- Joined
- Jul 7, 2000
- Messages
- 1,556
The Lil Temperance has been a fairly popular knife on the forums, especially since supply has been lagging behind demand. We want what we cant have, I guess 
With the Leaf Point (LP) in shorter supply than the Trailing Point (TP), some people have been settling for the TP. But whats so different about these knives anyway? Well, I present to you, drum roll please
ToTCs guide to selecting the TP or LP.
I know, I know, its a stupid title. Well screw you.
Basically, if I was going to sum this all up into one question to you, it would be, Belly or tip? I.E. what part of your knife do you use more, the belly or the tip? The TP is more of a belly knife, while the LP is more of a tip knife. So if youre going to decide on one factor alone, let this be it. There are other more minor considerations, however:
So how do they hold up over time? Well, Ive carried my TP a whole lot more than my LP. I prefer its lighter weight, better handle fit, and thinner geometry. So my observations are mostly of the TP.
Well this thing is a tank, buuuuut, mine has developed vertical blade play. In fact, it has developed more blade play than any knife Ive ever had. Hmmm . not so great, I know, but at the same time, its a pitbull of a knife. So why has it developed play then?
I think this is just the behavior of the compression lock. Throughout different stages of wear, you might get some vertical blade play. But once the lock wears some more, the play goes away. Then the lock wears a little more, and it comes back. Weird, huh? Well Ive seen it with my Gunting, Gunting trainer, and now with my Lil Temperance TP. So what are the solutions?
1. Deal with it. If you can get over the fact that your knife has blade play, its not really a problem. The lock is still 100% reliable; it just lets the blade wiggle a bit.
2. Wait a little for the lock to wear some more.
3. Adjust the eccentric pivot.
The Lil Temperance is a real performer! The edge geometry is amazing and while I certainly wouldnt pry with it (thin blade made of soft steel), its a cutting machine!
As I warned in another thread, however, the pocket clips on these things really chew up your pockets. I bent the clip waaay out on my TP and its helped. Its still secure in the pocket but now you can click the clip when you grip on the handle really hard. You know what I mean?
Im not sure what else to say about these, so ask me some questions! I know that you guys have a ton of them.
In short, I love the Lil Temperance but I could do without the blade play and the sadistic clip.

With the Leaf Point (LP) in shorter supply than the Trailing Point (TP), some people have been settling for the TP. But whats so different about these knives anyway? Well, I present to you, drum roll please
ToTCs guide to selecting the TP or LP.
I know, I know, its a stupid title. Well screw you.
Basically, if I was going to sum this all up into one question to you, it would be, Belly or tip? I.E. what part of your knife do you use more, the belly or the tip? The TP is more of a belly knife, while the LP is more of a tip knife. So if youre going to decide on one factor alone, let this be it. There are other more minor considerations, however:
- The TP is lighter.
We're talking maybe an ounce of difference at the most but I can tell. The weight difference is most apparent when the blade is locked open. The LP is therefore more blade heavy.
Both of them balance in a weird way though. After all, look at how thick the handle is compared to how thick the blade is. Yes, yes, the spine of the blade is thick, but its a full-flat grind which leaves the blade pretty thin. This is especially true of the TP which is paper thin. - The TP fits inside of the handle better when closed.
The TP blade fits flush under the finger grooves at the butt of the handle. For this reason, I think the TP carries better. If you ask me, when the LP is closed, it looks like the blade doesnt quite belong in the handle. YMMV - The LP has a stronger tip.
After all, the LPs spine is left more intact and therefore the point is at a less tapered portion of the blade. Of course, this also means that the TP has a finer tip which can perform more intricate tasks. The TP is a real splinter-picker, but not the LP.
So how do they hold up over time? Well, Ive carried my TP a whole lot more than my LP. I prefer its lighter weight, better handle fit, and thinner geometry. So my observations are mostly of the TP.
Well this thing is a tank, buuuuut, mine has developed vertical blade play. In fact, it has developed more blade play than any knife Ive ever had. Hmmm . not so great, I know, but at the same time, its a pitbull of a knife. So why has it developed play then?
I think this is just the behavior of the compression lock. Throughout different stages of wear, you might get some vertical blade play. But once the lock wears some more, the play goes away. Then the lock wears a little more, and it comes back. Weird, huh? Well Ive seen it with my Gunting, Gunting trainer, and now with my Lil Temperance TP. So what are the solutions?
1. Deal with it. If you can get over the fact that your knife has blade play, its not really a problem. The lock is still 100% reliable; it just lets the blade wiggle a bit.
2. Wait a little for the lock to wear some more.
3. Adjust the eccentric pivot.
The Lil Temperance is a real performer! The edge geometry is amazing and while I certainly wouldnt pry with it (thin blade made of soft steel), its a cutting machine!
As I warned in another thread, however, the pocket clips on these things really chew up your pockets. I bent the clip waaay out on my TP and its helped. Its still secure in the pocket but now you can click the clip when you grip on the handle really hard. You know what I mean?
Im not sure what else to say about these, so ask me some questions! I know that you guys have a ton of them.
In short, I love the Lil Temperance but I could do without the blade play and the sadistic clip.