Looking for a user D/A, who's best?

B

blademan 13

Joined
Jan 25, 2000
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While I am not that familiar with this type of knife, I am beginning to think that what I really want is a good, solid custom D/A for a carry piece. My only experience with this type of knife was with a Darrel Ralph EDC and truthfully, I just didn't find the Illusion release to my liking. Here is what I have seen that I like so far;

Larry Chew - great looking knives and I have heard that they are very smooth with his pivot bearing system.

Larry Davidson - again, very nice looking knives. Also uses the Chew pivot system.

Now I just know that there are many other people making this style of knife, so the quest begins. Who makes some kick ass D/A's? What is your favorite maker and model and why? Links and pics would be appreciated. Thanks for your input.
 
Blademan,

The two Larry's are excellent choices.

Lets not forget about Butch Vallotton.

Also, RJ Martin has about finished his first U235's. I expect good things from RJ in the near future.

Johnny Stout, Brian Tighe and Mike Vagnino make excellent D/A's as well.

There seems to be several makers bulding D/A's right now. However, a limited few are incorporating covert mechanisms.

If this is important to you than expect to pay at least an extra hundred.
 
Randy, I knew you were partial to the Texans. What is your favorite model from both Davidson and Chew?

Les,

I really like the look of the U235's with the exception of the lettering on the bolster as it appears on your site. Is this in fact how they will be delivered?

I will definitely check out Stout and Vagnino.

I tried to find something from Brian Tighe but couldn't source a D/A. I have one of his Tighe Fighters and it is indeed a very nice knife.

Keep'm coming ;)
 
Hey Jamie:

An auto in New York? Can you say j-a-i-l?

I know, I know, you're gonna feed me that line about "in the act of hunting or fishing".

Leo G. ;)
 
Have you thought about something from Nate Clark? www.nateclarkknives.com

I have one of his Debonair's and love it. I'm looking around now for another knife to add to my collection, and he's got a couple that I'm considering. If you haven't seen any of his work, you should check it out, you won't regret it!

John
 
Bladedude,I like the Davidson Kokopelli and the Chew Lg Covert.
Johnny Stout is another I like.
Vagnino made me a DA and forged the blade.Cool piece.
Raineys Sidwinder is also one of my Favs.
 
Randy,

Sorry to trouble you again, but you got me thinking. I really like the P-38 from Vagnino except that it is a little to small and the firing button seems to protrude from the bolster rather than sit flush (I really don't want any pocket fires :( ) Is Michael pretty open to custom mods? A 3 1/2", flush buttoned, forged 52100 P-38 would be just about perfect for what I am looking for right now. BTW, I also favor the looks of the Kokopelli.
 
Has anyone told you guys lately that you are good.

Great list of top-shelf "user" DA makers.

My personal tastes lean towards nifrand's. As a matter of fact I have him to thank for replacing my sidewinder.

Now the very best one I ever handled was made by Kit Carson, but I could not get him to part with it for love or money :D.
 
Jamie,

Can't take anything away from Chew and Vagnino (I own models by both of them), but I haven't seen Brad Duncan mentioned yet. From what I understand, he uses his own bearing system. I have a Whiplash and it is very smooth. His blades are unique in that they are a core of Stellite, sandwiched between 2 layers of 154CM - stays very sharp.

Ken

Edited for typo
 
How do DA's stand up to long-term carry and use? I've been interested in carrying one for use on a regular basis, but it seems to me the hard kick of the action would naturally tend to shorten the life of a solid lockup, especially in the case of liner locks.

Will the Chew, Davidson, Vallotton and Martin actions stand up to repeated auto deployment over time without loosening up or getting sloppy? Any negative or positive experiences out there? Any votes for whose system is most durable? Is customer support as far as repairing or tuning actions about the same among these makers?

-Will
 
Will,

I can speak for Chew, Duncan and Vagnino - you can't beat them. I mean that in the respect that you can't BEAT them . They can take it. My personal favorite is Larry Chew, based on my own experiences. I own three of his customs, if that means anything. The most recent is one I acquired in a trade. It is a Spitfire D/A. The blade would not stay closed. I knew this going into the trade, but I also knew that Larry stood behind his work 100%. I promptly returned the knife to Larry. He told me he would have this baby back to its' original glory, as soon as he completes his move. This knife was beaten on. The bolsters looked like they had been thrown across a sidewalk or something. The blade and the scales were in relatively fair shape, but the knife was useless and dangerous as received. I'm sure in a week or two I will have my knife back and it will look as good as new (if not better). I'm asking Larry to make a couple of modifications, but I don't know yet if he will be able to them.

Like I said, I can only speak for these three makers of user knives. I have a Butch Vallotton, but that one is too nice to use. It's a Applegate/Fairbairn Covert D/A done in Damasteel. If you stick with the advice given on these Forums, I don't think you can go wrong. Hope this helps.

Ken
 
Thanks, Ken. So can I assume that you have cycled these knives you vouch for several hundred times each and carried them frequently with no apparent loss of lock integrity or increased blade play?

-Will
 
I have a Davidson D/A that I have opened and closed well over a hundred times. It's very well done and tight. You can't go wrong here. Nor with any of the other choices mentioned. Larry D. is a great man as well! Funny how most of these guys use the bearings!

I have a high-end collector buddy who's been carrying a Dake D/A around for over ten years. Still works perfectly. He's the first one that comes to mind for a 'fancy' D/A. Expect to pay well over $1000 for his. Probably not what you're looking for, though.

Coop
 
Originally posted by Blade747
I have a high-end collector buddy who's been carrying a Dake D/A around for over ten years. Still works perfectly. Coop
Click to expand...
Coop--

That's very impressive. Thank you. I have looked at Dakes and am impressed with the fact that they are typically lock-back in design, rather than liner-lock. Can a liner-lock made by one of those recommended above be expected to stand up to ten years of daily service as well?

-Will
 
Yes Will, several hundred openings for each, and general cutting chores around house and in the lab where I work. The Chew has seen the most action because it is the most impressive one to show off, and the most fun to play with. It is the Covert D/A Spitfire. The button is disguised as a screw head, and there is a thumb ramp lock, that unless you know how to use it, you'd never guess it was there. In manual mode, the blade practically opens itself. It just needs a gentle push and then you can let gravity take over and the blade will open fully and lock securely just by moving your wrist. You can even do this slowly - it never fails to amaze people. Yet until you give it that little push, it stays firmly in the handle. I've never had it open accidentally. Now this particular one is one of Larry's prototypes, so I can't personally vouch for every piece that's out there. This one, however, is the smoothest knife I have ever handled. I think most of the people that I've showed it to would agree also. If possible, try to test out the knife that you are most interested in. I don't think any of the ones we've been talking about will fail the test of time and general use. Good luck, and let us know what you decide on and how you like it.

Ken
 
I've got two of Larry Chews Covert Spitfires, a 3.5" and 4". I bought both directly from Larry and they are fantastic knives. Very smooth and confidence inspiring liner locks (not an easy thing to do). Workmanship is excellent, as is his customer service; sent one back to him for a tune-up and came back promptly better than new.
 
Blademan, have the Chewdude make you a Covert in 420v.Should work just fine.:)
 
You can't miss with either of "the Larrys".
I am still in the process of mastering the D/A fabrication process-So far, the results have been pleasing. More to come...

RJ Martin
 
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