Spyderco Matriarch

08/05/2011 by Sev

-Price Paid: $140.00
-Used for Self Defense
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

This knife is absolutely amazing!!! I picked two up a year ago as part of the sprint run. One I keep NIB and the other I carry around with me, take camping, etc. Build quality is perfect, actual blade is a beast and will tear through the toughest layers of clothing, and just the site scares people. It's very dangerous however, while just folding the knife gently closed I accidentally closed it on my main index finger VERY tenth but it still stamped down to the bone.

If you can find it buy it!

Benchmade 741 Onslaught

08/02/2011 by Tim D.

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

I got this knife used for a rediculously low price because the kid who sold it to me stripped the pivot screw and wasnt aware of Benchmade's warranty [they fixed it for free of course and sent it back to me free via UPS.} That said, I would buy this knife new if I lost it.Sure it's huge but man is it fun! I have other Benchmades [520 Presidio,Nimravus,Mini presidio Ultra] but this 741 is the one I play with all the time.It's a work of art in

functionality,performance and just plain Wow Factor. Easy to keep sharp with a strop,love the 154 steel, the scales are elegant and feel great in my hand. I recommend this to anyone who has huge hands like me! Benchmade and Bob Lum really knocked it out of the park with this one.

Benchmade 15030 Bone Collector Axis Mini Folder

07/30/2011 by Tony

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

Well I have to say that I was a Griptillian Fan until now and really, really hesitated at buying this one and only at the "Bargain Price" that I was offered it at perked my interest.

My local Gun Dealer was sadly closing his doors for the last time that day and I could buy it for well below his dealer cost, I thought why not (besides he did a Godfather on me and made me a an "Offer I Couldn't Possibly Refuse".

I don't want to fog any ones opinion by disclosing what I paid for it and I did walk out of the store thinking that it was more like a gift to a valued customer of many years on his last day of business.....

This new Bone Collectors Edition was just especially comfortable in my hand at the time (without being rough and still NOT losing traction to it's grip). Even having small hands I have always found the Mini Griptillian to be a little short and the Full Griptillains just a bit big (also a bit rough and sharp edges to the feel), but this new Bone Collectors Edition are fare superior in the ergonomics of there scales (grips)and design.

I will never get rid of my old Yellow Mini Griptillian, BUT it will be spending a lot more time in my desk draw from now on..!!!

I was extremely lucky to get the model with "Wooden Scales" and I just love the G10 back spacer on the spine of the knife, I am really a G10 Fan opposed to the Cheep and Down Right NASTY Valox that is being used by Benchmade on it's 585 Model.

This knife just feels so surprisingly NATURAL in the palm of your hand or when gripped and the D2 Steel just makes for a very well rounded pocket package.

To be perfectly honest regarding the scales materials, the truth is that no man made material can match the feel of a natural material like Wood....!!

The bottom line to any Benchmade Knife is "THE AXIS LOCK" and I can't find any one else that has a locking system to match it for ergonomics, strength, ambidextrous use or just plan SAFETY.

It's an easy one handed open flick and an easy close with your fingers well away from the blade, if you are working and perhaps not putting your full attention on the knife that's very important to me....:)

I have never been an everything in BLACK sort of guy and really hate the Henry Ford "You can have it in any color you want, PROVIDING it's BLACK" mentality. So the Brown Color and Wood Grain is very attractive to me personally and meets my needs as a Gentleman's Every Day Pocket Knife that looks and feels stunning.

This is probably the happiest that I have ever been with a Benchmade Purchase (not withstanding the bargain that it was)and I would dare say that like myself you won't be disappointed either....!!!

Kershaw Skyline

07/29/2011 by Jay

-Price Paid: $29.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

The Kershaw Skyline is a fantastic knife. If you can get it for less than $35, you're sure to love it.

Pros:

* Great steel

* Sick sharpness right out of the box

* Great G10 handles

* Great fit-n-finish

* Fantastic usable blade shape

Cons:

* The clip is too tight

I absolutely love this knife and it's my EDC blade. I don't anticipate ever switching to another knife.

I'm of the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" school of thought. Consequently, I assumed the flipper opening was a useless gimmick. But I was wrong. I love this style of knife.

You can't use the thumb studs for opening the knife (not that you'd want to, what with the flipper feature). But if you somehow limp-wrist the flipper, you can use them to complete the lock-up.

The clip is way too tight. It's almost impossible to use; it has to be bent a bit so it's looser.

The G10 handles are well-machined and they feel great in hand.

I think the blade geometry is perfect. It gives me everything I want in an EDC knife.

The only thing that can make this knife better is a more useable clip out of the box (it's perfectly useable once I loosened it up a bit).

I'm tempted to buy a few more of these just in case Kershaw does the unthinkable and stops producing them.

Great job Kershaw!

Victorinox Compact

07/26/2011 by Dr. Hanz

-Price Paid: $30.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

Compact Victorinox knife, ideal for EDC. Has all the functions I need (1 knifeblade, combitool with bottle/can-opener and screwdriver, corkscrew, scissors, hook, nailfile, pin, ballpoint, tweezer, toothpick) on a daily basis and nothing more. Only 2 layers thick, so I hardly feel it in my pocket and forget all about it until I need it. The spring on the scissors is (as on all Victorinoxes) the week point, but for me that is the only minor flaw in this furthermore perfect knife for EDC.

When going outdoor climbing I take it with me, but when I go for a longer mountain tour I also bring a bigger knife (one-hand openere, locking blade).

ESEE Izula 2

07/23/2011 by Fred

-Price Paid: $81.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

Overall great little knife!

I purchased this knife over it's smaller brother the Izula, mainly because my hands are on the large size and i felt the Izula's handle was a bit small for me. The first thing that really made me love this knife, was the ergonomics, it really feels great in hand, I dare to say that it invites you to "use it", even when you remove the micarta scales (which i did, because i find it is a bit bulky with them, specially when worn around the neck like i do), it feels amazing, it really does. It is very lightweight too, which further encourages you to carry it with you, fit and finish are perfect in my opinion which is always nice, besides I just love the rugged, simple look of it. The edge has held up really nice, i haven't had to sharpen it yet, granted I use it more in an EDC role, so mostly i cut cardboard, open packages and peel carrots and pears with it, but then again we all know how easy is to sharpen 1095 steel, which further enhances it's utility. Its nice simple drop point blade is useful for mostly anything, from ripping up cardboard to skinning game, it also retains a fairly strong tip and spine so i am sure you can stab and pry with it. The blade size is also perfect for EDC, it will disappear under your clothing so it won't attract attention, but it is large enough to handle pretty much any EDC task. It is also worth mentioning that ESEE has a beautiful "No Questions Asked Warranty. If you break it, we will replace it. Warranty is lifetime and transferable" warranty, if that doesn't speak wonders for itself then i don't know what does. If you get the chance, go to a store and handle it for a minute, you will quickly fall in love too! I guarantee it!

I will say it is a bit pricy, but considering what you get, and how comfortable it is, and how likely you are to use it, I would say it is still great value, not to mention you also get Micarta handles with it, which are great if you like a more "hand filling" handle, specially if you plan to take it to the woods.

And btw, ESEE, if you are reading this, please make more colour options for the Izula 2 too! Desert tan would look wonderful, or maybe white, safety orange, or grey that'd be great too.

Leatherman Skeletool CX

07/21/2011 by Steve

-Price Paid: $49.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

Overall this is a great knife with a strong straight edge blade and very practical pliers. In addition, the tool has a screw driver, clip, and bottle opener attached. The CX is negligibly lighter than the standard Skeletool blade but it comes with a harder carbon steel straight edge blade, which I believe is the best reason to upgrade to this knife.

My only complaints would be that when squeezing the pliers hard sometimes the edges of the handle dig into your hand (it doesn't hurt, but it is a nuisance) and the knife does not have a can opener integrated into it. The latter one is truly unfortunate as this make the knife ideal for back country outings. All that aside it is a great all around tool for the money.

Benchmade 556 Mini Griptilian

07/21/2011 by Tony

-Price Paid: $62.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

This was the very first Benchmade that I had ever bought (some 5 years ago now) and to be honest with you it is what got me hooked on Benchmade from the "Get GO'.

I just wanted a knife that was reliable and safe to use, the Axis Lock is really what attracted me the knife. I loved the idea that your fingers where well away from the blade when you closed it and being 556-Yellow I knew that I could find the knife even on my desk that always looks like a disaster area...(I Nicknamed it my AARP Kife, because even an old fellow like me could Find and Sind it...LOL)

I did go though the initial problem with it that most of Benchmade Knives suffer from and that was the clip within a week or so was scratched and chipped.

This is an ongoing problem that Benchmade that they seem to want to ignore, however it was a wonderful gentleman at Benchmades Customer Care that solved the issue by sending me a Silver Split Arrow Clip and the problem was no longer noticeable..:)

The clip doesn't chip because it's chromed and because its silver on silver you simply don't notice the minor scratches. Where with a Black Enamel Clips on a plan steel clip, the scratches and inevitable chipping stands out the proverbial "Dogs you know Whats".

I have never been a Large Knife person, I just love the size as a of the Mini Griptilian as a true pocket knife and the 154 Steel really has been more than good enough.

I end up buying an other 2 Pink one for my Daughter and Wife with another Black one for my Son, all of which have found them to be reliable and practical for every day use.

I would highly recommend this knife, but do your home work and shop around for the best price...:)

KaBar Fin Folding Drop Point

07/20/2011 by bvil

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Light Duty/General
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

Very solid knife. Extremely sharp out of the box. Pretty good craftsmanship. Fit and finish is on par with the rest of kabar's mid priced folders. I'm a fan of AUS8 in general and this one is as good as any other current mass production blade I've tried. Sharpens easily and holds an edge well. A few passes on a leather belt on my sander is usually all it takes to maintain the edge.

I have let many people hold the knife to get their impression of the handle design. Without exception, nobody has liked it. The finger guard digs into the index finger too much. While the guard may be quite effective at keeping your fingers off of the blade, it makes this otherwise great knife one of my least favorites. I almost bought a couple extras for gifts. I am glad I didn't.

Overall, This is a good quality well built tool with poor ergonomics. I suppose it's possible that some people don't mind the handle and maybe, just maybe, there are a few that even like it. I haven't met them.

Chris Reeve Small Sebenza

07/19/2011 by Mike

-Price Paid: $335.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

This is an incredible knife. The tolerances are so tight. The manufacturing is so exceptional. Does it cut better than any other knife out there? Nah. Don't get me wrong. It is a great cutter. But this is for someone who wants a knife like a Swiss watch. Just perfection. Same with the large Sebenza.

Magnificent and groundbreaking designs.

Get one and you won't ever need another knife.

SOG Twitch II

07/17/2011 by Tony

-Price Paid: $30.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

I purchased my SOG Twitch II on the very last day of the NRA's Annual General Meeting in Pittsburgh (a great little knife indeed), I did so after I had already purchased a Benchmade 470 for a $130.00 (Benchmade's asking price is $200.00 and we all know how that works, you end up buying it on online for $130.00..LOL).

Keeping in mind that the Twitch is smaller and is a Lockback compared to an Axis Lock, my advise would be save your $100.00 (or more) on the Benchmade 470 and buy the Twitch II.

I have had none of the problems with the finish on the Twitch that I have had with the Benchmade 470 and the Twitch's Ergonomics are almost as good.

The speed of the spring assist is just as fast and I like the way the blade has an inbuilt finger guard that can also be used to push down on to open the knife (or flick it open by the thumb-stud, either way of opening is just as good).

The steel holds a great edge, it does work well with it's more traditional lock back and the brushed clip is fantastically strong without any issues like a BLACK Coated either rubbing or chipping (that you find on say the Griptilians).

It really only has one drawback and is the safety lock being on the spine of the knife behind the push down lock back, but to be honest with you I personally don't mind it and this would not stop me from highly recommending the knife to any one.

The reality is that I like 90% of the civilian market place use a pocket knife for every day use like opening boxes, pealing an apple or cutting some string.

We want a knife that holds up well to being clipped to the inside pocket of our jeans, that's easy to use and is VALUE for our Hard Earned Money and I verily believe that the SOG Twitch II does all that in a great compact package.

Let me leave you with one thought to ponder over, if SOG can get the finish to have NO issues on a knife that they are asking say $60.00 for, then what reason is there to pay a $200.00 asking price for a Benchmade 470 (or what the real market is at the time) and have issues with the finish rubbing off....??

I do love my Benchmades but this little SOG does have me wondering, leaves me very impressed for the money and now has me opened minded to other Brand Options like SOG.....!!!

---

KaBar Full Size KaBar

07/16/2011 by Addison Parr

-Price Paid: $60.00
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

Ka-bar has been around longer than me and you reading this, they originally sent in the "KA-BAR" to the United states military as the need for a large fighting knife in the trenches was high. I have owned both the Full size USMC leather handled version and the kraton G handled Warthog fixed, the knives are exceptional for their price and will survive a ton of abuse. Although not Legitamitely Full tang, they still have a rod of steel going from blade, pinned to pommel and is extremely durable. the 1095 carbon steel is expertly heat treated, the powder coating is beautiful, and these are some of the best knives out there.