Silver's 4.1 is finally home!!!! (Now pic heavy!)

Silver Needle

Silver Needle

Joined
Jul 14, 2014
Messages
5,802
I received my long awaited new spec GSO 4.1 yesterday! I wanted to share the news, but I'll be back to share more thoughts and make a post worthy of such an excellent knife. Not surprisingly, it's incredible. The grinds and lines are flawless. The microtextured g10 feels amazing. It really feels good to hold. I'm hoping to get some use with it this weekend.

 


So the kind of crazy thing with this knife is that it is the first SURVIVE! knife I ever put money down for. I burst onto this scene right before the starter campaign took off and at that time the old spec stuff wasn't always available for sale. I jumped in on the starter while waiting impatiently for my grail GSO 5 to be up for sale. Since placing this very first order I have received several old spec knives direct from the company as well as some other new spec knives. I also snatched a couple old spec blades second hand.

Want to hear some things you already know?
The knife is hair shaving sharp, it does it with ease. The sheath has excellent fit. There is no sharp click when I sheath the knife, but retention is very solid.

I'll need to check to confirm, but it seems the balance is a little back towards the handle compared go my old 4.1, 4.7 and 5. Maybe the g10 (and of course non-skeletonized tang) are the cause. Regardless, it feels really good to hold and use. Did I mention how much I like the textured g10?!?


20170629_232514_zpsq3dkxygz.jpg

The big thing on my mind now is if I'll be able to get g10 handles to pimp out an SK some day.

I was hoping to fully commit to this over the weekend,

but more work than I had planned and a wedding anniversary are taking priority. I have such a hard life! This is where I'm at so far.


From the tiniest bit of batoning and some whittling/carving I did, I can feel some differences in the blade compared to the 4.7 or 5. I was surprised at myself that I actually really liked a slightly less tall (edge to spine) blade for the carving. Tall blades have always been my thing and that was a big part of the allure to the old 5 for me. Anyways, it was a lot of fun to use and did an exemplary job at the tasks I threw at it.

Cutting vegetables was better than I remember with the old 3.5, but still a wedge feeling compared to a dedicated kitchen knife. I believe in the right tool for the job, so this doesn't bother me. I want a knife that can destroy and finely carve wood and this knife does that.


Thanks for breakfast 4.1.


There are many others here who have loads of experience and really keen senses in feeling and comparing knives and steels and blade geometries. I often feel like I stumbled into a wine tasting and sat in between real sommeliers and I just showed up to get a buzz. I love GSOs, but don't have exactly what it takes to do an in depth review or comparison.

I had some random thoughts scribbled down about how I could do a comparison of my old spec 4.1 to the Becker bk16 in @OBX351 's Head to Head thread, but I dragged my feet so long that my new spec 4.1 arrived. This should inspire me to get going on that little project again.


Thanks, SURVIVE! team!!!! I absolutely love this product and am so happy to see more customers getting their orders. Here's to increased capabilities and the start of great days ahead :thumbsup::thumbsup:

 
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Jim Beam makes me shudder but other than that, awesome! :thumbsup: That's a good variety of things to get to know the new knife. It looks like the G10 balances pretty close to where it does with the canvas micarta, maybe just a tad farther back on the handle.
 
Awesome man :)
Looks like a incredibly useful design/size. And quite similar to the CPK FK.
Has it taken the 4.7s spot as your favourite?
 
Also, ive noticed a lot of the new torx screws have an orange glimmer to them. Does anyone know whats up with that?
 
grogimus said:
Jim Beam makes me shudder but other than that, awesome! :thumbsup: That's a good variety of things to get to know the new knife. It looks like the G10 balances pretty close to where it does with the canvas micarta, maybe just a tad farther back on the handle.
Click to expand...
Shudder??? Why?!? I don't enjoy the white label straight, but the 2 I have pictured I could drink all night. I prefer both of them to standard Evan Williams and, in my opinion, on the same shelf as E.W. single barrel. The lower price and easier availability here make up for them not being quite as good as the single barrel.
 
XtianAus said:
Awesome man :)
Looks like a incredibly useful design/size. And quite similar to the CPK FK.
Has it taken the 4.7s spot as your favourite?
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Definitely useful, but really hard to say which I like better! I need more use with the 4.1 to get a better sense about I like the handle shape. I can't really think of anything I could do with either that I can't do with the other, but the slightly smaller and lighter 4.1 might win out because it's just as useful, but slightly easier to carry or pack.

XtianAus said:
Also, ive noticed a lot of the new torx screws have an orange glimmer to them. Does anyone know whats up with that?
Click to expand...
You're noticing that too? I saw it right away with my 4.7 when I got it. It's like a tarnishing down in the grooves and I haven't figured out a way to do anything about it. It's like someone put a drop of water in the open space of the fastener and let it sit for an extended period. It makes zero difference to the functionally, so it really doesn't bother me, but I'm planning on flipping that top fastener around, so I don't have to look at it when I hold the knife in a standard grip.
 
I think that it is difficult for the manufacturer of the fasteners to reliably polish the bottom of the torx socket.
 
Fancier said:
I think that it is difficult for the manufacturer of the fasteners to reliably polish the bottom of the torx socket.
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That makes sense, still too bad to have one little brownie spot on an otherwise fully, sexy steel colored set up.

I wonder if there is a DIY method that could fix it.
 
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