Will Leavitt Wharncliff and sheath

TOB9595

TOB9595

Joined
Jan 3, 2003
Messages
2,773
I had the good fortune to be in a passaround of the Will Leavitt Wharncliff EDC knife.
Will is the KnifeMaker at Leavitt Knives. His website is Leavitt Knives
Will offered to raffle this delightful blade at the end of the passaround and I hope I win it :)

A link to the passaround with pics and the reviews before me is HERE

From Will's description the WL Wharncliff is a 2 3/4" blade, 6 1/2" overall, edgequenched 1/8" 1084 with bocote scales and SS pins, tapered tang and a leather pouch sheath.
Will made two sheaths, one for left and right hand draw. This is a very nice touch for the lefty in our group.
My first thought when I received this knife was:
The wood handles are wonderful. The bocote wood is a sight to behold.

The sheaths are VERY well done also and go well with the handle wood.. I do not feel, see or deduce that it is too loose for the blade.

First Impressions:
The cutting edge is too thin.

Well after using it on some everyday items it performs ideally. It is very sharp. I like it

Note: last time I said I wonder how it'll do cutting thru hide....I hit a deer and slit it's throat. So I'm not gonna say it.

First Impression: The sheath rides too high. I've never had a sheath knife ride this high.

I like it!!! Every sheath knife should ride like this.
I left it on my belt from work. Woke up threw my pants on headed in to work. ~ 2 hours into work I said "shucks forgot the knife"
Nope it was riding on hip just back of centerline.
This was after I was crawling round and over some pipes and was snaking out a drain on emergency need. Boiler room was flooding. I was sitting in car at desk, kneeling, bending, etc.
The knife never left the secured position. I breath easily now.
I checked the tension of the sheath when I got it. upside down shaking it and still secure
Gave it a couple of very hard flicks and it fell (flew) out. Most admirable retention. It hugs the bod very well also.

I sliced thru some plastic bags, very heavy stuff. Some cardboard. I forgot paper when I was taking some readings so I cut some heavy cardboard.
A very nice slicer.

I've got to state that I never sharpened the blade for the week it was with me.

Slicing tomatoes was a joy. It sliced thru without a tear or problem.
I cut my steak one evening and used it as my kitchen cutlery.
Whittling a maple branch into a sharp stake was no problem with this little knife. I used it as a draw knife.

I found a fresh deer road kill (that's an indication of my hunting prowess) and pulled over and started slicing and dicing. I was mightily surprised that the blade performed so well cutting thru the hide. I cut from groin to breastplate with no problems or hesitation from the blade. The three finger handle was easy on the hand in every way I held it.
I stopped before I drew a crowd as gutting a deer by the side of the road is slightly unusual. Even in the countryside of New Jersey.

I sent the Will Leavitt Wharncliff EDC off to the next guy in the passaround.

At the end of the visit with me the knife was not hugged by the sheath any longer. When I took my pants off the knife fell out of the sheath.
I still like the way it rides on my hip and the featherweight feel of it.

What would I change on this?

Nothing on the blade or handle. It was perfect for edc sheath carry.
I would find a way to snug the knife a little more. I don't know what the method of doing this would be. But when I win it I'll work that out.

Thank YOU very much Will Leavitt. You make lovely, useful knives and this passaround was a niceness to the knife community.

Tom
 
Tom,
Thanks for taking the time to wring my design out and do a thorough review. I really do appreciate it.

What's the deal with you and roadkill? :confused: ;)

I need to talk to some real leatherworkers about the sheath loosening up.

It was a pleasure to make a tool that you and the others found useful.

Thanks Tom,
 
Thats one of the great benefits of being a leftie. 90% of people have no use of the equipment done for us. I'll enjoy using a snug left hand sheath unless we have someone decided to convert to the dark side.

for a secure ride, try kydex... but if you put it on that beaut(at least it was when it started, haven't seen any pics yet of it lately) I'd have to come down and shoot yah :D. If leather starts to loosen up, reform it. Put protection on the knife(like a light wax) and soak the sheath. Either airdry or blowdry while it's on the knife.
 
Sorry Will, I haven't posted my own review yet. All I can really add to Tom's excellent evaluation is that it was very easily sharpened with that thin, straight edge. I'd like to see a variety of sheaths that ride at different heights available if you feel you can do that, this one dug into my ribs sometimes. I have an extremely short torso though, so this is probably something due more to my anatomy than your sheath design. About the only thing that could have made the knife prettier would be mosaic pins and a nice hamon. I just really like the way mosaic pins look, and since you mention on your site that you do use them, and personally I'd like to see more. They just add a little more variety and color to a handle. I'd also like to mention that one of the little details that impressed me about that knife was the tapered tang and the nicely shaped handle scales. The tang was really a nice little touch, something that endeared it to me even more. Thanks again Will for my new knife! :fingers crossed that I win:
 
I prefer thin edges for all cutting. High ride sheaths are a must for me when I ride in my vehicle.
Sounds to me like Will knows how to make a user!
 
Kurt, I never thought of how torso anatomy plays into this. Good point.
I'm 6 foot and wear 30 inch inseam pants. I have a tall torso.

What's a hamon?

I wish I still had this on me. I keep reaching back for it.
Oh well, soon it'll be back.!!

Berettaman, Sitting in my car, didn't even know it was there.
My cell phone should ride as well.
You're right Will can make a user!!
Tom
 
Y'all are making this ole boy blush....

But Thanks, thanks to the guys helping wring the design out and write reviews.

I'm talking to some leatherworkers about the stretching, according to them it's a primarily a function of the depth of the sheath, if I make the pouch deeper it won't stretch as much. I'm thinking about messing with a rare earth magnet and possibly squaring the pouch off and adding grommets neck carry if desired. Wjat do y'all think? :confused:

Edited to add:
Hamon is a Japanese term for temperline (actually a hardening line.) If I polish to 2000x the hamon is visible as a frosty line but you have to move it around in light to see it. If I etch in ferric chloride it'll be easily seen but the blade will be darker.
 
Tom, here's a good example of a hamon. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=273817&highlight=hamon Perhaps you can see why I like them so much. Jason Cutter makes some really gorgeous examples too, but it looks like all of his photos are down.

For specifics on my short torso comment, I'm 5'7" and wear about a 31" inseam. When standing straight up with my arms hanging down, my fingers are only about 3" above my knees. Think of me as a big monkey without as much hair. :D
 
6'0, 32-32 jeans, 170-175lbs, size 12 or 13 shoes depends on maker(size 11.5-12 EE jungle boots)... when I stand up and reach down, I can grab the bottom of my wallet in the front/left pocket.

I can IWB carry a 5" fixed, and 4" knives look and feel just about right for me. Still use 2" knives a lot.
 
Second installment of my review, since I lost the first one. Here goes:

My first impression of the piece was that the sheath was not going to fly. It was very stretched and loose, but I belted it up and gave it a ride anyways. The sheath rides very comfortably in a physical sense, but I was mentally uncomfortable the whole time. I was constantly checking to make sure the knife and I had not parted company. I checked it after I knelt down, I checked it after getting out of the truck... hell, I checked it after I checked it. In my opinion, if I'm this edgy about the sheath, it has to go.

The knife is a different story. The size and configuration are wonderful. The handle is enveloped nicely in the palm, the forefinger nestles comfortably in the finger notch, and the thumb rides atop the spine easily. My thumb slid forward and back along the spine very naturally as I beared down and eased off on the tip. Some people thought it was too thin; I however thought it might be too thick. But I soon came to appreciate the thickness, especially along the spine where my thumb rode.

I was pleasantly surprised at how functional the wharncliffe was. You can get into it with the meat of the blade to cut rope or sharpen a weenie stick, do precise work with the tip edge, and even do piercing work with the tip with equal effectiveness. Food prep was a great task for this shape, so I'm sure it would see alot of use camping with me.

The blade material is excellent. I'm a HUGE fan of 1084, 1095, O1 and the like. I like how it easily takes an evil edge and holds it just fine. Will apparently knows what he is doing with this material, as the blade came to me hair popping sharp and remained that way for the duration of its stay with me. I see that it is just getting the beginnings of a patina, and I personally like the way a well used carbon steel blade looks. The grind is very nice and makes for effortless sharpening.

The handle material threw me off at first. The bocote scales, while attractive, did not seem to fit with the work-knife attitude. I soon realized that when that blade eventually does take on its patina, the scales will look just fine with the blade.

Now, how can Will improve this piece? In my opinion, here it is:

1> The scales are not fit flush. I noticed it right away when I first opened the knife, but didn't think it would be a bother. It turned out to be one, though, as I could feel the rough metal edge along my thumb and forefinger as the knife shifted in my grip. Flush fitting the scales would make a huge improvement here. On a personal note, the scales should be made of some more utilitarian material... something that would go well with kydex. (see item 3 below)

2> It needs a hollow rear pin or a thong hole. There were a few times there when I was going to head straight over to the drill press and put one there myself. Perhaps some don't like a wrist strap on a working piece, but I sure do. Working on docks or out mushrooming in the woods it is a blessing. Put a thong hole back there. Another personal note, a leather lanyard tied back there would look really kickass on this piece, so it needs the hole.

3> The sheath simply needs to be refigured. A utility edc like this flat out BEGS for good kydex work. I once had a kydex sheath with grommets along the top and sides so you could lash it to a pack or use the top two holes to hang it from your neck. It also had a removable belt loop on it. I could easily see such a sheath as a necessary item for this knife. It would make a wonderful neck knife, but the sheath currently makes this option impossible.

This knife isn't going to win any beauty contests, but when you are spending less than a hundred bucks in US currency, you aren't looking for a wall hanger. You are searching for a work horse, and that's what you get with this piece in spades. I spent only a short time with this knife, but I know this material, and I recognize the workmanship enough to say without question that this knife will take what you can dish out and perform impeccably. Even with the little 'discrepancies' I noted above, this knife is worth way more than Will is charging for it.

This knife was a genuine pleasure to use, and I heartily thank Will for letting us kick the tires on it. I will certainly own one or more in the future, and I'd recommend Will's work to anyone.
 
Tom: I'd say it's a hotdog roasting stick...

Vel: that was freehand on the whites of the spydie doublestuff, and then stropped with veritas green.

and I'm still waiting for this one to get back on my belt. Loved my nice unused lefty sheath.
 
Yes Tom, it's a hot dog roasting stick. Costco variety ;)

Very well done on the sharpening, VW. One of the finest edges out of the box I've ever seen. One of these days you can drop in for a costco dog roast and you can show it to me.
 
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