TwoSun Tuesday: TS419 "Vanguard" from Rihe Design with 3.42" YJ01-V1 Blade & Ti Scales with CF Inlay
Published: 1 year ago
Here we are. I waited a damned long time to pick this model up as the demand for a new steel was high. I still paid $142 which might be a bit of a premium compared to other M390 models from TwoSun, but it’s a bit of a buy once, cry once deal.
The knife isn’t bad, but I do cover a few flaws including the dreaded “Snaggletooth” where the blade edge is WAY too close to the end of the handle scales when closed making it a bit unsafe for carry. Something that TwoSun models suffer from YEARS after we’ve been complaining about it. That’s the lack of prototyping for you. It’s part of the cost saving, but we end up being the Quality Control report group. (I assume the D2 variant with Micarta inlays will have the loose clip issue as well since it only has one attachment point).
Anyway, I fixed the “Snaggletooth” by grinding the blade edge down so it’s not close to the handle scales anymore, and let me tell you; this blade is HARD. It took considerable amounts of effort and time to reshape and resharpen the blade using X200 Norton belts; more than I’ve spent fixing up M390 from various companies. The only known model of this to be HRC’d was from LuvThemKnives, and it came back at a 60.2. They claim they aim for a 61-63 HRC for the steel, and I think mine might be a bit harder than that.
As I cover in the video though, the knife is good. It reminds me of a more compact TS380. Because of that though, in a saber grip, the handle is a touch too small for my bigass hands.
I hope we see more models using this blade steel in the future. It might put behind them the stigma of M390 not being heat treated well from their older production, and the additions they’ve made to the ingredients seems to help achieve a higher HRC easier.
Specs:
3.42" (86.6 mm) YJ01-V1 blade with 3.85 mm stock thickness
4.67 oz / 132.5 gram weight
0.56" (14.3 mm) handle thickness (Ti & CF)
Frame Lock
Ceramic bearings & detent ball
The knife isn’t bad, but I do cover a few flaws including the dreaded “Snaggletooth” where the blade edge is WAY too close to the end of the handle scales when closed making it a bit unsafe for carry. Something that TwoSun models suffer from YEARS after we’ve been complaining about it. That’s the lack of prototyping for you. It’s part of the cost saving, but we end up being the Quality Control report group. (I assume the D2 variant with Micarta inlays will have the loose clip issue as well since it only has one attachment point).
Anyway, I fixed the “Snaggletooth” by grinding the blade edge down so it’s not close to the handle scales anymore, and let me tell you; this blade is HARD. It took considerable amounts of effort and time to reshape and resharpen the blade using X200 Norton belts; more than I’ve spent fixing up M390 from various companies. The only known model of this to be HRC’d was from LuvThemKnives, and it came back at a 60.2. They claim they aim for a 61-63 HRC for the steel, and I think mine might be a bit harder than that.
As I cover in the video though, the knife is good. It reminds me of a more compact TS380. Because of that though, in a saber grip, the handle is a touch too small for my bigass hands.
I hope we see more models using this blade steel in the future. It might put behind them the stigma of M390 not being heat treated well from their older production, and the additions they’ve made to the ingredients seems to help achieve a higher HRC easier.
Specs:
3.42" (86.6 mm) YJ01-V1 blade with 3.85 mm stock thickness
4.67 oz / 132.5 gram weight
0.56" (14.3 mm) handle thickness (Ti & CF)
Frame Lock
Ceramic bearings & detent ball