Mike Obenauf
And courtesy of Artsig1 on the for sale forum, I came into possession of my first Obenauf knife. Based on past postings and offline emails, I had already placed my order for a custom Model 2 but, this one came up and I just couldn't resist.
Now, considering I have never even held one of Mike's knives before, this was sort of a leap of faith. I can say that I am certainly not disappointed. Art provided his typically great service (we have done business a couple of times in the past) and he got this knife to me very fast. I had a 3-day weekend coming up and, the knife hit my door right as the long weekend started.
When I opened the box and unwrapped it I simply thought to myself WOW! This is not a normal reaction for me as I generally take a new knife out and look it over with a very critical eye. In all honesty, part of this was due to Art and his great packaging. This knife was more brilliant and shiny then a fine piece of jewelry at a high-end jewelry shop.
The whole knife has been polished to a very high level. The blade and handle (no carbon fiber, micarta or, other materials) both have seen a good bit of labor, elbow grease and, attention to polish and smooth every surface. Every surface on this knife has great symmetry, fantastic grinds and, not a single noticeable defect worth mention. All this from a maker asking ~$350 for his folders.
This knife is so smooth opening. The lockbar has the click that sounds like a bank vault door closing and, of course it fits the blade just like it should. The blade itself is something I would expect to see on a Kit Carson Model 4 which, isn't too surprising when you consider his mentor, task master and, father in law!
Without any wood, micarta or, carbon fiber on the handle, it has a very slim profile that reminds me of the few William Henry's I have held. At first I had mixed reservations about this but that is mainly due to the large and thick folders I normally seek out. Upon further reflection, this thinner profile will really work well in my office environment where I wear dress slacks or Dockers when a large bulky folder just isn't a viable option. It also rides well in an interior pocket of my high-tech high dollar windbreaker from Helly Hansen.
Get one now before the wait becomes even longer and the prices go up! If Mike continues with this quality of work and grows out of the shadow of Kit, he is going to join the Jerry Hossom's and Neil Blackwood's of the custom knife world in terms of backlog and difficulty of acquiring new pieces of work.
And courtesy of Artsig1 on the for sale forum, I came into possession of my first Obenauf knife. Based on past postings and offline emails, I had already placed my order for a custom Model 2 but, this one came up and I just couldn't resist.
Now, considering I have never even held one of Mike's knives before, this was sort of a leap of faith. I can say that I am certainly not disappointed. Art provided his typically great service (we have done business a couple of times in the past) and he got this knife to me very fast. I had a 3-day weekend coming up and, the knife hit my door right as the long weekend started.
When I opened the box and unwrapped it I simply thought to myself WOW! This is not a normal reaction for me as I generally take a new knife out and look it over with a very critical eye. In all honesty, part of this was due to Art and his great packaging. This knife was more brilliant and shiny then a fine piece of jewelry at a high-end jewelry shop.
The whole knife has been polished to a very high level. The blade and handle (no carbon fiber, micarta or, other materials) both have seen a good bit of labor, elbow grease and, attention to polish and smooth every surface. Every surface on this knife has great symmetry, fantastic grinds and, not a single noticeable defect worth mention. All this from a maker asking ~$350 for his folders.
This knife is so smooth opening. The lockbar has the click that sounds like a bank vault door closing and, of course it fits the blade just like it should. The blade itself is something I would expect to see on a Kit Carson Model 4 which, isn't too surprising when you consider his mentor, task master and, father in law!
Without any wood, micarta or, carbon fiber on the handle, it has a very slim profile that reminds me of the few William Henry's I have held. At first I had mixed reservations about this but that is mainly due to the large and thick folders I normally seek out. Upon further reflection, this thinner profile will really work well in my office environment where I wear dress slacks or Dockers when a large bulky folder just isn't a viable option. It also rides well in an interior pocket of my high-tech high dollar windbreaker from Helly Hansen.
Get one now before the wait becomes even longer and the prices go up! If Mike continues with this quality of work and grows out of the shadow of Kit, he is going to join the Jerry Hossom's and Neil Blackwood's of the custom knife world in terms of backlog and difficulty of acquiring new pieces of work.
