Lionsteel--are they all this good?!

PirateSeulb said:
Quiet Quiet when I look it up it appears only on Williams Blade Design site so I think it was ordered for them to resell
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Ah, thanks. Just went and looked them up. Woof, $375. Bit more than I'd pay for that. Beautiful knife, though.
 
Yeah it definitely has a premium price I am not sure it would cost quite that much if it were a normal LionSteel model.
 
Yeah, I sat on that purchase for probably a year. I'm not very up to date on today's folders--more of a fixed blade guy, but it is VERY nice. They even milled out pockets in the carbon fiber and titanium to reduce weight.
 
The m390 ones are not worth the premium cause they under do the heat treatment. Most of them will be 58hrc and they said they won't go any higher. So it's value will be low and not be premium.

They did have some of the slip joints I think 2 or 3 of them that were a bad heat treatment overall. Dunno how many were like that. There have been a few other tests on the 3 Italian makers overall that had poor performance results for M390 too, ie viper, fox, lionsteel.

I just avoid it. They have zero idea what they are doing heat treatment wise and are art knife makers overall. And if that's all your looking for, then they are great.
 
I have a Lionsteel Bolus CF in M390, and I couldn't be happier with it. I have been using this little slipjoint for everything from EDC to camp tasks and whittling drift wood, and it has held an edge better that just about any knife I own (barring a couple in ZDP-189 and similar steels).

maybe the CK exclusives were HT'd differently, but I would bet the M390 in mine is not soft.

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xraso said:
I have a Lionsteel Bolus CF in M390, and I couldn't be happier with it. I have been using this little slipjoint for everything from EDC to camp tasks and whittling drift wood, and it has held an edge better that just about any knife I own (barring a couple in ZDP-189 and similar steels).

maybe the CK exclusives were HT'd differently, but I would bet the M390 in mine is not soft.

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I'll believe it when I see legit data to back it up, not I think it is, so it is. 58 is not necessarily soft but it's not where m390 should be. You might as well use s30v instead.
 
rover said:
Recently picked up the Lionsteel/Williams collaborations and I am shocked by the quality and design. It's a huge knife that carries better than a SAK, weighs nothing, is faster than an auto and as tight as a Rolls Royce. No stick, no wiggle, nothing that isn't awesome. It is really going to mess with my standards for customs.

Are they all this good? Never really looked into the company before the Williams collab and I imagine they make other good stuff. You guys got anything by Lionsteel? How do you like them?
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The knife you mentioned is a perfect example of a knife I want (now) but absolutely don't "need" -- sort of like the damascus Lionsteel SR-1 I bought because it was sexy and I could afford it at the time:
l2GlABJ.jpg

-I'd be lying if I said I'd ever actually used this magnificent beast (an embarrassing admission on this forum) so can't comment honestly on performance; but for what it's worth I can say the build quality and fit & finish are excellent.

Edit: I can also assure any skeptical enquirers that the Rockwell hardness is exactly where it should be, based on chewing on it.
 
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Jesse B. said:
The knife you mentioned is a perfect example of a knife I want (now) but absolutely don't "need" -- sort of like the damascus Lionsteel SR-1 I bought because it was sexy and I could afford it at the time:
l2GlABJ.jpg

-I'd be lying if I said I'd ever actually used this magnificent beast (an embarrassing admission on this forum) so can't comment honestly on performance; but for what it's worth I can say the build quality and fit & finish are excellent.

Edit: I can also assure any skeptical enquirers that the Rockwell hardness is exactly where it should be, based on chewing on it.
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Oh... my... goodness! That’s beautiful!
 
Yeah that one is quite slick.

Also dig that carbon fiber slipjoint. Lotsa sexy knives. I don't think Italy can't do anything not sexy.
 
A note on the Italian makers and HT I don't question their HT on anything except M390 and it is more I am not sure they really have their process for it nailed down. I am not sure where Mo2 Mo2 gets that they HT them to 58 and refuse to go higher I haven't seen that myself and given their own website list the range for M390 at 59-60. I looked at Viper who has their range listed as 60-61 I am not saying they haven't had test results below their ranges when people have had their blades tested only that I don't think them missing the mark is intentional w/o intent to fix.
 
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I just got this one in yesterday. I'm not super excited about the gold color and I wish it were slightly larger. The detent is good but kind of funny at the same time, like they need to chamfer the hole or something. Nichols Damascus blade and pocket clip is fabulous and fit & finish is great. Seems like the grippiness of the mill work on the handle was somewhat lost to the thick anno or something. Overall a nice knife.
 
2014 Blade Magazine Overall Knife of the Year designed by Ken Onion and made by Lion Steel for CRKT. One of my favorite knives.

 
I have six of their older and now discontinued folders and I'm happy with them. I've also had the chance to try and test an M4 fixed blade in M390, belonging to a friend of mine. It held an edge very well and, sharpening it with a WorkSharp field sharpener, it took me longer than Leatherman S30V, starting at the same degree of dullness. This particular specimen was produced about a year ago, I'd say, and didn't have the impression of soft steel at all.
 
I have an M1 and M4, both in M390.
The M4 is ok for edge retention, but the M1 is pretty disappointing. They do have excellent fit and finish.
My Bradford G3 in M390 kicks the hell out of them in holding an edge.
 
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I believe I just received the last OZF from Williams' site.

I took it apart and the knife is well made, the blade is ground beautifully, the pockets for the IKBS and the pivot system is nice. There are lightening holes in the single piece carbon fiber front scale as well as in the titanium. The machining on the steel lock bar insert is very nice as well as the screws and the way the pocket clip attaches. The knife runs very smoothly and is beautifully ground with a fantastic edge and tip. It is a large knife while being light weight and balanced. The machining on the spine of the blade is very nice. This knife has a longer blade than the Emerson kwaiken and is much lighter in the handle. It only arrived today so I have not cut with it much yet but short of verifying edge holding capability this is a fantastic knife.
 
I have the CRKT Hi Jinx, Bestman 2 Blades and TiSpine. I think both Hi Jinx and TiSpine are great, but I was kinda disappointed with the Bestman. It was a poor attempt to get on the band wagon of recent Traditional popularity--nothing was flushed(screws, scales, bolster) and busy lines everywhere (to hide the lack of workmanship?). Same price range could have gotten me a GEC, which after a dozen more knives, I have came to trust their workmanship and overall quality.
 
I have a Bestman and a KUR. Both of them have excellent fit and finish. No complaints from me.

I think the silver twill Bestman is definitely a looker.

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I can't complain about this one. Lionsteel Thrill. I am waiting for a Damascus version. No idea if it is in the works though.
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