- Joined
- Nov 11, 2002
- Messages
- 1,969
I received this knife in the mail yesterday and thought I'd offer a couple quick first impressions. I looked the knife over and, not surprisingly, the fit and finish was good. No gaps in the scale fit. No blade movement in any direction when open. The scales do have a slight high point over the pins from finishing, the shield sets a little high. With the blade open, the back spring is slightly raised. If this were a higher priced, or custom knife, I wouldn't be pleased with that, but this knife is part of the Queen User series.
Queen has a large assortment of patterns in this series in which the knives are meant as users. The blade isn't highly polished, and, I don't want to say cheaper, but a less expensive scale material than say stag is used. It isn't a safe queen, nor meant to be.
But, good materials are still used, and the D2 steel is a good compromise between carbon and stainless steel blades. I've quite a few knives from different makers in D2 and have found it to hold an edge well. Sometimes, and I think this is a heat treat issue, it feels quite "hard" when you go to sharpen it, requiring a little more work on the stones. I only use a Sharpmaker so I can only speak of that. Happily, this knife came quite sharp. The pull is what I'd rate as medium. Maybe a 6. But the blade is pinchable too. So those of us with bad hands would find this knife usable. I opened it both by pinching the blade, and using the nail nick without difficulty. Mostly I just pinch the blade though on knives that I can so I don't break my nail. No half stop.
This is a very thin, or slim, knife. So when I dropped into my jeans pocket, it really disappears. Now, I am not a knife cutler by any means, more a knife accumulator, but due to the slimness of the knife, and the length of the blade, the ratio seems a tad off to me. I have hands on the smaller side, and it feels just a bit too thin for me to get a good solid grip on it. For a person with larger, beefier, hands, I do not think you'd like this knife.
All in all, if you're looking for a decent knife at a good price for the average guy's EDC tasks, this would fit the bill. For those required to wear slacks, or dockers type pants for work, this would be a good office knife that wouldn't frighten off the masses. But would still be enough knife for breaking down boxes or whatever you may run into during the day. And it is a nice looking knife as well.
SPECIFICATIONS
Overall Length: 6.50"
Blade Length: 2.75"
Blade Thickness: 0.11"
Blade Material: D2
Hardness: 58-59 RC
Blade Style: Clip Point
Blade Grind: Flat
Blade Finish: Satin
Edge Type: Plain
Handle Length: 3.75"
Handle Thickness: 0.42"
Handle Material: Wood, Birdseye Maple
Liner Material: Brass
Weight: 2.15 oz.
Knife Type: Manual Opener: Nail Nick
Lock Type: Slip Joint
Brand: Queen Cutlery
Model: 41 BEM
Country of Origin: USA
Queen has a large assortment of patterns in this series in which the knives are meant as users. The blade isn't highly polished, and, I don't want to say cheaper, but a less expensive scale material than say stag is used. It isn't a safe queen, nor meant to be.
But, good materials are still used, and the D2 steel is a good compromise between carbon and stainless steel blades. I've quite a few knives from different makers in D2 and have found it to hold an edge well. Sometimes, and I think this is a heat treat issue, it feels quite "hard" when you go to sharpen it, requiring a little more work on the stones. I only use a Sharpmaker so I can only speak of that. Happily, this knife came quite sharp. The pull is what I'd rate as medium. Maybe a 6. But the blade is pinchable too. So those of us with bad hands would find this knife usable. I opened it both by pinching the blade, and using the nail nick without difficulty. Mostly I just pinch the blade though on knives that I can so I don't break my nail. No half stop.
This is a very thin, or slim, knife. So when I dropped into my jeans pocket, it really disappears. Now, I am not a knife cutler by any means, more a knife accumulator, but due to the slimness of the knife, and the length of the blade, the ratio seems a tad off to me. I have hands on the smaller side, and it feels just a bit too thin for me to get a good solid grip on it. For a person with larger, beefier, hands, I do not think you'd like this knife.
All in all, if you're looking for a decent knife at a good price for the average guy's EDC tasks, this would fit the bill. For those required to wear slacks, or dockers type pants for work, this would be a good office knife that wouldn't frighten off the masses. But would still be enough knife for breaking down boxes or whatever you may run into during the day. And it is a nice looking knife as well.
SPECIFICATIONS
Overall Length: 6.50"
Blade Length: 2.75"
Blade Thickness: 0.11"
Blade Material: D2
Hardness: 58-59 RC
Blade Style: Clip Point
Blade Grind: Flat
Blade Finish: Satin
Edge Type: Plain
Handle Length: 3.75"
Handle Thickness: 0.42"
Handle Material: Wood, Birdseye Maple
Liner Material: Brass
Weight: 2.15 oz.
Knife Type: Manual Opener: Nail Nick
Lock Type: Slip Joint
Brand: Queen Cutlery
Model: 41 BEM
Country of Origin: USA
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