Victorinox Soldier Knife

11/21/2017 by Fritz

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Light Duty/General
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

I was given this knife by a worker in the factory. The knife I habitually carry is a camper model which is much more practical than this behemoth. Aside from the unnecessary size and serrated edge, it lacks a small blade and the invaluable tooth pick and tweezers. Further, I could, in a pinch, dress a deer with the smaller knife, but the configuration of this blunt tipped and impossible to sharpen blade would make it exceedingly difficult to do so.

Gerber River Shorty

09/26/2017 by Noturus

-Price Paid: $25.00
-Used for Light Duty/General
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

Love this knife. it has a easy release plastic sheath. I have used it at work for opening boxes, cutting rope and as a screwdriver. I also take it with me on my fishing kayak for general purpose. Actually I have two now. The first was a black handle and the second with a bright green one which is much more visible if you happen to drop it.

Leatherman Rebar

09/26/2017 by Noturus

-Price Paid: $35.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

This is a great multi-tool. It has every blade need for everyday use (minus scissors). The knife blade was so sharp out of the box I could shave with it! I have not used every blade on it but the ones I have perform flawlessly. I ditched the Velcro sheath for a leather one.

Gerber Steadfast

09/26/2017 by Noturus

-Price Paid: $44.00
-Used for Other
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

Love this knife! It has become my "must take" camping/fishing trip knife along with a filet knife. It's heavy enough to use a chopper and sharp enough for most any campsite chore. The feel and "no slip"grip of the handle fits my hand just perfectly. I am a firm believer that all fixed blades should have a guard and this one fits the blade-to-handle very well, not too big or too small. I also am impressed the sheath can be used horizontally so I can carry the knife cross carry on my belt behind me so it is out of the way until needed and not hanging down on my side. I am a collector and have hundreds of knives but this one is a "user!"

Ontario RAT 2

09/19/2017 by Travis

-Price Paid: $28.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

There's a lot to like about this knife. The blade comes very sharp. Not super important because it is very easy to sharpen (as is to be expected of AUS-8). The action works. It's not like a drop shut kinda smooth, but you can open it one handed and you can close it one handed, which at the end of the day, is all I really want.

In fact, the action does one better to my needs. You can flick it out WHA-POW and it sure does feel good.

The clip is fine. It works. A lot of people don't like that it's painted. I don't give a RAT Model II's ass though, so I'm just fine with it working. I don't plan on selling or trading this knife so I'm fine with the clip looking beat up as long as it continues to work. On the subject of the clip, I do wish there was a cheaper option at a deep carry clip. The only one I have seen is $30. I'm fiiiiine carrying my knife like this. Being a little deeper would be nice, but it's not necessary, and not worth $30 to me.

The biggest short coming of this knife is how it feels to hold in the hand when you are cutting things (and that's a pretty big short coming). I don't have the largest hands. I wear a small size glove. This knife feels cramped in my hand. I want to grip it three fingered because it's so cramped, but then it's not very comfortable because my pinky can't find anywhere to live.

There are also so minor issues ergonomically. The lock bar isn't very comfortable to use. It roughs up my thumb a little bit and I'm not a super big fan of that. The scales are also a little hard to grip when using gloves. For 90% of the tasks I do, I don't need gloves, so this ends up being fine, but my ideal knife would be able to be useable when I'm wearing gloves. I didn't ding any points because of this fact, but I definitely did over the 3-4 finger grip.

End of the day though, if you have $30 and want to buy a knife that functions well as a knife, and should last you for a while, I think this is probably the best choice. If you're not allergic to nickel, I would probably steer you towards the ESEE Zancudo. It was designed for more varied hand sizes and comes in both AUS-8 and D2 steels. The D2 requires a little bit more care, moisture wise, but requires a little bit less sharpening care. For me it's a wash. For most, the D2 is a welcome upgrade.

If you are like me though, and a stainless steel frame lock with unknown nickel content is a deal breaker, I think it's hard to do better than a RAT II for $30

DPx Gear HEST Original

09/17/2017 by Trapper John

-Price Paid: $120.00
-Used for Light Duty/General
-Owned for 1 year

Comments:

This is what knife design should be about: What works in the field? Not what looks cool this year. Robert Young Pelton knocked it out of the park with his very first patented design. Simple, tough and innovative. Made by Shon Rowen (the manufacturer behind ESEE knives) and affordable. The idea that this became the folder called the DPx Gear HEAT/F 2.0 is even cooler because it shows that DPx cares about knifes that work and are tough.

SOG Powerlock

08/02/2017 by Mr. an

-Price Paid: $69.00
-Used for Other
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

I work as a heavy equipment mechanic and have owned Leatherman (my first), Gerber (least liked), victornox (on par with leatherman) and Sog (most owned and used).
I have multiple iterations of the sog power plier (including a non-patented " first edition") and it has outlasted all other multitools I have owned.
The first thing that stands out is the gear mechanism, which not only compounds leverage applied to the handles but also allows the tool to be used in semi-closed position (perfect for confined spaces and applying more pressure). This gear feature also allows the tool to easily be opened one handed.
The ability to change out accessory tools is ingenious and user friendly. I am not a big fan of the "piano key" style lockback that newer versions are equipped with; prefer the solid one piece lockback.leather sheaths are not much thing, preferring the nylon as it is more favorable in my working environments. I truly favor their neoprene (not released) that allows the too to be mounted in a number of positions (vetical or horizontally).

Buck Vantage Pro

07/21/2017 by Bigman

-Price Paid: $60.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

After I retired my Kershaw Turbulence this is the knife I use now. This is by far the best EDC knife I now own.The fit,feel and finish are spot on this blade.Blade centered perfect and locks solid with no play whatsoever.Feels perfect in my hand as the ergonomics are very well thought out.The blade flies open using the flipper. It's as fast as my spring assisted blades. The handle scales are nicely textured and never seem to get slippery ever. Plus you get a s30v blade with BOS heat treatment making it hold and take a super sharp edge that won't rust or chip easily at all. Making this knife a true steal as it's all American made. I'd recommend it to anyone need a first rate working man's knife. You never find a better deal or one that equals it.

Buck Protege

07/16/2017 by P. Blom

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Light Duty/General
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

A really good working knife in or around the house/garden. Really in its element then and then my favorite. Not an EDC. No, that,s not its purpose. Very good value for money.

Benchmade 440 Opportunist

06/02/2017 by R Harris

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

Comments:

A great little knife, well built, stays sharp , not like cheap stuff you constantly have to keep sharpening..

Gerber Legend Multi Plier 800

05/10/2017 by Walter Egger

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

Comments:

I am a charter boat captain and have owned my Gerber 800 for about 15 years. Quite simply the best I have ever owned. The company stands behind their product line better than any company I have dealt with ever. The sheath just wore out after many years and when I called customer care it was replaced free of charge. Way to go Gerber! Capt. Walter Egger, Old Town, Florida

CRKT Pazoda

05/08/2017 by Donald

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

Comments:

I needed to replace a pocket knife by Klein Tools; that I miss placed. The Klein knife was too expensive.