Comeuppance
Fixed Blade EDC Emisssary
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2013
- Messages
- 4,765
After quite a bit of digging around, I found a company that doesn't seem to be brought up much 'round the porch: Nieto!
They have a number of models, but the Climber and the Wasp both caught my eye. As a bit of a spoiler, I'm enamored enough with the Climber I just got in that I'll almost certainly be getting a Wasp to join the little party.
Nieto knives are entirely made in Spain, by hand. By all accounts, they punch well above their weight in price as far as fit, finish, and aesthetics go. The knife you're about to see cost less than forty dollars, shipped.
Initial impressions were good: The box presents the knife well, and I was relieved that it wasn't nearly as large as I worried it might be in person. I don't need a backpocket knife - I like to carry in my watch pocket.
The knife has black micarta with a white micarta bolster, and a bocote inlay around the pivot.
The blade is hollow ground, and made of their proprietary AN.58 steel, which is stainless. The blade is 2 3/4", the knife is 4 1/8" closed, with an overall length of 6 7/8", and the bocote inlay is not mirrored on the other side (to my minor disappointment)
The steel liners are nicely coined along the spine. While the profile is wider than some, it fills the hand nicely and isn't obnoxiously thick. Red liners contrast beautifully against the micarta and steel.
The spring is nice and flush when opened. The spring is not flush, however, when closed.
There is no distinct half-stop, as the tang is not flattened, but it does rest naturally at a halfway point. Speaking of halfway, it came -perfectly- centered!
For size reference, here it is with a little bit of its new family:
But then everyone wanted to join in!
It's by no means a giant folder - it's about tied with the Rough Rider Muskrat and the Dunlap Shadow Trapper. It's just about as thick as the Muskrat, and came just as razor sharp. It also carries nicely in my watch pocket, which is a bit of a must for my traditional knives:
The pull requires medium force, and isn't particularly smooth, but by no means rough or gritty. There is -zero- wiggle when the knife is opened. Very solid and confidence-inspiring. The grooves in the handle make for an excellent feel in-hand, and allows you to choke up a little bit and rest your middle finger in the groove cut into the bolster without cutting yourself. Great snap, as well!
My overall impression is very positive. It was an inexpensive impulse purchase, and although it doesn't quite look as good as I had hoped it would, it's still an exceptional piece. I could honestly do without the bocote inlay, and, if I were to have a "do-over", I would probably have gone for one of the stag or wood models, or maybe even the smooth brown cow bone. A representative selection is pictured below (not my picture, not my text overlay either.) I might go ahead and pick up the stag model later (which is notably pricier) and gift the one I have presently, but I want to put some miles on this first and see how much I like the platform over time before I get the "premium" version. All the same, I've come to like the little guy quite a bit, and will report back after it's seen some usage!
They have a number of models, but the Climber and the Wasp both caught my eye. As a bit of a spoiler, I'm enamored enough with the Climber I just got in that I'll almost certainly be getting a Wasp to join the little party.
Nieto knives are entirely made in Spain, by hand. By all accounts, they punch well above their weight in price as far as fit, finish, and aesthetics go. The knife you're about to see cost less than forty dollars, shipped.
The Nieto Climber
Initial impressions were good: The box presents the knife well, and I was relieved that it wasn't nearly as large as I worried it might be in person. I don't need a backpocket knife - I like to carry in my watch pocket.
The knife has black micarta with a white micarta bolster, and a bocote inlay around the pivot.
The blade is hollow ground, and made of their proprietary AN.58 steel, which is stainless. The blade is 2 3/4", the knife is 4 1/8" closed, with an overall length of 6 7/8", and the bocote inlay is not mirrored on the other side (to my minor disappointment)
The steel liners are nicely coined along the spine. While the profile is wider than some, it fills the hand nicely and isn't obnoxiously thick. Red liners contrast beautifully against the micarta and steel.
The spring is nice and flush when opened. The spring is not flush, however, when closed.
There is no distinct half-stop, as the tang is not flattened, but it does rest naturally at a halfway point. Speaking of halfway, it came -perfectly- centered!
For size reference, here it is with a little bit of its new family:
But then everyone wanted to join in!
It's by no means a giant folder - it's about tied with the Rough Rider Muskrat and the Dunlap Shadow Trapper. It's just about as thick as the Muskrat, and came just as razor sharp. It also carries nicely in my watch pocket, which is a bit of a must for my traditional knives:
The pull requires medium force, and isn't particularly smooth, but by no means rough or gritty. There is -zero- wiggle when the knife is opened. Very solid and confidence-inspiring. The grooves in the handle make for an excellent feel in-hand, and allows you to choke up a little bit and rest your middle finger in the groove cut into the bolster without cutting yourself. Great snap, as well!
My overall impression is very positive. It was an inexpensive impulse purchase, and although it doesn't quite look as good as I had hoped it would, it's still an exceptional piece. I could honestly do without the bocote inlay, and, if I were to have a "do-over", I would probably have gone for one of the stag or wood models, or maybe even the smooth brown cow bone. A representative selection is pictured below (not my picture, not my text overlay either.) I might go ahead and pick up the stag model later (which is notably pricier) and gift the one I have presently, but I want to put some miles on this first and see how much I like the platform over time before I get the "premium" version. All the same, I've come to like the little guy quite a bit, and will report back after it's seen some usage!
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