The Bears' Den--Shirogorov Showcase

Likewise, I’ve had zero issues with my Astrum. No lock failure, no wonky grind, no hot spots and I seem to manage to open it just fine every time I use the flipper tab. Maybe it’s not for everyone but I don’t think it’s any kind of “dud”. I picked up a Terrus 111 this weekend and am excited to try out that model since I haven’t done so previously. People can grouse about Shiro choosing this or that model to continue their Elementals series but that’s certainly their choice and their capability to do so. If you don’t like it, then start making your own knives that match the criteria you want. I’m guessing that if they’re running a 111 series of Elementals, then maybe in a year or so we’ll see a Neon/Hation run of them too to round out their offerings. I’m betting the smaller ones will be a big hit, probably more so than the 111s since most folks gravitate toward the smaller ones for EDC (plus issues with local knife laws). I’m excited to see the Terrus 111 when it arrives in a couple of days, especially to compare it with the Astrum which I love to carry and use. Just my two cents, YMMV. Cheers all.
 
TheManInBlack said:
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I accept your personal experiences and I'd definitely be pretty cheesed shelling out that amount of cash and being disappointed twice by things that should be basic for any accomplished knifemaker. Mine is not only flawless and has none of the issues you described, it's beyond what I expected and instantly became one of my favorite pieces.

T

Post in thread 'Everyone's latest acquisitions!'

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Ecstatic to get one of these! The hype is real!
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I've had one, maybe two, duds that I've had to go after makers for to correct flaws and bad execution. I consider that part of the experience when dealing with small batch midtech knifemakers. The makers I've dealt with have always been kind and accommodating, especially Craig when picking the ano colors for my Cortex XL. Actually, if I could muster one complaint about the guy it's that once I received the knife, I sent him an email praising it and stating how glad I was and he never responded. 😅 Can't handle fans, I guess...

I also get your take on the Astrum. It is very narrow and if it was proportionally sized more for EDC carry, say in the 3.5"±.25" blade length range, it'd probably be way too narrow; more like a pen knife. On a closer look, the flipper tab does look pretty shallow to produce the kind of leverage necessary to throw out a 4" blade but yours is the first complaint I've seen about that actually being a problem. I have that problem, in general, with a lot of flippers, because I prefer to 'push button' them but the majority seem designed for 'light switching'. That just comes down to owner preference/operator error and I don't think that qualifies it as a bad design. I don't feel like Shiro is yet the kind of maker to rubber stamp designs or phone it in without rigorous design iteration and testing. But that's also just my opinion.
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I think that my Brown Cortex XL is right up there with Shiro build quality, but it's a bit more lightweight feeling. The way they did the liner lock reminds me of my 1st Prod Stellar (and an Astrum which I don't have).

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Carried this one today, with my Heretic Wraith and Benchmade Shootout... Quantum Ursus with Dept 13 copper dust CF inlays.

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DNAIrradiator said:
Likewise, I’ve had zero issues with my Astrum. No lock failure, no wonky grind, no hot spots and I seem to manage to open it just fine every time I use the flipper tab. Maybe it’s not for everyone but I don’t think it’s any kind of “dud”. I picked up a Terrus 111 this weekend and am excited to try out that model since I haven’t done so previously. People can grouse about Shiro choosing this or that model to continue their Elementals series but that’s certainly their choice and their capability to do so. If you don’t like it, then start making your own knives that match the criteria you want. I’m guessing that if they’re running a 111 series of Elementals, then maybe in a year or so we’ll see a Neon/Hation run of them too to round out their offerings. I’m betting the smaller ones will be a big hit, probably more so than the 111s since most folks gravitate toward the smaller ones for EDC (plus issues with local knife laws). I’m excited to see the Terrus 111 when it arrives in a couple of days, especially to compare it with the Astrum which I love to carry and use. Just my two cents, YMMV. Cheers all.
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Who has had lock issues with the Astrum? Or issues with the grind? My comments were in regards to the Cortex XL.
 
DocJekl said:
I think that my Brown Cortex XL is right up there with Shiro build quality, but it's a bit more lightweight feeling. The way they did the liner lock reminds me of my 1st Prod Stellar (and an Astrum which I don't have).
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That is blatant disinformation. Brown is no where near the quality of Shirogorov. Every Brown I have owned or handled has had issues that should not exist on these small batch cnc knives. The main issue being lock failure or lock slippage. The milling quality is no where close to the level of Shirogorov. Shirogorov blade grinding and sharpening is on several levels above Brown as well. I’m just not sure what you are comparing when you say the quality is the same. As there is nothing on Brown that compare to Shiro.
 
While I don’t quite agree with DocJeki, the Cortex XL I have exhibits nothing of the anecdotal complaints you have against the whole model line and the maker. Mine is a superior example of a small batch machinist folder that I feel more makers should aspire to. Not a single functional flaw, much less a cosmetic one. Given all that, I still wouldn’t put it quite in the same class as Shirogorov. It’s missing something I can’t quite articulate.

However, if I was going to compare any singular American knife that I personally own to anything from Shirogorov—in form, function, execution, and performance—the closest I’ve come so far is surprisingly my Tactile Knife Co Archer. The action is very much on par with all my Shiros for smoothness and snappiness, and the blade finish, machining, and scale micro-milling, in particular, are all very much equal to my Quantum Gen 2. But even it is missing that… ‘Shirogorov-ness’ because I still kinda baby my Quantum Gen 2 but I toss my Archer around without much care.
 
severedthumbs said:
Who has had lock issues with the Astrum? Or issues with the grind? My comments were in regards to the Cortex XL.
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Sorry, my bad then. You guys were having simultaneous discussions about the Cortex and Astrum, I thought you were referring to the latter. There’s certainly been some nitpicking about the Astrum since its release, which I understand but it definitely works for me. It’s in my top two favorite Shiros now, along with the Stellar.
 
severedthumbs said:
That is blatant disinformation. Brown is no where near the quality of Shirogorov. Every Brown I have owned or handled has had issues that should not exist on these small batch cnc knives. The main issue being lock failure or lock slippage. The milling quality is no where close to the level of Shirogorov. Shirogorov blade grinding and sharpening is on several levels above Brown as well. I’m just not sure what you are comparing when you say the quality is the same. As there is nothing on Brown that compare to Shiro.
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The action, the scale milling, ergonomics, fit and finish are all excellent. The stonewash finish on the Shirogorov is preferable to me for use, while satin is more attractive to me; but the brown blade is thinner and lighter, making it easier to carry and cut with at times.
 
One more time for the march of dimes.

I've been real close on a blue R1. Like put it in the cart and bail several times close lol.

Been wanting a blue Ursus without inlays. I know these have been around for a while but I hadn't seen one yet. Benefits of being a new Shiro guy I guess, everything's new.

Dig it so far. Kinda miss the backspacer and the detent is so stiff, non knife people can't operate it. Probably a benefit. If it doesn't wear in, I'll check it for a burr. Otherwise, very impressed!

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I worry about Shirogorov. I went to CCKS this past weekend and all they had at their table was an overpriced Midi Quantum ($1,900) and like three or four auction pieces. When I saw that the auctions were over $8K around noon on Saturday, I checked out. Sometimes boutique manufacturers of various goods will hit a point where they attain too much fame, coast on their name, and start delivering lower quality in some of their lines. I can only assume that selling one $8K knife is vastly more profitable than selling 10 $800 knives. That would explain William Henry’s whole business model…
 
ACHTUNG! A collaboration with Scott Cook is most likely coming this weekend — long-awaited Lochsa project!

Now that's the one Custom Division model I definitely would like to get directly from the maker.

TheManInBlack said:
I worry about Shirogorov.
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Well, the production models are more or less reasonably priced, especially taking into account awfully unstable Russian economy and evergrowing expenses, for instance the Central Bank interest rate is 21% — that's totally insane.

And according to my experience the overall quality of Gen4 - Gen5 Shiro is considerably higher then it used to be 10 years ago — I had a chance to compare the recent Hati, F95 and 111 with the Gen1.


TheManInBlack said:
I went to CCKS this past weekend and all they had at their table was an overpriced Midi Quantum ($1,900) and like three or four auction pieces.
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AFAIK there was also Astrum CCKS edition, arranged by Sinkevich:

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P.S. And there should have been a few Starships available to lottery winners.
 
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Right! That was there. I think it was going for $1,750 or $1,850 with the Sinkevich tool and leather sheath/holster thingie. I was kind of hoping for an F95T like they had in Spring. Still really want to add an F95T to my collection. I’ve missed a couple for sale on the Exchange here at great prices but they just dropped at inopportune times. Though, I did get to handle a CD one at the show that was being sold for $4K… 😖😬😥
 
TheManInBlack said:
Right! That was there. I think it was going for $1,750 or $1,850 with the Sinkevich tool and leather sheath/holster thingie. I was kind of hoping for an F95T like they had in Spring. Still really want to add an F95T to my collection. I’ve missed a couple for sale on the Exchange here at great prices but they just dropped at inopportune times. Though, I did get to handle a CD one at the show that was being sold for $4K… 😖😬😥
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Bacchus said:
ACHTUNG! A collaboration with Scott Cook is most likely coming this weekend — long-awaited Lochsa project!

Now that's the one Custom Division model I definitely would like to get directly from the maker.
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Excited for this one. Been way, way too long coming.. but I hope that means that it will be quality now that it's finally ready to be delivered... Lots of quality issues for the last little bit and an Integral is not the sort of knife you want to have inconsistencies on. Very limited repair options compared to a more conventional design.
 
Pompous said:
Excited for this one. Been way, way too long coming.. but I hope that means that it will be quality now that it's finally ready to be delivered... Lots of quality issues for the last little bit and an Integral is not the sort of knife you want to have inconsistencies on. Very limited repair options compared to a more conventional design.
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Yep, it's Lochsa. I guess it is not a "true integral" — those inlays might provide access to the bushing and washers.

But I do like the overall design, may be even more than the original SCK custom.

A few pictures from the official announcement:

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Bacchus said:
Well, I finally acquired 111 Terrus, but it feels rather dull — both boring and not sharp out of the box... Totally unexpected combination for a piece of Litimited Edition 😜
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At first I felt a little disappointed but finally decided to keep the Terrus for a while as a replacement for the standard 111 CF M390 which I sold a few days ago.

My decision was based on the following:

Pr🙂s​
C😕ns​
Flawless sample almost in every way:
  • Deadcentered
  • Perfect grind and stonewash
  • Perfectly even anodization of clip and backspacer
  • Extra long blade (0.5mm gap between the tip and the spacer) — which is not guaranteed, I've seen shorter blades
  • Smooth action out of the box, no need to deal with infamous "black gunk" they used to generously put into the pivot 😉
Not sharp out of the box, could be a result of improper deburring — a minor issue, but most people expect a sharp blade for the price 😉
S90V — a premium steel uncommon for current production models, reserved for LE and CD knives, but more prone to corrosion than M390Thicker and heavier blade (~3.4mm) compared to the production, but thanks God they did not make them 4mm thick
Less fancy (or should I say more laconic) blade design — a matter of personal preferences, but I certainly dig this simpler type of groove"Rare Earth" TechnoCarbo — same name but [a bit] different carbon, it looks like "standard" Marble Carbon with a pinch of bronze powder. I could be wrong, but it seems to me the F3 Terrus has [relatively] richer and colorful texture.
A large pivot bead with Earth texture — if you care for limited edition beads 😃
Reasonable price — very close or equal to the price of production 111 CF M390 (~$1000 directly from the maker, $1300 in the US)
 
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