Lon Humphrey Knives ~ Info & Pics Wanted

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KBA

KBA

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I'm am not really wanting to be pushed in one way or another, though I am sure our notorious reputation for enabling will live up to this request. :D What I would like is an honest review, photo comparisons to other knives (next to a PSK would be nice), and info on the curly maple as a handle.

I have been on the fence with this knife for weeks waiting for a review to pop up. Aesthetically, they look great. I love the rustic look on fixed blades and carry a GL Drew for this reason. The Drew is at 7" OAL with 52100 and Im looking for a smaller edc fixed blade.

I have and enjoy the PSK, but it does not provide the rustic one of a kind feel.

A few questions :

Has any one put the Whitetail to work?
How will the curly maple change in time?
Did yours come sharp, or need touching up/re-profiling?
Do you like how it carries, fits in the ksf sheath, etc.

Lastly, for fun, Cocobolo with a good simi burl look or curly maple?

Thanks for any info/pics provided
 
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Thanks for the link, and I will continue to try to find others, but there is only two post to the link you provided and the OP in that link had not used it, Plus it is over a year old. Lon hand makes his knives. I am sure he has improved since then.
 
Hey KBA,

Very, very funny that you should post this. I've been on the fence about a whitetail for at least a year and finally, last night, I pulled the trigger! And it's in curly maple as well.
Isn't it weird how hard it is to find pictures of or info about this knife? I was having the same problems that you were, so I finally decided to just go for it. I'm hoping that the size will work well for me and that I'll dig the pocket sheath as I've never used one before. I'll let you know as soon as I get it as I'm sure I'll be playing around with it and taking a ton of pictures. I don't have a psk to compare it to, but I do have a gunny and a blind horse bushbaby, as well as a spyderco dragonfly and a ZT 0350. If any of those comparisons would help, let me know. I'm hoping that if I post a pic-heavy and extensive review it'll help others make a decision!
 
I can't answer all of your questions, but will provide what feedback I can.

Has any one put the Whitetail to work? Not yet. I've only had mine for the past couple days, but it hasn't seen any hard use. It certainly has the look and feel of a knife that would be able to stand up to hard use though.
How will the curly maple change in time? Mine's ebony and I've never owned curly maple so I can't help here, other than to say I love the look of the curly maple.
Did yours come sharp, or need touching up/re-profiling? Mine came sharp enough.
Do you like how it carries, fits in the ksf sheath, etc. I love how it carries, and am happy with how it fits in the sheath. I was really very pleasantly surprised by how comfortable the knife/sheath is to carry. I've been carrying mine in my front right pants pocket. One real upside to me is that this time of year, I wear shorts almost exclusively when I'm not at work; and am often worried about my pocket knife falling out when I'm sitting down. The whitetail/sheath, however, seems to stay comfortably in place in my shorts pockets when I'm sitting/standing.
Lastly, for fun, Cocobolo with a good simi burl look or curly maple? Close call in my eyes, but I'd chose a nice cocobolo over the curly maple, though I am very intrigued by the looks of the curly maple.

Mine was a gift, but after handling it for a couple days, I'd happily buy another (must fight the urge). ;) :) Best of luck with whatever you decide. :thumbup:
 
Thanks Stephen and VE for the start.

The PSK disappears into the ksf slip and I had to add a lanyard to pull it out. From the looks of the whitetail, specifically the handle thickness, it seems it would not travel so far into the sheath. The whitetail doesn't have a lanyard (I wish it did) so just wanted to make sure it doesn't disappear as well.

Does anyone have any comparison pics? It doesn't have to be the PSK.


Edit: Stephen I am leaning towards Cocobolo. Im not certain how the maple will change over time. There is a wood data base site, but it doesn't cover how maple will change, that I can see. I also am not sure what type of maple the whitetail is; Is it a hard or soft, or even, has it been dyed/stabilized. Im more educated/familiar with cocobolo.

Thanks again
 
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I really found myself wishing for a lanyard hole in the whitetail as well, but hoping it'll be easy enough to draw.

Stephen, when carrying in your front pocket, I imagine the whole sheath is concealed, right? So when you need to pull out the knife, do you remove the whole sheath so as not to cut your pocket? Or can you safely remove and re-sheath the knife with the sheath still pocketed?

Don't mean to hijack the thread, just curious!
 
VE - No worries. More info on it is what I'm looking for. Thanks for contributing. :thumbup:
 
They are extremely well made and would hold up well to any normal or even hard use. The curly maple is a hardwood. The handles have flawless mating to the knife and no sharp edges where they meet the spline.

I sent an email to Lon and asked about the finish on the wood handles. He said the final finish is 2000 grit sanding and then buffed - no chemical finish. They are beautiful !

A heck of a knife for the money, if you ask me. I liked my first two so well that I ordered two more soon after - one was purchased to give to Stephen because I thought he would appreciate the finely crafted knife.

I liked the Cocobolo best, but, got the Ebony for Stephen, knowing his affinity for that wood.
 
Primble, thank you for that info! Good to know it is a hard maple with no chemical process. I respect your opinion on cutlery as well. :thumbup:

I have my eye on on a cocobolo through a site I can't mention, but like the blade shape more on the maple. May have to flip a coin if I decide to snag one.

With it not having a lanyard does it sink to far into the sheath provided through KSF?

Anyone have any comparison pics?
 
Primble - Please do Brett a solid and shoot a Whitetail tomorrow and run it through the paces, from gutting, skinning and please take quality photo's. Thanks.
 
Mark I actually laughed at that! :D

I don't want to cause any trouble. I just can only afford one and don't want to make the wrong choice between this one and another maker. Plus I thought others may like the read later on when deciding. I have no doubt in the ability of the whitetail.

Though if Primble does want to find a hog or two ....:D
 
Brett, you could always email Lon and order one with a lanyard tube installed. Lon has pass the ABS Journeyman Smith tests, so he can make one perform without a doubt. If you do decide to order one through whatever channel you choose please show pics.:D I am not trying to be an enabler though:eek:

Chris
 
KBA said:
Mark I actually laughed at that! :D

I don't want to cause any trouble. I just can only afford one and don't want to make the wrong choice between this one and another maker. Plus I thought others may like the read later on when deciding. I have no doubt in the ability of the whitetail.

Though if Primble does want to find a hog or two ....:D
Click to expand...

Brett, I looked at buying one but thought it was too small for my needs as a fixed blade. Since I was in the market for a fixed blade, I purchased a Bark River Adventure II.
It should be here this week and I pretty excited about this one. :)
 
KBA said:
Primble, thank you for that info! Good to know it is a hard maple with no chemical process. I respect your opinion on cutlery as well. :thumbup:

I have my eye on on a cocobolo through a site I can't mention, but like the blade shape more on the maple. May have to flip a coin if I decide to snag one.

With it not having a lanyard does it sink to far into the sheath provided through KSF?

Anyone have any comparison pics?
Click to expand...

No - it does not.

Took some pics of my Cocobolo Muley and Whitetails tonight - just for you ! ;):D:D:D

Lon%20Humphrey%207_zps2j1llg4x.jpg~original


Whitetail and TC Barlow in sheath:

Humphrey5n_zpsmqyk1u8p.jpg~original
 
That did it Roberto! :eek: You have three now! Do they multiply?! :eek: My wallet can't take the pressure!:D

Throw in a Copper Head TC and I'll take them for 2 bills. :D
 
Awesome pics Primble! :thumbup:

Thank you for the visual aid.

I just flipped a coin. I'll let you guys see it when it arrives.
 
Im sure a view sites would appreciate his skill.

Still waiting for those deer and hog cleaning shots though... :D
 
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