Kershaw Chill

11/06/2014 by C.K.

-Price Paid: $14.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

I started off really loving the Chill. It's aesthetically pleasing, deploys quickly and smoothly, built of decent quality materials, and has nice fit and finish.

However, I've found several things that I really don't like about it over time. For whatever reason the Chill doesn't hold an edge particularly well. For whatever reason it just dulls a bit quicker than other knives I have that use 8Cr13MoV. Maybe it's something to do with the grind. It gets really scary sharp but after cutting anything serious it becomes dull almost immediately.

I also find the pocket clip to be really terrible. Out of the box it was so tight that I had to struggle to clip the Chill into the pocket of my jeans. So every time I used it, I would have to spend two or three minutes trying to put my knife away. That was exceedingly annoying. After a few months the clip did loosen up. However, it loosened up to a point where now the clip barely holds the knife in my pocket. In fact I've had numerous times when I've had my knife pop out when I reached in to grab my phone. That's equally annoying. In fact, that's been so annoying that I've stopped carrying my Chill all together and it sits in the junk drawer of my desk.

In summary, the Chill is a decent knife but there are a few things wrong with it that limit how often one might carry it.

Spyderco Squeak

11/06/2014 by C.K.

-Price Paid: $29.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

The Squeak is one of my knives that gets the most carry time. This is for several reasons.

First, it's easy to carry. It's small, light, and non-threatening. I work in a place where one isn't supposed to carry a knife. No-one has ever batted an eye when I've pulled the squeak out to use.

Second, despite being small its ergonomics are terrific. While I can only get a 3 finger grip (well 2.5 fingers rounded up) on the squeak with my giant ham fists, because of the well designed handle and a nicely jimped thumb ramp and choil, the squeak feels super secure in hand.

Third, while the blade is less than 2 inches, because of good design and very nice steel, the squeak is a really good cutter. It goes through cardboard and cordage like a bean burrito goes through my colon when I'm on a road trip where the next rest stop is a 100 miles away.

Four, it comes in pink. That's all I need to say.

In summary - the squeak is a terrific EDC blade if you don't need to carry a massive limb hacker.

Spyderco Persistence

11/06/2014 by C.K.

-Price Paid: $30.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

The Spyderco Persistence is one of my favorite knives. It's at that perfect middle sized range that makes for a comfortable non-threatening but still very useful EDC blade.

I've found the Persistence to be a extremely well built, super comfortable, easy to carry, fun to deploy knife that'll cut the crap out of just about anything.

While some steel snobs might be concerned that the Persistence uses 8Cr13MoV rather than VG-10 or some other fancier steel. I've never had any problems with edge retention, rusting, or blade durability. I suspect that while some companies might not heat treat 8Cr13MoV correctly, Spyderco definitely does. While it's true that I have to hone my Persistence more than some of my other knives it'll easily make it through a day of breaking down boxes, cutting twine, cutting up my lunch, and whatever else I end up poking or cutting.

Definitely one of my favorite general duty knives.

Spyderco Chicago

11/06/2014 by C.K.

-Price Paid: $26.00
-Used for Light Duty/General
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

There are some things that I really like about the Chicago. It's a really light, easy to maintain, non-threatening, really good EDC knife for someone who only needs a light duty knife.

It's a good knife for someone who lives in an urban area or works in a place where people might not appreciate someone brandishing a larger blade.

That said, there are some things about the Chicago that make me less apt to carry it than some of my other knives. For example, the liner lock - because it's rather small and stiff is really hard to disengage. A small knife like this would probably work better as a lockback or just a slip joint.

Another thing that I don't like about the Chicago is the lack of jimping on the thumb ramp and the choil. Normally, I don't care one way or the other about jimping and in fact find that some manufacturers over jimp their knives to the point of absurdity. But in the Chicago, while the G-10 scales are nice and grippy, the lack of jimping actually makes me feel like I have the potential of having a finger slip onto the cutting edge if I cut anything more serious than an envelope.

With the relatively short and thick handle of the Chicago, the lack of jimping actually results in the user feeling like they have substantially less control of the blade than is comfortable. Which is a key point given that one of the usual benefits of a smaller blade is improved blade control.

In summary, while the Chicago is a decent knife - I really do like it - there are better knives (even within Spyderco's line-up) that make the Chicago a second choice at best.

Gerber Ghostrike

11/04/2014 by Cody Hunt

-Price Paid: $40.00
-Used for Self Defense
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

I had high hopes for this knife since I support company's efforts to make their products in the USA.

First problem I noticed was the pins that retain the knife in the sheath scrape against the blade's edge and dull it with every extraction. I've tried to draw it carefully, but it still destroys all of my hard work getting a scary sharp edge.

Next problem is that the rubber handle coating is beginning to tear and separate with very light carrying / use. I'm not even sure how it happened.

Again, my hopes for this knife were high, but I was somewhat let down. It would nearly be perfect if it wasn't for those problems.

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Benchmade 275 Adamas Manual

11/01/2014 by Nicko

-Price Paid: $136.00
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

I got this knife from GPknives a while back and have been putting it throughout its paces. it is a bit bulky for the pocket, but is doable. The standard bench made BK-1 coating shows wear (i wish it was DLC). the only grip i have is that the pocket clip is a joke I snapped mine the first time it got snagged. Benchmade did send me a new one right away for no charge, but Thy should have put a better clip on such a large heavy knife.

TOPS Knives Wolf pAX2

10/29/2014 by Aaron

-Price Paid: $155.00
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

The Wolf pAX2 kit is designed to be an one kit system for outdoor use. The Hatchet is awesome, and can do anything and everything you would want a small hatchet to do. The Wolf Pup knife is able to do all the smaller finer task without any problem it is just not my favorite in the neck knife range of knives. Overall I am very happy with this set and will be using it on a regular bases for all my bushcraft tasks.

Benchmade 100SH20 River-Dive

10/26/2014 by MarkD

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

Comments:

Great all around knife, but very purpose built. This knife probably won't suit most people well due to it's lack of defined tip and general blade shape. It is designed to be a dive knife but could double as a rescue knife. Typical solid construction from Benchmade. Great sheath as well.

TOPS Knives Wolf Pup

10/24/2014 by Aaron

-Price Paid: $58.00
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

The TOPS Wolf Pup is a small neck knife that you can purchase on its own, or it comes with the Wolf pAX2 Kit. It preforms well compared to other neck knives. My problem is the ergos are not that great because of the boxy thumb ramp. The quality of the knife and the carry options are awesome and it will get the job done, but there are just other knives in this size I like more.

Spyderco Paramilitary 2

10/22/2014 by Matt

-Price Paid: $180.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

I have been looking at this knife for a few years now but was happy enough with my benchmades that i didnt get one. I finally broke down and got one when almost nobody had them and everybody wanted one. After opening the box and coon fingering this knife I wish I would have spent the money along time ago. Its a nice and tight knife that keeps a great edge. I carry it every where now. There is a reason why my local knife shop had only one empty slot in the spyderco cabnet with a waiting list 18 names long. This knife was worth every penny.

Spyderco Grasshopper

10/17/2014 by C.K.

-Price Paid: $17.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

I've carried the Grasshopper as my EDC since I purchased it. My previous EDC was a first generation Byrd Robin. I've found the Grasshopper to be a solid little knife. I suspect that those who've been more critical of the Grasshopper are expecting the wrong thing out of it.

It's a very good, light, small, but really well built and very sharp knife for people who work or spend time in places where a larger knife isn't necessary or would draw unwanted attention. It's a good knife for someone who's work clothes are more khaki and oxford shirt and less Carhartt.

If you want a knife to cut rope, breakdown cardboard, or something like that, this is the wrong knife for you. If you want to be able to open mail, peel an apple, or just like having something sharp in your pocket but can't carry something bigger then this is the perfect knife.

I've also seen people be critical of the fact that Spyderco chose 3Cr13 steel for this blade. It's a thin blade and a harder (more brittle steel) would likely snap with a blade this thin. The 3Cr13 makes sense in this application. Since it's a light duty knife you're not going to be wearing the edge that much and with a softer steel that's less likely to fracture, you don't need to worry about eye protection if you feel like poking something with your knife. Also sharpening and honing is the funnest part about owning knives.

Lone Wolf Trask

10/13/2014 by Nick

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

Comments:

I have this as my ERC knife and it is great. It has held an edge very well and looks sleak. The handle is a bit smooth and slippery but not a problem. I highly recommend this knife.