kylemiller
Basic Member
- Joined
- May 18, 2016
- Messages
- 576
I've had a few WE's and Reate's in the past. None of them ever really spoke to me. Seemed almost "too perfect" if that makes any sense. Kinda took the fun out of striving for perfection in a small shop with limited machinery.
My tastes revolve around overbuilt US made stuff. Strider, Medford, Borka, TOPS etc. Always wanted a John Gray thuck because I'm a sucker for blade mounted stop pins and finger choils, but the price was always out of my comfort zone. I also (like everyone else who's ever owned a knife) want a manual Borka Stitch, but those are even more expensive.
So I was bitching about wanting a Thuck midtech in another forum when someone told me Kizer (of all people) made one 5 years ago. I have no clue how this escaped me for so long. I browse 3-5 knife retailers almost daily and scroll by "New" until I've seen it all. I did know Kizer made an SLT (less interested in flippers) so maybe when I saw the G.P.B.1 I just assumed it was a SLT and kept moving. I also didn't have the best luck with early Kizer's and soft hardware and blade heat treatments. The naming didn't do it any favors either. C'mon Kizer ( I know you're reading this), if you guys named and advertised it as the THUCK, I think sales would have been better.
So I found one on ebay. Didn't pay retail. Arrived in New condition. I'm not a standoff guy (prefer a full backspacer) and I would have also preferred a bent, spring style clip, but overall I'm impressed. I certainly didn't expect fully 3D machined contoured handles. I'm not talking just good bevels on the slabs, I mean fully 3D contoured. The blade grind is nice. Finishing is nice. Even if I can get a halfway decent heat treatment out of it (58-59) I'll be satisfied for what I paid. One more thing, I think this design really begs for 0.19" blade stock, and here we seem to be close to 0.15", so that's a bit of a bummer.
I'm not telling anyone who currently has US made tastes like I do to run out and start buying Kizer's as you'll be left cold most of the time, but if you really want a midtech THUCK or even a close approximation of a manual Ti Borka Stitch, you could do a lot worse with your money. If I paid the full retail of $220 I'd be a lot more critical of the flaws, but even at that price I don't see it being a rip off (assuming the blade is not 55rc). I'm not running out to buy more, the only other Chinese OEM knife I'd really consider right now are Chavez and Sharp By Design, but this does give me a little openness toward them. A little.
My tastes revolve around overbuilt US made stuff. Strider, Medford, Borka, TOPS etc. Always wanted a John Gray thuck because I'm a sucker for blade mounted stop pins and finger choils, but the price was always out of my comfort zone. I also (like everyone else who's ever owned a knife) want a manual Borka Stitch, but those are even more expensive.
So I was bitching about wanting a Thuck midtech in another forum when someone told me Kizer (of all people) made one 5 years ago. I have no clue how this escaped me for so long. I browse 3-5 knife retailers almost daily and scroll by "New" until I've seen it all. I did know Kizer made an SLT (less interested in flippers) so maybe when I saw the G.P.B.1 I just assumed it was a SLT and kept moving. I also didn't have the best luck with early Kizer's and soft hardware and blade heat treatments. The naming didn't do it any favors either. C'mon Kizer ( I know you're reading this), if you guys named and advertised it as the THUCK, I think sales would have been better.
So I found one on ebay. Didn't pay retail. Arrived in New condition. I'm not a standoff guy (prefer a full backspacer) and I would have also preferred a bent, spring style clip, but overall I'm impressed. I certainly didn't expect fully 3D machined contoured handles. I'm not talking just good bevels on the slabs, I mean fully 3D contoured. The blade grind is nice. Finishing is nice. Even if I can get a halfway decent heat treatment out of it (58-59) I'll be satisfied for what I paid. One more thing, I think this design really begs for 0.19" blade stock, and here we seem to be close to 0.15", so that's a bit of a bummer.
I'm not telling anyone who currently has US made tastes like I do to run out and start buying Kizer's as you'll be left cold most of the time, but if you really want a midtech THUCK or even a close approximation of a manual Ti Borka Stitch, you could do a lot worse with your money. If I paid the full retail of $220 I'd be a lot more critical of the flaws, but even at that price I don't see it being a rip off (assuming the blade is not 55rc). I'm not running out to buy more, the only other Chinese OEM knife I'd really consider right now are Chavez and Sharp By Design, but this does give me a little openness toward them. A little.