Thompson Vaquero : Why not more popular ?

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Old thread.

The ONLY problem I have with the IT Vaquero is that it is simply too good. Seriously. It is easily the best folding combat knife at this size in the world, and it is hard to imagine anything really improving on it. The issue being that it is hard to justify buying other folding defensive knives when you know they will be a step backwards.
 
Well I'll be damned! No one thinks it's lack of popularity could be due to Thompson's huge signature on the blade? That's why I didn't buy it although I love the Vaquero shape of the blade. I have the regular XL Vaquero, the Vaquero Grande and the 5" blade Vaquero. Now I actually wish I had bought it when it was available because the black blade with the green handle looks great.
I did buy the Thompson kris blade Ti-lite but the signature is much more discrete on that knife.
 
Larry Turko said:
Well I'll be damned! No one thinks it's lack of popularity could be due to Thompson's huge signature on the blade? That's why I didn't buy it although I love the Vaquero shape of the blade. I have the regular XL Vaquero, the Vaquero Grande and the 5" blade Vaquero. Now I actually wish I had bought it when it was available because the black blade with the green handle looks great.
I did buy the Thompson kris blade Ti-lite but the signature is much more discrete on that knife.
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johnnywizzo said:
I'd rather have the signature on the box only...
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:) I'm sure it was a big turn off for those who don't like billboard displays on their stuff ! :p
 
Chris_Texas said:
Old thread.

The ONLY problem I have with the IT Vaquero is that it is simply too good. Seriously. It is easily the best folding combat knife at this size in the world, and it is hard to imagine anything really improving on it. The issue being that it is hard to justify buying other folding defensive knives when you know they will be a step backwards.
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To be honest, I'd like to see it made with CTS XHP steel and serrated as is, but with the G10 handle style off the Colossus in that smoother textured easy draw green and black, and with the Black TalonII spine cutout and thumb plate for snag draw deployment.....

with the addition of an aftermarket Karambit ring back spacer replacement...... I believe would make it the last SD knife you would ever have to buy.... just....done....not gonna get better.

just my 0.02....Personally.... I'd pay several hundreds of dollars US for that variant......




 
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Hawgsnawt said:
To be honest, I'd like to see it made with CTS XHP steel and serrated as is, but with the G10 handle style off the Colossus in that smoother textured easy draw green and black, and with the Black TalonII spine cutout and thumb plate for snag draw deployment.....

with the addition of an aftermarket Karambit ring back spacer replacement...... I believe would make it the last SD knife you would ever have to buy.... just....done....not gonna get better.

just my 0.02....Personally.... I'd pay several hundreds of dollars US for that variant......




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I like your G10 suggestion...but I'm not a fan of pinky rings >>> looks like a good way to get a compound fracture of your pinky...but this is coming from a guy who has been in a grand total of ZERO knife fights. :rolleyes:
 
Karambit ring is strictly used as a handle extension since the pocket clip on the knife is so near the end and it rides so deep.... acts as a contact point for webbing between thumb and pointer finger to hit as it levers down to ensure contact with quick open attachment.... also flared at the end to make sure when you close hand around handle to draw out of pocket you do not slide off the back side and " bobble " the draw.......

lastly, because it is a CNC milled aluminum backspacer that runs the body of the knife length... it would be strong enough to choke back on and extend grip and thus reach of knife by another 3ish inches or so over what would normally be useful for that handle size and style....the knife would ...." handle " ....more like an XL Espada at that point, with a 5.5 inch Vaquero blade

just aids in positively drawing the blade while making the draw open attachment safer reducing bobble or drop likelihood, extends reach of combat knife while deployed if you choose to choke back and handle the ring, and makes for an impressive spin toy which will most likely need MANY stitches if you screw that maneuver up......makes the knife look even more intimidating...

Meh, it's a win win in my book.... I personally do not like how hard the knife is currently as designed, to deploy... especially in high stress situations...

The pocket clip is too tight, makes it grip jeans TOO well IMHO... especially with the aggressive texturing of the handle, which sadly is not really something you can G10 style fix with a quick rub of sandpaper...the handle texture itself tends to want to bind up in jeans pockets due to the texture, often extracting the entire pocket and all its contents with it when deployed rapidly....the clip is mounted so high on the handle that the knife rides low enough there is very little external of the pocket to facilitate a quick draw...... the ring simply fixes that problem.....

Replacing the handle slabs with G10 would fix the other problem and still leave the knife plenty Grippy...... never heard a single complaint on any forum that the Colossus was...slick or slippery......I have one and LOVE it.... just not a big fan of the shorter blade length...

and the Black TalonII cut out and thumb plate would eliminate the need for aftermarket parts to achieve the same effect, and that Vaquero blade shape has enough " Meat " at that area to easily pull off the cut out without compromising the blade strength in the slightest.... it would just make for a more positive draw open situation when combined with the ring extension which would be levered down slightly on the draw to ensure positive contact.....

dunno, just thinking out loud.... that's how, and why, I envision it as the " PERFECT " SD knife....without getting into serrations, and general blade shape cutting geometry and stuff... which again, IMHO I think is just about perfect allowing for the sweeping belly so near the tip, coupled with a tip capable of still making quality thrusts in ice pick grip etc etc.... I could literally talk for hours about how a few minor tweeks could have made this THE knife, and my surprise that LT went the way he did with it rather than actually produce a 300.00 version which is what it SHOULD have been..... but hey.... I'm in the process of fixing them as best I can..... got Snaggleteef on em, working on getting the rings made sized for XL Voyagers ( will fit ALL XL Voyagers not just this one ) ......and realistically, once I get the rings, I'll likely have them sent to a custom knife maker to produce and replace the plastic over textured handle slabs with Aluminum or Titanium slabs.....G10 at the very least..... I'll end up with about 500.00 in each....just a guess....Would have paid CS that amount for them had they been.... " finished " .....but I don't mind supporting small business .... /shrug..... and in the end.... I'll end up with my idea of perfection.... and can quit buying anything I don't just WANT..... that.... need for better itch should be scratched.....

At least till he comes our with the EspadaXL size serrated Vaquero..... >.> <.< o_O
 
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Hawgsnawt said:
To be honest, I'd like to see it made with CTS XHP steel and serrated as is, but with the G10 handle style off the Colossus in that smoother textured easy draw green and black, and with the Black TalonII spine cutout and thumb plate for snag draw deployment.....
Click to expand...

I carry the Frenzy much more often than either of my XL Voyagers because of its smooth G10 handles. A G10 XL Voyager with handles like that -- or like the Colossus, Ultimate Hunter, etc. -- would be amazing.
 
If they ever made a ....Premium ....version, with better handles.... I'd buy a dozen instantly, and body swap all my CTS XHP blades over..... without hesitation or thought.... I honestly can not understand why it's not already been done...

They will get around to it one day is my guess..... the only question will be, will it be before or after I hire someone to fix the handles myself?
 
wonder how well Bondo would reduce that handle texture?..... just slather it in till it was essentially slab sided.... lay a piece of sandpaper across it to add texture when it dried....hit it with a coat of flat black somehow.... Ceracoat maybe.... ?......it would add some weight, but... LOL I'm not all that concerned about that.... would kinda come out like the handle on a RajahII ....

anyone? anyone? Bueller? Bueller?.......
 
I believe that some use J-B Weld epoxy . :confused:

The slow setting type would certainly be strong enough . :cool:
 
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