The Drunken: Amazing Knife, Ruined by its Pocket Clip.

[Cscottsss]

Oh well, disappointed to say the least as this was on my radar. I understand it can be fixed as someone did above but a $400 knife should not have a single issue.

I'll just get another CRK or maybe the RHK I've been eyeing.

[Hopweaver]

I got rid of my Janisong for this very same reason. The pocket clip would not fit jeans.

[JacksonKnives]

I find it priced at $409.50 US the MSRP is $630 US IMHO it's overpriced even at $409.50 for what it brings, does being a Dmitry Sinkevich design justify this pricing?

We can only speculate, of course, about what the market will bear. The popular ZT Sinkevich designs have far less machining time into them and use the regular ZT-designed clips, and go for about $260. The Drunken is closer to a Sinkevich custom, though the lack of bearings/flipper might make it less-sought-after. Then again, the anodized hardware might make it an even bigger hit.

The most fair comparison that comes to mind is the Giant Mouse GM5, which was available (direct-only in a small run) for $345. The fact that Giant Mouse didn't have a dealer network or a collaboration royalty to take care of definitely made a difference in that price. That knife did have a milled clip and bearings, though I'd argue that the Sinkevich Drunken scales are on another level entirely and I prefer the Drunken's washers, steel, and even the clip.

[anteck7]

Just got mine.

First impressions, great milling and detent is good. Knife is not nearly as smooth as my SpydieChef, but I haven't taken it apart yet to clean out and lube.

Overall the knife is well milled, and l has a level of detail that you have to spend time looking over to appreciate, a casual glance doesn't reveal how intricate or complex the milling is.

Okay:

I don't know why the knife has a stainless steel backed CF side, I feel like it would have been a lot lighter, and equally as strong with a full CF scale (sans pivot) similar to ZT or Shiros.

The pivot screws have weird uneven anodizing, not sure if this is intentional or not, some pictures seem to show it, others do not.

Feel like the blade has been overly smoothed? Don't get me wrong, I like a blade where the edges have been taken down, but it looks like somebody spent a lot of time with the buffing wheel and perhaps some interesting detail might have been present. Also the plunge grind isn't parallel to the scales.

Ehh:

Clip as everyone has pointed out. It really doesn't look well thought out, and almost like an afterthought as far as actually making it work on the knife. The design and ascetics are there, but it doesn't lay fully flush with the scale at the bottom (couldn't the pivot slot have been milled at an angle?) and as others have said, it is very tight.

Slight lock stick, not a crazy amount, but its there, and makes a distinctive "pop" when disengaging the lock bar similar to the sound it makes when it locks up.

[cornfed]

I'm going to have to agree with a lot of other posts here.

The clip on this otherwise wonderful knife really sucks. It doesn't slide easily into a jeans pocket. Just stops halfway up the clip. It's also fairly pointy on the tip of the clip. It's definitely uncomfortable after a little bit of cutting. I find the point really digs into the palm of my hand. The clip makes this knife seem like its a concept knife meant to be in a showroom or case rather than actually being used.

I reaaaaaaaally hope they offer a new clip that's better designed to be pocket friendly and rounded. This clip is ruining a pretty awesome knife.

[dplafoll]

I don't have this knife and won't speak to it in particular. However, I will say that over half my collection is from Taichung, and what I've found is that they are extremely well-made and finished, and all of them seem to benefit from a disassembly+cleaning. And, while they come sharp enough, it's not quite as good as the other ones, and I pretty much always re-profile and sharpen any knives I get anyways.

[brainfriction]

I've had mine a couple days now. Tbh, I immediately thought of returning it, but it's growing on me.

The clip is pretty bad, no way around that. However, I think it could easily be solved by bending it for more clearance or an aftermarket clip. That should never be the case on a $410 knife. Aesthetically the clip looks great, but functionally it falls short.

The detent is a bit weak. I like a detent that snaps shut with a nice audible *click*. The Domino, Manix, and PM2 all have a perfect detent in my opinion, the Drunken not so much but other than that it's functional and it works.

On the bright side the milling work is amazing. I think anyone that liked the Slysz Bowie or Spydie Chef would probably enjoy this one as well.

[Zatx]

Okay, at this point I think I'm the victim of a sick joke, or I'm getting punked or something.

I disassembled my Drunken to try and photograph the corrosion on the stop pin and discovered the same corrosion on the steel nested liner! I never could get a clear picture of the stop pin because it's so small, but here is the corrosion on the liner (which is identical to what I see on the stop pin). This discoloration will not wipe off with any of the cleaning products I have. Interestingly, it is directly across from the steel lock bar insert. I wonder if there is some dissimilar metal corrosion happening here. But, I can't fathom why this would occur so quickly.

[steeljustice]

I have never taken any of my Spyderco knives apart to inspect their parts, also never took any of my other non Spyderco knives apart.
But i would hope Spyderco would investigate poster Zatx's knife's corrosion item he is showing us in the post, and i would hope that Zatx would be willing to send his knife to Spyderco for them to look at his knife this way every one will have a chance of knowing if there is a material problem or not.

[Zatx]

I have never taken any of my Spyderco knives apart to inspect their parts, also never took any of my other non Spyderco knives apart.
But i would hope Spyderco would investigate poster Zatx's knife's corrosion item he is showing us in the post, and i would hope that Zatx would be willing to send his knife to Spyderco for them to look at his knife this way every one will have a chance of knowing if there is a material problem or not.

I would gladly exchange mine for one with a functional clip and stellar quality control.

[Extra330SC]

Still deciding if I want to return the Drunken! We really like everything about the piece. ..but not being able to pocket the knife without two hands really dampens the enthusiasm.

I reached out to Lynch NW about the issues(sent pictures ) with the clip and offered to send him the Drunken. Casey was very kind to respond to my inquiry. ..but I think he needs to know it will be of value to invest the time to make an aftermarket clip. So emails to him would help if anyone is interested!

James

http://www.lynchnw.com/

[brainfriction]

Ended up tearing it apart, polished the washers with mother's mag and added a drop of oil to the pivot and dialed in the action. Nice and smooth. At this point the only thing bugging me is the gosh darn clip :mad:

[anteck7]

I returned my first one. The lock stick was just too much (it literally made the same snap locking and unlocking the knife).

I got another one. This one is worse.

It has a weak detent and came so tight it was impossible to flick open, where the first one fired out. I tried adjusting the pivot, and its possible to either have the knife flick open with your thumb, or have the blade centered, you can't have both. Considering sending it back, but I don't know if trying for a third one is worth it.

[TrojanDuke]

I wanted to get the Drunken as an EDC for 'cutting chores'. My EDC is the Paisan which is an amazing knife and great to carry but ... I like the body size, the blade grind and the weight on the Drunken.The S90 steel is a good choice too. It is a lot of knife in a good package. It has also been great for cutting as good as my PM2. But the pocket clip is terrible. It looks cheap, has a sharp tip and hangs up at 50%. No other Spyderco clips fit it so I'll have to wait for the after market to catch up. Also, it is almost impossible to spidey flick it because the lockbar block the hole.At this price point, these are really deal breakers.

[BodkinPoint]

Has anyone tried to use this as a lefty? Is it even deployable in the left hand? I can see half the spidey hole covered up so I am just wondering. I know its not going to be normal but nothing ever is for lefties so Ive just gotten use to that. I really wanted the spydiechief but from the looks of this knife and the spyderchief it may not even be possible for a lefty unless I wanted to use it as my backup knife and put it in my right pocket!

[Phred]

OK...got mine for $370...The clip..I knew going in..had 2 pairs of pliers and some protective cloth waiting upon arrival. Took it out of the box and resent ALL the bends. The clip is perfect and looks smart on the knife. How could Spyderco "F" that up sooooo bad on a $400 Knife. The knife form, finish and feel in the hand the hand is just delicious. My only beef is the "mushy" détent. The clip and détent need some attention. So...if people don't want to drop their hard-earned cash on this flawed expensive knife...Spyderco has no one to blame but themselves, it’s a knife-buyers market out their right now.
The form, function and blade will be enough for mr to keep this..and...hmmm...maybe I can do something with that mushball détent......hmmmmm....

[Phred]

Hi

[Ruudr]

The Drunken: Amazing knife, Ruined by its Pocket Clip Fixed with a pair of pliers :D

Today I received the Drunken. And I have to say I am very happy with it. I don´t care what a lot of famous youtubers say about this knife. It has very good built quality, centering is perfect, detent is nice and the people in Taichung know how to sharpen a blade. The milling on both sides is really good!
I handled the Drunken at the Spyderco Meet in Amsterdam in 2018 and in 2019 as a prototype and like a lot of others I saw the clip was flawed. There is no room between the framelock and the clip and the clip is not flush where it touches the Ti scale. I know it is a $400+ knife and these things should be fixed before production. But I am ok with it.

Because there is a easy fix which doesn´t cost a dime. Just get a pair of pliers, some cloth to protect the clip and you are golden! It took me 5 minutes.

Here is a before, and some after pictures.

[BOHAWG]

I totally agree on the pocket clip issue and I knew the day I picked it up and put it in my pocket that the Drunken was a fantastic knife with a crappy pocket clip. I will never own it for that reason. I've rebent many pocket clips over the years , but only because my pocket clip got hooked on something and stretched. I absolutely refuse to buy the Drunken , at its price point, and have to do any rebending to a new knife.

[bbturbodad]

The Drunken: Amazing Knife, Ruined by its made even better with an aftermarket Pocket Clip.



*for people that carry knives but are afraid of pliers :p