Wonderful Review....... Thank You!!!
I'm hard on myself, not exactly sure of the quality of my work.....wondering if my handle geometry is right, if my grinds are Ok, if my edges are sharp?
I do my grinding by hand, no grinding jigs or sharpening fixtures. Everything is by eye, and by feel. That's why they look the way they do. They are not Perfect.
I'm very slow......and self taught. Honestly, idk what I'm doing? Ha.
When I make Your knife I spend Most of my time just looking at it, and holding it.
Thinking about how it's going to be held, how it's going to be used? I rarely actually do any work on it.
it might take me days to sharpen, to put an edge on.
This knife, I developed a sweet spot for.
It was originally just meant for a practice piece, a concept for the handle design I've been working on. I spend Most of my time thinking about handles. This One is different. I like comfortable handles. Neutral handles that allow your hand to hold the knife in any position. I wanted it flat/slab like in construction. You can feel your fingertips register against the sides of the scales, controlling the torque. This knife will never twist out of your grip. I also wanted it hand filling. The full sweep of the top curve of the handle really nests into your palm. I feel this feature is lacking in most knives. You can really bear down, pushing the knife into your work. It kinda reminds me of how an axe might feel in your hand (but in a Good way). It's not a big knife, but it's not a small knife either. It's role might be an edc for a big guy. Hence the name "Long Paw", or it could serve more of a bushcraft or survival knife. Similar role of maybe a BK7? But I put a 5" blade on this. It's a medium thickness blade, just a hair over 5/32". I wanted to keep the tip stout enough for just about Anything.
Having this knife going toward Kyle means a Lot to me.
Being on Blade Forums we get to see and meet a Lot of people.
I imagine most makers have "bucket lists"..... Goals that they wish to accomplish within their knife trade. Honesty, one of mine was to get Kyle to notice my work. Maybe getting a knife into his hands. This guy has had more awesome knives go through his collection than many people can dream about.... He knows his stuff.
I look forward to his continued use, and hopefully he can update us in use.
If He would like my work, then I know I'm doing something Right. I really appreciate him taking a leap of faith with wanting my knife. I've actually been blessed with All my customers here. All of them have been Major knife enthusiasts with great collections, and lots of knowledge. It means A lot to new makers that you are supporting their craft.
I hope I can continue making knives here, and making people Happy.
I just wanted to say THANKS again...... And Thank You, Blade Forums.
Crag the Brewer
and his knives.