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Question about Al Mar folders??

S

Spydiefan04

Joined
Jan 8, 2005
Messages
819
I posted this on another forum and haven't heard anything back, hopefully someone here will know something.

I'm curious about the new mini SERE 2000, the fullsize SERE is too large for my EDC needs, what I'd like to know is how is the size of this knife in comparison to a Spyderco Delica 3 or a Benchmade 705 or 940 I have all of these so I figured they'd be a good frame of reference.

Also I'm curious about the Al Mar ultralights, they look like good knives and I love the flat ground blades (but i've never seen any Al Mar in person) how do they compare (blade thickness, toughness, etc) to a Spyderco Delica or Endura?

Thanks
 
I held a mini sere, and to me it is a major improvment over the full size. Very few really need a knife like the sere. It is an anoyance in your pocket. -To me, at least. The mini fit my avg. hands very well, and had a good blade length for edc. Also has the ability to ride unnoticed in the pocket. I don't have a mini to compare, but would say it's approx. the size of a delica. Sold my sere because of blade play, but think that is rare, and I would like to find a mini with a black blade someday.
 
I find the sere 2000 a little big for jean pockets, but fits well in khakis and acus. I have owned 2 sere 2000s and they have absolutely no blade play whatsover. I think they have the best finish of any folder under 200 or maybe 300 for that matter. They are fairly resilient too.
 
I don't have any of the knives you listed to compare, but I just got my Al Mar Mini SERE and I love it! Perfect for pocket carry, just the right size, have it clipped on the inside corner of my jeans pocket and never know it's there. I have large hands and it still fits my hand. I also have the larger SERE 2000 and it is too big for pocket carry, but this one is just right.
 
I have a Al Mar Falcon Ultalight and love it. Edge geometry is great and it cuts like a lightsaber. It is so slim and lightweight you barely notice it.
 
Here's what I wrote a while back about the Al Mar Ultralight Eagle Talon: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3396521&postcount=3

I picked up an Eagle Talon Ultralight earlier this year, and when summer came, it was probably my most carried EDC. With micarta scales, no liners and a narrow blade, it weighs as close to nothing as you can get in a 4"-blade folder, making it ideal for carry in shorts or lightweight pants.

The clip design is unique to Al Mar. There's a hole through the handle, like a lanyard hole, but threaded and with a notch on either side. The clip has a single screw hole with a small tab that matches the notch in the handle hole; one large screw holds it in place, while the tab and notch set-up keeps the clip from rotating around the screw. Very simple, very effective. I'll be taking some other knife pics tonight, I'll try to add a couple of the clip later.

It's definitely a lightweight knife, not the sort of thing you'd use to baton through a log, so I'm not sure what you'd consider appropriate "heavy use". But the blade is ground from ~1/10" stock, so it's not exactly flimsy, either. I've used mine for the usual mail opening, but also food prep, cutting up cardboard boxes, opening those dreaded clam-packs, slicing rope and cord of various sizes, a bit of light whittling, etc. and it handled it all just fine. Despite the lack of metallic liners, the micarta handle is fairly thick and quite rigid, and the shape of the handle is quite comfortable for such a slim knife.
Click to expand...
 
I have the Eagle ultralight and like it. The mechanism is very stiff, so it does not flick open, but that's okay.

I was curious how light it would feel, as it has a 4" blade. 2 oz is almost weightless, and the construction is very solid.

Nice little knife!
 
The main problem with some of the thumbstud equipped Al Mar folders is that when you place your thumb on the stub, it feels like you're applying pressure to the edge of a razor-blade!
 
Monocrom said:
... when you place your thumb on the stub, it feels like you're applying pressure to the edge of a razor-blade!
Click to expand...
Buff the thumbstud with a piece of ceramic sharpener, like a Sharpmaker rod or a Gatco Tri-Seps.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Buff the thumbstud with a piece of ceramic sharpener, like a Sharpmaker rod or a Gatco Tri-Seps.
Click to expand...

That sounds like a good idea.

The thing that bothers me is, considering the price, a razor-like thumbstud is unacceptable.:thumbdn:

The first tactical folder I ever owned was a $15 model from Fury. And it had a better thumbstud than anything I've tried from Al Mar.:eek:
 
Hey, what can I say? Al Mar himself was a tough guy; he probably had a tough thumb. :cool:

Incidentally, I worked up that trick on Spyderco knives. They cut the blades out so cleanly that the back of the blade feels like it has a wire edge on both sides. I buffed them off, and to look or feel, they are still squared off cleanly, but the sharpness was gone.
 
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