KC Exclusive Shaman Rosewood REX 45

[Hatchet 7419]

Did the pre order happen yet ?

[PStone]

Did the pre order happen yet ?

It was up earlier today. But says currently unavailable now. Congrats to those who got in.

[steelcity16]

Passed on this one. Not a fan of wood scales. But I am glad we are one step closer to the next run of Micarta Shamans!

[JuPaul]

Did the pre order happen yet ?

It's over for now, but says "additional quantities available soon."

[Hatchet 7419]

thanks , How do you get the updates from Knife Center. I ordered plenty of things from them in the past but I didn’t get that update can’t figure out why

[Mattysc42]

I’m surprised I got my order in. I just checked the spyderco website a little after midnight, and saw this thread. Pretty excited!

[Ankerson]

That photo is not rosewood,, it is a mystery softwood dyed and impregnated into laminated form.
Nothing wrong as a knife handle, just not as advertised.
I would also guess it is not stabilized as in exotic woods for handles, only glued up into plywood.
Real rosewood is very oily and does not glue up very well for mass production.

Regards,
FK

I believe ACTUAL rosewood is illegal. Or just the species used in guitars? Maybe someone more knowledgeable can say for certain. Either way I have nothing against it except that I carry my knives in my pocket and all that sweat moisture + unstabilized wood is a big no from me. But if what FK says is true, I kinda wished spyderco went for something cheaper but better looking, like maple burl or something I hope I don't sound like a mindless complainer. Wood is my favorite handle material together with canvas micarta.

You can get rosewood scales etc on just about any knife making supply site.

So no it's not illegal.

[semfi1345]

Concerning the scales, I really wish U.S. manufacturers would look to the U.S. Timber industry. Rosewood is a broad statement of foreign products so no one really knows what tree species it really came from or from what country. The U.S. contains the most desired hardwood timber species on the planet. "Rosewood" is a misnomer and doesn't compare to the structural properties of Southern red oak or black walnut. With that being said, I still got a pre-order in. Will most likely have some U.S. sourced wood scales made though.

Walnut has been used as knife handles since forever - would love to see that

I fail to see any large scale knife (and firearm) manufacturers using U.S. sourced hardwood as a handle, though maybe I'm wrong. I commonly see foreign wood sources, such as "rosewood" and "zebrawood" which are nothing more than exotic tree species that consist of several different species narrowed down to who knows what; each containing very different properties, much like various steels. Sure, you see a few small manufacturers but, nothing large scale and when it is, It's low grade wood charged at a premium for the name only. Not trying to cause a stir, I just call it how I see it as an employee in the natural resources field so my views could be seen as biased.

[Ankerson]

Concerning the scales, I really wish U.S. manufacturers would look to the U.S. Timber industry. Rosewood is a broad statement of foreign products so no one really knows what tree species it really came from or from what country. The U.S. contains the most desired hardwood timber species on the planet. "Rosewood" is a misnomer and doesn't compare to the structural properties of Southern red oak or black walnut. With that being said, I still got a pre-order in. Will most likely have some U.S. sourced wood scales made though.

Walnut has been used as knife handles since forever - would love to see that

I fail to see any large scale knife (and firearm) manufacturers using U.S. sourced hardwood as a handle, though maybe I'm wrong. I commonly see foreign wood sources, such as "rosewood" and "zebrawood" which are nothing more than exotic tree species that consist of several different species narrowed down to who knows what; each containing very different properties, much like various steels. Sure, you see a few small manufacturers but, nothing large scale and when it is, It's low grade wood charged at a premium for the name only. Not trying to cause a stir, I just call it how I see it as an employee in the natural resources field so my views could be seen as biased.

Walnut was/is still being used in firearms and was for a very long time until the plastic stocks took over for the most part.

[semfi1345]

Concerning the scales, I really wish U.S. manufacturers would look to the U.S. Timber industry. Rosewood is a broad statement of foreign products so no one really knows what tree species it really came from or from what country. The U.S. contains the most desired hardwood timber species on the planet. "Rosewood" is a misnomer and doesn't compare to the structural properties of Southern red oak or black walnut. With that being said, I still got a pre-order in. Will most likely have some U.S. sourced wood scales made though.

Walnut has been used as knife handles since forever - would love to see that

I fail to see any large scale knife (and firearm) manufacturers using U.S. sourced hardwood as a handle, though maybe I'm wrong. I commonly see foreign wood sources, such as "rosewood" and "zebrawood" which are nothing more than exotic tree species that consist of several different species narrowed down to who knows what; each containing very different properties, much like various steels. Sure, you see a few small manufacturers but, nothing large scale and when it is, It's low grade wood charged at a premium for the name only. Not trying to cause a stir, I just call it how I see it as an employee in the natural resources field so my views could be seen as biased.

Walnut was/is still being used in firearms and was for a very long time until the plastic stocks took over for the most part.

Walnut wood means nothing. Veneer grade or grade 1 walnut is exponentially more expensive than grade 3 walnut. Grade 3 walnut, which is what the majority of firearms manufacturers use, is worth what the time you took to read this message. Marketing may make you think it isn't but at ground level it is.

[JMM]

I will add my 2c here as I've been a long time fan & user of Rex45, living in the pacific Northwest where it is both humid & rainy... Rex45 is NOT hard to maintain. I have a Para3 that I've acid washed, then brass finished that looks great and stays perfect, and a PM2 that I just give an occasional swipe of a Hoppes silicone cloth, and it is perfect. Rex45 stands up to some really heavy use beautifully, better than (in my limited experience) cruwear or k390, I think 4v is rather evenly matched in most of my usage/testing... I go through a bunch of copper & fibre data cabling (cat3/5/6...) and even the occasional ground wire (frame to bldg) -- zip ties, cardboard.... it's awesome steel and it can be recovered to scary sharp easier than most anything else I've used....ok, I'll get off the fanboy/soap-box... :)

[Ankerson]

Walnut has been used as knife handles since forever - would love to see that

I fail to see any large scale knife (and firearm) manufacturers using U.S. sourced hardwood as a handle, though maybe I'm wrong. I commonly see foreign wood sources, such as "rosewood" and "zebrawood" which are nothing more than exotic tree species that consist of several different species narrowed down to who knows what; each containing very different properties, much like various steels. Sure, you see a few small manufacturers but, nothing large scale and when it is, It's low grade wood charged at a premium for the name only. Not trying to cause a stir, I just call it how I see it as an employee in the natural resources field so my views could be seen as biased.

Walnut was/is still being used in firearms and was for a very long time until the plastic stocks took over for the most part.

Walnut wood means nothing. Veneer grade or grade 1 walnut is exponentially more expensive than grade 3 walnut. Grade 3 walnut, which is what the majority of firearms manufacturers use, is worth what the time you took to read this message. Marketing may make you think it isn't but at ground level it is.

We aren't talking making $30,000 Tables here...

We are talking about gun stocks and knife scales/handles...

There is as always a very large difference in furniture grade quality wood and the basic stuff you would use to frame houses with...

While people use OAK for both as an example..

There are some firearm manufactures that do use higher end wood for their stocks. But we are talking about HIGH END firearms, not the normal ones most people buy. MOST people just don't have the money to spend $15,000 to $25,000 or more on a rifle or a shotgun. I used to do some work with a gunsmith when I was younger and had my hands on and shot some extremely valuable firearms.... Some of those double rifles are just pure works of art along with some of the shotguns I saw..

And it would be a waste to put high grade wood into a normal gun stock that is going to beaten around in the woods or the battlefield, dropped and scarred up for decades...

[ZrowsN1s]

Nice.

[Dazen]

I’m a huge fan of wood scales, but I just wished these had some knurled texture like the grips I put on my CZ’s.

[dj moonbat]

I really like the pakkawood on the delica I have, and KC goes into a lot of detail about what it is in their online descriptions. But on this Shaman, it only says the scales are "3D machined from beautiful rosewood." Doesn't sound like this one is pakkawood, or another laminate.

.
Looking at the pictures from Knife Center, the edge of the handle looks like a laminate rather than a solid piece of wood.

Well, a rosewood laminate would be fine with me if that's what it ends up being. More durable, won't warp or crack if you get it wet, etc. I just wonder why they don't mention that in thd description, when they use it as a selling point for the pakkawood ones.

It doesn’t look like pakkawood, or if it is, it is only polished to a matte finish. But if it’s a laminate (plywood), or a stabilized wood, either way it’s a better scale material than solid rosewood. Solid wood is quite finicky.

[JuPaul]

I really like the pakkawood on the delica I have, and KC goes into a lot of detail about what it is in their online descriptions. But on this Shaman, it only says the scales are "3D machined from beautiful rosewood." Doesn't sound like this one is pakkawood, or another laminate.

.
Looking at the pictures from Knife Center, the edge of the handle looks like a laminate rather than a solid piece of wood.

Well, a rosewood laminate would be fine with me if that's what it ends up being. More durable, won't warp or crack if you get it wet, etc. I just wonder why they don't mention that in thd description, when they use it as a selling point for the pakkawood ones.

It doesn’t look like pakkawood, or if it is, it is only polished to a matte finish. But if it’s a laminate (plywood), or a stabilized wood, either way it’s a better scale material than solid rosewood. Solid wood is quite finicky.

You won't hear any complaints from me about laminate wood scales- I love the KC pakkawood scales. I have a delica and dfly, pretty psyched to add the "matching" Shaman even though I told myself "no more Shamans!" I'm hoping for more Golden models to follow.

[Sharp Guy]

After seeing the Reveal #4 I think I'm out on this one. Too many other great choices forthcoming. I don't carry my Pakkawood knives very often. So not much sense in adding this one

[TkoK83Spy]

After seeing the Reveal #4 I think I'm out on this one. Too many other great choices forthcoming. I don't carry my Pakkawood knives very often. So not much sense in adding this one

This is one of those times where I'm grateful for going after different scale materials/colors. That reveal is amazing! But I think I'll stick to this one, as I've already got the orange scales on the PM2...just hoping these scales vary a bit compared to my Pakkawood Delica. All sorts of great stuff popping up these past few days!! A great time to be a knife nut :cool:

[JuPaul]

After seeing the Reveal #4 I think I'm out on this one. Too many other great choices forthcoming. I don't carry my Pakkawood knives very often. So not much sense in adding this one

This is one of those times where I'm grateful for going after different scale materials/colors. That reveal is amazing! But I think I'll stick to this one, as I've already got the orange scales on the PM2...just hoping these scales vary a bit compared to my Pakkawood Delica. All sorts of great stuff popping up these past few days!! A great time to be a knife nut :cool:

No regrets on this pre-order for me. Like Rick, I appreciate the variety in scale material and colors. But that burnt orange manix will be mine!

[RadioactiveSpyder]

Here’s my rosewood Pingo with scales made by Ted Phillips here on the forum (phillipsted). I’ve had these scales on this Pingo for years now with zero issues of warping, etc. and these guys are linerless. I’m betting a Shaman in this configuration with the steel liners will be quite nice. My guess is that the scales might need a final bit of polishing and buffing to really make them shine (pun intended ) since I’ve noticed factory wood scales always seem a bit duller and less finished than custom ones I’ve picked up (understandably). Just like all these other limited models, once they’re sold out, prices jump quickly. Cheers, Radioactive