Post by Shorttime on Mar 23, 2019 15:04:00 GMT -8
After more than 25 years of being immersed in the world of knives, I was getting bored. I knew what I liked in modern, locking folders, and I decided that pocket fixed blades are awkward to carry. The only reason I would want to carry a fixed blade is to make myself feel like I'm better prepared for some imaginary scenario.
I also felt that simply throwing more money at the problem wasn't the answer. The point of diminishing returns for quality starts around $160, and there are only small improvements in fit and finish until you approach mid-techs in the $400 range.
I found out that I get very nervous right around $180: that's a lot of gasoline and groceries, or a new pair of work boots, and I try not to let knife buying take over from more practical concerns.
I decided to muck about on the low end of knives for a while, and set myself a price limit of $150, which I thought I would be more comfortable with.
I bought a slipjoint knife for the grand sum of $11. It has a wharncliffe blade, and I've posted pictures of it, before.
Essentially, it's a folding box cutter for people who don't like folding box cutters.
Carrying it for a few weekends made me realize that this was plenty of knife for me. I had experience with a few other non-locking knives, and I figured it was worth a look around to see what else was out there.
I noticed Enrique Pena's Lanny's Clip pattern a while back, but his customs have the usual multi-hundred dollar price tag, so I kept looking.
The Boker Slack was another option that caught my eye, and the price was much more to my liking.
When you get to a place where serious enthusiasts congregate, you find pedantry. Which brings us to the “modern traditional”, a sub-niche of knives that are distinct (in the eyes of the “traditional” guys, anyway). There is a pinned post about the difference in one sub-forum, because it's that important.
So, a “modern traditional” is a knife that incorporates threaded fasteners instead of pin-and-peen, and synthetic cover materials that post-date the liner lock. Lockbacks are a separate sub-group, and I'm not going to waste any more of your brain space with this.
This one has G10 slabs, because I like modern traditionals. Or rather, I don't like bone or Delrin.
In usual fashion, I'll start with the tip, but only for a minute.
Where I noticed that the bevel isn't symmetrical.
Lots of my knives don't have symmetrical secondary bevels, and I suspect that this is one of those details that isn't consistent until you get to the mid-tech level. I don't mind it.
The finish on the blade is frankly beautiful: hand-rubbed at about 320 or 400 grit, and this continues on the spine, and the spring bar.
There is a little bit of an inconsistent color on Raphael Durand's trademark. I like it. Gives it character.
The bevel is flat, and slightly higher on the presentation side (I assume the side with the Boker trademark is the presentation side, anyway). Bevels are really hard to get perfect, and I scale my expectations to the fact that we're talking about a production knife.
The liners are skeletonized and nested, but somebody still saw fit to polish them, and I appreciate these little details that only reveal themselves when you're up-close to the knife.
The contouring on the slabs isn't pefectly symmetrical, and this is another one of those things that still has to be done by hand, so this kind of variance is reasonable to me.
The pivot screw is a curiosity. I could see where some people would think it's a neat design detail, but I could also see where some would see it as a distraction. I'm in the “neat detail” faction, myself. Your mileage may vary.
The spring tension is very high. I like a knife that stays where I last put it, but you do have to be serious about opening and closing it. It's a big departure from flippers that ride on bearings, and I've found that the best way to close it is to brace the swedge against my hand, like this.
There is no play in the blade when it's open. None. If the price for this is a stiff detent, I'm good with it. Few things destroy my confidence in a folder as quickly as wobbly blades.
The texture on the G10 is another feature that different people may react differently to. I like it, because it gives the knife more of a “does work” feel than something shiny and smooth. Practically speaking, it also increases friction at the point of contact.
The blade is slightly off center, when closed. I know this bothers some people, and I've heard it can be caused by unequal torque on fastening screws and pivot screws. It doesn't bother me, but it's something to watch for.
I can tell you a knife feels “light”, and that doesn't mean much, because it's only relevant, compared to what you're used to. I can tell you, this knife feels very light, to me!
And small. Here it is with an Alox Electrician, for size comparison.
It feels substantial for it's size, but I am conscious of the fact that this is a small knife, and it should not be expected to tackle some tasks. It's a tradeoff, but in this case, it's feel is well matched to it's capability.
I pay attention to pocket clips. But this one doesn't have one.
I don't carry that much in my pockets. But still, it all ends up at the bottom, in a bunch, which is when you find out what the most reluctant item is.
Happily, it is not the Slack. It's light weight and pleasingly rounded surfaces means that it clumps up willingly with the rest of the junk in there. If you think about it, pockets could be improved on.... Oh, wait.
We're getting off topic, here. Where was I?
Yes. A concluding paragraph, that summarizes all of this into a few tidy sentences that you could actually skip to, and read, instead of wasting valuable time away from Instagram.
Too bad I'm terrible at this part.