Ontario SP13 Tanto 8

02/04/2011 by Fivefold

-Price Paid: $40.00
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

I have had the Ontario Tanto for many years now - really can't remember how long, but it's over 10. Anyway, I have literally beaten the living daylights out of this blade and it has never failed me. Everything from fuzz sticks to batoning hardwood it does extremely well. The blade takes and holds a good edge, but isn't in the same category as infi or some of the newer steels. I really like the kraton handle, especially when splitting campfire wood and such. It really takes a lot of the impact away from your hands compared to wood, micarta, or the like. The sheath I have is a combination of nylon and leather, and I consider it one of the better designs out there for a production knife. Overall I would definitely suggest the Ontario SP13 Tanto for anyone looking considering a knife rugged work, camp chores etc. They are a definite bargain, and can be had for as little as $42.00 dollars on the net and will provide you with years of good service.

Fallkniven U2

02/04/2011 by mtwarden

-Price Paid: $65.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

the little U2 only weighs a little over an ounce, but cuts much bigger than it weighs

as others have mentioned- very (very) sharp out of the box, stays that way and when needed, pretty easy to sharpen

I like the slim composite handle and the blade locks solidly

this a great little edc knife- simple, light and sharp

Benchmade 580 Barrage

02/04/2011 by RByers91

-Price Paid: $86.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

Got this knife for a steal! Its an amazing knife, the deployment is crazy fast. The handle was surprisingly grippy for being GTX. Blade steel is great (154cm), which holds a great edge and is easy to sharpen. The blade shape and length are perfect for any cutting task. One of the few Benchmade spring assisted knifes with the axis lock, which is an amazing lock by the way (locks up solid, and closes easily). Not to heavy for edc. Personally has one of my favorite clips on any knife. There really isn't anything bad about this knife except for a few minor things. The blade didn't come extremely sharp from the factory, the tip almost had a round curve to it, but was fixed with a little sharpening, and there was minor blade play, which was also fixed very easily by adjusting the pivot screw. Overall great quality knife. Would recommend it anyone looking for a great quality speed assisted knife.

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Buck Vantage Pro

02/03/2011 by jame

-Price Paid: $63.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

This is one of the few knives I've ever seen and had to own without suggestions or research. The overall build and quality is obvious the minute you pick it up. I do wish is was a frame lock instead of a liner lock, but I I have no bad experience with it as it is.

I will say I was surprised at how hard it is to get such a low riding knife out of the pocket, but this is more due to personal opinion of design, and certainly not a reflection of quality. This is a nice knife.

If you have any doubts about quality, dismiss them and buy one.

Benchmade 530 Pardue

02/03/2011 by rwasham

-Price Paid: $75.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

I bought this knife on a whim because I liked the shape of the blade and wanted to try the idea of a lightweight knife. That being said I like the knife for an edc blade. It is quite lightweight and almost feels flimsy, however, even though it feels very light it seems to be sturdily contructed. My one complaint is that the handles are only half lined with steel which means that the handle is almost too light and has flexed, though not broken, on several occasions.

Cold Steel Voyager Large

02/03/2011 by Noah

-Price Paid: $30.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

I bought a lightly used Cold Steel Large Tanto Voyager about 5 months ago from a bladeforums member. Overall, i felt that the knife was pretty good for the money, I paid about $30 if my memory serves me right. I edc'd it for a while, testing cold steels famed "strongest locks in the world! (just hype in my opinion). The VG-1 was adequate, not nearly as good as many other steels out there, but good for the money. After some use i noticed some chips or rolls in the cutting edge. The steel sharpened up quite easily which was a plus, and seemed to resist rust adequately. Some of the criticisms i had were the lack of useful jimping, and that the aggressive handle scales really shredded your pants pocket. I was able to correct both with a dremel for jimping, and sandpaper to smooth out the scale below the pocket clip. After about 4 and a half months, the knife all of the sudden became extremely hard to open, and made a harsh scraping sound. I tried cleaning it out with many different methods, but had no success. Because the knife has no way to be taken apart. Before this happened, i also began to have some blade play side to side, and no, i never abused the knife in any way. Overall, the knife was good for the price, but there are just too many knives i like so much more.

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Spyderco Terzoula Slipit

02/03/2011 by Noah

-Price Paid: $87.00
-Used for Other
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

I bought Spyderco's Terzoula carbon fiber "slipit" about 6 months ago and have used it lightly since i bought it. I bought it when i was looking for a good knife to wear with my suit, and some of the things that i was looking for were ease on the pants pocket, non- threatening, smaller OAL, and an overall classy look to fit the look of the suit. The terzuola slipit fit these perfectly. The carbon fiber is nicely textured, but wont bite and shred on your suit or pants pocket. The pocket clip is very nice, and holds the knife in well. One thing that I really liked was the very small and subtle leather band lanyard that comes on the knife when you get it. I am usually not a huge fan of lanyards, but i absolutely love the way this specific one looks on this knife. The ball bearings on the knife make one handed opening very difficult, but hold the knife very well both open and closed. The S30V blade is perfectly ground, and cuts through light material like nothing is there. Out of the box, this was one of the sharpest factory knives i have received, and the S30V sharpens up nicely. especially if you want to slightly reprofile the cutting edge and put a mirror finish on it!

Benchmade 556 Mini Griptilian

02/03/2011 by Noah

-Price Paid: $90.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

I bought gpknives.com dealer exclusive mini- griptilian in m390 steel about 5 months ago. This was my first experience with m390 steel, which is a bohler metals super steel. I feel that the steel excelled in all tasks i put it through. Ive been using the knife since i got it, and havnt had to sharpen it yet, so the edge retention excels in my opinion. I have used the knife for a range of tasks from opening packages, to making bamboo spears, and have run into no limitations in the knife. Since i haven't needed to or tried to sharpen the steel, i dont know how easily it sharpens, but i have heard that it sharpens fairly easily. In terms or rust resistance, I live in a very humid area, and have had no sign of rust. The jimping on the spine of the blade is very effective, and combined with the valox handle scales, you can get a great grip, (hence the name), even in wet environments. I think that the size of the knife is great for the days i dont feel like carrying a big knife for edc, or im going somewhere that a large knife would be "intimidating". at a bit over 6" OAL, its great when you want a lightweight knife. I highly recommend the mini- grip as an edc, especially in bohler's m390 steel.

Benchmade 555HG Mini Griptilian

02/03/2011 by rwasham

-Price Paid: $75.00
-Used for Light Duty/General
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

Benchmade has long held an industry standard with the Griptillian knife line. This knife was my first really nice one. Mine is in 440C. I like the blade quite a bit and have used it for close to 6 or 7 years I would guess. The axis lock is incredible and is one of my favorite designs on a folding knife. My only two complaints are that Benchmade charges extroidinarily high prices for what you get, and I feel the opener hole is probably an infringment on spyderco's spyderhole pattern.

KaBar Becker Necker

02/03/2011 by Jiggy

-Price Paid: $32.00
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

A flat ground, drop point blade made from 1095 Cro-Van. The blade measures 3.25" long, with an overall knife length of 6.75". This blade comes with a molded plastic sheath with a small amount of cord.

This neck knife can get a very good edge on it. I personally convexed mine and it's the sharpest knife I own. I've put this little guy through some beatings without a problem. Good knife, good price.

Benchmade 556 Mini Griptilian

02/03/2011 by Jiggy

-Price Paid: $60.00
-Used for Light Duty/General
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

I will be writing about the Benchmade 556 mini griptilian. First, lets look at the specifications. The blade length is 2.91" with the thickness being at .100". The closed length is 3.78" with an overall of 6.78". The 556 weighs in at 2.56 oz. The 556 uses 154CM blade steel hardened to 58-61 HRC. The liners are 420J stainless steel with Valox handle scales with a thickness of .510". This blade comes with the Benchmade Axis lock.

Second, the blade steel is adequate. It gets fairly sharp but does not seem to keep the edge for too long. The modified clip point provides easy penetration if needed. The sweep in the blade is about ideal. This knife opens smooth and fast, easily operated with one hand. This handles valox scales does feel a bit cheap but the handle is comfortable.

Lastly, Let me reiterate. We have adequate blade steel, good point, and sweep. This knife is easily operated, fast, and has good ergonomics but with cheap scales. I feel that his knife is about ideal for a small edc or work knife and is comfortable to carry without notice.

SOG Seal Pup Elite

02/03/2011 by Mike

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

Comments:

Overall, this is a great smaller sized fixed blade. I enjoy the rather odd shape of the blade and even the spine rasping. The hollow grind is deep and beautiful. The satin finish is very soft and appealing as are the grinds on the blade. Came nice and sharp, but had two small nicks in the edge near the tip.

The handle texturing is very well executed, but I feel as though it was designed for a person with smaller hands as the finger grooves don't fit very well in my large hands.

It has a good weight; not too light, not too heavy.

I have the newer style nylon sheath which is very nice with a good variety of mounting options. There is an extra pocket and plastic insert. It is a little stiff.

The steel choice is adequate for this type of knife so no problem there.