Lum is YUM - Carbon Fiber Goodness!

racer88

racer88

Joined
Nov 4, 2010
Messages
324
Many of the photos I've seen of the Lum so far just don't do it justice. The CF pattern in the photos appears 2-dimensional.... almost a painted on "diamond-plate" look.

The real thing is very 3-dimensional. The surface is very smooth as if the CF is encased in clear acrylic.

So, I got my macro photo set-up out at the office and played with the lighting balance to see if I could bring out the real beauty in pictures. Here we go:

This photo has a flash flare reflecting back, but it demonstrates the very smooth glass-like surface.
Lumsmall-1.jpg


I just realized my settings on this photo were wrong, so it's a bit fuzzy... lost depth of field:
Spydies-newarrivals-06.jpg


OK... super close-up... If you use flat, balanced lighting, it flattens the appearance of the CF in photos and really belies the beauty of this material:
Spydies-newarrivals-01.jpg


So, let's play with the balance of my ring flash and bias it to one side and see what happens. Now we can see some of the texture and depth:
Spydies-newarrivals-03.jpg


Here's another angle from a bit further back:
Spydies-newarrivals-04.jpg


Now we're talkin'!

And another:
Spydies-newarrivals-05.jpg


Hope you all enjoyed! I'm tellin' ya... the Lum with the Nishijin Carbon Fiber is a work of art... a jewel. Hands-down the prettiest Spydie out there (IMHO).
 
Looks great. I have two on preorder :) Looking forward to getting them!

Can you tell me if this knife has washers on the pivot?
 
Here are some more photos. In these, I hand-held the flash directly above the knife while taking the photos at an angle - about 60 -80 degrees, maybe(?).

SpydercoLumCF_0001.jpg


SpydercoLumCF_0002.jpg


SpydercoLumCF_0003.jpg


SpydercoLumCF_0004.jpg
 
Reeek said:
Looks great. I have two on preorder :) Looking forward to getting them!

Can you tell me if this knife has washers on the pivot?
Click to expand...

I don't know. Is that something you can see without taking it apart? When I look, the tolerances are too tight for me to see. Or maybe I'm not looking in the right place. I'm still a bit of a newb. :)
 
If you don't see a gap between the tang and the liner then probably not. The older, all aluminum models without liners did not have washers. I was just checking. Thanks!
 
Reeek said:
If you don't see a gap between the tang and the liner then probably not. The older, all aluminum models without liners did not have washers. I was just checking. Thanks!
Click to expand...

Funny... there's a thread on the Spyderco forum about this. And, now that I know where to look. By appearances, it seems there is a washer on ONE side. When closed, the tang is off to one side. And, when partially opened, it looks like there is a bronze-colored washer on one side.

Regardless, this thing is silky smooth. They could have charged a LOT more for this knife, IMO. It is just pure knife sex! :D
 
Huh, I wonder why they removed the back spacer on this latest version? On my ZDP/aluminum Lum Chinese there's a back spacer, so no flow through construction. Regardless, the Lum is my all time favorite non-heavy duty knife. Looks perfect open and closed with those smooth lines and its simplicity. Also, I've always heard of all Bob Lum's knives being exceptionally smooth. My Lum Chinese is the smoothest knife I own, and I've heard tons of stories of the Benchmade Lum plus the customs being just as smooth. One hell of a knife maker! :thumbup:
 
I'm so glad I just won one of these on eBay.

New type of CF. Swedge on blade. No back spacer. New washer system...

What a great tribute to Mr. Lum.
 
My lum has arrived and is gorgeous!
It looks like a Nylon washer on one side, and a bronze on the other. It creates a little of an off center effect, but I really like it! It adds to the knife, and I bet it was done for a function.

Maybe to achieve a greater lockup, by creating distance on the side that the liner lock is on. The thicker Nylon (looking) washer is on the lock side.

Absolutely gorgeous! No one buy any until I get like 10 put away :D
(which will take me a year or two :D)
 
Great pics of that beautiful carbon fiber. If it had the wire clip I'd sell my truck for one. I never could warm up to the clip on those.
 
hoopster said:
Great pics of that beautiful carbon fiber. If it had the wire clip I'd sell my truck for one. I never could warm up to the clip on those.
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I prefer the wire clips... by a wide margin, too. And, in this case, the wire clip would have shown off the CF scales more, too. The regular clip blocks the view!

Nevertheless, I say get one anyway. For the money, especially... this thing is amazing.
 
I'm impressed with mine and actually started posting pictures until I saw this thread.

It's light, and grips well for my tastes. It does not fill the hand like the Military model, but it's a great size for EDC. The blade shape makes it a great cutter, for sure :thumbup:

I noticed a washer on one side of the pivot. The liner lock is secure, and might need minimal breaking in. I like the Nishijin weave and the fact that it's smooth and light. It reminds me of those expensive gallery paintings with the glossy clear finish.
 
racer88 said:
I prefer the wire clips... by a wide margin, too. And, in this case, the wire clip would have shown off the CF scales more, too. The regular clip blocks the view!

Nevertheless, I say get one anyway. For the money, especially... this thing is amazing.
Click to expand...

It's funny because while I love wire clips too, I really dig the clip on the lum. I like the touch of black on the CF scales. I also like how the clip is stamped to wrap around the lanyard hole. It just looks cool. Not to mention it makes it easy to retrieve from the pocket!

Can't wait for it to come.
 
Just received mine along with a CF ZDP189 Caly. Pictures don't do this knife justice, it is a real beauty. It's going to be my first safe queen, at least for now. Can't wait for the G10 model to come out now.
 
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