Lone Wolf Diablo D/A

[Matthewd]

OK I received my new LWK today - Thank you BladeHQ - superfast shipping and great packaging.

First impressions:
I really like this knife. The blade is 3.3" and the weight is 4 oz which, for me, make it perfect for edc.
The satin finish on the blade and clip are very nice.
The manual opening is very smooth and has a nice feel.
The auto opening is lightening fast - it uses a leaf spring rather than a coil spring. This really makes the blade fly out.

The overall fit and finish is excellent - The compression molded nylon scales are really nice. The faux leather texture looks nice and provides a great grip.
The blade centers perfectly, locks up strong with no wiggle whatsoever.
The only complaint that I have is that the scale on the moving side (the one that deploys the auto action) is not centered perfectly - it is ofset by maybe 0.030".
This doesn't bother me that much, but I would generally expect better on a $200 knife.
Since this is essentially a moving part, I see how it could be tricky to get perfect - especially from a molded composite scale.
I did remove it to inspect the workings underneath, and I see how I can off set the scale spring by enough to center it fine. So this should be an easy fix.

The edge is super sharp with almost no perceptible grinding marks - a quick hone an an 8000 grit waterstone should bring it up to mirror.

I also recently learned that since BenchMade bought LWK they have re-branded this knife as the H&K scorch.
The only differences that I can see are that the new BM version only comes in the black dlc finish with a partial serration, and the steel is only available as the N680 whereas the LWK has the satin finish blade with the nicer CMP-S30V
That being the case, The LWKs go for around $220 or so and the BM's can be had for around $110...All in all, I am very happy with this purchase, and although the s30v is not what I would consider a $100 upgrade from the N680, I would definitely put this knife in a $200 category for quality. If you prefer the black blade and are fine with the N680 steel, then the H&K scorch certainly looks to be a steal.
Highly recommend!

Diablo

H&K Scorch

 

[draggat]

Not trying to dredge up an ancient thread here, but I've had my eye on the diablo for quite a while. I tried picking up one with cocobolo scales a few months back, to learn that inventory was wrong and it wasn't in stock. Anyway, I ended up pulling the trigger on a H&K Scorch because of the price point, which I won't have for a few days. Since this is pretty much exactly the same knife as the Diablo (excepting the steel and the logo), I was wondering if you could tell me what the manual action is like? Does it truly feel like a manual blade, opening and closing? Or do you have to over come the spring when closing no matter what? Thanks. Hope your Lone Wolf is a great one. I have a Paul Perfecto from LWK and it's awesome!

 

[Planterz]

A dual-action knife like that, when used manually, is indistinguishable from any other manual linerlock, both opening and closing. The spring is held in place with a sear which is released when the mechanism is triggered. When the knife is closed, the trigger releases the sear, which releases the spring, which pushes the blade out. You can fire the spring when the knife is opened manually (dry firing), but that's one of those things you shouldn't do. Like dry firing a bow or dry firing a gun without snap caps. When the spring has been fired and you close the blade you have to compress the spring again, which locks when closed and is ready to be opened again by either method.