Y'all be sure to check out those landing videos I posted at the bottom of page 5 if you haven't seen them yet son. They were SMOOOOO landings on my part son.

SMOOOO.

5/9/2010 2:29:03 PM

I GO FLY DAT AIRCRAFT THIS MORNING SON.

CROSS COUNTRY TIME!!!


Today we do a cross country with a mid-flight diversion son. It's gonna be bad ass son!!! I'mma be all like, "SHIT SON, THE AIRPORT IS SOCKED IN AND WE CAN'T MAKE IT SON. WE GOTTA DIVERT SON. GET OUT DA MAP SON! MOOOO MOOOO MOOOOOO SON!"

5/10/2010 8:04:37 AM

lol

5/10/2010 8:11:01 AM

Moo is an aviation term?

5/10/2010 8:48:42 AM

Yeah, it means hurry up son!

5/10/2010 2:31:10 PM

Later fools.

5/10/2010 3:12:02 PM

Workin dat chart son. Did a cross country mid-flight diversion today.

5/11/2010 5:38:53 PM

What do those purplish titties on the chart mean? Is that where sluts live?

5/11/2010 9:15:25 PM

Those are non-towered airports in Class E airspace.

5/11/2010 9:22:48 PM

Oh word. Did you know that you can click those buttons on the handlebars and the airports will light up for you? I did that one time.

5/11/2010 9:24:37 PM

Yeah, you can activate and set the brightness of the runway lighting by keying the mic a specific number of times. Pilot controlled lighting pretty much standardized, although some airports may have fewer available settings.

Generally keying the mic 7 times is high, 5 times is medium and 3 times is low (You have to complete the desired number of clicks within 5 seconds). It is recommended to start out with 7 and work your way down as necessary so that you see it at full illumination first. The lights automatically turn off after 15 minutes, which can be hazardous in some situations (Like if you're staying in the pattern and doing touch and go's). You should always issue a fresh set of commands to the lighting system (Even if the command is simply to stay at the same level) when you're on the base leg or final approach because this resets the 15 minute timer and ensures the lights wont cut off on you when you're really close to the runway.

5/11/2010 9:39:59 PM

U.S. Looks to Jump Into Hypersonic Future With X-51 Missile Test

http://www.dailytech.com/US+Looks+to+Jump+Into+Hypersonic+Future+With+X51+Missile+Test/article18325.htm

Quote :

"The U.S. Air Force is set to successfully launch a Boeing X-51 for 300 seconds of hypersonic flight By the end of this month, the U.S. Air Force will begin a series of hypersonic tests that will send a scramjet into the atmosphere for about five minutes, at nearly five times the speed of sound. A scramjet is a supersonic combustion ramjet, while a ramjet is a jet engine using the engine's forward motion to compress air. If all goes as planned, this will be the first time that an aircraft will have flown at such speeds for more than a few seconds of time. In previous attempts, the NASA X-43 was powered-up for just 10 seconds of flight. The X-43 was tested four times in 2004 and was hydrogen-powered. This time around, the U.S. Air Force will be testing the X-51 Waverunner, which runs on compressed air that ignites fuel by combustion. The X-51 is designed to be dropped from beneath a B-52 bomber. A rocket booster will ignite and accelerate the Waverunner. It will then run its course -- from Mach 1 to Mach 6 -- under its own power, at which time the nose of the X-51 is expected to reach at least 1,480 degrees F. The aircraft fuel will then be piped through tubes around the engine surface and will help warm the fuel to the temperature needed to ignite it as well as draw off heat to keep the engine from melting. According to Popular Mechanics, the X-51 Waverunner is a global strike missile that is part of the Prompt Global Strike research project being developed by Boeing and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The Waverunner is said to be a warhead in the making, which will be filled with thousands of rods 12 times as destructive as a .50-caliber bullet, targeted to shower a designated area. It is being developed for precision, speed, and range and has been designed to strike any place on the planet in an estimated 60 minutes. The long-term goal is to design airplanes and missiles that would reach Mach 25. The U.S. Air Force plans to conduct up to four tests of the Waverunner this year."

5/12/2010 10:24:48 PM

THIS IS WHAT RELIGION CAN BRING US MY SONS. CLEAN, PURE FUCKING DEATH.

Quote :

"In March 2009, an Italian court sentenced the pilot, Chafik Garbi, to 10 years of jail for manslaughter. Prosecutors said that after the plane's engines stopped functioning, Garbi failed to follow emergency procedures, and that he could possibly have reached runway 25 of Palermo "Punta Raisi" Airport, or even the standard runway 20. Witnesses say he succumbed to panic and began praying out loud, rather than attempting to maneuver the plane to the nearest airport.[10] The last five minutes of the cockpit voice recorder audio have a few scattered seconds of religiously oriented interjections such as "God save us!", with the pilot repeatedly telling ATC that the plane is too far out to make it to land, carefully selecting a ship to splash down near to, and repeatedly trying to restart the engines."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuninter_Flight_1153

5/13/2010 6:38:03 AM

FUCK YOU AND YOUR GOD DAMNED 300FT RESTING PLACE MISTER CEILING!

YOU HAVE TAKEN THIS FLIGHT FROM ME!

YOU TOOK IT GOD DAMMIT!

5/13/2010 11:25:01 AM

saab, I have a problem. I want a knife recommendation for around $40, daily usage and rare camping usage from you, but I can't read more than 11 words per post.

could you kindly recommend me a knife in 11 words or less? quality of the knife and understanding of the metal used is not as important as the recommendation being less than 12 words.

5/13/2010 1:06:44 PM

how about you just post LINKS with PICTURES instead of a full length thesis.

5/13/2010 1:07:59 PM

For the best value, I suggest that you either go up in price to $50-$60 range or come down to around $20-$30 range. This site will have the cheapest possible prices, so go here. The Ka-Bar Dozier is the cheapest knife I can recommend. If you really can't spend much money, go for this thing. The Kershaw Skyline is a good design for the money with G-10 scales, but has mediocre blade steel. The Kershaw OD-1 is going to have the best lock design of the bunch and G-10 scales. It's a very good design but with mediocre steel. I suggest a Spyderco Delica if you can afford it though. That will be the best knife for the money in my opinion (Best design, best steel, best edge, high strength lock, lightning quick, 4-way pocket clip and fully ambidextrous).

If you want one of the sharpest, best cutting knives on the market go for the Full Flat Ground Delica 4. If you want the stronger blade, albeit with diminished cutting capabilities, (Or if you want the wave opener, which is even faster than an auto knife), you'll need to go for the Saber Grind. Basically, if you aren't going to abuse it get the full flat grind, and since I can't ever recommend abusing the knife by using it for non-cutting tasks, I suggest getting the full flat grind.

Before you order one of these, you might just go pick up a Victorinox Cadet from Target. For one, it will prevent you from ever needing to abuse your nicer knife should you decide to obtain one. The Cadet has a sharp full flat ground pen knife, a bottle opener, a can opener, a nail file and two flat head screwdrivers. It's $17 and is sometimes found on sale for as low as $10. Get a red one or a hunter green one, since those are limited colors and the silver color isn't. It's one of the few SAK's that has metal handles (Alox) instead of plastic and it has a much more expensive/exclusive appearance than the plastic ones.

I still recommend also getting one of the knives below as well since the Cadet is not capable of one handed opening and is not a locking blade so you can't use it for heavy tasks (Plus, it doesn't have a thumb ramp, a finger choil or any jimping to keep you from slipping up on the blade), but it's so thin/light that you can easily carry it 24/7 in addition to your other knife. This allows you to use the less expensive Cadet for light cutting tasks, dirty tasks, bottle opening, can opening and screw driving. The cadet is also less intimidating and is more usable in front of random people. Btw, you actually may find that the Cadet is all you need and this will save you money in the long run.


My suggestions in order from the most highly recommended down (All are actually very high value though):


1) Delica 4 Full Flat Grind in any of these 5 colors ($50):

http://yourcornerstore.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=734_1971_4614


2) Delica 4 Wave ($60):

http://yourcornerstore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=734_1971_1988&products_id=8080


3) Delica 4 Saber Grind (The picture is a Delica 3, but you'll get a Delica 4 $49):

http://yourcornerstore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=734_1971_1988&products_id=8078


4) Kershaw OD-1 ($44, frame lock with hinderer lock stop):

http://yourcornerstore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=734_1586_1630&products_id=11564


5) Kershaw Skyline ($30):

http://yourcornerstore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=11562


6) Ka-Bar Dozier Folding Hunter (Offered with thumb stud or deployment hole, $20):

http://yourcornerstore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=734_1508_1516&products_id=11867

http://yourcornerstore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=734_1508_1516&products_id=11866

5/13/2010 1:43:24 PM

I have a hard time thinking the average knife user needs special steels in a knife unless used frequently in a really harsh environment. I also don't understand the tactical knife trend other than they look cool. I think the average knife user would be just fine with a traditional slipjoint or maybe a lockback for safety purposes.

I collect Case knives and I will never say you can have too many knives. That's not possible. I guess I just like the traditional patterns and handle materials more than the tactical stuff.

I carry one of these for EDC. It not too heavy but hefty enough for most cutting tasks I encounter. But mine has yellow synthetic handles for visibility purposes if I drop it anywhere.

http://www.wrcase.com/knives/search/knife.php?Family=%27American%20Workman%27&Item=%2713002%27

5/13/2010 6:13:06 PM

Well, nothing I recommended there was "tactical" because that wasn't mentioned as one of his intended uses for the knife and none of my suggestions used super high end blade steels. Also note that I constantly recommend the Salt Series by Spyderco and I always suggest that people go with the yellow FRN handles they offer in this series of knives. The Spyderco Military is available in Orange G-10 and I highly recommend that for outdoor use. Those Full Flat Ground Delica 4's I recommended up there come in various colors, three of which are very bright (Blue, Purple, Green) and two of which are more earthy (Brown and Gray).

As far as this "over the top" steel claim: The choices from Kershaw use relatively low end Sandvik stainless steels (Similar to AUS8), the Ka-Bar uses AUS8 (Hardly high end) and the Spyderco Delicas use VG-10 (A great upper mid range steel and a great value for the money, but certainly not as good as a CPM steel). If you haven't experienced all of these different steels then I don't see how you can compare them with lower end stainless steels like 420HC or 440A.

It all depends on what you want. Obviously what's worth it to one person isn't worth it to another. A lot of people can't understand "why you'd buy a car for anything but point a to point b purposes" or "why you'd need a motorcycle" or "why you'd own a firearm", etc. If they get enjoyment out of it or if the design/material has some attribute that is useful to you then it doesn't really matter what you think.

Some things I think the "average user" would benefit from with CPM S30V would be high corrosion resistance, high strength, high transverse toughness and excellent edge holding, for example (It's way better than VG-10 or AUS8). It all depends on what they're using it for and how well they can care for the blade. If they're willing to care for the blade, a RAT Izula in 1095 steel is an excellent choice for a knife to be used for EDC tasks and light outdoors work (You'd be amazed at what an Izula can do). But if they're going to use it outdoors in high moisture environments, that edge is going to rust on them even with TONS of attention. This is where something like a Fallkniven A1 with its laminated VG-10 stainless steel blade can come in handy. The average user isn't going to want to sharpen their knife often or oil the blade, so steels like properly heat treated CPM-S30V become a very good choice if they're willing to pay the premium. If they aren't willing to pay the premium, then they have to deal with lower build quality, less aesthetic value, shittier ergonomics, reduced edge holding, reduced corrosion resistance, reduced strength, reduced transverse toughness or some combination of these (Generally speaking).

Good G-10 is hardly a "tactical" only material btw. It is far more impervious to various chemicals than most handle materials and it extremely wear resistant. It requires far less care than wood (ie - NONE) and is going to provide far more grip when your hands are sweaty. It is a great hard use material. Handles which provide grip allow you to safely use the knife in a much harder manner.

When it comes to locking knives versus non-locking knives, I disagree to some extent. I have no problem with slip joints (Did you not see me recommend one in the post I made before yours?) and all knives should be used as if they're slip joints. You should never put stress on a lock. However, things happen and shit can go wrong. The lock provides a measure of safety that is very useful during hard use. If all you're doing is opening letters, a slip joint is fine. If you're doing a lot of wood working and cutting heavy boxes, I really suggest looking into a locking blade for safety reasons. Not that it's impossible to use a slip joint, it's just safer to use a locking knife and when so many good locking knives are available I see no reason not to own one.

Case knives are nice, but that classic design doesn't offer as much safety as many of these newer knife designs do. The handles on Case knives are generally very slick and there is no thumb ramp or jimping, generally speaking. The handle design doesn't really hold the hand solidly in place because there isn't a really pronounced choil to keep you from slipping forward onto the blade. When you're sweating profusely and doing hard work, a strong lock, a well designed G-10 or FRN handle with a decent choil guard and/or a properly placed thumb ramp with jimping are quite important in my opinion. Now, I have nothing but respect for your enjoyment of Case knives, but you can't tell me that there's no need for what you call a "tactical knife". One handed opening is a very useful feature for all kinds of tasks, not just "tactical" ones. I think you'll be hard pressed to see me calling too many knives "tactical" btw and unless someone brings up self defense I recommend knives that are utility oriented (Although most of them do offer some measure of defense capability).

5/13/2010 9:17:49 PM

SON!

5/13/2010 9:18:49 PM

These are what I'd call "Tactical Knives". To me, a true Tactical Knife should be a fixed blade, but laws and portability (Size and weight considerations) often force users to carry a folding knife instead. Notice how these tend to have handles with pronounced choil guards as well as thumb ramps and jimping and rear guards to keep the knife in your hand during stabs and slashes. I will show you what I consider to be some folding and fixed blade tactical knives.


Benchmade Onslaught:




Emerson Super Karambit:




Emerson CQC-13:




Spyderco Barong:




Spyderco Military:




Spyderco Spyderhawk:




Al Mar SERE 2000:




Al Mar SERE Operator (This is a true "Tactical Fixed Blade" knife built for fighting and survival in a combat environment):




RAT HEST (Hostile Environment Survival Tool. Again, a true "Tactical Fixed Blade"):




Al Mar Shiva (Ornate, very expensive "Tactical Fixed Blade"):








NOW, compare those to what I recommended and you'll notice that I did not recommend "tactical" knives. I simply recommended high value everyday carry knives which could also be put to slightly harder outdoor camping use. They may be able to be used for self defense, but that's hardly a negative thing, lol. It's no coincidence that the fact that it's good for hard use generally also means it's good for killing people, but the knives I recommended are small, light and portable so they're limited in their tactical capabilities. Generally a tactical knife has a large handle and a large blade. The larger, the better really.

5/13/2010 10:17:11 PM

Whoa, don't get so defensive. I understand the place for different steels and I actually said that in my post. I also understand the one handed opening knives and their uses. I also didn't call out any specific handle materials. I really like G10 and what you said is true about it. I would actually prefer my EDC to have G10 handles, but Case has not made one in that pattern yet. I guess what I was trying to say is that the average user probably doesn't understand about the different steels and what makes one better than the other. Some may understand it, but I don't know if they would actually take advantage of the steels where more often than not, 1095 or 420 HC would do the job fine.

Case makes one handed opening knives, knives with different steels, and all sorts of handle materials. I'm also not saying that their knives are superior, quite the contrary. Most of their knives are made for collectors. That's not to say they don't make knives that can't do hard work, though. I do really like that their knives are essentially hand made and there is a level of craftsmanship there that you don't really find with other knives. I'm also always on board with knives made in the USA, and Case has always been and will always be if they want to keep their collector base.

I'm with you on the safety issue with lockbacks and even said so in my post. I guess I used "tactical" interchangeably with "modern" when I shouldn't have. I spend most of my time looking at traditional designs, and to be honest, I can't see a whole lot of difference between the knives you posted as tactical and the ones you recommended as non-tactical other than maybe blade size, but that's hard for me to tell with some of the pictures if there is nothing for me to reference size.

I do really like the ergonomics of the handles of some of the knives you posted. I may have to check some of them out for EDC.

That's all I got SON!

[Edited on May 13, 2010 at 10:59 PM. Reason : .]

5/13/2010 10:57:32 PM

My response is intended for more viewers than just you. I just felt the need to make sure that people understand what the philosophy behind various knives is. It's not really a defensive thing I just want people to see where I'm coming from. I agree with you for the most part but it just depends on what they intend to do and how much care they will give the knife. Collectors tend to care for knives a lot more than the average joe (Who will pry with knives, never clean them and rarely or never sharpen them). I don't always suggest high end knives but if someone has the money it doesn't hurt. I think $60 is a reasonable for a knife, but you can get a good knife for as low as $20 if you know what you're looking for.

I understand the desire for a certain type of knife though, different people like different designs. I'm a fan of lots of different knives, but I tend to like modern designs.

5/13/2010 11:02:37 PM

I'm used to looking at stuff like this:

How about one with a swing guard - it's pretty safe. http://www.casexx.com/DisplayDetailPage.asp?ProductCode=9446

Everybody needs some abalone http://www.casexx.com/DisplayDetailPage.asp?ProductCode=5180 or maybe some mammoth tooth http://www.casexx.com/DisplayDetailPage.asp?ProductCode=7930 or MOP Damascus http://www.casexx.com/DisplayDetailPage.asp?ProductCode=99180

In collecting, there are a few things that bring big coin:
Low Production
Exotic Handle Materials
Damascus Blades
Larger Knives
More blades the better

[Edited on May 13, 2010 at 11:29 PM. Reason : link fail]

5/13/2010 11:28:35 PM

Brian Tighe's Twist Tighe. This is a real knife son! Damascus and jeweled/filed titanium handles.


I love damascus steels. I actually want an Al Mar Ultra Damascus Chef's Knife (They have a VG-10 Core!). They are only about $100, which is a damn good deal.

5/13/2010 11:33:47 PM

That's gorgeous. I know that hand crafted knives by famous makers bring big money, especially if they use premium handle materials.

Did you know that the swing guard pattern I posted above dates from 1896?

5/13/2010 11:35:28 PM

Naw son, I didn't know that. It's a very cool design, gives added safety without taking up too much room!

5/13/2010 11:37:32 PM

Then you've got a design like this that is modern (designed in 2000), but it is not practical to carry in your pocket unless you like to get poked all the time. It is one handed opening, but it would be best to carry on your belt in a sheath. It's a linerlock and this particular one has G-10 handles.



[Edited on May 13, 2010 at 11:45 PM. Reason : .]

5/13/2010 11:43:47 PM

Yeah I'm a fan of smooth G-10 like that. The Benchmade Dejavoo and Onslaught use smoothed G-10 like that as well. It's not particularly high traction, but it's very aesthetically pleasing.

5/13/2010 11:52:17 PM

Aha, those guys working the production numbers too! But 1000 knives is way to many for that to be a collectible unless those things self destruct when you use it. A run of 200 or less is good to collect.

5/13/2010 11:57:38 PM

Yeah those aren't really collectibles.

I have two Spyderco knives that there are only 600 of and one that there are only 900 of. Those Benchmade knives I posted up there are both made in the thousands, but the first 1000 of a design are almost always labeled like that from Benchmade. I wasn't saying they're collectible, just that I like the smooth G-10. Those are expensive knives though. The Mini-Dejavoo is about $110 (CPM-S30V blade steel, but a liner lock) these days and the Onslaught is ~$155 (154CM Steel but it's a very large blade and it has an axis lock).


Most Spyderco knives are collectible if you keep them in good condition for a long enough time period btw. They have a very strong following and their production numbers are usually pretty low. They also don't usually keep a design out for long time periods and they usually offer special versions of it. Like my Para-Military in Digital Camo. It hasn't been available for all that long and a new Para-military 2 will come out in a year or so. Since production numbers are low to begin with, the knife will be quite collectible in a few years, especially since the new Para is fucking neutered. I don't like it, it has lost all of its personality in an attempt to please a wider range of people (The design had always been for a specific type of user and I liked the uniqueness). Note that the Para-Military is a US made knife, including the blade steel (CPM-S30V is only available from one manufacturer currently as far as I know).


I kind of want that RAT H.E.S.T. son. I love that skull with the ball cap on the canvas micarta scales. Some of the features are pointless (Like the "pry bar", which I'd simply be using as a skull punch and the bottle opener which is kind of odd if you ask me) but it's a good smaller fixed blade design and they use really good heat treatments on their 1095 steel.

5/14/2010 12:04:03 AM

Boeing Unveils Phantom Ray, an Autonomous, Unmanned Stealth Fighter

http://www.dailytech.com/Boeing+Unveils+Phantom+Ray+an+Autonomous+Unmanned+Stealth+Fighter/article18381.htm

Quote :

"First flight will be conducted in December Last year, Boeing discussed the future of the "Phantom Ray", a stealthy, unmanned aerial vehicle. The Phantom Ray was based on the X-45C design which Boeing produced for the DARPA Joint-Unmanned Combat Air System (J-UCAS) program. On Monday, Boeing unveiled the near complete fighter-sized automated craft and announced that plans to conduct a December test flight and nine more test flights in the following six months were proceeding quite nicely. Darryl Davis, president of Boeing Phantom Works cheered, "We are on a fast track, and first flight is in sight. Phantom Ray is on schedule to fly in December, about two years after this project began. This is a tremendous accomplishment for Boeing and the Phantom Ray team." The Phantom Ray is designed to fulfill a variety of roles including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; suppression of enemy air defenses; electronic attack; strike; and autonomous aerial refueling. Today, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are fast becoming a mainstay of the U.S. Armed Forces in the global arena, but most UAVs currently in action require extensive piloting. The Phantom Ray, by contrast, would be mostly autonomous, making its own way to designated targets and only requiring a human operator to pull the trigger. The Phantom Ray is also larger than most UAVs currently in action, and thus should be able to support more diverse roles or provide more destructive power. Test taxis will take place this summer. Craig Brown, Phantom Ray program manager for Boeing, describes the flights that will follow, stating, "The initial flights will take Phantom Ray through its paces for the flight test profile. Beyond that, the missions and systems tested will be determined by future warfighter needs." Boeing describes its secretive Phantom Works division writing: Phantom Works uses rapid prototyping initiatives to design, develop and build advanced aircraft and then demonstrate their capabilities. A number of military suppliers were involved with the Phantom Ray. Among those announced by Boeing include General Electric-Aviation (propulsion and power distribution), Honeywell (brake system), Woodward-HRT (flight control actuation system), Crane Hydro-Aire (brake controls) and Heroux-Devtek (landing gear). The U.S. Air Force last year gained their first jet-powered UAV. If the tests of the Phantom Ray go smoothly, it may decide to soon add its first semi-autonomous stealth UAV to its stable."

5/15/2010 5:01:50 PM

I hate this bullshit robot wars they've got going on. What ever happened to real people killing other real people?

I guess you could call me old fashioned son.

5/17/2010 5:00:58 PM

Look in the Lounge aviation thread--I posed a question in there that has so far gone unanswered.

http://brentroad.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=566263&page=7





Also, I bought a CRKT M16-14ZSF a couple of days ago. It's nothing exotic, but I think it's an attractive knife at an attractive price. It'll open the hell out of the aggravating little bottles of orange juice they have here in Qatar, and I figured it would be prudent to keep a weapon on me since I don't get a pistol or rifle here.

It's just an AUS-4 blade, but I figure that's not bad, because it's like 120 fucking degrees here in the summer, and I keep it in one of the pockets of my flight suit. Plus, I'm not any good at sharpening, so I figure it would be better to learn on a $30 knife (although the tanto point will make it a little tougher, I guess).

5/18/2010 3:58:43 PM

Oh man, I like that version of the M16 a lot. The scales actually look beautiful IMO. I might have to pick one of those up! The blade steel isn't a huge issue as long as you understand its limitations. I like exotic steels more, but I have other knives as well that use low end steels. Being in the military, I'd be inclined to use a less expensive knife like you are since it's more likely to see heavy use and it's more likely that it will need to be abused in some situations (I imagine there are probably more chances for it to get lost or stolen too). I'd go for a plain edge version but that one looks just fine. Your handle choice seems appropriate for the climate btw.

5/20/2010 9:20:10 AM

yo son my order of four endura 4s just came in

5/20/2010 9:34:32 AM

Hell yeah! Post pictures man. How do you like them?

Next time we meet I want to show you all the different ways you can open them (The deployment hole design allows for a lot more interesting stuff).

5/20/2010 9:39:39 AM

really sharp out of the box. feels really tight (in a good way). you can tell it's a quality piece. the deployment hole will take some getting used to.

5/20/2010 9:48:15 AM

Yeah it will not be as difficult to open after you break it in but it will remain tight in terms of lockup and stuff. The deployment hole is much more stable.

5/20/2010 10:20:09 AM

Note that when I say stable I mean it's easier to control and keep positive pressure on it through the entire arc the blade follows when you open it.

5/20/2010 11:14:12 AM

what does VG-10 on the blade mean? is that the type of steel?

5/20/2010 11:16:03 AM

Yes, that's the steel. It's a pretty high end steel, one of the best non-CPM steels on the market. It's in the same category as 154CM or ATS-34. It has a really fine grain structure so it can have a very fine edge. It's kind of in the middle of the road in a lot of respects, it's pretty hard steel but it's still easy to sharpen, it holds an edge for a good while (It's also not very prone to chipping, it usually rolls or dents instead) and it's also got good corrosion resistance (But definitely not as good as S30V). It's a pretty big step up from AUS-8 or 440C and Spyderco heat treats their VG-10 really well. For the price, it's probably one of the best steels you can buy. It offers a lot of performance for the money. Not many other knives in that price range are available with steel that good btw. If you haven't had a nicer knife before, then it is most likely the nicest blade steel you've ever owned.

5/20/2010 11:21:32 AM

yeah, it's definitely the nicest knife i've ever owned.

5/20/2010 11:24:38 AM

so can you move the pocket clip to any of the 4 spots on the knife? i saw the bolt pattern and assumed that each set of holes was threaded.

5/20/2010 4:55:21 PM

Yeah, it's a four way pocket clip. It can be set up for tip-up or tip-down carry and can also be oriented for the left or right pocket (I can also show you some weird stuff like how in the factory right hand tip-up orientation you can still open it left handed from the left pocket).

If you're right handed then I'd leave it the way it came because it's tip up right handed from the factory. But yeah, it can be repositioned so anyone can use it in any orientation they desire. Notice how the knife truly is fully ambidextrous, it is just as easy to use right or left handed because the deployment hole is the same on either side and the lock is the same on either side. All you have to do is move the clip around to position it the way you want in whatever pocket you want.

I practice opening/closing them left handed regularly btw.

5/21/2010 5:04:47 AM

POST PICTURES OF THE NEW ENDURA

5/21/2010 3:10:02 PM

ok son gimme a minute or two

5/21/2010 3:11:23 PM

Quote :

"I bought a CRKT M16-14ZSF a couple of days ago"

i sold one of those sans flashy grip to a twwer a few years back. i loved it but it's too damned big.

5/21/2010 3:12:57 PM

5/21/2010 3:19:59 PM

Quote :

"i sold one of those sans flashy grip to a twwer a few years back. i loved it but it's too damned big."

yeah, it would be annoying to carry (at least all the time) in a pair of jeans. It's barely noticeable in my flight suit, though.

5/21/2010 3:23:16 PM