Click to view our Accessibility Statement or contact us with accessibility-related questions
Showing 1 of 141 conversations about:
JonasHeineman
5987
Aug 2, 2018
bookmark_border
Hey everyone,
I’m excited we can finally share this with the community, and really grateful to Eric for entrusting Massdrop and Reate with his awesome design, and for working with us very closely to make sure that our production version met his exacting standards. Eric has been a Massdrop member for many years, and the community here is one of the big reasons he decided to partner with us on an exclusive production model!
This knife represents a few firsts: it’s our first design with Eric, and the first Massdrop Made liner lock produced by Reate (who also made the Tashi Bharucha Prism frame lock.) It’s also the first time that we’ve offered any models with Moku-Ti hardware, which is commonly found on custom knives but rarely used in production models.
The project evolved over the course of attending a few knife shows this year. It started when I met Eric in Las Vegas this January at the Tactical Knife Invitational, and got final revisions when we reviewed the prototypes together in Portland at the Northwest Handbuilt Invitational in July. We showed it around to a number of other makers and serious collectors, and everyone loved it. Most people said they could hardly tell the difference between Eric’s prototype and the production samples, aside from the laser markings. The only change that we’ve asked for on the final version are to have the thumb studs tumbled to slightly round their edges.
In between, I also spent some time with Eric in June at Blade Show in Atlanta, where his lottery is always very popular - he had about 400 entries for 12 knives this year. There were a lot of phone calls about materials and specs and other details - we wanted to make sure the production Orca featured Eric’s signature design elements and was true to his original design.
We wanted to highlight the ergonomic and flowing lines of this design with some natural colors that are not as common - so we chose tones that reflect the Oregon landscape that Eric calls home - a lighter blue (Glacier), brighter green (Forest), brown with a hint of purple (Madrone), and of course we had to have black (Obsidian). We looked at woven carbon fiber for the scales, but the squared pattern didn’t do justice to the curved handle and clip or swirled pattern of the Moku-Ti, so we selected the marbled carbon fiber for both colors on upgraded models.
Here are a few notes on the drop: * Only members who join during this pre-order drop will receive serialized units. * This drop is limited to 1000 total units, with a maximum of 400 upgraded carbon / Moku-Ti versions.
Thanks for checking it out and making this possible!
Carry On -- Jonas
Aug 2, 2018
JubilantBear
100
Aug 2, 2018
bookmark_border
JonasHeinemanThis is real moku-ti right? Not just anodized ti to look like moku ti?
Killer knife if it is, you guys really knocked it out of the park this time. I'm not sure if it will get the same mainstream appeal of some of the cheaper models but I think you guys are rocking.
Aug 2, 2018
JonasHeineman
5987
Aug 2, 2018
bookmark_border
Aug 2, 2018
Spidey12341
220
Aug 2, 2018
bookmark_border
JonasHeinemanWhat is the backspacer material on the mokuti models?
Aug 2, 2018
JubilantBear
100
Aug 2, 2018
bookmark_border
Spidey12341The description says it is the same carbon fiber as the handle:
Featuring marbled carbon fiber scales and a matching backspacer
Aug 2, 2018
Spidey12341
220
Aug 2, 2018
bookmark_border
JubilantBearOh ok thanks for that I skimmed through it and went to the bottom specs but I didn't see.
Aug 2, 2018
Benjabooly
373
Aug 3, 2018
bookmark_border
JonasHeinemanJonas my good man, It is really starting to hurt that some of the best collabs you make are still righty only. I would throw you all and every paycheck, but, like most of the high end knife community, it's excluding a mass of people who would LOVE to use the products.
Aug 3, 2018
JonasHeineman
5987
Aug 3, 2018
bookmark_border
BenjaboolyI hear ya, we'll see if it's possible to make lefties available in the future. The small number (7-9%) means very low units per each combination, which adds complexity and cost to the order. It would likely be fewer than 100 for this model, and I'm not sure Reate would be willing to do that but I can ask if it's feasible.
Aug 3, 2018
Benjabooly
373
Aug 3, 2018
bookmark_border
JonasHeinemanJonas this is why we all love you. No intent for that to sound like attacking massdrop, as of the past 4 months it's been my favorite outlet to buy anything at all. Thank you again
Aug 3, 2018
Hatuletoh
850
Aug 3, 2018
bookmark_border
JonasHeinemanPardon my language, but holy shit. This is a huge score. I love marbled carbon fiber, have it on a kwaiken and a little Pro-Tech auto. An excellent choice; I absolutely agree that the woven pattern would have clashed, and it's kind of over-used anyway. And I really love MokuTi, but I dont yet own any, despite efforts to buy a knife with it, because $300 is an excellent deal for any amount of that material, yet this knife is literally stuffed with it. Let me say that again for anyone who hasn't indulged their knife addiction enough yet to have started messing around with customs: this is the cheapest youll ever see a knife with a decent amount of MokuTi. Maybe a there's a cheaper piece or two out there with a whisp of it as an accent on a pivot collar or something, but not a backspacer and clip. Its really beautiful and never done justice by pics--when I first saw some up close a few months ago I immediately decided to make it a priority to buy a knife that featured some.
And finally--Eric Ochs?! He is arguably the hottest custom maker right now. I dont follow knife news closely enough to know if he recently won an award or something, I just know his stuff has been selling like crazy this year--everyone seems to want it. Ive tried negotiating with a few private sellers for a custom Ochs, but the conversation has never gotten farther than, "would you consider anything less than a thousand?" "Nope."
Nice get, very impressive. And another good choice with Reate. They make Liong Mah's stuff and it feels custom quality all around.
To all you folks hemmin' and hawin' about the price: I know $300 is a lot for a knife. It is. But firstly, its actually a great deal; secondly, I guarantee it will resell for more, maybe a lot more in the future if well cared for. So if someone asks how you can spend so much on a knife, the answer is that's not a knife, it's a wisely acquired asset with a probable high return in the mid-to-long term, and almost no risk of depreciation.
Aug 3, 2018
Spidey12341
220
Aug 3, 2018
bookmark_border
HatuletohBack spacer is actually going to be the same marble CF on that version not mokuti but that would be really cool if it was mokuti
Aug 3, 2018
Hatuletoh
850
Aug 3, 2018
bookmark_border
Spidey12341Damn, you're right. We see what we want to see, no? On the positive side, I first read the price on it as $299.99 + $120, which would be about right if it had my imagined backspacer. Still super sweet though. Now the saving up begins, because why in the world would I want the G10 version?
Aug 3, 2018
JonasHeineman
5987
Aug 3, 2018
bookmark_border
JonasHeinemanBased on the comments here showing a lot of interest in the carbon / mokuti version, we've made 400 of the 1000 available as upgrades.
Aug 3, 2018
Zeke01
5
Aug 3, 2018
bookmark_border
HatuletohI couldn’t quite tell if the backspacer was mokuti as well, thanks for clearing that up. It was dark in the pictures but layered so I thought it might be more marbled CF.
Aug 3, 2018
Zeke01
5
Aug 3, 2018
bookmark_border
Zeke01Damn, I just reread the discussion, so it IS more marbled CF. Less exciting...
Aug 3, 2018
JonasHeineman
5987
Aug 3, 2018
bookmark_border
Zeke01Yeah that would be a very large and expensive piece of mokuti, would probably add $75 or more to the total price and mean hat upgrades would cost double the standard version and closer to $400 which seemed a bit high.
Aug 3, 2018
DougFLA123
1404
Aug 3, 2018
bookmark_border
JonasHeinemanHey Jonas, Just so you know, I’m in on this drop! : ) I was wondering...do you think the Tashi Bharucha Rowdy HiTech (CPM-154) Frame Lock knife will drop again? Thanks
Aug 3, 2018
JerBear
2
Aug 4, 2018
bookmark_border
DougFLA123I don't know how much they had the HiTech on here for last time but I just picked one up for fathers day for $400. there normally$450 but for fathers day he took 50 off and if you ask nice he might do that again well worth either price IMO. best knife I ever handled check it out you can always ask. I don't think theres many out there for sale anymore and I don't think there making anymore so that might be your answer but heres the website...http://steeladdictionknives.com/featured-home-knives/tashi-bharucha-custom-knives-14122.html
Aug 4, 2018
Hatuletoh
850
Aug 4, 2018
bookmark_border
JonasHeineman"probably add $75 or more to the total"... ...which is why I when I thought the backspacer was Mokuti, I interpreted the price to be $299.99 + $120, which I am gratified that you confirm was not an outlandish interpretation of features vs price (I feel like what I am on that subject, i.e., a callow neophyte).
"upgrades would cost double the standard version and closer to $400 which seemed a bit high"...
...it certainly isn't CHEAP but there's a world of difference 'twix something with a high price, and something with a price that is TOO high, or over-priced, to put it more gracefully. True, the difference is subjective, but for what it's worth, $400+ did not seem to me to be over-priced for a knife with a Mokuti backspacer. I didn't give paying that much a second thought, and I still haven't despite my earlier confusion: I'm going to buy the fanciest, most premium version available of this knife and any offered in the future, even if they're high-priced, so long as they're not over-priced. So make them as premium and stuffed with features and flourishes as you can. The world has plenty of $30 Kershaws.
Aug 4, 2018
GavvinC
82
Aug 5, 2018
bookmark_border
JonasHeineman@JonasHeineman I'm sure you get this all the time but has there been any official discussion about improving the logo? It seems like many of your customers, including me don't find the new type for the Massdrop logo on your new collaborations very pleasing to the eye. I have an original drop Falcon that was gifted to me and has the logo outline laser etched on the blade. I find this version of your logo to be much less obstructive to the designs of the various knives, but still sufficient to know the source of the knife.
This is a gorgeous blade and I have preordered the Carbon/MokuTi version, and a few other collaborations in the last few months but I would love to see some more thought into how you brand your collaborations.
Best, Gavin
Aug 5, 2018
DougFLA123
1404
Aug 6, 2018
bookmark_border
JerBearHey @JerBear How was it dealing with Dave at steel addiction knives? Nice guy? Everything went exactly the way you had hoped it would go? The knife was perfect?
Aug 6, 2018
JonVanWhalen
9
Aug 6, 2018
bookmark_border
JonasHeinemanPlease keep using Reate for these custom knife maker collabs. Their name alone makes me confident in getting ‘in’ on a drop. This knife is so fantastic. I’m very excited to receive it.
Also, why are we now able to confirm that the Prism was made by them? Just curious.
Aug 6, 2018
JonasHeineman
5987
Aug 7, 2018
bookmark_border
JonVanWhalenThanks! Reate does great work and have been a good partner so far, we'll consider them for more projects for sure.
They were hesitant at first because of the pricing, but based on the size of our order for the Prism and the community's overwhelmingly positive response to their brand, they have now agreed it's better to just let everyone know they are doing the manufacturing.
Aug 7, 2018
T.willy
463
Aug 9, 2018
bookmark_border
JonasHeinemanHey Jonas This looks like another home run for The Massdrop Made column 👍😎 Do you ever think you guy's might add some of your Colaberasion knives to the Pitcher of knives at the top of the page in the Blades Community? Probably a silly question but I'm crazy enough to ask it all the same. Lol
Aug 9, 2018
highly_toxic
13
Aug 10, 2018
bookmark_border
JonasHeinemanAny plan for a reate multi-row ball bearing knife? It would be cool.
Aug 10, 2018
T.willy
463
Aug 10, 2018
bookmark_border
highly_toxicI'll second that thought.😎👌
Aug 10, 2018
JerBear
2
Aug 17, 2018
bookmark_border
DougFLA123Yes really nice guy and for the knife when it came it didn't feel smooth at all. I watched a bunch of youtube videos and they all said how smooth the knife was and when I got it I had to take it apart clean and put some fresh nano oil on it and then it became the smoothest knife I've used to date hydraulic and drop shut action. so the knife wasn't perfect but a very easy fix im thinking the oil they had in there sense the knife was made and it just sat there in the box until it came to live with me and the oil just got gunky!?
Aug 17, 2018
JonasHeineman
5987
Feb 12, 2019
bookmark_border
T.willy^ we just did this recently :)
Feb 12, 2019
T.willy
463
Feb 12, 2019
bookmark_border
JonasHeinemanYes I noticed you did and it looks great. 👊😎
Feb 12, 2019
T.willy
463
Feb 13, 2019
bookmark_border
JonasHeinemanNow what I'd love to know is are you guys close to a date when you might start the drop for the Gavko /Massdrop Nurse?
Feb 13, 2019
View Full Discussion