RAT Cutlery Izula

01/17/2010 by gundude73

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

Comments:

well if you are on the fence about this knife i say go for it. the only reason that i dinged it in the ergonomics department is that the handle is a little small. it allows for a 3 finger grip. the value is amazing. you get an American made knife that is razor sharp with survival kit, which has some nice little things in it, for $55! the warranty for this knife is amazing as well. no questions asked lifetime warranty. i have no qualms about using the heck out of it.

Buck Smidgen

01/17/2010 by Captain Spaulding

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Light Duty/General
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

Got this for a small emergency kit knife for the truck and I really dig it. The handle leaves a bit to be desired but the thing is sharp as all get out. If you need a compact heavy duty scalpel then this is your knife. The sheath it came with is fantastic and the carabiner is very nice but got removed because the bottle opener was a bit grabby at times when I did carry it.

The blade itself is excellent and a fantastic value if you need a compact razor sharp back up blade.

Spyderco Delica 4

01/17/2010 by dinozzo

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

Comments:

Awesome little knife! I have a full SE in ZDP-189 and i have found it perfect for edc...Its nice and light weight, its super sharp...It rides very well in the pocket and is very conformable to carry. Its a great little knife, and worth every penny!

Buck Vantage Pro

01/17/2010 by Sprowles

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

Comments:

The Buck Vantage Pro is one of those knives that seems amazing for the price at first. The knife is made in the USA, has an S30V blade, plastic handles, and all for about 35 bucks.

However, I have to say the build quality on the Buck Vantage Pro leaves a bit to be desired. The action on it is not very smooth, in fact I'd consider it rough. The blade came uncentered, it was actually touching the liner.

The liner lock is a bit flimsy. This isn't a hard use knife for me, so it doesn't matter, but if it was I'd be worried. The thumb hole on the blade is just a bit too small to be really useful, and I use the flipper on the back of the handle to open the blade. The handle is plastic and feels kind of cheap. I also find the blade to be a bit too thick for slicing tasks.

In reality, I think this is Buck's version of the Spyderco Tenacious, but I think they fell short. This knife looks better on paper than it is in real life.

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Spyderco Military

01/17/2010 by jimbo

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Other
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

this knife is strong, locks up super tight and the blade is great steel. its not quite as smooth as some of my benchmades though. i like the textured g10 on it, grips really well.

Kershaw Leek

01/16/2010 by jimbo

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Other
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

one of the sharpest blades ive had come out of the box. its also the thinnest knife ive ever handled, just a little too petite for my every day liking.

Benchmade 943 Osborne

01/16/2010 by Matthew

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

Comments:

The Benchmade 943 Osborne is simply put, one hell of a knife. It is incredibly well constructed, and feels extremely sturdy.

The knife profile is very sleek and the knife is lightweight. The clip is good and it is hard to notice in your pocket.

The steel on the blade is great, typical of high end benchmade. The blade has a thumbstud, but I find it easier to pull back on the axis lock and flick the blade out without using the thumbstud. Speaking of the axis lock, very sturdy and solid. I haven't had it long enough, but I have heard the springs need to be replaced after some time.

The build quality is top notch, again characteristic of benchmade. My only complaint about this knife is that it is just a little slim, but that's entirely subjective. I have big hands, but for someone with average or smaller hands it would be perfect.

Overall, this is an exceptional knife.

CRKT M16-13Z

01/16/2010 by jimbo

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

Comments:

i edc'd one of the earlier models for over 4 years, beat it up pretty hard and was very happy with it. it had the regular LAWKS system and an aus8 blade, it was a good stout piece. the blade didn't hold a great edge but for a sub $30 piece it was awesome. i bought another to replace this worn one out and was VERY DISSAPOINTED. i hated the AUTO-LAWKS system and the finish on the blade was very poor. i ended up selling it without even giving it a shot. i still have the early model but dont carry it anymore.

Benchmade 556 Mini Griptilian

01/16/2010 by Totenkopf

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

Comments:

To me the Griptilian series as a whole is great. Speaking of the Mini-Grip in particular, The knife is just rock solid in quality, construction, and execution.

You can get get Griptilians in a few different configurations. I have a combo edge Tanto version and also a combo edge drop point in the non standard D2 steel (Cabelas only ed.). To be honest, the Tanto blade just seems useless to me but I thought I should at least own one to try it out. Using it more or less cemented my feelings about them, It's just not that great for utility. If they were made made for sticking people... well, that's fine, but I don't get why manufacturers put them on little knives. That said, the 154CM steel they used for most of the Griptilians is more than adequate. Sharpens easily, takes a razor edge, and holds an edge well. I am much more fond of the drop point blade. Benchmade did a very good job with this blade in making it very functional. Tip strength is adequate, with a good amount of usable belly sweeping back from the point. It also looks very pleasing to the eye. I would like to say now that I personally don't find the combo a very good deal. I almost never use the serrations on the job, and besides, a good sharp blade can do a fine job with fabric. If you need to saw something though, serrations will help... however, the 1" run of them on this 3" blade won't really do the trick. Serrations can be tricky to maintain as well. Sharpening them correctly is difficult, especially if you get the black coating on the blade and don't want to mess it up. I would say stick to a plain edge, at least for small EDC knives. I am also not a big fan of the D2 steel on the Cabela's edition knife. Don't get me wrong, it's not too hard to sharpen, and it does seem to take a VERY keen edge and even hold it longer than my other knives, the problem is that it just seems brittle. I have gotten more than a few teeny chips out of the blade. I would like to think it isn't user error because I never have that happen to my other knives during similar use. Just be a little more careful than usual about over cutting or cutting through stuff if against a hard surface.

I love the form of the Griptilian handles. While the full size Griptilians are very ergonomic, the Mini-Griptilians are just a little too small for my hand. If you have to use a lot of power for a cut, you will find that you are transferring that force mostly through your thumb rather than your hand/palm (unless you just grip the knife like a dagger). This is not a problem with the knife design though... just a circumstance of the compact design. The nylon handles are very nice. They are pretty tough and with some periodic cleaning will probably never show any wear. The texture lends itself well to a secure grip. However, if you have tough hands you might not feel that the jimping is of any real significance; It's very tame jimping. The Mini has full length steel liners, which may contribute to the solid, rigid feel of the knife. The best thing about these and some other model Benchmades is the Axis Lock. If you are used to lockbacks, liner locks, and similar conventional lock mechanisms than you will probably love the Axis Lock. It really is nice, and operation is admittedly easier than most lockbacks or locking liners. This is even more of a boon for lefties because it makes the knife 100% ambidextrous. Overall a very solid handle, both study and comfortable.

The function of this knife is good. It's easy to quickly deploy the blade just using the thumbstud, The blade will come out easily and lock up without any play. If you like (and perhaps with a little adjustment of the pivot screw), you can open the knife by depressing the lock and flicking your wrist... just release the lock at the right time or that blade can rebound shut on you. The size of the blade great for accurate cutting and you can slide your index finger right to the end of the blade for more control. The clip is nice and smooth as well as sturdy; no problems at all with it.

I would recommend this knife to anyone! It makes a sexy and impressive EDC. Because of the price I really wouldn't recommend this as a work knife (that's what I call true EDC), but it is more than capable for all reasonable tasks. It feels very high quality and sometimes makes my other small folders feel a little cheap in comparison. Also check out the full sized griptilian if you like this blade... those things are sweet.

Spyderco Tenacious

01/16/2010 by Totenkopf

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

Comments:

For me this has got to be the absolute best knife in the $30-$40 price range.

I'm a big fan of the broad, drop-point blade. I also love 3" to 3.5" blades. I just find them more useful for EDC... and more satisfying. With the Tenacious the size is ideal, and combined with the shape, gives me great accuracy at the point while still being powerful enough for general utility. Tip strength has been adequate for me; blade still looks like new after many months on the job site. The blade is rather thick at the spine relative to other knives I own, which gives it decent heft and a strong feel. The gentle sweep of the blade gives you good access to the whole edge. The steel may not be the best, but it is a good compromise for this inexpensive knife. I find that this knife holds it's edge moderately well. However, the steel is very easy/quick to sharpen and can take a "shaving sharp" edge if you wish. I'm not very picky about blade steel as knives are simple to maintain in an EDC role. Other applications require higher performance for their specific intents and purposes. That said, I think this steel is adequate for camping and whatnot. I do have a couple complaints though. The finish on my blade was noticeably uneven if you held it just right in the light. also the grind near the tip changed angles slightly which really offended my type A self. It has gone away after a couple of sharpenings since it was really rather small. Still, you should know about these little QC issues.

The handle is mostly subjective, but here goes. The Tenacious is comfortably slim; NEARLY as slim as a Flash 1 or a Mini-Griptilian. The handle isn't overly long either, I think for most people this will fit well in their hand. Again the width is such that it nestles securely and comfortably under your knuckles and against your palm. The G10 scales are textured adequately, If you like aggressive texture on your handles like Kershaws gnarly Trac-tec (or whatever it's called), the Tenacious might not suit you. Personally, I find shape to be a more important to grip than texture. Which reminds me, The thumbramp on this knife is awesome and very secure feeling. The Jimping is almost not necessary for traction, but it is well executed regardless. Your thumb isn't going to slip over the blade, however I find that you can choke up on the blade well with your index finger for more precision if you need it. Steel liners... this is entirely subjective. For EDC they aren't a necessity, but I do feel with this knife that they make it VERY strong. Take it or leave it. If weight is your primary concern in a knife this size than look to the SOG Aegis or Flash 2, those are nice, reasonably priced knives.

The function of this knife is part of what makes it so great. One-handed operation is a cinch. Deployment is super fast. It might be the heft of the blade or the bronze bushings, but personally I think it's the oversized spyderhole. You can get the edge of your thumbnail in there and just fire the blade out. Locks up air tight with a comforting *SNAP*. Thanks to a large relief cut in the scales/liner and more jimping, the liner lock is super easy to get a hold of (not in such a way that you will get to it by accident though). The liner lock is beefy, probably over built, but that's determined by the liner thickness. The clip is very functional. Nice and rigid with good fit and finish (polished and rounded so it wont snag or wear on anything). It rides about as deep as any other knife Barring those lowriding SOG clips.

All in all I am extremely pleased with the package. I have 100% confidence in this knife, which is very important. Also I don't have to worry about abusing this knife for around $35. with some knives you hesitate when confronted with certain tasks, just because you don't want to jack them up... with the Tenacious you don't really have that problem. If a "10" in value you means you get your moneys worth than this knife gets a "12".

Hope I didn't leave anything out.

Benchmade 610 Rukus

01/16/2010 by jimbo

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Other
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

THIS THING IS A BEAST !!!!! pretty hard pressed to find a bigger stronger folder than this beast.

Benchmade 720 Pardue

01/16/2010 by jimbo

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Other
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

this was my very first benchmade, and ATS-34 bought at a gunshow over 12 years ago. little did i know that when i bought this compulsivly it would lead me to buy over 40 other benchmades. this one has become a classic, prices seem to be on the rise for them in the resale market. as usual with benchmade products build quality is excellent. benchmades ais lock is one of the best locking systems in the industry. the only grip i have is that it is a little on the thick side for every day carry.