- Joined
- May 16, 2006
- Messages
- 615
OK, I am a terrible human being. I've had these scales since about the time of the 'nado swarm-storm of 4/27, and used the heck out of 'em during the cleanup, but haven't posted my review of them yet. This set is not the same set as in the pass-around thread. Sh@rp sent them to me personally as a very generous personal gift.
Though this review is based on many days of heavy use, there are no action pics to go with it. I volunteered through the Red Cross command center by myself. The last thing anyone would tolerate would be the question, "Hey man, would you mind taking a couple of pics of me while I'm using my knife?" I didn't even take my camera most days anyway, and didn't know the people I was working with well enough to ask 'em to take pics on the days I did, so the only pics I have are just of the areas I was working in. So there's my long-winded explanation of why the only pics I have of the scales are sitting on a table lookin' purty, which they definitely are besides being awesome working pieces. OK, with that, here we go....
In case you're new or have forgotten which scales I'm talking about here, here ya go. They're identical to the ones being discussed in the Scale Project Pass Around Thread. But these are a separate pair:
I will post some pics of the areas that I used these scales in shortly. They got a LOT of heavy use.
OK, findings:
1) As is obvious, the craftsmanship of all of Sh@rp's work is impeccable. I'm not sure how you improve on "impeccable," but these scales do it. I have zero criticisms or even slightly negative comments to offer on the fit and finish, artistry or execution of the manufacturing process to offer about them.
2) Anyone who has used Beckers for any significant amount of time is going to naturally compare new scales to the feel and design of the stock Grivory ones, and I am no exception. I used my 9 for at least 6 years (I actually think it's a couple or three years longer, but I'm not sure) before trying these scales, and I only have one suggestion based on that comparison. There needs to be some contours designed into them to provide for the most comfort possible. Adding a palm swell or contours similar to the stock design may contribute to a better grip too, but that consideration is negligible. I am not sure if the minor comfort issue could be legitimately described as creating "hot-spots," it's just that my hands are accustomed to the Grivory and I felt pressure, especially in the palm-side of my fingers at the knuckles, where the flats pressed hardest while gripping. The rounded and contoured shapes of the Grivory seems to reduce those pressure points as much as possible.
Now, that said, in the last year or two, my hands have really started giving way to age. They've gotten so arthritic that sometimes it doesn't even take any activity to make them really sore. I'm not snivelin' about that, just trying to explain that it may not have much to do with the flat vs. contoured designs of the respective scales that my hands hurt. In fact, I can say for sure that it didn't have much to do with it in any case, I just can't say unequivocally that it had anything to do with it. It's been years since I used my 9 for as many hours, as many days in a row and for as hard of duty as I used it during the cleanup after the storms. I have no doubt that I would've been tore up no matter what scales I was using. All I'm trying to say is, in all honesty, my criticism of the no-contour design is a very minor one. I think the combination of hard-ass use, being out of shape, and the fact that my hands have been getting steadily more arthritic over the last couple of years, all have WAY more to do with discomfort than the design.
3) I was very impressed with how durable the finish is with these things. Most of what I used the knife for was stripping trunks and large branches of the smaller growth that could be burned quickly in a nearby pit. I was swinging the knife in and around pine needles, branches and even some pine cones, and literally, there's not a scratch on them from any of that work.
4) I've noticed in other reviews that bolts/nuts have worked loose under heavier use. I put a drop of blue LockTite on each bolt when I installed them, and through 12 days in a row of using the knife several hours each day, mine never did come loose. I've worked another 7 or 8 intermittent days since that first marathon run, and they're still holdin' tight.
5) I'm a weight freak, meaning I weigh everything that goes into my BOB, I research how much weight burns how many calories blah blah blah. Yes, it's a compulsive disorder with me.
My only real concern with these scales was that they were more than twice as heavy as the Grivory ones. If I had used the knife in just a "clinical" type of testing environment, I probably would be using the extra weight as a big negative for me. However, using it in a real-world emergency for about three weeks altogether, I can honestly say that I never noticed it at all. In fact, my compulsive disorder about the weight of my gear may be cured now! LOL I can't say that the weight helped or hindered the job I was doing. When I think of weight distribution on a large knife, I *think* I want the bulk of weight to be blade-forward, in front of the handle. I haven't measured the center-point of the two sets of scales on the knife, because I don't care anymore (cured!). They worked just as I would've expected the knife to work with the Grivory on, and that's all that mattered out in the field. In a clinical setting, I would've likely found a way to "prove" that one set worked better than the other. Such are the self-delusions of an old-and-in-the-way, overweight, out-of-shape, arthritic ol' fart with too much time on his hands. Had no time to indulge those delusions after the storms though, and believe me, both you and I are benefiting from that fact now! LOL
Well, that's about it I think. Next post will have some pics of the cleanup.
Though this review is based on many days of heavy use, there are no action pics to go with it. I volunteered through the Red Cross command center by myself. The last thing anyone would tolerate would be the question, "Hey man, would you mind taking a couple of pics of me while I'm using my knife?" I didn't even take my camera most days anyway, and didn't know the people I was working with well enough to ask 'em to take pics on the days I did, so the only pics I have are just of the areas I was working in. So there's my long-winded explanation of why the only pics I have of the scales are sitting on a table lookin' purty, which they definitely are besides being awesome working pieces. OK, with that, here we go....
In case you're new or have forgotten which scales I'm talking about here, here ya go. They're identical to the ones being discussed in the Scale Project Pass Around Thread. But these are a separate pair:
I will post some pics of the areas that I used these scales in shortly. They got a LOT of heavy use.
OK, findings:
1) As is obvious, the craftsmanship of all of Sh@rp's work is impeccable. I'm not sure how you improve on "impeccable," but these scales do it. I have zero criticisms or even slightly negative comments to offer on the fit and finish, artistry or execution of the manufacturing process to offer about them.
2) Anyone who has used Beckers for any significant amount of time is going to naturally compare new scales to the feel and design of the stock Grivory ones, and I am no exception. I used my 9 for at least 6 years (I actually think it's a couple or three years longer, but I'm not sure) before trying these scales, and I only have one suggestion based on that comparison. There needs to be some contours designed into them to provide for the most comfort possible. Adding a palm swell or contours similar to the stock design may contribute to a better grip too, but that consideration is negligible. I am not sure if the minor comfort issue could be legitimately described as creating "hot-spots," it's just that my hands are accustomed to the Grivory and I felt pressure, especially in the palm-side of my fingers at the knuckles, where the flats pressed hardest while gripping. The rounded and contoured shapes of the Grivory seems to reduce those pressure points as much as possible.
Now, that said, in the last year or two, my hands have really started giving way to age. They've gotten so arthritic that sometimes it doesn't even take any activity to make them really sore. I'm not snivelin' about that, just trying to explain that it may not have much to do with the flat vs. contoured designs of the respective scales that my hands hurt. In fact, I can say for sure that it didn't have much to do with it in any case, I just can't say unequivocally that it had anything to do with it. It's been years since I used my 9 for as many hours, as many days in a row and for as hard of duty as I used it during the cleanup after the storms. I have no doubt that I would've been tore up no matter what scales I was using. All I'm trying to say is, in all honesty, my criticism of the no-contour design is a very minor one. I think the combination of hard-ass use, being out of shape, and the fact that my hands have been getting steadily more arthritic over the last couple of years, all have WAY more to do with discomfort than the design.
3) I was very impressed with how durable the finish is with these things. Most of what I used the knife for was stripping trunks and large branches of the smaller growth that could be burned quickly in a nearby pit. I was swinging the knife in and around pine needles, branches and even some pine cones, and literally, there's not a scratch on them from any of that work.
4) I've noticed in other reviews that bolts/nuts have worked loose under heavier use. I put a drop of blue LockTite on each bolt when I installed them, and through 12 days in a row of using the knife several hours each day, mine never did come loose. I've worked another 7 or 8 intermittent days since that first marathon run, and they're still holdin' tight.
5) I'm a weight freak, meaning I weigh everything that goes into my BOB, I research how much weight burns how many calories blah blah blah. Yes, it's a compulsive disorder with me.
My only real concern with these scales was that they were more than twice as heavy as the Grivory ones. If I had used the knife in just a "clinical" type of testing environment, I probably would be using the extra weight as a big negative for me. However, using it in a real-world emergency for about three weeks altogether, I can honestly say that I never noticed it at all. In fact, my compulsive disorder about the weight of my gear may be cured now! LOL I can't say that the weight helped or hindered the job I was doing. When I think of weight distribution on a large knife, I *think* I want the bulk of weight to be blade-forward, in front of the handle. I haven't measured the center-point of the two sets of scales on the knife, because I don't care anymore (cured!). They worked just as I would've expected the knife to work with the Grivory on, and that's all that mattered out in the field. In a clinical setting, I would've likely found a way to "prove" that one set worked better than the other. Such are the self-delusions of an old-and-in-the-way, overweight, out-of-shape, arthritic ol' fart with too much time on his hands. Had no time to indulge those delusions after the storms though, and believe me, both you and I are benefiting from that fact now! LOLWell, that's about it I think. Next post will have some pics of the cleanup.
