Cold Steel Finn Bear

02/16/2012 by

-Price Paid: $15.00
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

This knife is rather surprising given it's price range, I bought it a week ago at a local gun shop that I frequent often. The Finn Bear is a cheap knife given its 10 to 15 dollar price range, but I'd like to see the cheap 20 to 30 dollar no name brand fixed blades baton through wood without breaking. This is a simple, inexpensive bushcraft knife and I'm very impressed with it. I'd like to see more offerings like this from Cold Steel. This is the cheapest knife I own, but it is in no way the lowest quality. Mine came incredibly sharp, some people may think the handle feels strange but I personally like it. Overall I'm very happy with this knife. This and the Mora knives are the cheapest, highest quality fixed blades you can own in my opinion.

KaBar Large Dozier Hunting Folder

02/16/2012 by Cole Koogler

-Price Paid: $20.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

This knife really beats the hell out of all folding knives in this price range. For 20 dollars you're getting quality AUS8A steel and a solid lockback mechanism that has zero blade play. What other cheap folding knife for 20 has good steel and no play? That's what I thought...My father also has one of these and we both agree that this is the most high quality inexpensive folder that you can own. I have one in Coyote Tan while my father has the black handle and plain polished blade. Overall it's a solid litte folder. You can't get anything better than this for 20 dollars or less.

KaBar TDI LDK

02/16/2012 by

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

Comments:

I have bought several of these knives over the years for self defense and everyday tasks. I think for the money you're paying, you're getting a decent neck knife that can be used for self defense and other cutting tasks. I like the design personally, other people don't, but thats their opinion. If you don't like the feel of the handle then wrap it in paracord and then make a combat lanyard and your grip on the knife will greatly increase. Small and light to wear around the neck or clip to your belt. Wrap the handle and you'll have a nice little defense knife. Overall I like it alot, carried one for over 2 years. It's my favorite neck knife.

KaBar 12-5/8 Heavy Bowie

02/16/2012 by Cole Koogler

-Price Paid: $50.00
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

I got this knife as a gift, and I have to say it is quite exceptional. For 50 dollars this is the best combat/survival bowie you will find. This knife can chop and split like a beast. If I could only have one fixed blade to bring into the bush, it'd be this one. Good steel, easy to sharpen, and stays sharp for a very long time. I like the sheath design, some people disagree but I like the fact that I have the option to strap the sheath to my leg for extra security. Sheath holds the bowie tight, can't ask for more except leather is the most useless material for a carbon steel knife sheath. Overall this knife is a joy to own and I trust my life with it.

Spyderco Yojimbo 2

02/15/2012 by JM

-Price Paid: $145.00
-Used for Self Defense
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

I don't know of many other SD folders out there well above its price range.

Spyderco Manbug Lightweight

02/15/2012 by penriver

-Price Paid: $34.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

A nice improvement on the Ladybug.Some people complained that the Ladybug had a weak lockup and would wiggle after being used a lot. Sal made the Manbug have a thicker blade, eliminating this issue. It has a bigger, more ergonomic handle and screw construction. It also sports a slightly larger hole and different blade shape. The belly on the Manbug is what's going to handle 80% of the tasks you throw at it. This leaves the (strong) tip sharp for more delicate operations.On the downside this adds weight. How much? 1 gram. Some people have complained that this makes it worse than the Ladybug, which does not make any sense in the real world.Overall I think this is one of Spyderco's best knives. It is a little big for a keychain, but it's perfect for a shirt pocket or a purse. Unfortunately, the price is a little high and I hope it will at least drop to match the price of the Ladybug.

Spyderco Tenacious

02/13/2012 by Steven

-Price Paid: $30.00
-Used for Light Duty/General
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

This knife was given to me as a gift and I thought it would be redundant as I already have a Skeletool CX with a small blade. How wrong I was, after tinkering with the knife it's clear that there is no substitute for a dedicated folding blade knife. The ergonomics are phenomenal and edge is much sharper than any other knife I've ever used. The weight and build quality is also superb and rivals that of any other knife I've ever owned. If you don't like products made in China this may not be for you, but otherwise this knife is a great value.

Gerber STL

02/11/2012 by DG

-Price Paid: $10.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

Good every day pocket carry. I have a minibuck as well. I like this one better due to it’s slightly larger size and blade. The knife is for very light work and fits in the front pocket very easily. Edge retention is ok, but it does sharpen easily. I highly recommend this knife for light duty use and to carry in your pocket all day. No clips to scratch things or get hung up on.

Spyderco Harpy

02/10/2012 by Joe

-Price Paid: $85.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

Excellent knife! When I checked it out I wanted it just because it was the knife from Hannibal, but after a little research I realized that it is also very practical, and now that I own one I have seen the light and it is the best knife that I have for general every day tasks and great for much more heavy duty stuff too. VG-10 steel used to make the blade is excellent and it holds an edge like no other. My only warning with this knife is to be very careful because it is the sharpest knife I have ever seen straight out of the box. I liked it so well that I also recently had to get one for my father because I couldn't have a knife this awesome and not share something as amazing as this with someone else!

Cold Steel Mini Lawman

02/06/2012 by Cole Koogler

-Price Paid: $50.00
-Used for Self Defense
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

Now to give some background, before this knife, I absolutely hated folders. I never liked liner locking mechanisms and other mechanisms offered failed to impress me.I laughed at the idea of self defense folders. This knife is something else though, regardless of the hype Cold Steel gives the Triad lock, it really is incredible and this knife is a prime example. I like the compact size and the grippy G10 handles, the finger grooves also fit my hand nicely. Another aspect I love is the 2 and a half inch blade, which makes it legal to carry almost everywhere. I carry this knife for self defense, no knife in this price range or size can hold a candle to the Triad lock. Absolutely rock solid lockup and zero blade play up/down or left/right. Other people view this as too small for self defense, but Cold Steel markets this as a self defense blade for LE's and they hit a home run with the Mini Lawman. This is the only folder I will ever trust in a self defense role. This knife, although small, will tackle the most harshest of tasks. Amazing.

KaBar Fin Folding Hawkbill Tanto

02/06/2012 by mike

-Price Paid: $25.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

this is a lotta knife for the money. it is my first non - USA knife purchase.i like the hawkbill tanto design very much.for everyday carry, i am very pleased.

Benchmade 530 Pardue

02/04/2012 by runswithsizzers

-Price Paid: $66.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

First impression: nicely made for the price. Good balance and eye-pleasing proportions. I am very impressed with the AXIS lock mechanism - blade locks open tight, with no play, and can safely be folded with one hand. Pared down to the bare essentials in materials, this knife is light and slim - a delight to carry. Feels almost too slim in my largish hand, but is comfortable enough for the light duties of an urban EDC. Grippy surface texture of handle is a plus.

Right carry, tip up, makes the knife very accessible for me, but with one serious flaw. It ain't that easy to open. First, the blade is almost too light to fling open, unless by an extreme arm and wrist movement of the kind that can result in a visit to the chiropractor. Conventional, one-handed opening is difficult because the thumb stud is too short and rests too close to the handle. It's hard to find the thumb stud by feel, and after fumbling around to find it, a painful amount of effort is required to push the blade open - not because the joint is stiff (it's not), but because you must push down hard on the little stud to get enough friction.

Before modification, the only way I could open the blade one-handed was to scoot my thumbnail across the handle until it found the thin gap between the handle and the blade-stud - then use the back (top) of my thumbnail to push the stud open - tricky. After I used a rotary tool with a sanding bit to grind away a little scoop in the handle, one-handed opening is now much improved. Photos of my handle modification here (copy and paste into your browser):
http://garywright.smugmug.com/Other/Benchmade-530-Pardue/21405178_jhfCQh

Keep an eye on the thumb stud, mine started to come loose during the first week of use. I didn't have a wrench to fit (possibly a T6?), so I carefully tightened it with pilers (not recommended).

The sliding AXIS lock/release button is also a wee bit too short and lacks texture, but this is much less of a problem than the thumb stud. I doubt that this knife will ever be opened or closed by anyone wearing gloves.

Factory edge was arm shaving decent, but who cares? Like I'm going to carry a knife with a factory edge? The puddle of water on my hard Arkansas stone was not turning black fast enough to suit me, so I switched over to my Spyderco ceramics - medium (gray) and fine (white). A few minutes later the factory grind marks were gone, and a few licks on a leather strop resulted in a polished edge. Not really that much sharper than factory, but I prefer a smooth cutting edge to the faux-sharpness resulting from the micro serrations of the factory grind. I've never owned any steel better than this 154CM, but comparing my first edge on the 530 to what I'm used to from Opinel carbon, Swiss Army stainless, Case carbon, Buck stainless, Gerber Portland stainless, etc. - the 154CM seems very nice indeed.

The blade shape and size are very functional for the kind of light-duty urban uses I've tried so far (opening letters and packaging, breaking down boxes, fingernail maintenance, scraping sticker goo from hard surfaces, working up the fruit and cheese in my lunch box, etc.).

I haven't made up my mind yet about the symmetrical, spear-point blade shape (it's sharpened on one side, only). I never get confused about which edge is the sharp one if I pull the knife from my pocket and go directly to the task at hand. However, if I lay the knife down, then pick it up a few moments later, I have to remember to visually check the orientation. No great harm done if I try to cut an apple with the back side of the blade - I am more concerned about the possibility of trying to fold it with the sharp side up.

Too soon for me to say anything about durability and edge holding. After a month of light use, it was slightly less sharp. Second sharpening was even better than the first. A few licks on my fine diamond followed by a quick polish on the white ceramic, and it was sharper than ever in less than 2 minutes.

Bottom line: I really like this knife (much more so after 'fixing' the poor thumb stud access). I got a 551 Griptilian on the same day as this one. The 551 opens easier than the 530 Purdue, and feels more satisfying in my hand (better ergonomics) - but I haven't carried it once due to it's extra size and weight. I may one day favor the Griptilian for camping and farm work, but around town, It's the 530 that goes into my pocket every day.

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