Thoughts on Curtiss Knives

Accelerator

Accelerator

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So, with Christmas coming up, I decided that my wife should get me a Curtiss F3. Now, since she doesn't know much about knives, I was allowed to "pick out" the knife that I wanted. After carrying some form of Hinderer XM for the past couple of years, I decided I wanted to try a Curtiss F3, specifically a medium with the compound grind, similar to the Hinderer Spanto grind as best as I can tell.

I chose Curtiss because there are many similarities to the XM which I love. I found a good deal on a medium so I pulled the trigger. It appears to be sized between the 3.0 and 3.5 XM's (3.25").

What I want to know is, those of you that have had and/or used both, how do they compare? I know Dave Curtiss makes a very well built knife, so how have everyone's experiances been? Any issues or regrets? I'm very excited to get the F3 and hope that it's everything that I hope that it is.

Since threads are always better with pics, here's some of my Hinderer's!
 

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I have both a Hinderer XM-18 3.5 with the harpoon spanto grind and a Curtiss F3 medium in compound grind. IMHO, the Hinderer XM-18 with the harpoon spanto is the sexiest blade grind that I own and I just love it. But, the Hinderer just won't flip like the Curtiss. The Curtiss just feels and flips amazing compared to the Hinderer - I would imagine due to the fact that the Curtiss is riding on caged bearings versus the polymer washers or whatever the Hinderer has. Also, the Curtiss has both sides as full slabs of Ti not just one side and then a partial with G10. I think the Curtiss is built a little better than the Hinderer but the blade grind is more like a tanto than spanto. The spanto has one flowing line for the edge while the Curtiss compound grind is much more like a tanto with two distinct edges coming together at almost a point.

If I could put the Hinderer harpoon spanto blade on my Curtiss F3, it would be my grail knife.

If you like that tanto style blade, then you will love everything else about the Curtiss for sure.
 
I've owned a Curtiss F3 medium with a compound grind. I have medium sized hands but could never get a comfortable grip on my F3 medium for some reason. The handle felt a touch short or small for me. It's kinda hard to explain, LOL, but it just didn't feel quite right. YMMV

I'll own another someday, but my next one will be a large. Absolutely fantastic knives, btw. Stellar F&F, rock solid, and Dave is a super good dude.

Congrats on your purchase!
 
Thanks for all of the input. My 3" spanto is about as small of a knife as I can handle. I love the compact size, but wish for a little more real estate in the hand. I'm hoping that the F3 will afford this as the dimensions are just a bit bigger.

It seems like the Curtiss is a step up in overall build and that's what I'm hoping for. Although I would love to have many of the higher priced customs that are available, I can't justify turning any of those knives into users. If I own it, I'm going to use it, and right now, this Curtiss seems to hit that balance between cost and the wear that it will see.
 
Ill throw my two cents in here....I love my Curtiss F3 large.Ive owned ALOT of knives and for me the Curtiss is the best of everything.The flipping action is amazing.I flipped my Shiro and the F3 side by side and it was the same action.It feels like its assisted it flips so well.I own the damasteel blade spanto version and the edge retention is insane.I renovated an old house recently and cut all the old carpet up and cut it into small pieces for easier removal.It still shaved arm hair after that.Plus, maybe the biggest factor,i can text Dave Curtiss anytime about anything.His customer service is top notch.
 
I have owned three and they are the best knives I have ever owned. I had two large and a medium F3. The large fit my hand better than the medium. I sold the large warnhcliff and wish I had keep it. I still have the compound ground one. The fit and finish is out standing. I have owned several sebenzas and I like the Curtiss better. The flipping action is hard to beleive it is so smooth. Also, Dave is great to deal with.
 
This is really positive feedback that I am getting here. I may be more excited about this knife now than I was before.

Everything that I've read about Dave's build quality and service has been what's driven me to finally try one out for myself. Everything that I am reading here has just confirmed that.

Thanks everyone for chiming in!
 
I own two F3’s a medium and a compact. They are really well built knives. The flipping action is smooth and quick. I recommend them whole heartedly.
 
How is the blade thickness behind the edge on Curtiss grinds? Slicey or folding prybar? Any idea on the edge angle?
My Hinderers all needed to be reground to make them efficient slicers and I want to invest in a large Curtiss F3 compound grind but don't want to add on the extra cash needed for the regrind.
 
Barman1 said:
How is the blade thickness behind the edge on Curtiss grinds? Slicey or folding prybar? Any idea on the edge angle?
My Hinderers all needed to be reground to make them efficient slicers and I want to invest in a large Curtiss F3 compound grind but don't want to add on the extra cash needed for the regrind.
Click to expand...

IMHO, the Curtiss knives are more hard use oriented rather than "slicey"; aka folding prybar.
 
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