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- May 14, 2012
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This thread is meant to shed some light on the knives of Guillaume Ducasse and his skills as a French maker. Photos and comments/questions are encouraged.
I own two beautiful knives from @Ducasse Guillaume, the Capricorne and the Oryx. This story is about the Knife on the right, the Oryx.
I inquired about Guillaume building me a tail-lock to my specifications, and he was open and available with his communication. After much back & forth regarding details and drawings of this built, I commissioned this interframe tail-lock about 7 months ago.
Please keep in mind that this is a prototype, and there a couple bugs to work out. I will be getting into that shortly.
There comes, but once in a while, a knifemaker who really takes pride in his work. And this shows through the finish of Ducasse’s knives.
Guillaume’s knives are all handmade...and this Oryx is no different. I wanted horn tip as inlays, and an interframe tail lock. Those were my two biggest requests. He got to sketching, and after a while of disscussion and changes, we settled on the Oryx’ shape.
The Zebu horn tip that was chosen was the right touch for this slim and sleek design. It has a ton of character, and really sets the tone.
This Oryx is slim, sleek, stunning and sexy. The lines flow well and the inlay pocket shapes were painstakingly chosen to fit the lines of the knife.
I pushed Guillaume outside of his comfort zone with the hidden pin construction, so this was a first for him. The face of the knife has a blended pivot pin and a proprietary screw on the opposite side. Guillaume also provides a tool for disassembly. Also inlayed with horn tip.
I requested the lockbar to be a single piece and Guillaume took this to heart. He got it done. Slightly set inside the sides of the scales and just perfect for my liking.
The blade is a work of art, hand ground, so not without its little quirks. It is made from Sandvik 14C28N, which is a favorite of mine. His edge is beautiful and sharp! Which is a huge plus. The shape is perfect, and the blade “drop” where the blade intersects the handle makes this knife all the more useful. Since the Capricorne, Guillaume has really been dialing in his swedge grinds, which I am very pleased about.
The tip of the blade is ultra pointy, and great for detailed work. The milled pull slot is a great touch and mirrored on opposite side for ambidextrous opening.
The blade is a beautiful satin/grind and mirrored flats finish.
The backspacer has a grooved channel for the blade edge to sit in, and the blade is centered. The finish on the Oryx is just phenomenal as always, and the hand chamfers are beautiful.
The assembled Oryx prototype is not without its quirks tho. Assembled, a couple spots are not completely tight, but nothing to complain about. The lockup, well, it needs some work. There is some slight side/side play, and since we used phosphor bronze washers, this should be able to be eliminated. I would like to see my next with a pivot bushing.
There is also some up/down play which we believe is due to a weak lock spring. This is in the works of being worked out for the next one he makes. Its the amount of play on a $250 Case lockback...which shouldnt be present on a custom. The spring being weak causes the blade to not “spring” closed. I actually dont mind this, and when closed is still held quite well in its closed position. This is a proto, so I will see how much dedication he has to correct this with the next build.
One thing I really enjoyed about this build, is that Guillaume is very open to learning something new, and puts his heart into it. It must be said, that he wasn’t completely happy with the finished Oryx, but I wanted him to send it to me anyways, and Im glad I did. I will support newer makers, who show great potential and willingness be become the best. This is Guillaume.
Summed up, the Oryx is a very very promising design. It is streamlined, beautiful, functional and extremely comfortable in hand. A modern gentleman’s knife in the style of Ron Lake. Check out his stuff, he is going places.
Specs
Blade length is 3.25”
Blade steel is Sandvik 14C28N
Handle length is 3 3/8”
Inlays are Zebu horn tip
Scale material is hardened stainless steel
I hope you enjoyed this review as much as I liked writing it. And please, post your photos of Ducasse knives with your thoughts.
Keep ‘em Sharp
*mods, im not sure where you want this thread. If this is not the appropriate forum, please move to correct one.
I own two beautiful knives from @Ducasse Guillaume, the Capricorne and the Oryx. This story is about the Knife on the right, the Oryx.
I inquired about Guillaume building me a tail-lock to my specifications, and he was open and available with his communication. After much back & forth regarding details and drawings of this built, I commissioned this interframe tail-lock about 7 months ago.
Please keep in mind that this is a prototype, and there a couple bugs to work out. I will be getting into that shortly.
There comes, but once in a while, a knifemaker who really takes pride in his work. And this shows through the finish of Ducasse’s knives.
Guillaume’s knives are all handmade...and this Oryx is no different. I wanted horn tip as inlays, and an interframe tail lock. Those were my two biggest requests. He got to sketching, and after a while of disscussion and changes, we settled on the Oryx’ shape.
The Zebu horn tip that was chosen was the right touch for this slim and sleek design. It has a ton of character, and really sets the tone.
This Oryx is slim, sleek, stunning and sexy. The lines flow well and the inlay pocket shapes were painstakingly chosen to fit the lines of the knife.
I pushed Guillaume outside of his comfort zone with the hidden pin construction, so this was a first for him. The face of the knife has a blended pivot pin and a proprietary screw on the opposite side. Guillaume also provides a tool for disassembly. Also inlayed with horn tip.
I requested the lockbar to be a single piece and Guillaume took this to heart. He got it done. Slightly set inside the sides of the scales and just perfect for my liking.
The blade is a work of art, hand ground, so not without its little quirks. It is made from Sandvik 14C28N, which is a favorite of mine. His edge is beautiful and sharp! Which is a huge plus. The shape is perfect, and the blade “drop” where the blade intersects the handle makes this knife all the more useful. Since the Capricorne, Guillaume has really been dialing in his swedge grinds, which I am very pleased about.
The tip of the blade is ultra pointy, and great for detailed work. The milled pull slot is a great touch and mirrored on opposite side for ambidextrous opening.
The blade is a beautiful satin/grind and mirrored flats finish.
The backspacer has a grooved channel for the blade edge to sit in, and the blade is centered. The finish on the Oryx is just phenomenal as always, and the hand chamfers are beautiful.
The assembled Oryx prototype is not without its quirks tho. Assembled, a couple spots are not completely tight, but nothing to complain about. The lockup, well, it needs some work. There is some slight side/side play, and since we used phosphor bronze washers, this should be able to be eliminated. I would like to see my next with a pivot bushing.
There is also some up/down play which we believe is due to a weak lock spring. This is in the works of being worked out for the next one he makes. Its the amount of play on a $250 Case lockback...which shouldnt be present on a custom. The spring being weak causes the blade to not “spring” closed. I actually dont mind this, and when closed is still held quite well in its closed position. This is a proto, so I will see how much dedication he has to correct this with the next build.
One thing I really enjoyed about this build, is that Guillaume is very open to learning something new, and puts his heart into it. It must be said, that he wasn’t completely happy with the finished Oryx, but I wanted him to send it to me anyways, and Im glad I did. I will support newer makers, who show great potential and willingness be become the best. This is Guillaume.
Summed up, the Oryx is a very very promising design. It is streamlined, beautiful, functional and extremely comfortable in hand. A modern gentleman’s knife in the style of Ron Lake. Check out his stuff, he is going places.
Specs
Blade length is 3.25”
Blade steel is Sandvik 14C28N
Handle length is 3 3/8”
Inlays are Zebu horn tip
Scale material is hardened stainless steel
I hope you enjoyed this review as much as I liked writing it. And please, post your photos of Ducasse knives with your thoughts.
Keep ‘em Sharp
*mods, im not sure where you want this thread. If this is not the appropriate forum, please move to correct one.
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Could have gone in Customs & Handmade...but probably more exposure here in GKD
Oh, the knives ain't bad either, even if the frames are a little plain
Glad you stopped in to read the thread.