The Bears' Den--Shirogorov Showcase

[Ruudr]

I have been lurking around for a few weeks in this thread and I finally made the call that I want a Shirogorov. The knives I like the most are the smaller ones. Maybe with micarta. Which one would be ideal for me?

I have CR knives, lots of Spyderco, ZT but a high end like a Shiro not yet. So I wan’t to be very sure which one to pick. Also were would you recommend to buy them? Live in the Netherlands. Thanks in advance!

 

[CPP]

The smallest Shiro is the NeOn and HatiOn followed by the NeOn Zero but none come in Micarta. The closest I can think of would be the HatiOn with one carbon fiber scale which are finally available again.

 

[Ruudr]

That HatiOn with the blue cf scale and the mrbs looks stunning!

 

[ChazzyP]

Hi, R Ruudr . Welcome to the Den. The NeOn/HatiOn line to which CPP referred has blade lengths in the neighborhood of 80 mm. To get into Micarta in serial production Shiros one needs to go up to the various 95 mm series knives. The F3 and F3R are liner locks which are available in Micarta, G10, or CF. The F3 is the "entry level" knife with Single Row bearings, no jimping, and Elmax steel. The F3R, as all R series knives do, has Multi-Row bearings with underlay washers, jimping, more premium steel like M390, and interior milling for weight reduction. F95's are frame locks and follow the same sort difference in features with the more premium versions bearing the R designation. The F95NL has Micarta inlays and has features/materials similar to the F3 and is also priced accordingly less than the R. For the 95-bladed HaTi (as in half-titanium) I don't think a Micarta-only side is available--only Alutex currently.

Earlier models of the NeOn (the Lite and UltraLite) are no longer in production but are generally available on the secondary market. Currently the NeOn Zero and HatiOn Lite are available new.

As to where to buy, here at Bladeforums we must not direct anyone to non-supporting dealers (those who do not pay a fee to advertise their wares here). The major US dealer is non-supporting, but KnifeCenter is and currently is an authorized dealer. Those in North America cannot purchase directly from the Shirogorov Brothers Workshop, but the rest of the world can. There are a couple Russian dealer sites that feature Shiros, but they are not authorized by the Workshop and their prices are kinda high. You can find a few Russian re-sellers here at BF, though only one--Vladimir_K--is registered here. He is very solid and you can write him and he can usually find what you want. You can always buy on the Exchange here if you find someone willing to ship internationally.

One of our good members here, knoefz , is also from the Netherlands and might be able to help you find something on your side of the pond. Good luck finding your first Shiro and remember to show it off here when you do.

 

[knoefz]

I feel lucky and priviledged to be able to take part in the worldwide pass around of the Shirogorov F95NL
It's been traveling the word for over a year now and I'm stoked that it arrived safe in my home.

Here's what I documented on day 1 in of the F95NL worldtour in the Netherlands

No serious action yet, just some admiring and comparisons.

First thoughts when I unpacked the knife:
- wow, it's bigger than I thought.

(only Shiro I ever handled is my Neon)
- man I love the super beautiful Micarta / Ti combi.
- omg that's a lot of blade in a compact package.
- I can't believe this knife has traveled the world and was used seriously, it looks untouched!
- It's not mine, don't get emotionally attached, it's only here temporary

Took some quick 'glamour' shots to capture the excellent state it's in:

It rides a little high for my taste clipped to the pocked, but I prefer tossing it inside my pockets without clip anyway.

So now that's out of the way....
Next I was holding it against some of my favorite folders.

My Neon feels refined and delicate against the more brutal size, weight and loud click flipping it open of the F95NL.
Two very different breeds.

Most remarkable to me is that the F95NL is in a package comparable in size with the Spyderco PM2, (a knife many people own so you get and idea of the size).
But opened up, the blade it packs is similar to the size of the full size Military.
Sorry for the lousy focus of these pics

Feeling the urge to cut something up, I decide it's time to kill an apple

It didn't stand a chance against the crispy sharp Elmax.

That's it for today... to be continued

 

[knoefz]

pics were broken, edited into post above.

 

[Ruudr]

ChazzyP Thanks for the comprehensive overview of all the Shirogorov knives.
I looked in to the HatiOn Lite with the blue cf. This one fullfills all my requirements. I am planning to use it so a smaller knife is a bit easier here in the Netherlands.

knoefz Amazing pics!

I certainly will buy one and when it arrives I will show it here!

Thanks!

 

[Officer's Match]

The inlay is premium on the NL model IMHO. The fact they are priced at the bottom of the F95 range is a boon for anyone wanting to test the Shiro-waters. Their flavor of Elmax tastes delicious to me - good edge holding and stability, fantastic to sharpen, and the surface finish is a great combination of easy to live with and good looking. I prefer the simpler FFG to the more complex higher end versions - it just adds to the "please use me" factor of this great model.

 

[knoefz]

I predict you will LOVE it.

I'm still in denial

Turns out I wasn't done for the day yet...
Kitchen duty for the F95NL also on day 1

Chopping up vegies and meat

Sliced my tomatos thin enough? Love the Elmax edge.

Dinnertime

#NLWorldTour

 

[ericlosh]

Thanks for posting those. Your pics are always excellent and seeing the details on your new Pero is a real treat. When I first saw pre-release photos over at USN I was really intrigued by the knife. The RDD has always been something of a grail for me and the Pero jumped right to the top of my like list along with that one. I'm glad to hear you're so pleased with your new knife and that it's so remarkable mechanically. Given the excellence of Shiros to begin with, that this knife has exceeded your expectations is quite a testament.





Interesting thoughts, guys, along with the commentary by @Casinostocks . I had already accumulated a lot of knives before picking up my first Shiro and still have a couple dozen each of Spydies and BMs, a half-dozen lionSTEELS, and a few ZTs. I've also got quite a few "mid-priced mid-techs" (is that a thing?)--numerous RHKs and CRKs along with a couple Cheburkovs, an Olamic, a TRM RJ Martin, a Les George, and a few others of similar caliber. Those mid-techs are valued here, are mostly used, and are mostly keepers.

I've done quite a bit of winnowing down since becoming a Den-izen, trying not to hang onto knives that don't get used, aren't of particular interest, or fall into Ray's "blah" category (like ZTs I've sold). This is an ongoing and not speedy process, but is definitely influenced by having a half-dozen Shiros. As serial production models they're still "spectacular" and are well worth a 6-to-1 swap any day.

As I wrote in the OP here some 1350 posts back, "Needless to say, I totally love these knives and there's lots to say about them, but all I'll mention for now is they share the seemingly contradictory qualities of being both over-priced and completely worth it."

Here's the two I carried yesterday.

Yeah thats howd id describe my F3, over priced but worth it. Its a weird description that doesnt really help someone taking the plunge for the first time

 

[TRfromMT]

Finished up the faceted ironwood handle on this GSO 4 Limited that I posted here a few days ago. Copper and brass mosaic pins look good with ironwood. The faceted handle shape is really (surprisingly) comfortable in a number of grips.

Thanks, sleuths, for letting me share my hobby here.

 

[Ruudr]

I finally made a decision. I bought the HatiOn Lite Blue Carbon Fiber M390

Quick quistion though; Do I need to run the bearings dry or lubed? If so is 10W nano-oil ok?

Thanks!

 

[CPP]

Shiros generally come lubed and ready to go, but after servicing one I add pivot grease of some sort.

 

[knoefz]

R Ruudr congrats, a sublime choice


Dayhike today

#NLWorldTour to be continued

 

[TRfromMT]

Stripped down the turtle for cleaning last night. When the knife is closed, there is a very small amount of play/rock with the detent and the blade resting on the stop. I thought there was some gunk or lint in the detent hole.

Detent ball was pretty grimy. I figured that was it, for sure.

All clean and put back together and the detent rock is still there.

Oh well. It's hardly noticeable. I don't mind, but was hoping to clean it up.

Any other ideas?

 

[knoefz]

The rest of the pictures from my lunch outdoors with the F95NL.
On the banks of the river Dommel, sunny weather made it a pleasure to be outside.

The knife is just a dream to use for some featherstick to get the stove going, roughing up some birch bark to light with a firesteel.
Didn't scrape the firesteel as I don't want to scratch up the blade (I always use a dedicated striker for my firesteel).
Ofcorse opening packages and cutting food works well.In the couple of days I had the 95NL is my possession I never had a misopening flipping it.
Also closing it one handed goes so light it makes me smile every time I use it.

I noticed the pivot comes loose in my pocket. I have to tighten it every now and then.
If the knife was mine I'd apply a drop of light locktite to keep it secure.

Hope you enjoyed the pics, I made some video footage, will see if that's decent enough to show later

#NLWorldTour

 

[ChazzyP]

First full day up in our Vermont woods I had my Hati with me and used it to help boarding up the old barn sash on the shed door after the glass and muntin bar fell out.

Later we took the Polaris Ranger to the upper acreage where the view from our hilltop meadow was as clear and long as could be on a gorgeous almost-Autumn day.

Through the notch in the trees on the left in the photo above, right to left are Mounts Washington, on its lower slope Clay, then Jefferson, and Adams, fifty miles away.

 

[Ruudr]

She is in... This knife feels so different than all my other knives. The details, materials, form and function... I love it.
The blade finish is so nicely done. No air bubbles in the milled carbon fiber with blue flakes and extremely smooth out of the box.

Thanks for the advice!

Here are some pictures!

 

[Officer's Match]

Very beautiful indeed.

 

[knoefz]

R Ruudr stunning piece buddy. Enjoy carrying it.