Clay Kesting
04-19-2002, 12:00 AM
My forum knife (#208) finally arrived yesterday after Customs had a good play with it. What a pleasant surprise!!!! I hadn't planned to buy a Vesuvius and only ordered this one to complete my forum knife collection. I now realise that I would have missed out on a rather special knife (alright Blades, I know I should have listened to you<img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>). This design appeals to me almost as much as my beloved Chinese Folders and for much the same reasons. There is the same integration of all the parts to make a unified whole and the same flow of the handle into the blade. In the past I've complained that the 4" knives didn't quite fit my hand and lamented the lack of knives of a similar size to the Viele. Someone must have been listening because this handle fits my hand as though they were made for each other. I particularly like the sloping thumb ramp as I find the hump on most <img src="spyder.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>s pushes my thumb too far back, maybe I've got long thumbs. For this reason I usualy prefer knives like the Viele, Native, Centofante and Chinese Folder that don't have a hump, but the sloping ramp on the Vesuvius is a nice compromise and still makes room for a large hole.
The prototype Vesuvius used G10 for the scale material and there was much consternation when it was announced that the production version would be FRN. I couldn't understand the concern at the time as I'm no great fan of either material, after all they're both plastic. However I realise now that it is the usual textures I don't like more than the materials. The smooth FRN on this knife is very attractive and is set off nicely by the grooves and silver <img src="spyder.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>, so much nicer than the original pearl version IMNSHO (but then I sold off my pearl Native). The big surprise is the fully nested liners which explain why the scales had to be FRN, much too expensive to machine from G10. The liners give the knife a nice solid heft unlike the usual FRN knife.
I haven't had a knife with a drop-point blade since the passing of my Wegner Jr so I'm looking forward to using this and comparing it to my favourite Wharncliffes. I'm pleased that the blade is as thin my Centofantes which are the standout performers in my knife roll. Now if only it was flat ground <img src="sad.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>.
A couple of nit picks. The grind on the swedge is uneven, it finishes well above the point on the back of the blade. Also the "detent" doesn't hold the blade as tightly closed as my linerlocks so I may have to reconsider changing the clip to tip-up.
To sum up, this is an extremely elegant gentleman's folder designed by one of the masters of the art. I think Spyderco is the only company which could have executed it so well, particularly at this pricepoint. Thank you Sal for making this availabe as a forum knife as otherwise there would have been a big hole in my collection.
Clay
Life's too short to waste on instant coffee.
The prototype Vesuvius used G10 for the scale material and there was much consternation when it was announced that the production version would be FRN. I couldn't understand the concern at the time as I'm no great fan of either material, after all they're both plastic. However I realise now that it is the usual textures I don't like more than the materials. The smooth FRN on this knife is very attractive and is set off nicely by the grooves and silver <img src="spyder.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>, so much nicer than the original pearl version IMNSHO (but then I sold off my pearl Native). The big surprise is the fully nested liners which explain why the scales had to be FRN, much too expensive to machine from G10. The liners give the knife a nice solid heft unlike the usual FRN knife.
I haven't had a knife with a drop-point blade since the passing of my Wegner Jr so I'm looking forward to using this and comparing it to my favourite Wharncliffes. I'm pleased that the blade is as thin my Centofantes which are the standout performers in my knife roll. Now if only it was flat ground <img src="sad.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>.
A couple of nit picks. The grind on the swedge is uneven, it finishes well above the point on the back of the blade. Also the "detent" doesn't hold the blade as tightly closed as my linerlocks so I may have to reconsider changing the clip to tip-up.
To sum up, this is an extremely elegant gentleman's folder designed by one of the masters of the art. I think Spyderco is the only company which could have executed it so well, particularly at this pricepoint. Thank you Sal for making this availabe as a forum knife as otherwise there would have been a big hole in my collection.
Clay
Life's too short to waste on instant coffee.