Here is a quick review on a custom knife I had Justin Gingrich make based on the Ranger Knives RD4 design.
- Removed the pommel and shortened the blade for an overall length of 9"
- Hollow brass pins
- Desert Ironwood scales
- Satin finish blade in 5160 1/4" steel flat ground with a convex edge
I placed the order back just before Thanksgiving and it was complete in just 11 days. That is a pretty good turnaround in my book for a custom knife!
After it was complete, I had Justin ship it directly to the sheath craftsman over at http://www.chuddybearleather.com/
I ordered a randall pouch sheath in medium brown with the x-back (which is standard). This allows for both vertical and horizontal carry
From the time he received my knife, until the order shipped was around 3 weeks - again excellent for a custom sheath.
I have not got the chance to get to the woods and put the knife thru its paces yet. I am up in bush Alaska, and the temp is currently -45 outside so the following are just my initial impressions.
First the knife. It is a very nice looking and sharp knife - but when you pick it up you have this urge to try to put it thru your front door or something similar. It is a very stout blade due to the blade thickness, but that is what I was looking for. The handle profile is same as an RD4 and it fills the hand nicely. The desert ironwood scales really look good with the satin finish but are also rather utilitarian in that they are also very hard and should be very durable.
The sheath is extremely well put together and very solid. There is no retention strap holding the knife in but you can pretty much take the sheath and shake it upside down and the knife stays in. Which is saying a lot based on the weight of the knife. There are actually some magnets in the sheath somewhere which aid in retention that were added free of charge as he thought they might be a good idea. The sheath is perfectly molded to the knife and a lot of attention was obviously given to the details - like the nice edges and stitching. I love the x-back design. It provides a rock-solid attachment point to my belt in both horizontal and vertical carry. There is no movement of the sheath once it is on. In vertical carry, it sits high and tight against the body and disappears under a jacket or shirt.
I work up here in wildland firefighting/forestry and I plan on using this as a EDC both on and off the job. You can pretty much tote around a good sized fixed blade (or gun for that matter) concealed or open up here with nobody even blinking - gotta love Alaska.
http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s145/Bigenzo/100_1371.jpg
http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s145/Bigenzo/100_1374.jpg
http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s145/Bigenzo/100_1370.jpg
http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s145/Bigenzo/100_1371.jpg
- Removed the pommel and shortened the blade for an overall length of 9"
- Hollow brass pins
- Desert Ironwood scales
- Satin finish blade in 5160 1/4" steel flat ground with a convex edge
I placed the order back just before Thanksgiving and it was complete in just 11 days. That is a pretty good turnaround in my book for a custom knife!
After it was complete, I had Justin ship it directly to the sheath craftsman over at http://www.chuddybearleather.com/
I ordered a randall pouch sheath in medium brown with the x-back (which is standard). This allows for both vertical and horizontal carry
From the time he received my knife, until the order shipped was around 3 weeks - again excellent for a custom sheath.
I have not got the chance to get to the woods and put the knife thru its paces yet. I am up in bush Alaska, and the temp is currently -45 outside so the following are just my initial impressions.
First the knife. It is a very nice looking and sharp knife - but when you pick it up you have this urge to try to put it thru your front door or something similar. It is a very stout blade due to the blade thickness, but that is what I was looking for. The handle profile is same as an RD4 and it fills the hand nicely. The desert ironwood scales really look good with the satin finish but are also rather utilitarian in that they are also very hard and should be very durable.
The sheath is extremely well put together and very solid. There is no retention strap holding the knife in but you can pretty much take the sheath and shake it upside down and the knife stays in. Which is saying a lot based on the weight of the knife. There are actually some magnets in the sheath somewhere which aid in retention that were added free of charge as he thought they might be a good idea. The sheath is perfectly molded to the knife and a lot of attention was obviously given to the details - like the nice edges and stitching. I love the x-back design. It provides a rock-solid attachment point to my belt in both horizontal and vertical carry. There is no movement of the sheath once it is on. In vertical carry, it sits high and tight against the body and disappears under a jacket or shirt.
I work up here in wildland firefighting/forestry and I plan on using this as a EDC both on and off the job. You can pretty much tote around a good sized fixed blade (or gun for that matter) concealed or open up here with nobody even blinking - gotta love Alaska.
http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s145/Bigenzo/100_1371.jpg
http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s145/Bigenzo/100_1374.jpg
http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s145/Bigenzo/100_1370.jpg
http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s145/Bigenzo/100_1371.jpg
