dano
Gold Member
- Joined
- Oct 3, 1998
- Messages
- 1,587
Well, from the good guys at Action Supply, I had a chance to pick up a new Outdoor Edge Impulse...
SPECS:
Blade length: 3.75In.
Overall: 8.5In.
Steel: Sandvik 12C27 (black teflon coated)
Handles: Aluminum w/a hardcoat and Kraton inserts.
Lock: Liner/leaf lock.
DETAILS:
The knife came in a nice, heavy cardboard box with a small piece of sponge, an excellent package. It also came with a small flyer which outlined the knife's operation, as well as a brief synopsis of Darrel Ralph's (who's custom piece inspired the Impulse) acomplishments. What's especially nice is that Outdoor Edge also included information on pivot adjustment. The knife, itself, was perfect, without any manufacturing flaws. All the edge/blade angles match-up, and the blade sits evenly in the handles. I also noted that the Impulse seems to have alot of similarites to CRK&T's Taiwan-made knives. The pocket clip is of a deep pocket design, and has small vents cut in it that roughly match the cut-outs in the blade. The clip is attached via a small Phillips head screw, as well as the pivot assembly. The pivot is adjusted by using an Allen wrench.
USAGE/CARRYING
The first task was to determine lock-up reliability and strength. The ball detent works very well, and I could not flick the blade open. When closed very slowly, the ball detent correctly grabs the blade in teh last 16th./In. or so of closing travel. When opened quickly of slowly, the lock engaged approximately half-way, and it passed the infamous AT Barr whack test without traveling. I also could not induce a "white Knuckle" failure, whereby the knife is tightly gripped, and the lock has pressure induced by the fingers. With a standard working grip on the knife, it was very ergonomical, and the inserts did a good job of providing grip. The top of the blade feature the now-pretty-common serrations to aid in thumb purchase; these worked well, though I would like to see the serrations in the top part of the handle, as well. Also, the blade opened very smoothly, and had no detectable pivot play, even after being whacked and opened/closed a large amount of times.
Although it's too early to tell in regards to edge holding, it came with an excellent factory edgewhich cuts extremely well. There also wasn't a lot of drag from the blade cut-outs when I used the knife to slice cheese and salami. Overall, the blade/steel should not cause any problems. On a side note, I am curious why Outdoor Edge chose this somewhat obscure steel (at least in the U.S.) instead of AUS-8, etc.
CONCLUSION
Overall, this is an excellent knife, which shows good ergonomics and superb construction. And for 45 bucks, well worth the money! Now I want a real D. Ralph!!!
--dan
SPECS:
Blade length: 3.75In.
Overall: 8.5In.
Steel: Sandvik 12C27 (black teflon coated)
Handles: Aluminum w/a hardcoat and Kraton inserts.
Lock: Liner/leaf lock.
DETAILS:
The knife came in a nice, heavy cardboard box with a small piece of sponge, an excellent package. It also came with a small flyer which outlined the knife's operation, as well as a brief synopsis of Darrel Ralph's (who's custom piece inspired the Impulse) acomplishments. What's especially nice is that Outdoor Edge also included information on pivot adjustment. The knife, itself, was perfect, without any manufacturing flaws. All the edge/blade angles match-up, and the blade sits evenly in the handles. I also noted that the Impulse seems to have alot of similarites to CRK&T's Taiwan-made knives. The pocket clip is of a deep pocket design, and has small vents cut in it that roughly match the cut-outs in the blade. The clip is attached via a small Phillips head screw, as well as the pivot assembly. The pivot is adjusted by using an Allen wrench.
USAGE/CARRYING
The first task was to determine lock-up reliability and strength. The ball detent works very well, and I could not flick the blade open. When closed very slowly, the ball detent correctly grabs the blade in teh last 16th./In. or so of closing travel. When opened quickly of slowly, the lock engaged approximately half-way, and it passed the infamous AT Barr whack test without traveling. I also could not induce a "white Knuckle" failure, whereby the knife is tightly gripped, and the lock has pressure induced by the fingers. With a standard working grip on the knife, it was very ergonomical, and the inserts did a good job of providing grip. The top of the blade feature the now-pretty-common serrations to aid in thumb purchase; these worked well, though I would like to see the serrations in the top part of the handle, as well. Also, the blade opened very smoothly, and had no detectable pivot play, even after being whacked and opened/closed a large amount of times.
Although it's too early to tell in regards to edge holding, it came with an excellent factory edgewhich cuts extremely well. There also wasn't a lot of drag from the blade cut-outs when I used the knife to slice cheese and salami. Overall, the blade/steel should not cause any problems. On a side note, I am curious why Outdoor Edge chose this somewhat obscure steel (at least in the U.S.) instead of AUS-8, etc.
CONCLUSION
Overall, this is an excellent knife, which shows good ergonomics and superb construction. And for 45 bucks, well worth the money! Now I want a real D. Ralph!!!
--dan
