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Post by Deepbluedave on Jun 14, 2013 20:27:23 GMT
Saw this video on a Miller Bros Blade, got to say very impressive as I had never heard of them before seeing this clip. Has anyone owned one of their knives? was thinking of getting either the M-8 or the M-5 as a tool box knife. Here is the clip, the blade cutting tests start at about 2:30 .
After watching it again, all I can say is these are dam tough knives.
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hhmoore
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Post by hhmoore on Jun 14, 2013 20:47:15 GMT
I've got a handful of their knives - 2 of them are in my signature. They're pricey, but they're pretty serious pieces, too. If you're looking for something you can absolutely depend on, go MBB. The M4 in my signature weighs 42.6 oz. It's a bit blade heavy, but I love it. The M21 (the shorter one) is 40.65 oz. What a beast!
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Post by randomnobody on Jun 16, 2013 16:12:34 GMT
The Miller brothers are members here and post fairly often in M&V and Tactical Swords. I'd rather like to get a few of their blades, myself, and I don't even like tactical stuff.
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hhmoore
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Post by hhmoore on Jun 16, 2013 19:13:50 GMT
Well, they're members...but saying that they post fairly often is a bit of a stretch.
Dave - I'll have an M5 in my hands in a few days. I'll let you know what I think.
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Post by randomnobody on Jun 16, 2013 20:25:47 GMT
True. I see them about as often as any other maker we have the privilege of having. That is to say, seldom. They were more active in the past, though. Then again, so was everybody else.
I'm also eager to see what you think of their M5.
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hhmoore
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Post by hhmoore on Jun 20, 2013 17:48:32 GMT
I feel sort of like a fan boy doing this; but what the heck... Sorry about the crappy lighting - it was either blindingly direct sun, or shade And,of course, the paperwork The M5 - weighing in at 572g (or 1 lb, 4.2 oz) - in hand, for size perspective The weight sounds like a lot for a 7.5" blade (12.5" overall); but, again, these are 5/16" blades. This knife is actually pretty well balanced, IMO. Very comfortable in hand, doesn't really feel like you're holding that substantial a piece of steel. I really like the new style handles - still rugged enough styling to "fit" the knives, but nicer than the old ones. They always struck me as unfinished, which they sort of were (when we were discussing it before my original purchase, Allen told me that after the handles were shaped, they were only rough sanded - I want to say it was to 400 grit, but I'm not positive). That's why I got custom handles on my first ones. The new ones look good, and the texturing helps with the grip that might have been lost with improved finishing.
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Post by randomnobody on Jun 20, 2013 17:56:41 GMT
Yikes, 1 1/4 pound for a 12.5" knife? Even at 5/16" that's a bit hefty.
About where does it balance? Is it ahead of or behind the "guard"? (arguably this knife doesn't have much in terms of a guard, but there's enough there for me to call it such)
The two up top in your group shot are the ones tempting me most.
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hhmoore
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Post by hhmoore on Jun 20, 2013 18:03:03 GMT
Right at the guard, really. If you look at the pics with it in hand, there is a small semicircle contour on the spine, right near the MBB stamp. Try to rest it there, and the handle weight wins...move it back to the flat of the spine right behind the start of the grip, and the blade weight wins.
The two at the top are different versions of the same model, the M4. The custom handled one has the back grind; the contoured handled one is the standard. Since each knife is hand made, there are some noticeable differences between them. Since the one with the back grind actually has a taller blade, it is slightly heavier than the other one. I just weighed them both: 1182g (2 lbs 9.7 oz) on the standard model; and 1206g (2 lbs 10.5 oz) on the custom. That one feels blade heavy, lol.
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Post by randomnobody on Jun 20, 2013 18:12:54 GMT
Interesting. Always curios to catch the differences between blade-favoring choppers and hand-heavy slicers. I imagine these still chop just fine, but probably favor batoning. Then again, they're not exactly field knives, are they? :oops: Still, nice sticker.
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Post by Matthew.Jensen on Jun 20, 2013 18:19:56 GMT
I have an M12 that I picked up second hand from another forum member. The blade is nice, it holds an edge well, and it fits my hands well but it does feel like a crowbar. It heavy and feels heavier but its not bad if you don't mind the weight.
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hhmoore
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Post by hhmoore on Jun 20, 2013 18:24:14 GMT
I'll have to ask Allen if he still has the M4 testing video. (It's no longer on YouTube, or his site). In it, they were splitting wood with both the regular edge, and the back ground edge; also chopped down a (small) tree with it.
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hhmoore
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Post by hhmoore on Jun 20, 2013 18:29:24 GMT
I almost bought that one, quite a few times. I still want an M12, I just didn't like the old style handle.
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Post by randomnobody on Jun 20, 2013 19:56:07 GMT
I wonder how much a different grip might impact that. I've noticed recently on my big old Khyber knife that pinching up on the top of the grip slabs right at the base of the blade drastically reduces the feeling of blade-heaviness, same for my big kuk. A more relaxed, slipped grip feels outrageously far out, though.
A nice hammer grip in the middle is a good balance between the two, but still feels pretty hefty.
Depending on the guard on these, it may or may not make a difference?
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Post by Deepbluedave on Jun 21, 2013 6:49:17 GMT
Thanks HH for the mini review, that M5 looks to be what I'm after, then I'd like one of their bigger blades for a camp chopper.
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Post by Deepbluedave on Jul 5, 2013 22:12:26 GMT
Took the plunge and got me a M5 very tough looking knife.
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Post by randomnobody on Jul 6, 2013 0:37:34 GMT
Very nice. That's a mean looking blade.
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Post by William Swiger on Jul 6, 2013 7:54:04 GMT
Nice blade.
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