Timberline Tactical 18-Delta Series
Model 7866
General Info:
After hearing a little bit of buzz in the air about this knife, I decided I needed to try out the new stuff. I think the Greg Lightfoot has some really interesting knives out there and thus far his partnerships with various manufacturers for production knives have been quite successful. I’ve included two common ‘production’ knives (CRKT M1 Lightfoot and Buck/Strider SBMF) which copy the designs of more famous makers in the photos for size comparisons.
The 3 ¾” blade is 440C and very sharp out of the box. There are plenty of super steels out there that might also be suitable but this knife is marketed to be a no-frills, tough, hard-working knife to take to the “field.” As such, 440C is still a viable choice. The Ti-Ni coating is nice and uniform. This particular drop-point uses Greg Lightfoot’s asymmetric profile as can be seen when comparing the right and left sides of the blade. The actual grind is in fact a hollow grind. If I was picky, I could say that there are very slight tool marks on the blade but one would need to use the macro-setting on the camera is capture that.
The handle uses titanium liners and G10 grips. Both are extremely well machined. No burrs were found on the liners nor G10 and the overall frame is sturdy in the hand. The knife is well balanced right at the index finger groove and I love the feel of the remaining fingers fitting along with the pinky finger groove.
Fit and Finish
The blade locks open very positively and there is a satisfying snap engagement of the liner-lock. Also, the thumb-stud indexes very well, which feels natural to thumb-open so that no overly-deliberate action is needed. (The same cannot be said of the CRKT M1 Lightfoot pictured where the thumb-stud is really the blade stop pin and more of a back-up thumb-stud because the flipper is for primary opening).
There is absolutely no vertical play on the blade. However, when holding the liner down, some slight play can be noticed LATERALLY. Generally, this is indeed more common on knives where the blade stop-pin rest at the back of the blade unlike the thumb-stud/forward pins like those found on the Strider-Buck and CRKT.
Additionally, I believe this may in part be due to the washers used by Timberline. Unlike many knives (such as the cheap pig-sticker Buck-Strider SBMF) which use single solid brass washers, it appears that the Timberline Tactical 18-Deltas use a number of brass shim washers. This is probably for production assembly ease to allow for larger tolerances but it also allows for more likelihood of movement if the assembler did not stack the maximum number of washers on. I have emailed Timberline to find out what are their acceptable tolerances and I am awaiting their response. If I go about dissembling the knife, I may have try to add some shim stock or go to Home Depot and get the suitable solid washers to fit in instead. ….if I’m able to dissemble the knife…
You will also probably ask why I haven’t just tried tightening the pivot screw. The blade pivot screw has a nice texture profiled to emulate the G10 somewhat. The slot for the flat head is unusually narrow and off-hand, I can’t find a flat-head that even manages to fit in the slot. I could file down a screw-driver….but if this knife is supposed to be a go-to knife, I’d be hard-pressed if I had to do basic service(er..tightening) simply because I can’t find anything to jam in there. I’m not sure if Timberline intended it to be end-user serviceable. This is something also questioned in my email to Timberline along with the inquiry regarding the lateral blade slop. I may simply call their Customer Service for a quicker response.
Another issue I would like to stress is the pocket clip design. The clip seems somewhat of an after-thought. The clip is much too narrow and close to the grip. While this would in theory make the clip less of a hindrance while gripping the knife, the clip offers too narrow of a space to fit your pants, particularly going over the pocket seam. Additionally, Timberline has used round head Torx screws which act as an additional barrier to overcome on your pants. Lastly, the clip itself is skeletonized and while some knives’ grips make tear your jeans/pants, over time with the 18-Delta, it’ll actually be the clip doing it rather than the G10.
Gripping the handle with the clip can also be a source of gripes. The ramp for engaging the clip on your pants is a tad high. In certain grips, this ramp will rub in between your index and middle finger knuckle or the web of the fingers. Possibly something to overcome but I like to dictate how I grip my knife not the other way around.
For whatever it’s worth, the clip’s ramp can probably be bent down some to better accommodate. However, it’s really too narrow for even your dress/parade pants for regular use. I suppose you may stick it on a MOLLE slot.
Overall, I’m impressed by the Titanium/G10 handle working/finish and blade profile. The clip is a lazy, ill-thought out design. The lateral movement somewhat discredits it as the sharpened chisel, go-to knife. So I'll give the benefit of the doubt and I’ll await Timberline’s response to pass final judgment with regards to that. If anyone has an issue of Tactical Knives July 2008, I’d love to hear what they said about this knife. I haven’t had a chance to get a copy.
Model 7866
General Info:
After hearing a little bit of buzz in the air about this knife, I decided I needed to try out the new stuff. I think the Greg Lightfoot has some really interesting knives out there and thus far his partnerships with various manufacturers for production knives have been quite successful. I’ve included two common ‘production’ knives (CRKT M1 Lightfoot and Buck/Strider SBMF) which copy the designs of more famous makers in the photos for size comparisons.
The 3 ¾” blade is 440C and very sharp out of the box. There are plenty of super steels out there that might also be suitable but this knife is marketed to be a no-frills, tough, hard-working knife to take to the “field.” As such, 440C is still a viable choice. The Ti-Ni coating is nice and uniform. This particular drop-point uses Greg Lightfoot’s asymmetric profile as can be seen when comparing the right and left sides of the blade. The actual grind is in fact a hollow grind. If I was picky, I could say that there are very slight tool marks on the blade but one would need to use the macro-setting on the camera is capture that.
The handle uses titanium liners and G10 grips. Both are extremely well machined. No burrs were found on the liners nor G10 and the overall frame is sturdy in the hand. The knife is well balanced right at the index finger groove and I love the feel of the remaining fingers fitting along with the pinky finger groove.
Fit and Finish
The blade locks open very positively and there is a satisfying snap engagement of the liner-lock. Also, the thumb-stud indexes very well, which feels natural to thumb-open so that no overly-deliberate action is needed. (The same cannot be said of the CRKT M1 Lightfoot pictured where the thumb-stud is really the blade stop pin and more of a back-up thumb-stud because the flipper is for primary opening).
There is absolutely no vertical play on the blade. However, when holding the liner down, some slight play can be noticed LATERALLY. Generally, this is indeed more common on knives where the blade stop-pin rest at the back of the blade unlike the thumb-stud/forward pins like those found on the Strider-Buck and CRKT.
Additionally, I believe this may in part be due to the washers used by Timberline. Unlike many knives (such as the cheap pig-sticker Buck-Strider SBMF) which use single solid brass washers, it appears that the Timberline Tactical 18-Deltas use a number of brass shim washers. This is probably for production assembly ease to allow for larger tolerances but it also allows for more likelihood of movement if the assembler did not stack the maximum number of washers on. I have emailed Timberline to find out what are their acceptable tolerances and I am awaiting their response. If I go about dissembling the knife, I may have try to add some shim stock or go to Home Depot and get the suitable solid washers to fit in instead. ….if I’m able to dissemble the knife…
You will also probably ask why I haven’t just tried tightening the pivot screw. The blade pivot screw has a nice texture profiled to emulate the G10 somewhat. The slot for the flat head is unusually narrow and off-hand, I can’t find a flat-head that even manages to fit in the slot. I could file down a screw-driver….but if this knife is supposed to be a go-to knife, I’d be hard-pressed if I had to do basic service(er..tightening) simply because I can’t find anything to jam in there. I’m not sure if Timberline intended it to be end-user serviceable. This is something also questioned in my email to Timberline along with the inquiry regarding the lateral blade slop. I may simply call their Customer Service for a quicker response.
Another issue I would like to stress is the pocket clip design. The clip seems somewhat of an after-thought. The clip is much too narrow and close to the grip. While this would in theory make the clip less of a hindrance while gripping the knife, the clip offers too narrow of a space to fit your pants, particularly going over the pocket seam. Additionally, Timberline has used round head Torx screws which act as an additional barrier to overcome on your pants. Lastly, the clip itself is skeletonized and while some knives’ grips make tear your jeans/pants, over time with the 18-Delta, it’ll actually be the clip doing it rather than the G10.
Gripping the handle with the clip can also be a source of gripes. The ramp for engaging the clip on your pants is a tad high. In certain grips, this ramp will rub in between your index and middle finger knuckle or the web of the fingers. Possibly something to overcome but I like to dictate how I grip my knife not the other way around.
For whatever it’s worth, the clip’s ramp can probably be bent down some to better accommodate. However, it’s really too narrow for even your dress/parade pants for regular use. I suppose you may stick it on a MOLLE slot.
Overall, I’m impressed by the Titanium/G10 handle working/finish and blade profile. The clip is a lazy, ill-thought out design. The lateral movement somewhat discredits it as the sharpened chisel, go-to knife. So I'll give the benefit of the doubt and I’ll await Timberline’s response to pass final judgment with regards to that. If anyone has an issue of Tactical Knives July 2008, I’d love to hear what they said about this knife. I haven’t had a chance to get a copy.
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