S&M ATS-34 File and Wire Congress, any thoughts? Good knife?

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SpyderJon

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Jan 27, 2002
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Howdy! Well, I've been trying to decide how to stretch my knife-buying dollar and so I'm looking at possibly getting one of these, but wonder if they're good or just ok? Anyone with one of these I would be happy to hear from. The knife in question is the 4" congress with red wormgroove bone and NS barlow bolsters. Looks good, and has ATS 34- which is rare for a slipjoint. So, is this a good buy or just another okay knife? Thanks!

Sincerely,
Anthony
 
Jon;

I have nver owned a File and Wire Tested, but I have owned over 100 Schatt & Morgans......I have never found a flaw with any of them. From what I have read from people that have the F&W series knives, they are awesome. And if you're going to use it, I can vouch for the fact that the ATS-34 used by Queen is great steel.


BTW, I see that you are in Bridgewater.....I'm in Hudson MA....do you ever go to the NCCA knife shows?
 
It is not as well fitted as I would have hoped for in a pocketknife costing that much money.
The blades are nicely sharpened with a good edge which I touched just a bit then stropped. I carried it for a while and it did everything I asked of it and I never had to touch up a blade on it during that time.
It also seems to me that some of insignia's, which are all on one side, should have been used on the other side of the knife. Having those classy bolster markings on both bolsters on the same side seems not well thought out to me. Each side should have had one bolster with the same markings.
It is indeed a worthy addition to my collection of congress knives though.
 
Thanks for the responses so far, and please keep them coming!

Wil, I read that the bolsters were just marked on one side and it DID strike me as indeed strange. Can you tell me what specific areas of fit were a problem? I'm concerned with the robustness (is that a word?) of the bone and how well it matches up to the bolsters.

Knifeaholic, Are the NCCA shows the ones held alternately between MA and CT? I haven't been to one of their shows yet, though I want to get to one. Usually they're on a Sunday, and that means I'd have to skip Church to go to them. I was going to go to the last one, but it was the start of our Lent (I'm Eastern Orthodox), and so I needed to be there. I'm planning on making one soon, though. I'd REALLY like to make the big show in CT one year. How well attended are the smaller shows- like in Marlboro?

Sincerely,
Anthony
 
Anthony;

Yes, they alternate between Marlboro MA and East Windsor CT. The smaller shows are usually pretty good - 30 to 40 dealers set up. The rooms never seem to be sold out in terms of tables, but a good showing.

The one in Stamford is in May this year. That one I can take or leave just due to the distance involved....almost like going to NYC.

go to www.ncca.info for schedules

BTW, if you have an interest in Queen and Schatt products, I have some for sale, also could show you some from my collection if you want to get a first hand look at patterns, handles, etc. I will be working on a project in Bridgewater starting next week so if you have any interest we could get together somehow.
 
Knifeaholic, where are you going to be in Bridgewater? That is a generous offer. I like a lot of queen and Schatt stuff, but prefer the ATS34 stuff to the D2. I really like D2, but its one of those steels that I find impossible to keep from getting it stained and having rust spots. It doesn't matter how much oil I use or don't use, if I wipe it down, if its carried in or out of my pocket, all I seem to get is rust spots and discolored blades.

I was really interested in this knife because I like Congress patterns- a little less than Saddlehorns, but thats neither here nor there. I was looking for a low-priced custom slipjoint, but realised that I may have a hard time getting what I want in the price point I need. The lowest priced custom maker I've seen so far still only offers one blade for just about the price the Schatt gets. The cheapest I've found for a custom slipjoint with 2 blades is still over twice what the Schatt is. So, I'm thinking that a Schatt may just be the best overall solution to my search. Its Schatt, Its ATS34, Its a Congress, you can't get much better than that on paper, but you have to get the opinion of others who are around if you ask me.

Let me know where you'll be, and when, and I'll see if I can get away. I'm the primary caregiver for our child so I have to see if I can schedule around that. Thanks, again for the info!!

Sincerely,
Anthony
 
I have several of the file and wire S&M knives. Fit and finish are certainly above average but somewhat variable from knife to knife. My Congress is spectacular so I have nothing but positive comments for you about that one. Unfortunately, I haven't carried it or used it so I can't comment on the blades.
 
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