- Joined
- Jan 14, 2015
- Messages
- 1,312
So, here we go, please note that these are just my impressions, i wouldn't call it a full blown review. Still, if this is the wrong place, please feel free to move it.
I initially stumbled over the West and it's bigger brother (The Strand) when searching Kickstarter for some of my favourite keywords either titanium or knife
Project page:
https://www.kickstarter.com/project...-carry-pocket-knives-the-strand-a/description
Back then I was looking for a §42a compliant folder (German law, meaning your knife can either be lock or one handed opening, not both, so the West fit the bill) to complement my Victorinox Pioneer X with a better blade steel (I have in the meanttime given up on complying to 42a ).
My problem was finding something factory made (meaning no need to mod it), sort of traditional but updated with modern materials ind the direction of a gentleman folder.
So when I found the kickstarter for this I was immediately thrilled. Sleek lines, pleasing subtle style, nice blade shape and steel, I funded a West for me. Getting the early bird special I think it was about 75$ something.
Time passed by and I actually forgot about the knife. Bryce Alexander the project founder did a great job at keeping us updated and asides from a seemingly small hiccup in the production of the West blade it all went smoothly, so credit where credit is due!
Still, I am an impatient dude... and as we got a 2016 limited edition Victorinox Pioneer X for my firstborn son this year, I felt the need to get another one for my to have matching pairs... this will come into play later on.
So time passed and suddenly towards I think the end of november I received a shipping notification... my West was on the way. Cool! No I was of course excited... basically a knife which was already paid for and not deducted in this months bills.
The knife arrived in a padded envelope, inside a black box with quietcarry on it. sorry, no pictures. Inside the box I found a card for the limited lifetime warranty card and stuck in foam the knife itself.
First impression: so slick and so cool! I chose the satin finish blade and titanium scales version.
Note: I am not good at taking pictures and natural light is kind of scarce right now as well, so sorry for that, I tried my best
Presentation:
Excellent, it came out of the box in a nice finish, with the drilled accents and the overall smooth presentation side. Of course the finish will scratch over time, in fact it has already done so through pocket carry. Personally do not consider this a negative, it is just a given with the finish when you actually carry the item.
On the other side sits the clip which offers good retention as well as the heads of the screws holding the knife together. Overall the knife is little more than the titanium scales, the stainless back spring, the blade and the parts holding it together.
The blade is D2 as mentioned, no clue about the hardness etc. It does work nice and came sharp out of the box. The travel includes a half stop and is smoother, if i would put a well worked SAK at 4 I would rate this a 5 in strength right now, a Manly Comrade coming in somewhere around 8. The blade rides on phosphor bronze washers, excellent!
These pictures show my only two, rather minor, gripes with the knife:
- the grind is a bit uneven/wavey
- the blade spine does not sit flush with the spring, though I don't even know whether this is a flaw or intended by design
So finally here are a shot in hand and for comparison with my Pioneer X.
So in the end, what it comes down to is a great little gent's knife which is basically legal to carry everywhere and is made of great materials with excellent fit and finish.
I could not find any other knife similar to this one at the given price and I would always by another one if needed/wanted. Strangely enough the West does not appear in the Quietcarry webshop, only the Strand is available. I do not know whether it will be available in the future or whether there wasn't enough demand to make it into standard production.
The "bad" part? Well, as I mentioned, I got this SAK to match the one we got for my son. And besides being slightly bigger and thicker it does everthing the West does as good or better. This does not make the West a bad knife, to the contrary it is an excellent knife.
Comparing these would be like reasoning "I am sometimes late to work, so I think I might have to upgrade to a Ferrari".
I initially stumbled over the West and it's bigger brother (The Strand) when searching Kickstarter for some of my favourite keywords either titanium or knife
Project page:
https://www.kickstarter.com/project...-carry-pocket-knives-the-strand-a/description
Back then I was looking for a §42a compliant folder (German law, meaning your knife can either be lock or one handed opening, not both, so the West fit the bill) to complement my Victorinox Pioneer X with a better blade steel (I have in the meanttime given up on complying to 42a
).My problem was finding something factory made (meaning no need to mod it), sort of traditional but updated with modern materials ind the direction of a gentleman folder.
So when I found the kickstarter for this I was immediately thrilled. Sleek lines, pleasing subtle style, nice blade shape and steel, I funded a West for me. Getting the early bird special I think it was about 75$ something.
Time passed by and I actually forgot about the knife. Bryce Alexander the project founder did a great job at keeping us updated and asides from a seemingly small hiccup in the production of the West blade it all went smoothly, so credit where credit is due!
Still, I am an impatient dude... and as we got a 2016 limited edition Victorinox Pioneer X for my firstborn son this year, I felt the need to get another one for my to have matching pairs... this will come into play later on.
So time passed and suddenly towards I think the end of november I received a shipping notification... my West was on the way. Cool! No I was of course excited... basically a knife which was already paid for and not deducted in this months bills.
The knife arrived in a padded envelope, inside a black box with quietcarry on it. sorry, no pictures. Inside the box I found a card for the limited lifetime warranty card and stuck in foam the knife itself.
First impression: so slick and so cool! I chose the satin finish blade and titanium scales version.
Note: I am not good at taking pictures and natural light is kind of scarce right now as well, so sorry for that, I tried my best
Presentation:
Excellent, it came out of the box in a nice finish, with the drilled accents and the overall smooth presentation side. Of course the finish will scratch over time, in fact it has already done so through pocket carry. Personally do not consider this a negative, it is just a given with the finish when you actually carry the item.
On the other side sits the clip which offers good retention as well as the heads of the screws holding the knife together. Overall the knife is little more than the titanium scales, the stainless back spring, the blade and the parts holding it together.
The blade is D2 as mentioned, no clue about the hardness etc. It does work nice and came sharp out of the box. The travel includes a half stop and is smoother, if i would put a well worked SAK at 4 I would rate this a 5 in strength right now, a Manly Comrade coming in somewhere around 8. The blade rides on phosphor bronze washers, excellent!
These pictures show my only two, rather minor, gripes with the knife:
- the grind is a bit uneven/wavey
- the blade spine does not sit flush with the spring, though I don't even know whether this is a flaw or intended by design
So finally here are a shot in hand and for comparison with my Pioneer X.
So in the end, what it comes down to is a great little gent's knife which is basically legal to carry everywhere and is made of great materials with excellent fit and finish.
I could not find any other knife similar to this one at the given price and I would always by another one if needed/wanted. Strangely enough the West does not appear in the Quietcarry webshop, only the Strand is available. I do not know whether it will be available in the future or whether there wasn't enough demand to make it into standard production.
The "bad" part? Well, as I mentioned, I got this SAK to match the one we got for my son. And besides being slightly bigger and thicker it does everthing the West does as good or better. This does not make the West a bad knife, to the contrary it is an excellent knife.
Comparing these would be like reasoning "I am sometimes late to work, so I think I might have to upgrade to a Ferrari".
