If only

With the attachment options, the eyelets are spaced to let people use whatever attachment option they want, and it fits almost every commercially available clip. I went through several different periods with the sheaths, everything from kydex to leather sheaths to no sheaths at all. I had the problem of people saying "you provide a tek-lok, why not molle lock? ...you provide this, why not that? yadda yadda." There's not one option I could choose that would make everyone happy, so the choice is theirs. A ton of the people that buy my knives use the ESEE approach which is to use a piece of paracord. If I chose, the knife would be $20 more. I'm not saying your statement "In a knife which costs this much I think that should be included. Having to go get a tek lok before I can even take it into the field is not OK with me." is unfounded, but you should think of it more in the terms of "I didn't charge $20 more for the knife so that you could make your own choice." The pricing of my knives is an exact science and everything I do is to keep it as low as I can for the customer so that everyone can afford them. There are several knifemakers that have been making knives the exact same amount of time as me and possess no more skill than I do that sell their knives for higher prices and you don't get a sheath at all. I'm never going to be able to make everyone happy, so I do the best I can, and this is the best option.

When it comes to the sheath itself, the reason you feel a rattle is because I space the kydex so that the retention is performed by a specific point, and not by friction on the blade. Normally, a kydex sheath will scratch the absolute balls out of a blade due to the friction against the kydex, as well as bits of kydex left over in there from making the sheath. Also, if the retention is performed by friction, you'll inevitably create dust and problems with the sheath itself with wear. I take a lot of care in finishing every piece of the sheath before it's ever riveted together to make sure that there are no kydex bits in there to cause too much damage and set the retention point as perfect as I can get it. Some of the military guys that do "hush hush" stuff told me that they just stuffed a piece of a cottonball down in the sheath and it doesn't make any noise. Semmed pretty genius to me.
 
I don't include a drain hole, because I found that no matter how much you try to rinse a kydex sheath out, you end up getting more grime in there than you can rinse out. Sand and grit will have two entry points instead of one, and once it's in there, trying to rinse it out pushes it into the creases and you can never get it back out. The best option is just to wipe it off before you put it back and try not to put a dirty knife back into its sheath. Before I made knives, I started out as a kydex sheath maker and had several years to work out what you think you need, what you really need, and what causes more problems than it solves. Of course everyone's opinion is different, but since I'm the one making it, I get to do it my way. On some knives, such as the River Scout, I do include a drain hole, but it's due to the environment the knife is designed for. There's a greater chance that the sheath will be constantly submerged in water and you'll need it to dry out faster. The need for it to dry is greater than keeping grit from getting in there.

So that's it. I hope this gives people a better insight into some of the "why is this that way" stuff. By the way, none of this should be taken as argumentative. In fact a lot of the changes I've made to designs and ways I do things over the years have been from customers asking questions, pointing things out, or making suggestions. I always welcome feedback from everyone. The dummies in this industry who don't like feedback and don't keep up with what their customers are saying are the ones who's companies end up in the crapper.
 
Man, Bladeforums is being stupid right now. Made most post three different posts for this. BULLS@#$!!!!
 
Thanks for all the insight into why you do things the way you do. I guess on a few items we'll have to agree to disagree. The only perfect knife for me would be the one I design and make, and since there's no way in hell I'll ever have the skill to do that guess I'll stick with pretty darn close. :) I definitely like the knife.

Fletcher Knives said:
Man, Bladeforums is being stupid right now. Made most post three different posts for this. BULLS@#$!!!!
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It's not just now I'm afraid; the same thing happened to me, which is why I had to take my one post and break it into three like you did. Whatever the word count per post is it's way too small.
 
theJman said:
Thanks for all the insight into why you do things the way you do. I guess on a few items we'll have to agree to disagree. The only perfect knife for me would be the one I design and make, and since there's no way in hell I'll ever have the skill to do that guess I'll stick with pretty darn close. :) I definitely like the knife.



It's not just now I'm afraid; the same thing happened to me, which is why I had to take my one post and break it into three like you did. Whatever the word count per post is it's way too small.
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Usually I don't have a word count cutoff in my forum. I guess they made it site-wide.

I think the fact that knife enthusiasts disagree on what's best is a great thing. Not only does it goes us an awesome variety, but also gets us to try things we otherwise wouldn't. Is good stuff. By the way, I'm glad you like the knife brother.
 
BF does some really wonky sh_t sometimes. It may not be a permanent thing...or the mods may have read one too many wall-of-text-rants yesterday lol
 
Fletcher Knives said:
I think the fact that knife enthusiasts disagree on what's best is a great thing. Not only does it goes us an awesome variety, but also gets us to try things we otherwise wouldn't. Is good stuff.
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Here's a thought then... since you like rounded spines, and some of us don't, what about making the finger indent rounded and the rest of the spine a sharp 90 degrees? That could be the best of both worlds really; easy on your finger when doing detail work, yet a spine that can scrape ferro rods, inner bark, etc.
 
theJman said:
Here's a thought then... since you like rounded spines, and some of us don't, what about making the finger indent rounded and the rest of the spine a sharp 90 degrees? That could be the best of both worlds really; easy on your finger when doing detail work, yet a spine that can scrape ferro rods, inner bark, etc.
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Actually, in my years of experimenting with bushcraft techniques, it appears that with a differential heat treat the harder part of the spine near the tip will throw the very best sparks. But then I have also seen using a knife spine to spark a ferro rod go very wrong more than once and lead to arterial flow, first aide practice, and an ER visit. And that can be something that knife makers do not wish to feel responsible for. So in many cases they will chamfer the edges on their knife spines, and then if the purchaser wants to square the spine, the maker doesn't feel responsible for any injuries resulting from the use of the spine to spark a ferro rod. As a wilderness skills instructor, much like Dylan, I am a fan of carrying a dedicated striker. They weigh almost nothing.

20.jpg
 
mistwalker said:
Actually, in my years of experimenting with bushcraft techniques, it appears that with a differential heat treat the harder part of the spine near the tip will throw the very best sparks. But then I have also seen using a knife spine to spark a ferro rod go very wrong more than once and lead to arterial flow, first aide practice, and an ER visit. And that can be something that knife makers do not wish to feel responsible for. So in many cases they will chamfer the edges on their knife spines, and then if the purchaser wants to square the spine, the maker doesn't feel responsible for any injuries resulting from the use of the spine to spark a ferro rod. As a wilderness skills instructor, much like Dylan, I am a fan of carrying a dedicated striker. They weigh almost nothing.

20.jpg
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:eek:

Well now, that certainly looks like it hurt! How many stitches did it take to close those wounds?

Since a knife already comes with a sharp edge I'm not sure where having 90 degree corners on the spine is anything for them to be concerned with from a responsibility standpoint. If the potential someone might get cut was unsettling for the manufacturer they really should be in a different business. I'm not saying be ambivalent, only that they would have to be understanding of the fact sharp things cut flesh. Sooner or later someone is going to get hurt. It's inevitable.

I have a striker on every ferro rod I own - and I always carry two in the woods with me - so weight is definitely not the issue. I use the spine for other things as well. I subscribe to the philosophy that your knife is the single most important piece of kit you have, therefore it's the last piece of kit you should use. Preserve the blade as much as possible, hence the need for a spine that can scrape things.
 
Well brother, though you convey yourself in a very articulate and concise way, I can't bring myself to do it. I just don't dig it. I'm a comfortable rounded spine kinda guy. :)
 
Fletcher Knives said:
Well brother, though you convey yourself in a very articulate and concise way, I can't bring myself to do it. I just don't dig it. I'm a comfortable rounded spine kinda guy. :)
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No worries; it's your company, so design the type of knives you feel are the best! :thumbup:

Funny thing happened between now and my previous post about designing and making a knife though... I decided to put my money where my mouth is. I know I can design a knife - I have several images in my head of various models - but what I can't do is actually make one, and that's always been the problem. There are two key numbers to consider: 0 and 10. The first is my skill level when working with my hands, while the latter is the number of fingers I currently have. Unfortunately I can't change the former, and I don't want to change the latter! That means I have ideas, but sadly they won't ever see the light of day. Well, maybe.

The other night I got to thinking "what if I found a company that will make me a knife to my exact specifications?", so I started searching around and before too long found a highly regarded one with a great history. I wrote out my ideas and the rendering they provided was almost spot on! A couple of tweaks and I'm going to give them the go ahead to cut some steel. I doubt it will end up being as nice as the Delta 5, but I'll finally get to see if I can actually make (well, design) something that satisfies all my needs. I will get your knife dirty before the year is out though - right now it simply looks too new for my liking... ;)
 
theJman said:
No worries; it's your company, so design the type of knives you feel are the best! :thumbup:

Funny thing happened between now and my previous post about designing and making a knife though... I decided to put my money where my mouth is. I know I can design a knife - I have several images in my head of various models - but what I can't do is actually make one, and that's always been the problem. There are two key numbers to consider: 0 and 10. The first is my skill level when working with my hands, while the latter is the number of fingers I currently have. Unfortunately I can't change the former, and I don't want to change the latter! That means I have ideas, but sadly they won't ever see the light of day. Well, maybe.

The other night I got to thinking "what if I found a company that will make me a knife to my exact specifications?", so I started searching around and before too long found a highly regarded one with a great history. I wrote out my ideas and the rendering they provided was almost spot on! A couple of tweaks and I'm going to give them the go ahead to cut some steel. I doubt it will end up being as nice as the Delta 5, but I'll finally get to see if I can actually make (well, design) something that satisfies all my needs. I will get your knife dirty before the year is out though - right now it simply looks too new for my liking... ;)
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LOL, you would be very far from the first person to design or make a knife in order to get the one you want. But even at that, even if it comes out exactly like you want it to...lol, the search for thee one will continue :)
 
mistwalker said:
LOL, you would be very far from the first person to design or make a knife in order to get the one you want. But even at that, even if it comes out exactly like you want it to...lol, the search for thee one will continue :)
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Yea, I've kinda resigned myself to that. Even if I do get it right - a big "if" since this is the first time I'm trying it - I'll probably forget something or wish I had done X instead of Y. I'm having fun and learning new stuff though, which I always enjoy doing. I'm just hoping it's at least close to the image I have in my head. :D
 
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