Your newest addition:traditionals of course!

Dadpool said:
Yes, that's correct. I don't have a lot of context in which to interpret how much blade play is acceptable (new to collecting slipjoints, not many to compare to), and from poking around here I gather that it tends to be a personal, subjective thing.

But reactions here (yours and others) are causing me to wonder if I should be concerned with it in this knife, given its overall quality and price tag.
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I would be concerned about blade play, the one I got had none.
 
Dadpool said:
Tuna Valley Railsplitter in buffalo horn:
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This knife has already become one of my favorites. It "spoke to me" strongly the second I saw it. I'm confident that these pictures do it very little justice.

The horn is amazing -- beautiful to look at, buttery to the touch, and impossible to stop touching. The fit and finish are great, it's got nice walk and talk with no blade rub, and it's just a pleasure to carry and use. It's the largest traditional I own, at 3.5" and 3.5 oz (Railsplitter is a fitting name for the pattern!), and my first with more than two blades. It's a pleasing handful and a fantastic knife in all respects.

Also newly arrived, a Colonel Coon Canoe in smooth bone:
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This is my first Canoe, and I dig it. I wish the bolster on the main blade's side fully covered the tang when closed (pictures suggested it did, but I couldn't find many), but apart from that it's a nifty little knife. I love orange, and the warm pumpkin-y tone of the handle is great.
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Dadpool, let me add my voice to the chorus of Oohs and Aahs over your Tuna Valley; as you and others have already noted, the buffalo horn covers are absolutely magnificent, stunning, terrific, and I suspect for me, unforgettable!! :eek::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::eek: I also like that super-stout pen blade with which it's equipped. Sorry to hear about the blade play. :( Hope you can resolve that to your satisfaction, whether "living with it" or getting it "tightened".

Congrats also on the Colonel Coon Canoe (C^3?)!! :thumbup::thumbup: I'm currently in a "canoe admiration phase"; don't know how long that will last, but it's fun right now! :D Is your canoe a single spring model, or does it have a separate backspring for each blade? I'd never heard of Col. Coon before, or at least the name hadn't registered with me, so your acquisition inspired me to learn a little about that brand; there've been several informative threads here over the years about the esteemed colonel and his knives.

- GT
 
jrtodd46 said:
I would be concerned about blade play, the one I got had none.
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That is concerning, since we bought the exact same knife.

I've made inquiries about warranty/repair. To my inexpert eyes, it looks like the tangs of the pen and sheepsfoot blades are noticeably narrower than the backspring associated with them. I'm optimistic that the good folks who made the knife can correct that, perhaps by replacing either the blades or the backspring that they share, while preserving the covers.

5K Qs said:
Dadpool, let me add my voice to the chorus of Oohs and Aahs over your Tuna Valley; as you and others have already noted, the buffalo horn covers are absolutely magnificent, stunning, terrific, and I suspect for me, unforgettable!! :eek::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::eek: I also like that super-stout pen blade with which it's equipped. Sorry to hear about the blade play. :( Hope you can resolve that to your satisfaction, whether "living with it" or getting it "tightened".

Congrats also on the Colonel Coon Canoe (C^3?)!! :thumbup::thumbup: I'm currently in a "canoe admiration phase"; don't know how long that will last, but it's fun right now! :D Is your canoe a single spring model, or does it have a separate backspring for each blade? I'd never heard of Col. Coon before, or at least the name hadn't registered with me, so your acquisition inspired me to learn a little about that brand; there've been several informative threads here over the years about the esteemed colonel and his knives.
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Thanks!

Seeing how others view what initially seemed to me like a minor issue (if an issue at all) has been eye-opening, and quite helpful. (More generally, the overall helpfulness of the folks in this sub-forum has made me feel both welcome and right at home, despite being new here and new to the hobby.)

My Colonel Coon is a single-spring model. The backspring is relatively wide compared to my other knives, and both blades have nice snap.
 
Now my response: blade play that is ever so slight you can just feel it but basically see no movement in the blade is acceptable. More play than this becomes a matter of personal comfort. Play in which you can easily see the blade tip move back and forth as you wiggle the blade goes to the next stage which is: get it taken care of and especially so if x 3 in a 3 bladed knife and especially so if an expensive knife.
I see it as almost a duty to return it to the manufacturer, express your disappointment and ask that the knife be made right. If we do not do this most knife companies will drift down in quality to the lowest level that still sells.
The owner of the Tuna Valley branding has expressed his desire to make an absolutely first rate Traditional style knife. I am sure he wants to know of any Tuna Valley knife that has an 'issue'.
Most likely your knife can be fixed without affecting the very fine horn handle covers.
I hope you return it. 95% or better chance that you will be pleased that you did.
kj
 
Dadpool said:
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My Colonel Coon is a single-spring model. The backspring is relatively wide compared to my other knives, and both blades have nice snap.
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Thanks for the info, Dadpool. :thumbup:
From what little I've learned about Col. Coon this morning, they're now made by Queen, and so I'm not surprised by the single spring because I'm pretty sure that's Queen's typical treatment of the canoe pattern. My inexpensive canoes are all 2-spring, but I'd guess the single-spring design is a more comfortable carry.

- GT
 
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My Cocobolo Lon Humphrey Custom knives arrived this morning. I was excited with the anticipation of their arrival. At the same time, a little worried about their size - that maybe they would be too small and not what I had envisioned. I had read all the specs, sat on the fence for a good while, watched the videos, but, still a bit worried that I might be disappointed. After all, I have bought less than ten fixed blades in my entire life and never carried them much. I was hoping the smaller knives might change that.

Late morning - back from my walk and see a large package by the door. I opened it up quickly and was stunned by the beauty and craftsmanship of their rustic looks. The next thing I noticed was, although small, not too small and substantial for their size. The included sheaths were very nice and the knives in the sheaths slides comfortably, completely hidden in my summer jean shorts front pocket. I am going to alternate carrying them every day for a while. I think that I finally found a fixed blade that will prove useful to me, and beautiful as well !!! Although I think their looks are fantastic, I bought them to carry and use and still plan to do just that.


Cocobolo Custom Muley knife and Custom Whitetail:
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A couple 73's in Cocobolo. The bottom has been sharpened and used, the top a fresh arrival. One will prevail eventually.
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Stopped off at [a Case Master Dealer] today while traveling through and picked up 4. A Case Texas Jack CV and a Case American Workman Sodbuster for me and a Case "Ford" Peanut as well as a Victorinox Recruit for my Son in Law and grandson.
 
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My Kellam Falcon was dropped off this afternoon, just in time for a camping trip this weekend.

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The marvelously grip-friendly handle, the light weight (2.9 oz. without sheath, 4.3 oz. with), and the fit and finish are all making me quite happy right now.
 
Dadpool said:
My Kellam Falcon was dropped off this afternoon, just in time for a camping trip this weekend.

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OoNNNYU.jpg

wBO4WSn.jpg


The marvelously grip-friendly handle, the light weight (2.9 oz. without sheath, 4.3 oz. with), and the fit and finish are all making me quite happy right now.
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Wow that's a good looking knife. Now have to go research this knife!
 
Dadpool, you said that you are new to Traditionals but you certainly are homing in on some high-lights of the Traditional world !
It took me over 40 years to discover the Scandinavian blades. Norway, Sweden & Finland all have a long history of forging very sharp & ergonomic knives that are just so enjoyable to use. The more i look into them the more variety of styles i keep finding. These knives encompass a huge body of knowledge.
I don't know the Falcon but i do have a Kellam Wolverine which is a superb 'do-it-all' knife and i suspect your Falcon will prove to be similarly capable.
Ebay has many vintage Finnish Puukkos listed most of the time. Many are customs made by numerous different master smiths working in their own little shop. Even the 100 yr old ones can still cut like magic so you might want to keep an eye out for a few of these to add to your growing collection of good choices.
kj
 
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