First impression, I was taken back by the beauty of the iron wood handles and the scrolled Finch Co. logo. There's so much titanium, G10, and other modern materials being used these days, it's nice to have someone get back to basics. The handle reminds me of small lock back knives and other patterns my grandfather carried back in the day.
The whole knife comes with an overall length of 7.2", handle length of 4", and a blade length of 3". The handle has a very minimalist approach to it, has a slight arc for your index finger, and a slight swell towards the rear. The stainless bolster really pops against the wood handles and creates a nice contrast. The bolster and liners are milled out the same piece of steel, this is a nice approach to an old design. The highly polished liners are flush with the wood and are very smooth and seamless. What looks like a very compact form, folds out to be a knife that's very filling in the hand. I'm comfortably able to wrap all four fingers around the handle, and I've got average sized hands.
The clip point blade is kind of tall, coming in at a full inch in height. That's a good thing, the extra height makes for a pretty deep belly. Doesn't matter if you're slicing an apple or opening up the latest Amazon box, the blade has plenty of cutting edge. The top of spine comes down to the tip with a nice swedge, I often go for this profile over a straight spine, I feel it makes penetration with the tip of the blade easier on some materials. The steel is 154CM, normally I would say that's so last year but it's being used on a lot of knives right now. 154CM has a lot of the same characteristics of the newer 14C28N and is still a strong steel.
The blade is deployed via rear flipper tab only, there are so many designs that incorporate a flipper, thumb stud or hole, etc. and sticking to just open opening method makes the overall appearance cleaner. The flipper can be pressed easily light switch style, and the blade pops open really easy thanks to a well-tuned detent and a caged bearing pivot. The flipper tab has texture on both sides of the tab, this helps aid in deployment as well as add protect your index finger from sliding forward during use. Having that extra jimping can be funny though, it can be a little rough against your index when pushing the tip knife through something with force.
Keeping with the modern traditional theme, the Flint doesn't use a traditional lock back but goes with a frame lock. This lock is very smooth to operate and has just the right amount of tension when disengaging the lock. Like with some other manufacturers Finch made the scale on the lock side of the knife to serve as an over travel stop. I love this implementation because it doesn't ruin the lines by putting a stop pin in the frame.
The Flint as a whole has blown me away, quality, appearance, and feel. Until recently I had never heard of Finch and don't understand why they are not known more than they are. They're product is attractive and dialed in perfectly. I can certainly see this being carried by someone's grandfather instead of a Case knife.
