- Joined
- Jan 25, 2000
- Messages
- 4,492
I suppose you guys have had enough of hearing about Nick Wheeler, but I finally got around to getting a pic of a little knife I picked up from him in Atlanta and figured I would give you a peek along with some info.
About 6 months ago I posted on this very forum a request for some maker's who might be willing to make me the a small carry knife that combined the various elements I thought would add up to make my personal carry dream knife that wouldn't break the bank so to speak and without a long wait. Something that could be used for true utility as I see, a little bit of everything. I was after nothing real special, a forged 4" blade, micarta handle and with superb cutting performance all done up in a design of my own making. It sounded simple enough at the time but I was having a hard time finding and selecting a maker to take this little project on.
Enter Nick. Nick took the time to email me one day and he said he could make the knife I wanted, no problem. I didn't know him at all and actually knew very little of his work. What I knew though was enough so that we agreed to go ahead with it. I emailed him a crappy drawing of the knife as I envisioned it. I later found out that the pic he received was about the size of a postage stamp, so most of what you see if the design of Nick, not me
The knife has a 4" blade as requested. Nick chose to forge it from W-1 as he said he gets great performance from it and it can take a wild etch when differentially heat treated. The blade is about 3/16" at the guard which might sound a little thick, but it incorporates a full distal taper and false edge that really helps with cutting and balance.
While my design was to incorporate a mortised Micarta handle with integral guard, Nick felt that it would be better served with a stainless guard so that is what we did. Speaking of the handle, what can I say, it is just the most wonderfully done Micarta handle I have seen. Even if you don't normally go for Micarta, I would be surprised if you didn't like this one. The seams are non-existant, I have had many people ask, "this isn't a one piece handle?". The finish on the handle is really quite nice, it provides good grip despite being finished to 1200 grit! Who the hell finishes Micarta that fine? Nick does I guess. It has not been buffed however, so it is not as glossy or slippery as those typically encountered. The patterns in the green canvas just jump out at you and the contours provide a comfortable, secure grip. All in all, one of the nicest handles I have ever wrapped my hand around.
I just wish my pic was of better quality than it is so you can see the details in all their glory. Fit and finish is absolutely spot on. Nick had some very nice (as many of you have seen lately
) knives on his table, but the finish work on this little blade was every bit on the level of those much more expensive blades. This man simply makes a knife to his standards, regardless of size, cost or materials. And his standards are way up there. For what it is worth, this is far and away the most knife for the dollar spent I have ever bought. Thanks, Nick 
About 6 months ago I posted on this very forum a request for some maker's who might be willing to make me the a small carry knife that combined the various elements I thought would add up to make my personal carry dream knife that wouldn't break the bank so to speak and without a long wait. Something that could be used for true utility as I see, a little bit of everything. I was after nothing real special, a forged 4" blade, micarta handle and with superb cutting performance all done up in a design of my own making. It sounded simple enough at the time but I was having a hard time finding and selecting a maker to take this little project on.
Enter Nick. Nick took the time to email me one day and he said he could make the knife I wanted, no problem. I didn't know him at all and actually knew very little of his work. What I knew though was enough so that we agreed to go ahead with it. I emailed him a crappy drawing of the knife as I envisioned it. I later found out that the pic he received was about the size of a postage stamp, so most of what you see if the design of Nick, not me
The knife has a 4" blade as requested. Nick chose to forge it from W-1 as he said he gets great performance from it and it can take a wild etch when differentially heat treated. The blade is about 3/16" at the guard which might sound a little thick, but it incorporates a full distal taper and false edge that really helps with cutting and balance.
While my design was to incorporate a mortised Micarta handle with integral guard, Nick felt that it would be better served with a stainless guard so that is what we did. Speaking of the handle, what can I say, it is just the most wonderfully done Micarta handle I have seen. Even if you don't normally go for Micarta, I would be surprised if you didn't like this one. The seams are non-existant, I have had many people ask, "this isn't a one piece handle?". The finish on the handle is really quite nice, it provides good grip despite being finished to 1200 grit! Who the hell finishes Micarta that fine? Nick does I guess. It has not been buffed however, so it is not as glossy or slippery as those typically encountered. The patterns in the green canvas just jump out at you and the contours provide a comfortable, secure grip. All in all, one of the nicest handles I have ever wrapped my hand around.
I just wish my pic was of better quality than it is so you can see the details in all their glory. Fit and finish is absolutely spot on. Nick had some very nice (as many of you have seen lately
) knives on his table, but the finish work on this little blade was every bit on the level of those much more expensive blades. This man simply makes a knife to his standards, regardless of size, cost or materials. And his standards are way up there. For what it is worth, this is far and away the most knife for the dollar spent I have ever bought. Thanks, Nick 
