Shorttime
Gold Member
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2011
- Messages
- 3,993
It's a safe assumption that a member of Bladeforums puts an especial amount of thought into their knife choices. With this comes an awareness of subtle things, like blade shape, steel choice, ergonomics, pocket clip location, and the other issues that are subject to a regular rotation of discussion and opinion, across this forum.
Putting this much thought into details brings the risk of forgetting that the job of a knife is still to cut things, and in the pursuit of this goal, or the daily events between cutting jobs, there is always the risk of damage, theft, or loss. Unless you store it in a safe, which is certainly your choice.
This is the Worker, by QSP knives,
and it came from the factory with this scratch.
I love it.
A knife is still a tool, and if it is used as intended, it will require an enormous amount of maintenance, machinery, and skill, to keep it pristine. Philisophically, I enjoy a knife that has stories to tell, more than one that has been kept new in box. But there is still a moment of regret when that first snail trail or contrasting blade scratch appears: something is lost, forever, and though dedication and fine abrasives may be able to erase it, the owner will always remember.
I don't have to experience that feeling of loss, however small it may be: QSP has taken care of that.
I hear you. This knife was forty dollars. It's an example of what China can achieve in manufacturing when they try, and QSP has achieved a lot (apparently without being “inspired by anybody else), but I have an idea of what forty dollars is going to get me, so I'm not disappointed to find a few minor quirks of fit and finish.
The blade spine is slightly burred in places on the clip side, likely a result of the grinding process.
Eventually, it will probably meet my medium Arkansas stone.
Do you see it?
The spine isn't one continous curve, and this will probably get “customized”, but not just yet. I can live with it, until one day when I decide to tackle that project.
The grind is flat,
and extremely symmetrical,
although the secondary bevel kicks up, for about the last three eighths of an inch.
After so many years of producing drop- and spear-points, I think muscle memory is making it hard for the finishing department to adapt to the blade shape. It's going to end up getting “blended” a little, so that my Worker has a very slight hint of Nessmuck to it. Another job that will require time, patience, the right mood, and possibly an adult beverage.
I've seen the blade length quoted as three and a half inches, but I suspect they're measuring from the ricasso. Useful edge is three and a quarter inches.
I like that the nail nick is there to help with the Modern Traditional look (are we capitalizing it, now? Sure, why not? This is the internet, where everybody's wrong!), but you don't need it.
Youtube tells me the Worker has ceramic bearings, and I have no reason to doubt it: the action is smooth enough to be bearings.
If anybody knows this Arthur Brehm fella, tell him he designs a darn fine knife.
N690 steel.
Maybe? I didn't do any research on QSP before jumping into this. A domestic Chinese manufacturer can claim anything they want about the flavor of steel they use, and China doesn't follow the AISI standard. So, unless QSP has chosen to import N690, duplicate the recipe themselves, or are based in a country which participates in the AISI standard, we may never really know.
If it has been independently verified that they are using N690, I'm sure somebody will be along to confirm that. Thanks in advance, whoever you are!
I've gotten into Modern Traditionals, and the bolsters are one of the reasons I like this knife. Now I think about it, CNC machining would make integral bolsters very easy. That would be why I can't find a seam, here.
The joint between the bolsters and slabs is perfect, but you would expect that of a computer-controlled machining process.
The seam around the lock bar is not so perfect.
It doesn't bother me one bit. I wasn't expecting perfection at this price point. The blade is centered when folded,
and there is no wobble. Lockup is solid, with no unexpected movement when it's deployed.
It's a lockback, and the pressure of the lockbar means that the knife won't flip open, at least out of the box. The “wrist flick” is not an important feature to me, I'm fine with using two hands to open and close it.
Yes, there is a half-stop. It's very soft, but it's right about there.
G10 is one of my favorite handle materials. Like a good pair of cappers, it can go from kicking a shovel to a formal night out, with just a stop for cleaning, in between. This set of covers is very smooth, in spite of appearances: more “formal night” than “shovel kicking”, in my book.
I don't often kick a shovel, anymore, anyway. I'm old enough to appreciate nicer knives, and experienced enough to find ways to pass that job off to the younger heroes.
The pass-though holes for the screws are what keep this clip from telling everybody that it was made in China.
I'm too much of a clod to come up with subtle design details like this on my own, but enough of a smarty to notice them when they're sitting in front of me. The clip is well-made, easy to pull and stow, and doesn't chew into your hand while you're using it. The only option is right side, tip up, but I would have left it that way.
The backspacer fit is also very good,
with just a little chamfer on each corner to keep it from being perfect. I imagine this is from bulk handling, and it doesn't affect anything.
I like Modern Traditionals and wharncliffe/lambsfoot/sheepsfoot/rope knives/rigging knives/electrician's knives, so this one was an easy sell, for me. The knife isn't perfect, but the problems with mine are minor and easily fixed, if I take a notion to do so. Even if you don't agree with my celebrating imperfection, it's hard to find fault with this knife, for the price.
The one thing people won't be able to agree on is country of origin. We've had this discussion before, sometimes in capital letters. I don't take sides on the “Made in America” question, and the patronage of Bladeforums is international, anyway. If domestic production is important to you, you may want to avoid the Worker. But if you can overlook that, you'll find a very good knife.
Putting this much thought into details brings the risk of forgetting that the job of a knife is still to cut things, and in the pursuit of this goal, or the daily events between cutting jobs, there is always the risk of damage, theft, or loss. Unless you store it in a safe, which is certainly your choice.
This is the Worker, by QSP knives,
and it came from the factory with this scratch.
I love it.
A knife is still a tool, and if it is used as intended, it will require an enormous amount of maintenance, machinery, and skill, to keep it pristine. Philisophically, I enjoy a knife that has stories to tell, more than one that has been kept new in box. But there is still a moment of regret when that first snail trail or contrasting blade scratch appears: something is lost, forever, and though dedication and fine abrasives may be able to erase it, the owner will always remember.
I don't have to experience that feeling of loss, however small it may be: QSP has taken care of that.
I hear you. This knife was forty dollars. It's an example of what China can achieve in manufacturing when they try, and QSP has achieved a lot (apparently without being “inspired by anybody else), but I have an idea of what forty dollars is going to get me, so I'm not disappointed to find a few minor quirks of fit and finish.
The blade spine is slightly burred in places on the clip side, likely a result of the grinding process.
Eventually, it will probably meet my medium Arkansas stone.
Do you see it?
The spine isn't one continous curve, and this will probably get “customized”, but not just yet. I can live with it, until one day when I decide to tackle that project.
The grind is flat,
and extremely symmetrical,
although the secondary bevel kicks up, for about the last three eighths of an inch.
After so many years of producing drop- and spear-points, I think muscle memory is making it hard for the finishing department to adapt to the blade shape. It's going to end up getting “blended” a little, so that my Worker has a very slight hint of Nessmuck to it. Another job that will require time, patience, the right mood, and possibly an adult beverage.
I've seen the blade length quoted as three and a half inches, but I suspect they're measuring from the ricasso. Useful edge is three and a quarter inches.
I like that the nail nick is there to help with the Modern Traditional look (are we capitalizing it, now? Sure, why not? This is the internet, where everybody's wrong!), but you don't need it.
Youtube tells me the Worker has ceramic bearings, and I have no reason to doubt it: the action is smooth enough to be bearings.
If anybody knows this Arthur Brehm fella, tell him he designs a darn fine knife.
N690 steel.
Maybe? I didn't do any research on QSP before jumping into this. A domestic Chinese manufacturer can claim anything they want about the flavor of steel they use, and China doesn't follow the AISI standard. So, unless QSP has chosen to import N690, duplicate the recipe themselves, or are based in a country which participates in the AISI standard, we may never really know.
If it has been independently verified that they are using N690, I'm sure somebody will be along to confirm that. Thanks in advance, whoever you are!
I've gotten into Modern Traditionals, and the bolsters are one of the reasons I like this knife. Now I think about it, CNC machining would make integral bolsters very easy. That would be why I can't find a seam, here.
The joint between the bolsters and slabs is perfect, but you would expect that of a computer-controlled machining process.
The seam around the lock bar is not so perfect.
It doesn't bother me one bit. I wasn't expecting perfection at this price point. The blade is centered when folded,
and there is no wobble. Lockup is solid, with no unexpected movement when it's deployed.
It's a lockback, and the pressure of the lockbar means that the knife won't flip open, at least out of the box. The “wrist flick” is not an important feature to me, I'm fine with using two hands to open and close it.
Yes, there is a half-stop. It's very soft, but it's right about there.
G10 is one of my favorite handle materials. Like a good pair of cappers, it can go from kicking a shovel to a formal night out, with just a stop for cleaning, in between. This set of covers is very smooth, in spite of appearances: more “formal night” than “shovel kicking”, in my book.
I don't often kick a shovel, anymore, anyway. I'm old enough to appreciate nicer knives, and experienced enough to find ways to pass that job off to the younger heroes.
The pass-though holes for the screws are what keep this clip from telling everybody that it was made in China.
I'm too much of a clod to come up with subtle design details like this on my own, but enough of a smarty to notice them when they're sitting in front of me. The clip is well-made, easy to pull and stow, and doesn't chew into your hand while you're using it. The only option is right side, tip up, but I would have left it that way.
The backspacer fit is also very good,
with just a little chamfer on each corner to keep it from being perfect. I imagine this is from bulk handling, and it doesn't affect anything.
I like Modern Traditionals and wharncliffe/lambsfoot/sheepsfoot/rope knives/rigging knives/electrician's knives, so this one was an easy sell, for me. The knife isn't perfect, but the problems with mine are minor and easily fixed, if I take a notion to do so. Even if you don't agree with my celebrating imperfection, it's hard to find fault with this knife, for the price.
The one thing people won't be able to agree on is country of origin. We've had this discussion before, sometimes in capital letters. I don't take sides on the “Made in America” question, and the patronage of Bladeforums is international, anyway. If domestic production is important to you, you may want to avoid the Worker. But if you can overlook that, you'll find a very good knife.
