All About Pocket Knives

Quick Steel wrote: ↑Wed Dec 02, 2020 5:23 pm I pulled the trigger on the giraffe bone covers. Feeling a bit of guilt over spending so much just as Christmas approaches but it is a guilty pleasure.

Sharpnshinyknives wrote: ↑Wed Dec 02, 2020 5:35 pm

Quick Steel wrote: ↑Wed Dec 02, 2020 5:23 pm I pulled the trigger on the giraffe bone covers. Feeling a bit of guilt over spending so much just as Christmas approaches but it is a guilty pleasure.

I know exactly how you feel. When I do this, I tell my wife not buy me anything else for Christmas, I guess that makes me feel a little better.
I’m sure it will be the pride of you collection. All my Imai knives are the centerpieces of my collection. I wouldn’t entertain the thought of letting them go.
Now I don’t know whether to wait on your assessment or pull the trigger myself? Still wrestling with that.

KLJ77 wrote: ↑Wed Dec 02, 2020 3:20 am Mark...not sure if these are the ones you need, but here's a shot at posting the photos.

Quick Steel wrote: ↑Wed Dec 02, 2020 5:23 pm I pulled the trigger on the giraffe bone covers. Feeling a bit of guilt over spending so much just as Christmas approaches but it is a guilty pleasure.

Sharpnshinyknives wrote: ↑Wed Dec 02, 2020 9:01 pm I got in another Cattaraugus by A.G. Russell. It’s the small lockback barlow from 1987. This one is Excelsior grade. The first 100 had etching on the blades and were serial numbered, making them Excelsior grade. This one is number 37. Measures just 2 1/2” closed OAL. It fits right in with all my other A.G. Russell knives.

Quick Steel wrote: ↑Tue Dec 08, 2020 3:08 pm Received this Blackjack Mamba by Seizo Imai who died before completion. The knife was finished by an unknown cutler.
The handle is 4 1/4" long, made of giraffe bone. The blade is 3" long, made of ATS 34.

The blade came Samurai sharp, really impressive. One pin was a bit proud. I cannot easily open the knife using the thumb stud as the stud is too small for me to get sufficient leverage with my thumb. Working the blade with some oil may improve this. IMO the lock requires excessive effort to close the knife. Again, I hope some oil will improve this.

I find the lines of the knife very attractive. I think the operation of the knife is a bit too awkward for it to be a pleasant EDC. Based on the work Mr. Imai accomplished with the blade and handle I am confident that had he completed it an exceptional knife would have resulted. The assembly of the knife did not match Mr. Imai's high standards.


P1040033 (2).JPGP1040032 (2).JPGP1040034 (2).JPG

Quick Steel wrote: ↑Tue Dec 08, 2020 3:08 pm Received this Blackjack Mamba by Seizo Imai who died before completion. The knife was finished by an unknown cutler.
The handle is 4 1/4" long, made of giraffe bone. The blade is 3" long, made of ATS 34.

The blade came Samurai sharp, really impressive. One pin was a bit proud. I cannot easily open the knife using the thumb stud as the stud is too small for me to get sufficient leverage with my thumb. Working the blade with some oil may improve this. IMO the lock requires excessive effort to close the knife. Again, I hope some oil will improve this.

I find the lines of the knife very attractive. I think the operation of the knife is a bit too awkward for it to be a pleasant EDC. Based on the work Mr. Imai accomplished with the blade and handle I am confident that had he completed it an exceptional knife would have resulted. The assembly of the knife did not match Mr. Imai's high standards.


P1040033 (2).JPGP1040032 (2).JPGP1040034 (2).JPG

KLJ77 wrote: ↑Tue Dec 22, 2020 9:58 pm I don't recall posting this Seki Fillet knife before. This is one I picked up at an estate sale...I think I paid $40 or $50 for it. I may have overpaid, but I really liked the looks. It is a CONDOR, with Seizo Imai signature. Don't know if that means anything, but it's an awesome knife. I use it as a slicer when I'm cutting up veggies or slicing meat. The large choil area is perfect for stabilizing the knife with the index finger.

Mark...if you see this, you may know more about it than I do.

Sorry about the poor quality of photos...it was some quick shots.

Sharpnshinyknives wrote: ↑Tue Dec 22, 2020 11:36 pm LJ, I agree with Mark that you didn’t over pay for that knife. It’s a work of art in addition to being practical and user friendly. Since Master Imai signed it, that’s a mark of a higher quality than ones that don’t have his name on them. Not that many folks know that he didn’t have his name put on the lower quality knives he worked on, at least not many. When you see that signature of his, it means he was proud to put his name on it. You have real keeper there. That’s one that would join my collection permanently.

Quick Steel wrote: ↑Mon Dec 28, 2020 11:44 am I received this knife Dec. 8th. While very attractive there was excessive stiffness in both the locking mechanism and the blade itself. Thought I could overcome the defects with oil and working the mechanism but this resulted in very little improvement.

I received a follow up letter from the seller Jimmy Iwahara asking if everything was satisfactory. In turn, I explained my difficulties with the knife and how I was trying to resolve them with little success. He promptly offered to replace it with the same pattern but with a Burgandy handle that operated very smoothly. Of if I preferred he would refund the considerable cost. I've chosen to get the alternative knife. I only need to return the original knife to their Kencrest office in Seattle.

I mention all this only to point out the fine business ethics practiced by this company.

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Sharpnshinyknives wrote: ↑Mon Dec 28, 2020 8:28 pm Here is the link to the home page for JKD: https://japaneseknifedirect.com/