Nathan the Machinist
KnifeMaker / Machinist / Evil Genius
Moderator
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2007
- Messages
- 15,666
Ten Light Choppers, 3V, micarta, TeroTuf
Today's sale is a "build your own" sale. You choose the configuration you want and I'll build it.
The Light Chopper was a collaboration with Lorien Arnold. It is an exercise in geometry, weight distribution and ergonomics to make a light weight well balanced chopper that hits well above its weight. It's a large woods knife, with a ~10" blade that weighs 17.1 oz that is somewhere between a machete and a camp knife. It's light enough to be carried on a long hike without weighing you down and it's engineered for performance when you go to use it.
It's made of CPM 3V at HRC 60.5 with the newest heat treat for 3V that I believe is the finest heat treat for this material available anywhere. The performance is phenomenal with a combination of toughness, edge durability and edge retention that will blow your mind. A lot of R&D went into developing this heat treat, it is truly different and better.
With that in mind I gave it relatively thin cutting geometry designed for cutting performance. This is not some overbuilt pry bar, it cuts like a demon, but it is very durable, see 2nd video.
It's light enough and long enough to develop tip speed to cut thinner vegetation that heavy choppers struggle with. But when you put it to work in the big stuff you'll find that it hits hard and bites deep and it won't wear you out. The grip and aspects of the cutting geometry were designed in collaboration with Dan Keffeler.
The hand grip works great as a camp knife when held towards the front with good balance and dexterity. When held towards the back it fully fills the hand and offers control and reduced hand and forearm fatigue for extended hard work.
It has a forward lanyard hole (as used in competition cuts) and a hidden rear lanyard hole.
These are available in natural or black micarta. I normally buff the scales, but some people prefer the feel of the scale in matte because it has more grip and the fuzz works better with hand sweat. So it's up to you if you want your micarta scales buffed, just let me know. Unbuffed scales darken from hand oils pretty quickly.
These are also available in TeroTuf. This material is on the competition cutters that are winning championships. It isn't especially pretty or even as dimensionally stable as other synthetics, but nothing else offers a grip quite like it. If you're out there cutting for extended time and your hands are sweaty and slippery you'll appreciate the grip and feel. I have laminated it to black micarta with black Acraglas for dimensional stability.
Be aware, the unbuffed materials aren't about pretty. They will get a little funky looking before they break in but will even out with use.
Light Chopper Specs:
CPM 3V, 60.5 HRC, .188 thick at ricasso
This is the newest "Delta" HT protocol
Total length 15.625
Blade length 9.875
Edge is sharpened 20 DPS
Weight 17.1 oz
Grippy 3D machined scales in micarta or TeroTuf
Black oxide treated 18-8 stainless steel fasteners
$340 without sheath in micarta
$365 without sheath in TeroTuf
$375 without sheath in vintage edge grain micarta with black micarta liner (one set available only)
Sheath with dangler $80
Sheath with TekLok $65
Shipping is $10.
This is a big knife. If you're going to carry it on your belt you might prefer the dangler sheath. If you're putting it on or in your pack you might prefer the TekLok. Both configurations work both ways, but it's nice to have a choice.
Tell me what scale option you choose and I'll build it. There are ten knives available in this sale. The knives in the picture are not the knives you will receive. The knives need scales and sharpened so they won't ship until next week.
We have one available today in edge grain vintage micarta:
Dan doing what Dan does, with an early prototype:
[video=youtube;TvUsh5FijcY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvUsh5FijcY[/video]
Durability demo:
[video=youtube;yC2PLk_04vE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yC2PLk_04vE[/video]
^ This has an outstanding combination of cutting performance, toughness and edge retention.
These are "field grade" with tool and grind marks, milled and tumbled. The bevels are lightly hand ground and slightly convexed after being milled.
We'll have Five Racing Light Choppers on Friday 16th over on our forum here:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/929-Carothers-Performance-Knives
Bill Flynn used a standard configuration Light Chopper when he won this year's Fisk Micro Show Cutting Competition. It's a thin high performance chopper and is plenty thin enough. That's what the knives in today's sale are, these are the same configuration that Bill used. However some people (Dan Keffeler for example) go even thinner on knives used in competition. If the Light Chopper is a sports car, the Racing Chopper is a race car. I've taken the primary grinds on the RLC down to .010 then sharpened at 15 degrees per side. It's like a giant scalpel. They're not stout enough for mindless wailing or inexperienced cutters, but they cut unlike anything else you're likely to ever handle and are truly a joy to use in the right hands. I'm going to list these in two weeks over on my forum so I can load it and lock it ahead of the sale time to give people a chance to read and understand the description and disclaimer. The knives in today's sale are what most folks are going to want for most things, but come on out in two weeks if you're looking for the super thin racing version.
We take cash, check, MO and PayPal
Thanks for looking.
Today's sale is a "build your own" sale. You choose the configuration you want and I'll build it.
The Light Chopper was a collaboration with Lorien Arnold. It is an exercise in geometry, weight distribution and ergonomics to make a light weight well balanced chopper that hits well above its weight. It's a large woods knife, with a ~10" blade that weighs 17.1 oz that is somewhere between a machete and a camp knife. It's light enough to be carried on a long hike without weighing you down and it's engineered for performance when you go to use it.
It's made of CPM 3V at HRC 60.5 with the newest heat treat for 3V that I believe is the finest heat treat for this material available anywhere. The performance is phenomenal with a combination of toughness, edge durability and edge retention that will blow your mind. A lot of R&D went into developing this heat treat, it is truly different and better.
With that in mind I gave it relatively thin cutting geometry designed for cutting performance. This is not some overbuilt pry bar, it cuts like a demon, but it is very durable, see 2nd video.
It's light enough and long enough to develop tip speed to cut thinner vegetation that heavy choppers struggle with. But when you put it to work in the big stuff you'll find that it hits hard and bites deep and it won't wear you out. The grip and aspects of the cutting geometry were designed in collaboration with Dan Keffeler.
The hand grip works great as a camp knife when held towards the front with good balance and dexterity. When held towards the back it fully fills the hand and offers control and reduced hand and forearm fatigue for extended hard work.
It has a forward lanyard hole (as used in competition cuts) and a hidden rear lanyard hole.
These are available in natural or black micarta. I normally buff the scales, but some people prefer the feel of the scale in matte because it has more grip and the fuzz works better with hand sweat. So it's up to you if you want your micarta scales buffed, just let me know. Unbuffed scales darken from hand oils pretty quickly.
These are also available in TeroTuf. This material is on the competition cutters that are winning championships. It isn't especially pretty or even as dimensionally stable as other synthetics, but nothing else offers a grip quite like it. If you're out there cutting for extended time and your hands are sweaty and slippery you'll appreciate the grip and feel. I have laminated it to black micarta with black Acraglas for dimensional stability.
Be aware, the unbuffed materials aren't about pretty. They will get a little funky looking before they break in but will even out with use.
Light Chopper Specs:
CPM 3V, 60.5 HRC, .188 thick at ricasso
This is the newest "Delta" HT protocol
Total length 15.625
Blade length 9.875
Edge is sharpened 20 DPS
Weight 17.1 oz
Grippy 3D machined scales in micarta or TeroTuf
Black oxide treated 18-8 stainless steel fasteners
$340 without sheath in micarta
$365 without sheath in TeroTuf
$375 without sheath in vintage edge grain micarta with black micarta liner (one set available only)
Sheath with dangler $80
Sheath with TekLok $65
Shipping is $10.
This is a big knife. If you're going to carry it on your belt you might prefer the dangler sheath. If you're putting it on or in your pack you might prefer the TekLok. Both configurations work both ways, but it's nice to have a choice.
Tell me what scale option you choose and I'll build it. There are ten knives available in this sale. The knives in the picture are not the knives you will receive. The knives need scales and sharpened so they won't ship until next week.
We have one available today in edge grain vintage micarta:
Dan doing what Dan does, with an early prototype:
[video=youtube;TvUsh5FijcY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvUsh5FijcY[/video]
Durability demo:
[video=youtube;yC2PLk_04vE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yC2PLk_04vE[/video]
^ This has an outstanding combination of cutting performance, toughness and edge retention.
These are "field grade" with tool and grind marks, milled and tumbled. The bevels are lightly hand ground and slightly convexed after being milled.
We'll have Five Racing Light Choppers on Friday 16th over on our forum here:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/929-Carothers-Performance-Knives
Bill Flynn used a standard configuration Light Chopper when he won this year's Fisk Micro Show Cutting Competition. It's a thin high performance chopper and is plenty thin enough. That's what the knives in today's sale are, these are the same configuration that Bill used. However some people (Dan Keffeler for example) go even thinner on knives used in competition. If the Light Chopper is a sports car, the Racing Chopper is a race car. I've taken the primary grinds on the RLC down to .010 then sharpened at 15 degrees per side. It's like a giant scalpel. They're not stout enough for mindless wailing or inexperienced cutters, but they cut unlike anything else you're likely to ever handle and are truly a joy to use in the right hands. I'm going to list these in two weeks over on my forum so I can load it and lock it ahead of the sale time to give people a chance to read and understand the description and disclaimer. The knives in today's sale are what most folks are going to want for most things, but come on out in two weeks if you're looking for the super thin racing version.
We take cash, check, MO and PayPal
Thanks for looking.
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