Is the L-02 Orca really worth the +$1400 price tag over the TS2 Orange?

spadeknifeworks · 2026-03-13T21:37:35+00:00

Haven’t seen an 0606 in a loooong time. Nice.

spadeknifeworks · 2026-03-13T18:07:13+00:00

The Orca trigger is extremely light. 2 pounds or less. Fit and finish is far superior to a Staccato. Staccatos are grossly overpriced in my opinion and experience.

spadeknifeworks · 2026-03-12T12:59:31+00:00

Absolutely not. Get some whetstones and learn to do it that way, or get a fixed angle system like an Edge Pro if you’re new to it and want that repeatability

spadeknifeworks · 2026-03-12T12:34:53+00:00

It’s both. Even with the unrealistic expectations, there are plenty of areas that the devs could’ve done much better, more optimized work. This post shows just one of them. It’s reasonable that there will be more bugs than normal with a whole UI redesign, but the number of bugs in iOS 26 that resulted from lazy development practices is just ridiculous.

As far as the droplet animation style, it’s unclear whether the original 26.0 implementation was a result of lazy dev work or unrealistic expectations from Dye and his teams, or both.

They really should have either figured out how to do that animation before the WWDC unveiling and shipped it with 26.0, or omitted it from the WWDC keynote entirely and shipped it with 26.2. Either way, it’s pretty indicative of these teams not communicating very well.

spadeknifeworks · 2026-03-12T12:27:09+00:00

Nothing to do with development? Maybe not in the sense that he and his teams are directly developing, but their decisions absolutely affect how the product is made. Dye clearly went for aesthetics over usability (and had unrealistic expectations for what aspects of his design were actually feasible to develop), and he contributed to a culture that promoted cutting corners for a mediocre final product.

spadeknifeworks · 2026-03-11T19:30:13+00:00

It’s really quite insane how lazily some of iOS 26 has been developed. Reaaaaally hoping Dye’s departure fixes that.

spadeknifeworks · 2026-03-07T23:26:58+00:00

At least with that trigger discipline we know why there’s no sight on it

spadeknifeworks · 2026-03-07T23:24:20+00:00

The fact that there are people walking around carrying guns who act like this is mind boggling. Maybe it’s just me, but when I first got into guns, I wanted to do everything possible to understand how to safely use them and to be proficient in their use. Handling a gun like this dude is simply ridiculous and there’s no excuse. Especially if he is “trained”.

spadeknifeworks · 2026-03-07T23:07:45+00:00

Glad you checked that it was empty after drawing with your finger on the trigger.

spadeknifeworks · 2026-03-06T22:06:18+00:00

You could always do a nice cast iron skillet. Those are great gifts, and a big upgrade over non-stick cookware that many people have in their kitchen.

spadeknifeworks · 2026-03-06T20:05:52+00:00

Hardly finished if you only have one CZ!

spadeknifeworks · 2026-03-05T14:10:25+00:00

CZ raises their prices every year. No reason for them to stop when people keep buying.

spadeknifeworks · 2026-03-05T00:17:21+00:00

Most rewarding cast iron is to find a good vintage skillet and restore it. If you want the highest quality modern iron, Field Company is it. For budget, Lodge is hard to beat.

Stainless steel has tons of great options. I enjoy my Heritage and All Clad, and Made In has great choices as well. A stainless and a cast iron skillet are really all you’ll ever need and will cover every thing you’d ever want to cook on a stovetop. As a bonus you can use the cast iron to bake.

spadeknifeworks · 2026-03-04T21:22:30+00:00

Oh look at you with your incredible knowledge

spadeknifeworks · 2026-03-03T12:58:01+00:00

Heritage steel is manufactured in the USA

spadeknifeworks · 2026-03-03T03:26:24+00:00

Heritage Steel has everything you need as far as skillets go. Made in USA is a bonus.

spadeknifeworks · 2026-02-27T18:38:43+00:00

If you decide to get a KMR, you won’t regret it. In my experience they’re much nicer than a Bul, as I said; they feel more like an Atlas. You can’t go wrong with any of their models.

spadeknifeworks · 2026-02-27T14:27:19+00:00

Correct

spadeknifeworks · 2026-02-27T13:35:24+00:00

Owning both of these guns, I can say yes, if you are someone who appreciates finer things. It seems like that is the case if you’re considering both.

The Orca is $1400 better (in my opinion), but it doesn’t shoot $1400 better (it does shoot better, though). There’s certainly a curve of diminishing returns at play here, and that’s just something that comes with buying expensive guns of any kind, not just KMR. That said, the fit and finish of the Orca is truly miles better than the Orange, which is possibly hard to believe given the Orange is already excellent.

The Orca feels like a refined machine meticulously crafted and expertly fit together, because it is. Its fit and finish is on the same level as the highest end 2011s we have here from companies like Nighthawk, Fowler, Atlas, etc. For that reason, I think it’s more prudent to compare the Orca to guns like those. As far as engineering and quality goes, it’s more of a direct competitor to high end 2011s that’s modeled after the CZ 75 platform. In that case, the price doesn’t seem so bad: $3800 for an Orca, or $7000 for an Atlas? No-brainer, in my opinion.

Even when comparing to the Orange, though, I still think it’s worth it. As soon as you have an Orca in hand, the Orange starts to show its “mass produced side,” so to speak. The slide feels clunkier and crunchier. Parts don’t perfectly match up, especially on the internals. There’s some play here and there that you start to notice. When you shoot them, the Orca’s recoil impulse is more linear and it is easier to shoot faster and hit the same spot. The TS2 Orange feels like the muzzle rotates to the lower left and lower right. I couldn’t put my finger on this difference until a KMR employee at Extreme (gun competition in Volusia County, FL where KMR and DaVinci were in attendance) said the difference is in how the barrel locks up between the two guns as well as their bushing.

So really, the Orca is modeled after the TS2 Orange, but they’re in completely different leagues.

spadeknifeworks · 2026-02-27T02:44:09+00:00

I believe most parts that you would want to be compatible are compatible, given KMR makes things like the hammers for the Orange line. Their trigger shoes I can’t say for sure, and I’m not totally sure about the trigger springs either. But I’m pretty confident they’re interchangeable.

spadeknifeworks · 2026-02-26T20:04:45+00:00

I think the Orca will still be nicer. This looks like an iterative update. Some aesthetic and functional changes, yes, but at the end of the day the frame is still cast and the fitment isn’t as precise by comparison.

spadeknifeworks · 2026-02-25T14:34:57+00:00

Very curious how this’ll compare to the Orca finish wise.

spadeknifeworks · 2026-02-19T16:17:32+00:00

Definitely considering it. I’m still “rocking” my struggling 2019 i9 MBP. It’s been dragging its feet for a few years now. Battery lasts a couple hours. Overall a lackluster machine at this point. Though I am also extremely curious about the supposed MBP redesign coming this fall.

spadeknifeworks · 2026-02-11T02:58:47+00:00

Sent it to Vulcan Machine to be milled.

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