Queen 1095 Canoe

M

msiley

Joined
Aug 19, 2006
Messages
542
Just recieved a Queen 1095 Canoe Goldenroot in the mail today
from cumberlandknifeworks.com.

I was pretty excited, I was not expecting it to arrive so soon. I
ordered it on the weekend. Anywho.... I open up the USPS
box and see the knife wrapped in bubble tape. These
don't come in a box. (as indicated on the site) No biggie I'm not
a hard core collector.

Initial Impressions:
Looked really nice. All shiney and buffed.
Handles are beautiful.

I compare all slip joints to my all time favorite.
The Vic SAK Soldier. No slip joint that I own has reached
the quality of this knife. Snappy blades, no blade rub, high quality
overall. it's not a looker but I'm more interested in the functional comparison.

So, I open up the small blade... nice! really strong spring.
Actually maybe just a wee bit too strong.
Next I open up the big blade. nice snap... maybe even
a little snappier then the Soldier.... but not quite
as smooth... a bit rough. This will probably change in time.

Then I check for any blade play.... and crap! it wiggles.
This is the second queen that i've bought with blade play!

So I'm thinking well... I could send it back or.... just use a hammer.
So I take a small hammer .... put a piece of thick cloth over it and
tap it pretty hard.

Result ... no blade play! now all is fine.

I then opened each blade and checked for shapness by
shaving a little patch of hair on my arm. Not too bad, not
up to my standards but it's poppin hairs. This is in contrast
to my Queen D2 stockman which was really dull.

Also, the blades do rub a little bit against each other but
with this type of knife I'm thinking that is expected.

Here are my impressions quantified subjectively :-)

Fit and finish of handle 10
NIB Sharpness 8
Smoothness of opening and closing 4
Snappiness opening 8
Snappiness closing 6
Overall fit and finish 8

I am diappointed with the blade play and the rough
opening and closing... but I fixed the blade play and
hopefully the roughness will smooth out.
I plan on using her so she won't look pretty for long!

After 2 Queens with so-so fit and finish I'm rather reluctant
to purchase another. But since Queen seems to make knives
for just about everyone now a days that would leave me
with only Case and Boker as far as the big players go.

Thanks for listening.

(Note: I'd put this in the Knife Review Forum but I think
they are more interested in Tacticals that cut through
concrete.)

I have to say... as I sit here ... the knife is really starting to grow on me.
It has this nice chunky feel to it. nice big thick blades... hmmmm.
 
msiley said:
After 2 Queens with so-so fit and finish I'm rather reluctant to purchase another. But since Queen seems to make knives
for just about everyone now a days that would leave me
with only Case and Boker as far as the big players go.

Thanks for listening.
Click to expand...

I noticed it has a lot to do with the pattern because every #48 whittler or med stockman i've had came rock solid.

Good review. Thanks for sharing.
 
you know my stockman was solid except for blade play on the main blade.
it seems Queen is producing a lot of knives and with only around 30 people
it must be hard to keep up the quality..... I dunno ... maybe I just got two outliers.
 
msiley said:
Then I check for any blade play.... and crap! it wiggles.
This is the second queen that i've bought with blade play!

So I'm thinking well... I could send it back or.... just use a hammer.
So I take a small hammer .... put a piece of thick cloth over it and
tap it pretty hard.

Result ... no blade play! now all is fine.
Click to expand...

I have used a Mountain man and did the same thing. The MM didn't come with blade play, but after a season of good use, it was developed. A few taps with a dead blow, and it was GONE. I'm not a hard collector either so no bid deal. Most flaws can be overcome with simple tools and practices:thumbup:

Good for you:D
 
My Queen canoe with carved stag bone scales has no blade play. Walk and talk is good (not great) and the edges were honed nicely (a pleasant surprise). A really nice little knife.
 
after some oil and lots of opening and closing the roughness has mostly gone away. I have gotten the large blade to hair poppin sharp and am working on the small blade. All in all it really is a nice knife. I don't want to take anything away from it. the large blade is nice and thick ... this will make a great EDC.
 
Gotta say, I love this knife!
Rides well in the pocket & feels good in the hand. And 1095 steel is my all time favorite!
My .02

Dave
 
Thanks for the great review. I've been on the verge of getting one of those for a long time, and I think you may have sold me. I'm a realist when it comes to out of box fit and finish, as probably 25% of slipjoints I buy on the internet dissappoint when received. However, the fact that you were able to repair the problem with a little know how is reassuring.

On a similar note, I received two new Queens today (atually a Schatt & Morgan and a Queen) and everything was very satisfactory. The Schatt & Morgan is a wormgroove crimson bone scout, and the Queen is a yellow delrin handled 4" stockman with D2 blades.
 
Great review

I've been wanting to try a Queen product for sometime now, but my favorite is the MM and I always read about quality issues with that particular knife. I really don't like noticeable play in any knife so I'm still on the fence...

I like the gunstock pattern too, maybe I'll try one of those first.

Good Luck with your new knife
 
longbeachguy said:
Thanks for the great review. I've been on the verge of getting one of those for a long time, and I think you may have sold me. I'm a realist when it comes to out of box fit and finish, as probably 25% of slipjoints I buy on the internet dissappoint when received. However, the fact that you were able to repair the problem with a little know how is reassuring.

On a similar note, I received two new Queens today (atually a Schatt & Morgan and a Queen) and everything was very satisfactory. The Schatt & Morgan is a wormgroove crimson bone scout, and the Queen is a yellow delrin handled 4" stockman with D2 blades.
Click to expand...

Just out of curiosity, what is the tang stamp on the yellow stockman? Does it include the PH-D2? I am curious since I have never seen Queen advertise any yellow handled patterns in D2. I had thought that the yellow (or Amber) knives were all discontinued by 2002 when the new D2 steel was first used.
 
I just took some pictures to post but Photobucket is down so I'll try to put them up later. I bought it from a dealer and it must be old stock. It looks like it's been around a little while. It doesn't have "PH" on the blade like the newer ones. There's an etch near the spine at the base of the main blade that says "#9A"

I'll post some pics later.
 
longbeachguy said:
I just took some pictures to post but Photobucket is down so I'll try to put them up later. I bought it from a dealer and it must be old stock. It looks like it's been around a little while. It doesn't have "PH" on the blade like the newer ones. There's an etch near the spine at the base of the main blade that says "#9A"

I'll post some pics later.
Click to expand...

I would say that it is probably Queen Steel then. Remember D2 was not used before 2002 and as far as I know all D2 blades have the PH-D2 stamp.

I have seen a number of Ebay dealers selling various Queen knives that are not D2 but selling them as having D2 blades.
 
knifeaholic said:
I would say that it is probably Queen Steel then. Remember D2 was not used before 2002 and as far as I know all D2 blades have the PH-D2 stamp.

I have seen a number of Ebay dealers selling various Queen knives that are not D2 but selling them as having D2 blades.
Click to expand...

Hmmm.

Well at least it will be easy to sharpen.
 
I don't know if it was part of a special order or just using up some left over parts, but I've seen a Queen Country Cousin in yellow with a D2 blade. It was at a local knife shop. They had it and a SS one sitting side by side.

Leo
 
JPD1998 said:
Great review

I've been wanting to try a Queen product for sometime now, but my favorite is the MM and I always read about quality issues with that particular knife. I really don't like noticeable play in any knife so I'm still on the fence...

I like the gunstock pattern too, maybe I'll try one of those first.

Good Luck with your new knife
Click to expand...


I bought a MM last year. When it came the blade had a large amount of wobble. Sent it back for another. When it came in there was no wobble but it was dull as hell. I really like the look of their knives but I'm a bit on the fence with them as well. It sure is pretty though.
 
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