North Fork or Shinola Valet

T

trojan366

Joined
Jul 8, 2015
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I'm in the market for a folder with a nice looking wooden handle. I have become a big fan of the axis lock and the overall quality of the benchmade knives I already own. That being said, I could use a bit of help with this decision. The north fork and Shinola edition valet are both similar in size and both have dymondwood scale. The north fork is s30 vs the m390 of the valet. The valet might be a bit slimmer but puts a bigger hit on the wallet at $200. Any first hand experience??
 
I've got my Northfork in my pocket as I type. Lovely little knife and whilst it has slipped out of regular rotation it is fighting to get back. For the price I think it is a great option. Fond as I am of the small Bone Collector, the branding put me off and that was fixed with the Northfork. The more pocket friendly scales also help (I'm agnostic on studs vs opening holes and D2 vs S30). If I didn't have Ritter grips with custom scales the Northfork would definitely be in my rotation permanently.

Not having one, I cannot speak for the Valet or the Shinola version thereof other than to say that the tiny thumb stud recess in the handle puts me off, I seldom use my 470 or 477 because I find the little cut out uncomfortable - but that is my perception from photos only and you'd do better with comments from someone that actually owns a Valet.
 
Thanks for your input. I think I am leaning towards the North Fork because I have bigger hands and the Valet looks a bit smaller. Probably swap it over to a stainless deep carry clip and get the look I am after.
 
I didn't have the patience to wait any longer. I ordered the North Fork in dymondwood and picked up a set of Orange AWT scales for my mini grip. I like to keep my carry options varied.
 
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