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Post by randomnobody on Jul 25, 2020 17:18:35 GMT
Mmm, kukris.
Got bored recently and started watching random videos on YouTube. One of them was something akin to "knives you don't hand to people," wherein a guy describes, explains, and shows examples of knives he's learned not to let other people use.
Various weird locks, autos, spring assist, OTF, balisong, etc. While covering the "obvious" category of "Big Knives" he briefly showcased something that caught my eye as an intriguing, if simple, design.
Excited, I set to Googling the only descriptor I had, etched into one side of the blade: LUZON
Well, crap. It's a Cold Steel. But wait, the "Medium" (4" blade) is only $30? The "XL" (6" blade) is less than $50? Screw it, I'm broke, but not I-can't-spend-$30 broke. Even if it's Cold Steel.
Ordered one from Amazon. Knife Center was a buck or so cheaper, but they wanted $5 S/H while the Amazon seller offered free shipping. I prefer to pay more for something with free shipping, because in the event of a return I'm getting all my money back instead of losing whatever I paid for shipping, both ways. Bonus: this seller offered free returns.
Two whole days later I had it, and I've been carrying it for a week now.
I did watch a few YouTube reviews before buying, and while the consensus seemed moderate, really kinda mediocre bordering on almost disappointed, most concerns were either bizarre personal preferences (one guy kept harping on about steel type; steel is steel at this point) and a few brought up concern about the lock (Liner? How dare Cold Steel not put they're triad in this cheap knife?) and one or two others griped about handle material (some kinda fancy plastic; the nerve of not being G10, micarta, whatever) but I figured I'd have to get it in my own hands to see how valid these complaints really were.
Well...the handle is certainly very "cheap" feeling, but it hasn't given me any reason to fear dropping it, so it's fine by me. Opening is incredibly stiff. Primary action is a flipper, and while someone I watched says what looks like thumb studs are only blade stops, I find them completely adequate as thumb studs. I almost prefer them to the flipper.
Either way, the blade is so hard to open that the sheer amount of effort it takes to engage the action is more than enough to fling it open to locked every time. As for the lock, it's also very stiff. Hurts to use. Any concerns about it being too weak are relaxed by a slider on one side of the grip that places a block against the liner, preventing it from closing. I'm not sure how much it would take to "break" it, but for now it seems like a good system.
Don't have any pictures currently, it turns out, but might add one later if anybody wants.
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Post by paulmuaddib on Jul 25, 2020 18:44:40 GMT
Hey random, sure on the pic if you want but we can giggle it if we really need to. Couple of questions. Are you able to take it apart? If so you might be able to polish some parts to make it easier to open. Have you oiled it yet? Can try that. Might try putting some graphite instead of oil. Works very good as a ‘lubricant’ (especially where something is outside, not an issue for this). It also acts as a abrasive on things, so a trade off, but might make it open easier eventually. Will take awhile. Keep us updated. Edit: we could also google it. 😏
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Post by AndiTheBarvarian on Jul 25, 2020 18:48:24 GMT
This one, medium? Somehow a unokubi zukuri blade, isn't it?
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Post by randomnobody on Jul 25, 2020 20:40:56 GMT
Paul: I suspect it's stiff from a combination of being a little too tightly assembled and maybe sitting in a warehouse a bit longer than ideal. I figure it'll wear in with use, but if it doesn't, then yes it can be taken apart and I will probably try that, clean it up, and lube it at some point. Andi: That's one one. Very reminiscent of unokubi. One of the reasons it called to me. Edit: Forgot to mention in my previous post, another common complaint about this knife was its pocket clip. I'm inclined to agree that this is a weakness, but not because it doesn't do its job well. No, it does it overly well. It's super aggressive and really hard to get free once it's on. Might sand it down a bit at some point down the road. Meanwhile, I caved and ordered a Boker Plus Miyu from Blade HQ, also because it was cheap. Ordered Wednesday or Thursday, no word on shipping yet...
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Post by aldarith on Jul 25, 2020 22:02:03 GMT
Got a little crazy and bought the AH3177 bowie from KOA. It's discontinued now and only $12 ($16-ish to me as I am in Canada). Package drops on monday - just can't wait. I didn't get them to sharpen it as I intend to customize some aspects and figured it would be easier (safer) to work on dull, and then sharpen it after. Knife Pic
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Scott
Member
Posts: 1,675
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Post by Scott on Jul 26, 2020 2:09:59 GMT
Yup, hehe, have to reorder a few rolls. My Munich Sidesword needs a grip wrap so bad. And I'm yet to find out what to do with the folders. Cut small strips of grip wrap and stick them on the folders! Simple! Or wrap the handles with the blade out then cut it so the blade can fold in.
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Post by randomnobody on Jul 28, 2020 21:47:14 GMT
Böker Magnum Miyu and Cold Steel Luzon. Former received today, latter I've already mentioned. Each one was about $30, each one has things I like and don't like. I'm hard pressed to decide which one I like better. Both are decent knives for the money, but neither is particularly exceptional.
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Zen_Hydra
Moderator
Born with a heart full of neutrality
Posts: 2,625
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Post by Zen_Hydra on Jul 29, 2020 12:05:50 GMT
I recently found a Benchmade 9100 (Auto-Stryker) in my office. I reached out to the guy who had the office before me, but he didn't know anything about it. It seems like a pretty cool knife.
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Post by randomnobody on Aug 15, 2020 0:49:40 GMT
Had a go at Artisan Cutlery, via their 4" Shark, in G10. Here it is (bottom) along with (top to bottom) my JJ Martinez Arabe Combinada 96, Cold Steel Luzon, and Boker Magnum Miyu. If I'm being honest, I'm not overly thrilled with either the Miyu or the Shark, but both are fine as knives go. Their actions are a bit stiff on release, requiring more effort and precision than I care for (though not as much as the Luzon originally required, though it's wearing in nicely) BUT, my problem is how they close. Too many times I've almost gotten myself when the blades slammed shut before I was ready. They're much too smooth in the pivot, rocking significantly if I wiggle my hand a bit, and a few times I've tried to just flick them closed and they've bounced out. Once the Miyu bounced so badly it locked itself open again. I'm not really okay with that. I'm coming to really appreciate the Luzon, but it's not going to take over my JJ.
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Post by randomnobody on Aug 21, 2020 2:21:23 GMT
Broke down the other day and ordered the 6" Luzon. Found it for $35 with free shipping, so why not?
It's feckin' yuge. That's about all.
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Post by randomnobody on Aug 21, 2020 18:45:31 GMT
I may have gone a bit overboard this month...
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Post by randomnobody on Dec 11, 2020 20:50:58 GMT
A fellow at work was recently showing off his latest acquisition, a Benchmade Greg Thompson SOCP, with partial serrations. It was a nifty little thing, but not being a fan of serrations, I went looking to see if it was available without. It was, which is great, but since I couldn't remember the model initially I just went through the entire catalog of Benchmade folding knives until I found it, which allowed me to find a knife I liked better: the 417 Fact. Slightly smaller, satin finish over black cerakote, less spooky-scary knife. Not being in a place to pay the $185 I was seeing it listed at most vendors, I settled on a pre-owned knife from a seller on eBay for much less, that was still in really good shape, with all original accessories. I don't have any pictures that will upload to the forum, but I'm still trying to decide if I like the knife or not. Great, smooth but snappy action, the axis lock is different but I'm adapting, and the deep-carry clip has become a must-have when I go shopping for more modern knives. (Remember, I usually prefer more traditional folding knives that go fully into the pocket) I did have to hone and strop the knife a bit upon arrival, but that edge has held through replacing my forgotten box cutter for a big truck a few nights ago, so I'm satisfied with that. I'm undecided on the grip/handle; it's blocky, but not overly large, and has some contours on the front versus the straight back and flat sides. I'm not super enthused by tip-down carry, but I'm adapting to that, too. The last few knives I've bought (pictured in my previous post) are all tip-up carry. Between the Luzon, Shark, Miyu, and Fact...I'm thinking my overall favorite is the Luzon, but aesthetics go to the Shark and build quality probably goes to the Fact. Here, a crappy pic until I can get a better one:
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Post by unistat76 on Dec 18, 2020 15:04:42 GMT
A fellow at work was recently showing off his latest acquisition, a Benchmade Greg Thompson SOCP, with partial serrations. It was a nifty little thing, but not being a fan of serrations, I went looking to see if it was available without. It was, which is great, but since I couldn't remember the model initially I just went through the entire catalog of Benchmade folding knives until I found it, which allowed me to find a knife I liked better: the 417 Fact. Slightly smaller, satin finish over black cerakote, less spooky-scary knife. Not being in a place to pay the $185 I was seeing it listed at most vendors, I settled on a pre-owned knife from a seller on eBay for much less, that was still in really good shape, with all original accessories. I don't have any pictures that will upload to the forum, but I'm still trying to decide if I like the knife or not. Great, smooth but snappy action, the axis lock is different but I'm adapting, and the deep-carry clip has become a must-have when I go shopping for more modern knives. (Remember, I usually prefer more traditional folding knives that go fully into the pocket) I did have to hone and strop the knife a bit upon arrival, but that edge has held through replacing my forgotten box cutter for a big truck a few nights ago, so I'm satisfied with that. I'm undecided on the grip/handle; it's blocky, but not overly large, and has some contours on the front versus the straight back and flat sides. I'm not super enthused by tip-down carry, but I'm adapting to that, too. The last few knives I've bought (pictured in my previous post) are all tip-up carry. Between the Luzon, Shark, Miyu, and Fact...I'm thinking my overall favorite is the Luzon, but aesthetics go to the Shark and build quality probably goes to the Fact. Here, a crappy pic until I can get a better one: I'm kind of a BM fanboy, I will admit. The axis lock takes some getting used to, but it is really smooth to open and close. There used to be some complaints about broken "omega springs" in the lock, but I haven't heard of any in years and after over a decade of owning BMs, I have never had the Axis lock fail on me in any way. I own the Fact and carry it every day at work. It is a nice and slim and unobtrusive in my pocket. I may have missed you mentioning it, but for the curious it's S30V steel. I'm a court officer (bailiff) so it doesn't get used to open many boxes or any typical work knife tasks. It's more of a last ditch "get off me" tool that can be used to trim threads from my uniform, lol. For my non-work EDC I carry the old BM 710, which was the first model with the Axis lock. D2 steel and a slight recurve to the knife. I just love it for an all around tasker. I've even used it to split small kindling. Knife abuse, I know, but needs must when the Devil drives. My first BM, the Mini-Griptillian was "appropriated" by my wife. That sheepsfoot blade with 154cm steel is also still going strong.
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Post by randomnobody on Dec 18, 2020 20:52:55 GMT
This is my first Benchmade. Honestly, I've spent the last several years kind of forgetting about the brand entirely. Most of their lineup being well beyond what I'm usually comfortable paying didn't help in keeping them at the forefront of my interests, though every time I remembered them I'd tell myself, "One of these days, I should get one."
No regrets so far.
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Post by jhon21 on May 7, 2021 8:28:49 GMT
I also love to collect knives. I search forums about knives and read articles about knives. I like Japanese knives the most. Because their grip is strong and sharp. If anyone wants to read about Japanese knives then should be read <a href="https://toolsofchef.com/best-japanese-knife-brands/">this detailed article </a>this detailed article. This article very informative and helpful.
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Post by jhon21 on May 7, 2021 8:28:59 GMT
I also love to collect knives. I search forums about knives and read articles about knives. I like Japanese knives the most. Because their grip is strong and sharp. If anyone wants to read about Japanese knives then should be read <a href="https://toolsofchef.com/best-japanese-knife-brands/">this detailed article </a>this detailed article. This article very informative and helpful.
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Post by jhon21 on May 7, 2021 8:29:31 GMT
I also love to collect knives. I search forums about knives and read articles about knives. I like Japanese knives the most. Because their grip is strong and sharp. If anyone wants to read about Japanese knives then should be read <a href="https://toolsofchef.com/best-japanese-knife-brands/">this detailed article </a>this detailed article. This article very informative and helpful.
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Post by jhon21 on May 7, 2021 8:30:43 GMT
I also love to collect knives. I search forums about knives and read articles about knives. I like Japanese knives the most. Because their grip is strong and sharp. If anyone wants to read about Japanese knives then should be read this detailed article. This article very informative and helpful.
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Post by karmasoft on May 8, 2021 17:05:54 GMT
I love knives - what boy, big or small doesn't? Not really a collector but I like the few that I have. From top-left: Popops' WWII knife Glock 78 TFW Bowie Condor Golok Explorer Rogue Skinner KA-BAR that came with a Browning 1911 pattern .22 Attachments:
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pgandy
Moderator
Senior Forumite
Posts: 10,296
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Post by pgandy on May 8, 2021 17:45:00 GMT
Nice, very nice.
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