Need advice on Queen Folding Hunter

B

berzerker

Joined
Jan 27, 2002
Messages
801
I am oh so close to pulling the trigger on a Queen Folding Hunter (single blade). Does anyone have one of the recent (ACSB or later) models, and can comment? I'd be interested in spring strength, etc. Out-of-the-box sharpness is not an issue, I can create an edge, if need be. (I've got an ACSB Cattle King, which has become my default EDC, so no need to convince me on D2, etc.) Pix, comments appreciated. Thanks to all.
 
I have one in the amber stag bone that i bought new about 3 1/2 years ago.
It has significant blade play. It was the last new Queen knife i bought after buying about 12 of Queen's current production (current meaning 2007).
I just can't handle repeated disappointment.
roland
 
rprocter said:
I have one in the amber stag bone that i bought new about 3 1/2 years ago.
It has significant blade play. It was the last new Queen knife i bought after buying about 12 of Queen's current production (current meaning 2007).
I just can't handle repeated disappointment.
roland
Click to expand...

That is a shame Roland-Im sorry to hear this, I have read very good reports from customers, and then also stories like Rolands, I bought a brand new Queen Stockman Amber Bone, and Im not here to counter Roland at all, but mine is a beaut!, no play-in fact I have no complaints at all.
I suggest contacting a distrubutor who sells Queen, and outlay things like..."please ensure there is NO....blade play, gaps in liners, that the fit is good etc ", hey...you could even ask them to check that its not a nail breaker?
Good luck, and please let us know how you have got on with your purchase, here is a couple of photo's of my Amber Bone Queen..
The Amber bone Stockman is the one at the very top.
myknives007.jpg

Also picture here on the right next to my favourite older Queen Trapper.......
Picture014.jpg
 
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I am a big fan of Queen, but I have to say they are hit and miss just like everyone else these days. I bought several over the last 24 months, and one was bad enough I actually had to send it back.

On the other hand, there are a three of them that could honestly be considered custom quality. As far as these particular knives go (not models, not steels, but the individual specimens) I don't think there is a finer example of a production knife. Fit and finish absolutely perfect. The others are nice, but not that nice, and like I said the other end of the spectrum was that I actually had to send one back as the F/F was so poor.

My thoughts would be to find one of the exact model you want somewhere where you can inspect before purchasing. The alternative is to find a vendor that will stand behind his product like Mike Latham so if you get one that doesn't meet your standards, you can make other arrangements.

Robert
 
I've had two queens so far the first was a swing guard with a birds eye maple handle it was horrible it had massive amounts of play in the blade however later on down the road I decided I'd try another queen this time I tried a premium trapper in aged amber honey stag bone and it is one of the best slip joints I have ever owned especialy for what I gave for it my advice would be to go to a brick and mortar store and hand pick your queen from several as others have stated they are hit and miss.
 
I have a canoe made in 2010 and a friend has one too and sent me photos,
both are almost identical, long jigging and pretty sharp out of the box, no play

MAYBE they have impoved quality and checks?
only onw one personally co I count 1% probably

maxx
 
I traded for a Mountainman knowing it had blade play. I figured I would send it in to Queen for warranty. I got a second one that was fairly tight. A nice knife, and when I sharpened it, the blade loosened up to a point that I couldn't accept. I sent that one back, and asked Queen to send me a #9 stockman instead. Mine is zebra wood, but like Duncans its solid as a rock and my favorite as of late. I also have a Cozy Glen canoe and small trapper that are pefect along with a large #19 trapper in cocobola that is perfect.
 
I bought a Queen Mountain Man ( single blade lock-back) and a Swing Guard a few months ago. I also knew about the blade play problem with the Mountain Man but I took a chance. It does have a slight amount of play, but it also opens real smooth and I like everything else about the knife so I'm happy. I like the way Queen finishes their knives, they have more of a hand made look.

I would say take a chance on the Hunter, you might be surprised.

QUEEN1.jpg
 
I too will say despite the blade play the Mountainman was an exceptional looking piece.

P1010048-1.jpg
 
I have an Amber bone.
It is a very large

I got it on ebay from a reputable seller.
The quality is good with no blade play.
 
I have a single blade Queen hunter, it has woods scales, I can't remember what they are though. :thumbdn:

The snap is not a nail breaker, but it will numb the thumb, with extended opening. No blade play what soever, it's pretty big for a pocket EDC, so it rides the hip. The edge on mine was extremely thick, making it a challenge to sharpen, but it's a nice knife.

Here's a crappy pic.
P1014958.jpg
 
I have one in the Amber Carved Stag Bone, another in the older Carved Stag Bone (same as the ACSB, but with the white/undyed carved bone), and a third, a Northwoods version (by Queen) with stag handles and arrowhead shield. None of the three have any blade play issues. Very, very BEEFY knives. Lots of heft (I like that), and I can't wait to put my own, new edge on them. The factory edges are OK, but there's a LOT of upside potential in Queen's D2 blades. They can be made extremely sharp.
 
My experience bit reflects Roland's. My Queen Canoe main blade rattled when it was open. Blade play was so significant. Replacement was better in terms of blade play but huge gaps. Then I sent it to queen via friend. They fixed it well, it still had blade play bit but enough so I could use it and fix the blade play myself.
 
I just received two queens back from warranty repair. In total the time they were away from me was three weeks. The first knife was a queen utility (slimline trapper) in zebra wood that I bought, and when I took it out of the box it had next to no tension on the blade when opened. You could lightly touch it and the blade would fall forward about 2.5 mm before the backspring would noticeably engage it. The other was a mountain man lockback that had blade play issues as described in previous posts. The mountain man was repaired and the utility was replaced. Both the replacement and repair are perfect. Queen really came through for me, and in a very timely fashion.
Admittedly, knives make it through their QC that shouldn't and for the end consumer it makes buying a queen kind of a craps shoot. However, their customer service is top notch as far as my experience has been. If you choose to pull the trigger on one and it isn't right, don't despair, you can trust that they will take care of you in a timely fashion.

Brandon
 
did some of you try to hammer (gently) the bolster to see if blade play would disappear?
did it with a gec and CS and they're fine now (sanded the pin lightly and then metal glo)
Maxx
 
Got a No.41 liner lock Hunter en route at the moment. This one is in the ACSB although I've been searching for the WCSB earlier model for ages and or the Copperhead. I will report on finish etc but it seems to me that their ACSB knives are consistent or frankly, excellent. This seems not the case with the BEM and Zebrawood models I've had, far too many fit issues on these.
 
i also have Queen Mountain Man in cocobolo and D-2. Very happy with it in all respects. it rides in my pocket every day.
 
I bought this one a couple years ago but I haven't profiled the edge yet. The fit, finish, snap, wobble, spring tension are all absolutely superlative. It doesn't get much better in a factory run knife. The sharpness? :rolleyes:

queen001.jpg
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Thanks to one and all. You've convinced me, and I'll make certain to request one that's hand-picked.
 
I have the Queen 1 and 2 blade hunters, and the mountain man. I just got the mm, and was so impressed, I got another in the amber bone. It is a beautiful knife that really fits my hand well. It also had a good edge on it, which did surprise me, my Queen edges out of the box had never been that good, but the mm was really good.

The hunters are also very nice, a little big for me, but perfect for their intended purpose.

I should say, I don't care at all about blade play, as long as the steel holds an edge. I never even look for it, so I can't tell you if mine have it or not. A lot of things about Queen have been hit or miss, but the heat treat on their D2 has always been spot on for me, and that's about all I care about. These knives hold a great edge, and if I have to re-profile the edges, it's about 20 min on my Edge Pro, no biggie.

I hope you like yours!
 
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