Trestle Pines Grand Portage

Dadpool said:
Some new wood options are up. The darker, warmer woods seem like a good match for the natural warmth of the brass elements.

I'm staying on the fence, but I look forward to more photos as others acquire theirs! :D
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I had to pull the trigger on the Afzelia Wood knife, but I was conflicted. That old growth ash and especially the Bolivian Rosewood had gorgeous handles.
 
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Those new woods look great! Almost makes me wish I had gotten one with a darker wood . . . almost ;)

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Yeah I am so close to pulling the trigger on one of these, but dang if I didn't already overspend this month. It's all about that brass bolster mellowing out and settling in with a few days pocket time.
 
I'm kind of tapped out also. Seems that the knives I like seem to come out at the same times...and with some in preorders, money is spoken for.
But these are tempting and getting closer to my CC grace period switch over...

I have no worries that the brass will patina nicely. The copper bolsters on the MarkeSharpe's Fishbarlow and the CSC dogshead barlow ...and the a Bronze watch I have, patina'd well. I have seen brass watches mellow well...and can be forced to patina in different methods.
 
Relee1 said:
I had to pull the trigger on the Afzelia Wood knife, but I was conflicted. That old growth ash and especially the Bolivian Rosewood had gorgeous handles.
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Congrats on the Afzelia Wood! the dealer pictures look excellent :thumbup: looking forward to seeing more of that beauty.

Cannonball970 said:
Those new woods look great! Almost makes me wish I had gotten one with a darker wood . . . almost ;)

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Thanks for the updates, pictures and feedback. Your Boxelder Grand Portage is looking better and better every day. Trestle Pines is making some really good looking knives.
 
swaybacksteve said:
I'm kind of tapped out also. Seems that the knives I like seem to come out at the same times...and with some in preorders, money is spoken for.
But these are tempting and getting closer to my CC grace period switch over...

I have no worries that the brass will patina nicely. The copper bolsters on the MarkeSharpe's Fishbarlow and the CSC dogshead barlow ...and the a Bronze watch I have, patina'd well. I have seen brass watches mellow well...and can be forced to patina in different methods.
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broke down and snagged the Circassian Walnut :o

Time to rethink all those other reserves I have down.
 
Greg, In case you want more constructive criticism...... If you are going to stamp that bolster, STAMP that sucker!!! Every tree looks like a light-strike. Maybe it was intentional, to look "worn"? I think it just looks whimpy. Like the "OLD" growth wood handles. Would prefer it with a more typical "OLD" school knife pattern. Don't like the brass bolsters at all (Deal breaker for me...... would otherwise have ordered one the day they were released, even with criticisms mentioned). LIKE that long match strike pull! Most of these are personal taste things.....And they are only mine. Your sales rate will tell you more ;-). Best of luck in your adventure with Trestle Pines. Can't wait to see the next one......
 
some quick unboxing photos and initial impression.

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should be a solid everyday carry. for the ney sayers out there, the brass bolster is georgeous in hand, and the pine tree impression is just right. yep it does look whimpy in photos but perfect in person.

There are a lot of tiny minor random fit and finish issues but nothing to harrumph over. Well, maybe the design of the half stop is a bit of a weak point. It just feels too limp.

Ill put out some more details after i give it a new edge and have carried it a bit.
 
Frankly, after following this thread since its inception (and as a huge fan of Barlows in general), I can see the logic behind some of the complaints. I can't help but wonder, however, that if this were a GEC run would there be anything but effusive praise for "thinking outside the box" or "making a production knife that ticks so many boxes" with only a smattering of criticism interspersed?

Greg, I think the GP is a beautiful knife. Understanding that it's basically a series of short runs, I can understand the pricing. But at that price point I think the general perception of the F&F should be glowing. This may well be a function of Queen's involvement (which disappoints me; something like this should serve as a showpiece for any and all improvements they've made in manufacturing) or it could be more of the "Not A GEC" meemies. It's hard to say. The boxelder with brass is a stunning look, however, and I hope if you do commission future runs that Queen makes you proud. Good luck!
 
I agree that people may have been more accepting of the unique pattern if it came from GEC since they're known for having non traditional elements to some of their designs. However, I think most of us are being much less critical of the build quality of the GP because it's not a GEC. I guess you could say that I've become spoiled but I tend to hold GEC to a higher standard than most other companies. The weirdness around the back of my bolsters is no big deal to me, but I've certainly never seen it on a GEC. I hope Trestle Pines continues to produce fun and unorthodox patterns/materials and I look forward to picking more up in the future. I love my brass and boxelder!

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I've been enjoying seeing everyone's photos and reading the reviews! I'm still on the fence, but that's just as much about knife budget allocation as anything else.

By the way, I realized much later after starting this thread that I have the same first name as Trestle Pines' founder. I don't know that that has confused anyone, but, just in case: he and I are not the same person. I'm just an admirer of his knives. :)
 
jrawk said:
some quick unboxing photos and initial impression.

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jrawk I opened this up on my computer so that I could see your pictures better, and boy does that walnut look great! The bolsters will start to patina real quick and it will look amazing!
 
Cannonball970 said:
jrawk I opened this up on my computer so that I could see your pictures better, and boy does that walnut look great! The bolsters will start to patina real quick and it will look amazing!
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thanks the photosare probably low quality via the tapatalk app. i will upload photos to a photobook album soon with my full review.
 
TsarBomba said:
Frankly, after following this thread since its inception (and as a huge fan of Barlows in general), I can see the logic behind some of the complaints. I can't help but wonder, however, that if this were a GEC run would there be anything but effusive praise for "thinking outside the box" or "making a production knife that ticks so many boxes" with only a smattering of criticism interspersed?

Greg, I think the GP is a beautiful knife. Understanding that it's basically a series of short runs, I can understand the pricing. But at that price point I think the general perception of the F&F should be glowing. This may well be a function of Queen's involvement (which disappoints me; something like this should serve as a showpiece for any and all improvements they've made in manufacturing) or it could be more of the "Not A GEC" meemies. It's hard to say. The boxelder with brass is a stunning look, however, and I hope if you do commission future runs that Queen makes you proud. Good luck!
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:thumbup: +1
I was quite reluctant about this new pattern, but jrawk's has an English flavour, ressembling a lot to the Sheffield made. Wharncliff and bottle opener are bonuses :thumbup:
 
Cannonball970 said:
jrawk I opened this up on my computer so that I could see your pictures better, and boy does that walnut look great! The bolsters will start to patina real quick and it will look amazing!
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This is knife is begging for a clip point blade.
 
Cannonball970 said:
I agree that people may have been more accepting of the unique pattern if it came from GEC since they're known for having non traditional elements to some of their designs. However, I think most of us are being much less critical of the build quality of the GP because it's not a GEC. I guess you could say that I've become spoiled but I tend to hold GEC to a higher standard than most other companies. The weirdness around the back of my bolsters is no big deal to me, but I've certainly never seen it on a GEC. I hope Trestle Pines continues to produce fun and unorthodox patterns/materials and I look forward to picking more up in the future. I love my brass and boxelder!
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I have a quick minute to respond and continue this conversation. And after having this in hand all morning (literally can't seem to put this GP down or let it out of my sight) I agree with Cannonball and the others that we're not as critical with other brands as we are with GEC. We expect, falsely, as I've argued in other threads, that GEC put production flawlessness in little white tubes. It's just not reality. And neither is it for other brands. And after I figured out to accept that (the CSC 2015 BF Knife really was the turning point for me) it opened up a new world of joyous collecting!

This Grand Portage is a very solid well built, well designed knife, that feels organic, unique and utilitarian. And I'm very happy with the purchase. It is not perfect. There are many flaws that somebody can nit-pick to death over but really if you're purchasing this knife as an investment I think you're missing the design intentions. I'm pretty sure this is going to be a popular carry for me, beyond the honeymoon phase. And I'd happily pass this one down to the next generation.

I have noticed the cap lifter works better on this one than the GEC flavor. More leverage to pull the cap up in one swipe, rather than multiple stabs at it (but maybe that's just me).
 
jrawk said:
I have noticed the cap lifter works better on this one than the GEC flavor. More leverage to pull the cap up in one swipe, rather than multiple stabs at it (but maybe that's just me).
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This is huge for me. It goes a long way towards helping me justify the cost of the boxelder burl (assuming there are any left :p).

When the Beerlows started showing up, I thought they were more of a novelty. As time goes on (and as I stopped carrying a dedicated opener and a Bic lighter due to my reduction of the drank and elimination of the tobacco) I start to realize that combining my favorite pattern with an opener is probably a good idea, better than scrambling around my kitchen or drawers looking for that demo knife or SAK with a lifter that I just know is there somewhere. :cool:
 
TsarBomba said:
This is huge for me. It goes a long way towards helping me justify the cost of the boxelder burl (assuming there are any left :p).

When the Beerlows started showing up, I thought they were more of a novelty. As time goes on (and as I stopped carrying a dedicated opener and a Bic lighter due to my reduction of the drank and elimination of the tobacco) I start to realize that combining my favorite pattern with an opener is probably a good idea, better than scrambling around my kitchen or drawers looking for that demo knife or SAK with a lifter that I just know is there somewhere. :cool:
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So then here's one more observation for you. A sheepfoot blade closed in the handle is not good at all for providing leverage to lift the cap. On the GEC's if you're not carefull, you'll squeeze the blade too much and rap the edge into the spring. Well, on the Grand Portage, I can get a full finger on the bottom end of the handle because the wharncliffe slopes down fast enough. No blade squeeze, no blade rap. Hope that makes sense. I don't have a GEC Radio Jack with clip point blade, but I would assume it works better than a sheepfoot too.
 
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