- Joined
- Nov 18, 2005
- Messages
- 7,425
I bought a 4" Mountaineer and a 4" Shadow not too long ago. I liked the size and was pushed a little by the fact that they're now discontinued. Well, I finally gave in and bought one of the 5 1/2" Mountaineer (II) knives today. There are some trade-offs with these - they are relatively heavy due to the handle construction, and the handles are not exactly highly ergonomic. But they are great knives and classic knives and it's hard to resist...
I spent a while comparing the shop's Mountaineer and Shadow knives with 5 1/2" blades. The 4" versions are quite different. The grind on the 4" Mountaineer is much higher than the 4" Shadow, and the tip is thinner and the clip very pronounced.
Comparing the 5 1/2" versions, they were much more similar. In fact, the two I was looking at were very close. The grind line was essentially at the same height, and the difference between the clip and spear point tips wasn't all that significant, either. Throw in the fact that there's no index on the Shadow to clue you in to whether the edge is down or up (or at least I couldn't find any kind of index) and my decision was not that hard - I chose the Mountaineer II. Unlike the 4" purchases, I don't see myself being able to rationalize purchasing the Shadow in this size - it's just not that different.
I am not really sure whether this will be a user, a semi-collectible, or whether it will eventually move on to another owner, but I was very sure that I wasn't going to be able to change my mind later, so I'm feeling quite good about buying this one when I did.
Another big thumbs-up to Chris and the crew, and a thanks as well.
I spent a while comparing the shop's Mountaineer and Shadow knives with 5 1/2" blades. The 4" versions are quite different. The grind on the 4" Mountaineer is much higher than the 4" Shadow, and the tip is thinner and the clip very pronounced.
Comparing the 5 1/2" versions, they were much more similar. In fact, the two I was looking at were very close. The grind line was essentially at the same height, and the difference between the clip and spear point tips wasn't all that significant, either. Throw in the fact that there's no index on the Shadow to clue you in to whether the edge is down or up (or at least I couldn't find any kind of index) and my decision was not that hard - I chose the Mountaineer II. Unlike the 4" purchases, I don't see myself being able to rationalize purchasing the Shadow in this size - it's just not that different.
I am not really sure whether this will be a user, a semi-collectible, or whether it will eventually move on to another owner, but I was very sure that I wasn't going to be able to change my mind later, so I'm feeling quite good about buying this one when I did.
Another big thumbs-up to Chris and the crew, and a thanks as well.
let us know when you get the 5.5 shadow!
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What I meant to convey was that I am very well acquainted 