need advice on Tachyon

K

kifeman

Joined
Jun 15, 2001
Messages
15
I am just getting into Balisongs. However, I am not afraid to pay extra when I know that the quality is there. I was thinking about pre-ordering a tachyon, but at 199.99 it is going to be over 300.00 after is is converted to canadian funds. Any advice would be great. Is it worth the money. Does it justify being more than the BM 42S which I have? Also what is the difference with the bead blast, stone wash and black blades? There are no pictures for me to look at. I could really use some advice and comments before I spend that much money.
smile.gif
 
A "stone washed" finish is very gently abraided. This gives the blade a sort of dull gray looking finish. But, this finish is very shallow and still easily scratched. These finishes are not easily repaired if you do get a scratch in 'em.

Bead blasting takes this even further. The blade is heavily abraided. It's done basically by sand-blasting the blade. The result is a very dull grey finish that is remarkably durable. And, if you do manage to scratch it, it can be fixed nicely if only you have the equipment (you'd probably have to send it in). But, unfortunately, many people, myself included, believe that bead blasting leaves the blade very succeptible to rust.

A black blade is one that has some sort of coating applied to it that colors the blade black. This could be anything from some cheap spray paint to a very sophisticated material that renders the blade virtually rust-proof (expect at the very edge where the coating ends). The problems with these coating is that they usually scratch easily and wear off.

Your BM42 has a sort of "brushed" finish. BM doesn't actually achieve it this way, but the classic way to create this finish is with a rotating metal brush. The result is very subtle little lines on the blade. These little lines leave the blade still bright silver in appearance but note quite so shiny and they tend to hide minor scratches. Minor scratches can be removed with sand paper or a brillo pad. These subtle lines to slightly increase rust susceptibility, but no where near as badly as bead-blasting.

Personally, I will not go bead-blasted because of rust. Depending on the coating, I may go that way, but probably not. I've graded to many balisongs with coated blades and had to seriously chop the value because of scratches in the coating. As soon as you coat the blade, that adds another category to my evaluation process and another opportunity to see the condition and the value of the knife fall. I'll probably end up settling for the sand washed.

Is Tachyon worth US$199 if you've already got a BM42? Well, you have to make that call yourself. If you like your 42 well enough, then maybe not. Tachyon is not necessarily better, but rather different. If there's some aspect of your 42 that you don't like, then maybe Tachyon will be better for you.



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Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!
http://www.balisongcollector.com
 
The bead blast is prone to rust if you don't take care of it. The stone wash would be the best choice if you want a silver tone blade. If MT used the new black boride finish, which I assume they did, it is much harder that the old black ti finish, and should not scratch with a rockwell hardness of 88. It is harder than the blade itself and much harder than anything you are going to cut. Here is a link to a picture of another MT knife showing all three finishes together, stone wash on top, then bead blast, black. Note the new black boride finish is a more dark grey that the black ti in the picture.
http://www.tripleaughtdesign.com/tanto_point.htm
I am sure that a satin or high polished version will come out, but Microtech usually charges an lot more for those. Get the stone wash and polish it if you want.
Hope this helps.


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Aloha
 
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Gollnick:
...Is Tachyon worth US$199 if you've already got a BM42? Well, you have to make that call yourself. If you like your 42 well enough, then maybe not. Tachyon is not necessarily better, but rather different. If there's some aspect of your 42 that you don't like, then maybe Tachyon will be better for you.</font>
Click to expand...

Well said; in other words NO!


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Rick Gray - Left Handers Unite
 
I'm planning on getting one later on, but I have to say, I wish the blade was a minimum of 4.0 inches.

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Usual Suspect™
"Ooh, see the fire is sweepin,' our very street today, burns like a red coal carpet, Mad Bull lost its way..."~R.S.
Knives & Stuff.
 
I have all finishes of MT, a SW LCC, a beadblast UDT and black ti Socom Elite. For me the black looks the best, then the beadblast and then the SW. The SW is my user and i can see some rust at the spine, haven't used the others much though to make a conclusion.

Is the Tachyon worth $199.99? I hope so, since i'm hell bent on getting one.
biggrin.gif
 
One tiny thing to keep in mind is the potential problem with Customs. $200 would be a lot to loose if they decide to open that package...
frown.gif


I'm sure it'll be a great balisong though, but as to whether it's worth $200 - well we won't know for sure until people start writing reviews of the production models, in fact we won't know for certain until people have had them for a couple of years, but by that time you may have trouble getting hold of one.
wink.gif


(Hey I got through a whole post about the Tachyon without mentioning the handles.
tongue.gif
)
 
I don't be liking dis tachyon becose I am old skool
tongue.gif
....

anyways enough of that - think the tachyon has enough bells and whistles and well MT has a rep to keep I dunno if it is WORTH 200.00. put simply I didn't order one.. as much as the peer pressure was there - I just felt as irked abotu it as anodized handles.

as for CUSTOMS.. my friend CUSTOMS.. (me doing the beatings motions)

RAAAR!!!



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-S.Ching Theatre "Even prostitues are free to [dream]."
 
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by batangueno:
I have all finishes of MT, a SW LCC, a beadblast UDT and black ti Socom Elite. For me the black looks the best, then the beadblast and then the SW. The SW is my user and i can see some rust at the spine, haven't used the others much though to make a conclusion.
</font>
Click to expand...

I just thought I'd make some notes on this finish.
While the SW finish may scratch easier than a BB finish, the scratches will blend in with the finish because stonewash finishes are just a million little scratches. Its like a disorganized satin finish.

About the rust on the spine of the SW LCC, the spine on both SW and BB LCC's are bead blasted.
That means the spine on a SW LCC is actually BB.
BB finishes hold water, that would explain rust on just the spine.
If you open up an LCC and take a look at the bead blasted liners, you're almost guaranteed to find some corrosion.
I brush finished my liners with a metal brush wheel on a grinder to give it a smoother surface and I haven't seen any corrosion since.



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~Fumbler
the crazied knife weilding Sarah McLachlan fan =)
 
At tha risk of being unpopular, I have to say that I also dislike the Tachyon. Why didn't they just call it the Tactical-Ultra-Mega-Ninja-Death-Knife! I mean look at it. I am a big fan of traditional styles and this design just makes me think "$200? <font size=+1>$200?</font>"
 
with the wide range of opinions on the tacky, I think it will be interesting to watch the exchange forum in the weeks after the release.......

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"I see you played knifie spoonie before..."
 
New here, hello....Tachyon looks very cool IMO, blade/handle seem a tad short though. But I will most likely get one, I'm sure the quality will be there. May wait to see if they offer a polished blade shortly after the release.

Beltfed
 
As I have said, Tachyon is not a middle-of-the-road, me-too product. It's like music. If you try to make a form of music that everyone will at least tolerate, you will not end up with punk rock. You will not end up with rap. You will not end up with traditional Bluegrass. What you will end up with is elevator music, Muzak -- a hundred violins playing a slow version of You Light Up My Life, that sort of thing. It's music that nobody really likes. People don't run to the record store and spend hours browsing in the "Elevator Music" section. But, on the other hand, it's music that nobody really objects to either. Tachyon is NOT the Muzak version of a balisong. As a result, just as some people don't like some forms of music, some people won't like Tachyon either. That's actually good. It means that Tachyon has a unique identity and it means that Tachyon is breaking new ground.

The length is an interesting question. Of all of the balisongs on the market, BM's, Jaguars, the majority of the Charming China Cheapies, etc., are all 4". People with smaller hands often find these knives uncomfortable. Some time ago, I was teaching several folks som basic balisong manipulations. One little gal was just having terrible problems. Then, I realized that the big 45 that I'd loaned her was just huge in her little hands. I dug around in by bag and was pleased to find an old 35. She took to it perfectly.

Imagine going to a store and being told that the only size pants available were 40" waist. Well, for some that would be perfect. Others, however, would have to use some sort of extender to get those pants closed. And others would have their pants falling off. No, people aren't all the same. We need different sizes for different people.

Furthermore, 4" blades are a bit long for carry either legally or just socially, in many areas. Tachyon's slightly shorter blade may be more appripriate for some.

That does bring us back to one interesting comment:

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">the Tactical-Ultra-Mega-Ninja-Death-Knife</font>
Click to expand...

What aspect of Tachyon's design brings you to that conclusion?


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Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!
http://www.balisongcollector.com
 
Look at it Chuck. It's pure tactical. Functional, cold, mean looking. Where's the warmth that wood inserts or mellow brass has? But let me also state that I dislike all of Microtech's designs. In my opinion, each one is uglier than the last. So don't let it get to you if I say that I won't buy a knife, no matter how well made, if I think it's ugly. I wouldn't use it. I wouldn't be able to stand looking at it so I'd file it away and it'd be completely worthless to me till I sold it.

BTW, I'd love to walk into store and see that they only have size 40 pants.
smile.gif


Also, speak for yourself. I just bought Herb Alpert's greatest hits.

[This message has been edited by Disco Stu (edited 06-27-2001).]
 
Disco Stu likes Disco music. Herb Albert rocks, yo.

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Smoke the La, Flip the Bali.
 
I agree with Gollnick--Viva la Difference. I like the Tachyon--especially the CFO-like blade. As to the handle, I could get used to it. Others may feel differently about the Tachyon and won't buy it because of its design and/or price and I respect their views on this matter. We should be glad that balisong lovers have different designs to choose from.

Imagine what air travel would be like today if engineers kept improving on the (classic) propeller driven airplane instead of inventing the jet. Change happens: today's "Innovation" will become tomorrow's "Classic." Some classics are truly worth perpetuating; however, it should not channel us into the same-old-same-old kind of thinking. Just my two cents.

P.S. If the Tachyon falls short of the "near mass market" appeal that Mike had projected, we may be looking at a limited run knife with no further blade options. Result: a first (and last) run item that could be very collectable. I'm not saying that this will happen; I'm only suggesting that this could happen.

[This message has been edited by toothed (edited 06-27-2001).]
 
I like all of their designs; I like the sleek, gunmetal grey look.
I also like it because it reminds me of my first balisong.
But to each, their own
 
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