I received my Steel Heart-E and Battle Mistress-E. My Natural Outlaw, Paul's Hatchet, and Pepper Shaker are still in transit.
(I actually received my SH and BM on Wednesday. I would have posted sooner, but I was suddenly plunged into a time-consuming legal hassle. Some... well, I'll use polite words on this forum... Some naughty people used one of my images without permisssion, falsely claiming that I was their $10,000 grand prize winner in a bogus photo contest/actual internet scam. Perhaps flattering, but still a violation of my copyright, and also intolerable because they are using my picture to rip people off.)
Thanks, Jerry, for getting these blades to me so quickly. It means a lot to me.
I haven't yet had the opportunity to put them to any real use, so take my initial impressions with a grain of salt.
I love these knives. I am simply amazed by their quality; and I really feel honored to be a recipient of these knives, that Jerry puts such effort and craftsmanship into his blades, and makes them available.
They came much sharper than I expected. You know how, when you first check out a new knife, you gingerly touch the edge to check the sharpness? Just the lightest touch with my Steel Heart, and I drew blood.
I've owned lots of knives (Kershaw, Victorinox, CRKT, Spyderco, Cold Steel, and others), but these came with the sharpest edges I've ever experienced. That really surprised me. I didn't think that such sharpness could be achieved on a 1/4 inch thick, 2 or so inch deep blade. Also, I'd read so many people talk about how Spydercos were the sharpest production blades, Cold Steels were "scary sharp", etc. (Both brands come very sharp, indeed.) I didn't anticipate that my BM and SH would be sharper still, but they are.
The micarta handle scales are perfectly flush with the metal, and are attached more securely than any other handles I'd ever seen. In fact, this was the first knife I'd ever handled which didn't give me immediate concerns that the handles would soon fall off or be destroyed entirely.
The handles seem to fit my hands very well (though I may amend that statement after I try these knives for heavy use.) They are quite comfortable, and the grip seems very secure. As you may remember, I had concerns about this, because I have unusual hands. It appears that I need not have worried. The handles are equally comfortable in reverse grip (how'd you manage that, Jerry?), though I have no idea why I would ever want to use my knife that way.
I do have some concerns about the exposed tangs. I am wondering whether they would get too hot to handle in the summer desert sun, or too cold to handle in the sub-arctic winter. I expect I'll be able to come up with a reasonable work-around in those situations.
The balance, control, and overall handling of these knives is much better than I expected. In fact, the Steel Heart is better in this regard than I expected the Natural Outlaw (still in the mail) to be. I'm wondering whether I will really get much use out of the Natural Outlaw, since I feel perfectly comfortable with using the larger Steel heart as my regular carry knife. The Battle Mistress has good enough to control to work well, when necessary, for most general knife needs, too. Nevertheless, it does ultimately seem specialized to such a degree that it will probably not become my regular carry.
Both of these knives have solidity, a "presence", which needs to be experienced to understand.
Well, there's lots more to say, but I'll have to come back later to finish. Besides, I won't be able to post most of the really worthwhile opinions until I've had the chance to put these knives to some serious use.
(I actually received my SH and BM on Wednesday. I would have posted sooner, but I was suddenly plunged into a time-consuming legal hassle. Some... well, I'll use polite words on this forum... Some naughty people used one of my images without permisssion, falsely claiming that I was their $10,000 grand prize winner in a bogus photo contest/actual internet scam. Perhaps flattering, but still a violation of my copyright, and also intolerable because they are using my picture to rip people off.)
Thanks, Jerry, for getting these blades to me so quickly. It means a lot to me.
I haven't yet had the opportunity to put them to any real use, so take my initial impressions with a grain of salt.
I love these knives. I am simply amazed by their quality; and I really feel honored to be a recipient of these knives, that Jerry puts such effort and craftsmanship into his blades, and makes them available.
They came much sharper than I expected. You know how, when you first check out a new knife, you gingerly touch the edge to check the sharpness? Just the lightest touch with my Steel Heart, and I drew blood.
I've owned lots of knives (Kershaw, Victorinox, CRKT, Spyderco, Cold Steel, and others), but these came with the sharpest edges I've ever experienced. That really surprised me. I didn't think that such sharpness could be achieved on a 1/4 inch thick, 2 or so inch deep blade. Also, I'd read so many people talk about how Spydercos were the sharpest production blades, Cold Steels were "scary sharp", etc. (Both brands come very sharp, indeed.) I didn't anticipate that my BM and SH would be sharper still, but they are.
The micarta handle scales are perfectly flush with the metal, and are attached more securely than any other handles I'd ever seen. In fact, this was the first knife I'd ever handled which didn't give me immediate concerns that the handles would soon fall off or be destroyed entirely.
The handles seem to fit my hands very well (though I may amend that statement after I try these knives for heavy use.) They are quite comfortable, and the grip seems very secure. As you may remember, I had concerns about this, because I have unusual hands. It appears that I need not have worried. The handles are equally comfortable in reverse grip (how'd you manage that, Jerry?), though I have no idea why I would ever want to use my knife that way.
I do have some concerns about the exposed tangs. I am wondering whether they would get too hot to handle in the summer desert sun, or too cold to handle in the sub-arctic winter. I expect I'll be able to come up with a reasonable work-around in those situations.
The balance, control, and overall handling of these knives is much better than I expected. In fact, the Steel Heart is better in this regard than I expected the Natural Outlaw (still in the mail) to be. I'm wondering whether I will really get much use out of the Natural Outlaw, since I feel perfectly comfortable with using the larger Steel heart as my regular carry knife. The Battle Mistress has good enough to control to work well, when necessary, for most general knife needs, too. Nevertheless, it does ultimately seem specialized to such a degree that it will probably not become my regular carry.
Both of these knives have solidity, a "presence", which needs to be experienced to understand.
Well, there's lots more to say, but I'll have to come back later to finish. Besides, I won't be able to post most of the really worthwhile opinions until I've had the chance to put these knives to some serious use.
! I'm glad to hear they are to your liking so far. 
