There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
I finally was able to sit down today and write this review after a two months delay, due to extensively traveling for work on my part. So, apologies to Massdrop and their wonderful product managers for this late review. By the way, I jumped on the Crux eyes closed when that drop started, and I cannot wait to see what else the Massdrop-Ferrum-We trio will come up with!
When I opened the Massdrop package, my eyes widened. This beautiful titanium knife (full disclosure: I cannot control myself next to titanium objects!), was numbered (I got #0006; one more unit up and I would have had the James Bond one!), and truly looked like something made in custom workshops. It’s more akin to a Sebenza, than to a knife made in a volume manufacture. Although when I write “volume”, let’s be clear; I bet we’re still talking humble numbers. I am sure We Knife will not produce anywhere near the amount of knives that, say, Victorinox or Opinel will, and that’s a good thing! I am all for small manufacturing that involves human labour, rather than highly automated mass market factories, whether in the US, Canada, or anywhere else abroad.
for the little story, I later was the absolute first buyer when the drop opened, so I’ll wait and see if the final production knife has differences or not.
DESIGN
The overall design of the knife is, in my opinion, very original, and really highlight it’s Ferrum Forge ADN. A bit of aggressiveness and elegance come together with smooth chamfers and beautiful soft edges, for a perfect modern EDC look. For sure, it’s not a gentleman’s knife design (The Crux will be, I think), but it’s not a military or tactical design either. It’s both at the same time!
The blade shape looked a bit odd to me in the beginning due to the concave shape of its spine, as I prefer traditional drop point blades. The thumb hole initially put me off as I thought it should have had curves made to mimic and accompany the curves of the handles, but I very quickly warmed up to it. The more I handled the knife, the more I came to like and admire the shape for being more “modern”, bold and distinctive, without being aggressive and tactical in its design (not a fan of "tactical" and "macho" designs in knives to be honest). This blade mixes traditional and modern design, which makes it unique; in the end, that’s what’s to really like about it.
Even if it’s on the smaller side, the blade still handles beautifully due to the choil and thumb rest, which are all perfectly positioned, at least for my grip. Again, the thumb ramp also helps with manipulating the knife in forward gripping situations.
If you find yourself EDC’ing and carrying this knife, you will not be able to look at at and understand why it is a knife barely costing more than $110. It truly looks, feels, and handle in the same category as a Sebenza or other such high end knife. There is simply no sign that this is a more affordable knife, made in a factory rather than on a craftsman’s workbench. I love the blade finish, a smooth and bright satin, which catches light beautifully. The titanium is as beautiful as I have seen on the best knives, and it does not have any clear coating; that means the titanium will exhibit small surface scratches on its external layer, but these will “self-heal” with time (Google it; titanium oxidizes and has a “self-healing” capability for minute surface scratches).
Of course the grip will be a bit more slippy than on a knife with, say, G-10 handles; but again since I believe this knife is not purposefully designed for hard tasks, I personally do not mind (but if you use your knives in a wet environment, you might want to switch to another knife).
Titanium allows this knife to be fairly light in weight (100 g), and that’s a good thing for portability. The way the clip is designed, the knife is not completely concealed while in a pocket. I myself never use clips, but I understand some really love them so it could be a detail that displeases some. I understand some laws in the US forbid people to carry knives if they are partially visible, so I would say the clip would need to be redesigned for the knife to be lawful in all situations. Personally since I don’t use clips, I prefer the subdued design of this clip to a big stamped metal clip with a large hook. Admittedly, you can change the position of the clip for left sided or right sided use (I haven’t tried).
STEEL
S35VN is a great premium steel, so I have nothing really to add! At this price point, it’s incredible to be able to benefit from such a high end steel, as this is a great knife that would still be wonderful, even with a lesser grade of steel! It makes me wonder then, why so many manufactured knives at this price point are so bland, generic and of lesser quality, or use cheaper steels.
CONCLUSION AND TL;DR
In finishing, this is a fantastic knife, a no-brainer purchase! If the Massdrop-Ferrum-We trio offers us more knives tat this price point and at this level of quality, it’s safe to say you can buy them all without any hesitation! I know I will!
TL;DR summary: an EDC titanium custom knife you always wanted, at affordable production price!