Yssingeaux olivewood carbon steel

The olivewood scales steal the show here: the swirling grain structure; the rich caramel tone; all perfectly hafted to be almost as smooth as glass. The pins and bolsters are so seamless and flush to where the handles all feel like one piece. The lines of this knife are also exceptional: when closed, the Yssingeaux has a clean symmetry that might be familiar to those acquainted with the Canoe pattern. The handle shape and overall heft of this knife reminds me of a Jumbo Trapper (GEC 23, Moore-Maker etc.). Unlike the Jumbo Trapper pattern, here you don't have the clutter of a giant secondary Spey blade. It's actually the perfect alternative to the Jumbo Trapper in that respect. As always with these GR knives, someone has sat down carefully and honed the blade edge to a mirror polish. Mine glided through a sheet of paper right out of the box. The Yssingeaux and the Aurillac are both fairly similar patterns -I own both by this manufacturer. I couldn't pick a favorite between the two. The Yssingeaux has a cleaner symmetry. It's also easier to open and close (though still a 7-8 pull), and the handle is a touch thicker in circumference and more comfortable. I slightly prefer the function of the Aurillac blade though -almost straight like a wharncliffe. The pull and lockup on the Aurillac was almost a 10 on mine, although, thanks to the easy-open notch the hard pull isn't an issue and is in-fact, in its favor. The Yssingeaux is a beautiful workhorse of a knife. It's clean symmetry, incomparable handle covers and heavy duty construction make this a clear winner in my book: A worthy replacement to a Jumbo Trapper, Sodbuster or Opinel 8