Tantalus
23-09-05, 01:41 PM
Bought recently at bargain price in the Classifieds here
(Thanks Danzo)
George Wostenholm I.XL
So what do I really think about it?
First impressions are good, pretty wood, seems to be a kind of hardwood ply shaped and polished, as Danzo so nicely put it in the sale, looking a lot like my favourite hamster. Pins are brass and also polished flush with the wood. Running a thumb down the handles on both sides reveal only 1 pin slightly recessed into the handle, I dunno if makers are unaware of this but it niggles me every time i pick it up cos i feel it. Bolsters are very solid and likewise polished and here the pins are virtually invisible, nice.
Thickness of roughly 1cm at the ends widening to 1.5 cm in the middle give this a real solid chunky feel
Double brass liners adding to the weight and stability as well as a pretty finish , again all nicely burnished and flush with the rest of the handle.
Lets open the knife, First the large clip point blade, polished stainless and looking good. Blade a little over 5.5 cm starts me thinking, why is the handle so big? With the blade open the total length is 17 cm
The blade seems out of proprtion to the length of the handle, and to the strength of the handle, On inspection blade thickness is less than 2 mm and so flimsy it flexes easily when pushed with a thumb and my fingers at the back of it :(
2mm out of 10 mm thickness, there is more wood and brass in this knife than steel.
If the big blade looked a little out of proportion , the spey blade manages to look ridiculous at a little over 3.5 cm. Even this shorter blade flexes too when pressed in the same way as the other. Another niggle, the spey blade has a different nail groove from the big blade, making it look as though it doesnt belong here. Lastly, I dont know if it is intentional or not but this blade does not open to sit in line with the handle, the spine sits at 15 or 20 degrees higher than the line of the backspring.
As you might guess I am starting to think this is more of a showy knife than a working knife, and to prove the point, the backspring is not stainless, in fact is already showing signs of a patina after a few hours in my pocket. Shame really, I know stainless is more expensive but it is not impossible to make backsprings out of.
To top it off there are a couple of scratches on both blades where they rub together when opening, something i remember from the cheap penknives that used to hang on a card in the newsagents when i was a kid.
This very prettily finished knife sadly is not going to get any edge retention tests or sharpness tests from me as I just dont think I want to carry it around long enough.
The back spring is too weak for my taste also, a blade this long needs to be held firmly open or it risks closing on you r fingers.
This knife is to put it bluntly is a bit of a liability, if the blade doesnt snap or close on your fingers then i guess you have been lucky.
Tant
(Thanks Danzo)
George Wostenholm I.XL
So what do I really think about it?
First impressions are good, pretty wood, seems to be a kind of hardwood ply shaped and polished, as Danzo so nicely put it in the sale, looking a lot like my favourite hamster. Pins are brass and also polished flush with the wood. Running a thumb down the handles on both sides reveal only 1 pin slightly recessed into the handle, I dunno if makers are unaware of this but it niggles me every time i pick it up cos i feel it. Bolsters are very solid and likewise polished and here the pins are virtually invisible, nice.
Thickness of roughly 1cm at the ends widening to 1.5 cm in the middle give this a real solid chunky feel
Double brass liners adding to the weight and stability as well as a pretty finish , again all nicely burnished and flush with the rest of the handle.
Lets open the knife, First the large clip point blade, polished stainless and looking good. Blade a little over 5.5 cm starts me thinking, why is the handle so big? With the blade open the total length is 17 cm
The blade seems out of proprtion to the length of the handle, and to the strength of the handle, On inspection blade thickness is less than 2 mm and so flimsy it flexes easily when pushed with a thumb and my fingers at the back of it :(
2mm out of 10 mm thickness, there is more wood and brass in this knife than steel.
If the big blade looked a little out of proportion , the spey blade manages to look ridiculous at a little over 3.5 cm. Even this shorter blade flexes too when pressed in the same way as the other. Another niggle, the spey blade has a different nail groove from the big blade, making it look as though it doesnt belong here. Lastly, I dont know if it is intentional or not but this blade does not open to sit in line with the handle, the spine sits at 15 or 20 degrees higher than the line of the backspring.
As you might guess I am starting to think this is more of a showy knife than a working knife, and to prove the point, the backspring is not stainless, in fact is already showing signs of a patina after a few hours in my pocket. Shame really, I know stainless is more expensive but it is not impossible to make backsprings out of.
To top it off there are a couple of scratches on both blades where they rub together when opening, something i remember from the cheap penknives that used to hang on a card in the newsagents when i was a kid.
This very prettily finished knife sadly is not going to get any edge retention tests or sharpness tests from me as I just dont think I want to carry it around long enough.
The back spring is too weak for my taste also, a blade this long needs to be held firmly open or it risks closing on you r fingers.
This knife is to put it bluntly is a bit of a liability, if the blade doesnt snap or close on your fingers then i guess you have been lucky.
Tant