Just acquired Matt's Sunrise Fighter the other day and wanted to say how much I like the knife - all the good things everybody has been saying about Matt are true!!(hehe!) He does VERY impressive work for a relative "newbie" - actually very impressive compared to anybody - if the Sunrise I got is any indication of what is to come I forsee acquiring knives from Matt for many years - especially when he gets his J.S. & M.S. stamps. I'll be able to look at that knife & think how lucky I was to get a knife of his before he got famous & his backlog reached into the multiyear range.
The knife handles extremely well - it almost disappears in your hand - balance is near perfect & he knows how to design a handle that fits your hand and is extremely comfortable to use. I was surprised that it is fairly light weight for a larger knife - again adds to the wonderful feel. I used it to cut up some cardboard to make a temporary sheath until Kenny Rowe's arrives -knife works great - the cardboard didn't have a chance. That knife is SHARP!! SCARY SHARP!!!! The only knife in my house that might be sharper is my Randy Martin Wasabe and that is questionable. The blade is excellently ground - very even - wonderful shape and as I said before SHARP. Its been raining so I haven't had a chance to take it outside & check it out on some dead tree limbs that are inhabiting the backyard - maybe this weekend. I had to make a temporary sheath - it would be too dangerous to leave it uncloaked - you could cut yourself walking past the knife.
The guard & finish work around it is nice - extremely clean with no discernable gaps or visible imperfections - the attention to detail & execution is impeccable and bodes well for the future.
A mortised wood handle is not what I am used to seeing with wood - usually with stag - at first I thought it had a solid wood handle with stick tang but I was dead wrong. It is mortis cut & one of the best jobs I have seen - I had to really look at it closely to pick out the seams, they are almost undetectable. I would think a mortis cut would be harder with wood than stag in getting the sides to match up & this piece is a prime example of how it should be done - there are no discernable gaps or obvious filler spots on the seam or around the guard - again great attention to the little details that separate good knives from great knives.
The handle is a very attractive piece of Walnut with great pattern in the wood.
Did I mention that I like the knife? All-in-all it is a very nice piece of work that you can feel proud of Matt - it is first & formost a well-designed working, using knife that is well-made & finished. It is not fancy or flashy but exudes quality craftsmanship and function that I prefer since a knife is a cutting instrument/tool.
Bill Wentling
[This message has been edited by PENGUIN (edited 06-16-2000).]
The knife handles extremely well - it almost disappears in your hand - balance is near perfect & he knows how to design a handle that fits your hand and is extremely comfortable to use. I was surprised that it is fairly light weight for a larger knife - again adds to the wonderful feel. I used it to cut up some cardboard to make a temporary sheath until Kenny Rowe's arrives -knife works great - the cardboard didn't have a chance. That knife is SHARP!! SCARY SHARP!!!! The only knife in my house that might be sharper is my Randy Martin Wasabe and that is questionable. The blade is excellently ground - very even - wonderful shape and as I said before SHARP. Its been raining so I haven't had a chance to take it outside & check it out on some dead tree limbs that are inhabiting the backyard - maybe this weekend. I had to make a temporary sheath - it would be too dangerous to leave it uncloaked - you could cut yourself walking past the knife.
The guard & finish work around it is nice - extremely clean with no discernable gaps or visible imperfections - the attention to detail & execution is impeccable and bodes well for the future.
A mortised wood handle is not what I am used to seeing with wood - usually with stag - at first I thought it had a solid wood handle with stick tang but I was dead wrong. It is mortis cut & one of the best jobs I have seen - I had to really look at it closely to pick out the seams, they are almost undetectable. I would think a mortis cut would be harder with wood than stag in getting the sides to match up & this piece is a prime example of how it should be done - there are no discernable gaps or obvious filler spots on the seam or around the guard - again great attention to the little details that separate good knives from great knives.
The handle is a very attractive piece of Walnut with great pattern in the wood.
Did I mention that I like the knife? All-in-all it is a very nice piece of work that you can feel proud of Matt - it is first & formost a well-designed working, using knife that is well-made & finished. It is not fancy or flashy but exudes quality craftsmanship and function that I prefer since a knife is a cutting instrument/tool.
Bill Wentling
[This message has been edited by PENGUIN (edited 06-16-2000).]
