Spyderco Military

04/03/2010 by The Gov

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

Disclaimer: My ratings for this knife are based on what I expect from knives in the $100 price point. For example, a $30 knife may receive the same ratings, and it should be a given that those ratings reflect expectations at a 30$ price point.

What makes the Spyderco Military unique is its brilliant design. With a knife at this price point I already expect that "materials" and "fit and finish" will be top notch -and they are. Overall this is one of my favorite folding knives that I have ever used. I use it for EDC and for Outdoor and survival purposes. You have nothing to worry about with quality of build and quality of materials -they are all excellent and competitive with other market offerings. What makes this knife both great and unique is that it was designed to be an extension of the human hand.

Many knives are designed to look neat and catch the eye. Often times these types of knives feel slightly awkward in the human hand, and this is because they have added ergonomic features whose purpose is not to please your hand, but to please your eyes. The Military has what I call "100% biological ergonomics" -it is designed to be an extension of the human body. There is nothing extra added in for looks and this is what makes it a superb knife.

The shape of the handle is comfortable in all utility/ working grips. The forward angle that the blade takes from the handle also aids in cutting performance and ergonomics. The shape of the blade is simple with lots of belly and a very pointy tip.

Again, it is a knife that was built to excel in use and it does this to the T.

Kershaw RAM

04/03/2010 by rwasham

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

Comments:

The R.A.M. is an exceptional knife. Next to the Spyderco native its my favorite edc folder (which fits because theyre about the same size). The R.A.M. is a rediculously smooth folder. The flipper action is so slick it opens as fast or faster than some of my AOs and autos. It came shaving sharp from the factory. With the great kershaw warranty and a fairly low price, you can't beat it.

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Spyderco Native

04/03/2010 by rwasham

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

I tip my hat off again to spyderco! I love this knife. I have a pretty substantial edc rotation but this knife is the one that I always come back to and measure my other knives up to. It's deffinitely not my most expensive knife, but it is my favorite folder to use. After more than a year of use, the lockup is tight. The s30v steel sharpens exceptionally well and I can keep it razor sharp with minimal effort. Also, because its a higher grade steel, this knife holds that razor edge much longer than many other knives I have. The feature that I enjoy the most about this particular knife is the heavy jimping along the spine and the well placed choil. The combination of these two features means it would be pretty hard to lose this little guy. Overall this is a stellar knife, and I would recomend it to any who need a good edc knife.

Kershaw Ener-G

04/03/2010 by freedoom

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

Comments:

I bought the ener-g simply because it was on sale and i wanted a knife with a flipper. The flipper is an exceptionally fun way to open a folder.

fit and finish is excellent. The polish on the blade is fantastic, the g-10 is nice and grippy. the traction inserts are a little too aggressive for the pocket clip making it difficult to remove from the pocket.

blade shape is perfect for general EDC use as is the overall size of the knife.

RAT Cutlery Izula

04/03/2010 by rwasham

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

Comments:

I love the Izula. Ive used mine for everything from jobs in the kitchen to building a shelter and it hasnt let me down yet. Even though the blade is somewhat tiny, this knife can handle the jobs of a much larger knife and does everyting I ask of it. I gave it a nine in ergos because I have large hands and the handle doesnt fit me as well as I would like, but If you wrp it or buy the extra handle that goes with it Im sure this problem would be remedied. I just cant say enough good things about this knife. Overall its probably my favorite fixed blade to date.

Ontario RAT 1

04/01/2010 by Woodsy

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

Comments:

First off let me mention that I am a collector of knives since my scouting days many years ago. Most knives i have are functional. This RAT-1 knife is a very well thought out knife in the tactical area with some overlap to EDC , if weight is not an issue. My RAT-1 was very tight out of the box and I had to play around with the pivot screws to get the opening and closing just right. I feel the materials used are adequate for the design and desired use.With todays high priced folders streaming into the market it is good to see a company meet our needs with a more economical price tag.

Chris Reeve Inyoni

03/28/2010 by Joey V.

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

Comments:

Fantastic knife. Works great in the woods and in the canoe fishing, really does a good job on filleting fish and used it last fall to dress some grouse. Not the best knife for bushcraft or camp use but it will get you by. Fit and finish is exceptional, holds an edge great and even with the serrations it was easy to sharpen on a bench stone. The sheath is top notch, wears easy and holds the knife very well. I bought the knife in spring of '09 from www.mollyssurvival.com and was very happy with their service and the knife is a pleasure to own. No longer do I need to bring multiple knives when fishing this baby does it all. Great knife all around and comfortable in hand even during extended use.

Spyderco Leafstorm

03/25/2010 by Chris

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

Comments:

A really neat design by Kevin Wilkins. Its a good sized knife for everyday carry. A short but robust blade made of s30v steel, scales made of natural G10 (translucent green) and a titanium scale lock. Some are put off by the style of ergonomics, namely the lack of a finger choil adjacent to the blade but the knife seems to have garnered a cult following.

SOG Fusion Salute

03/24/2010 by Richard

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Light Duty/General
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

This knife has really exceeded all of my expectations. I am a bit of an expert on budget knives because I'm poor, and so I really standardize my expectations of the "import" lines of major knife companies according to they Spyderco Byrd series and the Benchmade Red Class. This knife has really blown them out of the water. Now I am no SOG lover, if you look at my review of the SOG Vulcan on this site, I was critical enough. But this knife is really something

So first off, the blade, about 3.6 inches (but I feel like it might be a bit longer) of bead blasted 8CR13MoV. Pretty standard in imported knives, according to some it is comparable to AUS8, but I feel that it is just a touch short of the same edge retention. Seems to be better at being rust resistant though. Pretty easy to get a very sharp edge, and cheap enough that you feel very comfortable beating it up. Clip point blade, quite pointy at the tip, some belly to work with, a simple design, but one of my favorites. Sharpening choil, and it appears to be just slightly hollow grounded. Also has thick enough spine that I would feel comfortable putting it up to some hard tasks. Ricasso also present, for extra support.

Opening mechanism: dual thumb studs, that actually have a slide, where if you put a flathead screwdriver in, you can adjust where you want the thumbstud to sit. This is actually alot cooler than I though it would be, first of all, I thought you loosen it, and then tighten it where you like it, but actually, when you turn the screwdriver, it rolls from side to side, and so it is very simple to operate. I personally stuck a zip tie in the that extra space, and secured it in by rolling the thumbstud. This allowed me to "wave" it perfectly.

Lock: Lockback, tried and true design, very very tight lock up with absolutely zero play. Also easy to work, most lockbacks come rather stiff, but this one was just easy enough to disengage without using too much force, but no so easy that you may think you could disengage it accidentally.

Handle: full steel liners and G10 covering, simple and effective, and I like it. The full steel liners add a fair amount of weight, which I personally am fond of, but if you are not, then consider that when you consider buying this knife. The handle doesn't "cave" at all when you squeeze the knife, which I like too. It feels very reliable and balanced in the hand. Note though, that the steel liners extend past the handle near the base of the handle. This is the biggest problem I have with the knife. First of all, if you grasp it very tightly the pinky and ring finger will feel the liners dig in just a bit. Not a deal breaker, but just take that into account. Also, I am a big fan of very discrete carry, and the steel liners that potrude from the base of the handle allow for a little bit of the handle showing. Not much by any means, but I just feel like it is unnecessary. On the plus side, if you need to bang your knife on anything for any reason, well it's there. Alot of knives are made with a "glassbreaking tip", and I guess you could count this in with it. It certainly could break glass, but in a situation where you might need to, it doesn't matter what end of the knife you use, or your elbow, or anything else for that matter.

Clip: Now this is the usual issue I have with SOG knives. They advertise their "low bayonet carry style" and it really is low. But usually it is also very loose, wobbly, and weak. That is how I broke the clip on my SOG Vulcan, which cost me an 100 dollar EDC essentially. This clip however, is very stiff, actually too stiff, and I had to bend it outwards since it gripped so strongly. Since then, it has been perfect. Also, I didn't notice at first, but upon closer examination, there is a clever method of reversing sides for them south paws out there. Not a big deal for me, but still a plus in my book.

I've used it around the house for mostly light jobs, but the occasional batoning and beating. It has withstood all of it perfectly and has no sign of damage at all. This to me, makes the perfect beater knife.

Also note, this knife did not come very sharp. I'd say it could shave off a few hairs if you put pressure on it, but about 3 minutes with my Lansky system, I was able to make it scary sharp.

Now compared to the Byrd line and BM's Pika II, I find this knife to be much more reliable. The weight distribution and the full liners gives it an edge over the Cara Cara. It is actually also longer without looking really long and weird like the Cara Cara. The Cara Cara came sharper though, and both have 8Cr13MoV steel and G10 handles. With both being right at 30 dollars, I would have to go with the Salute. The Cara Cara's blade shape also makes it less usable as a poking device. It is a pretty close one though, and I am in no way dissing the Cara Cara, or any of the Byrds. The BM Pika II, however, was a huge letdown. The light FRN handles felt cheap to the touch, and had poor ergonomics. It didn't feel like it was made for a human hand, and I have pretty average sized hands. The Pika II is supposedly slightly better steel though.

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Kershaw LFK

03/24/2010 by Leatherneck

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

This is a slim, light and well built pocket knife. It sits nicely in any pocket, ready to be pulled out for the odd utility task.

The body of the LFK is made from anodized aluminum. This is what allows the knife to be so slim and weigh just over an ounce! The handle has a slight rough texture that makes it easier to grip and handle. The best part though is the size.

Microtech Currahee

03/23/2010 by Dragonram7

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

Comments:

I own several Microtechs. I have owned Microtechs for about three years. In general, Microtechs are generally considered a premium knife (read expensive).

The name Currahee means "to stand alone". This type of knife fits that saying quite well. This is a survival/outdoor knife. It has a thick spin and excellent blade dynamics for outdoor chores. It carries well in the sheath provided. The knife came with the Kydex sheath. The fit is perfect and silent. The sheath holds the knife in any position and will not result in a lost knife.

The Currahee is an S30 V blade steel. This blade steel was specifically designed for knives. When heat treated correctly, this blade steel is difficult to surpass in performance. However, very few manufacturers have perfected this process. When this steel is not manufactured correctly, it will chip. Microtech and Chris Reeves have perfected this process. S30V holds an edge and with practice sharpening is on par with BG-42 steel concerning ease/sharpenability .

The handle fits welll in the hand.I can't think of a chore this knife wouldn't excel at. It's weight actually gives the user a feeling of confidence. Blade geometry is excellent. Cost: around $200-$230. Assessment: High value for money spent.

Potential uses: Chopping, digging, prying, skinning, food preparation,-everything. However-knives are not pry bars.

Victorinox Ranger

03/21/2010 by charlie

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

Comments:

Brill knife for scouts every thing i need but for me i should of brought the handyman (adds plyers). Real easy to use after a year of care all mechs work as if it was new. Should carry in belt pouch.Very strong and great size. Only niggle is that handles get scratched easy if u r like me and hate scratches and stuff recomend alox handles. Brill allrounder as long as cared for.