The Tourist
member
As many of you know, I went looking for a Cold Steel Konjo. My work seems to be gravitating more towards a Japanese idea of my craft, but who can afford to buy an 800 year old katana to practice your polishing craft?
Besides, I still want to keep one foot in this century, and investigate how these ideas relate to modern alloys.
First, as I pulled the knife out of the box, I was struck by the quality of the sheath. While not the best leather, it is more than satisfactory. The ray-skin insert is a nice cosmetic touch. The construction of the sheath even allows a right handed user to re-insert the knife properly. That is by using the spine to guide the knife into the sheath, without touching the edge.
The blade is made from a VG-1 laminate, HT includes a cryo quench. I can only tell wear and edge retention from actual use (and sharpening) but a blade treated like this should have no issues
I intended to polish the blade. I was surprised to see the blade already had a mirror finish! The bolsters were polished, perhaps a touch of paste will remove a slight patina from time spent on the shelf.
The polished micarta handles are a schouche' slippery--and that's about the worst criticism I can find.
The grind lines are straight and true, not even a tad of "run over" from the buffing wheels.
There is a small grinding irregularity near the choil--a common problem--but that's two minutes with a small waterstone.
But here's the pleasant kicker. The knife was actually sharp! Not the usual idea of Lynn Thompson slamming the knife through a car hood, but "tinker" sharp, I kid you not. If I was going to keep this knife for myself, I'd simply use it for a while until it needed some attention.
The minor issues could easily be fixed at that time.
This is the finest Cold Steel knife I have ever seen. It's sharp, it's professionally finished, the alloy and construction are superior for an off the shelf knife, the sheath is of excellent quality and the choil issue is a non-starter for criticism.
Today, right now, no modifications or sharpening, I would utilize this knife in a fight for my life.
Besides, I still want to keep one foot in this century, and investigate how these ideas relate to modern alloys.
First, as I pulled the knife out of the box, I was struck by the quality of the sheath. While not the best leather, it is more than satisfactory. The ray-skin insert is a nice cosmetic touch. The construction of the sheath even allows a right handed user to re-insert the knife properly. That is by using the spine to guide the knife into the sheath, without touching the edge.
The blade is made from a VG-1 laminate, HT includes a cryo quench. I can only tell wear and edge retention from actual use (and sharpening) but a blade treated like this should have no issues
I intended to polish the blade. I was surprised to see the blade already had a mirror finish! The bolsters were polished, perhaps a touch of paste will remove a slight patina from time spent on the shelf.
The polished micarta handles are a schouche' slippery--and that's about the worst criticism I can find.
The grind lines are straight and true, not even a tad of "run over" from the buffing wheels.
There is a small grinding irregularity near the choil--a common problem--but that's two minutes with a small waterstone.
But here's the pleasant kicker. The knife was actually sharp! Not the usual idea of Lynn Thompson slamming the knife through a car hood, but "tinker" sharp, I kid you not. If I was going to keep this knife for myself, I'd simply use it for a while until it needed some attention.
The minor issues could easily be fixed at that time.
This is the finest Cold Steel knife I have ever seen. It's sharp, it's professionally finished, the alloy and construction are superior for an off the shelf knife, the sheath is of excellent quality and the choil issue is a non-starter for criticism.
Today, right now, no modifications or sharpening, I would utilize this knife in a fight for my life.
Wow! Thanks for posting that.
