SOG Flash II

06/15/2011 by Lloyd

-Price Paid: $78.00
-Used for Self Defense
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

The Flash II I'm rating so well is the more expensive aluminum handled version. The workmanship and finish is very fine, even in small details. The assisted opening, on this one at least, is slightly faster than the zytel-handled version. Closing is also quieter.

Blade lockup is bank vault, and the arclock is perfect. It is heavier than the zytel version ( 4.1 vs 3.0 ounces). The aluminum-handled Flash is definitely strong enough for tactical use. Not so sure about the zytel. I prefer the lighter, cheaper Flash for daily work where I could have nasty cutting chores or loss of knife. I carry the aluminum version in the evenings. Last point: the aluminum version opens with a loud, very authoritative thwack! because of the acoustic response of the aluminum handle.

Lone Wolf Ridge Top

06/12/2011 by JW

-Price Paid: $38.00
-Used for Other
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

Not sure where Benchmade was going with this one, I bought it from an online dealer who's photo was similar to the other vendors except they all left the part out of the photo that stood out like a sore thumb on the blade...the word "CHINA". I had to laugh when the blade also said it was a Limited Edition #3XX of 500. I'll most likely use this one on sprinkler repair jobs.

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Benchmade 140 Nimravus

06/12/2011 by Tyler

-Price Paid: $140.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

The blade coating wears very easy and when I sent it back I got a unsharpened blade back. Other than that amazing overall knife.

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Kershaw Skyline

06/11/2011 by Kyle

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

I recently traded by Gerber Evo for this knife, I only wanted It then because it had a good texture and sounded great, but after using it this is what I thought.

The positives

Easy to sharpen

Strong

Doesn't slip when wet

Bigger than it looks

Great finger protection

Adjustable pocket clip

Fast flipper

Inexpensive

The negatives

Useless thumb studs

I have to say that this is a knife is a tank, it does anything I ask it to easily. The only thing I didn't list was the liner lock, it looks very strong to me but I haven't put it thought to much heavy work yet. Love this knife buy it.

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Spyderco Dragonfly

06/07/2011 by Jon G.

-Price Paid: $40.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

The Spyderco Dragonfly has a blade length of 2-1/4 inches, a cutting edge of 1-7/8 inches, an overall length of 5-1/2 inches, and weighs in at 2.0 ounces for the G-10 handle version, and 1.2 ounces for the FRN handle version. The blade steel is fully-flat ground VG-10, available in plain and fully-serrated edges. Additionally, in 2011, a version of the Dragonfly was made available with fully rust-proof H-1 steel. There is also a stainless steel handle version of the Dragonfly, but I have not been able to handle it, so I will not speak to that variant in this review.

The Dragonfly has a thin blade profile and an ever-so-slight curve/belly which makes this blade an awesome and versatile slicer, and the edge geometry (grinding of the secondary bevel) is extremely even and crazy sharp, like nearly all Seki City Spydercos I have encountered. The edge itself is ground at about 30 degrees inclusive (both sides), and only needed a few swipes across my sharpmaker's fine rods after a long day of cardboard box cutting to bring it back to hair-popping sharpness. The tip is extremely sharp and pointy, which increases the knife's usefulness in tasks like digging out splinters and executing other fine-grained, detailed cutting tasks, but will break off if you attempt any kind of prying with the blade.

Opening the Dragonfly is an absolute breeze. Like almost all Spyderco knives, there is a round deployment hole bored out of top of the blade. To open the knife, you hold the knife in your dominant hand, put the pad of your thumb into the hole, and rotate your thumb clockwise until the knife locks open. I've heard of people "flicking" open their Spyderco knives, but I just don't understand why, when you can smoothly and swiftly bring the knife out with the deployment hole. It's reliable, super-easy, and fool-proof, especially on this form-factor of knives. On larger blades like the Endura, I can see where the deployment hole might be difficult to use for people with small hands (like myself). Conversely, the Dragonfly might be difficult to use if you have king-sized mitts.

Like many Spyderco knives, the Dragonfly uses a lockback mechanism to secure the blade in the open position during use. There was absolutely no wiggle in any direction on either of the knives I examined, except during heavy cutting tasks (cutting into a large block of cheese), when I noticed the slightest amount of vertical "give" in the blade. Further research has confirmed that this is normal, inherent to the lockback design, and is not a liability or failing of the knife in any way.

Currently, the Dragonfly is available in three different handle materials: FRN (fiberglass reinforced nylon) with a wire pocket clip, textured G-10 and steel liners with a wire pocket clip, and stainless steel with a traditional metal pocket clip. Of these, I own an example in FRN, and have given a G-10 version to my girlfriend. The FRN has the same aggressively-molded texturing of the most recent iterations of the Delica and Endura, and as a result locks into one's hands well. Additionally, the texturing is designed to be useful both in-hand and when pulling the knife out of one's pocket. The G-10 model is finely textured, one step above the Tenacious-line's G-10 in terms of grippiness and overall quality.

In hand, the knife is extremely comfortable to use, and feels very much like a larger knife, being easy to handle and control despite its small size. The jimped choil allows one to safely "choke up" on the blade for increased control, and facilitates getting all five fingers around the knife. It's easy to forget you're using a roughly two-inch blade. By comparison, the Kershaw Scallion (same blade length and similar overall length) is much more difficult FOR ME to maintain positive control over the blade due to the smaller handle size and overall form factor.

In pocket, it's easy to forget you're even carrying this knife (which is a good thing). Closed, the Dragonfly is a bit wider than competing knives in this size range, but it's not to the point that it becomes a nuisance. The wire pocket clip may look dinky at first glance, but does an outstanding job of securely retaining the knife in-pocket until you pull it out. I've gone on day-long bicycle rides with the Dragonfly clipped to my pocket, and it's held on tight the whole way. Additionally, the wire clip facilitates a very low carry profile. It's not invisible, as you can still see just under 1/2 inch of the handle protruding when the knife is clipped to a pants pocket, but this makes getting a grip on the knife and pulling it out easier. For this small of a knife, if the wire clip were a "low-rider", I think it'd be very difficult to draw the knife efficiently. The G-10 version does "stick" to the pocket more than the FRN when clipped, but it is not terribly abrasive.

For discreet urban carry, the Dragonfly is hard to beat. The small blade length makes the knife unassuming around non-knife people, and has garnered reactions of "How cute!" from people who recoil at the sight of my Benchmade 943 and Kershaw Blur. I've found that for ~90% of my cutting tasks, the Dragonfly's 2-1/4" blade length is just fine. However, make no mistake: this is a small knife. If you like the security of a 3+ inch blade, look to the Spyderco Delica, Stretch, and Endura. But for a compact, effective cutting tool that you'll have on you every day, I can't recommend the Dragonfly enough.

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Kershaw Needs Work

06/03/2011 by george knowles

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Self Defense
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

After buying this knife originally for utility purposes, I had an epiphany. With a sharper point, this would make a great self defense knife. I then carefully ground the back of the blade in a straight line from the tip, to the top of the thumb rest. The result is a triangular blade that resembles a three inch X-acto kinife. The extreme hollow grind gives the blade a razor like edge, and with the modified grind, a needle sharp point. With tip down carry, and a flipper action, this knife opens faster than anything out there. The handle is contoured for a non-slip grip which is neccessary for defense purposes. The only gripe I have is that the handle is too thick for EDC and the clip position shows off too much handle when carried in the pocket. Overall, a sturdy knife with very good ergonomics, and a great value.

Gerber Epic

06/02/2011 by B yond

-Price Paid: $30.00
-Used for Light Duty/General
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

I bought this knife for home, garden, and workshop chores, and I think it will fit that role nicely. The construction of the knife feels solid. The sheepsfoot blade will be a workhorse that can handle most of the jobs I'm likely to have for it. The partial serration will be good for ripping and cutting stubborn materials while the fine edge will be good for slicing, carving, and more precise cuts.

The full tang construction is both a pro and a con, in that it adds strength but also weight, not that I'd call this knife heavy by any stretch of the imagination. The nylon scales do feel like plastic, as does the sheath, but that's mostly because of how lightweight they are. I have big hands, and would prefer the scales a little thicker, but they'll work fine the way they are and will be perfect for most people.

I've read a lot of complaints about the sheath. One that has merit is that the blade must be seated in the sheath just right for the locking mechanism to work. If you pay attention this shouldn't be much of a problem. There is an audible and felt click when the blade is seated properly.

The complaints about the clip on the sheath are unwarranted. This sheath is designed to lock onto the knife, and must be pushed off with the thumb to draw the knife. If you simply clip the sheath on your belt and try to pull the knife out, the sheath will come with it as the clip is not strong enough to overcome the locking mechanism of the sheath. This is not a design flaw. I actually like it this way because it makes it easy to remove the knife and sheath to use the bottle opener (trying to use that without the blade locked into the sheath could get messy, especially after a few beers).

There is a drainage hole in the sheath, which is a smart move by Gerber. The shape of the knife allows for an aggressive grip giving a lot of control over the blade. The bottle opener could also be a good point for attaching a cord or carabiner.

I give it a 4 out of 5, dinging it one star because you do have to put the blade in the sheath at just the right angle to get the locking mechanism to work. Other than that I think it's a great tool for light chores.

Emerson Knives Commander

06/02/2011 by bo

-Price Paid: $138.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

i bought my first Emerson, a Mini Commander SF, from a reputable on-line dealer. I intended to EDC it, but after ten minutes with this one, I googled "Emerson quality issues" and found myself here. Normally I wouldn't take the time to review a knife, but am so irritated by how abysmally bad this thing is I feel I have to.

All I can say is: "What a disappointment."

Where do I start?

First, the build quality is pathetic. My 30 dollar Walmart blister pack Kershaw is finished -so- much better than this hunk of junk. It's bloody awful. Here's a list of my issues:

- The scales don't lie flush to the liner on the back of the non-locking side.

- The liner's perimeter is practically unfinished - file or tooling marks ALL THE WAY AROUND the edges of both liners.

- The edges of the liners and scales are not flush in multiple places, and this isn't "catch a fingernail" uneven, it's better than a two millimeters at the front/bolster area.

- The blade's not centered (and by not centered, i mean it's off by 20%).

- The thumb wheel is not perpendicular to the blade. Not perpendicular meaning canted at > 15 degrees.

- The knife's sharp, but when whomever put this together and stropped the back of the blade to remove the burr, they were drunk or high, it's so wavy and uneven as to be comical.

- The inner surface of the "Wave" on the blade looks like a 5 year old with a file hacked at it. So does the back of the "Wave". I wish I could attach pictures.

- The jimping on the thumb ramp at the back of the blade is not even and has an unfinished appearance.

- When open, the jimping on the thumb ramp and the liners aren't even close to matching.

What a bitter pill this is to swallow, the much-ballyhoo'ed and vaunted Emerson is junk straight out of the box!

The ONE good thing I can immediately say about this is that the re-curve grind is BEAUTIFULLY executed and the only reason I'm willing to give this a chance - otherwise,, it's -so- bad that I'm wondering if I got a fake? The dealer I purchased this from is a well known entity whose anonymity I'm protecting (as build quality isn't their problem), so I can't imagine that's it.

Literally 5 minutes into looking at it and I was thinking to myself "what the heck is this"???!!!??? C'mon, boys and girls, a knife that retails for $195 should NEVER have as many quality issues as this one does.

I'm not expecting Sebenza here, just be as good as a 30 dollar Walmart Kershaw. The Emerson Mini Commander I received IS NOT.

I'm sending it back to Emerson and asking for a do-over, hopefully they take care of it and earn a customer by providing a knife worthy of the Emerson name.

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Byrd by Spyderco Cara Cara 2

06/02/2011 by Ed

-Price Paid: $29.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

What an outstanding knife! I own an Endura 4 and I truly favor the Cara Cara 2 G10 over it. Its ergo's feel great! With the CC2 (unlike the Endura), you have an additional handling option to choke up on the extra provided index finger groove, on the base of the blade. This groove allows finer handling for more detailed cutting & some safety for your fingers, when closing. The handle's ergonomics are awesome. However you hold it (fwd, reverse or choked up on the extra groove), all fingers are provided a comfortable place on the handle. The G10 handle provides a comfortable grip, similar to Byrd's Tenacious. The Tenacious is great, but the CC2 is more slender in grip width, giving it a tighter grasp & takes up less space in your pocket. The extra bottom groove by the blade and the thumb rest on top have decent jimping, offering a great feel for grip. The blade cuts like a laser, comes razor sharp. Nice polish and the edge is beautiful. Don't under estimate 8Cr13MoV! This steel is unbelievably sharp & much easier to sharpen, than other higher quality steels. For the size of this knife (overall: 8.5", closed: 4.75", blade: 3.75", edge: 3.19", weight: 4.25 oz) I've found the weight to be adequate. Thumbhole, lock-back indent and pocket clip(positional 4 way)were all greatly considered for ease of use and comfort. An excellent EDC (every day carry) & Defensive knife!

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Kershaw Blitz

05/31/2011 by george knowels

-Price Paid: $26.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 1 year

Comments:

This knife is an extremely good value. It is built well with no defects and is very sturdy. It seems like it should cost three times the price. An indicator of quality is that the liners inside the handle are nicely skeletonized for light weight. The handle is G-10 and has a non-slip textured surface. The shape is good for grip as well and is very comfortable in the hand. The razor sharp blade has a good shape and size for most cutting jobs. If the blade were to be made of a better steel like vg-10, I would have given it all 10's in the ratings. Still, for the quality of knife for such a low price, I highly recomend getting this one for your collection.

Gerber Steadfast

05/31/2011 by KA-BAR

-Price Paid: $55.00
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

This is an amazing knife! I picked mine up at Cabela's for $55 but I have seen them on Amazon for around $30. The blade is "6 long and weighs approx. 11.7 oz. The sheath is made of kydex and balistic nylon. The sheath is in a rectangular shape making it ambadextrious. It has a cord with basic clip for attaching around the thigh or chest.

The blade is made of a high-carbon 440A steel. It is very flat. It is full tang and 0.220 inches thick. The handle is made of a soft ballistic gel and has two deep finger grooves not ideal for large hands. Pick this blade up at the first chance you get!

Gerber Fast Draw

05/30/2011 by B yond

-Price Paid: $50.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

This is my every-day pocket knife and has been for almost 2 years (wow that went fast). I've sharpened it once, and it has always performed as expected.

It is lightweight, easy to open and close one-handed, quick to open, and rides deep in the pocket due to the design of the pocket clip, keeping it mostly out of sight.

No complaints, and highly recommended to anyone looking for a good every-day knife.

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