- Joined
- Jul 30, 1999
- Messages
- 724
I ordered a tanto from Neil Blackwood to give to my wife as a gift. I did not know when it would arrive, well it arrived today. Before I go on,let me state that Neil is a very good friend of mine, and he has purchased two knives from me. He has giving me nice reviews, and has always displayed a great deal of respect for my knives. Someone could come to the conclusion that I owe him, and any review I give him could be biased. Here is the real truth though. As a knifemaker I am only as good as my reputation. If I tell you something, and you find it not to be true, then my reputation is shot, and thus my career. My reputation is on the line with this review, so here are the cold facts as I see it.
The knife is superb. It far exceeded my expectations. The knife came well in a stury card board boxed, wrapped with paper, and then paper towels. My wife was with me when I unwrapped it. First thing I noticed was the yellow and purple gleam of the anodized titanium. Over the titanium insert, is a black oriental style cord wrap. Neil has this down. The handle is incredible. I pull the knife from the paper and observe the kydex sheath. The Kydex is rectangular, with rounded corners so as not to gouge you. The sheath is very flat. Overall at this point, I am impressed. I pull the knife out from the sheath and I hear a very quite snap, as the small built in guard clears from the kydex's grip. The blade is stunning, but what gets my attention first is the way he shaped the front of the titanium handle insert. It radiuses elegantly down to the blade. The blade is handrubbed, and the finish is very even and pleasing to the eye. The main part of the blade is hollow ground, to the tip area, which is convex. The hand rubbing bring these together in what appears to be a flawless flow of lines. One thing that should definitely be noted is that this knife is not chisel ground. It is beveled on both sides. I can say, that my wife likes the knife (especially the titanium). I can say, I love it. I expected a lot from Neil, and he surpassed my expectations. Now for the specs. of the knife
Steel= D2 I think (I never really asked, I trust Neils judgement)
Overall length= 7.5"
Blade lenght= 3.5"
Thickness= over 1/8"
Weight in sheath= 5 ounces
Weight out of sheath= 3.5 ounces
In my opinion this is the best oriental cord wrapped knife for the money. I am very glad I bought it. I will own more of Neil's knives in the future.
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Lynn Griffith-Knifemaker
griffithknives.com
GriffithKN@aol.com
Available Knives
The knife is superb. It far exceeded my expectations. The knife came well in a stury card board boxed, wrapped with paper, and then paper towels. My wife was with me when I unwrapped it. First thing I noticed was the yellow and purple gleam of the anodized titanium. Over the titanium insert, is a black oriental style cord wrap. Neil has this down. The handle is incredible. I pull the knife from the paper and observe the kydex sheath. The Kydex is rectangular, with rounded corners so as not to gouge you. The sheath is very flat. Overall at this point, I am impressed. I pull the knife out from the sheath and I hear a very quite snap, as the small built in guard clears from the kydex's grip. The blade is stunning, but what gets my attention first is the way he shaped the front of the titanium handle insert. It radiuses elegantly down to the blade. The blade is handrubbed, and the finish is very even and pleasing to the eye. The main part of the blade is hollow ground, to the tip area, which is convex. The hand rubbing bring these together in what appears to be a flawless flow of lines. One thing that should definitely be noted is that this knife is not chisel ground. It is beveled on both sides. I can say, that my wife likes the knife (especially the titanium). I can say, I love it. I expected a lot from Neil, and he surpassed my expectations. Now for the specs. of the knife
Steel= D2 I think (I never really asked, I trust Neils judgement)
Overall length= 7.5"
Blade lenght= 3.5"
Thickness= over 1/8"
Weight in sheath= 5 ounces
Weight out of sheath= 3.5 ounces
In my opinion this is the best oriental cord wrapped knife for the money. I am very glad I bought it. I will own more of Neil's knives in the future.
------------------
Lynn Griffith-Knifemaker
griffithknives.com
GriffithKN@aol.com
Available Knives
