Starmate

[Johnny brown]

I'm thinking of buying this knife.... Anyone own it or have thoughts about it? And I know its overpriced for the materials but that's not a concern, I wanna know what people have held the knife think. Also does anybody know if this is on bronze bushings?

 

[AF]

Not sure about the washers. I had one and I've read of others' experiences. They have a light detent. And a heavy blade. Not a good combo. Saber flat grind that is thick behind the edge.

 

[WadeWilson]

I used to have one and I loved the overall look and feel of it. As AF stated, it's thick behind the edge. I couldn't get it sharp to save my life. But this was years ago and I've learned how to sharpen better. I might pick another one up and give it a go. I really liked the knife, but I also do remember the detent being a bit light. I don't remember it bothering me too much but I can definitely see where it could be a problem with that heavy blade.

 

[Tanker Bob]

I've had one for several years that I use for outdoor work. The thicker blade takes more effort to sharpen well, but it's VG10 so the steel is easy to work and the thicker blade takes the outdoor challenges w/o fear of damage. The action is *very* smooth and takes the hard outdoor work well. It's a very nice design that works well in practice. Not sure what the bushings are made of, but as I said, the action is very smooth.

 

[jbmonkey]

one of my personal favorite designs. the last batch had a terribly finished ricasso and fit and finish issues. easy to fix with some work but still very poorly done. seemed to be on most of the entire line. of course just cosmetic not a function problem so not a big deal. like most spyderco japan made edges are typically pretty obtuse besides the blade scandi shape and thickness part. believe it has teflon washers, but i'm going by memory and may be wrong. detent is a bit weaker on the one i own and others i've handled, and more than most would like.

i like the knife. not as good as the original in 440v, but still a decent and ergonomic larger folder

 

[brownshoe]

I have one and like it very much. My detent is not weak, but the blade is heavy and the washers slick so once past the detent it opens up real fast. You can readily flick it open. My edge was not obtuse, it fit the Sharpmaker's 30 degree position. I put a 40 degree micro edge for optimum edge protection. The full flat grind makes it a better EDC knife the my custom Terzuola ACTF. My only complaint would be it's a little heavy for light weight shorts with no belt

The little unfinished area behind edge is not "terrible" in my eyes. I kind of like the little bit of raw steel showing through. Mine is not hard to sharpen, but I have diamond rods for the Spyderco and don't let it get dull. Mine is not "thick behind the edge." It's a suprisingly good slicer given the overall thickness of the blade stock.

The washers are white, who knows what they are made of, but they work great. Terzuola has stated that he finds bronze and phosphorus bronze washer inferior. The grease/oil used attracts dust/dirt and that effects the knife's action in hard use environments. His preference is nylatron, but I wouldn't know how to tell if a white washer is teflon, nylatron or paper The washers work great and seal dirt/dust out of the pivot assembly. I haven't had to oil it since I got it when they first came out. Slick as okra