I have been EDCing my Michael Raymond Estrella for a few weeks now and thought I'd post a mini review.
Fit and finish on this knife is absolutely impeccable! The blade action is glassy smooth. Both the lock up as well as the closing detent is bank vault solid. I love the feeling of this knife locking up! I own a Scott Cook Lochsa and the Estrella compares very favorably. The Estrella also has better ergonomics for my small to medium sized hands than the Lochsa.
Michael's knives use phosphor bronze pivot bushings as well as large phosphor bronze washers. A lot of newer knives use bearings. I am personally not a fan of bearings -- they are more easily gunked up in the field, they cannot take as much lateral stress, and they are more difficult to disassemble/reassemble. With the pivot bushing system, the washers are held in place by the bushing so they automatically line up with the pivot hole. This allows for effortless reassembly by the user. More importantly, with this type of pivot, all one needs to do is tighten down the screw and the action will be perfect every time. There is no Loctite needed, no need to worry about the screw loosening over time, and no need to fiddle with the screw to find the correct tension. In my opinion, pivot assemblies made this way are superior to other methods. Making a pivot this way is also more expensive and difficult to manufacture than a bearing system which is why we so rarely see it on a knife. Unfortunately, even Chris Reeve is moving away from this type of pivot.
The pivot female end as well as the pivot screw is also handmade by Michael.
The finish on the inside of the knife, which obviously can only be seen when the knife is disassembled, is just as good as the outside, a true mark of fine craftsmanship. You can tell a lot about the precision and quality of a knife by taking it apart, the Estrella certainly does not disappoint.
The Estrella comes with a titanium take down tool, which Michael also makes, a work of art in of itself.
Made from very few parts, a true integral frame lock!
Fit and finish on this knife is absolutely impeccable! The blade action is glassy smooth. Both the lock up as well as the closing detent is bank vault solid. I love the feeling of this knife locking up! I own a Scott Cook Lochsa and the Estrella compares very favorably. The Estrella also has better ergonomics for my small to medium sized hands than the Lochsa.
Michael's knives use phosphor bronze pivot bushings as well as large phosphor bronze washers. A lot of newer knives use bearings. I am personally not a fan of bearings -- they are more easily gunked up in the field, they cannot take as much lateral stress, and they are more difficult to disassemble/reassemble. With the pivot bushing system, the washers are held in place by the bushing so they automatically line up with the pivot hole. This allows for effortless reassembly by the user. More importantly, with this type of pivot, all one needs to do is tighten down the screw and the action will be perfect every time. There is no Loctite needed, no need to worry about the screw loosening over time, and no need to fiddle with the screw to find the correct tension. In my opinion, pivot assemblies made this way are superior to other methods. Making a pivot this way is also more expensive and difficult to manufacture than a bearing system which is why we so rarely see it on a knife. Unfortunately, even Chris Reeve is moving away from this type of pivot.
The pivot female end as well as the pivot screw is also handmade by Michael.
The finish on the inside of the knife, which obviously can only be seen when the knife is disassembled, is just as good as the outside, a true mark of fine craftsmanship. You can tell a lot about the precision and quality of a knife by taking it apart, the Estrella certainly does not disappoint.
The Estrella comes with a titanium take down tool, which Michael also makes, a work of art in of itself.
Made from very few parts, a true integral frame lock!
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