Buck 110

07/31/2013 by atm

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

Comments:

I have 2 of these knives, one from a year ago and one from 30 years ago. I'll review the newer of the 2. The knife is very solid, with no play in the mechanism when in the locked position. Small amount of side to side play when closed, but no up and down play. Locked solid when open or closed. Blade steel is sufficient for cutting duties. I wouldn't use it for a pry bar, but it has cut boxes, weeds, summer sausage, kindling, deer, squirrels, all with ease. Very sharp, but doesn't hold edge as well as higher priced steel. Handle gets slick when wet.

Every American should own a "Buck knife".

Benchmade 3300 Infidel OTF

07/29/2013 by Chip

-Price Paid: $360.00
-Used for Self Defense
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

Lets be honest, unless you are have used this knife in a true life or death scenario, as did a medic, (whose review I stumbled across while researching this purchase) who stated that he performed an emergency tracheostomy with this knife in Iraq, It is nearly impossible to give this knife high marks in the "Value" category.

That being said, it is probably one of the coolest knives I have ever seen, and I find myself attempting to justify the high cost of ownership by claiming it is very utilitarian because of its one handed deployment. The truth however is that it does what it does very well; It makes you justify it. How? It is scalpel sharp, intimidating, and sexy all at the same time.

My father always used to say that fishing lures weren't designed to catch fish, they were designed to catch fisherman, whether by gimmick or by pizazz.

Once the money is laid down, the lure had done its *intended* job. This knife kinda fits in that category, but it is still awesome x 10!

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Hogue EX01

07/29/2013 by Jon G.

-Price Paid: $140.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

NOTE: This review is of the 3.5-inch drop point blade with aluminum handles.

At first glance, this looks like a seriously beefy blade, and in hand it does not disappoint. At 4.6oz of tank-like aluminum and steel, this is not a knife to be trifled with. I personally use it for every day carry, but it can fulfill the role of a dedicated or dual-duty self defense knife quite ably. The 154CM blade came with a notably sharp, mirror polished edge and a handsome tumbled-type finish. Despite the edge keenness, the almost 4mm thick blade stock and partial-flat primary grind make this more battle axe than surgical scalpel (not better or worse, just thought you should know).

In hand, the knife sets the user's hand back significantly away from the blade itself, which extends reach in martial bladecraft situations. The texturing/jimping is far coarser than what I'm used to, but between this and the deep finger choil, my hand isn't slipping forward at all under heavy use. The anodized aluminum has a matte-type finish on it, not too chalky but still retains enough texture to aid grip.

To open the EX01, Hogue and Allen Elishewitz have provided ambidextrous thumbstuds. However, these terraced studs just do not provide enough grip for a confident authoritative opening. When trying to flip this knife open, about 25% of the time I only manage to get it halfway out, despite flicking my wrist and pushing forward on the thumbstud. On the plus side, these studs are sufficiently low-profile that they don't abrade my hands when retrieving other items stowed in my pockets.

The EX01 uses a button-style lock augmented by a sliding secondary lock that helps ensure the blade is not inadvertently folded during use. The button lock is quite robust and provides positive feedback, but I found myself accidentally activating the sliding lock from time to time, which made closing the blade a minute-long exercise in frustration. I ended up sticking a tiny piece of gaffers tape inside the handle to hold the slider in the unlocked position. Another niggle is that the pivot pin/screw and button lock are roughly the same size and positioned next to one another on the handle. I occasionally find myself trying futilely bearing down the pivot screw with my thumb instead of pressing the release button to close the blade.

In pocket, the reversible spoon-style pocket clip strikes a great balance of sitting low enough and being tight enough for dependable retention, being loose enough to accommodate cargo pants or jeans pockets easily, and not abrading clothing after some use.

On the aesthetic front, the level of build quality from Hogue and attention to detail in this Allen Elishewitz design is clearly evident. From the polished hardware to the intricate handle texturing, this thing just oozes pride of ownership to me.

The doppleganger release button and blade pivot are a bit unsettling, the thumbstuds need work and for $140 I'd much prefer a more exotic steel than 154CM, but this is one gorgeous and extremely well-built knife that takes on jobs with aplomb and looks great doing it.

Kershaw Random Task 2

07/29/2013 by Jon G.

-Price Paid: $40.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

I like many of Kershaw's designs but I'm not the biggest fan of flippers, so the Random Task II looked like a dream come true. At first blush, this knife looks very closely related to the Skyline; they are of similar dimensional size and marry stonewashed 14C28N blades to G-10 handles, but there are several major differences, the most glaring of which is weight. The Skyline weighs a lithe 2.5oz, while the Random Task II comes in at a chunky 3.8oz and has a considerably thicker G-10 handle with nested steel liners. It's not a boat anchor but I do notice it in my pocket, especially when I'm accustomed to carrying a Spyderco Delica4.

Ergonomics are where this blade really stumbles. The Random Task II has a scaled-down version of the Kershaw Blur's thumbstuds. While this textured ramp design was very well-executed on the Blur, applying it to this knife has exposed some flaws. The blade's shorter moment arm and smaller size overall make the ramped thumbstud dig uncomfortably into my thumb; their angle and size just don't interface with my thumb as well as the Blur's thumbstuds do. I think that borrowing the Leek's more conventional thumbstuds would be a much better fit on the Random Task II. Nevertheless, the SpeedSafe assisted-opening mechanism snaps the blade out with authority and once the blade is open the ergonomics are quite good. I'd prefer more aggressive jimping on the blade/handle spine, but the weight and textured G-10 handles are confidence inspiring enough for daily cutting tasks.

Build quality is typical of all Kershaw's USA-produced knives I've encountered: Outstanding. I can't find any flaws or stray machining marks anywhere. Lockup is very solid and the blade is only slightly off-center when folded. The factory edge is serviceably sharp and the secondary bevel is passably even (shallower toward the tip, like many mass-produced blades).

I'm still searching for my EDC "holy grail" (and probably will be until I make the leap to a built-to-my-specs custom folder). Though the thumbstuds are a drag, the flipper-free SpeedSafe and reverse tanto blade are sufficiently cool to earn a place in my collection.

CRKT Lift Off

07/28/2013 by Aaron

-Price Paid: $37.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

I got this as a present to myself off my first paycheck at my new job, I work in a Jiffy Lube so naturally I am opening things all day. This knife is easy to open, and it gets ready in a hurry allowing me to get what I am doing done without having to stop to get out my box cutter or whatnot. I have had it for 3 weeks now and it still has its out of the box razor edge.

I am picky and this knife so far is my favorite out of my decently sized collection.

CRKT Ripple

07/25/2013 by Andrew

-Price Paid: $30.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

DISCLAIMER** - I have the cheaper $30 dollar version of this knife with the Aus 4 steel and the FRN handles, just a heads up!.....Anyway! This is actually a neat knife, but I do have a serious love/hate relationship with this knife. The blade steel isn't top notch, but hey, its $30, and it gets razor sharp, just needs sharpened often. The look of this knife can be very off putting, as Nutnfancy said, it's kind of like Alien vs. Predator status. The clip is pretty ugly and the insides of the scales are kinda sharp and not rounded.

Now on to the positives! The best feature by far is the IKBS opening system, essentially CRKT put a skateboard bearing in the pivot causing a smooth and easy open with just the press of the lever on the spine. (This knife is NOT an assist open or automatic) The blade is a modified drop point with nice rounding on the top of the blade, a pretty nice touch. No blade play whatsoever, and overall good design. Another positive is how the knife looks! Sometimes I hate it and sometimes I love it, its hard to describe. But to the truly important part, the ergonomics are pretty nice, jimping is good, and the knife just fits into your hand nice and firm. The knife is also pretty lightweight.

One last note, I have no clue about the durability of this knife, the blade is held open entirely by the liner lock, there is no bar in the spine of the knife that stops the blade from continuing backwards. Although the liner lock does hold it in place pretty firm, I'm just questioning its long-term durability.

This might seem weird, but I'd recommend buying the $30 version before buying the more expensive models. This knife can definitely be off putting to a lot of knife enthusiasts, and sometimes its kind of hard to tell from looking at it on the internet. But all in all, its a solid knife in my book. So I definitely recommend!

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ESEE Junglas

07/23/2013 by Jan

-Price Paid: $159.00
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

Fantastic blade!! Because of the size it takes some time to get used to, but after that it gets better for everytime you use it!! :)

Boker Subcom Folder

07/20/2013 by Andrew

-Price Paid: $30.00
-Used for Self Defense
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

Ok, so I have the all black "tactical" version of this knife, and I got it knowing its a cheap knife, so I didn't have high expectations. I was wrong, this knife is fantastic in nearly every way. Yes, it is very small, but due to the design it is still comfortable and effective in regular edc tasks and as a "better than nothing" self defense. I got this knife for self defense when I find myself in darker and shady areas, I can easily hold it in my hand and it be unseen, and quickly deploy it if need be. The build quality is high, and I would recommend this highly to anyone interested.

KaBar Full Size KaBar

07/17/2013 by Miika

-Price Paid: $65.00
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

I never intended to get this knife because it has this huge us army stigma on it so probably every other knife owner has one. But as I've hit a dry spot of acquiring new good knives, I decided to go with the regular USMC.
I chose straight edge because I've always felt serrations are in the way. The blade is as sharp you expect and the handle as mediocre. Hard leather wrappings with sharpish deep grooves doesn't make you want to use it long periods of time straight unless you wear gloves (or until the edge of the groves have rounded down a bit.
The balance is ok, leaning a tad backwards. Because of the weight, you can easily chop some wood while letting the momentum take most of the job.
For a knife at this price range, it's a very good buy for edc/outdoor /survival. I would recommend this for knife beginners over Cold Steel SRK or Fjallraven S1.

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Spyderco Techno

07/15/2013 by K Nolan

-Price Paid: $155.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

I had the Sage 2 a couple of months before the Techno and liked the Sage so much that I ordered the Techno like many, out of curiosity, and also like many others...it has become my EDC choice over everything else.
The Techno is simply one of those knives that surpasses the sum of its parts, and is better that it should be. It shouldn't slice as well as it does, but it does?! It shouldn't have as much useful bevel/edge for its size, but it does?! Prior to getting it I would read the reviews from people stating how it had bounced their small Sebenzas out of their pockets and I was highly skeptical of their praise but now after carrying it for a while, I believe them and understand its huge appeal.
Its cool looks (subjective...I know), its fantastic

Spyderco Grasshopper

07/15/2013 by Andrew

-Price Paid: $7.50
-Used for Light Duty/General
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

I picked this little guy up on BladeHq for $7.50 for some fathers day sale, and I must say it was a pretty good buy! Is this a heavy duty knife? No. Is it a good primary EDC? No. But it's an awesome knife to carry anyway! It's small, could go on a keychain, has a very sturdy build, no blade play, and this slipjoint actually seems reliable when opened. It falls in place very tight and snug. Obviously with a knife being this small the ergonomics can't be phenomenal, and they aren't, I only have 3 fingers fit around it and getting a really good grip can be a challenge depending on your hand size. I could really see this being a good EDC in places like New York City or the UK, and at the most a back up EDC for regular carry for everyone else. Enjoy!

Spyderco Manix 2

07/14/2013 by Andrew

-Price Paid: $93.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

This is simply the best knife for the money that I have ever held. It's kind of the "Ultimate Knife" in my opinion. I picked this thing up for 93 bucks from a knife retailer in my local mall, and I honestly had no problem paying that price for this knife. I would like to note I have the hollow ground 154CM steel version with G10 scales, not the FRN version. This knife comes with really thick full steel liners, which although makes the knife heavy, gives it a really nice, durable feel to it. The ergonomics are just incredible, it fits in my hand like a dream, and I love the finger choil it has. I am also a fan of the "caged ball lock" or whatever Spyderco calls it, it's essentially the Benchmade Axis lock on steroids. No blade play, nice blade alignment. Extremely study and stout blade, and a nice leaf shape as well. My Manix 2 got one hell of a test the other night, I had to cut through multiple pieces of layered duct tape and a thick plastic liner, and it held up great.

So it's time for the negatives. The knife is a heavy slugger, although I like that about this knife, some others might not, so do not expect a lightweight EDC. Although it is buttery smooth to open one handed, the lock mechanism is very stiff, and is hard to do one handed at first. The final thing is that this blade doesn't have much of a belly, which some people prefer or don't, just a side note.

All in all, this is the best knife for the money, and even against knives more expensive than it. This nice is good quality materials and build in a great design. If you don't have one, you should.