Hello,
Thanks man. Yeah, that is just what I thought too. Anyway, listen to this one. That darn Newt Martin is just plain AWESOME and he gave me excellent customer service. I ordered the base model originally, which gave me a MCE II with a 440C blade, round non-octagon drop down guard, and flat endcap, no skull crusher. Ohh believe me, I wanted the upgraded S35VN SS blade and the lugged guard with octagon drop down ends, and the skull crusher type cap. However, I didn't really have the money to pay the $85 extra for the blade steel upgrade.
Nor did I have it to cover the other two upgrades. I believe the guard upgrade was another $50 and the skull crusher another $30 but can't remember their exact prices. Well, my birthday was on January 14, 2014. Newt even tried his best, and did succeed in a way, to have my knife made and to me by my Birthday. While it arrived just two days after my birthday, it still arrived in time for the actual party.
My wife wrapped it up and gave it to me in front of quite a few guests...I would say we had about 40 people that came. When I received the knife, I was stunned and puzled when I saw the lugged guard and the skull crusher endcap, which I did Not opt for due to low funds. And I was Extremely shocked when I looked on the blade near the maker mark and saw the word S35VN/ I contacted Newt by phone and asked him about the steel difference and everything else/
Newt told me that he had decided to give me the upgrades free of charge for my birthday. Then he wished me Happy Birthday. I was like What?? Here a total stranger knife maker is, who never even ever met me or did any business with me, and yet he is gicing me about $170 worth of knife upgrades for nothing!! I tell you, I actually got a bit choked up. I am really sentimental, and things like this really mean a Lot to me. Now what I have is just about the best damned handmade survival knife there is.
And soon I will have my Ray Matton handmade First Blood Tribute knife, made with D2 steel blade and guard. I just love Ray Matton's work. Ray did me a Huge favor last year when he sold me a handmade First Blood style knife that his knifemaking mentor had made. Man is it made good now. And I don't care if I have the closest First Blood knife to the movie one or not. I go for quality and quality accuracy. Now I am not taking anything at all away from Andy Wood or any other First Blood style knife maker. In my opinion, any if then that can handmake such a detailed knife is just freaking Awesome!! But just that Ray happens to be my personal chosen one to make this awesome knife for me.
And when compared to the way overpriced Vaughn Neely FB knives and the Next Generation FB nives, which I heard Neely makes as well, Ray Matton's prices are just plain awesome and way more practical than those. But that is just my personal opinion, I am sure there are people here who have different opinions. But in the end, at the end of the day as someone said, does it really make a freaking difference who makes the most accurate First Blood knife? Of course not. The Only way Anyone will have an accurate movie First Blood knife is that if they just shell out the big bucks and buy a pre-dot Lile FB knife.
Last thing, here is news that many of you might Not know. That is that the First Blood knife in the movie is Not the Original first chosen one. The actual knife that was supposed to be in the movie was the Jimmy Lile Sly II survival knife. Rumor has it that Sly still didn't think the knife looked brutal enough. Hence the First Blood knife that we know of today was born...the one with the screwdriver tipped guard. Well, didn't mean to type as much. Sorry for that. I am ending here...Have an awesome day And thanks for your reply and for reading!!
Beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's got a great combo of First Blood design along with traits from my second favorite Lile knife behind the Mission, the Sly II.
Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!