Darrel, thanks for the replies.
As I said, I like the knife.
But the fact that it's price is in the range as the Sebenza, it's a ti frame lock and it's semi production has everyone comparing it to a Sebenza whether you want that to happen or not.
I'll try to address your response the best I can..
Originally posted by Darrel Ralph
I dont understand the washer comment?
We use a large washer on one side to make the knife more stable.
Can I ask ... does the blade wobble? If not we have done a good job.
The other think is ... How smooth is the knife when you open it?
I hear it is extra smooth with NO blade play at all?
The ID on my washers are significantly larger than the OD of the pivot pin, there's probably an .03 gap between the two all of the way around. Basically the washers are too big (ID) for the pivot.
Yes, lockup is tight and yes the knife is smooth.
But I do think this can be considered a QC or design shortcoming. When people buy a $300+ knife they like to see precision, my washers are not precision.
Is there a benefit to having the washers fit like this?
Originally posted by Darrel Ralph
As for the thinner scales, we had the scales at .150.The knife felt a little bulky with the large handle size. So we thinned it a little to get a better feel and less weight.
Our goal is this. If you carry a knife 8 miles a day what do you want a knife to do?
Weight as little as possible while maintaining the highest strength and reliability possible.
Feel right in the hand.
I like the thin grip, it's one of the things that appeals to me on the knife.
I never said it was a shortcoming, just compared it to the Sebenza.
If I want to carry a big beefy knife at times then I've got other ones to grab.
Originally posted by Darrel Ralph
Next... We were going to use d2. The price on d2 and 440c are the same. So what is the beef? I have reports that the 440C-OS cuts very well, sharpens back up fine and holds a good edge? We are offering an s30v blade for those who want it. For everyday use do you need it?
Again, I agree with the merits of 440c and have several knives in it.
Although the stock for 440c may be the same price as D2, 440c is a much easier steel to grind and finish, which should cut prodution costs both in time and consumables. This is one of the reasons 440c knives usually cost less.
Why else would the Benchmade AFCK cost $30 more in D2 than the TSEK in 440c? (they are essentially the smae knife) It costs more to make a knife in a premium steel like S30V, D2 or M2 etc.. than 440c.
No, I don't need S30V for EDC and neither do 99.8% of the other people on this board. But if you are going to spend $300+ for a knife it's nice to know you have a premium steel.
Originally posted by Darrel Ralph
The pivot is the same size as the through stud on the sebenza?
3/16. So I guess there are both small is what you're saying? The sebenza uses a bushing. This make the pivot look bigger but in reality the stud that the bushing rides on is 3/16 just like the Combat Elite. We just dont like the bushing style system on a knife.
When you add a bushing the tolerance between the bushing and the pin adds more slop to the pivot. Ours system (1 blade pivot hole + one stud = 2 tolerances). Sebenza (1 blade hole + 1 bushing hole = 2 also, add one hole for the stud that the bushing slips onto and the tolerance = 3 instead of two). This is more slop in the bushing system because of an extra fit for the bushing to the stud.
I will have to differ with you on this one.
A pivot bushing is milled slightly thicker than the blade. So when the scales are tightened together the bushing is fixed tightly in place by the pivot pin. This effectively increases the pivot size to what ever the diameter of the bushing is. The blade then rotates around the bushing as opposed to the pin. Any shock or abuse now has to be transferred through the bushing and into the pin. This also allows the bushing to handle the blade activity and the pin to just hold everything in place.
Fitting the bushing to the blade should not be any different than fitting the pivot pin to the blade, it's just a bigger hole and both methods are just a stationary pivot point for the blade. What does make it for a tougher job fitting is making sure the bushing is thick enough for the blade to rotate freely but not so thick as to introduce slop.
When talking tolerances I think that is something that's up to the manufacturer to get right, but as a well informed consumer I look at a pivot bushing as a premium option.
Now, not every knife I own is on a bushing but I think it's a nice premium feature that is a benefit on an expensive knife.
Originally posted by Darrel Ralph
If anyone thinks a bronze washer will make them feel better knifekits.com has them very cheap. Buy a set and see if you like them in your knife.
Thanks for the tip, I'll do that.
Originally posted by Darrel Ralph
The lanyard does not quite line up with the lanyard because if it did the ring would hang over the end of the knife.
Folks asked for tip up carry. We gave it to them the best we could.
We could have moved the clip down below the lanyard. This was the other choice. I feel what we did was the right choice.
BTW there will be a fold over clip coming out from me that will fit the knife. This clip will give you a deeper carry!
I will be using this clip on all my customs! It will replace any of my ring style clips.
Cool, this is what I was looking for. The first thing I though when I switched mine to tip up was that it would be nice if a clip was made available that looked better "tip up" and was the reason for my comment. I will buy one when they're available.
Originally posted by Darrel Ralph
You are right about the gun and knife market. We have the 25th anniversary model that will be available in a set from Wilson combat with a 45 auto. These will be in numbered sets for there 25th anniversary. So is it a good thing to be in the gun market also?
We think it's great!
I think it's awesome which is why I mentioned it. I have a lot of friends that are gun crazy and can't understand why I will spend $500 on a knife. Maybe converging the two industries a little will change some opinions.
Originally posted by Darrel Ralph
As for the coating. This coating is used on Wilson combat 45 pistols.
That's good enough for us. No coating lasts forever. There is no holy grail. We also have control of this coating process. This means allot to us. No vendors screwing up batch's of parts. If we screw up it's our fault.
Agreed. I actually like the knife better when the coating gets beat up.
Originally posted by Darrel Ralph
I hope this explains that way we think. We never said it what we make would be able to please everyone. We just build the knife that we feel works for police and military daily.
With any product release it's bound to stir emotions one way or another, my opinion is just one of them.
While I love the knife and think it's a very good package overall I do think it has some minor short comings, as any product does.
I do appreciate your willingness to take my issues head on whether we ultimately agree or not.
If it makes you feel better I have a few issues with the Sebenza that I can share as well...
Darrel, how about something with a 4.5" blade? There are so many knives on the market at 4" and a lot on the market at 5.5" - 6" (most of them yours) but very few in the 4.5" range which is one of my favorite sizes...
I won't buy anything between 2.75" and 3.5", too big to be loose in the left pocket and too small to be clipped to the right IMO.
