Just got one. This is an interesting knife. I'm more of a user than a collector and I don't really keep knives that don't get pocket time. Not sure yet if this will be a carrier for me.
Summary: This ticks a lot of boxes for me: great steel, slicey, fit and finish, unique, deep carry/tip up, and great handle material. Challenges are the weight and handle thickness. Note that I am gravitating toward smaller and lighter - I'm carrying a Chaparral most days. This feels huge in comparison.
F&F: The fit and finish are great. Another Taichung knife that just blows me away. I'm rubbing my fingers all over the back and front side of the liners/frame. Not a sharp edge anywhere. I mean none. No obvious chamfering of edges, but they feel great. Backspacer to scales alignment is dead on.
Handle: Scales are fantastic. I keep rubbing my thumb over the presentation side. This has to be my favorite CF handle by a lot. Deep (100% deep) carry clip that looks great. Appears to be RH carry only - sorry Lefties. The tip of the clip is a hot-spot in my palm, unfortunately. Less so if I choke up and use the finger choil. Little bit of a hot spot on the liner lock for me as well. Also goes away if I use the choil. I think the far side of the cutout (away from the blade) is higher than it needs to be. (Can explain this better if needed.)
Blade: I was concerned about the blade thickness - remember that I love the Chaparral. This thing is an ffg and is slicey. It's not the chaparral, but it's better than many other blades with thinner stock. It slices well. The cutting edge to handle ratio looks a little small (haven't measured yet). There is a minor swedge that tapers off toward the tip. Evenly ground on both sides and looks great.
Action: Action is stiff but smooth. Haven't disassembled or loosened the pivot. Maybe could run less stiff? As it is I won't be Spydie flicking it open. The Spydie hole also partially covered by the lock, which also makes flicking it a challenge. Lockup is ~30% and rock solid. No hint of blade play in any direction.
Carry: It carries well. It disappears 100% into the pocket with the great deep carry clip. The thickness isn't really an issue. It's a little wide to get my hand past but not obnoxious at all. The smoothness and curve of the back help a lot.
Issue for me: This is a thicker, heavier knife than I like to carry. The solid backspacer also moves the balance fairly far behind the pivot, so it's handle heavy. I almost wish they'd used a CF back-spacer. That would have ruined the great look on the back, but would have helped with the weight.
Wish list: put it on a diet, give it a detent ramp, fix the lock hot-spot and maybe the clip hot-spot (this could just be my hands).
On the fence about moving it into the carry rotation due to size and weight. Quality, fit/finish, blade, and scales are simply exceptional. And for me it's a stunning looking knife.
Will post some pics if there's interest. Apologies for the long-winded overview.
EDIT: Pics added. Used a phone, so apologies for the close-ups not being better. Also wiped it down with a yellow microfiber towel so you'll see some fibers on it in some shots.
I think the lock could be lowered on the left a mm or two.
I may put put the clip in a vice and bend the ramp down just a little.
Blade is very sharp. Cuts newsprint as well.
Summary: This ticks a lot of boxes for me: great steel, slicey, fit and finish, unique, deep carry/tip up, and great handle material. Challenges are the weight and handle thickness. Note that I am gravitating toward smaller and lighter - I'm carrying a Chaparral most days. This feels huge in comparison.
F&F: The fit and finish are great. Another Taichung knife that just blows me away. I'm rubbing my fingers all over the back and front side of the liners/frame. Not a sharp edge anywhere. I mean none. No obvious chamfering of edges, but they feel great. Backspacer to scales alignment is dead on.
Handle: Scales are fantastic. I keep rubbing my thumb over the presentation side. This has to be my favorite CF handle by a lot. Deep (100% deep) carry clip that looks great. Appears to be RH carry only - sorry Lefties. The tip of the clip is a hot-spot in my palm, unfortunately. Less so if I choke up and use the finger choil. Little bit of a hot spot on the liner lock for me as well. Also goes away if I use the choil. I think the far side of the cutout (away from the blade) is higher than it needs to be. (Can explain this better if needed.)
Blade: I was concerned about the blade thickness - remember that I love the Chaparral. This thing is an ffg and is slicey. It's not the chaparral, but it's better than many other blades with thinner stock. It slices well. The cutting edge to handle ratio looks a little small (haven't measured yet). There is a minor swedge that tapers off toward the tip. Evenly ground on both sides and looks great.
Action: Action is stiff but smooth. Haven't disassembled or loosened the pivot. Maybe could run less stiff? As it is I won't be Spydie flicking it open. The Spydie hole also partially covered by the lock, which also makes flicking it a challenge. Lockup is ~30% and rock solid. No hint of blade play in any direction.
Carry: It carries well. It disappears 100% into the pocket with the great deep carry clip. The thickness isn't really an issue. It's a little wide to get my hand past but not obnoxious at all. The smoothness and curve of the back help a lot.
Issue for me: This is a thicker, heavier knife than I like to carry. The solid backspacer also moves the balance fairly far behind the pivot, so it's handle heavy. I almost wish they'd used a CF back-spacer. That would have ruined the great look on the back, but would have helped with the weight.
Wish list: put it on a diet, give it a detent ramp, fix the lock hot-spot and maybe the clip hot-spot (this could just be my hands).
On the fence about moving it into the carry rotation due to size and weight. Quality, fit/finish, blade, and scales are simply exceptional. And for me it's a stunning looking knife.
Will post some pics if there's interest. Apologies for the long-winded overview.
EDIT: Pics added. Used a phone, so apologies for the close-ups not being better. Also wiped it down with a yellow microfiber towel so you'll see some fibers on it in some shots.
I think the lock could be lowered on the left a mm or two.
I may put put the clip in a vice and bend the ramp down just a little.
Blade is very sharp. Cuts newsprint as well.
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Not a fair comparison with respect to slenderness and weight! But the PPT carries very well and surprisingly unnoticeably in my office pants. Maybe not for a suit, but not really a problem for casual wear. The other attributes are so good that I will carry it.
