Queen Copperhead a good starter traditional knife?

[bobusx]

I am interested in getting into some traditional folders. I am pretty satisfied with my locking folders, and the style of the older folders is very interesting.

I have a few cheapo bucks, namely the Trio and the Deuce, but one new knife in particular has caught my eye. A Queen Copperhead in Curly Zebra Wood. I find it very attractive looking. I actually like the writing on the blade in this case, even though I normally hate stuff on the blade.

My question is, what is the overall intended design purpose? Many traditional knives seem to have specific blades for specific purposes, and carry multiple blades to help accomodate that. I find that with my multiblade knives, I usually only ever use one of the blades. That is what got me interested in the Copperhead, it seems to be boiled down to just what I would use.

Given the above, does that knife sound like a good start into traditional knives? What would you recommend? I am partial to Queen atm, I like how they look, and I love D2 steel, so seems like a good combo. Thanks.

 

[puukkoman]

I think you'll be very pleased with that choice. I have the same one, in ACSB (amber carved stag bone), and I can recommend it highly. Queen makes an excellent knife.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

I'm a fan of Queen too. The aesthetics of the handles/shield/blade are very attractive to me (and I like the Queen tang stamp too; just looks classy to me). D2 is a great steel for a traditional pocketknife. The one thing about Queen's D2 blades is that many of them come with a factory edge grind that many people find too obtuse (thick). If you are comfortable with reprofiling & sharpening D2 or other 'tough' steels, this may not be a concern for you. Other than the obtuse edge, these are great knives for the money. If you do decide to put your own acute, polished edge on one, a very attractive knife will become an absolutely gorgeous knife, with an edge that the D2 will hold for a good, long while.

 

[neeman]

The Cooperhead is a very good single blade working knife and is a good transition from modern to trad
Strong enough for the field and pleasant enough for the house

The spine of the blade is thicker, and the blade is wider than many clip blades; and all of this in a very slim package.
So it stout enough for some good cutting, knowing that is non-locking

I also like to grind an acute edge on the blade and you see in the point of the clip

 

[black mamba]

They actually do make the copperhead in either slip-joint or as a liner lock. It's a very nice compromise size at 3-3/4", both pocketable and big enough for just about anything. Good choice. If you like a spear point, they also make the teardrop (#06L), which is just an eighth inch longer.

 

[bobusx]

Excellent, thank you for the responses, it sounds like it is exactly what I was hoping it would be. Think I will order one this weekend, so I can get it just in time for my Tour in Korea. I hope to frequent this sub forum a little more, and learn about the different types of traditionals, they are very interesting, but being a novice, all the different types are definately a bit confusing as to their purposes. Thanks again.

 

[neeman]

I am corrected

 

[arty]

If the Copperhead is 3 5/8" long, it is a little shorter than the mini hunter linerlock. Mine is 3 3/4. I also have a teardrop linerlock and it is slightly longer than the mini hunter linerlock model.

 

[John Schedel]

I think that you and your Queen "Copperhead" will get along just fine. God bless on your upcoming deployment.

 

[Peter Parker]

My first Queen was a button lock Queen Copperhead. It's hard to beat if you want a good single blade, just a good all a rounder!

 

[bobusx]

I think that you and your Queen "Copperhead" will get along just fine. God bless on your upcoming deployment.

Thanks for the Blessing, not going anywhere that dangerous, just Korea for a year.

I did get my Queen Copperhead in Curly Zebrawood today. First impression is that it is a beautiful knife, and it sharpened up a lot easier than I thought it would, considering all the forum talk about Queens being hard to reprofile.

I did find one issue though, the blade grind is very lopsided. Its really emphasized at the tip, where the grind is so bad it almost crosses over and creates two tips. :barf: Guess its gonna take some work to get that tip up to par. I would almost consider exchanging it, but it would not make the cycle before I was out of country. Just gonna have to slowly work the tip back into shape.

Overall pretty satisfied, blade grind is the only thing I could find that wasn't very nice, and it is definately a good looking knife, and I know the D2 Steel will handle whatever I need to throw at it.