oldmanwilly
Gold Member
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2014
- Messages
- 4,118
Thanks for the write up! It's such an attractive knife, especially with the drop point main, and I've been impressed by Katz' quality in the past. I've pretty much given up finding a GEC #66 and this might fill the void.Not sure how available these are currently. I had to dig a few years back to find a dealer who had one. If I remember correctly, they offered both a drop point and clip blade options. I chose the drop point for the novelty. The steel is AUS 8.
An interesting take on a two-spring three blade knife. The blades are not crinked but are offset. But they are not thinned out, either. The result is a thick knife for the pocket, but a pleasure to use in the hand. (Reminds me of carrying a camper model.)
As I mentioned above, the walk and talk is a bit light, with the spring strength at about a 3 if an SAK were a 5. But still holds nicely in place during use. If you don't find the average Buck 301 unusable because of light springs, then I think this would work for you. The action, although light, is very smooth.
The bone is very well done. Fit and finish is immaculate with no gaps and springs flat in both open and closed positions for both open and closed of each blade, as one would expect of a knife made in Japan.
My only hesitation is the light pulls. I've got a 301 and do enjoy it, but I honestly carry it less than I should due to the light springs.
I have found several dealers with Katz stockmen in stock. But beware, some of them are listed for ~$50 but are described as being made in China. As far as I can tell, this only applies to models with synthetic covers.
