Review MacWasil Knives Front Flipper "Miso"

[miso2]

I just got a fantastic front flipper from MacWasil Knives! In short, this is a clean but elegant masterpiece from a great custom knifemaker.

Before going into the details of the knife, I would like to share my experience with the maker (Válcav).
I was looking for a custom maker building front flipper knives, which are more robust and better in fit and finish than Boker Exskelibur I. Then, I saw a video of his front flipper he posted here on BladeForums a while ago and immediately contacted him to ask if his book is open. He took my request. This happened in November 2016. I was told that the knife would be finished in January 2017 but it was delayed due to his personal issues. There were a few more delays afterwards until May.

But he did the right thing from the very beginning.
Because he knew that the issues could delay his operation, he stopped taking a deposit at the time I placed my request. So, I was not at any loss, anyway. I just patiently waited and expressed my continuing interest a couple of times. Once he started the process, he sent me a bunch of nice pictures of the work in progress. That was really nice of him. Then, when it came close to completion, he offered me free DLC coating to compensate for the delay! (But there was no real delay because I had not paid anything). So nice. I paid the full amount when he almost finished the knife and sent me pics and a video of it. In late May, he sent me a tracking number, and the knife came in June 1st.

In summary, Válcav is sincere in conducting his business, generous, and a great craftsman, as you can see below!

 

[miso2]

Now about the knife.
I asked for a simple front flipper of his design with the intent of using it. What I got is beyond that in a pleasant way.
Images (curtesy of MacWasil Knives) below nicely show how the knife was crafted by the maker.
(I don't know if the maker really named it "MISO", but would like to pretend that it is. I will not ask the maker to ruin my fantasy)

The feel in hand is fantastic. Although it is a fairly light weight knife at 3.8 oz, it gives a nice hefty feeling and sturdiness, which Boker Exskelibur lacked. I love it. Nothing feels cheap in it.

The specs

  Overall length:              192 mm (7.56”)
  Closed length:               110 mm (4.33”)
  Blade Length:                82.5 mm (3.25”)
  Blade thickness:             3.5 mm (0.136”)
  Edge thickness:              <0.2 mm (<0.01”)
  Blade material:              ELMAX (at 59~60 HRC)
  Blade grind:                 Flat grind
  Handle thickness:            10 mm (0.39”)
  Handle material:             Titanium (DLC coated using PVD or PACVD)
  Weight:                      106.6g (3.8 oz)
  Lock type:                   Frame lock
  Deployment method:           Front flipper
  Pivot type:                  Ball bearings (caged)
  Price:                       Same ballpark with Southard Tolk

The fit and finish are really excellent. Nicely centered blade, great placement of the detent, and the separate scales which look like a single piece (he calls it semi-integral). Just perfect.

The blade is very thinly ground. Even though the stock thickness (3.3 mm in my measurement) is thicker than his previous versions (3~3.2 mm) and what I anticipated, the deep grind makes the blade a good slicer.

The DLC coating on the titanium handle is kinda unique. It is like having a thin black glass or porcelain on metal. I anticipated a mat black finish, which seems common in production knives, but this one is a lot better than what I imagined. I really like the brass pivot collar on the DLCed scales. The coating is done on satin-finished scales. I have to see how they perform in wet conditions. Válcav also put some additional touches on the scales, which give the knife grace. What an elegant gents folder!

The design is magical. The handle is very ergonomic to my medium hand. But the best thing is the blade shape. It seems versatile. The angle of the blade to the handle enables you to cut veggies on a cutting board comfortably with the almost straight edge.

If I am really forced to gripe about it, it would be on the early lockup at ~10% (I like late), recessed and unaccessible jimping at the open position, or the tight pocket clip. But these are really minor. Surprisingly, I, as a person who prefers thin blades, am not unhappy with the relatively thick blade, presumably due to the deep grind to thin edge.


Conclusion:
This is a simple but elegant gentleman’s folder of a modern era. The design, fit and finish, and feel in hand are outstanding. I would definitely look into his other knives in the future before he becomes too popular!

 

[RayseM]

I have said many time that Válcav is an true artist and a talented craftsman AND an upcoming stand out in the knife making field. Congratulations on a really lovely knife and your MacWasil experience. He's a stand up guy for certain.

Thanks for sharing.

Ray

 

[miso2]

RayseM

Thank you for the comment, Ray. I truly enjoyed the MacWasil Experience. I can attest that he is a stand up guy for sure.


Miso

 

[miso2]

Inside view. It was a bit hard to disassemble it because of the very tight tolerance.

Miso

 

[miso2]

Comparison with other frame lock folders. You can see that the blade to handle ratio is big with MacWasil, which makes it a small-large knife like TiLock.

Miso

 

[miso2]

Why did I go for a custom?


I love my Boker Exskelibur I. This knife set my heart on front flippers.

But there are things I don’t like with the particular knife, which started my search for a perfect front flipper.

While the deep hollow grind of Exskelibur is nice, it might be ground too thin. When I push the blade near the edge, I can feel it bend. It is that thin (It makes the knife a great slicer, though). The scales are also flimsy. Fit and finish is OK, but not perfect, particularly the placement of detent ball.

The last thing is not a dislike on Exskelibur. Since I got my Spydiechef, I became a fan of that kind of the edge line, a uniform curve. Maybe one that is little more straight.

So basically, I wanted a well-built ~3.5” front flipper with the particular edge line, a relatively thin blade, a thin edge as a slicer lover, and all titanium frames. It also got to be frame lock. There was none satisfying these criteria in production knives. So I started to look into custom knives.

I guess a good custom maker can make whatever I like. But this is my first custom knife experience, and I did not know any maker. So I looked for a maker who makes front flippers and into their models. However, the above criteria immediately made me to opt out some popular front flippers like Shamwari and Thorburns because of the edge shape. There are some front flippers satisfying my demands except for the blade thickness. Most of them are very thick, some even beyond 4 mm at stock.


Then I found MacWasil Knives. I felt lucky.
The fit and finish are impeccable. Very nicely handmade.

Here are some comparison to Exskelibur.
The edge line is just perfect for me. Uniform curve close to a straight line.

The blade is thicker, but the grind is very deep to leave a thin edge. In fact, the primary grind is almost identical to GEC #73. Of course, there is no flimsiness.

Thickness of the scale is quite similar between the two. The semi-integral design of MacWasil scales makes them quite sturdy, though. Fantastic.

So, did I find a perfect front flipper for me? I think so. But I am still in a honey moon period with the knife. I have to see how I bond with it overtime.

 

[miso2]

Few more pics.

 

[Gary W. Graley]

Great useful blade shape
Thanks for the review
G2

 

[miso2]

Thank you, G2! It is indeed useful. The size is between a small Sebenza and Umnumzaan/large Sebenza.
With the similar level of F&F, I would think the MacWasil as a medium Inkosi Insingo flipper.

 

[miso2]

And this is how Válcav tests his knives before letting them go. My spine got chilled by watching it.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVUr3IalPY-/

 

[Oscarmikey0521]

I just got a fantastic front flipper from MacWasil Knives! In short, this is a clean but elegant masterpiece from a great custom knifemaker.

Before going into the details of the knife, I would like to share my experience with the maker (Válcav).
I was looking for a custom maker building front flipper knives, which are more robust and better in fit and finish than Boker Exskelibur I. Then, I saw a video of his front flipper he posted here on BladeForums a while ago and immediately contacted him to ask if his book is open. He took my request. This happened in November 2016. I was told that the knife would be finished in January 2017 but it was delayed due to his personal issues. There were a few more delays afterwards until May.

But he did the right thing from the very beginning.
Because he knew that the issues could delay his operation, he stopped taking a deposit at the time I placed my request. So, I was not at any loss, anyway. I just patiently waited and expressed my continuing interest a couple of times. Once he started the process, he sent me a bunch of nice pictures of the work in progress. That was really nice of him. Then, when it came close to completion, he offered me free DLC coating to compensate for the delay! (But there was no real delay because I had not paid anything). So nice. I paid the full amount when he almost finished the knife and sent me pics and a video of it. In late May, he sent me a tracking number, and the knife came in June 1st.

In summary, Válcav is sincere in conducting his business, generous, and a great craftsman, as you can see below!

 

[Oscarmikey0521]

How much did it cost converted to USD if you don't mind me asking? I've been looking at his knives recently but have no idea how much they cost and his website isn't working for me.

 

[Agartha Audio]

What a beauty, thanks for sharing Miso! That blade shape is awesome, really digging the overall design too.

 

[Mo2]

where do i find this guy nevermind, saw you posted his IG above... can you message me or say how much this was? im not looking to get one anytime soon, but id love to get one eventually.

i hate my boker excellabers. i have the original and the updated versions both in carbon fiber cheapest junk ive ever seen. my Trevor burger custom is amazing tho.

 

[miso2]

His Instagram @macwasil_knives would give some ideas of his pricing. He is also an active member here on BF, too.

For mine, I asked for a simple Ti frame lock knife without engravings and extra milling, and paid $540 everything included via Paypal G&S. Very reasonable.
The DLC coating was free offering from him, though (as described in the first post).

I really like the blade shape, too. It is elegant and functional. It also merge elegantly with the handle design when both opened and closed.

Mo2
I am fine with my Boker Exskelibur I (Ti scales). It is a superb slicer. But since I got MacWasil I cannot help but noticing its fit and finish issues. I am sure the original Burger EXK is an excellent knife and gives you the same feeling for your Boker versions.