What brought you to CPK?

MikeKu825

MikeKu825

"The Enthusiast"
Joined
Aug 27, 2014
Messages
918
For me it was a sales thread for the EDC..

I found it after several whole minutes, and all 20 knives were sold. I thought to myself.. what the hell? Why did these knives sell so quickly? What do these people know that I don't? .. and so it began..

I'm a science nerd, and molecular structure is my thing. I love metal. I love it. I love the idea of changing how a material behaves based on rearranging it on a molecular level. It's the ultimate puzzle. It's cause and effect.. but more like cause and effect and effect and effect. Malleable and resistant in balance. To me, balance is everything.

Nathan's explanation of the heat treat on D3V sold me. It's literally balanced on the molecular edge. It's the result of several people collaborating and appreciating the complexity of how the molecular formula of a specific metal will behave based on how it is treated. That appreciation could only come hard work, serious dedication, and passion. It's persistence that you can hold in your hand and feel.

After that I saw an explanation of the Shiv design. Again, balance. Everything was considered. I remember the explanation of the weight and how the knife reacted when it was held. It registered with me on many levels. I knew this guy "Nathan" wasn't just churning out stuff that looked good, he was engineering art.

Back to the EDC.. the clay mold. The handle design method just so intuitive. How else can you make something more ergonomic than to squeeze the crap out of clay? The video on the 3V abuse test reaffirmed my confidence. Not for the abuse, but because the guy in the video really gave a $hit about the design and the engineering. I know a nerd when I see one.

Machine milling.. God I love precision. If I could be remembered to have personified one quality in my life, I hope it's precision. I have worked in machine shops and done milling work. Once you have seen how precise milling is, it's like a drug. No wonder where the attention to detail comes from..

I could continue, but after that I got my hands on my first CPK, and I have only become more and more invested. I have found an outlet for a part of me that is hard for most people to understand.

Maybe some part of that makes sense, maybe not. Someone here might actually get it.

Thank you to everyone that makes this community so rewarding. It's good to know I'm not alone.

Mike
 
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It all started when I was a weeee piglet (still am :D) squeeling around at other hogs looking to buy a Team Gemini Light Brigade. I wasn't even on this forum at the time, only the Australian forum. Someone told me to look at the Carother's blades on the exchange instead...I did...two A2 shiv's for sale....I thought "damn they look NICE"...but alas, I didn't have much money invested into blades at the time and I was either getting the Team Gemini or the Shiv...I chose the Gemini...

Couple years later and I purchased an INFI Ratmandu from Dave (Hard Knocks) here on the forums. He was also selling a Field Knife. After purchasing the Ratmandu I kept thinking to myself "I've seen that logo before...where from....damn. That's a NICE blade!"

Did a little searching and what do ya know? Carother's Performance Knives had a forum here....and that's when I feel into the rabbit hole.....is there a way out????!?!?!?!?!
 
ExtraBaconPlease said:
It all started when I was a weeee piglet (still am :D) squeeling around at other hogs looking to buy a Team Gemini Light Brigade. I wasn't even on this forum at the time, only the Australian forum. Someone told me to look at the Carother's blades on the exchange instead...I did...two A2 shiv's for sale....I thought "damn they look NICE"...but alas, I didn't have much money invested into blades at the time and I was either getting the Team Gemini or the Shiv...I chose the Gemini...

Couple years later and I purchased an INFI Ratmandu from Dave (Hard Knocks) here on the forums. He was also selling a Field Knife. After purchasing the Ratmandu I kept thinking to myself "I've seen that logo before...where from....damn. That's a NICE blade!"

Did a little searching and what do ya know? Carother's Performance Knives had a forum here....and that's when I feel into the rabbit hole.....is there a way out????!?!?!?!?!
Click to expand...
The only way out is through..
 
You can all blame JustinFournier, Casinostocks and Hard Knocks for me being here.
After talking with these guys multiple times about how useful these knives were, I was hooked.
I have to agree with Gusbuster about enjoying everything Nathan writes even though a lot of it flies right over my head.
 
For me it was purely by dumb luck through word of mouth circa May 2016. I was heavily into Survive! Knives back then and a regular subforum dweller. The subforum over at Survive! was heck of a place populated mostly by very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful forumites some of whom sill cross traverse both over here and over there. I think it was during a discussion thread regarding about the future generation of GSO-10 line, preorders, etc; when someone over there wrote that they had just scored a Carothers Light Chopper and that he was highly impressed with the LC and wasn't sure if he wanted to get into the long waiting game of the preorders etc. I wish I could now recollect as to who that poster was, but I sadly can not recall exactly but it could've been TreviTrace.

Anyway, I started using Google to see who or what was the Carothers Light Chopper which brought me right back yo BFC (let's not forget that back then there was no subforum for CPK!). I then found out someone using the moniker "Nathan The Machinist" was the man to see about a horse! So I sheepishly PM'd him from the old forum format list and he got back to me rather promptly that same day and informed me that they way to get one of his LCs was to participate on his to be announced Fridays Sale threads and that they would announce their designated Friday sale on their Facebook page. I do not use FB but their FB page is not restricted to access by FB members only so I was able to find out and Nathan had given me instructions as to where the sales thread was going to be. I brought this up to Justin's attention who at the time had not owned anything Carothers but he told me that from what he knew, the sales were super competitive so he informed me as to how it was the best way to play some keyboard Jedi tricks. Thank you Justin!

On my very first trial, I think I came in 4th or was it 6th, I don't recall now but I did win one LC because there were 10 up for grabs. I think that my LC with TeroTuf handles came to like $465 with a dangler loop sheath which at the time was the most $ I had spent on a knife, any knife!!! Once I received the LC and had a chance to handle it and feel it, I was sold, Sold, SOLD!!! I thought, "what a marvelous piece" and all the chicken sh*t buyer's remorse angst was out of the proverbial window of my then narrow mind. I also informed Justin that he'd be a fool to not get into this action and the rest as they say was history: I was done, hook, line and sinker.

Much has changed since those days when I sheepishly found my way into this game and a lot more people have become converts of the Carothers Performance Knives. I think I persuaded some other folks from S!K to come over and try CPKs, not at the expense of S!K, but as in tandem or an alternative. Of course the CPK's prices and / or production output plus marketing was either prohibitive to some and/or brand loyalties fell into a precarious state of minds, but I also understand that as consumers we all have different tempo and expectations and that the CPK's tempo and products resonate very well with my own path into fixed knives. Last but not least, I do not wish to claim that I was a trailblazer of sorts because people like HardKnock and a couple of other homies were well ahead of me in terms of already being owners and patrons of some Carother pieces.
 
I love Busse, miller bros, any tough hard use knife, I was looking for some choppers for my son and I, I Goggled Chopper, and there it was ... The light chopper with a bunch of other knives, I instantly fell in love with the design the perfect fuller the handle the everything... My first thought was "I'm never going to get one of those and, the pic had no link so I went on a three day psychotic google frenzy I couldn't sleep, all day at work ..I was loosing my marbles trying to figure out who the fucker making this perfect knife was. I couldn't see the makers mark, I was lost, now I'm in to despite YouTube time .... And thats when I seen it, cutting newspaper in the rain. "it was like hearing the Beatles for the first time" I was drawn to this knife I had to have it. So like a black Friday sell I rushed onto Blade forums to try and score one.. The like a good old kick in the nuts I found out how hard they are to come by,.... So whats worse then three sleepless nights on google trying to figure out the riddle of the perfect blade you may ask?? 2months of stalking the Cpk threads waiting to pounce and missing by seconds and feeling defeated. Then one day I finally scored a light chopper and I love it I do wish it was heavier but that's coming soon... And like a ninja in the shadows ... I wait, patiently and quietly until I hear the magic words, and then I will strike like a rattle snake and claim my prey .... We are waiting Nathan .....
 
Busse. CPK was mentioned in a couple of subforum threads and I noticed that a few members active there were also active here. That caught my attention, but not necessarily my interest. S!K. Looked good. Positive testimonials regarding the product. Negative testimonials regarding business practices. CPK was mentioned in a couple of subforum threads and I noticed that a few members active in there were also active here. Interest was piqued. Nathan The Machinist. Noted his presence and activity in Shop Talk where I lurk for tidbits of good information. Casinostocks. In a passing conversation, he had mentioned letting go of all his S!K in favor of pursuing CPK. I figured that to be quite a commitment and decided soon afterwards to fully invest my interest here.
 
While hunting last fall, a buddy had a FK in D3v and I had a Busse Son of a Badger! The FK held an edge almost twice as long as the Busse-I was Sold! Started doing some research and Discovered Dan Keffeler's work! Been in Love with D3V ever since! Very, Very good stuff!
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Performance.

Probably made possible by the combination of Nathan and Lorien.

Lorien's design ability. To concentrate real world use into a tool based on function while considering ergonomics based on actual anatomy rather than common industry practices. His aesthetic preferences are also in line with mine.

Nathan's combination of previous world experience that seemingly put him in a unique position where he can hone a design into a tool so specific in it's use that every aspect of the design takes it's intended purpose into consideration without losing focus. Then the machinist know how to repeatedly execute those designs precisely and accurately. No one is doing it the same way he is, yet.

I think it's important to note that neither Nathan nor Lorien came into this industry needing to make a living at it.

I think that has allowed them the flexibility to do what they want and create thier own market individually rather than need to generate revenue out of the gate and focus on sales.

Putting the product first has allowed them to build something unique.

I have beautiful examples of Nathan's Skinner, Shiv and Utility Fighter. However these came after I fell in love with the first models I acquired, the Field Knife and the Light Chopper. Both of which I hope to never run out of.

I watched for a long time before I bought.
 
I became aware of "Nathan the Machinist" sometime in early 2014 through some mention of him and his work in a thread in the "Customs and Handmade" section of Bladeforums. Whatever it was (pardon my aweful memory), it was around the same time that I first noticed his 6" fighter (the UF or Utility Fighter) in the Exchange. In fact, I still have that thread saved, lol.

I began to follow his work and purchased several shivs between then and mid-2015. At that point I think I was already hooked, but am absolutely certain I was once I lucked out and was probably first to notice for sale (and bought) the knife below on July 3, 2015. And since then, I've made sure to grab any model available. What keeps me coming back, beyond the knives themselves, are Nathan, Joe, Mark and Lorien. They are the best in every way.


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I started seeing his knives posted, then bought one of the shivs when he had them for sale. That hooked me. I remember seeing the daggers for sale - I was sorely tempted but just didn't have the money. Since then I've been picking up every model he makes. Sold my Busse knives after I bought the light chopper. The potato knife is our go-to knife in the kitchen. Waiting anxiously for the fluffer pre-order to come in...
 
Well, my first CPK will be the upcoming, yet to be named 6ish inch knife (unless I pick up something off the secondary market before I get it) and it's been a circuitous route, but the direct cause was the fuller/HAZ fiasco.

Being a fan of fixed blades, hunting and camping (wish I had more time and money for all of it) eventually led me to Busse. Busse led me to actually joining this forum as opposed to just reading what popped up on a Google search when researching knives.

After that, it all started spiralling beyond my control. You start seeing the names of other companies and knives that people who seem to have similar tastes to you also like, so you look into them... and start talking yourself out of them in an effort to not need to subsist on ramen and dandelion greens. That one's handle looks kinda sorta like that one that I almost didn't care for, not enough belly on that blade, longer than I usually carry camping, shorter than I usually carry camping, you already have a bunch that size that always get left home, I'm not waiting for years, etc. It was all going so well... Then the fuller incident got linked in W&C...

I innocently clicked the link thinking it would just be another chuckle about someone vigorously defending an utterly indefensible point. It was. Then I saw the picture. Not too long, not too short. OK... Love the all the blade design elements. Uhhh... Handle looks great. Uh oh... The company has a good reputation, but there must be some fly in the ointment somewhere if I just do a search... Mothra Fafnir! I'm doomed.

So I kept watching the CPK forum and signed up for the pre-order. I suspect once I get it and use it, I'll probably be buying more designs both past and future after I've stocked up on ramen. That's alright though. If I like it nearly as well as I suspect I will, I should probably buy Nathan and Lorien a Coke in gratitude sometime.
 
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