SOG Trident

01/18/2010 by Eddie

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

Comments:

Reviewing: SOG Trident in digicamo w/black part serrated TiNi blade.

Overall, I am very pleased with this knife. The knife comes sharp out of the box and is very thin, light, and attractive/stylish. The digi-camo pattern is a nice change from the usual black which is a common standard for tactical/edc folders.

Arc-lock actuator works smoother on this Trident model than on the Flash 2 which I also reviewed.

Assisted open is quite fast and fun way to pass time :)

Materials wise, the handle is basically a textured plastic or "Zytel" to be fancy, but it is light and that is what this knife is going for, a VERY thin, VERY light tactical folder which I believe can be used for EDC every day carry, cutting anything from rope to boxes, but also that blade is long and threatening enough to be used as a tactical defense blade. The tip of the blade is a clip point and quit thin and sharp, so piercing is no issue if you're into that kinda stuff..

Lastly, the slot for cutting twine/rope is best for very thin line but can come in handy, although I would rather just flick open the nice blade and cut normally.

Overall, I would give this SOG trident an 8/10 and recommend you pick it up in a cool color option despite them being half serrated (tiger stripe blade, digi camo, desert camo)

---

---

---

---

---

---

Benchmade 530 Pardue

01/18/2010 by FortyTwoBlades

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

Comments:

I've owned this fantastic little number for going on 5 years now, and it's held up just fine in spite of its paper thin dimensions and light weight (only 1.88 oz!). The Axis Lock is strong and secure, and allows me to easily and rapidly close the knife, as well as open it. The 154CM stainless steel blade takes a marvelous edge easily and holds it admirably. The styling of the knife makes it ideal for both formal and casual carry. If you're looking for a light and strong knife, this is it.

Spyderco Para Military

01/18/2010 by bigmo66

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

It took me months to purchase my first Spyderco after considering so many mid-size folders. I was never to keen on the looks, but when the Paramilitary in CPMD2 and foliage green came out I made the jump. Best decision I ever made! The size is perfect for me, the G10 handle feels secure and the CPMD2 stays razor sharp forever! The build quality is immaculate and I imagine it will last a very long time.

RAT Cutlery Izula

01/18/2010 by FortyTwoBlades

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

Comments:

My Izula has been a constant companion since the day I received it. The comfortable handle (especially when cord-wrapped) and pommel ring give a secure grip in all weather conditions I've thus far experienced (everything from bone dry to pounding rain and snow storms). The 1095 high carbon steel has kept a keen edge like a charm, and has withstood the rigors of batoning kindling (yes, Virginia, you CAN baton with a small blade) without batting an eye, and even if something went wrong the second-to-none warranty would have taken care of it.

I've even used it as a steak knife at Olive Garden when the one they provided me proved not to be up to the task. A great knife at any price.

CRKT McGinnis Summa

01/18/2010 by Kenix

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

Comments:

Pros:

- Large blade for the sleek and slim handle profile

- Smooth flipper

- Very aesthetically pleasing

- Blade finish did not attract finger prints

- Solid lockup

Cons:

- liner lock too easy to disengage

- slim handle may be difficult for some to grasp

Cold Steel TI Lite 4

01/18/2010 by Kenix

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

Comments:

This knife was disappointing for me. At the $40 price range, AUS8 falls short of other offering in VG10, 154CM, and even S30V.

In handle retention is very good when the knife is new, to the point where it is impossible to open the knife using the poorly designed thumb stud. A must-do modification would be to remove some of the zytel around the thumb stud to allow easier access.

The knife is well balanced and feels like it would make a decent thrower. Lockup is solid.

---

Spyderco Tenacious

01/18/2010 by Kenix

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

Comments:

The tenacious is one of the most raved about knives at the price point ($30), and for good reason. The fit and finish, while shy of Spyderco's $100 folders, will put most other $50 knives to shame.

The liner lock is thick and engages fully. I think it is comparable to the locking strength found on the Spyderco Military. The handle's ergonomics I would best describe as a smaller, less grippy Manix 2.

My biggest gripe with the Tenacious is that the combination of a stiff clip with the G10 makes getting the knife in and out of pockets difficult. This gets better with use.

CRKT McGinnis Summa

01/17/2010 by jthomas

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

Comments:

Well, I know that a couple of others have already reviewed this knife, but I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents. I bought this one for my nephew, who is starting to be interested in knives, but needs to be saved from an apparent love of S&W knives. The specs are:

* Blade: Length: 3.75" (95 mm)

* Thickness: 0.12" (3.0 mm)

* Steel: 8Cr14MoV, 58-59 HRC

* Closed: Handle length: 4.88" (124 mm)

* Open: Overall length: 8.50" (216 mm)

* Weight: 3.6 oz. (102 g)

My first impression is that this is a very, very attractive knife. I like the combo of the blue/black micarta and the blue liners. Fit and finish was good. The scales were finished very well and everything fit well with everything else. The blade was not perfectly centered, but it wasn't rubbing on the liner either. I think that a small adjustment to the pivot will take care of it. The opening action is extremely smooth... it swings open just like my Mcusta, which is one of my smoothest opening knives. The flipper works very well, which is good since that is the only way to open it. The liner lock seems thin. It engages about halfway across the tang with an authoritative click, but man it looks thin. There is zero play in the blade in any direction.

The clip is right handed tip down only, with no other mounting options. Due to the contour of the micarta, I doubt you could tap it for any other position. The knife was shaving sharp out of the box with a nicely finished blade.

For the price (~$32) I am impressed with this knife. So much so that I am keeping it, and ordering another for my nephew. The only concern for me really is the thin liner, and we'll see how I feel about that after some use. Otherwise, it is an attractive, hand-filling knife that is pretty darned comfy to use.

Kershaw Leek

01/17/2010 by mqqn

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

Comments:

I purchased my 1660OLBLK as a blemish for $29 delivered. I was not expecting such a great blade for this price.

The knive is finished in a "dusty" black/olive handle with a black coated blade. The entire knive is "flat" as in no glossy finish here.

It feels very good in hand - very high quality feeling, with a chalky-smooth feel. The knive has a good heft without being heavy in pocket.

The model and date of manufacture are emblazoned on the blade in gold, a classy touch.

The blade is 3 inches, with a 4 inch handle. It weighs in at 3.1 oz.

My knife was just a tad loose, the three torx screws holding the handles together were not fully tight. I tuned it by tightening the handle screws and the pivot screw to my liking.

The Leek as Kershaw's "Speed-Safe" assisted opening design, with a actuator lump on the bottom of the blade that is pressed with your index finger to quickly deploy the blade with one hand. The Leek also sports ambidextrous thumb studs, which allow you to deploy the blade even more forcefully - i.e. lightning fast.

The 440C stainless steel blade is what I would call a modified Wharncliffe design that is more slender and pointed. The blade is extremely pointed, and it is very thin. One would be asking for trouble using this blade as a pry-bar, but for cutting needs it is outstanding.

The knife came sharp enough to rough shave, and with a little work on a leather stop it now is able to cleanly shave the hair on my arm. The profile of the cutting edge makes it very easy to sharpen.

The blade lock is a frame lock, and its simple elegance makes it a joy to hold and play with. The lockup is strong, and there is just the slightest lateral blade-play as I have it adjusted at the pivot screw.

There is a sliding anti-deployement lock on the butt-end of the handle on the clip side, which simply slides over the tip of the blade when closed to prevent the blade from coming open accidentally.

When I received my example, the anti-deployment slider was too loose, and it would slide to the locked position while in pocket. I cured this by tightening it down to hold it firmly in the unlocked position, as I feel it is not needed.

The clip is designed for tip-down carry only, and it allows about a half-inch of the knife to protrude from your pocket. The Leek is VERY slim, and you could easily remove the clip and carry it loose in pocket if you wanted - it would be unnoticeable.

I have been carrying it daily for about two weeks now, and I really enjoy having it around for my cutting chores.

High quality, slim, great ergonomics, decent clip, razor sharp blade, and inexpensive price make this made in the USA beauty a must have for any lover of great knives.

Kershaw Oso Sweet

01/17/2010 by Sebenza21

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

Comments:

For a sub $20 knife, you can't go wrong.

Black injection-molded glass-filled nylon handle provides moderate grip and durability.

AUS6A steel is decent, nothing for hard use, but not to bad for light duty cutting, it gets razor sharp but doesn't hold it as fast as higher grade steel, which is a given.

Speedsafe works flawlessly.

Flipper deployment offers quick and easy opening.

Linerlocker locks up tight, but there is some bladeplay.

Polished pocketclip holds well and looks pretty decent in pocket.

Disassembly and cleaning is fairly easy with torx screws.

Pretty decent knife for the price point!

---

Zero Tolerance 0350

01/17/2010 by Sebenza21

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

Comments:

Razor Sharp out of the box.

s30v steel holds its edge very well.

g10 scales are very grippy.

DLC coating is very durable!

Lockup was very tight!

Excellent tactical or EDC blade.

Spyderco Native

01/17/2010 by Sebenza21

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

Comments:

Feels perfect in hand. Very sleek and slim. Perfect EDC knife.

The Carbon fiber is smooth and looks great!

The pocket clip works excellent.

It is a lock back which I prefer a liner-lock or frame-lock because it's easier to close one handed, but you can still close it with one hand, just takes a little tech. and more time.

VG-10 was razor sharp out of box....but upon closer inspection I found a piece of steel that had been balled up on the tip....Quality control should have caught this and sold as a blem or went through the grinder again...But it wasn't anything my Lanksy diamond stones couldn't fix.

I really like the Spydie Hole! I think it works much better than a thumb stud.

A MUST HAVE for any knife enthusiast.

After a few times on the Lanksky sharpener, the screws don't seem to want to stay put....they tend to walk out, but a little locktight VERY LITTLE! helps, a microdot on one thread and it solved it. That way it's easy enough to still disassemble and clean and lubricate.