My latest purchase was a debate between one of the Sage series knives and the Chaparral. I'm not a huge fan of the back lock so I was mainly interested in a liner or compression lock model. The Sage 1 and 5 have been appealing for a while but the size always seemed a little bigger than what I really wanted. After seeing multiple reviews about the Taiwan quality I figured I'd give the Chaparral a try. It's the size I wanted and should have great fit and finish.
Then it arrived. I can't explain how impressed I am with this knife for this money. It's the perfect size for office EDC. It locks up solid. The fit and finish seem perfect. The clearance between the blade and liners is unreal. Centering is perfect. The action is smooth for a back lock. It's not going to be a knife I flip a million times a day but it has such an elegant look and feel and size that I can't put it down. The steel is a perfect blend for my uses. Stain resistance is great, edge retention is pretty good and the working edge seems to last nearly forever, easy enough to sharpen on one of the fixture type setups. I'm sure some people would like other blends to gain specific attributes but for me, this does everything beyond well enough. I find a good blend to offer a bit of everything rather than be extreme on any single point. XHP fits that desire perfect (though a lot of other "middle-upper" quality steels do as well).
This is a knife I feel comfortable using for anything my normal daily routine asks for. It's also a knife that I would take out in public and use with no concern that someone would freak out. I've always liked the dragonfly but the look and feel just weren't anything but utilitarian. This knife is like a classy Dragonfly. Still a small enough blade to not be a weapon but large enough to do the daily work I ask a pocket knife to do.
This won't be my last knife. It will be the knife I take to work everyday for the foreseeable future. It's everything I wanted without being any bigger or heavier than needed. For me, the Chaparral fits in a category of class well above its price point.
Then it arrived. I can't explain how impressed I am with this knife for this money. It's the perfect size for office EDC. It locks up solid. The fit and finish seem perfect. The clearance between the blade and liners is unreal. Centering is perfect. The action is smooth for a back lock. It's not going to be a knife I flip a million times a day but it has such an elegant look and feel and size that I can't put it down. The steel is a perfect blend for my uses. Stain resistance is great, edge retention is pretty good and the working edge seems to last nearly forever, easy enough to sharpen on one of the fixture type setups. I'm sure some people would like other blends to gain specific attributes but for me, this does everything beyond well enough. I find a good blend to offer a bit of everything rather than be extreme on any single point. XHP fits that desire perfect (though a lot of other "middle-upper" quality steels do as well).
This is a knife I feel comfortable using for anything my normal daily routine asks for. It's also a knife that I would take out in public and use with no concern that someone would freak out. I've always liked the dragonfly but the look and feel just weren't anything but utilitarian. This knife is like a classy Dragonfly. Still a small enough blade to not be a weapon but large enough to do the daily work I ask a pocket knife to do.
This won't be my last knife. It will be the knife I take to work everyday for the foreseeable future. It's everything I wanted without being any bigger or heavier than needed. For me, the Chaparral fits in a category of class well above its price point.
