- Joined
- Mar 15, 1999
- Messages
- 567
As you may recall, a couple of months ago Tom Walz of Carbide Processors sponsored a contest to give BFC members the opportunity to win a free Talonite® knife. Tom had advised that the knife would be built by Paul Reynolds and requested that BFC members provide suggestions for the design. A rather lengthy thread resulted, and it was decided that a Gents Folder would be an interesting vehicle for the new Talonite® knife. In mid-December I was delighted to receive an e-mail from Tom informing me that I was the lucky winner
. I received the knife a couple of weeks ago, and needless to say I had a very nice Holiday this year. I just wanted to share some of my impressions of this cool little knife
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If Ive used the correct coding for the pictures, you should be able to get an idea of the general configuration of the knife. It is a lockback folder with a flat-ground 2-15/16 Talonite® blade of 1/8 stock. The overall (opened) length of the knife is approximately 6-11/16. The bolsters are beautifully figured Mokumé Gané done in nickel silver and copper in a Raindrop pattern. The scales are red linen-based phenolic resin (Paul avoided the term Micarta, but Im guessing its a similar product), the liners are brass and the lock bar and spring spacer are ATS-34. The pins and the thong hole tube are nickel silver, and the pivot pin covers are a Wandering Star mosaic in nickel silver and copper. The knife has a right-handed thumbstud capped with a star ruby (the ruby looks purplish in the photos, but it actually matches the red scales very well). The knife is marked as serial number T-002 for this model; I believe that serial number T-001 went (understandably enough) to Tom Walz.
As you can see, this knife has a decidedly different configuration from most of the folders on the market. It is very narrow in relation to its length, and this unique geometry required a lot of thought by the maker in order to assure that the knife felt good in the hand and functioned smoothly. My first impression was that the edges of the scales and bolsters were somewhat blocky and could stand to be rounded out somewhat, but after some conversations with the maker (and several days of handling the knife) Ive come to realize that the relatively abrupt edges actually facilitate the opening of the knife. They actually provide the user with the purchase that is needed to complete the thumb motion to open the blade (the arc that the thumb has to travel is somewhat exaggerated by the relatively narrow configuration of the knife) it would be much more difficult to open this knife it its contours were more rounded. Also, the squarish edges tend to give the knife a sense of solidity that is surprising in a blade of such small size and light weight. I should note that the edges of this knife are in no sense sharp the whole package feels very comfortable in the hand. The fit and finish are first-rate and the action is extremely smooth theres a lot of attention to detail here. The Talonite® blade has very nice fine satin finish and an extremely sharp edge; Im very appreciative of this after all of the stories Ive read here about the difficulties of finishing this material. All in all, I think its a very unique and beautiful piece I like it very much.
Now, Im not enough of a hard-core user to give a review that most of the cutlery enthusiasts here would find meaningful, but I have carried the knife daily for a couple of weeks and Ive been very pleased with its performance to date. I should probably note that I dont lead a particularly tactical life Ive never had to defend myself against attackers and the only extended chopping action that I see takes place in the kitchen
. I do, however, use knives on a daily basis for little chores around the home and office such as opening envelopes and packages, cutting tape and cord, and liberating junk food from its cellophane prison. Coincidentally enough, these are exactly the kind of tasks that gents folders excel at. The Talonite® blade has suffered no degradation at all after a couple of weeks of this kind of (admittedly light) use
its still shaving sharp. This knife was also a very nice change of pace for me
for some time Ive been looking for a daily carry piece that wouldnt evoke rolling eyes and whispers in the office the way that some of my larger folders do (I guess I should have known better than use my Sifu to trim a loose thread in front of my boss
). Ive been carrying an old carbon steel stockman for a few months, but Ive had to watch it like a hawk to prevent rust. This new folder is certainly more elegant, and a Talonite® blade makes corrosion worries a thing of the past. Besides, it makes a great conversation piece
most of colleagues dont understand the cool factor of exotic alloys, but everyone seems to be fascinated by the other high-end materials in this knife. Very cool stuff
Id be remiss if I didnt say a few good words about the gentlemen who made this possible for me, Tom Walz and Paul Reynolds. Paul contacted me as soon as I received the notification that I had won the contest to iron out a few details (whether I was left- or right-handed, etc.) and he kept me advised of the progress of the knife from that point until the date it was delivered. He sent me some really neat pics of the knife-in-progress and gave me a great behind the scenes view of the making of a custom knife. When I had some questions about the design of the knife, he very patiently explained the rationale for the design and offered to make any changes I felt were necessary (none were needed). In short, Paul seems to be committed to doing whatever it takes to make his customers happy. His designs are very well thought-out and quite unique, and I certainly intend to work with him on some custom projects in the future (just as soon as my bank account recovers from the Holidays). I also want to express my appreciation to Tom Walz for providing the Talonite® and commissioning the entire project this was a great contest! Thanks again, guys your generosity and craftsmanship have made me a very happy knife knut.
Jim
[This message has been edited by UglyJim (edited 01-08-2001).]
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If Ive used the correct coding for the pictures, you should be able to get an idea of the general configuration of the knife. It is a lockback folder with a flat-ground 2-15/16 Talonite® blade of 1/8 stock. The overall (opened) length of the knife is approximately 6-11/16. The bolsters are beautifully figured Mokumé Gané done in nickel silver and copper in a Raindrop pattern. The scales are red linen-based phenolic resin (Paul avoided the term Micarta, but Im guessing its a similar product), the liners are brass and the lock bar and spring spacer are ATS-34. The pins and the thong hole tube are nickel silver, and the pivot pin covers are a Wandering Star mosaic in nickel silver and copper. The knife has a right-handed thumbstud capped with a star ruby (the ruby looks purplish in the photos, but it actually matches the red scales very well). The knife is marked as serial number T-002 for this model; I believe that serial number T-001 went (understandably enough) to Tom Walz.
As you can see, this knife has a decidedly different configuration from most of the folders on the market. It is very narrow in relation to its length, and this unique geometry required a lot of thought by the maker in order to assure that the knife felt good in the hand and functioned smoothly. My first impression was that the edges of the scales and bolsters were somewhat blocky and could stand to be rounded out somewhat, but after some conversations with the maker (and several days of handling the knife) Ive come to realize that the relatively abrupt edges actually facilitate the opening of the knife. They actually provide the user with the purchase that is needed to complete the thumb motion to open the blade (the arc that the thumb has to travel is somewhat exaggerated by the relatively narrow configuration of the knife) it would be much more difficult to open this knife it its contours were more rounded. Also, the squarish edges tend to give the knife a sense of solidity that is surprising in a blade of such small size and light weight. I should note that the edges of this knife are in no sense sharp the whole package feels very comfortable in the hand. The fit and finish are first-rate and the action is extremely smooth theres a lot of attention to detail here. The Talonite® blade has very nice fine satin finish and an extremely sharp edge; Im very appreciative of this after all of the stories Ive read here about the difficulties of finishing this material. All in all, I think its a very unique and beautiful piece I like it very much.
Now, Im not enough of a hard-core user to give a review that most of the cutlery enthusiasts here would find meaningful, but I have carried the knife daily for a couple of weeks and Ive been very pleased with its performance to date. I should probably note that I dont lead a particularly tactical life Ive never had to defend myself against attackers and the only extended chopping action that I see takes place in the kitchen
Id be remiss if I didnt say a few good words about the gentlemen who made this possible for me, Tom Walz and Paul Reynolds. Paul contacted me as soon as I received the notification that I had won the contest to iron out a few details (whether I was left- or right-handed, etc.) and he kept me advised of the progress of the knife from that point until the date it was delivered. He sent me some really neat pics of the knife-in-progress and gave me a great behind the scenes view of the making of a custom knife. When I had some questions about the design of the knife, he very patiently explained the rationale for the design and offered to make any changes I felt were necessary (none were needed). In short, Paul seems to be committed to doing whatever it takes to make his customers happy. His designs are very well thought-out and quite unique, and I certainly intend to work with him on some custom projects in the future (just as soon as my bank account recovers from the Holidays). I also want to express my appreciation to Tom Walz for providing the Talonite® and commissioning the entire project this was a great contest! Thanks again, guys your generosity and craftsmanship have made me a very happy knife knut.
Jim
[This message has been edited by UglyJim (edited 01-08-2001).]
