- Joined
- Feb 4, 1999
- Messages
- 5,786
I recently had the opportunity to pick up another of Sean Perkins' knives on the Bladeforums site. It was purchased was purchased secondhand, but it appears to be in excellent, barely used condition. The Littlewing was one of Sean's attempts at making runs of the same knife and selling them for lower prices, and this was a pretty popular one while he offered it. I believe the original price was $35-$45 if I remember correctly, which is dirt cheap for the quality.
The knife itself is 1/8" thick A-2 that is differentially heat treated. The overall length is just a hair over 4.5" and the blade is slightly over 1.75" long. It has a right handed chisel grind and is one of Sean's "integral" knives, meaning there are no handle scales. The handle has a thong hole with a large diameter countersink, which is a nice effect.
This knife, like a lot of Sean's earlier knives, features a rough texture for improved grip and unique looks. The Littlewing a rough, stoned texture on the handle, then the blade itself is given what looks to be a 220 belt finish running at about a 45 degree angle. The blade is more or less a Wharncliffe with a bit of belly to it, and has the same finish as the blade flats, except the belt finish runs perpindicular to the edge. This gives the edge a "microserrated" feel, and definitely improves the slicing ability of the knife.
The knife is sent with a leather pocket sheath that would also work for neck carry. The sheath is heavy tool leather held together with three rivets, and bears Sean's signature along with the series number, in this case, #25. The knife itself also features Sean's signature and the model number is inscribed on the spine of the knife. Little touches like these signatures separate this knife from other "production" knives, plus the fact that they are all handmade without patterns makes each Littlewing a bit different from all the others. Overall, the knife and sheath together are 5" in length, making it easily carried in the pocket.
I have three of Sean's other fixed blades and one of his friction folders, too, and the Littlewing is possibly my favorite piece. The handle just fits my hand like a glove, and unlike many other integral knives I have in 1/8" stock (including some of my own!), this one feels really nice in the hand without any uncomfortable hot spots, twisting, or weird ergonomics. Ergonomically speaking, the handle does not appear to be fancy and really isn't shaped to accommodate the hand, but for some reason this just fits my hand like a glove.
The blade cuts very nicely, and because of the texture, excels at slicing tasks. For push cuts it is not quite as sharp, and due to the fact that it is a chisel grind I do have a bit of trouble keeping the blade going straight, but that is just a drawback of that type of grind. Sean's wharncliffe blades generally have a bit of belly to them, which I prefer to the totally flat edge some makers use.
As usual, Sean has made a knife that is light, strong, and excels at cutting. It is also incredibly comfortable to use, easily carried, and has rugged looks that are completely unique and a joy to look at. I do not regret in the least that I added a Littlewing to my collection, and the day after I bought this one I almost grabbed another, but the seller had unloaded it before I got a chance to email him.
Sean's recent work is in 154CM. A few years ago he offered one of his patterns in ATS-34, but discontinued it because he wasn't 100% satisfied with its performance. Sean says that the 154CM is turning out absolutely great, and he has a bunch of knives available right now for kitchen and utility use. The new handle shapes are sort of Japanese inspired (in my opinion), and the lines of the knife are just superb. With 5 Perkins knives in my collection, I guarantee that you wouldn't go wrong with one of the new ones he is making. Now, if I could only save some $$ and buy one for myself!
------------------
Dr. Steve Agocs
http://www.geocities.com/Chiro75/frames.html
agocs_s@hotmail.com
The knife itself is 1/8" thick A-2 that is differentially heat treated. The overall length is just a hair over 4.5" and the blade is slightly over 1.75" long. It has a right handed chisel grind and is one of Sean's "integral" knives, meaning there are no handle scales. The handle has a thong hole with a large diameter countersink, which is a nice effect.
This knife, like a lot of Sean's earlier knives, features a rough texture for improved grip and unique looks. The Littlewing a rough, stoned texture on the handle, then the blade itself is given what looks to be a 220 belt finish running at about a 45 degree angle. The blade is more or less a Wharncliffe with a bit of belly to it, and has the same finish as the blade flats, except the belt finish runs perpindicular to the edge. This gives the edge a "microserrated" feel, and definitely improves the slicing ability of the knife.
The knife is sent with a leather pocket sheath that would also work for neck carry. The sheath is heavy tool leather held together with three rivets, and bears Sean's signature along with the series number, in this case, #25. The knife itself also features Sean's signature and the model number is inscribed on the spine of the knife. Little touches like these signatures separate this knife from other "production" knives, plus the fact that they are all handmade without patterns makes each Littlewing a bit different from all the others. Overall, the knife and sheath together are 5" in length, making it easily carried in the pocket.
I have three of Sean's other fixed blades and one of his friction folders, too, and the Littlewing is possibly my favorite piece. The handle just fits my hand like a glove, and unlike many other integral knives I have in 1/8" stock (including some of my own!), this one feels really nice in the hand without any uncomfortable hot spots, twisting, or weird ergonomics. Ergonomically speaking, the handle does not appear to be fancy and really isn't shaped to accommodate the hand, but for some reason this just fits my hand like a glove.
The blade cuts very nicely, and because of the texture, excels at slicing tasks. For push cuts it is not quite as sharp, and due to the fact that it is a chisel grind I do have a bit of trouble keeping the blade going straight, but that is just a drawback of that type of grind. Sean's wharncliffe blades generally have a bit of belly to them, which I prefer to the totally flat edge some makers use.
As usual, Sean has made a knife that is light, strong, and excels at cutting. It is also incredibly comfortable to use, easily carried, and has rugged looks that are completely unique and a joy to look at. I do not regret in the least that I added a Littlewing to my collection, and the day after I bought this one I almost grabbed another, but the seller had unloaded it before I got a chance to email him.
Sean's recent work is in 154CM. A few years ago he offered one of his patterns in ATS-34, but discontinued it because he wasn't 100% satisfied with its performance. Sean says that the 154CM is turning out absolutely great, and he has a bunch of knives available right now for kitchen and utility use. The new handle shapes are sort of Japanese inspired (in my opinion), and the lines of the knife are just superb. With 5 Perkins knives in my collection, I guarantee that you wouldn't go wrong with one of the new ones he is making. Now, if I could only save some $$ and buy one for myself!
------------------
Dr. Steve Agocs
http://www.geocities.com/Chiro75/frames.html
agocs_s@hotmail.com
