- Joined
- Jul 7, 2000
- Messages
- 1,556
A couple months ago, I asked fellow forumites for advice on a fixed blade knife to buy. I wanted something with a 4" blade or more that could be carried IWB. Since it should be fit for this method of carry, the blade should be relatively thin. I wanted it to have a guard or a deep finger groove (like the AFCK). After numerous suggestions, I didn't find anything that I felt justified in spending my money on. When Spyderco released the Perrin, I knew it was the answer to my quest.
I ordered from the Knifecenter for the first time, as they were the only online vendor I could find that carried the Perrin. Since they're in-state for me, the knife arrived less than 24 hours after my order. I opened the box, however, to find a Lum Tanto FB. I checked the invoice, and I had been charged for the Perrin. This means that I paid about $50 less than what the knife was worth. I guess I could have kept it, but I try to think of myself as a stand up guy. I called them to notify them of the mistake and they told me to ship it back (which they would pay for). I rate their service as top notch. As soon as they received the Lum back from me, they called to notify me that they had credited my card the cost of my shipping and the Perrin was on its way to me.
Before I get to the Perrin, let me just share my thoughts from handling the Lum for 24 hours:
To see a pic that I took of the Lum, click here: http://cpm440v.tripod.com/lumtantofb.htm
While the Lum was beautiful, I'm not sure if it's for me.
I'm not really a fan of polished handles, but the Lum was a lot more secure than one might think. Once again, Spyderco delivers great ergonomics. Still, my main complaint of this knife is its lack of a more pronounced guard.
The blade was, of course, scary sharp. I didn't do any testing on it, except for popping a few hairs, since the knife was being returned. I didn't get a chance to evaluate the performance of the appleseed grind as I would hate to be the guy who receives a used knife from an online store.
The sheath was, well, boring. I don't get it... why this sheath??? While I'm a fan of kydex, I understand the desire to use leather. Still, the sheath just didn't do it for me: it swallows the knife whole. No matter the material, I prefer minimalist sheaths. It looks like something you'd stick a fillet knife in.
The tapered tang is sweet but I couldn't get the balance to work for me. Maybe I'm just stupid, or maybe I didn't get to handle it enough, but the weight to size ratio didn't float my boat.
All in all, I'd buy this knife (for real this time) under two conditions:
1. A better guard: I just don't trust this piece for a hard stab.
2. A kydex sheath. This condition doesn't need to be satisfied by Spyderco: there are plenty of sheathmakers on the forums. Still, that's more money added towards the total package.
The Perrin, while not as pretty, is a much more appealing package to me.
To see my Perrin (number 324
) click here: http://cpm440v.tripod.com/perrin.htm
I like how the number is on the spine.
The full flat grind is, in a word, fantastic. The fact that it's VG-10 only makes it better. I've fallen in love with fully flat ground knives. My Lum Chinese, Calypso Jr, and Temperance Jrs have shown me the amazing performance available in this blade geometry. I don't use my knives for prying or digging so the loss of strength over the different saber grinds isn't a worry for me. The swedge allows for amazing penetration, and I might consider sharpening it. I love the shape of a bowie blade.
I know that this isn't a full-tang fixed blade, but can anyone tell me exactly how the handle is set up? How far back does the tang go? How is the handle secured?
The handle is great. The kraton inlays, deep finger groove, spine serrations, and ergonomic palm swells all add up to one of the most secure knives I have. This knife just feels great in the hand.
The lanyard hole is quite large. If I remember correctly, Fred Perrin utilizes lanyards quite frequently so you can see that this design is very purpose driven.
The Perrin balances perfectly right in the finger groove, and its light weight is fantastic. The knife is quick, and flows amazingly well. There's no BS-ing about what this knife is for.
The sheath is great: it's secure, without being too tight, and without any rattle. Here's where I'm going to have to call out Spyderco though. Why would they include a mini-tek-lok with this sheath?!?!? This knife and its sheath are perfect for IWB carry, which the mini-tek-lok cannot accommodate. Who wants to carry this on the outside of their belt? Luckily, I had a G-clip to put on the sheath, but this isn't the case for everyone. Seems like another case of having to buy more to complete the package. I set mine up for a reverse grip draw.
I also recently received diamond rods for my Sharpmaker which I purchased from bestknives.com.
While they certainly speed up in re-profiling, the statement that they will "sharpen a butter knife in 5 minutes" is a bit hyperbolic. They're worth the $50 price tag, in my opinion, but I'm a knife knut so almost all knife-related accessories are "worth it" for me.
Hope this info helps. Feel free to post any questions.
I ordered from the Knifecenter for the first time, as they were the only online vendor I could find that carried the Perrin. Since they're in-state for me, the knife arrived less than 24 hours after my order. I opened the box, however, to find a Lum Tanto FB. I checked the invoice, and I had been charged for the Perrin. This means that I paid about $50 less than what the knife was worth. I guess I could have kept it, but I try to think of myself as a stand up guy. I called them to notify them of the mistake and they told me to ship it back (which they would pay for). I rate their service as top notch. As soon as they received the Lum back from me, they called to notify me that they had credited my card the cost of my shipping and the Perrin was on its way to me.
Before I get to the Perrin, let me just share my thoughts from handling the Lum for 24 hours:
To see a pic that I took of the Lum, click here: http://cpm440v.tripod.com/lumtantofb.htm
While the Lum was beautiful, I'm not sure if it's for me.
I'm not really a fan of polished handles, but the Lum was a lot more secure than one might think. Once again, Spyderco delivers great ergonomics. Still, my main complaint of this knife is its lack of a more pronounced guard.
The blade was, of course, scary sharp. I didn't do any testing on it, except for popping a few hairs, since the knife was being returned. I didn't get a chance to evaluate the performance of the appleseed grind as I would hate to be the guy who receives a used knife from an online store.
The sheath was, well, boring. I don't get it... why this sheath??? While I'm a fan of kydex, I understand the desire to use leather. Still, the sheath just didn't do it for me: it swallows the knife whole. No matter the material, I prefer minimalist sheaths. It looks like something you'd stick a fillet knife in.
The tapered tang is sweet but I couldn't get the balance to work for me. Maybe I'm just stupid, or maybe I didn't get to handle it enough, but the weight to size ratio didn't float my boat.
All in all, I'd buy this knife (for real this time) under two conditions:
1. A better guard: I just don't trust this piece for a hard stab.
2. A kydex sheath. This condition doesn't need to be satisfied by Spyderco: there are plenty of sheathmakers on the forums. Still, that's more money added towards the total package.
The Perrin, while not as pretty, is a much more appealing package to me.
To see my Perrin (number 324
) click here: http://cpm440v.tripod.com/perrin.htmI like how the number is on the spine.
The full flat grind is, in a word, fantastic. The fact that it's VG-10 only makes it better. I've fallen in love with fully flat ground knives. My Lum Chinese, Calypso Jr, and Temperance Jrs have shown me the amazing performance available in this blade geometry. I don't use my knives for prying or digging so the loss of strength over the different saber grinds isn't a worry for me. The swedge allows for amazing penetration, and I might consider sharpening it. I love the shape of a bowie blade.
I know that this isn't a full-tang fixed blade, but can anyone tell me exactly how the handle is set up? How far back does the tang go? How is the handle secured?
The handle is great. The kraton inlays, deep finger groove, spine serrations, and ergonomic palm swells all add up to one of the most secure knives I have. This knife just feels great in the hand.
The lanyard hole is quite large. If I remember correctly, Fred Perrin utilizes lanyards quite frequently so you can see that this design is very purpose driven.
The Perrin balances perfectly right in the finger groove, and its light weight is fantastic. The knife is quick, and flows amazingly well. There's no BS-ing about what this knife is for.
The sheath is great: it's secure, without being too tight, and without any rattle. Here's where I'm going to have to call out Spyderco though. Why would they include a mini-tek-lok with this sheath?!?!? This knife and its sheath are perfect for IWB carry, which the mini-tek-lok cannot accommodate. Who wants to carry this on the outside of their belt? Luckily, I had a G-clip to put on the sheath, but this isn't the case for everyone. Seems like another case of having to buy more to complete the package. I set mine up for a reverse grip draw.
I also recently received diamond rods for my Sharpmaker which I purchased from bestknives.com.
While they certainly speed up in re-profiling, the statement that they will "sharpen a butter knife in 5 minutes" is a bit hyperbolic. They're worth the $50 price tag, in my opinion, but I'm a knife knut so almost all knife-related accessories are "worth it" for me.
Hope this info helps. Feel free to post any questions.
