Gerber LMF II

07/16/2011 by Addison Parr

-Price Paid: $78.00
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

Got the Survival A.S.E.K LMF2 as just what it is- a survival knife. it will be stowed away in an airtight ammo box with oil on metal parts until it is needed (Camping, Hunting, backpacking, etc..) my first impressions of the knife where mixed. i immediately noticed a cheap-feeling and worn-lookin paint job on the blade. i wish it was powder coated like KA-BARS. but the knife is heavy but the most well balanced knife you will ever hold. handle is extremely comfortable any way you hold it and the blade is real secure inside the handle. the pommel could easily crack someones skull or break the thickest glass. since knife is so balanced it excels at slicing and chopping motions, this is going to be a killer firewood knife. here is what i like, and dont like

The GOOD

>Weight- with this kind of heft, you get alot more power and momentum in your swings

>Ergonomics- The handle is just so comfortable, i have small hands (glove size Medium) and any way i hold it i know it wont slip out or lose control, the "finger guards" behind the blade are very nice to rest your thumbs on

>Pommel- although you cant really use the back end to hammer things, you can still smash just about anything with a good whack. the point allows optimum cracking power.

>Sheath- I dont like it as much as the KA-BAR kydex sheath personally, but it is still one hell of a modular piece of equipment. it has a built in sharpener, 3 piece locking system. guys you could literally free fall from space or be thrown by godzilla and this knife wouldnt come out of its scabbard.

>Blade shape- although it isnt the best stabber, the blade shape is highly universal, easy to sharpen with good serrations you could use this thing to do almost anything

>blade steel- Gerber describes it as 420 High carbon stainless steel, which means its a good mix of carbon and iron so it wont rust as easy as 1095, and is also a bit more flexible

>MADE IN USA- unlike most gerber knives this one (aswell as the sheath) are manufactured in good ole America. so i know that an 8 year old yellow-belly didnt put my knife together for 120yen

THE BAD

>Sheath- its also bad in the fact that because of the force of the locking tab, when sheathing or unsheathing you are wearing out the rubber overmolding on the handle. it wont last forever, and eventually that rubber by the blade is goin bye bye (unless you get another sheath like a nice leather one)

>Not full tang- i know gerber wanted to save weight and probly money by not making it a full-tang knife but in the long run it is going to suffer from that. extreme hammering or pommeling will slowly wear n tear on the handle.

>Blade coating- when i got my knife via UPS i unsheathed it and immediatly noticed the cheap quality coating that is on the blade, it will wear fast, and probly wont help resist rust so oil your blade. i might have mine professionally powder coated

ALL-in-ALL its a good knife, durable as hell and will stab or crush depending on what end you use! i know it is described as a survival knife but this is just as easily a combat knife. for the money i would buy it again and recommend to family and friends

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Benchmade 585 Mini Barrage

07/16/2011 by Tony

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

Comments:

I purchased 585SBK several months ago, along with it I purchased a 587-1 SBK Warm (as a birthday gift for my son).

Generally the knife is great, the action works flawlessly and at there size they do make for a very reliable spring assist pocket knife for ever day use.

However my "Pet Peeve" was the CHEAP Valox Plastic Grips on the 585SBK.

This brakes down to two main issues, firstly the CHEAP Honeycombed Injection Molded Valox Grips just don't stand up well to every day ware (even a drop on the ground will gouge them or worse).

The other is they are too light to soak up the springs recoil (they really just don't feel like value for money in your hand, if you know what I mean).

The bottom line here is what my Late Father use to say back in Australia, it's am matter being "Penny Wise and Pound Foolish", the reality is that this just pulls the knife up short from crossing the line to being a truly great knife.

Benchmade should really take a good hard look at it's self, it's customers needs, wants and it's competition. I have spoken to Benchmade regarding this and they give two reasons for the using the Valox.

The first is cost and that the knife would be fare more expensive with G10, there Asking Price is $145.00 and you get Cheap Plastic Grips.....!!!

The other reason is that some customers want a lighter knife, this may be so but I do find it a little hard to believe after comparing the above.

I was fortunate because I had purchased several (including a 587-1 for my son) I simply swapped the G10 Grip to the 585SBK that I wanted for myself and gave my son the 587-1 with the Valox and end-up with the perfect knife for me and what a difference .50 of an Ounce makes WOW..!!(but this is not an option that most people get).

As to the horrible ware that shows up with Benchmades Black Clips, I have found the perfect solution. Just call them they will send you a FREE a Silver Split Arrow Clip that will not show up the scratches and that problem is forever solved...!!!

The bottom line is that Benchmade's Axis Lock is in my opinion the best on the market, but that is not an excuse to cut corners. At the prices they charge there is no good reason to do so and is only going spoil what is a good knife and is NOT good business.

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Case Amber Bone Small Texas Jack

07/15/2011 by Elmer

-Price Paid: $50.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

So far the knife has held up great. I have carried it for about a month now and the CV steel has still yet to tarnish or dull over everyday chores. The amber bone looks and feels great nicely polished and flush with the bolsters and sheild. The main clip blade is a good size for slicing and other everyday tasks without being threatning and the small pen type blade is the perfect shape and size for breaking down boxes, cutting ties and plastic. Very simple to use with the non-locking slip joint style mechanism. I paid $50 for it at my local outdoors store and its a reasonable deal considering it is hand made in the US and should last a life time with a warrenty to back it up. My only complains about the knife is that it has a realitivaly weak backspring and kick to it and the blade felt rough upon opening even with oil. It has been getting smoother and better with more use. Breaking it in I suppose. Half stops would have been a nice touch too. All in all I'm very happy with the knife and I plan to use it for many more years to come.

Cold Steel K4

07/13/2011 by M.A. Drevyn

-Price Paid: $15.00
-Used for Light Duty/General
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

I bought this knife online for camp utility after receiving it i decided against it for that purpose do to its ultra thin blade think serrated razor blade it holds an edge all day its never really dulled over two years of mild use around the house. The teeth of the serrations are so hard they would chip on bone it makes short work of veggies and raw or frozen meat for self defense it slashes through soft tissue like butter but is not much of a stabber,this was tested on a hanging dear carcass. the k4 is very light though not very concealable under the shirt. Over all I enjoy this product its a great kitchen knife.

Boker Subcom Folder

07/12/2011 by M.A. Drevyn

-Price Paid: $28.00
-Used for Light Duty/General
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

I've worked as a butcher and bouncer for years I also have a back ground in martial arts, hunting and wood working.I have been wearing this small knife on the front right hand side of my belt for months , it is very comfortable and convenient because of its size it goes unnoticed with shirt hang covering it.The sub compact is very thin and very stout with good cutting power as a utility knife its great in a fight its slashing power would be an asset period.

Cold Steel Master Hunter

07/12/2011 by Bryan

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

Carbon V model. Comfortable and sharp. Holds an edge and is easy to sharpen. Just need to keep it oiled.

Kershaw Chill

07/10/2011 by Milton

-Price Paid: $17.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

I needed a blade that would be thinner and more lightweight than my Spyderco Tenacious.

Searched out and found this Kershaw Chill.

Right off the bat, I loved the belly on the blade. The nice belly allows good slash cuts in any circumstance. Although there are no thumbstuds, it does have a flipper design deployment which is lightning fast. Thanks to it's phosphorus broze bushings on the locking side and nylon bushings on the non locking side.

What I also love about this blade is the weight. 2oz FLAT. That is extremly impressive. Good strong skeletonized steel liners allows you to have strength and lightweight.

8CR13MoV steel is decent. Holds an edge fairly well for light duty tasks. I would prefer a full flat grind or sabre grind because over time, those grinds are more durable. Comes out of the box razor sharp.

Excellent value, good job Kershaw.

Benchmade 470 Emissary

07/10/2011 by Tony

-Price Paid: $130.00
-Used for Light Duty/General
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

Well where do I start, I suspect that the right place to start is with praise to Benchmade for creating an engineering marvel with the new 470. It is without question one of the most ergonomically friendly knives that I have ever purchased and owned and makes for the perfect Gentleman or Ladies Knife..!!!

The knife really only has two drawbacks, firstly is the $200.00 price tag and even at what the market is really paying for them (we all know how the game is paid, sorry PLAYED..LOL). In my opinion it's really is a little steep compared to it's competitors, even it's wonderful features the price seems to over exceed the perceived value of the knife (However if money in these hard times is not a problem to you then, I suppose it not an issue).

The real dark horse to this otherwise wonderful knife is the coating, the stark reality is that it just won't stand up to use with scratching and rubbing being it's true Achilles Heel and this is an issue that any one buying it should take into serious consideration before investing in one.

Great Knife Benchmade and a well engineered one, BUT in this price range the COATING is severely lacking to say the least (especially when an average person is investing over $100.00 in a knife)...

SOG Visionary II

07/09/2011 by Maximo92f

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

Comments:

I bought this knife and two Benchmade Griptillians at the same time. I thought I would like this knife but I am a huge Benchmade fan so I gave them all a try. After weeks of back and forth I finally settled on the Visionary II as my EDC knife. The black coating SOG uses is superior to Benchmades, showing few marks under medium use. I settled with this knife over the two Griptillians for a few other reasons. It is thinner and sits deeper in the pocket, it is lighter ( by just a hair ) the blade opens as fast as an open assist blade and has a very refined feel when the blade is pushed out. The black coating in conjunction with the rust resistant VG-10 steel make this blade highly resistant to rust therefore very low maintenance. The lock up is nice and tight and from all accounts the Arc Lock is tremendously strong, very similar to Benchmades Axis lock ( These two locking systems are why I basically only buy SOG or Benchmade now). The handle is made of a Zytel type plastic with very thin liners and after two months of daily use including being dropped the handle shows no scratches or scuffs. One of my initial concerns was the handle, being thin and with few contours I was worried about it would feel in my large hand. IMO the Griptillian is more comfortable in the hand, and would be a better hard use knife, I found the Visionary II's grip to be surprisingly comfortable and very adequate for light to med EDC use. The VG-10 blade holds and edge very well and the curved blade is a cutting beast but is slightly more difficult to sharpen than a plain straight edge knife.

The drawbacks are, a slight, very slight, side to side wiggle in the blade during lockup, typical with a folder this thin, but not enough to cause any kind of concern. Another drawback is the position of the lanyard whole. With the bayonet style clip SOG uses there really is no alternative. I almost always use a lanyard and with SOG knives it can bind slightly when you try to clip the knife all the way down onto the pocket rim.

All in all the knife is a really great overall EDC knife, not really made for day in day out hard use but is more than worthy of getting you out of the occasional tough bind you might find yourself in. Very thin, very light weight, durable and has a tremendously refined feel in its action.

Highly recommended.

Kershaw Clash

07/08/2011 by Gallows

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

Comments:

I owned this knife for about 4 months now and I will start by saying that I am satisfied with it's performance. Sadly, I was forced to return this knife twice before I was able to find one that did not have one minor flaw - the very tip of the knife jutted out when it was folded. I could have easily ignored this, however, I've learned by experience not to ignore this minor detail. If the tip were to get caught in the fabric of your pocket it could be forced open and that would result in serious injuries. Mind you the first two Kershaw Clash that I bought had this flaw. Two thumbs up to Mr. Onion for the blade design - it a perfect drop point design for cutting. Right out of the box the edge was sharp enough to shave hairs off my arm. The liner lock appears sturdy yet susceptible to wear and tear. The handle does have some light traction yet fails when hands or wet/sweaty. When it comes to ergonomics I find that it is a little to squared when it comes to the handle. On the backside of the blade there is some minor jimping that I found to be of no real use. Despite all this, I found the knife to be versatile and useful for EDC. If you are in need of a knife for a fair price I do recommend the Kershaw Clash.

Al Mar Mini SERE 2000

07/07/2011 by Allan

-Price Paid: $178.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

Beautifully finished, breathtakingly sharp VG10 blade,, fits nicely in my average hands, smooth one-hand opening, a really confidence-inspiring liner lock, grippy G10 scales. Just about perfect in every respect. Color me hugely impressed and very satisfied.

Leatherman Surge

07/07/2011 by marvin gilley

-Price Paid: $81.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

heavy but tough and the changable file and saw (and bits) leaves no fear of damaging beyond repair like most multitools

bought on amazon