AFAustin
Gold Member
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2004
- Messages
- 2,494
I always thought the #65 Ben Hogans would be a little big for my taste at 4 1/2" closed and so had never indulged in one. But the recent run featured some pretty stunning acrylics which really caught my eye. I've always liked acrylics and been curious about their history and heritage in traditional knives, and got some interesting replies when I posted about it here: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1305984-Are-Acrylics-Traditional
One thing leads to another---you know how it goes---and I ended up really splurging and buying not one but two Hogans! The one which originally attracted my attention was the Red River Acrylic, but then when I got a load of the outstanding Tortoise Shell, I was a goner. Plus, I rationalized, it would be nice to have one each of the Tidioute and Northfield versions for a little compare and contrast.
When I got them in hand, I was pleasantly surprised that they really didn't feel too large, and being fairly lightweight, they didn't feel that way in the pocket, either (although you can definitely feel their length). Moreover, the scales are extremely comfortable and my index finger wraps around the long bolsters just perfectly.
The pull is about right at maybe a 6 or so, with the Tidioute being a bit easier to open, maybe because the nail nick is a tad closer to the tip than the long pull on the Northfield is. The blades on both are well centered and the grinds are even and well done.
My only gripe is that each suffers from a case of blade rapping, causing a flat spot on the edge, and in almost exactly the same spot about an inch from the tip. Other knives I've had with this problem usually have it where the blade meets the raised portion of the spring at the center pin. These spots being farther down makes me wonder if it is caused by the long blades having more flex farther from the kick or...? Chris at GEC kindly offered to have the springs adjusted if I would send them in, but with the turnaround time being several weeks I'll just see if I can't resolve this with a good sharpening.
In any event, I really like these two, and this Ben Hogan skeptic has become a Ben Hogan believer!
Please post any pics and opinions of your Hogans.
Thanks,
Andrew
One thing leads to another---you know how it goes---and I ended up really splurging and buying not one but two Hogans! The one which originally attracted my attention was the Red River Acrylic, but then when I got a load of the outstanding Tortoise Shell, I was a goner. Plus, I rationalized, it would be nice to have one each of the Tidioute and Northfield versions for a little compare and contrast.
When I got them in hand, I was pleasantly surprised that they really didn't feel too large, and being fairly lightweight, they didn't feel that way in the pocket, either (although you can definitely feel their length). Moreover, the scales are extremely comfortable and my index finger wraps around the long bolsters just perfectly.
The pull is about right at maybe a 6 or so, with the Tidioute being a bit easier to open, maybe because the nail nick is a tad closer to the tip than the long pull on the Northfield is. The blades on both are well centered and the grinds are even and well done.
My only gripe is that each suffers from a case of blade rapping, causing a flat spot on the edge, and in almost exactly the same spot about an inch from the tip. Other knives I've had with this problem usually have it where the blade meets the raised portion of the spring at the center pin. These spots being farther down makes me wonder if it is caused by the long blades having more flex farther from the kick or...? Chris at GEC kindly offered to have the springs adjusted if I would send them in, but with the turnaround time being several weeks I'll just see if I can't resolve this with a good sharpening.
In any event, I really like these two, and this Ben Hogan skeptic has become a Ben Hogan believer!
Please post any pics and opinions of your Hogans.
Thanks,
Andrew
Last edited:
)
