draggat
Gold Member
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2010
- Messages
- 2,991
Derrick from Knivesshipfree.com ran a contest last week to name their latest Northwoods offering. Somehow or other, I came up with a name that KSF liked well enough to use. The Willamette Whittler. Named after the Willamette (pronounced will-AM-et) River, part of which runs through Portland, Oregon. I don't seem to win things very often and I have to admit that I'm pretty ecstatic to win this particular knife. It is made by Great Eastern Cutlery and uses the #38 frame. It's a 3 7/8" long, single spring 2 blade serpentine pattern with a wharncliffe primary and pen secondary. GEC recently released this frame as the American Whittler which is a 3 blade split spring with a primary clip blade, and the Farmer Jack which is a 2 blade single spring with a hawkbill primary blade.
Of the 3 different knives, I have to say that I prefer the Willamette Whittler the best. I find wharncliffe blades to be very versatile, not to mention easy to sharpen, and I usually prefer 2 blades at the most. The 38 frame is very slender and it melts into the hand with it's slight curves. I find it to be just about the perfect length, neither being too short or too long. The knife I won has Cocobolo covers, and this one has a very nice striped grain. I have to admit, I like this knife so much that I ordered another one in blue camel bone.
I just received the knife a few hours ago so I haven't really had a chance to use it, other than doing some serious CE and CF. This particular knife is darn near flawless. The pins are set to just about the right depth. The covers are flush with the bolsters and end caps. Blades well centered. No gaps around the shield. Springs are flush open and closed. This knife has a cam tang which is nice and smooth with a pull of 6-7 and excellent walk and talk. This knife has what I call watertight springs... hold it up to a light and I can't see even a sliver of light through the covers, liners or spring. The blades are nice and pointy and shaving sharp. I do feel that they could have made the blade at least 1/8" - 3/16" longer, but that's a minor grievance.
This knife reminds me of GEC's #57 Half Whittler. The Willamette Whittler is just a little longer and slimmer, which I have to say is a win.
The knife is very comfortable in hand. Feels like I could use it for quite a while without feeling hot spots.
IMHO, the downfall of wharncliffe primary knives is that the secondary blades are sometimes uncomfortable to use because the wharncliffe sits so high in the handle. Surprisingly, this one fits my hand pretty well and isn't overly noticeable while using the pen.
All Northwoods knives come with KSF's outstanding leather pocket slip.
Some shots alongside a GEC #57 Half Whittler.
Same thickness as well.
Alongside a Farmer Jack.
I have to say that I am proud to own this fine piece of cutlery. Derrick did a fantastic job with this design and GEC executed it masterfully. They are really on top of their game and they deserve all of the popularity they are experiencing right now. Derrick joked that no one would be able to pronounce the name of the knife correctly. Maybe not, but names aside, this is one outstanding knife!
I just want to say another thank you to Derrick for sending me this knife. I get the impression that you not only genuinely care about your products, but for your customers and people in general. It shows in your interactions here on the forum, along with your newsletters and videos, not to mention the countless times I've seen you bend over backwards to make sure someone had a positive experience with KSF.
This knife is destined to hold a special place in my collection, bringing back memories of seeing the Willamette River as a child and a permanent reminder of the generosity of everyone on this forum. It's going in my pocket as soon as I can put it down for a second! Thanks for reading!
Oh, and post pictures and opinions of your Willamette Whittler too!
Of the 3 different knives, I have to say that I prefer the Willamette Whittler the best. I find wharncliffe blades to be very versatile, not to mention easy to sharpen, and I usually prefer 2 blades at the most. The 38 frame is very slender and it melts into the hand with it's slight curves. I find it to be just about the perfect length, neither being too short or too long. The knife I won has Cocobolo covers, and this one has a very nice striped grain. I have to admit, I like this knife so much that I ordered another one in blue camel bone.
I just received the knife a few hours ago so I haven't really had a chance to use it, other than doing some serious CE and CF. This particular knife is darn near flawless. The pins are set to just about the right depth. The covers are flush with the bolsters and end caps. Blades well centered. No gaps around the shield. Springs are flush open and closed. This knife has a cam tang which is nice and smooth with a pull of 6-7 and excellent walk and talk. This knife has what I call watertight springs... hold it up to a light and I can't see even a sliver of light through the covers, liners or spring. The blades are nice and pointy and shaving sharp. I do feel that they could have made the blade at least 1/8" - 3/16" longer, but that's a minor grievance.
This knife reminds me of GEC's #57 Half Whittler. The Willamette Whittler is just a little longer and slimmer, which I have to say is a win.
The knife is very comfortable in hand. Feels like I could use it for quite a while without feeling hot spots.
IMHO, the downfall of wharncliffe primary knives is that the secondary blades are sometimes uncomfortable to use because the wharncliffe sits so high in the handle. Surprisingly, this one fits my hand pretty well and isn't overly noticeable while using the pen.
All Northwoods knives come with KSF's outstanding leather pocket slip.
Some shots alongside a GEC #57 Half Whittler.
Same thickness as well.
Alongside a Farmer Jack.
I have to say that I am proud to own this fine piece of cutlery. Derrick did a fantastic job with this design and GEC executed it masterfully. They are really on top of their game and they deserve all of the popularity they are experiencing right now. Derrick joked that no one would be able to pronounce the name of the knife correctly. Maybe not, but names aside, this is one outstanding knife!
I just want to say another thank you to Derrick for sending me this knife. I get the impression that you not only genuinely care about your products, but for your customers and people in general. It shows in your interactions here on the forum, along with your newsletters and videos, not to mention the countless times I've seen you bend over backwards to make sure someone had a positive experience with KSF.
This knife is destined to hold a special place in my collection, bringing back memories of seeing the Willamette River as a child and a permanent reminder of the generosity of everyone on this forum. It's going in my pocket as soon as I can put it down for a second! Thanks for reading!
Oh, and post pictures and opinions of your Willamette Whittler too!
