard, rope, and-naturally-several sheets of paper. Not much of a test (poor things just a day old), and the edge is unaffected.
My only real gripes are the finish and the sheath. To be honest, I expected a little more for a knife at this price. The finish is not that important to me, since I bought this thing to use, not to look at, but still....I thought that the coating should at least make it through day one without getting all scratched up. After one day, it shows more wear than my Nimravus that's over a year old and used regularly. The finish was not applied evenly. It seems to be thinner at the tip, and progressively thicker back up the blade. Perhaps it was not cured properly either, but having worked quality control for a major powder coat manufacturer, I can say that it leaves something to be desired in abrasion resistance. The finish on the left side of the blade is getting torn up by my other gripe, the sheath. The knife is hard to sheathe as it binds and must be perfectly aligned to slide in. The blade has strips of Kydex on it every time I pull it out where the blade is cutting into the sheath. I showed the #5 to several of my coworkers who are hunters or outdoorsmen. They all loved the knife and hated the sheath. I noted that not a single one of them (out of about 7-8) managed to sheathe the knife on the first try.
The serrations by 1sks were very disappointing. They are, in a word-dull as crap (ok three words). I sometimes use a section between the serrations on my folders for a pencil sharpner. The serrations on this knife were too dull even for that. I'm going to try touching them up with a Spyderco Sharpmaker that I use on the serrations on my other knives.
I really love the knife itself, but the finish and sheath seem to have just been thrown in as an afterthought rather than part of the package. I hope this is not the same finish that is used on the custom knives, as I would like to get a Steel Heart II.
If anyone can tell me where I can get a Kydex sheath for the #5 like the one pictured on p. 63 of the Sept. 2000 issue of "Tactical Knives" it would be much appreciated.
From the moment it came out of the box, this knife felt like it was made just for me. I have medium-small hands and the grip is perfect. Very comfortable. The balance is excellent also. Perhaps due to its thickness, I expected it to be a bit unwieldy and a little heavy, but that is not the case. It feels, as they say, "alive" in my hand. Every time I pick it up, I want to cut something
The #5 quickly found its way to the backyard. It may not match napalm for a defoliant, but it does cut clean and deep. No, this knife's not a chopper, but it does quite well for a 5" blade. It has also already been used to cut cardboard, rope, and-naturally-several sheets of paper. Not much of a test (poor things just a day old), and the edge is unaffected.
My only real gripes are the finish and the sheath. To be honest, I expected a little more for a knife at this price. The finish is not that important to me, since I bought this thing to use, not to look at, but still....I thought that the coating should at least make it through day one without getting all scratched up. After one day, it shows more wear than my Nimravus that's over a year old and used regularly. The finish was not applied evenly. It seems to be thinner at the tip, and progressively thicker back up the blade. Perhaps it was not cured properly either, but having worked quality control for a major powder coat manufacturer, I can say that it leaves something to be desired in abrasion resistance. The finish on the left side of the blade is getting torn up by my other gripe, the sheath. The knife is hard to sheathe as it binds and must be perfectly aligned to slide in. The blade has strips of Kydex on it every time I pull it out where the blade is cutting into the sheath. I showed the #5 to several of my coworkers who are hunters or outdoorsmen. They all loved the knife and hated the sheath. I noted that not a single one of them (out of about 7-8) managed to sheathe the knife on the first try.
The serrations by 1sks were very disappointing. They are, in a word-dull as crap (ok three words). I sometimes use a section between the serrations on my folders for a pencil sharpner. The serrations on this knife were too dull even for that. I'm going to try touching them up with a Spyderco Sharpmaker that I use on the serrations on my other knives.
I really love the knife itself, but the finish and sheath seem to have just been thrown in as an afterthought rather than part of the package. I hope this is not the same finish that is used on the custom knives, as I would like to get a Steel Heart II.
If anyone can tell me where I can get a Kydex sheath for the #5 like the one pictured on p. 63 of the Sept. 2000 issue of "Tactical Knives" it would be much appreciated.
