Spyderco Forums

bearfacedkiller wrote: ↑

Sun Jul 25, 2021 1:47 pm

It has 2.5mm stock so it makes a good camp knife. It does food prep well enough at the campsite and it is sturdy enough for kindling prep. It carves hot dog sticks and tent stakes fine. I just wouldn’t call it a Bushcraft knife. I have also used it to process a deer. It is aeb-l so it sharpens easily and is super stainless. It is very light weight. My wife even uses it in the kitchen a bit. They seem like a great company. I don’t regret the purchase at all.

That’s thinner than the SW I just picked up - Chaparral thin, no? Very cool.

bearfacedkiller wrote: ↑

Sun Jul 25, 2021 4:24 pm

I put a 30 degree inclusive edge on it. Someday I’ll convex the edge into the primary grind and thin out the behind the edge thickness. I have too many projects and not enough time.

After experiencing how the BRK convex grind eats green wood, I’d really like to add at least a secondary convex to pretty much any knife I take into the woods with me. Seems like a no-brainer!

kennethsime wrote: ↑

Sun Jul 25, 2021 10:45 pm

Ok, I’ll bite: who makes those bad boys?

And I will gladly oblige... Click for goodies...

Edit to add: My picture = 210mm & 150mm

I've found them to be quality knives, based on the two three I own, but a bit over priced for what you get. They also are not getting the most out of the blade steels they use as they seem a little soft based on their published hardness and reports of others.

Edited: I can count to three!

Airlsee wrote: ↑

Sun Jul 25, 2021 10:55 pm

kennethsime wrote: ↑

Sun Jul 25, 2021 10:45 pm

Ok, I’ll bite: who makes those bad boys?

And I will gladly oblige... Click for goodies...

Edit to add: My picture = 210mm & 150mm

Very nice! Are those SG2? I don't know much about SG2 or Chromax.

I usually reckoned Kanetsune to folks who are looking for reasonably priced VG-10 kitchen knives - I usually say "they're like Shun, but a little more traditional and a little more affordable." Looks like Takamura is pretty similar?

I'd like to add some nice Japanese kitchen knives to my block in the next year or two. I own some nice German knives, but nothing beats a fine Japanese chef's knife.

kennethsime wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 26, 2021 1:12 pm

Very nice! Are those SG2? I don't know much about SG2 or Chromax.

They are actually powdered R2, which is identical to SG2? I don't know much about either steel to be frank with you.

The Takamura's are extremely thin, and perform like a laser on fruits and veggies...I have no regrets with either of them.

The Takamura's are the only Japanese knives I've got in the kitchen (well, if you count Miyabi, this isn't true). For more abusive tasks I try to use the German or American made blades.

edit to add: I see that they are labelling everything as SG2 on the site now, when I bought mine a couple of years ago they were labelling all of them as R2...I really have no insight.

Airlsee wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 26, 2021 1:23 pm

kennethsime wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 26, 2021 1:12 pm

Very nice! Are those SG2? I don't know much about SG2 or Chromax.

They are actually powdered R2, which is identical to SG2? I don't know much about either steel to be frank with you.

I have three knives in R2/SG2/3G, and I'd say the performance is on par with s30v, perhaps slightly better. That may just be because they are harder than my s30v blades, but I can't say for sure.

Fallkniven uses it as their 'top end' steel.

http://www.zknives.com/knives/steels/sg2.shtml

I've owned a few of their knives and have nothing but good things to say about them. Love their heat treats, build quality, and designs. I've owned A2, D2, O1 and 1075 from them. Liked the A2 best overall but they all took and held a great edge for me.

I have 2 Frontier Valleys from them, both in A2 (1 FFG, 1 scandi), and I just love them. And I bought my Dad an Every Day Carry, in aeb-l, and he just talks and talks about how great it is and how he carries it everywhere and uses it all day long. I'll inevitably pick myself up an Every Day Carry from them too, and there are a few more models I'd like to get from them as well. For instance, hearing that Little Pouter has a 2.5mm blade stock just sets my heart a flutter.

i wanted a genesis since the first time i saw them after bhk split. back then, they were a little under $200 and i still thought they were too expensive (at least for me). i bought a condor bushlore for around $40 and it worked fine, so i never got a ltwk.

i will say, aside from thinking they cost too much, i think the whole pout house thing and their exclusive club where you pay a membership fee for a forum and access to ridiculously priced knives is really ugly. i've just always got bad vibes from them, which is another reason i've avoided the company. maybe i'm wrong, but i did do a free trial once to get a peak behind the curtain and i wasn't at all impressed with what i was seeing.

i'm glad you're happy with your knife. i know they make a great product. i recently went through a similar decision process as you and ended up with the esee xancudo because i loved the folder and figured s35vn might make a nice steel for an edc fixed blade as opposed to the tool steels you generally find in other small fixed blades.

ladybug93 wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 26, 2021 10:46 pm

i wanted a genesis since the first time i saw them after bhk split. back then, they were a little under $200 and i still thought they were too expensive (at least for me). i bought a condor bushlore for around $40 and it worked fine, so i never got a ltwk.

i will say, aside from thinking they cost too much, i think the whole pout house thing and their exclusive club where you pay a membership fee for a forum and access to ridiculously priced knives is really ugly. i've just always got bad vibes from them, which is another reason i've avoided the company. maybe i'm wrong, but i did do a free trial once to get a peak behind the curtain and i wasn't at all impressed with what i was seeing.

i'm glad you're happy with your knife. i know they make a great product. i recently went through a similar decision process as you and ended up with the esee xancudo because i loved the folder and figured s35vn might make a nice steel for an edc fixed blade as opposed to the tool steels you generally find in other small fixed blades.

Yea, I hear that about the house thing - I'm still not really clear what the point of that is. Seems like the get cooler steel options, special handle materials, etc? Pretty exclusive though, and I'm not really into exclusive.

I really like ESEE knives, their warranty is great and they've got some great designs. ESEE (and Chris Reeve) turned me on to Micarta handle scales back in the day, and for a long time I thought that an ESEE 6 would be my ultimate "survival" knife. I'd still like to pick up a 6HM and a 3/4HM one day. I'm glad they started offering S30V (and now S35VN), but I do wish they would offer some of their knives in a tough tool steel like CPM 3V. The Xancudo looks like a great option for a 3" knife.

If I were a betting man, I'd wager that the price difference between LTWK and ESEE largely comes down to LT making everything by hand, with a real small team, vs. ESEE being a bit more of a streamlined production process. Ultimately, making knife blanks of A2 steel probably isn't that much more expensive than making knife blanks of 1095 + cerakoting them, but labor is expensive.

One example of this is handle scales. LTWK attaches their handle scales with both a chemical and a mechanical bond - they epoxy and pin them on, where ESEE just screws them on. Further, LTWK then shapes & finishes the scales by hand once they're secured to the knife, where ESEE is just done after you put down the screwdriver.

yeah, i understand all of that. no doubt they make great quality knives. i like that it's handmade and has great attention to detail. i guess i'm just too cheap to pay for some of those differences. i still think i'd love a great plainsman and a genesis (and could end up with them some day, if i find a good deal), but they've crossed a threshold in price that i'm just not willing to pay for the materials, especially when considering other options.

ladybug93 wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 27, 2021 4:43 am

i guess i'm just too cheap to pay for some of those differences. ;)

Oh, I totally get that - same reason I haven't bought a Sebenza yet. ;-)

kennethsime wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 27, 2021 11:18 am

ladybug93 wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 27, 2021 4:43 am

i guess i'm just too cheap to pay for some of those differences.

Oh, I totally get that - same reason I haven't bought a Sebenza yet. ;-)

dude, same. i'm thinking i need a spydiechef and just call it good. :)

I've known L.T. since I met him through Blind Horse Knives at an outdoor skills event around 2007? 2008?. I consider him a friend. I own 3 of his knives from his BHK days, and 2 L.T. Wright knives. For the money he makes a good knife.

I also count Spen from JRE leather as a good friend. He's done most of the leatherwork for my knives. The most recent one was a sheath for my son's custom knife I had made for earning his Eagle Scout.

Halfneck wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 27, 2021 5:42 pm

I've known L.T. since I met him through Blind Horse Knives at an outdoor skills event around 2007? 2008?. I consider him a friend. I own 3 of his knives from his BHK days, and 2 L.T. Wright knives. For the money he makes a good knife.

I also count Spen from JRE leather as a good friend. He's done most of the leatherwork for my knives. The most recent one was a sheath for my son's custom knife I had made for earning his Eagle Scout.

Wow, that's cool!

Can you elaborate on the relationship between BHK and LTWK? They obviously make a lot of the same models, in a very similar style, in the same part of Ohio. I feel like there's a story there.

Edit: I seem to have answered my own question with some quick google-fu. I was confusing Battle Horse with Blind Horse.

Used to be two halves of the same company, then went down different paths while agreeing to let one another produce some of the same patterns they had worked on together. Haven't heard a bad thing about either of them, just happened to buy a bunch of LT's before I heard of BHK.

kennethsime wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 27, 2021 9:23 pm

Wow, that's cool!

Can you elaborate on the relationship between BHK and LTWK? They obviously make a lot of the same models, in a very similar style, in the same part of Ohio. I feel like there's a story there.

Edit: I seem to have answered my own question with some quick google-fu. I was confusing Battle Horse with Blind Horse.

Pretty good summation of it. Basically they had differing opinions on things & split to pursue them. Actually saw & talked with Alicia (Dan Coppins daughter & CEO of BHK) from BHK at BLADE this year. It was less about knives & more about how big our sons had gotten.

As mentioned, the knives are good for the money. They were designed with the idea to get out in the woods & use them by people that were doing just that. They also listened to feedback from the people using them. One of the nice things to me is that the prices are not so high I'm afraid to use them.

I’ve got a genesis in 3V and it’s on of my favorite fixed blades

prndltech wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 29, 2021 7:59 pm

I’ve got a genesis in 3V and it’s on of my favorite fixed blades

They just popped up on DLT again and sold out FAST. I'd love to get my hands on one someday.

kennethsime wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 29, 2021 8:35 pm

prndltech wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 29, 2021 7:59 pm

I’ve got a genesis in 3V and it’s on of my favorite fixed blades

They just popped up on DLT again and sold out FAST. I'd love to get my hands on one someday.

Mines a natural micarta handle…. Good stuff! It won’t disappoint