Item Purchased: Aluminum Scales for MSI. Drift Design. Premium Color Kel-Tec Navy Blue
My apologies but I can't talk about the amazing handle scales without also talking about how amazing this knife is as well.
First off, the MSI uses T8 screws for the frame instead of the common T6's. This means stronger screws and less of a chance to strip them doing aftermarket maintenance and upgrades. The Ram Lok was also housed in its one internal cage so removing the existing scales didn't mean running the risk of parts flying everywhere. Lastly, the Pivot is a paired up male/female set of T15's that screw into each other, leaving the blade and bearings to swing freely around it, which means like with the ram-lok no parts moving out of alignment while you work. Also the male/female screw setup means no overtightening the pivot.
Now the Scales. Original Goat are the GOAT! The fit & finish of the aluminum scales were impeccable out of the box, and with the marvel of engineering of the knife itself, everything was a breeze to put together. So much so, I thought I might have missed something because everything came together without a hitch. Once on, the knife had some new flair to it.
One minor issue is the weight. Obviously switching from plastic to aluminum scales will up the weight, but the Original Goat Scales do not have any sort of milling on the underside to reduce weight. I'm not sure if this is possible for them to do, but it would be appreciated if it is. This is NOT a deal breaker however. The scales were still amazing and went a long way to making my knife more unique.
One last FYI, be prepared for a 2-3 month turn around if you're ordering scales with custom color coating. Every set of scales they make is custom order so these things do take time. Time well spent if it means customizing your knife just how you want it. It's worth the wait.