Holy smokes! It arrived today. I've only had a brief amount of time to take it in hand, but my impressions are very positive.
I'm especially happy with the feel of the handle. Ray's contouring is subtle and extremely comfortable. The handle swells a bit as you go from ricasso to mid point and then tapers back toward the butt end. There are no extreme contours that might dictate where your hand has to go. I can choke up on the blade with the same ease as I would moving my hand back to drill a hole. The contours on the belly of the handle keep my hand firmly attached. There is no feeling of slipping in any of the different holds I might choose. I'm very impressed with this and hope to get some real-life feedback sometime in the near future.
I'm also surprised with the lightness of the entire knife. I haven't weighed it, but it seems a bit lighter than my Koster Bushcraft which is essentially the same size. I think the difference is the slightly thicker stock that Dan Koster uses and the different grinds. Ray put a nice thin edge on this knife that tapers up to the 1/8" spine. My Koster with its scandi grind leaves a lot of steel in the blade. Anyway, the lightness is not to be confused with flimsy construction. This is no Battle Mistress, but what appears to be a wonderful cutting machine. There won't be any need to thin out the grind on this knife.
The fit and finish are superb on my new knife. The blade finish is very uniform and you can tell that Ray puts a lot of energy into making them look good. The maker's mark is crisp, the transitions around the ricasso are even and the shaping of the handle is wonderful. I'm a bit hesitant to get this one dirty because it's so damn pretty, but it is a tool and I'll get busy one day soon.
The sheath appears to be rather plain in the pictures above, but it is very well crafted, shaped and finished. It holds the knife very securely and is a perfect match for the level of craftsmanship put into the knife it carries. Ray was kind enough to make the belt loop a bit longer so that the butt of the handle is right about at the level of my belt. No digging into my side with this knife.
I'm glad that I chose this smaller scale HWK (HWK+? I never really understood the difference) from Ray. I've got a larger, more stout knife covered with my Stomper straight-back Tank (3/16" stock) and I've got a Koster BushMaster coming in the future. This one is smaller, lighter and more nimble and should make a great all-around knife. I'm very happy with my purchase. Now if I can only get some time away in the woods...summer vacation can't come soon enough.
Sorry about the lack of new photos. My wife is out and she took the camera with her. I'll see what I can do to make up for that tomorrow or the next day.
I'd also like to say that Ray was really good with emails, questions, specs and turnaround time. I'm very glad I chose to get a knife from him. Like John of JK knives, Ray is willing to tweak his designs and offers a great product at a good price. Thanks.
