Spartan Harsey Plague Doctor - Thoughts please

I was able to pick up my blue Plague Doctor at the post office Tuesday. (It had been delayed in transit with a delivery attempt later than usual on Saturday.)
Thumb studs seem solid and the action is much improved. I had noticed the unsharpened heel(?) previously, but it seems more prominent now...I'm guessing they "sharpened" the knife while it was there because there is a visible (though slight) dip from the sharpened edge down to the heel. (Sharpened in quotes because it was better before - doesn't grab a nail & barely cuts printer paper now)
 
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Oh my goodness have I been missing out! My first SHF, and I am absolutely in LOVE!

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I don't have many knives I don't/won't use, but I do have a couple. One is The Plague Doc. Another model that's put away for my sons is as follows: The Mayan.

I have a large pivot Runes & Staves and a PJ for usin' ... the large SHF MELTS into my hand. Best ergos in the biz for my $. :thumbsup:

As far as discussion about the lack of sharpening choil, my thought is as follows...

FACT-- The sharp edge has to terminate someplace.

I prefer for the sharpness NOT to terminate and drop off into a small divot <sharpening chiol> which will snag in stringy or fibrous matter.

I'm not a choil snob, but I prefer full choil or no choil with my usage.

I find it's better for the matter to gather and stop fore-ward of my leading finger where I can then draw the blade FREELY back through the material as needed, ymmv. "Horses for courses" sort of thing.
 
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I've said before that I thought the lack of choil would bother me or prove to be slightly difficult to sharpen, neither proved to be the case in actual use; it's that more of an aesthetic issue than anything.
 
Delgadonine said:
Chris and Mark were Green Berets. The SHF ergos represent a hard use path as a result.

I'm not just a collector, but also a user and worker. I enjoy and tolerate their ergos. Again, only a fixie gives me this level on confidence.

My suggestion: wear leather gloves when deploying and using a SHF.
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I respect the heck out ofnthe makers, and those that served, and aspire to own a shf, but i cant say i think its ok to have to wear gloves to not be uncomfortable! Totally valid suggestion, but personally id pay an extra 50ish dollars if theyd finish milling it!
 
I love my plain jane titanium SHF. That said, I think I'm going to grab a Plague Doctor next time I see one floating around. Spartan has some cool handle scale graphics but that one's the best (IMO)...
 
crk1984 said:
I respect the heck out ofnthe makers, and those that served, and aspire to own a shf, but i cant say i think its ok to have to wear gloves to not be uncomfortable! Totally valid suggestion, but personally id pay an extra 50ish dollars if theyd finish milling it!
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I'll venture that it depends on one's own hands. I have the G&C full size as my only specimen, but I find it extremely comfortable in hand. Like maybe one of the best I've ever had. Other notables I've owned and used that were in the same ballpark would be the standard size Emerson Commander, Rockstead Shin, Shirogorov F3 to name a few.
 
Officer's Match said:
I'll venture that it depends on one's own hands. I have the G&C full size as my only specimen, but I find it extremely comfortable in hand. Like maybe one of the best I've ever had. Other notables I've owned and used that were in the same ballpark would be the standard size Emerson Commander, Rockstead Shin, Shirogorov F3 to name a few.
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Ok now i know the rockstead and the f3 (i own or have owned both). So if the ergos and feel is similar i can certainly deal with that! I guess its probably one i should hold in hand before buying. Hopefully there are some at bladeshow texas here next month, if so ill get to do justnthat! Thanks for the comparison, genuinely!
 
crk1984 said:
Ok now i know the rockstead and the f3 (i own or have owned both). So if the ergos and feel is similar i can certainly deal with that! I guess its probably one i should hold in hand before buying. Hopefully there are some at bladeshow texas here next month, if so ill get to do justnthat! Thanks for the comparison, genuinely!
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Both of those are considerably "smoother" in hand, but I find the gear tooth jimping on the SHF to be in the right places and properly beveled to support a comfortable and strong grip. Much like a XM Hinderer.
 
I'm on the hunt for a shf. I'd really like a JOD in magnacut, but not sure it even exists. I'll call spartan later to ask. This may give my inkosi a run for its money on pocket time.
 
shinyedges said:
I'm on the hunt for a shf. I'd really like a JOD in magnacut, but not sure it even exists. I'll call spartan later to ask. This may give my inkosi a run for its money on pocket time.
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I noticed that they have a few special editions still in stock on their site; the pictures show S45VN blades but the description reads MagnaCut.

I think they like CRK and others are slowly moving towards the newer steel.

PM sent your way.
 
Love the Harsey design, no complaints about that. However, my ‘runes’ large had misaligned scales, so one sat a bit higher than the other. I’ve been a bit wary of them since - thought I must admit I’ve been tempted by the plague doctor design as well.

As for personal preferrence, I wouldn’t mind a sharpening choil - but that’s neither here nor there.
 
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