Steelcraft Mini-Bodega

RamZar said:
It's really good to see more small flippers with blades of 3 inches or less showing up. Still not enough out there but the past year we've seen Todd Begg Steelcraft Mini Bodega, LionSteel TRE, Ferrum Forge N-TAC, Spartan Metis, Boker Mini Kwaiken, Spyderco Positron, etc. Hope to see more. The Mini Bodega is the pinnacle.
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Hey Ram, how would you rank those small blades you just mentioned? I have the Mini and the TRE, wondering what to look at next...
 
Wow just saw these mini bodegas and what an awesome knife for a decent price. I was wondering is that a finger choil? Is it big enough to use as a choil or is it too small. I like small knives but I'm afraid my pinky might hang.
 
Glad to see these out there to give another option to those who like the Bodega. I honestly have never been a fan of their looks, but more options are indeed better.
 
Got mine a couple of days ago. I got the black version and looks it looks great. The machining and detail are superb. Contrary to a couple of the opinions above, I actually like the flipper tab without jimping. While the detent is what I'd call modest, it flips great and I haven't "misfired" yet. Given the detent strength, jimping probably wouldn't have bothered me, but all things being equal, I prefer not having it. As RamZar has suggested, it isn't what I'd call "buttery smooth" just yet (when I can hear very faint scraping - for lack of a better word - when the knife closes, I think there's room for improvement). I trust that it'll smooth out over time. The size and weight are perfect for carrying comfortably in most every circumstance. It's a beautiful knife. Very pleased.
 
HappyDaddy said:
Got mine a couple of days ago. I got the black version and looks it looks great. The machining and detail are superb. Contrary to a couple of the opinions above, I actually like the flipper tab without jimping. While the detent is what I'd call modest, it flips great and I haven't "misfired" yet. Given the detent strength, jimping probably wouldn't have bothered me, but all things being equal, I prefer not having it. As RamZar has suggested, it isn't what I'd call "buttery smooth" just yet (when I can hear very faint scraping - for lack of a better word - when the knife closes, I think there's room for improvement). I trust that it'll smooth out over time. The size and weight are perfect for carrying comfortably in most every circumstance. It's a beautiful knife. Very pleased.
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I put some grip tape on my flipper tab (Scrims method) and it "feels" like a better flipper now that it has more grip. Instead of just a lightswitch flip from the top, you can flip it out by just grazing your finger against any angle of the tab.

As for the scraping sound, mine is nice and silent when opening and closing. Could it be the steel insert sliding on the tang?
 
Tacticaltater said:
Wow just saw these mini bodegas and what an awesome knife for a decent price. I was wondering is that a finger choil? Is it big enough to use as a choil or is it too small. I like small knives but I'm afraid my pinky might hang.
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To me, it's more of a ricasso than a choil. I tried using it as a finger choil and it just didn't fit. The knife feels just a tad bit short for me, and I have average sized hands.
 
Blues Bender said:
I put some grip tape on my flipper tab (Scrims method) and it "feels" like a better flipper now that it has more grip. Instead of just a lightswitch flip from the top, you can flip it out by just grazing your finger against any angle of the tab.

As for the scraping sound, mine is nice and silent when opening and closing. Could it be the steel insert sliding on the tang?
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I don't see any contact anywhere. It sounds and seems more like it's where the bearings contact what I assume are washers. It's not a gritty sound, and it's pretty faint, but there's definitely something. I get the same slight thing on my Morrf 4, but the Morrf is smoother. Make any sense at all?
 
HappyDaddy said:
I don't see any contact anywhere. It sounds and seems more like it's where the bearings contact what I assume are washers. It's not a gritty sound, and it's pretty faint, but there's definitely something. I get the same slight thing on my Morrf 4, but the Morrf is smoother. Make any sense at all?
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It may be the detent ball as it travels against the blade. If that is the case, it should wear in and smooth out over time.
 
HappyDaddy said:
I don't see any contact anywhere. It sounds and seems more like it's where the bearings contact what I assume are washers. It's not a gritty sound, and it's pretty faint, but there's definitely something. I get the same slight thing on my Morrf 4, but the Morrf is smoother. Make any sense at all?
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Maybe it's the ceramic detent sliding on the tang? Try pushing the lockbar so that the detent isn't touching the tang, then slide the blade back and forth. Is the sound still there?

I've found that ceramic detents can be a little more "noisy" than steel detents. I've also found that they can induce a false idea of grittiness.

Since ceramic is harder than steel, the detent can (very slightly) grind away steel from the tang, and the steel shavings can make the detent feel slightly gritty. My Umnumzaan and Horizon C do this. Using an old toothbrush to clean off the detent path on the tang brings back the "smoothness".

Or, maybe your knife is just gritty Bro:D:p
 
HappyDaddy - I agree with cleaning the detent path (Blues Bender's method) AND adding a drop of (Nano) oil to the detent ball itself (or in the detent hole if you can access it). I use the thicker Nano oil on the detent ball and/or hole so it doesn't splash or spread on to the lock face as a result of flipping. -- I also drip a tiny bit of TUF GLIDE into the bearings around the pivot. Because Tuf Glide is so thin, it's easy to get in there without having to disassemble anything. There really shouldn't be ANY crunch or scraping sound at all. Cleaning & lubing, even with IKBS or caged bearings, steel or ceramic bearings & detent balls keeps 'em silent, smooth, snappy & happy.

Blues Bender, glad you tried and like the grip tape. That was the final touch I needed on the Begg Kwaiken's flipper tab. I've actually done that to several of my flippers with no jimping on their flipper tabs and it is (to me anyway) a big improvement every time. :thumbup:
 
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Scrim said:
Blues Bender, glad you tried and like the grip tape. That was the final touch I needed on the Begg Kwaiken's flipper tab. I've actually done that to several of my flippers with no jimping on their flipper tabs and it is (to me anyway) a big improvement every time. :thumbup:
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I wish I had thought of that with my Boker Kwaiken before I went and did a homemade jimping job with the Dremel. Oh well, at least it does flip easier.
 
Just got mine.
It's black, it's beautiful, and it is fantastic.

The only gripe I have is that the clip snags a bit going into the pocket. The ball is smooth, but the metal end of the clip isn't turned up, so it tends to hang up a little on the pocket upon ingress. I'll get used to it, and I assume muscle memory with alleviate the problem sooner or later. It's not that big a deal anyway.

I've never seen such an overall nice folder for this price, ever. This thing makes a Sebenza look like a dated, overpriced, boring relic. Same price, worlds apart.

It's been a while since I bought a folder that vastly exceeded my expectations, including ones that cost more than twice as much as this one did.

They hit it out of the park with this one.
 
On further fiddling and reflection, it seems that the detent ball is making contact with the blade/tang as the knife closes. If I bend the lockbar enough to prevent contact - silence. Is tuff glide on the ball a bad idea? I certainly don't want to bend the lockbar out.
 
HappyDaddy said:
On further fiddling and reflection, it seems that the detent ball is making contact with the blade/tang as the knife closes. If I bend the lockbar enough to prevent contact - silence. Is tuff glide on the ball a bad idea? I certainly don't want to bend the lockbar out.
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That is supposed to happen with framelocks, the detent ball will slide against the blade. Seems like it just needs break in
 
bearcut said:
I've never seen such an overall nice folder for this price, ever. This thing makes a Sebenza look like a dated, overpriced, boring relic. Same price, worlds apart.

It's been a while since I bought a folder that vastly exceeded my expectations, including ones that cost more than twice as much as this one did.
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The Sebenza is a much better (and cleaner) machined knife. To call it boring in comparison to the Bodega is understandable, but only if you're swooned by unnecessary things like ceramic bearings, bearing clips, and funky aesthetics.

What knives have you bought that were twice the cost ($890) of the mini Bodega? All my knives that exceed the price of $445 exceed the quality of said knife:confused: It's nice, but not that nice.
 
HappyDaddy said:
On further fiddling and reflection, it seems that the detent ball is making contact with the blade/tang as the knife closes. If I bend the lockbar enough to prevent contact - silence. Is tuff glide on the ball a bad idea? I certainly don't want to bend the lockbar out.
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If you only have Tuf Glide on hand, I'd use a very, very tiny amount on the detent ball to avoid is splashing or migrating to the lock face. The THICKER grade Nano Oil is better for this use because it tends to stay in place better, just due to its viscosity. But the Tuf Glide won't hurt anything, just possibly make things slippery that you don't ideally want slippery.
 
Hackenslash said:
Hey Ram, how would you rank those small blades you just mentioned? I have the Mini and the TRE, wondering what to look at next...
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I don't have them all but Mini Bodega is my best 3" blade flipper and right behind it is the Olson Quick Flick (button lock). TRE is great as long as you're not too concerned with flipper performance.
 
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