Pre-Benchmade Lone Wolf
Hi all. I may be posting in the wrong section, but hopefully not. I know I railed against Benchmade's version of Lone Wolf, and maybe not rightfully so. I really love these designs. Anyway, I wanted to show other Lone Wolf fans some of the custom scales I made for mine. I swapped the original screws with gold plated ones and my next step is to make custom filed back spacers. These aren't the ones made by Benchmade, but since they have acquired the company and have re-branded them, why not show them..... They are honoring the warranty of the originals as well.
Longhorn with box elder burl, now called Trask
Blackfoot with lightning strike carbon fiber, now called Swale.
Blackfoot with amboyna burl, now called Swale.
Cheyenne with buckeye burl, now called H&K Fugitive.
Eagle Talon with buckeye burl, now called H&K Scorch.
Longhorn with box elder burl, now called Trask
Blackfoot with lightning strike carbon fiber, now called Swale.
Blackfoot with amboyna burl, now called Swale.
Cheyenne with buckeye burl, now called H&K Fugitive.
Eagle Talon with buckeye burl, now called H&K Scorch.
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Those look Fantastic 
You have quite a Talent there.0 -
quote:Originally posted by dj:
Those look Fantastic
You have quite a Talent there.
Agreed, very nice work.
Thanks for sharing these great knives0 -
Thanks for the excellent photos. The custom scales really show your LW knives off. My favorite is the CF Blackfoot. I just picked up one of those (well, the stock version) and really like the thing. I have been bitten amd want more, uh oh... 
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The Blackfoot was the first one I owned. I have to admit, at first, I wasn't sure if I liked these knives because out of the box, they look pretty plain. The ergonomics on them is excellent though, and after making scales, I'd have to say they are my favorite knives right now. They're also pretty easy to adjust. I've found that they're 50/50 out of the box, but I've been able to get every blade just about center with just the right tension to flick using just thumb pressure. Even my H&K Scorch has great F/F. If anyone is on the fence about these, you should go for it and give one a try. 0 -
all look great, nice work. 0 -
Thanks for sharing. Very nice indeed! 0 -
The carbon fiber Blackfoot is also my favorite. Very nice. Would love to have some scales like that for my own. 0 -
Just tacking onto this thread, I have found a location with a good stock of the original LW line, including Blackfoot, Longhorn and Warrior D/A models. Any interest please send me a PM.
These are not inexpensive, as being semi custom would be, but they're worth their weight, I'm now a firm believer.0 -
joe_karp, thanks for the info. I think I know the place you're talking about. They have pretty much the entire line up, but at beyond the original MSRP. I'm not really that big on the autos. Those are more of just a novelty to me. I've already had a couple of the backsprings snap. I currently have triplets of the Longhorn, Blackfoot, Cheyenne, Eagle Talon, and Diablo.... My favorites. Lol! Collecting knives is a bit of a sickness! One that I am on the lookout for is another Cheyenne with the black blade, but I'm not willing to pay much more than the original asking price.... They're still around if you keep your eyes peeled! Thanks! 0 -
Here's a new set I made out of amboyna burl this weekend. I think this is my most favorite wood ever! I know most of you guys like carbon fiber the best, but to me, these burl woods are more interesting to look at..... Almost like looking at a nebula in space or something! Lol!
Sorry about my disgusting fingernails.... Trimmed them right after the pics. :-)
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I think we're talking about the same place. His selection is way above, so are the prices, but he's got plenty of them NIB. 0 -
With the exception of two of my BF's I've been able to find all of mine NIB at good prices. Even stumbled across a few mint autos on the forums for excellent prices. Of course, they're disappearing pretty fast. I don't mind if they're lightly used. I'm good at sharpening and with all of the customizing I will eventually do to them, it doesn't matter much.
At first, these knives don't look very special, but after using them, they really prove their worth. I'm glad Benchmade is keeping these designs alive because they really are great.
I'm considering buying the Benchmade versions as users just to keep the originals mint.... With the exception of one of the BF's and LH's.... Used them too much already. Lol!0 -
quote:Originally posted by Draggat:
At first, these knives don't look very special, but after using them, they really prove their worth. I'm glad Benchmade is keeping these designs alive because they really are great.
In a nutshell, I agree. When the owner of the knife shop in Carmel suggested I look at the NIB LH he had I passed initially, but he convinced me to take a look PLEASE, then showed me his EDC and it was the same model. I'm going to blaspheme, but this (Longhorn) has a very similar blade shape when compared to the 950 Rift, but IMO, locking liner and all, it's the better knife.
If the Current LW offerings made by BKC are even close, I might also take a look at one of them if just to compare it with the original.0 -
I have the 950 Rift. It's my favorite Osborne, without a doubt. The axis lock is phenomenal. One thing about the LH though is that huge belly. Pretty much the entire blade is belly and that's one of the main things I love about it. The liner locks on these are extremely well executed too. I have well over a dozen of them and every single one locks up rock solid, and early, even the ones that have seen some heavy use for over a year.
The only BKC version I have is the Scorch with the Eagle Talon blade shape. The differences: of course, the blade steel is quite a step down, but it's also extremely corrosion resistant. Considering that the liners are probably still 420J, that corrosion resistance doesn't mean much to me. The blade coating is Cerakote, which is far inferior to the TiN coating of the originals, but otherwise, they are very comparable. They appear to be machined exactly the same. I did notice that the lockup on the Scorch moved deeper fairly quick, but it has maintained the same position for quite a while. I can't give any feedback on edge retention because I haven't really used it to cut.... Just opened and closed it a hundred times or so. Lol! All in all, BKC's version really isn't bad. The originals were an awesome value, but the new ones are fairly inexpensive as well. $110 for a decent auto is pretty cheap as far as I'm concerned!0 -
I forgot to mention..... Regarding the blade steel.... The current LWK's are N680. I'm not sure if this is kin to N690Co, but I can personally say that the latter is extremely good steel. It is often compared to VG-10 and with good reason. I have a few Italian knives that sport that steel and it is excellent. I would say that it is pretty much everything that VG-10 is, which is probably one of my favorite blade steels. I would be curious to know if N680 is anywhere similar to N690Co. Of anyone knows, please post. The latter is made in Austria by Bohler, so it's hard to say....
On a side note... Is BKC producing any knives outside the US now? I've seen comments on the interwebs that the new LWK line is Chinese, but mine says USA on it. I know they dumped the Red class a couple years ago.... Thankfully!0 -
It's all in the heat treat. N680 is a softer grade compared to N690. I've read comments that it takes a good edge and is very corrosion resistant, but requires frequent sharpening in regular use. Many like the better grade N690.
On USA vs. Chinese, it's a mixup in the BKC/LW line. The Trask and Swale are USA made, as are the Landslide and others.0 -
Those are all beautiful knives!
All of the Benchmade branded knives are USA made (since they discontinued the red class), but some of the HK and LW knives are imported.0 -
quote:Originally posted by Draggat:
Here's a new set I made out of amboyna burl this weekend. I think this is my most favorite wood ever! I know most of you guys like carbon fiber the best, but to me, these burl woods are more interesting to look at..... Almost like looking at a nebula in space or something! Lol!
Sorry about my disgusting fingernails.... Trimmed them right after the pics. :-)
That is a beautiful knife.
Here is a Lone wolf I just saw on the auction site today. Wish I could afford it.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lone-W...&hash=item3cca915cf40 -
Hey Draggat, I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with on the back spacers your talking about making. I also would like to know where you found and what size the gold plated fasteners are you used. Thanks. 0 -
Old angler: the screws on all LWK's are 1-72. I found out by trial and error! I bought these from usaknifemaker.com but there's a few different suppliers on the web if you look around. I just use that particular shop because their shipping is cheap and quick and the guy who owns it knows his stuff. You'll have to cut the screws down to length, but that's a piece of cake with a cut off wheel on your dremel. The screws are pretty inexpensive. Hopefully I'll be able to get started on some backspacers soon! That will really make these knives look sharp! 0 -
Thanks for the info Draggat. I too think that the back spacers will take your mods to a whole other level. Keep up the great work and keep us updated. By the way, welcome to the forum.
Just found some of your other work over on BF. Again very nice work. Please feel free to list any LW's in the "for sale" section here as well. Many here don't get over there to often.0 -
I like that first one - "Longhorn/Trask"? Nice looking knife. 0
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