- Joined
- Jan 29, 2003
- Messages
- 1,568
I have been buying and using Ray Laconico knives for around 2 years now. I bought my first one here on Blade Forums and I have been hooked ever since. Ray's combination of tall flat grinds and polished convex edges make for robust knives that cut great.
Most of my knives fall into the 6" or less category so I started to talk with Ray about making a larger knife for me. I asked him to take one of his typical camp knives as a starting point and then modify it a bit by moving the edge closer to the scales, making it 8" to fit a Spec-Ops sheath, and putting less of a hook on the butt of the grip. The above picture shows the results.
It is made from 1/4" thick 5160 steel. So it should be VERY tough but it also cuts well thanks to Ray's grinds. Ray has a gift for getting great edge geometry on very thick knives. I actually unwrapped this beast and then used it to push cut the newspaper that it came wrapped in - that is straight out of the box! With a 1/4" thick spine, this thing should baton very well.
I am thrilled with how the handle turned out. Ray and I must have similarly sized hands because everyone one of my Laconicos fit like a glove. The butt of the grip is flared and reminds me of a khukri. It is comfortable in all grips. I like how Ray leaves a bit of steel protruding from the grip at the base. It makes a great little hammer for tent stakes and such.
I did some simple tests with it when I had a few free moments this morning. It makes great curls for a knife that is so thick at the spine. It notches very well. The nicely squared spine throws great sparks on a ferro rod. This thing is even handy in the kitchen and makes short work of veggie chopping - though a thinner knife would be better suited.
I can't wait to get this thing outside for a more thorough beating! Thanks Ray!
that is a bad ass knife... i love ray's work... i need to get another...
