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I got the CF and copper one, it's freaking gorgeous to look at, but the list of problems it had... .😳
Consequently, I was beside myself with anticipation for the copper/marbled carbon version. But I got that one and it was, well, not terrible, but it had some of the same problems that everyone seems to have had: the detent is way too tight, it feels gritty when the blade deploys, the lock was a bit sticky and one bolster was loose, etc.
[As an aside, this was what I didn to fix the thing: began by looseneing every single screw on the knife, from pivot to pocket clip, which got it loose enough I could up the blade open; basically unscrewed the knife almost to the point of it falling apart; much too sloppy to safely use. Then I just flipped the blade constantly for about three days, at the end of which I gradually began tightening down all the screws, more or less equally. After about a week I really cranked everything down, like, as tight as I could safely could. Whatever the interaction of processes, that last crank did the job--it's not quite as good as the brass/micarta model, but pretty close. It's solid and flips pretty smoothly. A lot of work for a bill-fifty knife, but I like it and wanted it to work.]
Two points, I suppose: #1, dont skip the brass/micarta kwaiken because the copper one was so bad. They're like night and day. And come to think of it, so is the BladeOpa exclusive kwaiken. If you want marbled carbon thats the way to go, and the blade has satin finish and duplex grind. Looks amazing.
#2. What the hell? I know Boker's rep for inconsistentcy, but any thoughts on why the BladeHQ exclusives were so different?
One of my Pro-tech made kwaiken autos is in my EDC rotation, and while I wouldn't want it for heavy work, I find it to be a handy knife when the day brings a variety of tasks, including food prep/consumption. Maybe it's uncouth to use ones own kwaiken in a nice surf 'n turf joint, but mangling a $100 cut of beef with the restaurant-provided steak/butter knife would have been a crime against nature.
Anyway, when using the kwaiken (and my apologies if I'm telling you info you already know; thought I'd presume, given the anecdote about getting cut slipping off the flipper) I've learned you really must have your index finger curled over the back of the handle, about where it meets the blade, and pressed against its right side; tip of the finger pointing more or less down. The leading edge of the handle/bolster has been designed so that the angles match the joints of the index finger, which makes it comfortable and provides good grip. It's possible to choke up or down a bit, but the design of the knife seems to demand this modified saber grip, for good or I'll. A pic, or maybe two, will demonstrate better than my rambling:
I don't know what would be different about the BladeHQ versions vs any others, but here's the list of my other issues by way of copy and paste of my full (generous 2 star) review there:
---------------------------------------- First off, I want to say I'm absolutely in love with the looks of this knife. The copper and cf are gorgeous together! And the blade came razor sharp, nice even bevels. And that what earns it the stars it gets. Beyond that though...
First thing I noticed out of the box was a pretty significant (0.011") gap under the cf on the "show side" on the end by the lanyard hole. Looking through the gap I saw something in there that I thought was just a burr or something, so I popped the scales off to fix the issue and found that the 3 screws under the scales, connecting the liners together between the backspacer were not properly countersunk to sit flush with the surface. On a brand new $150 I probably should've returned it right then, but instead I ground the heads so they would sit flush figuring it would solve the issue. The gap is smaller now, but not gone, the cf stayed slightly warped to that shape.
Then there was the action, pretty gritty feeling, so I continued dismantling to investigate that. Forewarning: if you take yours apart to clean it, be aware that these are NOT captive bearings. The grease they were packed in was pretty gunky, but worse is that there appears to be a spot in one of the races where the bearings won't pass freely. They roll a little ways then get stuck.
I haven't solved the issue yet because when I reassembled to test with the new grease I found the final issue: The heel of the blade sits almost flush with the opening at the spine of the handle. So, when my finger slipped off what I consider to be a tab that's a little too smooth and too rounded, I sliced my finger wide open. By the time I got it to stop bleeding I didn't feel like messing with it any more that day... But it's going to mean taking off a fair amount of steel, on an already narrow blade, before it's safe to use.
Oh, one last thing; despite the gritty action, and the rather high force required to overcome the detent with the flipper, the blade will still shake open pretty easily. So it's a no-go on legal carry in places that have strict gravity assist laws ----------------------------------------
Despite loving the looks of it, had I realized all the issues at once, before dismantling and starting to fix it myself (and before I bled on the bare copper and started a premature patina lol), I would've sent it straight back. I do wish this model had had the duplex grind though