This Friday, I got my Custom spook made by Trace Rinaldi . It is pictured below with the OD green concealex sheath and an Axis lock for size (and recurve
) reference.
The blade is full flat ground from D2 stock, 3.4mm thick. Overall length is 20cm, the sharpened part of the edge is about 8cm. The handle slabs are burgundy micarta, smoothly fixed to the full tang with tiny mosaic pins. The lanyard hole is reinforced with a steel tube that is also flush with the handles. On the spine, there is filework right where the thumb rests in a saber grip. The sheath is a very clever design, the screw closest to the 'mouth' can be used to adjust retention of the blade, as well as for mounting a belt loop for IWB carry. Other options are neck and slip-sheath carry. A big surprise when I opened the package was that Trace had also included a Tek-Lok clip (Quote from his E-Mail to me : 'The Tek Lok is usually extra, but I figured you might like it and I was a bit late delivering' That's real customer service, thanks again !). This clip can mount to the sheath for vertical and horizontal carry, and is adjustable for different belt widths. Pictured below are the sheath with Tek-Lok attached and carry positions in the small of my back and inverted behind the left hip (my current favorite).
I'm left-handed, so I appreciate the fully ambidextrous design.
What got me interested in this knife is the integral guard that guarantees a secure grip during thrusts and the recurved edge that I learned to love on my Axis lock. The recurve on my Spook is more acute than that of the Axis lock, Trace changed the edge shape and the handle design slightly compared to the Spook pictured on his web site. Add the the flat grind, and the Spook outperforms the Axis lock when it comes to slicing cardboard. The handle is just long enough for my hand in saber and hammer grip, people with bigger hands than me or those who want a butt end (punyo) striking option will benefit from a longer handle. With a concealment blade, there is always a compromise to be made regarding that. The choil/finger cutout in front of the guard is great for doing finer work (Or for palming the blade to cut something without too much attention from others). So far, I haven't done any heavy-duty cutting, just having fun slicing cardboard, but with D2 steel and Paul Bos doing the heat treat, I can expect excellent edge retention.
In conclusion, this is an excellent little blade for a price that is hard to beat, the only downside was the waiting period (about 5 months), but even that was more than compensated by Trace, whose workmanship was excellent.
This knife will become my daily carry, and I'll post further observations soon.
Take care,
Tobse !
[This message has been edited by Tobse (edited 04-15-2000).]
[This message has been edited by Tobse (edited 04-15-2000).]
The blade is full flat ground from D2 stock, 3.4mm thick. Overall length is 20cm, the sharpened part of the edge is about 8cm. The handle slabs are burgundy micarta, smoothly fixed to the full tang with tiny mosaic pins. The lanyard hole is reinforced with a steel tube that is also flush with the handles. On the spine, there is filework right where the thumb rests in a saber grip. The sheath is a very clever design, the screw closest to the 'mouth' can be used to adjust retention of the blade, as well as for mounting a belt loop for IWB carry. Other options are neck and slip-sheath carry. A big surprise when I opened the package was that Trace had also included a Tek-Lok clip (Quote from his E-Mail to me : 'The Tek Lok is usually extra, but I figured you might like it and I was a bit late delivering' That's real customer service, thanks again !). This clip can mount to the sheath for vertical and horizontal carry, and is adjustable for different belt widths. Pictured below are the sheath with Tek-Lok attached and carry positions in the small of my back and inverted behind the left hip (my current favorite).
I'm left-handed, so I appreciate the fully ambidextrous design.
What got me interested in this knife is the integral guard that guarantees a secure grip during thrusts and the recurved edge that I learned to love on my Axis lock. The recurve on my Spook is more acute than that of the Axis lock, Trace changed the edge shape and the handle design slightly compared to the Spook pictured on his web site. Add the the flat grind, and the Spook outperforms the Axis lock when it comes to slicing cardboard. The handle is just long enough for my hand in saber and hammer grip, people with bigger hands than me or those who want a butt end (punyo) striking option will benefit from a longer handle. With a concealment blade, there is always a compromise to be made regarding that. The choil/finger cutout in front of the guard is great for doing finer work (Or for palming the blade to cut something without too much attention from others). So far, I haven't done any heavy-duty cutting, just having fun slicing cardboard, but with D2 steel and Paul Bos doing the heat treat, I can expect excellent edge retention.
In conclusion, this is an excellent little blade for a price that is hard to beat, the only downside was the waiting period (about 5 months), but even that was more than compensated by Trace, whose workmanship was excellent.
This knife will become my daily carry, and I'll post further observations soon.
Take care,
Tobse !
[This message has been edited by Tobse (edited 04-15-2000).]
[This message has been edited by Tobse (edited 04-15-2000).]
It took longer than I thought it would. Anyway glad to see you are happy with your Spook, I thought you were kinda crazy ordering Burgandy Micarta, and an OD Green sheath but it looked pretty neat after it was done.