Kershaw Blur

12/21/2009 by Larry

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

Comments:

I just got me another Kershaw, after bought one of the Tyrades. This one is a Blur with the ZDP189 blade on it. Quick to open, lock up tight, and I've herd a lot of good about the zdp stuff. The handles have some grippy stuff on them, and their a little rough. That's the only bad thing I can say about the knife. More great stuff from Kershaw. Im not buying anything else but there stuff from now on.

Spyderco Persistence

12/20/2009 by Matt

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

Comments:

The Spyderco Persistence is both a really great knife and a really great value. The Persistence is the younger brother to the Spyderco Tenacious. The knife has impressive build quality. The knife is a great size for every day cary. The blade is just shy of 3 inches, which means there is enough cutting edge to handle your daily cutting tasks but not quite enough blade to make people uneasy around you. It's pretty compact and could evven pass as a gentleman's knife, although personally I think this knife fits better in the hard user category. The steel is 8Cr13MoV, which is a copy of AUS8. It holds a decent edge, but does occasionally require some sharpening. The blade is full flat ground, and is ideal for slicing. The blade tip is ideal, shaped appropriately such that it is not too delicate. The thumb hole is nice, I prefer it to the thumb studs. The hole is easy to find and I find the thumb studs to be a bit clumsy sometimes. The lock if very beefy liner lock that snaps tight every time. There is no blade play noticable. The liner lock is housed in G10 knife scales which provide adequate grip in both dry and wet conditions. This knife definately can take a beating and I'd highly recommend it.

Kershaw Leek

12/18/2009 by rwasham

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

Comments:

This is a great knife for light duty and edc use. I got this knife quite a while ago and it makes its way into my poket quite frequently. I have the discontinued white and black anodized aluminum handled version. The handle is really slippery and not very good in wet conditions. It will slip out of your pocket if you dont keep an eye on it. Aside from that small flaw its a really great knife, I use it a lot for opening up carboard boxes. The slim blade and needle-like tip is great for piercing packaging and cardboard boxes. My only other concern about the knife is that when I purchased mine I found that the blade was warped to one side. This makes it somewhat difficult to sharpen. I feel like this was probably an isolated incident however and have handled several other versions of this knife without this flaw. Overall its a pretty nice knife.

Kershaw Leek

12/17/2009 by Kilroy

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

Comments:

I have a Random Leek with a sheepsfoot plain stonewashed blade. I originally got it for the assisted opening and because it was US manufactured. I think it's important to support US manufacturers and jobs, and I vote with my money. The Random Leek is beautiful. It snaps open seemly instantaneously with a flick of the index finger on the flipper, making a satisfying "clack." I've never had any problems with the framelock, and it seems strong enough for anything I'll use the knife for. The blade shape seemed weird when I saw it online, but in use, it's practical. The tip is super sharp, should I ever need to stick something, and the blade has enough of a belly to be useful. The stonewash finish is pretty as well. The knife arrived razor sharp and is stupidly easy to keep that way. By far the easiest knife I've ever sharpened, and it stays sharp. The handle. The only thing I don't completly like about this knife is the steel handle. I haven't experienced any problems with it yet, but I see some big potential ones. If the knife was muddy and wet, or had some glop on it, it'd be slippery. I must add that the knife being smooth makes it super-easy to slide out of my pocket without damaging my pants. The handle could also potentially get too hot to handle if it was left in a car on a sunny day. (Which is why you always carry it on you!)The clip can be switched to tip-up or down with two torx screws, and the entire knife can easily be taken apart with the same screws. The clip does it's job well, never had a problem. I prefer really low profile clips, but most people are so oblivious, it could have lights on it and people wouldn't notice. I'd recommend this knife for EDC, there are probably better choices if you need a hard-use knife. I know I love my Random Leek far too much to abuse it. There are also damascus steel versions and limited edition leeks. Now go check one out!

Victorinox Explorer

12/17/2009 by Your Name

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

Comments:

This knife might be the best all around Swiss Army Knives made in my opinion. Every tool is useful and appropriate for common everyday and not so everyday tasks, while keeping the knife at a manageable size. As cool as they are, Swiss Army Knives can often be accused of being gimmicky and laden with seldom-used features that are awkward and unwieldy in such small proportions in all but the most desperate of times; for example a fish scaler or a saw blade. With its selection of the high-demand features and tools, the Explorer is just about the best equipped Swiss Army Knife for general applications. The Explorer model has all the Swiss Army standards like large and small blades, can and bottle openers, large and small flat screwdrivers, leather/sewing awl, etc, as well as a few of the specialized tools that really extend its usefulness. The magnifying glass is a great loupe for examining splinters, details, coins, cracks in tools, drill bit tips, and other surfaces, although the earlier releases had a slightly higher quality housing for the glass. I've used the scissors for everything from stray threads, making impromptu valentine cards, removing stitches in animals, and even for errant nose hairs. There is a well-placed Phillip's head screwdriver, which I think is in a much better working position than opening from the bottom like the corkscrew the way it often appears on other models. The hook, as unsexy as it seems, is extremely useful pulling wiring, catching recessed strings, cables, rods, springs, etc. For something that seems so inane, I find myself pulling pulling out the hook almost as often as the main blade. And of course the corkscrew, that Swiss Army perennial, finds itself employed about every other night, and has the potential to make its owner a hero at parties and get-togethers. So the reason I feel strongly about this one is that I rotate through every tool on it at least once a week, even the weird ones like the wire stripper. I'm a fairly busy person with a lot of interests including guns, electronics, leather work, cameras, musical instruments, and photography and this model knife has found a place in all of that and more. The only thing that keeps this knife from being perfect is the lack of the pliers found on some of the other knives.

CRKT Cicada

12/14/2009 by Ryan

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

Comments:

Great little tool for the price. I really like the quick-release sheath.

Spyderco Caly 3

12/14/2009 by Mike

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

Comments:

I love the ergonomics of this knife. The knife feels more comfortable in my hand than any I have ever used, and I've used a bunch. There is good jimping on the thumb ramp and finger choil. I cannot imagine a knife fitting in my hand for precise cutting any better than this one. I can really "choke up" on the blade and get my fingers in tight to it when precision cutting. My hands are larger than average, but this model suits me just fine. This knife came very sharp out of the box. I have used it to open numerous boxes, envelopes, and to open toys for the kids (taped and strapped into packaging) wihout much effort. I felt very in control of my cutting while using it. The fit of the scales versus the lining and back lock is flawless. The knife opens and closes very easily and there is no blade play during lockup. I like the semi-polished look of the blade, and the full-flat grind and leaf-shaped blade are cool. The size of the knife is ideal for pocket carry and EDC use. Not too small, but not so big that it looks like a bayonet. This is the same size, lengthwise, as the Delica, which is also very good for EDC. The scales are G-10 and have nice purchase for gripping. I prefer G-10 by just a hair over FRN, and a bit more over stainless and micarta. The scales had whitish staining (looks like lime) around the pivot and clip screws on each side, and I returned the original that I bought to the seller, for exchange. The next one I got had the same issue. I forgot about an auction I had bid on, and several days later, I won, to my surprise, an E-bay autcion for a factory second of the same model. The factory second had the same problem as the other 2, and the staining is the only flaw I could find. This leads me to believe that this may have been a common problem with this model. It does not comprimise function at all, but for a $99 knife, I would expect not to have staining. I am thinking about returning the "new" model for a refund and keeping the factory second as a user, as I paid a fraction of the price of new for it. Outside of the cosmetic issue, this knife is a good as it gets in terms of fit and function. I love it.

Byrd by Spyderco Robin

12/13/2009 by Switchback

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

Comments:

This review is on the byrd Robin with FRN handles from Spyderco. I have really liked this little knife since the day I got it about 21 months ago. At about 3 1/4 inches closed, it is the perfect size for a light duty EDC. The 8Cr13MoV steel is better than average for edge retention but not exactly a super steel. I like it just fine for my needs. The blade opens and closes very easily with one hand and you can even flick it open with very little effort. Lockup is good for a knife in this price range. There is some lateral blade play but very minor. I bought this knife because of it's size and the way it looks. Very nice design and a great value for the price. I wanted something to replace my Kershaw Scallion because I began to dislike the assisted opening feature on the Scallion. This byrd Robin is the perfect replacement. Overall it's a really nice little knife and I'm glad I bought it. Mine has seen a good amount of light usage since I got it and it's still in great shape. I have a SS handled Robin on my Christmas wish list. With any luck, I will have one those soon also. If you're on the fence about getting a Robin. Just do it. The price is right and you're sure to like it.

Spyderco Military

12/13/2009 by Jed

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

Comments:

This knife lives up to all of the hype that's out there. The military is a extremely comfortable knife, and combined with what I feel is a negative blade angle, one of the most comfortable knives to use out there. Utility is great, as the FFG makes it a cutting machine. It's not particularly robust in terms of blade strentgh (It's no Strider or Hinderer), but I feel it cuts better than many high end offerings. S30V is a great steel, no doubt, and Spyderco does an excelletn heat treat on their S30V. It seems to hold an edge forever. Spyderco does their grinds great, so there's no complaint about that. The military carries relatively thin, but it is still comfortable when you grip it. The thimb ramp jimping is prefect, just a little rough but not tear-up-your-finger rough. The choil makes the knife phenomenally comfortable. One thing that I would say I do not like about the knife is the size. I think its really quite large, but its really up to the individual whether or not they like large blades. I'd really like to see a linerlock para or something like that. Also, the jimping on the liner lock is kinda rough on the finger. Besides that I have nothing to complain about. The knife is smooth, locks up solid, and sharp. I still feel the military is still a little over priced at around $110-120. How does Buck make the vantage pro with G-10 and S30V at a $50 price point? I'd like to see the military a little lower, around $80-90. It'd be a great value then.

Spyderco Native

12/13/2009 by Billy

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

Comments:

I've had this since 2005 and EDC it almost every day. The S30V steel stays real sharp and is perfect for cutting boxes, peeling apples, cutting paracord and most small everyday tasks. I like the fact that its light, fits well in my hands and is well balanced.

Byrd by Spyderco Crow

12/13/2009 by DMC

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

Comments:

This knife is alright, it didn't wow me. For what I spent, I think it's a good value. 8Cr13MoV is an ok steel, nothing legendary. Plan on sharpening it occasionally. The knife will withstand some abuse, but I'd easily spend a little more money and get something a little nicer. I think the Persistence by Spyderco would be quite a bit nicer. The pivot gets tight after a while and requires some maintenence(lube of some sort). Also, the clip has a tiny bit of play. I do like the hole in the blade. It allows you to flick the Crow open very easily, and with only one hand. I have the crow in G10, which I like, but I think there is an anodized aluminum handled one as well. Overall, it's a good value and will get you by but in the end I'd prefer something a little nicer. In the future I will look into the Spyderco Persistence.

Bark River Fox River

12/09/2009 by Fascion

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

Comments:

Just an excellent 4 inch fixed blade. Well balanced and very comfortable in-hand. Like all Bark Rivers, it is a slicing machine.