ESEE Lite Machete

05/04/2014 by leao

-Price Paid: $80.00
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for 1 year

Comments:

As a person with many ESEE's, I have come to expect a certain level of quality in my knives, and the lite machete delivers in excess. Typically machetes are cheaply made, meant to be abused, and then thrown away after being thrashed. On the contrary, this particular machete feels like it's going to last forever. It is super comfortable and does the job like none other. It's expensive, but you won't have to buy 5 of them like you would if you bought a cheap one.

DPx Gear HEST II Woodsman

05/04/2014 by JackB

-Price Paid: $130.00
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

The HEST 2 Woodsman is much like the the DPx HESTs but with wood handles to give it that extra little bit of flair. I use it for a lot of different tasks, but it mostly accompanies me on fishing trips. I use it for fishing tackle as well as for camping related tasks. I don't have to sharpen all too often and the knife seems to be of pretty high quality.

Spyderco Air

05/03/2014 by Shawn Davis

-Price Paid: $130.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 1 year

Comments:

I was leary purchasing a knife assembled in Taiwan, but I read several blade forums and they convinced me the factory in Taichung has impecable quality control. I am very pleased that I decided to purchase this knife. I like everyhting about it, even the fact that it doesn't have a pocket clip. The blade steel is awsome and stays sharp for a long time before it requires a touch up. I have now purchased two of these, ic case spyderco discontinues production, I wanted a back-up. I have to agree with another poster from a blade site, whom referred to this little jewel as a "pocket scapel". If the price doesn't scare you away, then get one of these, i can't see how it could disappoint.

Ghost Knives Banshee D2

05/02/2014 by Danny

-Price Paid: $60.00
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

Great knife! This is an extremely well thought out little fixed blade. First, it performs fantastically. D2 really takes a fine edge and holds it! I use it a ton and rarely have to put a new edge on it. For a knife of this size, I find it to be quite comfortable. It's a small knife so I find wrapping it with paracord makes it quite a bit more comfortable than if you use it bare. It's very light.

It should be noted that it's entirely made in the USA. For the price, that is pretty amazing considering that many Chinese made knives cost most. Ghost Knives is a small company but worth checking out for that reason alone as well as the fact that they make solid knives.

SOG Arcitech

05/01/2014 by Miika

-Price Paid: $450.00
-Used for Light Duty/General
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

I've admired SOG Arcitech for years until I finally decided to get the carbon fibre handle damascus steel version.

The knife is surprisingly light (around 120g) probably thanks to the different handles compared to the bone ones. You get a good grip wether it's wet or dry. Even if you keep the belt clip in place it won't give you head ache while squeezing the knife tightly.

The arc-lock mechanism is just solid. Even if you are using lots of side way force the bending shoulder won't slip off the locking mechanism unlike with the spring locking knives.

The blade is beautiful and sharp. Added groves on the top of the blade provides additional space for your thumb when you need to do more fine work.

Now the one thing which is quite difficult to put in numbers is the value... in terms of price/quality the value ain't very much because you can get a whole lot robust folding knife with the same amount of $$$s...but price/looks..that's another thing. For collectors and knife enthuastics price is really not that much as there are then times more expesive knives out there.

Ontario SP50

04/30/2014 by Aaron

-Price Paid: $80.00
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

I am NOT impressed with this knife. The knife did not come with a good edge on it and because of the tough 5160 steel, it was very hard to re-profile the edge at all. The FFG of the blade did not baton or chop well. I would recommend passing on the SP-50, and go with the BK9 or SP-51. Those are much better blades.

Ontario SP51

04/30/2014 by Aaron

-Price Paid: $85.00
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

I am in love with this blade. It can chop and baton better then any other knife that we have reviewed so far. It is tough and big. If you are wanting a knife that can chop and baton with the best of them, this needs to be at the top of your list.

Marttiini MFK-3 W

04/30/2014 by Miika

-Price Paid: $40.00
-Used for Light Duty/General
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

One word: Don't. Marttiini is an iconic Finnish brand of knife making but the sad truth is that they use inferior steel materials on all the knives.
Okay so it's cheap but so is the quality. The steel used on the blade is 420 which makes it quite soft and only after 30 mins of work you need to re-sharpen the knife.
Build quality is so-so. The wooden (birch) handle version I have has a noticeable gap between the handle bit and the steel body (wood is curved), the belt clip is not meant to be taken off but if you do, you can't tighten the screws without making the blade bend so that the locking mechanism doesn't catch it anymore. I used a Dremel to cut the belt clip off because if you get a firm grip, the belt clip will hurt your palm.

SOG Aegis Tanto

04/30/2014 by Tim B.

-Price Paid: $62.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

I've used this knife as everyday carry since 2010. It is lightweight and holds an edge for a good while in general use. The combination of blade serration and thumb jimping allows me to cut through rope and thick cardboard quickly and safely. Thick cardboard (1/2-inch thick heavy-duty shipping containers) dulls the blade quickly and AUS-8 steel takes a while to get a good edge with my diamond sharpening stones. I recommend this for EDC.

Kershaw Groove

04/29/2014 by DCM

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

Comments:

I'm surprised and not also not surprised that there is no review of the Kershaw Groove. Surprised because it is an excellent, unique, incredibly elegant RJ Martin design that is high quality in a variety of uses from everyday carry to personal defense. I'm NOT surprised the knife is not well known as it is already out of production and finding one now is tricky and expensive; however, more serious knife collectors seem to be quickly catching on that this is a knife worth seeking out. "Rainbow" titanium oxide "VIB" coated versions, when they are available, are already selling for $175 plus, nearly three times their original value when introduced. Many knife snobs feel the "grooves" in the blade are functionless and gimmicky. I'm not so sure, as the grooves in the blade, while creating minor challenges in wiping and cleaning the blade, seem to enhance the cutting power of this knife in some scenarios such as apple slicing and box cutting. I carried a Groove last summer (2013) before I knew the knife was going to be discontinued, and I loved every aspect of it. There is no spring, no assist, yet the blade is designed so well, and balanced so well, that it opens very crisply and quickly with a very easy pressure on the flipper tab. I'd call this a "framelock" rather than a liner lock, but technically there are added G10 handle scales which do nicely enhance the grip, so the knife is often listed as a liner lock. I like a slightly larger than average folding knife blade length, and this knife is 3.5" plus (something to be paranoid about in some regions), but nothing I've ever experienced draws attention to the knife when I unfold it for simple cutting tasks. The blade is "Kershaw" sharp from the get-go, and it is extremely durable in terms of edge retention. I suppose one drawback is that the cutting bevel is very narrow, and, because of the grooves, there is little room for sharpening errors which might cause excessive need to re-profile the blade. That's of little concern to me because I now own several of these knives and when one gets dull (and it takes a lot of work to make one of these "dull") I just carry a fresh model and send the "dull" one in to Kershaw to sharpen for me. I'm a capable sharpener, but I also know Kershaw has much better sharpening technology that will allow my Groove to go through many years of resharpening before I ultimately have to retire the knife from blade wear. And, since the knife is discontinued, I want to be able to carry this knife for many years to come. I'm confident I will be able to pass my Groove collection down to my sons when I move on to "the next phase/iteration/what have you." I've owned a lot of knives (talk to my wife for an exact number as it's a sensitive subject at home and she keeps track!), and the Groove is by far my favorite production folder, not only for its thoughtful fit and extremely efficient and artful design, but because it is (was:() Made in the USA! I'm more than a little disheartened to see that the later model "legacy" knives of the Groove like the Volt and the Scrambler (both designed by RJ Martin) will be manufactured in China...I simply won't play Kershaw's game in selling out America's workforce, so rather than buying the newer sellout models, I'm still searching for after market Groove knives I can purchase to ensure I always have one to use. If you want to understand how beautiful, aesthetic, functional and high quality the Groove is, web search RJ Martin's custom "Havoc folder," which can sell for as high as $1,500, and you'll see the Groove, even at upward of $100 and climbing on Ebay, represents some of RJ Martin's finest work. It is well worth tracking down a couple of these beauties before they become a distant memory of a time when Kershaw was producing its finest blades. Get one while you still can!

TOPS Knives B.O.B. Knife

04/29/2014 by Mike Honcho

-Price Paid: $110.00
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

I have beat the snot out if this knife. It has gutted and skinned deer, batoned firewood, whittled and carved walking sticks, notches, tent stakes, etc. It is a hard use knife.

The scales are comfortable. If you have huge hands they will seem a little thin. The grind is called a "scandi-vex" but it's really a saber grind with a convex secondary bevel. I prefer a true scandi, but the edge is tough and easy to maintain.

The coating. Ugh. It's so thick you can cut it out in small chunks. I did just this, with a razor blade on the spine to be able to use a ferro rod. Which brings us to the shango notch. Mine is useless. The idea is sound, but the execution is flawed. The problem is that the grind of the notch on a lot of knives is not sharp enough to throw sparks. While some can use theirs, others can't.

The sheath is usable. I dislike the steel clip. It's awkward and sharp around the edges. The sheath holds the knife securely. The ferro rod included works, but will wear quickly. Don't let it be your only one, or only means of fire.

The build quality of the knife is fantastic, and I have no doubt this knife will continue to be of good service for years.

Cold Steel Bushman

04/28/2014 by Paul Rumsey

-Price Paid: $20.00
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

I bought my first one when they were first introduced by cold steel. Was pleased then and still am with that one and the others that I have bought for my survival kits. Tough rugged and reliable to describe this blade. I was impressed with this knife when I cleaned a snapping turtle without resharpening. The handle is slick but easily remedied and serves triple purpose for small lit storage or can have a pole inserted either for a spear or for chopping. Highly recommend one of these great blades.