A few months ago, I was minding my own business looking at Bladeforums and scrolling through photos and ran across the stunning custom Voron owned by
ChazzyP
that has been featured on this forum. I was awestruck by his knife and kept having intrusive thoughts about it from the moment I saw it. After months of not being able to forget the Voron, I finally took the plunge late in the evening on July 4 and ordered one from a well known Russian re-seller. The process was filled with some trepidation as I had never used this re-seller before, although they had a very professional website. The delivery process turned out to be flawless. After ordering, I received immediate email confirmations from the seller and a tracking number. The knife went into a tracking void for a little over a week at the Moscow station, and then suddenly emerged in New York and shortly thereafter at my home. Completely drama-free.
On to the knives. I ordered my production Voron in black marbled carbon fiber with brass hardware, an M390 blade and a Ti frame. The knife is simply outstanding. The fit and finish are incredible. Perfect early lock up. Authoritative action. Perfect detent. I couldn't be happier with it. I don't really collect knives--I buy what I love and I use all of them--and the Voron is no exception. Turns out, in addition to being a looker and a great flipper, it is also a great tool.
On a whim, I also ordered a small Strizh. I wanted something smaller and more portable. The Strizh I bought came with giraffe bone scales. Giraffe bone as a handle material can be quite polarizing aesthetically, but I thought it looked fantastic and especially fit the rugged character of this knife. If giraffe bone isn't your thing, the scales come in many other materials, but I have found the bone handle to be great visually and in use. I was unexpectedly blown away the small Strizh. The deployment is indescribable. It is telepathic. I barely touch the thumb stud and think the word "deploy" and the blade fires out. Like the Voron, the fit and finish are impeccable, lock-up is perfect, the blade is centered, and the whole thing is a wonder to hold and use.
Alex and team Cheburkov are doing amazing work. These knives may represent the best value of any I own (and I have a number of high-end production and custom flippers from the usual suspects which, in their own right, are top-notch and well-loved knives). I feel a Scout in my future, and if you're considering a Cheburkov, do it. I'm thrilled I did.