Grayman Knives.....

[RustyShackelford]

I've seen the site for custom/limited ed knife shop; Grayman Knives.
I thought "Gray Man" was a nick name or code for a "quiet professionals".


It turns out it's the knife designers last name.
The blade & handles look well made. I like the serraded styles but a few of the Grayman series seem better suited to hunting/outdoors use that defense or tactical use(EDC).

The prices seem in line with custom blades of the quality & size the shop makes.
I'm just interested in the forum member input by any owners or users of these edged weapons/knives.

www.Graymanknives.com

Rusty

 

[hso]

Buy with confidence.

 

[RustyShackelford]

Knives/sheath....

I like the Ground Pounder single bevel blade(with teeth). Id want the black G10 scales but the site says the company nylon sheath is a desert tan color only.
The green/OD handle looks good too but I would prefer the "duty/low profile" black style.
I liked the looks of the double bevel style blade but Grayman himself says the single type is better for sharpening & general field chores.

$215.00 USD(tan sheath included) isn't bad. The blade has a 90 day return warranty & the shop says they'll do sharpening/replaced parts as needed for the life of the owner. Grayman states the offer can be transferred too. From new to old knife owner. That's a solid offer.

Rusty

 

[hso]

You could probably custom order anything you wanted.

 

[TimboKhan]

I can't truthfully offer an opinion with confidence having never owned one, but I have handled one and they seem worth every penny if you need a truly hard use knife.

 

[Sam Cade]

That is a short, steep grind.

Since the knife is ground asymetrically and is 1/4" thick stock that grind would have to be nearly to the spine in order for it to cut worth a hoot. As it is, that knife might not be a very impressive chopper in most hands vis–à–vis something like a BK9 or even a CS Trailmaster since the grind is going to limit the depth of the cuts.

More Observations:

Painted instead of finished blade.
Screws and spacers instead of pinned on scales.
Minimal finish work or contouring on the scales.
Grind is short and thick, so fast to grind.

 

[RustyShackelford]

Reply messages......

I'm curious to know if the blade/metal parts can hold up to rough-field use or if the blade needs some CLP or Ballistol. They look sharp & rugged.

 

[Sam Cade]

I'm curious to know if the blade/metal parts can hold up to rough-field use or if the blade needs some CLP or Ballistol. They look sharp & rugged.

1095 is a simple carbon steel so once you scratch the paint off it will rust vigorously if not kept oiled and dry.

 

[Gordon]

Tell it like it is Sam! Yeah!

 

[Valkman]

They are known to be good or great knives, but as Sam points out he isn't into finish grinding. His knives are thick and all but unbreakable and that's how they're marketed. I too would like to see more contouring of the handles.

 

[RustyShackelford]

Grayman GP with teeth vs the Cold Steel Trailmaster.....

I checked online, the Cold Steel Trailmaster is about the same size & weight as a Ground Pounder(with teeth/single bevel). It's stainless steel & costs approx $45.00 more. The - is that it's produced in Taiwan.
The "paint" of the Grayman blade may be a protective coat but as stated, that could wear off & cause rust-corrosion later.

RS

 

[Pete D.]

Knives

Why single bevel? What is the advantage to the user, if any?
Pete

 

[hso]

Might want to ask possum about his opinion of the Grayman knives.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=523312&highlight=grayman

 

[RustyShackelford]

Grayman....

Grayman himself says he prefers the single type blade because it's faster/easier to sharpen correctly & it works better at some chop/cut motions.
I like the look of the double bevel with teeth but I can see Grayman's points.

Rusty

 

[Sam Cade]

I checked online, the Cold Steel Trailmaster is about the same size & weight as a Ground Pounder(with teeth/single bevel). It's stainless steel & costs approx $45.00 more.

Current production Trailmasters are O-1 carbon steel. Decidedly Non-Stainless. Previous generation Trailmasters were SK-5 carbon steel.
Retail is about $130.
http://www.amazon.com/Cold-Steel-Master-Kraton-Handle/dp/B001PYUL0O


The laminated "San-Mai" that CS has on some Trailmasters jacks up the price about $100.

The - is that it's produced in Taiwan.

The Taiwanese cutlery industry is world class and Taiwan itself is a friendly democracy.
Taiwan=Good Thing.

 

[Sam Cade]

Why single bevel? What is the advantage to the user, if any?
Pete

....and for the same reasons excel at whittling and scraping, even on large thick knives.

 

[Madcap_Magician]

I am not a huge fan of the designs. They appear to be knives along the sharpened-crowbar pattern. The grinds are simple and probably adequate, but I like my knives designed for knife-related tasks instead of prying. The scales do not look exceptionally ergonomic, and while fit and finish appears to be well done for what it is, what it is isn't a very high quality finish.

I am sure they are tough knives, but for the price I can get a more functional knife.

 

[Sam Cade]

This triggered my recently re-calibrated Bull-Crap Detector:

In a thrust, it creates a bilaterally asymmetrical wound, resulting in in quicker hypovolemic shock from rapid blood loss.

Ummmm...

Ok.


I'd like to see some research that delineates physiological reasons why this would be the case.

 

[hso]

Yep, they're solidly in the sharpened pry bar world.

 

[Potatohead]

Seems a little to pricy.

 

[JShirley]

The price isn't the problem, it's the value for price.

 

[Sam Cade]

The price isn't the problem, it's the value for price.

Indeed.

If a custom knife uses most of the manufacturing shortcuts usually found in inexpensive production knives and ships with an edge that looks like this:

...then why would anyone pay a premium price for it?

 

[RustyShackelford]

Toothy......

Doesn't Grayman state the knife edge is "toothy" to saw/cut better?
I agree the pic does not look that great but that's on the website too.

I don't own any Grayman products & have not seen any in person.
Id also agree that for $195-250.00 you should get a top quality knife with a full warranty.

Rusty
PS; Taiwan isn't the USA.

 

[Sam Cade]

Doesn't Grayman state the knife edge is "toothy" to saw/cut better?

Well, there is a "toothy edge" and then there is doing the bare minimum to save time and effort. A ragged, chewed up edge like in the picture (which is on a folder than starts at $275) is about the worst type of edge you could put on a knife if your intent was to get it sharp and keep it that way.

Perfect for tomatoes though.

 

[Valkman]

Wow that's a horrible edge. Looks like it was done on a 60 grit belt and then he said "good enough" which it obviously is not.

I'm suprised by some of this, I've never really looked at his knives before but always heard good things about them.