PR4 passaround

Awesome, thanks man.

 

Your welcome

 

I got the knife today. I had to make a stop on the way home from work unfortunately so I didn't get back to the house until about 9:00pm, but I've been fiddling around with it for maybe 15 minutes now. My quick impressions are that in spite of the appearance these scales don't really dig into your hand. I can feel the texture but I can't really feel the texture. My fingers sort of fit into the depressions, but I have yet to find a position that does so in a comfortable manner. The jury is still out obviously, having handled it for just a few minutes, but I'm going to head out this weekend and see how it fares when used for an entire day. One thing I did notice is the scales are very thin, and for my XL hands the PR wouldn't work. I can't get a secure grip; even squeezing tight the knife still torques in my hand. If the JG5 doesn't have a little more meat on its scales it would be a no-go for me.

More to come after I do a little field testing...

 

It rained most of the weekend here so I only got a little more time to mess with the PR4. That's fine however as my initial impressions are the same ; the scales don't really create a hot spot, in spite of how they look, and they're a bit too thin for my hand size. I don't want to hold up the train though so it's time to send it to the next person on the list.

I'd want to thank mtngoat again for doing this. I wouldn't have had the chance to handle this knife otherwise.

 

You are very welcome, @Mike Smith can you send your information to @theJman

 

Sent! Thank you!

 

On its way to you Mike.

 

Great! Postal service says I should have it Friday. I'm looking forward to using it a little. I'll keep you all posted.

 

I got the knife. Not sure if i'll get to use it. We are on evacuation standby because of a major fire that's out of control.
I took it out of the box to snap a picture with my ML Kepharts (I'll try to post picture later) and check out the handle. Handle is nice but too thin for my xl hands. Going to put the knife back in the box and tape it up. I'm hoping to get it in the mail Monday. The evacuation might play a part in that. Please send the next address so ill have it. I'll keep you guys posted. Thanks again for doing this.

 

Good luck man!

 

If you want it back when your not dealing with an evacuation just let me know I’ll send it back to you or make sure you get back in the list if it’s syill going around.

 

Address info sent

 

ok, thank you!

 

Here is a pic of the PR4 and my 2 ML knives Kephart's. The longer one has a 5inch blade. Sorry for the bad phone pic.

 

Knife has been sent to outdoorsfamilyman with tracking number PMed. He should have it Thursday.

 

Knife will be fondled,photo'ed and listed for sale as soon as I get it

 

I got the PR4 today....Handled it, handled some of my favorite knives the handled it again.
First Impressions -
Like the general consensus, I dont think the scalloped handles are uncomfortable at all. I was surprised how nice it felt in the hand. The only issue I have with it is that it really is thin. It's so thin that I dont feel the scallops really do anything for the knife other than looks. I think if they were thicker, or it had some liners, it might help with grip...The good thing is that since the handle scales are simple lines, making some homemade liners for this should be a breeze...That's my only complaint. I'm pretty impressed with the sheath but am unsure how much of it was modified. The retention is very nice, in fact its molded to the scallops. There's also a nice ferro rod lopo but it's a different color leather so may have been added by mtngoat. I hope to take it on a hike tomorrow with the kids if the weather cooperates....
Until then here are some comparison shots


Next to my ESEEs (5 and izzy)


Next to my modified Becker BK16 (Beckhart)



Spine/thickness view of ESEE 5, PR4, Becker BK16, and Izzy

 

Thank you for posting the comparison. It looks thinner than I would like. Still willing to try it at some point though.

 

So my outing on Friday didnt happen. I got the kids all ready to go,packed up all the gear,and realized my keys were in my wife's purse at work with her.... Saturday was full of family stuff so this morning I decided to step outside for a brief backyard tasting. I figured that would be better than nothing.
The piece I selected was a relatively straight piece of hardwood (at least I think it was) that has been quite seasoned.

I batoned it down. The knife performed flawlessly but anything larger in diameter would be difficult. This doesn't matter to me because I personally dont feel using wood larger than 3" in diameter is necessary...

I attempted 3 different methods of feathersticking: (these are what I call them. They may not be the actual names lol...This is one skill I really feel I need to work on more.
1. One handed--holding knife in one hand and using other hand to steady stick against log.
2. Fixed position-- With the tip of the blade driven into the log and the blade facing away from me, i used one hand to hold the knife and the other hand to draw the stick to me. This is by far the most challenging method for me. I have a hard time keeping the blade from biting way too deep into the wood.
3. Two handed-- steadying the stick with my waist to the log, using one hand on the handle and the other on the tip of the blade. This method is the easiest for me because it allows me the most control.

A few feathersticking pics


Overall I am quite impressed with this knife. I definitely didnt think I would like it after seeing it, but holding it in my hand changed that. The scalloped scales aren't uncomfortable at all. The scales could be a little thicker but that's an easy fix. After 45 mins of nonstop use I didnt have any hand fatigue or hot spots. I may very well pick up one of these in the future. Thanks again @mtngoat for this opportunity

PM sent to MMW for addy

 

Add me in if possible. Thanks.