I love how this knife seemed to be so inscrutable, and then when you get inside, the design turns out to be very unusual, then reassembly, which threatened to be a bear, turns out to be a pussycat! The final grace is that fit and finish are perfect, and the action is, in true WE fashion, flawless. This knife, of which I have just purchased a copy, is a masterpiece.

The enthusiasm in this was contagious!! I'm definitely gonna be getting one.

Absolutely Awesome. Beautiful knife ,! Easier to disassemble than I expected..Great information Nick. Your. The. Man 👨 😉👋

Honestly Elija Isham is a knifemaker who doesnt need a makers mark. You can put any one of his designs on the ISS and it would still be recognisable as an isham design from the bottom of the ocean.

Nick- I got this bad boy and needed to see the disassembly. Very unique looks and construction.

Great video, nice to see your humility in showing us the struggle. One suggestion, for the viewing pleasure of those of us who won't buy this knife- show the stripped down frame a bit more, looks like a great piece. Not the "end of any worlds" but just thought I'd mention it. Great video as usual!

Pretty interesting construction; looks easier to assemble than expected.

I had taken mine apart, as when I got it...I was having a "weird" détent problem. It would be super hard...then soft détent.. very unusual. So I was AMAZED as to how ingenius the knife was designed. Having knife knowledge actually was making my reassembly more difficult. The design work here is just a tribute to Isham and WE as far as I am concerned. Just GENIUS! Reassembly looks impossible, but it actually is really easy if I turn my brain off and forget about all of my other knives go back together. So cool. ..and I just love the looks of the knife and its action and handling. Taking it apart the next time will be pure pleasure, now that I know its secrets!!! The knife just ROCKS! :-) (oh...I could find no issue for my détent problem..I thought maybe there would be a piece of crud in the détent hole or something..but nothing that I could see..and after lubing and reassembling the problem was gone?).

Like this knife even more now. Fav Isham so far. I’m here for the disassemblies.

All of the WE integrals I've disassembled (702, Tyche, Drakon) use a variation of this construction method. It's really slick and easy to deal with once you know how it works.

I seem to find that Isham has the most recognisable designs

Skill. Definition: The ability to make an easy job look hard. : )

Very entertaining yet educational production Nick. Enjoyed it LOL! Great knife design. I need one.

First time the disassembly video has been more interesting than the actual review .

The carbon fiber is not underlaid by titanium, except at the ends where they are attached, rather, the carbon fiber is an integral part of the frame, i.e. it is not a veneer. It is structural, and brilliantly so. This design is the work of a genius!

Believe you may have missed three screws under the pant clip for the lock bar? I noticed as I looked at the knife. not sure if that matters in cleaning the knife.

Well done, thanks Nick!

Thanks again Nick. Was waiting for this video before I attempted taking my apart.

Really awesome design knife.

Yes you are...brilliant. And right down my alley when it comes to tearing shit apart...and then figuring out how to put it back together. But, maybe I missed something, (I’ll watch again) I could not see where you had access to the lock bar. My Pleroma is tearing up my thumb. I was thinking that if I just took a little sand paper to it, it would loosen it up a bit. Right now it is causing a great deal of pain. Regardless, this is maybe one of my favorite knives as far as function and beauty go. I just wish my love for it didn’t cause so much pain.

It may be useful for you to do another (or replace) this disassembly video for Pleroma. I just got one and it's somewhat different than yours. For one the "shelf" as you called it, on the pivot is a different shape. Also, you didn't encounter the second flat washer (it remained stuck in it's housing). This is useful - would have been to me - because these washers must be in specific spots being that one is thicker than the other. I thought they were interchangeable and I couldn't figure out why my blade was so out of whack that the stop pin on one side scraped the carbon fibre. Cheers though!

Such a beautiful knife. Cant wait for the Aeterna to come out.

Nice work Nick 👍👍👍👍

WOW - glad you took this apart - I would have had a h@#^ of a time. Nice to have the thought process behind this too!

Hey Nick, do you think the pocket clip is reversible for lefty carry on this guy?

I was totally on board with this knife when I saw the prototypes have gold finishes on them. When I saw the final product I passed.

Actually, there is no "continuous band of titanium underlaying the carbon fiber." There is the liner lock on one side, firmly attached to the CF with 3 screws, which are cleverly hidden under the clip. Far from being a decorative layer overlying titanium, which performs the strength functions, there is no titanium under most of the CF, i.e. except at the ends. The Carbon Fiber of this knife is plenty strong to mount the clip and liner lock, and is in fact an INTEGRAL part of the (integral) frame! This is in fact my all time favorite pocket knife, for its design, engineering and quality...

Reminds me of the first time I disassembled a Reate Future (Tashi Barucha designed integral). Different but similar logic and lots of puzzlement the first time...

Love your videos Nick, this video is immensely helpful, was a bit wary of taking this knife apart. What nano oil is that, is the 10w ok?

I could be wrong but didnt i notice a set of 3 screws under the pocket clip while he was turning it?

Wow, that's cool.

Love a good Chinese Puzzle Knife.

Isham is the Jerry Garcia necktie of the knife world. Not that he does low cost stuff just that his stuff is very unique/recognize-able/zany

This design intrigues me. II and WE keep it interesting, I know I wouldn't trade my black star for nothing

I just placed an order for the Spyderco Kapara, I’ve been waiting for a video. I just took your earlier advice on how good it was.

WEird but interesting.

Wish you disassembled it down to individual parts so we could see how that thing is really put together. You should think about turning your disassembly videos into complete disassembly and take things down to a pile of parts and put them back together

You may not be a brilliant man but this was a brilliant video.

Sweet!

0:27 🤣😂🤣 The Blackstar looks pretty nice and practical though, almost conventional. Would be very nice if you could nail down your views on that one Nick🙏🤞🤲

I don't like it, but it's so unique in it's design and construction, I gotta have it

Fun vid though. Like my mechanic- solving problems every day. Prevents Alzheimer’s. Thanks

We have all types of applicator tips in dentistry like what u are using for you pivot oil. Message me if you ever need small syringes and bendable tips. I also have tips with microbrushes on them. Tips with bevels and side ports milled in. Let me know if you need some mailed. Let me know in a response if u are interested. The knife community appreciates what u do for us!

Cool looking knife, looks a little complicated to disassemble / assemble.

Such weird little knives.

Beautiful piece, but not a terribly strong design in my estimation. The pivot is really only attached to the structural foundation of the knife on the show side.

Still got a love of the street Still not loving police Nick is the D-R-E Confirmed Nick is Dr. Dre

yassss

Very disappointed Nick, was hoping to see a full teardown. Usually the point of disassembly is only maintenance, but in this case I am extremely curious how this unusual knife is constructed. Particularly how much Ti is under the CF, how is the pseudo integral skeleton shaped, are both sides of the CF all one chunk, how is the lockbar connected; is it part of the frame or attached directly to the CF? There is so much about the Pleroma still shrouded in mystery that I was counting on you to reveal...

You know your knife is weird when even Nick shabazz himself is confused by it.

How to understand elijah's way of thinking more like xD

To hear the blade scratching along the handles really hurts. 😬 That moment the small part fell off I was glad that I haven’t bought this knife - I really love the design and the look, but this is pretty weird...I don‘t know what to feel and think about that. For sure I thought the whole construction is build up different.

My grandma would think this knife looks "pretty" or "snazzy".......nuff said

Tools from where? Please say it clearly so we can actually understand otherwise it’s kinda useless information. Or post it below.

When form takes precedence over function.

So freakin weeyid

🤮 Nick and his green lantern