My First Custom

Noctis3880

Noctis3880

Joined
Jul 22, 2009
Messages
11,409
Okay, so being as addicted to knives as a drug addict is to crack, I just ordered this baby 15 minutes ago:
http://www.knifeart.com/turbulence1.html

A Tim Galyean Turbulence Pro:thumbup:. The crossbones are a bit much, but after playing with the CRKT Eros with IKBS, I wanted to try something bigger and beefier to really take advantage of the smooth opening.

And while I probably would've wanted an exotic blade steel like S110V, CPM154 seems to be the steel of choice for most customs. Though I suppose I can't complain with ZDP level of edge holding without the chippyness:thumbup:.

I also have to admit that something about that modified wharncliffe blade spoke to me. That knife displays its curves as proudly as the Kershaw Speedform displays its lines.

So please give lots of good comments and praises so I feel a little less buyer's remorse;).

Edit:
Actually, after careful consideration, this would technically be my second custom(first is my XM-18). Though I suppose it's the first custom I ever got from a dealer and not off the secondary market which put an almost $200 premium on the XM-18.
 
You will be happy, I was able to handle one not long ago and its a very fine knife. Of the Galyean knives I've seen they have typically had strong detents that make the flipper action very quick. Between the point of release and lock it feels like the blade is floating on air, smooth just doesn't say enough.

The CPM 154 has a custom quality HT which means performance will be better than you would expect and sharpening will be much smoother. The blade will feel hard on stones but grind and polish easy and have minimal burring.

Congratulations on your purchase, a nice knife for sure.
 
I've never been that worried about sharpening, as even S90V only took twice as long to mirror polish, which isn't exactly as bad as I imagined. Being a steelhead, I'm mostly concerned about edge holding and corrosion resistance.

Though in practical use, S30V level of edge holding has been good enough. 440C level of corrosion resistance isn't quite enough, as I've managed to rust both my CTS-XHP knives living in Hawaii and all. I also like a steel that holds its razor edge rather than having an aggressive toothy edge like CTS-XHP or D2.

The thing that got my attention however is the titanium. I love titanium, but I hate how easily it scratches up. My Lionsteel SR-1 has been excellent thus far with its anodized finish. So the PVD Titanium Aluminum Nitride (TIALN) coating seemed quite promising as well:thumbup:. Thing is, the SR-1 proved to be too vulnerable to rust for my liking. I also like the weight at 4.3 oz, which would make it even lighter than my Sebenza:eek:.
 
Galyean Pro Series knives are some of my favorites. Really excellent knives for sure. Not exactly custom knives. They are actually mid-tech production knives, but they were made in limited numbers. My Turbulence gets a lot of pocket time. It flips smoother than any of the other Pro Series knives and that says a lot. The blade makes for a great user. It's an absolutely great slicer. You're going to enjoy the knife very much. It makes the CRKT Eros look like child's play.
 
Tony8179 said:
Galyean Pro Series knives are some of my favorites. Really excellent knives for sure. Not exactly custom knives. They are actually mid-tech production knives, but they were made in limited numbers. My Turbulence gets a lot of pocket time. It flips smoother than any of the other Pro Series knives and that says a lot. The blade makes for a great user. It's an absolutely great slicer. You're going to enjoy the knife very much. It makes the CRKT Eros look like child's play.
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But it would be fair to say that the fit, finish, and uniqueness is on the same level as a custom made knife right?
 
Noctis3880 said:
But it would be fair to say that the fit, finish, and uniqueness is on the same level as a custom made knife right?
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I would say that. The centering of the blade upon closure on my Turbulence is slightly off. Most pictures of other ones I've seen have the same issue, but it is only slightly off and doesn't come close to rubbing on either side. Besides this small problem the fit, finish, and execution of the design is damn near perfect.
 
Tony8179 said:
I would say that. The centering of the blade upon closure on my Turbulence is slightly off. Most pictures of other ones I've seen have the same issue, but it is only slightly off and doesn't come close to rubbing on either side. Besides this small problem the fit, finish, and execution of the design is damn near perfect.
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That sounds a little disappointing, but that typically doesn't bother me unless it either impairs function or there is significant blade play(which would lead to the blade scraping against the scale).
 
Just got this in this morning:thumbup::
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Opens up smooth as butter, and won't fail to open unless you deliberately try not to. Opening straight up isn't a problem either:thumbup:.

First thing I noticed was how small it seems to be compared to my Large Sebenza and Para2, though it might just be because the very end of the handles get narrow. It doesn't feel like it might slip out of my hand like my Shallot does.

The blade isn't perfectly centered in the handles, but that's a petty complaint. It doesn't affect opening and closing, and it's only about a millimeter off. What is definitely interesting is that this is my second knife that doesn't wiggle the tiniest bit in the handles. The only movement comes from the flexing of the blade. The gap between the handles and the blade at the pivot is so small that I can only barely see the ball bearings inside. This is Sebenza level of tight tolerances here.

This might also be a coincidence here, but it makes the exact same sound my Sebenza does when the lock engages:eek:. It might be due to the fact that the interface between the lockbar and the blade tang also seems to be coated, which will make it interesting to see how it wears in the future. It's hard to say whether the blade or the lockbar will wear down first. The TiAlN is used to coat some drill bits, though Chromium Carbides in the steel is pretty hard too. This combination might wear even slower than the hardened lockbar interface of the Sebenza.

Only other thing is that the bead blasted finish of the clip and handles seem to be eating my pocket lining. Even though Tim left a flat spot under the clip, it seems pretty aggressive. Truly a knife for "Non-Wussies" as Governor Ed Rendell might say:D.
 
Jiggy said:
It looks nice. Though personally I'd be upset if I spent that much and the blade wasn't centered.
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Can't be worse than leftover machining marks, uncentered blade, blade play, uneven grinds, dull blade, and nonexistent customer service that Strider seems to have:D.
 
Noctis3880 said:
Can't be worse than leftover machining marks, uncentered blade, blade play, uneven grinds, dull blade, and nonexistent customer service that Strider seems to have:D.
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Could be much worse. At least you didn't have to wait 9 months for a spring to be replaced in a handground dagger logo MT CFO2.
 
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