Review Manly Folders: Comrade, Peak, Wasp. Fixed Blades: Patriot and Drugar, Made in Bulgaria

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Ah the ole' Invisible Arm Twisting Ploy hehe, seldom noticed, but very effective ! :)

I hope yours arrives as the several I've had the chance to hold.

Just remember, do NOT attempt to open it by the groove there, it can ruin your nail sometimes! and welcome to the forums!
G2
 
G2, I remember you from when I was a member several years ago. Life got in the way I had to take a knife-break for a while. When I came back to Bladeforums recently, I had forgotten my old username and no longer had my old email addy, so no chance of picking up where I had left off. No biggie, since I was a listener/learner more than a poster then (and now) and only had a few dozen posts. Enjoy reading your reviews/comments on various knives!
 
You seemed familiar, your hair's grown out a bit since I last viewed you ;) if your avatar is any semblance of your current crop :)
And listening is a good thing too,

I remember seeing someone's signature that quoted Plato and I thought about making a sign at work...but that would most likely get me into trouble...

"Wise men speak because they have something to say;
Fools because they have to say something."
~ Plato ~
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G2
 
Actually, I am not nearly as handsome as the guy in the avatar. ....and that Plato dude had some good things to say. ;)
 
Pics of mine.

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Nice I like it!
G2
 
Sweet knife! F&F is VERY good!

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Compared to a couple other 'manly' sized slip folders.....

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Kool looks great
G2
 
Been back and forth to this thread a bit and just got in one in orange and black. This thing is impressive. The g10 is super grippy, it feels good in hand, and I love the blade profile. It honestly is a nice break from most current modern folders. For the price I think they are a really good deal and see myself carrying and using this one quite a bit.
 
I wanted to update on my Comrade. I have been carrying mine for a week now. I recently moved to an apartment in the "city", so my knife use is much less than previously, but have been using the Comrade for all my food prep! Bread, sandwiches, apples, cucumbers, pork chops, etc. Still loving it! I don't know what it is, but I feel like it "carries" much lighter than it actually is. The Comrade is much less "noticeable" in my pocket than other similarly sized folders I have had in the past. Just a wonderful knife all around!
Bruce
 
Nice and I agree, I had sent mine out for a visit to Bryce in Texas as he wanted to check it out before buying one and while at his house, he took the blade to his Wicked Edge sharpening system and gave it quite a fancy mirror polished bevel, very sharp and nice of him to do that too. While it was already quite sharp, Bryce asked me first if I'd want him to sharpen it before sending it back, I just said 'well, if you get her dull, it'd be appreciated ;) ' and so he did, very pretty mirror polished bevels and of course, very sharp!

He has a Service provider membership here on Bladeforums for sharpening, see his thread here

Comrade_edge.jpg~original


G2
 
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Gary W. Graley said:
Nice and I agree, I had sent mine out for a visit to Bryce in Texas as he wanted to check it out before buying one and while at his house, he took the blade to his Wicked Edge sharpening system and gave it quite a fancy mirror polished bevel, very sharp and nice of him to do that too. While it was already quite sharp, Bryce asked me first if I'd want him to sharpen it before sending it back, I just said 'well, if you get her dull, it'd be appreciated ;) ' and so he did, very pretty mirror polished bevels and of course, very sharp!

He has a Service provider membership here on Bladeforums for sharpening, see his thread here

Comrade_edge.jpg~original


G2
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That is killer! I am not much of a mirror edge fan, but TLE is doing top notch work. I like that he offers a "utility" edge as well! I haven't had to sharpen up the Comrade yet, the factory edge has held up really well. Great pics!
Bruce

Edit- Do you know what angles TLE put on your Comrade? Much different than the original angles?
 
Gary's knife had been sharpened or at least touched up a number of times before it landed in my hands so I can't speak to the factory edge. Generally, factory edges aren't terribly consistent anyway.

The angle on Gary's is roughly 17 degrees per side if I recall correctly. In most cases, unless an exact angle is requested by a customer, I just use the angle cube to make sure the blade is squared up in the clamp and then just eyeball the angle so that it's just shy of the Apex when I start.

Obviously there are exceptions that need to be reprofiled, but I've never been convinced that bevels need to be exactly the same angle or that 16.75dps performs better than 17dps. I just want them to be even and for a mirror polish at least, no more than 19dps. 20 and up tends to perform better with a toothy edge.
 
T.L.E. Sharp said:
Gary's knife had been sharpened or at least touched up a number of times before it landed in my hands so I can't speak to the factory edge. Generally, factory edges aren't terribly consistent anyway.

The angle on Gary's is roughly 17 degrees per side if I recall correctly. In most cases, unless an exact angle is requested by a customer, I just use the angle cube to make sure the blade is squared up in the clamp and then just eyeball the angle so that it's just shy of the Apex when I start.

Obviously there are exceptions that need to be reprofiled, but I've never been convinced that bevels need to be exactly the same angle or that 16.75dps performs better than 17dps. I just want them to be even and for a mirror polish at least, no more than 19dps. 20 and up tends to perform better with a toothy edge.
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Wow, thanks for the quick and thorough response! I like your thinking about edges and was really just wondering if any major re-profiling was done on the Comrade as it is sometimes hard to tell. It's good to know that you felt the factory angles were appropriate.
Thanks again,
Bruce
 
Carrying mine today dropped in my back pocket by my wallet. I used it quite a bit yesterday on some packages here at the office, including the tape with the strands and quite a few of the plastic package bands. It made short work of all of that with the factory edge which was hair popping sharp. Then I got home and cut up some onions, cucumbers, and tomatoes to go with supper. It is a mean slicer for sure and the handle was very grippy throughout. I see myself carrying this for a while. Here's a pic of the orange since I havent seen one as well as side by side with a familiar modern folder to show the size. Speaking of it doesn't feel as large in use/hand as it looks.

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Nice one, bet it feels a bit better without that clip on there too ?
G2
 
That's true, since I mainly wear carhartt's the side lower pocket is where mine resides, just within reach as I let my arm drop to my side so it's pretty handy to get to, otherwise I might have done the very same thing, and of course made a sheath for it lol not keen on many things in my pockets unless it's necessary.

G2
 
Cool, do you have any pics of the sheath? Or did I miss them in the thread?

I tend to wear 5.11 pants for work and I've started putting my blades in one of the front pockets. I wore jeans yesterday though and with a wallet it slides right down beside it and I forgot it was there. I have to say I am still overly impressed with it. The blade profile is almost perfect for about anything I need. Really up until about 4-5 years ago all I ever carried was a 2 blade Old Timer my uncle had given me when i was about 8. I've been enjoying having to take a little time to open up a folder. I really cant wait until they release the fixed blades over here (hopefully).
 
No sheath was made, just if I did remove the clip, then I'd end up making a sheath to hold her where she would be more accessible.

And yes I think the Bulgarian's did a great job on both the folder and the fixed blade as well !
G2
 
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