Help finalize the "Dixie Zipper" (Mini CBK) for a group buy

It is!

Speaking of colors, you all need to choose the other colors besides orange.
Orange, green, and black would all be good. Orange and green stand out when a knife is set down during the quartering and skinning process. Black looks a little better on the belt some might think. It would be nice if the sheath color matched the handle colors, but not completely necessary.

I would avoid a knife handle with any sort of Kuiu color scheme. @lacofdfireman might be unhappy if it doesn't match his boat.....:)
 
One aspect of grip design that is often not discussed is how to get proper ergos when using the blade..In my case I have osteoarthritis in my hands and wrists which really wears me put when using a knife for prolonged times. This led me into a deep dive on how to design a grip that follows the natural arch and swing of your hand/ wrist that keeps your hands/ arms in as neutral of a position throughout the cut as possible which in my case reduces soreness and fatigue in my hands/ arms as a result of cutting g for prolonged times( gutless field dressing etc...). The 4 main grips I use are
1-Hammer grip ( thumb on spine )
2-pinch grip ( thumb and finger pinched on blade)
3-modified pinch ( thumb pad pressed into the side of the scale.
4-indexed pinch grip( gripped with thumb and second finger with index on the spine)
The whole idea is to keep your hand through to your wrist as neutral as possible while cutting. Major movements come from the shoulder and elbow.
My goal was to come up with a grip shape that indexed the cutting edge to the neutral swing of the shoulder/ elbow movements and keeps the cutting path in straight lines with your natural movements.
The scalloped grip I came up with greatly reduces strain felt in the hands/ forearms when used in these four grip types.. Just for fun put a thick slab of play dough on a bread knife and see how your hand naturally scaloos the grip shape based on your grip..
 

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I forgot to mention the 5th grip is the " unzip grip" tumb on upside down blade to push the knife through the unzipping cut.
 
One aspect of grip design that is often not discussed is how to get proper ergos when using the blade..In my case I have osteoarthritis in my hands and wrists which really wears me put when using a knife for prolonged times. This led me into a deep dive on how to design a grip that follows the natural arch and swing of your hand/ wrist that keeps your hands/ arms in as neutral of a position throughout the cut as possible which in my case reduces soreness and fatigue in my hands/ arms as a result of cutting g for prolonged times( gutless field dressing etc...). The 4 main grips I use are
1-Hammer grip ( thumb on spine )
2-pinch grip ( thumb and finger pinched on blade)
3-modified pinch ( thumb pad pressed into the side of the scale.
4-indexed pinch grip( gripped with thumb and second finger with index on the spine)
The whole idea is to keep your hand through to your wrist as neutral as possible while cutting. Major movements come from the shoulder and elbow.
My goal was to come up with a grip shape that indexed the cutting edge to the neutral swing of the shoulder/ elbow movements and keeps the cutting path in straight lines with your natural movements.
The scalloped grip I came up with greatly reduces strain felt in the hands/ forearms when used in these four grip types.. Just for fun put a thick slab of play dough on a bread knife and see how your hand naturally scaloos the grip shape based on your grip..
Love the thought you put into this. I agree with it.

Also, the angle of the handle on your going up makes it easier to reach out. I like yours. That's something that I noticed playing with the one @Dixie made me.

But, we won't go as "extreme" because people will think it looks weird, and the benefit is minimal. Having some angle up makes it easier to grip and reach out.
 
Orange G10, mini woukd be great.
I may just hve to upgrade my AGK

Then again I would love an orange micarta.
Decisions, decisions
 
Love the thought you put into this. I agree with it.

Also, the angle of the handle on your going up makes it easier to reach out. I like yours. That's something that I noticed playing with the one @Dixie made me.

But, we won't go as "extreme" because people will think it looks weird, and the benefit is minimal. Having some angle up makes it easier to grip and reach out.
Totally agree. For a production run you cant stray too far off "normal". The traditional cbk grip shape has lots going for it as is. It's good to see knife makers experimenting with the subtle things that make these tools better.
 
Totally agree. For a production run you cant stray too far off "normal". The traditional cbk grip shape has lots going for it as is. It's good to see knife makers experimenting with the subtle things that make these tools better.
I’m not really a knife maker, lol, but I hope I can tell people how awesome they are. I guess I am becoming a knife maker just because I think these are awesome and it will be cool to make more people aware and sell them one, hopefully.
 
I finally got around to sketching out what I think would be my “ideal” hunting use knife. I tried to replicate the blade shape from the top knife in the second image, but give the handle a little more width for general use if needed. My blade may be a hair more swept towards the tip, I can’t really tell- a little more tip and less sweep may be preferable. If it could come out between 2-2.5oz would be ideal!

As with any piece of gear, I am sure once I had it in hand I could immediately find things I would change, but here’s my humble submission:
IMG_9744.jpeg
 
How would this knife work for skinning coyotes? Will the tip stay under the hide? I’ve never tried a dedicated skinner, I usually use a havalon but have a hard time keeping the tip under the hide on long cuts.
 
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Not my preference. I want a handle that’s

I finally got around to sketching out what I think would be my “ideal” hunting use knife. I tried to replicate the blade shape from the top knife in the second image, but give the handle a little more width for general use if needed. My blade may be a hair more swept towards the tip, I can’t really tell- a little more tip and less sweep may be preferable. If it could come out between 2-2.5oz would be ideal!

As with any piece of gear, I am sure once I had it in hand I could immediately find things I would change, but here’s my humble submission:
View attachment 833128
I really like that design…don’t know if with.120 steel it would hit your target weight. Full grind and a taper tang would be close. I’ll grind one out when I get a chance and see.
 
How would to is knife work for skinning coyotes? Will the tip stay under the hide? I’ve never tried a dedicated skinner, I usually use a havalon but have a hard time keeping the tip under the hide on long cuts.
One that got back to me said after doing a goat it didn’t need fleshing after skinning.
He said he would post a review soon.
 
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