Rymanocerous
Distinguished Member
- Joined
- Nov 23, 2017
- Messages
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Eff. Reading was compromised this morning. You said 'would be like' not are/did. Ignore me. Nothing to see here.Details about what now?
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Eff. Reading was compromised this morning. You said 'would be like' not are/did. Ignore me. Nothing to see here.Details about what now?
Eff. Reading was compromised this morning. You said 'would be like' not are/did. Ignore me. Nothing to see here.
Looks amazing!The 256 came in today. No unusual smells and very surprised at how clean it is. The inside still shows the original dark tan color with no fading. When were these bags first introduced? No build tag so I reached out to the seller and he said the bag was purchased in 1989-1990. He sells fishing swivels on eBay so sounds like an old school Filson fan.
View attachment 1397559
Next to my 6 year old 257
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View attachment 1397563
Came with this padlock and a couple keys
View attachment 1397561
The 256 came in today. No unusual smells and very surprised at how clean it is. The inside still shows the original dark tan color with no fading. When were these bags first introduced? No build tag so I reached out to the seller and he said the bag was purchased in 1989-1990. He sells fishing swivels on eBay so sounds like an old school Filson fan.
View attachment 1397559
Next to my 6 year old 257
View attachment 1397564
View attachment 1397563
Came with this padlock and a couple keys
View attachment 1397561
View attachment 1397570
Maybe you can help me, and anyone else versed in the knife community. I am searching for my first EDC folding knife and have put in some serious man hours in my research so far. The only knife I have currently (besides my 10 year old Leatherman Skeletool) is a Buck 55 Lock-Back. It does the job pretty well; only use it for cutting cardboard, paper, and small cutting tasks. However I would like to invest in something a bit more reliable and stronger. The Buck utilizes 420HC steel and holds a edge decently well, but I hear isn't the best for strength. Lightness, durability, strength and patina-ability are all factors in my decision. Modification and MIA is also important. I have it pretty much narrowed down to the Spyderco Paramilitary 3, but am still open to suggestions. I love the aesthetics of a Buck Knife, namely the 112 Ranger with it brass bolsters/rivets and exotic wood scales, but they come at a price of weight. Also I really don't like carrying a belt sheath and these hunting knives do not come with an attached pocket clip. The weight is around 6 ounces which is a lot to be carrying loose around in the pocket. I want something that is heirloom quality and anything that I have seen so far is not to my liking. The G10 scales that Spyderco offers is something that will look dated after awhile, and won't patina particularly well.
My Buck 055 Lock-back. Note the oxidation that is showing through the American Walnut scales from the brass liner.
I started looking at modifying the scales to something that will take on a patina, but I wasn't too satisfied with the added weight that accompanied it. Namely the brass and copper scales, which brought the total weight to around what a Buck 112 Ranger was (6.04 ounces). I then started looking at the titanium scales, but I am not a fan of how titanium patina's over time (the purple effect). The total installed weight is is about 4.5 ounces, which I did appreciate nonetheless.
So I was uncertain what to do and started looking at other brands like the Benchmade Bugout (stupid name). After watching a review by Wranglestar, I was more or less convinced that this was the knife for me. I highly recommend checking out his channel; he's the same guy with the awesome Filson Mackinaw review. Not only is it an expensive EDC, but the handle material is pretty flimsy, and the Omega Spring is tough to remove/reassemble when upgrading scales to something stronger (practically a requirement).
So wrapping things up, this is currently what I am looking at with this upcoming build. I am going to be buying the Spyderco Paramilitary 3 with G10 Digi-Camo scales and an S30V Steel. After nearly giving up I happened upon a scale material called Micarta, which is not only pretty strong, but offers opportunity for patina. It's not cheap, costs around $80 just for the scales, but I love the look and texture. It syncs up to the Para 3's steel liners, for added rigidity. What do you guys think, put a lot of time into this post (more time then I had planned). I know @Davey13 is a knife hound, so maybe he would like to re-join the conversation, as it’s been a while since we heard from him.
@OtterMeanGreen
I have a Benchmade knife that’s the best knife I’ve ever had. I admit that I haven’t tried Spyderco (I need to visit their shop down in Golden someday... I hear they sell seconds).
Which Benchmade do you own? I hear they are a great MiUSA brand. The only con i have heard is the handle material choice of the Bugout (known as Grivory).
Maybe you can help me, and anyone else versed in the knife community.
This is me exactly. I love my benchmade valet knife. Extremely sharp, held an edge for over 2 years of regular use. I should send in for resharpening but haven’t bothered because it’s still sharp after 2.5 years. I’m not a knife guy per se, but the quality and usability is undeniable with benchmade. Also can’t beat the lifetime warranty with free lifetime sharpening.@OtterMeanGreen
I have a Benchmade knife that’s the best knife I’ve ever had. I admit that I haven’t tried Spyderco (I need to visit their shop down in Golden someday... I hear they sell seconds).
What an incredible response. Thank you for that. I’m into knives but could never do justice to them the way you have. I have a lot of knives. But, none by Chris Reeve. I’ve looked at them before. Your post has me thinking I should again. Thank you for that.Hey Matt! Been a while since I've been here, last time was around page 1000, can't believe how this thread just keeps going! Things have been real busy, just wish I could make more time to relax and sit down at my computer but life has a way of keeping me from any sort of leisure these days. My wife is pregnant with our 2nd little girl, about to pop any day now, hoping she doesn't come too early but the doctors said it could be anywhere from a few days to a week or two. So, I don't see things letting up anytime soon haha.
But, glad to see everyone doing well and still loving their beloved Filson gear. Since I last spoke to you Matt, I ended up giving away one of my bags to my brother, selling a couple, and down to 2 now. My first 257 from Tinman and the Talon era 257 that I was able to show you when we met up at the flagship store in NYC. Both 257's of course! They both get a lot of love, and I have to snap some pics when I get a chance, but one of the other are basically used almost every day that I'm working from home or the office.
I see you're looking for a new knife! I remember the Buck55 that you picked up, and nice to see the brass bolsters getting some nice patina, my favorite thing about brass.
It's hard to make any sort of recommendations because the options are really limitless. And, based on your price range, there are many that would probably fit the bill in any bracket really.
So, you like the look of the micarta. Great choice, another one of my favorite, with green micarta being my favorite followed by black(which looks more like a grey). There are a few types of micarta, the one you are referring to is known as canvas micarta, and has the most personality of the others. Actually, in my opinion, aside from natural materials like wood or bone, canvas micarta is the next best thing, but even better in certain circumstances like how much abuse they can take. You can drop micarta handle knives and have virtually nothing happen to it, as opposed to beautiful wood or bone scales. Its literally unbreakable with normal hard use.
And, as a bonus, micarta has some very cool traits. First, its grippy, even when wet or soaked in blood for those that process animals with their knives. This is very important for a knife that you will be doing work with, as people don't realize how much grip changes on a slippery knife once your hands start to sweat.
Also, micarta can look different depending on how you treat it. If you just let it be, over time it will slowly lighten up in color and become more "faded" if that makes sense. But, if you handle it with time, the oils in your hands and fingers will give it character and darken up where you touch it more. And, if you really want a change, a rub down in mineral oil will darken the scales nice and dark and fresh looking. Again, this will eventually lighten up after months or years, or if you don't like the dark look, just clean with soap and water will bring it lighter again. With my micarta handles, I'm constantly watching it change color much like a wood or even something like brass or copper in the way it changes. I also enjoy dipping in mineral oil for a dark look and sometimes I like cleaning the oil off it and turning a dark green micarta into a lighter faded green with soap and water. It's actually funny, as it probably perfect for you Matt since it will essentially match your Otter Green bags depending on what you do with it.
For between 100-200 bucks, spyderco and benchmade make great knives, but i will agree that some are overpriced for what you are getting. Spyderco are known for their thin blades that are amazing at slicing. Benchmade has more options on blade shape than spyderco though, in case you're not crazy about the very pointy tip. All preference, and both are probably the most popular for their respective price points and categories. As far as blade steel, S30V is still a fantastic steel, and will hold an edge very long. A whole different world than 420! No way you can go wrong with that choice. Spyderco likes to push the limits with testing out different blade steels, and usually are the first to experiment with them in production runs. Benchmade is great too, but I believe all around Spyderco's heat treat has the edge between the two, on most applications.
Many people might disagree with me, especially with how popular the Benchmade Bugout is, but I really dont' care for the Bugout. It's more "entry level" than most other benchmades out there, and I've heard many bad things about construction and fit and finish with those. Something to be aware of.
Another Side note: In the pics you posted of the two knives with micarta. The pic with the black flag is for sure canvas micarta. You can see that if you zoom in, looking at the little uniform "squares" in the material. Basically its resin infused canvas, hence the name. But, in the pic of the knife with the black screws, I don't think that's canvas. More like linen micarta, same principle but the material is closer to a linen than canvas, as you can see with the striations or longer horizontal fibers. Both are fantastic so it's personal preference, just thought I should point that out. Know if you want canvas micarta or linen micarta when ordering the scales.
If you want to go up a bit in price, you have even more options. My absolute favorite company for production knives these days is still Chris Reeve knives. Basically the Filson of knives. The new model 31 just dropped, and I can see a small 31 sebenza with micarta inlay scales in your future perhaps Much better blade steel, construction, damn near perfect tolerances, fit and finish, etc. but you'll pay almost double the Para 3. But, in the edc world, they have been on top forever, and will continue. If you get a chance to handle one, you'll see why they command the price they do. Without going to a full custom, its very hard to compete with. If you have the money for a custom, I would say give CRK a shot first. A small 31 on the secondary market in mint condition can be had for around 350. The manufacturing they have there in Idaho, is the best in the whole knife business. Better than any production knife company, for sure, and wins the manufacturing awards at almost every knife show for the last 15 years! And, although they are very expensive for the average person, it's still a fraction of the cost of some custom knives. But, made in the USA is important to a lot of people too, so that could be a factor.
As far as customization, you also have Hinderer knives, that are about the same price range as a sebenza, but not as perfect. But, you get a TON of options on picking all sorts of aftermarket stuff like different colored screws and hardware, which some people love. Just another option but if you're in that price range, I still say go with a sebenza personally.
Now, if that is a bit more than you're wanting to spend, or if they are both a bit too "modern" for your tastes, I can again recommend Great Eastern Cutlery (GEC). They are the top when it comes to traditional type knives, mostly slip joints and some lock backs, with thousands of options for different blade shapes, different wood, bone, more natural "old timey" knives that are just amazing for the price. More around the range of Buck, but made way better fit and finish, and more along the lines of knives that are built like they were since the 1800's, and just the best for patina, which I know you love. A whole different beast than the others though, as the others would be categorized as modern folding knives as opposed to traditional. Usually these knives mostly come with 1095 steel, which again, is far better than 420, takes a beautiful patina, and holds an edge decently long for how cheap they are. Made right in Pennsylvania too. But, again these are traditional knives with traditional steel, construction, no pocket clip, etc. More of a legacy brand, again similar to other legacy brands like Filson.
There are of course, way more options, but if you're wanting to stay more with the popular options, its still like 4 or 5 companies that are always on top and collected by more than the others. The Para 3 with micarta is a great knife. But, just wanted to let you know that there's literally no end to the amount of possibilities, and for some odd reason, knives seem to be more popular than ever now in the edc world. In fact, the term "edc" didn't even exist 10-15 years ago. Everyone thought it was a trend, but it just keeps getting bigger and it's not going away any time soon. But, as you know I love talking knives, and if you have any questions give me a shout. I only barely listed some of the most popular options, but there is a LOT more if you decide to dive in.
These days, I've been selling off most of my collection and staying with a few select brands. Chris Reeve, Gareth Bull Shamweris, plenty of GEC's, Snecx, etc. Those seem to bring me the most joy as of late, and since they hold their value I know I can always sell them for retail or in some cases way more. Some guys actually take investing in collectible knives very seriously, but I can't pretend I do, I just wait for something to get my blood going and I grab it if I can. And, there is a huge market for any category or range.
Here is an example: The other day Gareth Bull had a drop for a production version Shamweri. Normally his knives start at around 1300, and go up from there. Very hard to get, and when he drops them they sell in seconds. Well, with the production version that he released a few days ago, being that these were more affordable than his custom knives, there was at least 30 thousand people all trying for a run of less than 500 knives. The day prior, he released a small batch of 20 of them, and the site hit 20k visitors in the first 10 seconds. Normally, I wouldn't have a chance to be quick enough to score one without going to the secondary market with a mark up, but there was a software issue with the servers because of how much traffic the site saw in a matter of seconds. Wouldn't you know it, because of that I was not only able to grab one, but I scored 2 of them! I am pretty sure I was the only one who managed to get more than one. These knives are said to sell for 4x-5x the price when they hit the secondary market, but I'm not one to try to profit from flipping knives, I just love the knives and enjoy the chase. But, I consider myself very lucky to be able to grab those when so many people were downright pissed off. Guys took off of work that day in advance, and many waited for months for this drop. They should be here tomorrow or monday and I can't wait. But, the market for certain knives is just out of this world, and its exciting if you're into it. First you start with a Buck, then it just gets out of control haha.
But, don't think you're gonna save up for a 400 dollar knife and that be the end of it. Hell, there are sharpening systems and jigs that cost upwards of 1000 bucks, and thats just to sharpen the blade on your expensive little knives haha.
Sorry to be all over the place with my response, I tend to get a little to excited about things I am passionate about and what sounds like a well executed and planned reply in my head, ends up being a disorganized mess of random thought or points about different aspects of whatever I'm talking about. But again, I don't claim to be an expert in knives, just been obsessed with them since I was a kid and have thousands of dollars into my collection at any one time, which is always changing. I hope at least something I said might have helped a bit in your decision.
But, glad to hear everyone is doing well, and staying safe in these crazy times. I'm glad to be back, it's been too long, and hope to start participating on a regular basis again. I'm looking forward to seeing what I've missed, and admiring all the great Filson gear posted. And its great to see how active this thread is, and have gotten a few people into filson since last time we spoke. The guy I sold one of my Talon era bags to, is constantly sending me pics of his bag and it's great to see other people as excited about their bags as we are.
Stay safe everyone.
Dave
hey guys! Could you help me identify this filson bag? I can't find any model numer or anything.