Came in a really nice box as well. Now I know the quality of the box has nothing to do with the knife but if I were going to give this as a gift it is a nice touch, the box fits well, holds closed with a magnet built into the flap, and came with a small wipe down cloth.
Fit and finish is above what I expected, a split spring whittler is a tough pattern to fit well but this was very nicely done, Liners are brass and it just fit together very nicely. I also have to say I would love to see some American companies doing bone jigging this nicely as well. All three blades were swedged on both sides...something that isn't always done and the swedge grind lines are near perfect. I also really like the pinched bolsters, they add "age" to a new knife.
The blade proportions are well sized to the knife and the blades themselves are centered extremely well without any blade rubbing...again tough in a split spring. Pull on the main is about a 7 with a very well defined half stop. The 2 pen blades are about a 4 as they are working off just half the spring but also have very definitive half stops...this knife walks and talks very well.
All three blades have the Colt stamp and the back of the main is etched with model and country of origin. The steel is reportedly 420 J2. All three blades had very good grind lines and a quick touch up on my Spyderco Tri-Angle with the white stones followed by a light stropping made them hair popping sharp.
There were a couple flaws...one pin was left a little high with a sharp edge, a dremel cured that in a couple seconds. The main had a couple light scratches that disappeared with a little Flitz. The big stylized C on the bolster is actually starting to grow on me...lol.
This knife retails for $22.95, you can find them in online stores for $15-$16 and you can luck out on Ebay and get a 10 buck deal. I am glad I bought this Colt...it is a very handsome knife and is sure to get it's sure of pocket time.
I bought a couple more of the Colt knives. The Gunstock pattern is every bit as nice as the Whittler. Near perfect grind lines and the swedge with the nail nick blends together exceptionally well. The bone isn't quite as dark on this one both it is very well matched on both side.
The Peanut is the one that got me excited tho. The swedged spear point main just hollers old school to me, again great grinds on both blades and the scaled down shield is a nice touch as well. The bone is darker on the peanut and on both knives thicker than one would expect. These are fat handles without being fat to the point of being ungainly. Both knives shaved my arm right out of the box. Spearpoint blades and a teardrop bolster...I absolutely love this take on the pattern.
and ya know...I am starting to really like that C...lol.
Great value for money and each is a nice handful of knife. The packaging is attractive but OTT for a knife costing so little. Why not use lower cost packaging and better materials?