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
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Images: https://imgur.com/a/xcZuImc
I added one of my own, just for comparison.
The specs are all rounded and just a quick measurement. Yaxell: Cutting edge is 210mm Height at heel is 55mm Thickness is 3mm and no taper Victorinox: Cutting edge is 212mm Height at heel is 52mm Thickness is 2mm with gentle taper to tip Gesshin Ginga: Cutting edge is 203mm Height at heel is 43mm Thickness is 2mm with a good amount of taper to tip
First impressions:
The Yaxell is big, clunky, with all belly. I'm not a rock chopper so it will feel forced when I try it. The edge geometry is very thick. I doubt it's seen a stone to much, but even if it did, I imagine it would have gotten better. The grind is really thick and a wide angle. The handle is overly round and doesn't really have any spot that feels good, but I'll have to try it on board first.
The vnox is a generic but great budget knife. Not super thin, but not thick. Feels as you would expect. I'm not a fan of the handle, but I pinch grip, which isn't really comfortable with this handle. Honestly, I prefer wa handle, and I can see myself replacing the handle and enjoying the knife.
The Ginga is a good feeling knife. Nice fit and finish. Good tried and tested steel. Overall it feels super light. It's a bit short at the heel, but I have smaller hands and actually don't mind shorter knives. The geometry seems good and I'm excited to try it. The patina looks great as well. I'll be cleaning it just to show how I do it.
My knife at the end is a new beast I made. Quick specs: 224x53x3mm
The last picture shows the tip. I left the heel a bit more robust and then thinned the tip down.Proper review next week!