Well, here we go, pull up a cactus and have a read.
I received the Lum Chinese Passaround on Monday and have had just a little bit of time to play with it and wring it out. My first impression was quite good. Overall quality is much better than average; in a word, its smooth. Fit and finish is very nice. The corners are beveled and/or rounded and the spine of the blade is also nicely smoothed. When its closed, theres nothing to cut you, just as it should be. It has a very nice rounded shape when closed. It features screw construction, so you can take it apart if you feel so inclined. The anodizing on the handle scales is of a dull light blue, very uniform and quite attractive. Now for the real breakdown.
The blade is beautiful!!!! Its VG-10, flat ground and nice and wide. It has a continuous curve along the cutting edge and slices like very few other blades. Theres not much of a tip, but it is sufficient for most things. The hole is very well positioned for opening, which is very smooth. Lockup is firm, with no real play in any direction. The blade arrived quite sharp, but I took it upon myself to touch it up before I started. Ive found VG-10 to be VERY easy to sharpen in the past and this knife took an excellent edge in no time. I havent really tested edge holding yet, but I still have about 24 hours to wring it out in that respect.
The handle is very nice overall. I liked it a lot better than I had expected. What I notice immediately was its light weight. That was also noticed by the 5 other people who have handled it, in two cases being their first comment. Its a slim design, but actually fits well into the hand. I have rather large hands and find that some knives get lost. I tend to prefer larger handles as they tend to slip and move less. I was somewhat disappointed in the lack of any type of guard on this model, but here was another pleasant surprise. The curve of the handle was perfect to prevent much forward or rearward motion. It was much more secure in both forward and reverse grips than it originally appeared to me. If in doubt, handle one. Youll see what I mean. The handle is also very thin, equal to a Salsa, but only about 2/3 of a Lil Temperance or Gunting. This is both good and bad in my opinion. It makes carrying a dream, but isnt ideal for comfort when really cutting. Its not bad, just not ideal for me. The clip is fairly straightforward, no real compliments or complaints.
Overall, it has a nearly neutral balance as it has a rather large blade for the handle. Its balance point is about 3/8 to ½ behind the pivot. Consequently, it just sort of sits in the hand. It was unique for me, its the only folder Ive held that was like this. Granted its no heavyweight, but it feels almost weightless in my hand. It feels much lighter to me than the Salsa, though the Lum is a tad heavier.
Now, all that being said, what is it good for? Quite a bit. As a general light use folder, it would really perform well due to its blade and would never really be a burden. For a blade that large, there is little in its weight class. Ive carried it IWB and it hasnt poked or been uncomfortable, even during 25 miles of bike riding. I really forgot it was there and was relieved to find it was still with me when I went to bed last night. Its not scary looking, though it is fairly big. I could see it being a good knife for someone who has to dress up daily for their job, but didnt want to skimp on all around utility or self defense capabilities. It looks nice and performs even better. Like I said, I havent had the opportunity to really use it, so much of this is theory.
Now, having praised it, here comes the real test. Am I going to buy one for myself? No. I dont have much use for it at the current time. For daily use, I carry a Gunting and now a Lil Temp. Both fill my hand a bit better and the Lil Temp will slice just like the Lum while filling my hand a bit better. Even when I get all dressed for Sunday, the Gunting and LilTemp are close at hand, though an Almite Navigator clipped inside my suit jacket is generally used, especially in the presence of non-knife lovers. If I werent so caught up with the Navigator, the Lum would have a chance.
However, I am considering buying a Lum for my brother-in-law. He is a person who basically lives inside an office and could use a good knife. I think it would serve him well as an EDC; something capable of handling nearly all of his knife needs without being too scary to his co-workers.
Go here for some size comparison scans.
http://www.villagephotos.com/pubbrowse.asp?selected=173208
I received the Lum Chinese Passaround on Monday and have had just a little bit of time to play with it and wring it out. My first impression was quite good. Overall quality is much better than average; in a word, its smooth. Fit and finish is very nice. The corners are beveled and/or rounded and the spine of the blade is also nicely smoothed. When its closed, theres nothing to cut you, just as it should be. It has a very nice rounded shape when closed. It features screw construction, so you can take it apart if you feel so inclined. The anodizing on the handle scales is of a dull light blue, very uniform and quite attractive. Now for the real breakdown.
The blade is beautiful!!!! Its VG-10, flat ground and nice and wide. It has a continuous curve along the cutting edge and slices like very few other blades. Theres not much of a tip, but it is sufficient for most things. The hole is very well positioned for opening, which is very smooth. Lockup is firm, with no real play in any direction. The blade arrived quite sharp, but I took it upon myself to touch it up before I started. Ive found VG-10 to be VERY easy to sharpen in the past and this knife took an excellent edge in no time. I havent really tested edge holding yet, but I still have about 24 hours to wring it out in that respect.
The handle is very nice overall. I liked it a lot better than I had expected. What I notice immediately was its light weight. That was also noticed by the 5 other people who have handled it, in two cases being their first comment. Its a slim design, but actually fits well into the hand. I have rather large hands and find that some knives get lost. I tend to prefer larger handles as they tend to slip and move less. I was somewhat disappointed in the lack of any type of guard on this model, but here was another pleasant surprise. The curve of the handle was perfect to prevent much forward or rearward motion. It was much more secure in both forward and reverse grips than it originally appeared to me. If in doubt, handle one. Youll see what I mean. The handle is also very thin, equal to a Salsa, but only about 2/3 of a Lil Temperance or Gunting. This is both good and bad in my opinion. It makes carrying a dream, but isnt ideal for comfort when really cutting. Its not bad, just not ideal for me. The clip is fairly straightforward, no real compliments or complaints.
Overall, it has a nearly neutral balance as it has a rather large blade for the handle. Its balance point is about 3/8 to ½ behind the pivot. Consequently, it just sort of sits in the hand. It was unique for me, its the only folder Ive held that was like this. Granted its no heavyweight, but it feels almost weightless in my hand. It feels much lighter to me than the Salsa, though the Lum is a tad heavier.
Now, all that being said, what is it good for? Quite a bit. As a general light use folder, it would really perform well due to its blade and would never really be a burden. For a blade that large, there is little in its weight class. Ive carried it IWB and it hasnt poked or been uncomfortable, even during 25 miles of bike riding. I really forgot it was there and was relieved to find it was still with me when I went to bed last night. Its not scary looking, though it is fairly big. I could see it being a good knife for someone who has to dress up daily for their job, but didnt want to skimp on all around utility or self defense capabilities. It looks nice and performs even better. Like I said, I havent had the opportunity to really use it, so much of this is theory.
Now, having praised it, here comes the real test. Am I going to buy one for myself? No. I dont have much use for it at the current time. For daily use, I carry a Gunting and now a Lil Temp. Both fill my hand a bit better and the Lil Temp will slice just like the Lum while filling my hand a bit better. Even when I get all dressed for Sunday, the Gunting and LilTemp are close at hand, though an Almite Navigator clipped inside my suit jacket is generally used, especially in the presence of non-knife lovers. If I werent so caught up with the Navigator, the Lum would have a chance.
However, I am considering buying a Lum for my brother-in-law. He is a person who basically lives inside an office and could use a good knife. I think it would serve him well as an EDC; something capable of handling nearly all of his knife needs without being too scary to his co-workers.
Go here for some size comparison scans.
http://www.villagephotos.com/pubbrowse.asp?selected=173208