- Joined
- Apr 3, 2004
- Messages
- 3,536
I was looking for an inexpensive large rope knife to throw in my pocket as a working knife, and found the Kutmaster rope knife online for the right price.
Smooth transaction, but when I had knife in hand, the problems began.
Pull? About a 12/10. I have a Soviet-era sailor's knife with a spring twice the breadth that isn't this tight. Cleaning, oiling, and flushing out absurd amounts of manufacturing junk got it to an 8. Leaving it partly open on my desk for a week has it at least usable.
Fit and finish is frankly sad. I can easily slide a standard single-edge razor/scraper blade into the gaps between spring and liner at the backspring pivot, and slide it all the way to the pivot pin. There are signs of machining on the bolsters- like it was accidentally hit with a coarse belt and partially buffed out. The blade rubs against the liners at the midpoint- the space between them actually tapers even though the spring doesn't. The sheepsfoot blade isn't truly straight (slight inward curvature), and the point is so close to being proud I'm afraid any real use will expose it. For some reason- a minor quibble- the Delrin covers are not contoured to the bolsters. Odd.
Worse still, the edge. Butter knives have better grind symmetry. 20 degrees on the mark side and 30+ on pile, per my Lansky. An hour so far of work with a 120 grit stone, and it's finally about halfway serviceable. More work with a belt grinder to come.
It may still be a serviceable work knife when I'm done, but I don't like having to put in this much work to get it there. This is my third Kutmaster- a barlow and electrician before- and it's likely my last. The same problems dog all three.
Smooth transaction, but when I had knife in hand, the problems began.
Pull? About a 12/10. I have a Soviet-era sailor's knife with a spring twice the breadth that isn't this tight. Cleaning, oiling, and flushing out absurd amounts of manufacturing junk got it to an 8. Leaving it partly open on my desk for a week has it at least usable.
Fit and finish is frankly sad. I can easily slide a standard single-edge razor/scraper blade into the gaps between spring and liner at the backspring pivot, and slide it all the way to the pivot pin. There are signs of machining on the bolsters- like it was accidentally hit with a coarse belt and partially buffed out. The blade rubs against the liners at the midpoint- the space between them actually tapers even though the spring doesn't. The sheepsfoot blade isn't truly straight (slight inward curvature), and the point is so close to being proud I'm afraid any real use will expose it. For some reason- a minor quibble- the Delrin covers are not contoured to the bolsters. Odd.
Worse still, the edge. Butter knives have better grind symmetry. 20 degrees on the mark side and 30+ on pile, per my Lansky. An hour so far of work with a 120 grit stone, and it's finally about halfway serviceable. More work with a belt grinder to come.
It may still be a serviceable work knife when I'm done, but I don't like having to put in this much work to get it there. This is my third Kutmaster- a barlow and electrician before- and it's likely my last. The same problems dog all three.