As stated above, Queen knives are made of D2 steel which is significantly harder than regular carbon steel. They also come from the factory with a blunt grind. Unless you are using a diamond hone it takes FOREVER to reshape the edge. However, once you get there the edge is spectacular and long lasting.
Ed
So they want the customer to do their work for them and they charge a lot for the knives.
I realize they have their fans, but this doesn't seem to me to be the way to sell American made pocketknives in a world market that is increasingly tight.
However, thanks for the explanation. It seems as if Queen knives might be best for someone who can have them professionally sharpened and who won't need to re-hone often and who has and can use diamond hones.
If one knows a custom maker or has a good knife store nearby where the sharpening staff aren't naïve teens, it might be best to get the basic blade bevels and the first hone done that way. But most customers will not have access to such facilities.
I got a custom maker to redo the bevels and hone my Gerber Applegate-Fairbairn Combat Folder and it's now a nice knife.
I'm probably going to send the mid-sized Covert model back to Gerber and ask them to do a better job. Both knives are about ten years old. I hope present production comes sharp!
My son and I both had good luck with Benchmade lockblades. His has a tanto blade and I don't know the model. Mine is a Model 710, designed by McHenry & Williams.
But these are bigger than normal pocketknives.
Frankly, if I wanted a stockman's knife or a Trapper pattern, I'd look at shows for the Puma or Carl Schlieper/Eye Brands. These are German, from the famed cutlery city of Solingen. Boker knives from there also have a good rep.
The former US-made Schrade Uncle Henry knives are also very good, if not finished very highly on the blades. (Satin polish.) Some stores still have some or shows will. And Case makes good pocketknives.
Be aware that current Schrade and Camillus knives are made in the Orient and are NOT from the famous companies whose names they bear. Those names are now the property of companies that bought them after the "real" US firms closed. I don't know anyone who's used these Chinese knives, so can't comment on them. My experience of Chinese goods in general hasn't been terribly positive. But there may be exceptions.
