Tom Krein Regrind Passaround -Review - Praise - The Stuff

Fred Sanford · Apr 16, 2009

First, let me start off by saying a few things. There were 3 knives in this passaround (ZDP-189 PE Endura 4, CPM-S30V Native I, and a VG-10 Native III). All knives were plain edge.

The ZDP-189 Endura 4 was reground to a full flat grind at .010". The CPM-S30V Native I was reground in a high hollow grind, to .008". The VG-10 Native III was reground to a full flat grind to .010".

Enjoy the pictures.....and then read the last part of what I have to say about these knives.

Fred Sanford · Apr 16, 2009

The knives made my Tom Krein, and the knives reground by Tom Krein are in a league all their own. I have never experienced anything like them in my life. I didn't think Spyderco knives could be improved on. Now I know better. The long and the short of it is: Now that I have had and used what were already damn good Spydies, but yet now they are reground and even better, I don't want to ever use anything else. In fact, other than the Military, The JD Smith, the Calypso Jr, and the Centofante 3 and 4, I will never use another knife from the factory that has not been reground (unless it was previously mentioned above).

These knives give a whole new meaning to the word "sharp" or "slicer". These knives are what knives should be. They are freaking amazing. In fact, this is going to cause me to purchase a custom fixed blade made by Tom.

I'm not going to do 3 seperarate reviews like I was originally going to do. There is no need. There are plenty reviews on the Native I, Native III, and the Endura (in many different steels). If you want to see reviews of the specific knives do a search for the model and read the reviews of the factory model. If you want to know what a Tom Krein regrind of "said knife" will be like, ask yourself this question. "Would I be interested in having a folding pocket light saber in my pocket?". If the answer is yes then have Tom do one for you.

Do not pass "Go" folks, do not collect $200, go directly to Tom Krein and get a knife that you love reground into something that will blow your freakin' mind.

Owning a Tom Krein knife (or a regrind) is like watching "The Breakfast Club". There is just nothing else like it.

I've not even gotten my ZDP-189 Delica 4 that I sent Tom to regrind to a full flat at .010" behind the edge. That said I am already sending him my PE Salt I to reshape and also regrind. After cutting with his regrinds for a week, and then picking up my factory Salt I to cut with it was just like "no way, this thing drags on everything and can't cut jack ( and remember this is a factory sharp Spydie that can shave hair ). Everything is relative. If you don't want to be forced to send every knife you own to Tom to regrind, don't get one done. It will be all over after that happens.

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GunMike1, You're the man bro! God bless you man. I hope you're feeling better and getting better every day. Thanks a boat ton for sharing your knives with us folks. Greatly appreciated buddy. I will be forever grateful, and I am glad that you emailed me to be included in this. Thanks Mike!

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sodak · Apr 16, 2009

Right on! Tom is the man, no question about it. I've got a couple I need to have thinned, and you've given me the incentive to get off my lazy behind and get it done. That, plus Gunmike1's constant talking about CPM - M4... Gotta try it!

Thanks for the pics and review!

Forgot to say, thanks to Gunmike1 for the sharing! Way to go!!!

gunmike1 · Apr 17, 2009

Glad you like the knives, David! I knew you would, and I had a feeling you would go with a .010" edge instead of a .015" edge after using these. These Krein regrinds really do amazing things to show you what real cutting is, they are amazing. I now have a Pacific Salt, Endura Wave SE, and my Caly 3 ZDP that all need regrinds. I will wait until after blade to send them in as Tom is swamped now. My Pac Salt will be FFG with a splinter picker tip (like my Endura ZDP and Police 3), my Endura Wave SE will be FFG leaving Spyderco's excellent serrations, and my Caly 3 will be brought from .012" to .005" keeping the flat grind. I can't let my lowly Caly Jr ZDP and it's .005" edge be a better cutter Han my Caly 3 CF, which is a smooth masterpiece of a knife. Most people are in awe of the cutting ability of it's factory .012" edge at 9.5 degrees per side, but my Caly Jr at .005" just cuts unlike any other pocket knife there is, so my warped mind needs a regrind! It is a sickness!

I have nothing but superlatives to describe my Krein customs. The Ultimate Caper is a knife that is super thin and pointy in wonderful M4 steel, and it has great looking Green/Black G-10 handles with perfectly done Kydex. My Hydra is a great slicing machine in CPM D2 (another great steel, especially as heat treated in this knife) with striking Blue/Black G-10 handles, again with perfect kydex. I love those knives, and so does everyone else that sees them. I highly recommend Blue/Black G-10 if you are getting a knife from Tom, it is amazing stuff. Plus, the knives can literally cut cardboard until you are tired of it and still shave with Tom's 120 grit hair whittling edges. I thinned mine to 7 degrees per side with a 15 degree per side microbevel and they cut with even less resistance now. Plus, they are unreal bargains when you look at the materials, fit and finish, and tremendous performance a Krein knife offers. The knives are some of the best money I have ever spent on anything. The regrinds likewise are great money spent to transform your ordinary cutter into a real cutting machine.

Mike

ChapmanPreferred · Apr 17, 2009

I'm in this passaround and I am very excited for the opportunity. Thank you for the review David and thank you Mike in advance for a chance to play with your reground knives!

gunmike1 · Apr 17, 2009

Everyone should be thanking Tom Krein for this passaround as it was his hard work that made this possible. Luckily I have enough other regrinds to keep my pockets filled until these ones are done being passed around. I have a feeling this passaround will end up making a lot of people send knives in to Tom for regrinds, and probably even buying some of his customs. Once you use thin knives with the quality of Tom's work it is hard to go back to factory knives with standard edge thicknesses.

Mike

Fred Sanford · Apr 17, 2009

gunmike1 said:
Everyone should be thanking Tom Krein for this passaround as it was his hard work that made this possible. Luckily I have enough other regrinds to keep my pockets filled until these ones are done being passed around. I have a feeling this passaround will end up making a lot of people send knives in to Tom for regrinds, and probably even buying some of his customs. Once you use thin knives with the quality of Tom's work it is hard to go back to factory knives with standard edge thicknesses.

Mike

I agree 100%. I now look at edges and grinds completely different. I really am not abusive with knives so I really enjoy the thinness.

I will however leave my Millies alone as I think they are just Jim Dandy how they are.

gunmike1 · Apr 18, 2009

Yeah, Millies and Manix knives are perfect (.021"-.023") from the factory for harder cutting that they are designed for. I may end up getting them reground to .020" later as more use and sharpening thickens them up. In fact, my Manix is close to needing a regrinding as after several rebevellings to thin the angle and remove large chips from the edge it is getting closer to .030" than I like, so it may need a regrind soon. Considering how scratched up it is a regrind would greatly improve it's looks, and help to restore it's stock performance with a .020" regrind. The Millie might be worthy of a regrind to .015", as I don't use it for anything like chopping or other stuff that would be too much for a .015" flat ground edge to handle.

Mike

thefirefox · Apr 29, 2009

I was next on the list after David so I will add my review here rather than start a new thread.

Endura: My favorite of the 3. I sold my only Endura a while back. Now I wish I hadn't. The regrind totally changed the feel/balance of the knife. It felt lighter and was a far better slicer than a stock E4. The neck sheath was very well done, but not my cup of tea.

Native: Holy crap was that a thin edge.

Again an amazing slicer. Scary to think about the damage you could do if you slipped with this knife. My only concern was that the very tip of the blade sits just above the handle when closed. I am sure it is due to the regrind. Perhaps taking a smidge off the kick will bring it back down. I know its not much exposed, but that is one sharp tip! I think you can see this in David's photo.

N3: I really liked how this one looked with the full flat treatment and the slight swedge on the spine. Again an awesome slicer.

The question now is what do I send to Tom? Leaning towards a Delica I think, but maybe a Native. Thanks for the pass around Mike.

gunmike1 · Apr 30, 2009

Glad you liked them! Yeah, the tip on the Native barely squeaks over the handle, but I never found a problem with it. It probably just needs a few passes on a medium stone to bring it down. The transformation on the Endura is definately the most dramatic, as I think it loses around 1/2 oz of steel in the regrind.

I just sharpened my .005" high hollow ground Caly Jr ZDP last night. It makes my .010" Police 3 look thick, and it slices and sharpens so easily it is amazing. If you think those are cutters try a .005" high hollow grind, they are absolutely amazing cutters.

Mike

Nikokurausu · Apr 30, 2009

Hey guys,

How fragile are the regrinds? One of the few folders I've been interested in lately is a ZDP Endura and I would love to have it reground by Tom to be an ultimate slicer but I don't want it to become too easy to damage. What thickness would you guys recommend for insane slicing ability but still robust?

I see gunmike1 talking about leaving his Manix and Military at about .020, so would say .015 be good but still a bit robust?

sodak · Apr 30, 2009

PM me with your address, and I'll send you one of mine. It is a Caly 3 in VG 10, I don't remember the exact thickness, but I'm pretty sure it's 0.005 - 0.007. Give it a try, then you can decide.

Nikokurausu · Apr 30, 2009

Wow!

(Um, I think you're talking to me sodak but if you're not, then I apologize for being a dumbass.)

That's an awesome offer. I'll email you the info.

sodak · May 1, 2009

Nikokurausu said:
Wow!

(Um, I think you're talking to me sodak but if you're not, then I apologize for being a dumbass.)

That's an awesome offer. I'll email you the info.

Sorry, I should have quoted you... Yes, send me the info so you can see for yourself!

Nikokurausu · May 6, 2009

Hey Sodak,

I sent you the info. Just want to make sure you got it.

sodak · May 6, 2009

Nikokurausu said:
Hey Sodak,

I sent you the info. Just want to make sure you got it.

Got it, thanks! I sent you a couple of emails, but maybe you aren't getting them. The knives are in the mail. If you set your pm, from now on I'll pm you via Bladeforums to make sure you get the communication.

Lycosa · May 6, 2009

Thanks for this thread!
Tom Krein gave all of us Knuts the chance to experience the way a knife should cut.
Thank you Tom.

Nikokurausu · May 6, 2009

sodak said:
Got it, thanks! I sent you a couple of emails, but maybe you aren't getting them. The knives are in the mail. If you set your pm, from now on I'll pm you via Bladeforums to make sure you get the communication.

Yeah, I hadn't recieved them. Damn Gmail.

Anyhow, I got the knives today. Are there any mods done to the "regular" Caly? The Krein Caly is a slicing machine! I've been decimating newspaper since I got them both. I'm going to carry them for the next couple of days and see how they do.

And as for the Caly itself, I'm really impressed with the knife. Thinking of getting my own now.

Once again, I really have to say thank you to Sodak for being incredibly generous. I'm enjoying both knives greatly.

:thumbup:

And as for the Tom Krein Caly, so far, it's perfomance really makes me want to have Tom do some mods on a couple of the knives I currently own. I'll add more later on after I've used it more.

sodak · May 6, 2009

Nikokurausu said:
Yeah, I hadn't recieved them. Damn Gmail.

Anyhow, I got the knives today. Are there any mods done to the "regular" Caly? The Krein Caly is a slicing machine! I've been decimating newspaper since I got them both. I'm going to carry them for the next couple of days and see how they do.

And as for the Caly itself, I'm really impressed with the knife. Thinking of getting my own now.

Once again, I really have to say thank you to Sodak for being incredibly generous. I'm enjoying both knives greatly.:thumbup:

And as for the Tom Krein Caly, so far, it's perfomance really makes me want to have Tom do some mods on a couple of the knives I currently own. I'll add more later on after I've used it more.

Glad you like them! The regular Caly is bone stock, except for being sharpened a few times.

I'd really wait until you get these knives on passaround before making a decision. If you aren't on the passaround, get on it. You really owe it to yourself!

Go up and read Nick's first 2 posts again. I absolutely agree with him 100%, you've never been to slicing heaven until you've had some Kreinage. My next knife will be the Krein ultimate caper in CPM M4 thanks to Gunmike1's reviews. I'm also thinking of getting a mule or two sent off to Mr. Krein as well.

Had I never tried ZDP, I'd be perfectly comfortable with a bone stock Caly3 or Calypso Jr. for the rest of my life in VG 10. They are fantastic little folders that cut much larger than they look. They also have the perfect width for me to be both handy and easy to sharpen. They cut better bone stock than almost any other bone stock folder that I've used so far.

Having said all that, the ZDP just shines all the brighter in the Caly series. It shines brightest at about 0.005 inches behind the edge.

For all the good that Krein does for VG 10, it doubles or triples for ZDP 189. This steel is strong enough to go that thin (with light use), and blows away most everything else in edge holding by a long shot. I suspect the high hardness is what allows the steel to be supported well by the thin edge while resisting rolling and deformation. Softer steels will roll much quicker. With the thinning, the knives still cut great as they dull due to the geometry.

My current strategy is to use the stock VG10 for normal cutting where I might need some lateral strength, and the ZDP Kreinage for the cutting where lateral strength isn't a concern. I might also add that I did some pretty stupid cutting and twisting with a thinned out Calypso Jr. in ZDP, and did manage to take a chip out, but only after some very significant pressure/twisting while cutting something that I shouldn't have been. Just when I was thinking, "Maybe I should get a different knife"...pop. Totally my fault, knife still very useable.

Now go and re-read Nick's first 2 posts!

gunmike1 · May 7, 2009

Sodak is a very generous guy, and on top of lending me hundreds of dollars worth of great knives without knowing me he then fronted me my favorite Krein folder so far, my .005" Caly Jr ZDP. Now I am looking at a full flat grind to .005" on my Caly 3 ZDP after getting the high hollow grind on the Caly Jr. The Caly 3 in ZDP are about as good as folders get from the factory, though I think my Superhawk is my best folder ever. For precision cutters though the Caly 3 ZDP was 9.5 degrees per side and .012" edge from the factory, which is incredibly impressive for a factory folder of it's size. I do have a Stretch 2 ZDP/CF coming Friday to compare it to, but I doubt it will be that thin from the factory. That one might add another to the 3 plus knives I already need to send to Tom after blade show. The cool thing about sending knives to Tom is that you basically get a completely new knife back, because the cutting performance is so radically transformed. My Pacific Salt (FFG and splinter picker tip) and Endura Wave SE (FFG) along with the Caly 3 and possibly Stretch 2 should be fun to see in new and improved form.

Mike