First off, as has been said so many times already, thank you Sal and Roger for making this knife happen, it is a steel-snob-knife-nuts dream come true.
Initial impression is, solid. I love the feel of the Ti lock-bar over the liner lock.
Pushing on the Ti lock-bar seems easier than on my S90V Military, though the S90V model is the stiffest of the four that I've used so far. That the lock-bar on a R.I.L. can travel out past the handle puts it closer to the super light BG-42 model in ease of use.
I have to wonder about the texture on the lock-bar though, it seems like it's there more to smooth the edge rather than enhance grip on your thumb. I would have preferred the spiky jagged edge that you get with a liner lock Mili, or the groove on the Umnumzaan, but on the Military the engagement space for your thumb is so big it doesn't make much of a difference either way.
The pivot on my Ti/G-10/M-4 Military is very smooth, but not quite up to the level of the BG-42 Mili (not that a smooth pivot is important anyway). I found that after cleaning the rust inhibitor off the path for the ball detent it lost a bit of grittyness. Adjusting the clip also made things a little smoother. Out of the box the clip actually rests on the lock-bar, which is slightly raised above the rest of the handle when the knife is closed. If you bend the clip out a bit it doesn't push on the lock-bar.
The pivot on this model has very little play, I would have to rank it just ahead of my Kershaw Volt in required pivot tension to eliminate side to side play. The crown in that category goes to my Benchmade 14255, which requires virtually no tension on the pivot at all (that knife with one screw removed was still better than most).
If there is any downside to this particular M-4 Mili, it's lock travel. Probably 70% NIB. I don't expect it to wear out totally, as the curve of the lock face will keep wear-in to a minimum. On the other hand, there is a hint of vertical play with the lock engaged. The lock is plenty sturdy, and the play is not noticeable in normal use, so it's really a very minor issue. Luckily, the steel insert on the lock-bar can be changed later on if anything goes terribly wrong, not that anything ever does go wrong on stuff that is well cared for, but the insert is a nice little feature regardless.
One interesting thing to note about this lock-bar is that it seems to be curved in the same manner as the lock-bar on the liner lock Military, something I have never seen before on a R.I.L.
This CPM M-4 Titanium G-10 Military weighs in at 5.079 ounces, a full 1.026 ounces heavier than my S90V Military at 4.053oz. 1 ounce is not bad for replacing a CF scale with Ti.
Now for the part that people like to read the most.
Initial impression is, solid. I love the feel of the Ti lock-bar over the liner lock.
Pushing on the Ti lock-bar seems easier than on my S90V Military, though the S90V model is the stiffest of the four that I've used so far. That the lock-bar on a R.I.L. can travel out past the handle puts it closer to the super light BG-42 model in ease of use.
I have to wonder about the texture on the lock-bar though, it seems like it's there more to smooth the edge rather than enhance grip on your thumb. I would have preferred the spiky jagged edge that you get with a liner lock Mili, or the groove on the Umnumzaan, but on the Military the engagement space for your thumb is so big it doesn't make much of a difference either way.
The pivot on my Ti/G-10/M-4 Military is very smooth, but not quite up to the level of the BG-42 Mili (not that a smooth pivot is important anyway). I found that after cleaning the rust inhibitor off the path for the ball detent it lost a bit of grittyness. Adjusting the clip also made things a little smoother. Out of the box the clip actually rests on the lock-bar, which is slightly raised above the rest of the handle when the knife is closed. If you bend the clip out a bit it doesn't push on the lock-bar.
The pivot on this model has very little play, I would have to rank it just ahead of my Kershaw Volt in required pivot tension to eliminate side to side play. The crown in that category goes to my Benchmade 14255, which requires virtually no tension on the pivot at all (that knife with one screw removed was still better than most).
If there is any downside to this particular M-4 Mili, it's lock travel. Probably 70% NIB. I don't expect it to wear out totally, as the curve of the lock face will keep wear-in to a minimum. On the other hand, there is a hint of vertical play with the lock engaged. The lock is plenty sturdy, and the play is not noticeable in normal use, so it's really a very minor issue. Luckily, the steel insert on the lock-bar can be changed later on if anything goes terribly wrong, not that anything ever does go wrong on stuff that is well cared for, but the insert is a nice little feature regardless.
One interesting thing to note about this lock-bar is that it seems to be curved in the same manner as the lock-bar on the liner lock Military, something I have never seen before on a R.I.L.
This CPM M-4 Titanium G-10 Military weighs in at 5.079 ounces, a full 1.026 ounces heavier than my S90V Military at 4.053oz. 1 ounce is not bad for replacing a CF scale with Ti.
Now for the part that people like to read the most.
