KaBar Fighting Utility

02/28/2011 by Joe

-Price Paid: $50.00
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

This is a great knife. Made in the USA so you know it's supporting jobs in this country and you know it's a HIGH QUALITY product. I spoent $50 on mine and would have spent more knowing what I do know about it. It's strong, it's balanced and its good looking.

Gerber STL

02/23/2011 by Oliver

-Price Paid: $16.00
-Used for Light Duty/General
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

I got this knife a few years back as a lightweight everyday knife for easy tasks. I moved away from this knife as larger, flashier options presented themselves, but recently I have come to appreciate this little handyman again.

The 2.1 inch blade locks up tightly and has not worn loose on me. It holds an edge well and is suited for light tasks such as opening packages and cutting through the endless miles of plastic straps and shrink wrap that infested my old job site.

The black finish is tough, although some of the chemicals in either super glue or super glue solvent will mar the finish (don't ask me how I know this). The whole knife is rather solidly built and the fit and finish are excellent.

The whole package is really flat, which feels good in the pocket but somewhat lacking in the hand. That is a shortfall of knives in this size range, and I did not mark it down on ergonomics much because there is nothing really wrong with the handle design. It's just a really small knife.

One handed opening is possible, but not that easy due to the small size.

Overall, I think most people would be better served with a larger knife. However given the size constraints, I think the STL is a well made, durable, effective knife. The size of this knife makes it easy to carry wherever you choose, and you will never be without a blade capable of tackling most of your urban, everyday chores. The low price is not a bad thing either. I would definitely recommend this knife. In fact, I might just go get another.

Condor Rodan

02/23/2011 by Keith Tomes

-Price Paid: $25.00
-Used for Light Duty/General
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

The rodan is a budget version of a Becker Companion. It is kind of bulky with a handle like a baseball bat. I like the Condor for the most part, but am disappointed overall in this knife.

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KaBar Mule Folder

02/23/2011 by Keith Tomes

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

Comments:

I bought the mule folder in desert tan to complement my desert tan partially serrated Ka Bar fixed blade. The knife is solid as a rock. It embodies every facet of the Ka Bar brand. It is a plain edge with an awesome sheath. It locks up like a charm with no hint of mechanical failure. Will buy another in the future in a different color to complement my other Ka Bars.

Spyderco Manix 2

02/22/2011 by Ty

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Other
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

To the point, the Manix II is a decent offering from Spyderco, it has excellent handling characteristics, a decent level of build quality for the money spent and so on.

However, it comes with warts, this knife is rated as hard use, the lock is also rated as hard use, but you'd be a fool to use this blade for much beyond show & tell.

The tip is far to fragile, in fact its paper thin, I saw a review on the Spyderco forum, in which the blade had been thrust into a phone book, I promise you, the tip will stay behind, if you attempt such shennanigans of your own.

Also, while the lock up is solid, there is side to side play of the blade, something I despise in a folding knife. While the ball bearing works well at preventing slipping, it is quite weak back and forth, enough so that I see little difficulty in it failing at any prying task....

I think Spyderco does a diservice by hawking this as a hard use knife, honestly, it's a deception that is really a lie....

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KaBar TDI Law Enforcement

02/22/2011 by rwasham

-Price Paid: $32.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

The TDI has many proponents within the Law enforcement and ccdw communities. I do not carry a gun on a daily basis, yet, but I still love carrying the knife and use it for more than just self defense. The knife lends itself well to many edc tasks. For me the ergos on this knife extremely comfortable. The knife fits my hand and stays there with no noticable hot spots. I really enjoy the canted axis of the knife. This feature puts the blade in a much more natural position for cuting tasks. The knife came shaving sharp out of the box and so far has not been touched up. Another good feature of this particular knife is it's sheath. With the provided clip the sheath and knife ride close to my body but are not overly irritating. The retention is good but not overly tight. I like this because it allows for fast deployment of the knife. One complaint I have is that the screws to hold the knife handles on seem small and cheap. They also mirror the screws for the sheath clip assembly which also seem on the small lightweight side. Along these same lines the clip itself seems like it's made of less than stellar materials. Only time will tell how the whole thing will hold up, but for now I like it just fine and it stays on my belt almost every day.

Kershaw Skyline

02/20/2011 by Steven

-Price Paid: $10.00
-Used for Light Duty/General
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

This knife is a great little guy to have around. i think that to say that it cuts would be an understatement. it slices. it takes an amazing edge, and keeps it for a while. it is extremely thin, and is almost unnoticeable thanks to the tiny clip. the only problem with it being this this is that the liner is thin enough to scare me away from using for heavy tasks. it fires quickly, and feels decent. it is a bit angular, but that is acceptable. Buy the knife. even if it only rides with you when you need something thin but long, it is totally worth it.

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Kershaw Blur

02/20/2011 by Steven

-Price Paid: $50.00
-Used for Light Duty/General
-Owned for 1 year

Comments:

This is a great knife. I was fortunate enough to get a hold of one of the S60V blems, and it has served me well. It is solid, pretty, and very nice and grippy. The s60v takes a nice edge, and will hold it for a long time. My only gripe with the ergos is that there is no finger stop, but this is minor. The clip is nice, the knife is very slim, and is generally very well executed. The thumbstuds are excellent. the speedsafe puts the knife out very quickly, and is very easy to replace, thanks to kershaw's exceptional customer service. Buy the knife. You will love it.

Zero Tolerance 0200

02/20/2011 by Steven

-Price Paid: $85.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

I have lately become the proud owner of a ZT 0200. this knife has become my carry for every time that i go out of the house. I have not beat it too a pulp, but the 154CM holds an edge very well. The only flaw was the reason that it was a blem, so I will not complain. Even that was a chip in the paint. my only real gripe is that the pocket clip, when moved for right hand, tip up carry kinda messed up the absolutely amazing ergos. I can not recommend this knife enough. it rides really nice and thin in the pocket, for a folder of the size. The blade is nice and chunky, and we all know that chunkier is better ;). When it is flicked open, it puts a car door to shame. How many knives use a 3/8 inch bolt for a pivot? my only gripe is that the edge is pretty thick, so it is by no means a slicer. If you need an edc for any eventuality, then pick one up.

Kershaw Rake

02/19/2011 by Jim

-Price Paid: $59.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

Like everything else that's USA made by Kershaw, the Rake is another well built, solid, and dependable knife. The composite blade, with cpm D-2 holds an incredible edge even after some rough use.

The fit and finish of the Rake is great. The blade just about perfectly centered when closed and locks up solid when open, with absolutely no blade play. One of the big pluses for me with the Rake is the large belly of the blade, which gives a lot of leverage while cutting.

The only minor negative for me is that the Rake is assisted opening, which I'd just as soon do without.

Cold Steel Finn Bear

02/19/2011 by Del

-Price Paid: $14.00
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

This is a very nice utility or camp knife. It has a four inch stainless steel blade which was quite sharp right out of the box. The handle is some type of black, high impact plastic with a cross section that is like a shaped liked an ice cream cone. It has small ridges which give a good grip and it is comfortable to hold in my hand. The stainless blade and plastic handle combination probably make it a good tackle box knife. The knife is light weight, probably only three ounces or so. It feels very sturdy and I've used it for basic camp tasks and food prep without any trouble. The sheath isn't much, just a simple nylon pouch with a small belt loop, but it's functional. It holds the entire knife to about three quarters of the handle.

For the price, this is a great little knife. I'm considering getting another one to keep in the glove box in my car.

Emerson Knives Commander

02/18/2011 by jake1

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Light Duty/General
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

I was very let down when I received this knife. very poor quality as far as blade play and the edge was a joke. I don't know how it got out of the factory like this. The edge was not sharp at all. The pocket clip is of poor material, it bent on my Winter coat... I don't understand how they can promote such a knife as "battle proven" when it is pure junk at best. I feel like leaving it at Emersons door step. Better yet it might make a good weight for surf fishing. Yea thats it...