Heinnie Haynes G10 S90v Urban

[Doc Dan]

The blade is moving towards being spoon shaped, like on the Squeak, which I find unappealing. I am saddened that all of our input on this knife was to no avail. Those of us who love the concept did not need the knife to change, except to fix the pivot and the action. The K390 version is still the top of the heap in pocket knives, as far as I am concerned and I'd like to see a return to that (with a better pivot).

[bbturbodad]

The blade is moving towards being spoon shaped, like on the Squeak, which I find unappealing. I am saddened that all of our input on this knife was to no avail. Those of us who love the concept did not need the knife to change, except to fix the pivot and the action. The K390 version is still the top of the heap in pocket knives, as far as I am concerned and I'd like to see a return to that (with a better pivot).

I completely agree.

I took these pics the other day after using the two for the afternoon to show the difference but forgot to post them. I kept slipping off what I was cutting with the HH because the tip is so high compared to the K390.

[SG89]

The blade is moving towards being spoon shaped, like on the Squeak, which I find unappealing. I am saddened that all of our input on this knife was to no avail. Those of us who love the concept did not need the knife to change, except to fix the pivot and the action. The K390 version is still the top of the heap in pocket knives, as far as I am concerned and I'd like to see a return to that (with a better pivot).

I completely agree.

I took these pics the other day after using the two for the afternoon to show the difference but forgot to post them. I kept slipping off what I was cutting with the HH because the tip is so high compared to the K390.

Have you tried a blade swap with those 2?

[bbturbodad]

Have you tried a blade swap with those 2?

I'm so unimpressed with the G10 it never crossed my mind. I don't mind the grippiness but it feels really cheap and if I didn't know it was G10 I'd probably have guessed it was just some sort of cheap plastic.

I was really looking forward this knife but it's been a let down across the board for me.

[SG89]

Well I am still waiting on mine. But I was able to grab an old g10 ukpk so I guess that will make up for the g10 urban if it's a letdown.

[Airlsee]

Today I tried to start a claim on Royal Mail, since mine is just hanging out in a warehouse in the UK somewhere (best case scenario). They are significantly worse than the USPS when it comes to being able to actually make a claim...there is no way to communicate with anyone. They give you a phone number but it's not international, and my phone wouldn't even make the call. There is no email, no chat, no place to enter a tracking number to make a claim, they only show you that it's sitting there doing nothing and has been for 16 days...I clicked around for about 10 minutes and then tried to call...nothing.

Now I'm just counting down the days until the 27th so I can get my money back. I've never even been interested in an Urban, but figured S90V would be a great choice to try out. Now I just associate this purchase with regret, the only thing that would make it worse is if it actually shows up in 2 weeks and is as bad I now expect it to be.

Thanks for indulging this venting session.

[Zive]

At this point shouldn’t the HH version (and future releases with this blade shape) be considered a different model?

While laws in my area make a ~2.5” blade somewhat useful, this change-up is deceptive for folks that have experience with past Urban releases and thought they were purchasing a familiar model. I’m used to CQI’s that alter the internal workings of a model, but didn’t think that a blade shape could be overhauled without changing the nomenclature (ie Urban 2, Lil’ Urban, etc)

Maybe it’s just me…
:confused:

[Doc Dan]

I seem to remember (correct me if I am mistaken) Sal saying something to the effect that the Urban was supposed to be under 2.5" for those locales with such restrictions, but the manufacturer messed up and was making the blades longer. Then he went on the discuss a knife called a Metropolitan, or something similar.

Now, if they did intentionally go to a 2.5" blade for that reason, how do we account for the new blade profile? I have a standard new issue N690 that I got a month ago and it has this short, high tip, spoon blade. Another thing is that the thumb ramp angle is different than on previous models and is not quite as comfortable. It is more acute. I carried it and used it, but ended up sticking in a drawer and carrying something else after a month of trying.

I thought the K390 (and AEB-L) was the epitome of urban pocket knife design. If there has to be a short blade, why mess with one we already like? Unless...perhaps, Sal is going to come out with a different model called the Metropolitan that has the attributes we already like. It makes me wonder.

[PaloArt]

I seem to remember (correct me if I am mistaken) Sal saying something to the effect that the Urban was supposed to be under 2.5" for those locales with such restrictions, but the manufacturer messed up and was making the blades longer. Then he went on the discuss a knife called a Metropolitan, or something similar.

Now, if they did intentionally go to a 2.5" blade for that reason, how do we account for the new blade profile? I have a standard new issue N690 that I got a month ago and it has this short, high tip, spoon blade. Another thing is that the thumb ramp angle is different than on previous models and is not quite as comfortable. It is more acute. I carried it and used it, but ended up sticking in a drawer and carrying something else after a month of trying...

This is troubling news indeed. My K390 Urban has been my backup knife for years, in most scenarios became main knife. AEBL followed and I was looking forward to purchase another one in N690. As you say, AEBL was the epitome of the Urban knife. Loved the blade shape and was ok with handle blade ratio. Now we have Squeak blade in urban body and it makes me very very sad. I know Sal tries for CQI but this one, considering reactions so far, was not good way to go. Maybe would be good if Sal would chime in or reconsidered this step? That would be very very kind.

[elena86]

They didn't even bother to announce the changes. This is not CQI this is how you ruin a gem

[Nate]

Man, that tip comparison is really eye-opening. Has the kick been adjusted to compensate so it isn’t in danger of protruding from the scales after a few sharpenings?

One of the most common criticisms of the AEB-L Urban was that the tip sat too high in the scales, so I really don’t see how/why the response would be to raise it further… :confused:

[Doc Dan]

Man, that tip comparison is really eye-opening. Has the kick been adjusted to compensate so it isn’t in danger of protruding from the scales after a few sharpenings?

One of the most common criticisms of the AEB-L Urban was that the tip sat too high in the scales, so I really don’t see how/why the response would be to raise it further… :confused:

My AEB-L was pretty good. I only had a spinning pivot problem. My short N690 does not have a protruding tip, either. It is okay, in that regard. The action is overly heavy, really heavy. The blade and thumb ramp have been altered from the K390 by a considerable amount.

[wrdwrght]

Wow. A lot of disappointment here.

Comments above leave me uncertain that the pivot problem has been addressed. I hope Sal will soon chime in on our concerns.

[SG89]

I find it interesting no one has posted a disassembled pic here yet to show the new pivot hardware

[bbturbodad]

I find it interesting no one has posted a disassembled pic here yet to show the new pivot hardware

Here ya go...

[SG89]

Thank you! :)

[SG89]

The blade profile differences really stand out in that pic

[bbturbodad]

Thank you! :)

No problem!

I think the blade profile is even more pronounced than the picture shows. I have a very wide bevel on the AEB-L which makes the tip look higher than it is. It really stands out when compared to the K390 with factory angle, but yeah it completely changes the knife. I wouldn't have minded the shorter blade so much if they didn't change the blade shape.

[TheRandomCarry]

I seem to remember (correct me if I am mistaken) Sal saying something to the effect that the Urban was supposed to be under 2.5" for those locales with such restrictions, but the manufacturer messed up and was making the blades longer. Then he went on the discuss a knife called a Metropolitan, or something similar.

Now, if they did intentionally go to a 2.5" blade for that reason, how do we account for the new blade profile? I have a standard new issue N690 that I got a month ago and it has this short, high tip, spoon blade. Another thing is that the thumb ramp angle is different than on previous models and is not quite as comfortable. It is more acute. I carried it and used it, but ended up sticking in a drawer and carrying something else after a month of trying.

I thought the K390 (and AEB-L) was the epitome of urban pocket knife design. If there has to be a short blade, why mess with one we already like? Unless...perhaps, Sal is going to come out with a different model called the Metropolitan that has the attributes we already like. It makes me wonder.

Interesting you should mention the thumb ramp.

I can’t remember if I posted pics on here, but I bought 2 new N690 Urbans this month (from different retailers) and whilst both had a date of 2020 for manufacture, there were subtle differences to the thumb ramp and jimping.






I also found a stark difference in overall finish of the finger choil and jimping. The model with the shallower thumb ramp had MUCH better/cleaner finishing - The only potential downside for some is that the very last part of the finger choil with the cleaner finish had a clean cut (a little sharper on the edges, but barely noticeable in the hand), compared with the other model (high thumb ramp), which had a more typical rounded/polished end to the finger choil (see below).

[Doc Dan]

Man oh man! That is a huge difference! Both are pretty nasty. I'll try to get some comparison pictures of mine so what I am griping about will be seen. Yours are pretty sad, to be honest. There should be some consistency.