- Joined
- Mar 26, 2018
- Messages
- 5,043
Alright, so my Laid Back Jack on olive drab Micarta came in today. Pics first.
Here goes....
It's a great looking knife!! I think the wharncliffe swayback jack is one of the best looking and most useful traditional patterns there is, so I think it was astute of Ben to have it as one of the first offerings. I also have to say that Ben was 100% correct about the hollow grind. It's a very deep hollow grind that makes for a blade that is nice and thin behind the edge. Two thumbs up. The satin finish on the blade looks great and was very well done. The edge is very sharp. I'd say the pull is about a six or seven and is absolutely perfect. Walk and talk is excellent. Nice and snappy. The swedge is nicely ground and is about as even as it gets. The spine of the blade and spring are perfectly flush in the open position. Lots of great things about the knife!
Now the not so great...
To give you an idea of my expectations, here is what I am comparing the Laid Back Jack to:
The Reate/Pena X Bravo which features the same steel, the same liner/frame material, same hardware material, same cover material, same price, and is manufactured in a similar quality facility out of China.
The Viper Knives Swayback featuring the same steel, same integral bolster/liner material, can be purchased with the same cover material, is half the price, and is manufactured in Italy.
The Albers Cutlery Boys Knife featuring CPM-154 steel, exotic cover materials, is about half the price, and is handcrafted in the U.S.A..
At the price of $275 I would expect the Jack Wolf Knives to have at least the same level of fit an finish as the Reate/Pena X Bravo which costs the same amount of money. The Bravo uses a much larger piece of M390, has a grind that is just as complicated as the Laid Back Jack, uses a lot more titanium, has a copper backspacer/thumb stud/pivot collar, and anodized hardware. I would expect the fit and finish to be significantly better than Viper Knives Swayback which is half the cost and uses the same material and is manufactured in a country with higher manufacturing costs. I would also expect the fit and finish to be significantly better than the Albers Cutlery Boys Knife which may only uses CPM-154 steel, but is manufactured in the U.S.A. by hand and uses exotic cover material.
I have to say, in all these regards, the knife has fallen kind of flat with me.
The fit and finish on the covers could be a little better. One side is nice and tight, but the other has a bit of a gap where it meets the bolster. It's not a giant gap, but it's big enough to fit a fingernail in there. For $150 - $200 I could overlook it. For $275 it's a bit of a bummer.
Compared to the other side which is quite a bit tighter.
There are also quite a few loose threads around the edges of the Micarta. You can also see how the end of the scale doesn't quite sit flush with the titanium liners/frame. Again, for $150 - $200 I wouldn't even mention it. For $275 I expect better.
The edge could be more consistent. There is a bit of extra steel at the heel, and the straight edge of the wharncliffe is a bit wavey. I have the edge set on a perfectly flat aluminum plate for mounting sharpening tapes. Look at all the light underneath the blade. All this just too much to accept on a knife that is priced like this.
And last is just a personal gripe. I think the liner/frame is MUCH too thick and the scales too thin. I was really stoked for the titanium integral threaded bolster. In fact that was one of the main reasons I purchased the knife. However, the frame/liner is so thick that it doesn't even really look like a real bolster... I just looks like a thick frame that has had a groove milled into it.
Look at how little the height changes when going from the liner to the bolster.
Compared to the titanium integral bolster on the Italian Swayback.
Oh one more thing actually. I like really good packaging as much as anyone, and probably more than most. I save every box that comes with a knife I purchase and have a closet full of them. I've gotta wonder just how much cost the metal tube, giant microfiber cloth, and leather slip added to the knife though.
I'm sorry Ben, but I think this one is just passing through.
Here goes....
It's a great looking knife!! I think the wharncliffe swayback jack is one of the best looking and most useful traditional patterns there is, so I think it was astute of Ben to have it as one of the first offerings. I also have to say that Ben was 100% correct about the hollow grind. It's a very deep hollow grind that makes for a blade that is nice and thin behind the edge. Two thumbs up. The satin finish on the blade looks great and was very well done. The edge is very sharp. I'd say the pull is about a six or seven and is absolutely perfect. Walk and talk is excellent. Nice and snappy. The swedge is nicely ground and is about as even as it gets. The spine of the blade and spring are perfectly flush in the open position. Lots of great things about the knife!
Now the not so great...
To give you an idea of my expectations, here is what I am comparing the Laid Back Jack to:
The Reate/Pena X Bravo which features the same steel, the same liner/frame material, same hardware material, same cover material, same price, and is manufactured in a similar quality facility out of China.
The Viper Knives Swayback featuring the same steel, same integral bolster/liner material, can be purchased with the same cover material, is half the price, and is manufactured in Italy.
The Albers Cutlery Boys Knife featuring CPM-154 steel, exotic cover materials, is about half the price, and is handcrafted in the U.S.A..
At the price of $275 I would expect the Jack Wolf Knives to have at least the same level of fit an finish as the Reate/Pena X Bravo which costs the same amount of money. The Bravo uses a much larger piece of M390, has a grind that is just as complicated as the Laid Back Jack, uses a lot more titanium, has a copper backspacer/thumb stud/pivot collar, and anodized hardware. I would expect the fit and finish to be significantly better than Viper Knives Swayback which is half the cost and uses the same material and is manufactured in a country with higher manufacturing costs. I would also expect the fit and finish to be significantly better than the Albers Cutlery Boys Knife which may only uses CPM-154 steel, but is manufactured in the U.S.A. by hand and uses exotic cover material.
I have to say, in all these regards, the knife has fallen kind of flat with me.
The fit and finish on the covers could be a little better. One side is nice and tight, but the other has a bit of a gap where it meets the bolster. It's not a giant gap, but it's big enough to fit a fingernail in there. For $150 - $200 I could overlook it. For $275 it's a bit of a bummer.
Compared to the other side which is quite a bit tighter.
There are also quite a few loose threads around the edges of the Micarta. You can also see how the end of the scale doesn't quite sit flush with the titanium liners/frame. Again, for $150 - $200 I wouldn't even mention it. For $275 I expect better.
The edge could be more consistent. There is a bit of extra steel at the heel, and the straight edge of the wharncliffe is a bit wavey. I have the edge set on a perfectly flat aluminum plate for mounting sharpening tapes. Look at all the light underneath the blade. All this just too much to accept on a knife that is priced like this.
And last is just a personal gripe. I think the liner/frame is MUCH too thick and the scales too thin. I was really stoked for the titanium integral threaded bolster. In fact that was one of the main reasons I purchased the knife. However, the frame/liner is so thick that it doesn't even really look like a real bolster... I just looks like a thick frame that has had a groove milled into it.
Look at how little the height changes when going from the liner to the bolster.
Compared to the titanium integral bolster on the Italian Swayback.
Oh one more thing actually. I like really good packaging as much as anyone, and probably more than most. I save every box that comes with a knife I purchase and have a closet full of them. I've gotta wonder just how much cost the metal tube, giant microfiber cloth, and leather slip added to the knife though.
I'm sorry Ben, but I think this one is just passing through.
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it would be worth it 
