Oh man, my first knife!

S

Swifty

Joined
Oct 15, 2003
Messages
7
And my first post here actually, after having waited for my knife 3 weeks. I am so happy!

Today I received my Klötzli Walker 03 tactical. This knife has been in production just for two weeks now, and will be available starting November 20th. Klötzli started producing it after they sold the last prototype...to me!:) (it says Proto 04 on the clip side of the blade, cool!)

I cannot post pics from here, but this is one beautiful knife. (see www.klotzli.com for pics) 3.5 inch blade, Liner Lock, partially serrated. ATS 34, G10 handles, titanium liner. Opens butter smooth, and has no bladeplay whatsoever. Workmanship is just perfect.

I cannot find much on Klötzli on this forum though. Why is that? Certainly not because it is inferior to the likes of BM, Spyderco, or even Chris Reeve I think? Or is it because Klötzli is a European brand?

What are your opinions on this knifemaker?

Thanks for reading, I'll be off fondling with my wife. I mean knife.
 
I think it doesn't get much mention around here because it's a European line-up, and a similar class of knives exists with the American made William Henry line, which is by all accounts exceptional.
 
About ten years ago I owned a Klotzli knife for a day. It was nice, but not what I was looking. At the time I was into tactical folders and this was a gent's knife. Even though it was very well made, it was too small and so it went back in exchange for a knife by a different manufacturer. If I were choosing today, I probably would keep the Klotzli.
 
Congrats with your new knife. Looks great even though I`m not too fond of folders.
Welcome to the forums Swifty.
 
Wow. What a great first knife, excellent choice.
Too bad though, now you're spoiled.
I see Microtechs and William Henries in your near future.
 
Klötzli is a european maker, swiss. They are good knives. Not real popular here, but good knives none the less.

I remember my first knife. 1973 the day of Grandpa's funeral my Grandmother gave me his pocket knife, a two bladed jack knife.
 
Congrats on the knife! I hear they make very good quality knives. It's all downhill from here my friend :) :p

- Mark
 
Thanks for all the kind words, I am certtainly enjoying my folder!

As for keeping it sharp: Is it really hard to sharpen freehand? Just seems the most versatile way of sharpening knives to me, but I do not want to screw my new knife up. Any suggestions? Any tricks that are not listed in the FAQ are welcome.

Thanks,

Foppe
 
Sharpening freehand takes a lot of practice, and it's easy to make a mistake and scratch up the finish of a nice blade. So I'd say go for a sharpening system like the Spyderco Sharpmaker or an Edge Pro or a Lansky. Something along those lines. The Lansky systems can be had fairly inexpensively.
 
Originally posted by sph3ric pyramid
I think it doesn't get much mention around here because it's a European line-up, and a similar class of knives exists with the American made William Henry line, which is by all accounts exceptional.
Click to expand...

The main reason it doesn't get a lot of attention around here is due to the high price point. For some reason (unmerited in my opinion, whatever the reason) the Klotzli's do not get a good comparison with WH knives.

I think some feel that the use of 440C (used in many Klotzli knives) is substandard. I suppose for these prices, it may be, but it is a fine steel for smaller, thinner knives like these. A number of their more recent releases use ATS-34, effectively the same blade steel that William Henry uses.

Klotzli typically uses a near-mirror polish on most of their knives, which I prefer to the satin finish that predominates at WH.

Another mythical caution in buying a Klotzli is that if you ever want to send it back for warrantee or repair, worry about international shipping. However, using Global Priority Mail on a small pocket knife is only $5 and very reliable. The folks at Klotzli speak excellent English, as does virtually everyone in Switzerland.

The only real problem with their knives is that they have just terrible secondary market value, which means if you buy one, you will pay a heavy penalty for changing your mind.
 
Congrats and welcome! If you want to try freehand, you can protect the finish from scratches by putting masking tape on the blade. Just leave about 1 mm above the blade bare. The sharpening FAQ here on BF is invaluable, as is a search for sharpening. You'll find enough stuff to keep you reading for days, literally. Good luck.
 
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