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The Water Cooler
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I need an EDC fixed-blade knife!
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<blockquote data-quote="ez bake" data-source="post: 1348059" data-attributes="member: 229"><p>Those are good prices - you may have just cost me more money man <img src="/images/smilies/biggrin.png" class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":D" title="Big Grin :D" data-shortname=":D" /></p><p></p><p></p><p>Here's a quick run-down - camera's near the wife who is asleep, so just cell-phone pics for now. I plan on skinning/gutting/possibly quartering/completely butchering/ a deer or two with this thing to put it through the tests and I still plan on using it as an EDC/SD knife afterwards, so I have big expectations of it's edge-retention (and I don't think I'll be disappointed).</p><p></p><p>My impression of the Ridgeback after fondling it for most of the day is a bit different than back when I met Bill after OPS first started carrying his knives (he actually unknowingly convinced me to sell all of my knife-making stuff back then after I heard about the amount of work he put into his knives and how little he was making - I was not as committed as he or Warrior45 was and was not going to be able to sell knives as a business or hobby).</p><p></p><p>I remember when I first handled one of his knives - back then that my initial impression was that the blade was too long and the handle too short (I was used to the opposite in my EDC knives).</p><p></p><p>I'm not so sure I feel that way anymore, I sort of like the way the Ridgeback feels with the longer blade and shorter handle - the fat handle (and plenty thick spine) make it balance pretty well.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]81244[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]81245[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]81246[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]81247[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Mine has the red-lined layer of what I'm guessing is epoxy/resin under G10 handles and was $185 at OPS.</p><p></p><p>I'm pretty impressed with it so far, but I have one minor complaint that I'll probably address with Bill and that is that both side-edges of the inside of the front (exposed part) of the choil are pretty darn sharp - sharp enough to remove skin from my index finger (granted, the weather is dry/cold and I've got dry skin on my fingers from working outside), but its actually sharp enough that its shaving out kydex when taking it out of the sheath.</p><p></p><p>Not a huge deal, but it sort of sticks out as the only "unfinished" part of the knife - I'm sure I can talk to Bill about it and if nothing else, I could just file it down if it bothered me that much - its a minor issue overall and not enough of an issue that I would hesitate to use the knife.</p><p></p><p>The fit/finish of the entire rest of the knife is very much on-par with what you would expect from a custom knife. </p><p></p><p>There are plenty of places that show a lack of symmetry - which I maintain is a very good thing and proof that Bill does a major amount of work by hand instead of having a C&C machine do it for him. </p><p></p><p>Places like the ridges on the spine, and the back part of the Choil (where it appears that he's shaped the G10 handles and tang together instead of just matching handles to a pre-cut tang - as any good knife-maker should) all show that he has individually shaped/handled each of these knives in detail and not just had them stamped out in a factory.</p><p></p><p>His work on the handles is beautiful. I liked the Rat3 for its wider flatter handles, but actually preferred the feel of the narrower / fatter handles on my Busse Game Warden - these handles are about the same thickness as the Busse, but his shape-work on the scales makes them feel like they have much more grip. I'm not going to lie, its kind of pretty too.</p><p></p><p>I did like that I could remove the handles on my RAT knives for maintenance with their Chicago screws, but this knife being made of 154CM (and not 1095 High Carbon) leaves my mind at ease with him having blind-pinned/epoxied them and I'm not nearly as worried about rust.</p><p></p><p>I wish there was a touch more at the bottom of the handle (maybe even 1/4") or a lanyard-loop/pommel, but that would require the blade to be shortened if I wanted it at optimal size (which its pretty darn close to optimal size for an EDC as it is in my opinion).</p><p></p><p>The sheath is awesome and the included Tech-Lock completes the package (though I'm realizing more and more that several things out there won't fit my stupid 5.11 1.75" trainer belts - my new Don Hume Holster, this tech-lock, my Milt Sparks holster, etc... but that's not the fault of this tech-lock).</p><p></p><p>The fit of the sheath was a little stiff at first, but after working it for only a few dozen times, its as it should be - firm enough that I don't have to worry about it falling out and yet easy enough to remove that I can do so without thinking too much about it.</p><p></p><p>Balance of the knife in the sheath (with the Tech-lock aligned so the belt is parallel to the sheath) is a little handle-heavy, but its not enough that it causes any issues with carry (that I've found after only a day of playing with it).</p><p></p><p>Overall, I'd say that this knife is a bargain for $185, and I'm actually starting to dig the longer blade and smaller handle (though that extra 1/4" pommel/lanyard-loop might just make the handle perfect). I would not hesitate to recommend it to someone and I'm planning on putting it through some serious testing in the field during deer rifle season (and hopefully get some Hogs skinned/gutted with it later on).</p><p></p><p>I've been impressed with some of the knives out there in 154CM, but knowing Bill's tempering process(es) and the amount of work he puts into hardening these things, I'm pretty confident in the edge-retention (and his Meth-lab bust stories are pretty impressive), so I'm hoping to have an EDC that I can both use for utilitarian stuff and still have a good enough retained edge for SD.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="ez bake, post: 1348059, member: 229"] Those are good prices - you may have just cost me more money man :D Here's a quick run-down - camera's near the wife who is asleep, so just cell-phone pics for now. I plan on skinning/gutting/possibly quartering/completely butchering/ a deer or two with this thing to put it through the tests and I still plan on using it as an EDC/SD knife afterwards, so I have big expectations of it's edge-retention (and I don't think I'll be disappointed). My impression of the Ridgeback after fondling it for most of the day is a bit different than back when I met Bill after OPS first started carrying his knives (he actually unknowingly convinced me to sell all of my knife-making stuff back then after I heard about the amount of work he put into his knives and how little he was making - I was not as committed as he or Warrior45 was and was not going to be able to sell knives as a business or hobby). I remember when I first handled one of his knives - back then that my initial impression was that the blade was too long and the handle too short (I was used to the opposite in my EDC knives). I'm not so sure I feel that way anymore, I sort of like the way the Ridgeback feels with the longer blade and shorter handle - the fat handle (and plenty thick spine) make it balance pretty well. [attach=full]81244[/attach] [attach=full]81245[/attach] [attach=full]81246[/attach] [attach=full]81247[/attach] Mine has the red-lined layer of what I'm guessing is epoxy/resin under G10 handles and was $185 at OPS. I'm pretty impressed with it so far, but I have one minor complaint that I'll probably address with Bill and that is that both side-edges of the inside of the front (exposed part) of the choil are pretty darn sharp - sharp enough to remove skin from my index finger (granted, the weather is dry/cold and I've got dry skin on my fingers from working outside), but its actually sharp enough that its shaving out kydex when taking it out of the sheath. Not a huge deal, but it sort of sticks out as the only "unfinished" part of the knife - I'm sure I can talk to Bill about it and if nothing else, I could just file it down if it bothered me that much - its a minor issue overall and not enough of an issue that I would hesitate to use the knife. The fit/finish of the entire rest of the knife is very much on-par with what you would expect from a custom knife. There are plenty of places that show a lack of symmetry - which I maintain is a very good thing and proof that Bill does a major amount of work by hand instead of having a C&C machine do it for him. Places like the ridges on the spine, and the back part of the Choil (where it appears that he's shaped the G10 handles and tang together instead of just matching handles to a pre-cut tang - as any good knife-maker should) all show that he has individually shaped/handled each of these knives in detail and not just had them stamped out in a factory. His work on the handles is beautiful. I liked the Rat3 for its wider flatter handles, but actually preferred the feel of the narrower / fatter handles on my Busse Game Warden - these handles are about the same thickness as the Busse, but his shape-work on the scales makes them feel like they have much more grip. I'm not going to lie, its kind of pretty too. I did like that I could remove the handles on my RAT knives for maintenance with their Chicago screws, but this knife being made of 154CM (and not 1095 High Carbon) leaves my mind at ease with him having blind-pinned/epoxied them and I'm not nearly as worried about rust. I wish there was a touch more at the bottom of the handle (maybe even 1/4") or a lanyard-loop/pommel, but that would require the blade to be shortened if I wanted it at optimal size (which its pretty darn close to optimal size for an EDC as it is in my opinion). The sheath is awesome and the included Tech-Lock completes the package (though I'm realizing more and more that several things out there won't fit my stupid 5.11 1.75" trainer belts - my new Don Hume Holster, this tech-lock, my Milt Sparks holster, etc... but that's not the fault of this tech-lock). The fit of the sheath was a little stiff at first, but after working it for only a few dozen times, its as it should be - firm enough that I don't have to worry about it falling out and yet easy enough to remove that I can do so without thinking too much about it. Balance of the knife in the sheath (with the Tech-lock aligned so the belt is parallel to the sheath) is a little handle-heavy, but its not enough that it causes any issues with carry (that I've found after only a day of playing with it). Overall, I'd say that this knife is a bargain for $185, and I'm actually starting to dig the longer blade and smaller handle (though that extra 1/4" pommel/lanyard-loop might just make the handle perfect). I would not hesitate to recommend it to someone and I'm planning on putting it through some serious testing in the field during deer rifle season (and hopefully get some Hogs skinned/gutted with it later on). I've been impressed with some of the knives out there in 154CM, but knowing Bill's tempering process(es) and the amount of work he puts into hardening these things, I'm pretty confident in the edge-retention (and his Meth-lab bust stories are pretty impressive), so I'm hoping to have an EDC that I can both use for utilitarian stuff and still have a good enough retained edge for SD. [/QUOTE]
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