- Joined
- Apr 24, 2010
- Messages
- 4
Like a lot of you guys, I immediately fell for the new Protech TR-4 the second I saw its wicked lines. It went right to the top of my wish list.
However, I knew the handle finish would be ProTech's take on a non-slip anodized finish, like on their working knives. That is, the handles are sand-blasted prior to black anodizing, giving them a slightly gritty feel. I personally dislike this finish (its grating to me like fingernails on a chalkboard), so I wrote to Dave to ask if any Special Editions with a more executive feel were in the works (I've seen some special TR-3's with the same super smooth finish as PT's little knives). His answer was that tactical guys do not like the smooth finish one bit, or basically no. I wanted to ask what proportion of his customers are tactical guys, but I didn't.
Also, based on pictures of Blade Show 2010 Prototypes going around, I assumed that all early TR-4's would have non-reflective blades, either black-coated, or worse, with a bead-blast finish. Again, I must assume that I am not the target customer for this product since I find polished blades soooo much nicer (and they are easier to maintain to boot).
So I decided I would patiently wait to see if Dave might not make something to my liking next year. Then one day, I come across some numbered pre-production prototypes at PVK, described as having satin-finish blades. So I bite the bullet and go for it, figuring that if I get a polished blade, then I might be able to live with the gritty handles.
I got the knife last week. Prototype number 37 of 40. A sturdy beast of a working knife. Heavy in hand. With a kick that you feel in your wrist, make no mistake. Nice ergonomics. With the choke-up position for delicate tasks. Note that the edge length is 3.5, not 4; the extra finger groove on the blade takes up the last half inch. Some grooving at the rear of the spine would help with thumb purchase when in the choke-up position. That spine is a full 1/8 thick. And there is lots of blade to spare around the pivot hole. Blade is super sharp as always, with almost perfect grinds - the last inch and a half of the blade and the very tip are not exactly symmetrical on both sides, but this is a very minor issue. Note that the tip looks plenty strong. Nothing like the flexible X-acto thin tip on a Godson or Godfather (even my Don is infinitely more useable than a Godfather or Godson, but I digress). I chose a plain edge out of personal preference (I won't open up the plain vs serrated debate here). Turns out the blade is actually two-tone stone-wash / satin finish. Not quite as nice as I expected since the stone wash is essentially scratches that look quite mechanical, for lack of a better word. My knife is therefore a prototype for the TR-4.1 variant, which I did not know until the TR-4 went up on the ProTech website a few days ago.
As for the handle finish, exactly as I expected gritty. But what I didn't expect is that grip is also enhanced by sharp edges everywhere, especially around the recessed trigger, on the safety button, and on the stainless steel insert that serves as lanyard hole and glass breaker. This is likely intentional since this is a working knife. But I find that it feels more like an unfinished product. Nothing like a little ProTech Runt or Stinger, let alone a ProTech Don. And we are talking about a $200 knife here.
So this is where I took things into my own hands. After a couple of beers (!), I decide to get some fine sand paper (320 and 600 grit), my Dremel with a cotton wheel and polishing compound, and I start taking the knife apart. First thing, I dismantle the safety and sand down the the safety button. I suspect a lot of people are going to do this that little button is uncomfortably rough. The result is now perfect- I can still feel the ridges but they no longer catch on my thumb tip. This button is very soft aluminum so it takes very little work to smooth down. But dismantle it to get better access.
Then I go to work on the stainless steel insert. I round the edges (especially around the glass breaker) and smooth out the ridges on its back. On my proto, this part was finished black like the production knives, not like the Blade Show prototypes on which the part is bead blasted. Of course after sanding and some polishing, it is no longer black. But I definitely prefer it now. So I also did the black pocket clip, not because it was rough, but just so it would match the stainless steel insert. Again, a nice result.
Encouraged by these results, I attack the handles themselves. This is a point of no return and a tough thing to do on a potentially collectible knife since whatever you do will remove the anodizing and leave ugly bare spots. But the sharp edges around the trigger were really bugging me, like a little piece of skin hanging from the roof of your mouth after burning it on hot pizza. So to hell with it. I start with the edges around the button. Next thing I know, I've softened all the edges all the way around the handles. Now the handles are really nice to grip, but I've removed a lot of anodizing. At this point I'm thinking that I can just get the handles re-anodized locally (although I have yet to figure out how to remove the steel pivot and stop pin that are heat-pressed into the handles before re-anodizing).
So having taken care of the edges, I now turn my attention to the gritty surface. I start to wet-sand the entire surface of the handles thinking that I'll remove the anodizing like I did on the edges. I'm glad I started this way rather than with oven cleaner to eat the anodizing off because it turns out that the handles can be made really smooth without removing much of the anodizing and without baring the metal at all. The result after using the 320 grit is really nice and smooth and glossy with no scratches. I went to 600 and then to cotton polishing afterwards, but this added very little and is not really necessary. The color is now a glossy dark grey instead of black.
I reassembled everything, disabling the safety in the process. It is now locked in the open position. I didn't like the notchy action and I firmly believe that the way ProTech recesses or flush-mounts their triggers is sufficiently safe, not requiring a secondary safety. Opinions will differ, of course. I also left off the pocket clip since I will use the supplied ballistic nylon pouch instead. The knife is just too heavy to pocket. The pouch is a perfect fit and of good quality.
Finished product: a fondle-me super-smooth knife with a shiny bare aluminum outline that actually looks surprisingly good. In fact, I've abandoned my plans to re-anodize the handles (although an OD green finish would be awesome). You guys tell me what you think of the look. It may no longer be collectible, but it now feels great and I won't have any thoughts about babying it.
Cheers,
Lou
