Mcusta 34D "Tsuchi"

[UnknownVT]

Yes, another "Tsuchi" (&#27084 -
Mcusta 34D



Previously I had reviewed the Mcusta 113D - "Tsuchi" (link)
it was also called "Tsuchi" -
Tsuchi (Kanji - &#27084 means hammer in the case of the 113D it was as in tsuchi-me (槌&#30446 meaning hammer "eye" or hammer mark

Here I can only guess that it may refer to the facets on the scales that may reflect hammering....

The 34D is is one of the Mcusta MC-3- series of all steel gentlemen knives with "Damascus" handles
as in the Mcusta 33D "Take" (link) which I had also previously reviewed.

This series probably ought to be referred to as "Mokume-gane" (木目&#37329 "wood grained metal" -
but I can see the reason why they may want to called the handles "Damascus" -
as they are probably made from prefabricated layered nickel/steel and worked to show the pattern.

Details of the scales -


Mcusta knives availability can be variable - some seem to go in and out of stock - the 34D is a case in point, very few vendors seem to list it in stock -
so I bought this sample used - it is very good condition for a used knife - but probably only barely acceptable as a collectible
(it did not come with its box or decorative woven Nishijin pouch see my 33D "Take" review for photos of a Nishijin pouch.)

Mcusta 34D shown with the referenced knives -

Top to bottom: Mcusta 33D "Take"; 113D "Tsuchi" and 34D "Tsuchi".

Being gentlemen knives they all have 2.75" "Damascus" blades -
again not true Damascus, but vg10 core clad with prefabricated layered nickel and steel.

Blade details -


The 34D has the same blade as the other gentlemen sized knives in the MC-3- and their wood scaled counterparts in the MC-7- series.

The 113D "Tsuchi" has a unique (hammered) blade - it's the only one in the 2.75" size (although there are 3.25" larger sized versions)

Size -

compared to a standard SAK (Swiss Army Knife) - a Victorinox 91mm Spartan.

Closed -


Microscope pictures (~110X)-
"Damascus" cladding on blade -


Patterned steel on scales -
on facet, and the parallel layers near the edge.

This is a case where the microscope enlargement doesn't seem to help -
the patterns are much easier to see on a regular photo.

The 34D is a liner lock and its action is outstandingly smooth.
the lock up is positive -


Everything is nicely aligned -


and the blade is well centered -


I really like the size, looks and feel of this knife.

--
Vincent

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[arty]

Nice looking knife. It looks like the handle on the 34D is about 1/4" longer than on the Take. Is this correct? Do you know what the knife weighs?

 

[UnknownVT]

Nice looking knife. It looks like the handle on the 34D is about 1/4" longer than on the Take. Is this correct? Do you know what the knife weighs?

Thanks Arty, nice to hear from you.

There are problems with absolute measures using my photos - even though I include a ruler scale -
that's the problem of perspective - both receding, and viewpoint.

My photo of the comparison with 33D "Take", 113D "Tsuchi" and 34D "Tsuchi" is a very good example -
I concentrated on trying to get the best lighting angle for the 113D as it has mirror polish finish,
and to be able to get a good rendition of those tsuchi-me (hammer-eyes) -
so the camera was not directly vertically over the knives -
giving rise to receding perspective -
the closest knife (34D) would appear to be bigger than the furthest (33D).

Even if the camera were directly over the knives - viewpoint perspective comes into place -
as the knife directly under the lens is still closer to the ones toward the edges -
this is normally less obvious - but at close-up distances this can be significant.

Probably more than anyone wanted to know -

excuses over -


Shot from the back/spine -

it's the lanyard hole protrusion that adds to the length of the 34D

Even though I tried to be as directly vertically over the knives -
these shots are probably not good enough for any real measurements other than an approximate idea.

This may settle it?

34D = 3.83" - the 33D using that caliper measured 3.71" - so a 0.12" difference - about 1/8".

Just to be pedantic - although that seems absolute and "conclusive" - it's not that certain,
since measurement is dependent on where and how it's clamped -
I would estimate there is a confidence of +/_ 0.02"
but what's 2/100th of an inch between friends?

Weight? 3.01oz

in comparison the 33D weighed 3.3oz (today ).

--
Vincent

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[UnknownVT]

There is artistry to Mcusta knives -
I found I wasn't really conveying the beauty of the handles on this 34D that well -

Yes, I can show the contour/layered lines -





But to me it's only part of the appearance.

Those raised lines actually shine in contrast to the more matte areas, somewhat like silver threads -
but the effect is pretty subtle and needs to be seen under certain lighting conditions -
one can see how those facets help show the effect in "real-life",
but I found it hard to capture with photos.

Here are a couple of attempts, the best that I've managed so far (I am still experimenting) -



EDIT to ADD -
a couple more
I'm beginning to think that because the appearance changes with different lighting -
no single photo is going to be able to convey what can be seen -
but nevertheless, these below are possibly the best I can do
(for now) -


--
Vincent

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[Omega Leather Works]

Vincent, it's obvious you are a meticulous fellow, much like the knives in the review.

Well done. I really like the micro graphs. :thumbup:

 

[arty]

Total length actually is longer, because of the projection for the lanyard on the 34D Tsuchi. It does look like the Tsuchi has a thinner handle, and that is an improvement over the Take design, at least in the pocket.
What is the length of your macro lens, and is it on a crop or full frame? Just curious.
Thanks for the nice photos.

 

[UnknownVT]

it's obvious you are a meticulous fellow, much like the knives in the review.

Well done. I really like the micro graphs.

Total length actually is longer, because of the projection for the lanyard on the 34D Tsuchi. It does look like the Tsuchi has a thinner handle, and that is an improvement over the Take design, at least in the pocket.
What is the length of your macro lens, and is it on a crop or full frame? Just curious.
Thanks for the nice photos.

Thank you Strigamort and arty for your kind words.

Photography is a passion for me (but I do mainly live music - please see the links in my sig)
It seemed obvious to combine this with my reviews of knives.

The photos in this review are from my relatively recent acquisition of an used Fuji XM-1 mirrorless system camera.
I only have and use the kit zoom lens that came with it - Fuji XC 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OIS

Previous to that I was using Pentax dSLRs (currently the K-5) - again using its 18-55 kit zoom lens.


The main difference for me is that the Fuji X-M1 uses only its rear LCD screen as a viewfinder -
whereas all the other cameras I use have real optical viewfinders.

LCD screens have a lag - the more modern ones are fairly low - but there is a lag nevertheless -
which makes following action and catching fleeting expressions and movements more difficult.

I liken the difference to viewing on a TV screen vs. real-life

So for my live music I still use my cameras with optical viewfinders -
but for knife photography I can use the Fuji X-M1.

There are some advantages to using the LCD screen -
as it shows (more or less) the way the photo is going to be captured - including things like exposure, white balance -
but I have to trade that off against a TV like view.

I use a LCD hood/viewfinder to view the rear LCD screen:


The hood/viewfinder attaches by magnets to a supplied self adhesive frame around the LCD -


This LCD hood/viewfinder has a 2.8x magnification, so my view is pretty big
and since it is a hood - the view is nice and contrasty even in bright sunlight.

But the 2.8x magnification reveals the grain/dots of the screen -
and the Fuji X-M1 does have a very good LCD screen:
quote from dpReview of the Fuji X-M1 :

" Since the X-M1 lacks an electronic viewfinder, you'll compose and review all of your photos on the LCD. The one here is very good, with 920k dots and the same 3:2 aspect ratio as the pictures you're taking. The refresh rate is high and the screen has good outdoor and low light visibility. "

Anyway enough of this back to the knife:

With the Fuji X-M1 and its kit zoom lens the largest full-frame/closest distance I can get to the subject is:

(EXIF metadata is attached for technical details)

The Pentax kit zoom does focus a lot closer so its close-up full-frame has noticeably larger magnification.

But the Fuji X-M1 gives extremely good quality photos and I can have confidence in using any crop from the 16Mpixel image.
the 100% crop 1:1 pixels from the full-frame above -

(again EXIF metadata is attached for reference)

However most of my images in reviews tend to be full frame, any cropping/trimming is usually pretty minimal, just for composition -
occasionally I may crop a smaller area to show close-up details.

re: thickness -

arty you must have really sharp eyes...

my measurements using the digital calipers at the widest part, not counting the protrusions of thumb-studs or pivot screw-heads:
34D = 0.415"
33D = 0.425"
that's only a 1/100" difference... (probably in the margin of measurement error)
and I thought we were friends!

However when I put the knives head to head -

It does seem that the 33D is noticeably thicker at the end - but that's probably because the 33D scales kind of flare toward that end -
the 34D thickens toward the left side of my photo and is marginally thicker than the 33D even at its thickest knuckle toward the right side of the photo.

re: pocket carry comfort -
even though the 34D scales do taper toward its ends the overall the handles are smoother -
which would make a more comfortable pocket carry -
it's that lanyard hole protrusion - which would tend to negate that -
that's a bit pointy and sharp -

However if carried in their respective Nishijin pouches - all this becomes moot
and there would probably be very little difference in a pocket carry.

Mine was a used sample and did not come with its Nishijin pouch
So I use a SackUp pouch (the older model with the flap) the pointy lanyard projection sticks out a bit -

but the flap protects it -
or rather the other things in my pocket.

--
Vincent

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