- Joined
- Oct 2, 1998
- Messages
- 47,460
So...now I can finally say I know what all the fuss was about. 
Over the past several years I've been reading with interest some of the reviews presented here on the forum regarding the knives and workmanship of Mike Alsdorf.
Unfortunately for me (at that time), most of the patterns that Mike was making were either a little on the small side for my taste or just weren't what I was looking for at the time...
...that is until this past weekend when I saw the knife which is the subject of this writeup.
I was poking around the maker's area of the "exchange" when I saw that Mike had posted a nice maroon linen micarta "shadow slimline trapper" with clip and wharncliffe blades. (Actually, when Mike and I discussed the knife on the phone we both agreed that he kind of split the difference between a sheepfoot and a wharncliffe which is very much to my liking and personal preference. I don't really care for very elongated and pointy wharncliffe blades as a rule.)
Anyway, when I saw the knife I immediately liked the pattern, blade selection and overall look and felt that this would be a perfect opportunity to scratch a couple of itches.
One would be to finally try out one of Mike's knives for myself (as I'd never even seen one in person) and secondly to find a nice mate to my maroon G-10 stockman by Ken Erickson.
Being that today's our 24th wedding anniversary and knowing that I'd probably be out of pocket when the mail finally arrived late this afternoon, I decided to nip the waiting in the bud and head down to the post office and demand my package at the counter. (And so I did.
)
As I said in the first sentence, now I see what all the fuss is about.
My first impressions are that Mike builds a very clean and well made knife. All the tolerances are tight (as befitting the standards of an exacting machinist), the lines are fluid and the action is precise.
The half stops are crisp, walk and talk is good and the tension is about a "5" allowing usage of the knife without dreading a potential mishap. The edge and bevels are well rendered and the knife came sharp as delivered. The blades, liners and springs are all well and evenly polished throughout.
Not much more that one could ask for in a knife at the very reasonable asking price though if I had a recommendation I'd ask Mike to consider adding a bit of swedging to the clip blade for the sake of adding a bit of drama to the overall appearance. Other than that, I haven't really got anything to add as Mike seems to have handled all the details. Speaking of which here they are as listed in Mike's original post about the knife:
Maroon Linen Micarta (Polished)
Heat Treated 416 S.S.Liners and Fittings
Milled/ Relieved Liners
S.S. Pins (Embellished)
S.S. Oval Shield
S.S. Center Liner (Milled/Relieved)
Hand Finished Satin (1500 Grit) CPM154 Clip and Wharncliff (Swedged), Hollow Ground W/Flat Ground Edge 60RC
Backsprings Are Flush In The Open, Closed, And Half Stop positions,
3 1/2" Closed 6 1/2" Open, Black Slip Pouch Included (Note: I measure the knife at about 3 9/16" closed.)
Weight: 2 3/8 oz.
Here are Mike's original images of the knife followed by some I took on the porch rail just after examining the knife. The final shot shows the knife alongside its 3.75" cousin from Ken Erickson for comparison:
As always, your thoughts and comments are welcome.
And without further ado this one is taking its rightful place in my right front pocket. :thumbup:
Over the past several years I've been reading with interest some of the reviews presented here on the forum regarding the knives and workmanship of Mike Alsdorf.
Unfortunately for me (at that time), most of the patterns that Mike was making were either a little on the small side for my taste or just weren't what I was looking for at the time...
...that is until this past weekend when I saw the knife which is the subject of this writeup.
I was poking around the maker's area of the "exchange" when I saw that Mike had posted a nice maroon linen micarta "shadow slimline trapper" with clip and wharncliffe blades. (Actually, when Mike and I discussed the knife on the phone we both agreed that he kind of split the difference between a sheepfoot and a wharncliffe which is very much to my liking and personal preference. I don't really care for very elongated and pointy wharncliffe blades as a rule.)
Anyway, when I saw the knife I immediately liked the pattern, blade selection and overall look and felt that this would be a perfect opportunity to scratch a couple of itches.
One would be to finally try out one of Mike's knives for myself (as I'd never even seen one in person) and secondly to find a nice mate to my maroon G-10 stockman by Ken Erickson.
Being that today's our 24th wedding anniversary and knowing that I'd probably be out of pocket when the mail finally arrived late this afternoon, I decided to nip the waiting in the bud and head down to the post office and demand my package at the counter. (And so I did.
) As I said in the first sentence, now I see what all the fuss is about.
My first impressions are that Mike builds a very clean and well made knife. All the tolerances are tight (as befitting the standards of an exacting machinist), the lines are fluid and the action is precise.
The half stops are crisp, walk and talk is good and the tension is about a "5" allowing usage of the knife without dreading a potential mishap. The edge and bevels are well rendered and the knife came sharp as delivered. The blades, liners and springs are all well and evenly polished throughout.
Not much more that one could ask for in a knife at the very reasonable asking price though if I had a recommendation I'd ask Mike to consider adding a bit of swedging to the clip blade for the sake of adding a bit of drama to the overall appearance. Other than that, I haven't really got anything to add as Mike seems to have handled all the details. Speaking of which here they are as listed in Mike's original post about the knife:
Maroon Linen Micarta (Polished)
Heat Treated 416 S.S.Liners and Fittings
Milled/ Relieved Liners
S.S. Pins (Embellished)
S.S. Oval Shield
S.S. Center Liner (Milled/Relieved)
Hand Finished Satin (1500 Grit) CPM154 Clip and Wharncliff (Swedged), Hollow Ground W/Flat Ground Edge 60RC
Backsprings Are Flush In The Open, Closed, And Half Stop positions,
3 1/2" Closed 6 1/2" Open, Black Slip Pouch Included (Note: I measure the knife at about 3 9/16" closed.)
Weight: 2 3/8 oz.
Here are Mike's original images of the knife followed by some I took on the porch rail just after examining the knife. The final shot shows the knife alongside its 3.75" cousin from Ken Erickson for comparison:
As always, your thoughts and comments are welcome.
And without further ado this one is taking its rightful place in my right front pocket. :thumbup:
Last edited:
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