# Lanfork-2, I'd have named it Hidden Butterfly



## LittleBear (Mar 24, 2012)

Between the Chinese Slingshot Club Champions league (CSCC) tournament videos on YouTube, ok and the videos of attractive young ladies showing off their remarkable slingshot skills, I started wondering about some of the different slingshots I was seeing. So..., on a whim, I decided to order a few and give them a try, got carried away and ended up ordering 5 "Chinese" slingshots ranging in price from $5 to $89.

*First up is a Lanfork-2







*


Size: Small, roughly 5-3/8” tall, 3-3/32” wide, 7/16” thick at the forks, and <7/8” at the handle. 54mm fork gap.
Weight: 4.4 oz or 126 grams, as seen in photo with bands and pouch.
Style: Angled TTF.
Banding: No-tie, 10mm x 0.75mm split in fork.
Material: Titanium with G10 scales. Satan dark gray surface coating.
Type/Category: What I like to call a “Gentleman’s Slingshot”, generally small enough to carry unobtrusively but with an element of style or class. A highly functional but non-threatening EDC it should not ring alarm bells when seen by a park ranger, it is after all simply a piece of art, just one of those items a respectable “gentleman” might carry when out for a stroll in the woods.
Price: Steep at $69, however in its defense it does look better in person than my photos, and the feel is one of solid quality. I feel it is worth the price, but this isn't a slingshot for the budget shopper.
One of the most interesting things about this slingshot is how it breaks down into pieces. Under the G10 handle scales there are two butterfly shaped inserts that hold the two halves of the slingshot together, I would like to know why?








I would also like to ask the designer about the fiber optic, not-quite-sights? At first, I assumed they were purely decorative elements, but they turn out to be surprisingly useful and I suspect may have more potential uses than I’ve discovered. (Note, no instructions, or descriptions, at least that I could read.)

My one real complaint is that a larger pouch, like the magnet pouch in my photos, can knock the fiber optics loose/out, easily replaceable and it comes with spares, but annoying. My not-real complaints are those "what is this for? and why?" design questions that will likely never get answered.

Overall, I give it 8 possibly 9 stars as “Gentleman’s” EDC pocket slingshot. For me definitely a keeper, in the future I will likely make and try out different handle scales, thinking Deserter Ironwood burl, or Koa might look nice. 

What this is not is a slingshot I would recommend for someone new to slingshots, as a one-and-only slingshot, or for anyone on a budget.


----------



## Sandstorm (Apr 5, 2021)

Thank you for putting this up @LittleBear. This looks like it’ll be an interesting and helpful series to follow.


----------



## Karloshi (Apr 6, 2021)

“Gentleman’s Slingshot” LOL. I would have suspected a Gentleman's Slingshot would have come with a tweed carry case and a monocle instead of finer optics.


----------



## Valery (Jan 2, 2020)

LittleBear said:


> One of the most interesting things about this slingshot is how it breaks down into pieces. Under the G10 handle scales there are two butterfly shaped inserts that hold the two halves of the slingshot together, I would like to know why?


Surely there are countries where slingshots are regulated by law. Australia, for example. A disassembled slingshot will not raise any questions from an airline inspector or police officer when transported. )


----------



## LittleBear (Mar 24, 2012)

Karloshi said:


> “Gentleman’s Slingshot” LOL. I would have suspected a Gentleman's Slingshot would have come with a tweed carry case and a monocle instead of finer optics.


Ah well now the monocle would make it a "dulling slingshot" and the tweed box well that's a "Panama" see it's special because it has its own box.



Valery said:


> Surely there are countries where slingshots are regulated by law. Australia, for example. A disassembled slingshot will not raise any questions from an airline inspector or police officer when transported. )


That would certainly explain why it splits into two halves, still leaves me a little curious about the butterflies as a fastener choice.


----------



## Valery (Jan 2, 2020)

LittleBear said:


> still leaves me a little curious about the butterflies as a fastener choice.


I think the butterfly is chosen for some aesthetic reasons. The connecting part in any case should have a complex shape to ensure the immobility of the assembled parts in two planes, so why not have it in the shape of a butterfly? A modern laser cutter makes no difference what kind of part to cut.


----------



## Ibojoe (Mar 13, 2016)

Nice one.


----------



## Sandstorm (Apr 5, 2021)

The butterflies _are_ the directions. 😉👍


----------



## KawKan (May 11, 2013)

Nice review. 
Good looking piece of hardware with some interesting innovations.


----------

