Boker Rhino

07/26/2010 by Travis

-Price Paid: $35.00
-Used for Light Duty/General
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

Wow what a great knife.

The ergos are amazing.

The shape of the blade is very nice looking and helpful.

Handle look very well done and fits had perfect.

Kydex sheath is a very nice touch.

Holes cut out to fit tech lock in sheath.

Very nice quality coming out of china.

Pick one up if you can find them in stock.

Cold Steel Recon 1

07/25/2010 by wayne

-Price Paid: $70.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 1 year

Comments:

Recon 1

You do not know what you are getting with this knife and many of the CS knives.

I bought a Recon 1 several years ago, it had Carbon V steel and was a good knife.

I sold it and later decided I wanted another knife.

They are no longer made in Carbon V, but switched to AUS-8 steel, then switched to 440A steel (bait & switch)

The knife went from a "decent" slicer to a substandard knife, however, the name stayed the same and the price stayed the same, but quality hit bottom.

Cold Steel "used to" be my "go to" knife company, however, seems most, if not ALL their knives are "Bait & Switch" knives, meaning, they hit the market with good steel, advertised with good steel, then, without notice, the steel as well as many other options are removed and you are led to believe you are buying the knife "you heard about", whether advertisment or forums and wind up with a new "Junker Knife".

I no longer trust CS as you do not know what you will be getting from day to day.

If you can get an early Carbon V version, they are good, but stay away from all the newer Cheap Versions.

---

---

---

Heckler and Koch 14205 Snody Axis

07/22/2010 by Spidey

-Price Paid: $112.00
-Used for Self Defense
-Owned for 1 year

Comments:

Well balanced, great ergo, solid build quality excellent knife for edc and all purpose knife smooth opening and looks great everyone who likes HK or Benchmade should have this knife

Kershaw Shallot

07/13/2010 by Ubu Walker

-Price Paid: $70.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 1 year

Comments:

Overall, the Kershaw Shallot is an above average everyday carry knife that performs light cutting chores very well. The Shallot is a spring assisted modified drop point plain recurved blade design. The pocket clip is reversible and there is a lanyard hole.

It comes in a variety of different steels that will please hardcore knife enthusiasts. I own the 1840CBZDP model that has a 14C28N backbone and ZDP-189 edge. There is a very cool looking wavy line where the two metals have been bonded together. The ZDP steel sharpens easily on a diamond sharpener. Sadly, it also stains and discolors very easily...but can be corrected with polishing.

On the plus side, the Shallot is thin, slim, sharp, and will slip invisibly into your pocket. Great for desk monkeys who can't carry a full size knife.

I've used it to cut up salad at work, whittle wood, butcher a rack of lamb into chops, split raw chicken and duck into halves and quarters, gut trout. It cuts through rope, webbing, cardboard and plastic like butter, although thicker materials might require two swipes. I've taken very thin layers of skin off my palm and thumb accidentally, without noticing until hours later. This is one sharp knife.

The grip does not slip when wet since there is a groove which keeps your hand from slipping onto the blade.

However, heavier prying and cutting chores are beyond the scope of this knife. The knife tip is fragile. Mine bent/chipped slightly when doing some prying, but i was able to sharpen it back into shape. That makes this a decent camp knife, but it isn't a survival knife by any means.

Sadly, there is no tip safety on the spring assist portion of the knife like other Kershaws. I've had it open on me twice in my pocket, but since I carry it downwards, it only opened partially and without much force. You need to exercise caution while carrying.

I'd also recommend keeping a star screwdriver (torx) available to adjust the assisted opening spring tension. After moderate use, the knife blade becomes wobbly, which is easily fixed with a turn of a screwdriver.

A related issue is that the frame lock will not always engage if the tension screw is not tight enough. This flaw makes the knife dangerous to use on occasion. I've also had the reverse problem when gripping the knife tightly, where the frame lock will get stuck and require a lot of pressure to disengage.

Another annoying design flaw is that if you reverse the clip, a small black metal part of the spring assist device shows, ruining part of the knifes sleekness of appearance.

In conclusion, this is a great ergonomic EDC knife with some flaws.

Leatherman Wave

07/12/2010 by PsychoHillbilly

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

Comments:

I've carried this for over five years. I had owned Gerber tools before and broke 2 of them.

I figured it was time to try the original and best. I have not been disappointed.

The Wave is heavy and stout. The locking blades are accessible without having to open the pliers (NICE). The inside tools don't lock but I don't find to be a deal breaker. I would much rather have this than the Gerbers I owned that had locking tools but were dangerous because they BROKE just using the screwdriver blades.

Bottom line is the quality is there in a Leatherman. You pay a little more but you do get value for the $ spent.

Victorinox Farmer

07/11/2010 by Jeff

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

Comments:

I bought this knife for edc and general tasks. It includes a stainless steel main blade. Large flat blade screw driver/bottle opener and wire cutter. Small flat blade screwdriver/can opener. A awl with one sharp edge and a separate saw blade. It also includes a small keychain/lanyard ring. I only wish it included a pocket clip. Although I have seen some that have had this modification added. This is a very well made knife like most Victorinox knives that will hold up well in everyday use.

KaBar Becker Combat Bowie

07/11/2010 by PsychoHillbilly

-Price Paid: $75.00
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

What's not to love about the Combat Bowie? OK besides the cheezy sheath it comes in anyway.

Huge blade, great steel, holds an edge, easy to sharpen.

This baby chops like a machete but still can do lighter work also.

I was afraid I would not like the large smooth handle as I have small hands and have liked soft grippy stuff like kraton in the past. Turns out the folks who say they like this type of handle better for lots of chopping and other heavy work were right in my opinion. No worry of blisters from hard use, and the shape of the handle makes up for the lack of "sticky", it's not going anywhere.

Another advantage this one has is that if you don't like the slabs that come on it they are held to the knife with threaded fasteners not permanently pinned on as is the case with many similar knives. Easily changed and micarta is now available from KaBar, make your own, whatever. Experiment and switch back if you wish.

If you really want a blade this size you can't go wrong with the Becker. The sheath is not the greatest but for the price nobody can touch BK&T.

Benchmade 585 Mini Barrage

07/11/2010 by PsychoHillbilly

-Price Paid: $119.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

Love this knife. Perfect size for EDC. Love the assist and the Axis system. Good steel and a great design.

G10 or micarta would be nicer for the money and the scales on it do detract somewhat from the otherwise excellent overall build quality and feel of this knife.

This was my first (but won't be the last) Benchmade.

---

Kershaw Needs Work

07/11/2010 by THG

-Price Paid: $22.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

This knife is one great value. I got mine for $21.50. Can't beat that for a USA-made knife.

Let's start with the ergonomics. I've never held a more comfortable knife. The handle is beefy and has properly placed finger grooves. The clip's tip is even angled such that the hand barely contacts it when gripping so that it doesn't dig into the hand. The handle is so good that the weak jimping on the blade doesn't matter; it wouldn't add much anyway.

The AO is wicked fast. It's activated by the flipper only, and it comes out with authority.

The blade is of 13C26 steel (you can get the 14C28N version which has a G10 handle.) This stuff works for me. The blade is hollow saber ground, and the edge is extremely thin making it an exceptional slicer. It's even thinner than the FFG Delica. The wharncliffe makes it good for cutting boxes (the material doesn't tend to slide off the blade like it might at the belly of a drop point, for example.)

I can only think of a couple flaws:

1. The clip, due to its shape, makes it somewhat difficult to attach to the pocket.

2. The jimping sucks, but like I said, it wouldn't add much anyway because the handle is so good.

3. I'm assuming the blade is supposed to be a wharncliffe (completely straight edge), but mine is only completely straight for about 80% of the edge, and then the 20% toward the tip has a slight bit of curvature.

For the $21.50 I paid, this is one excellent knife.

Spyderco Delica FFG

07/11/2010 by THG

-Price Paid: $45.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

I'm sure you all know all about the Delica, so I'm going to make this a FFG vs. saber grind review.

The FFG blade cuts MUCH, much better than the saber grind. It is on the list of thinner blades in Spyderco's lineup at 2.5mm, and the FFG makes it VERY thin at the edge (as well as the tip.) I don't think Spyderco has a better slicer.

Also, it seems that the blade continues cutting longer than the saber ground version due to the thinner blade profile.

The greatest strength of the FFG Delica is also its weakness: thinness. The tip is so incredibly thin that it's very flexible. Don't ever pry with it, or it might snap off.

Other than that, I think this is an excellent knife. The only reason I gave it an 8 on the build quality (some flaws, good performance) is because I bought 2 of these, and both of them have ridiculously off-centered blades.

---

Kershaw Junkyard Dog

07/11/2010 by THG

-Price Paid: $25.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

I've had this knife for a little over a week now, and I've been carrying it exclusively ever since. The seemed a bit small at first, as I had been used to seeing its bigger brother, the JYD II. It feels excellent in the hand. My only complaint about the ergos is that the thumb ditch sweeps a little bit too high at the end which can cause it to dig into the thumb during use. Other than that, it's top notch. The drilled rivet design pattern is a very nice touch, too; I like it a lot.

The clip design is interesting. It looks like a flame or a bolt of lightning. At first I didn't like it, but it works well. It attaches and detaches from the pocket easily.

The fit and finish are excellent. The only thing keeping it from being perfect is that the blade is very slightly off center.

The steel is great. 13C26 works well for me. It takes an extremely fine edge, holds it long enough (at least as long as VG-10 in my week of experience), and sharpens easily. I love the grind, as well. It's a flat saber grind, and it cuts very well. By design, of course, it doesn't have a super pointy tip.

There is no thumbstud. The JYD is deployed using the flipper which is simple enough to use.

I paid $24.99 for this at a local store on sale. They're going for the same price no Knifeworks right now (plus shipping), so I suggest you pick one up before they're all gone! This design has inspired me to pick up its older brother, which I plan to do later this week.

SOG Twitch II

07/11/2010 by Travis

-Price Paid: $20.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

Bought used new in box off knifeforums

This knife is a very nice dress up knife.

Assisted Flipper action is fast and solid.

Titanium coating on handle makes it look very sleek and expensive. Also help grip a little.

Very nice blade shape for EDC. Not scary looking. Aus 8 steel sharpens easy and hold nice edge.

The lock up is what sets this knife apart from others. Its a lock back/flipper with assist to boot.

This makes a for very solid and safe lock up.

Clip is nice and solid but not as deep as say a SOG Flash

---