Hi.
I just bought the black blade version.
I have a yojimbo 2, and have handled the paramilitary 2, so I have experiencie with the compression lock.
I don't suscribe the complaints about slow or stiff opening. To me, it's normal and smooth. Not ball bearing lock soft, but smooth anyway. You have to use a little more of strenght or force, but the action is regular, not sticky or stiff to initiate.
I do concur in the closing stiffness. When you depress the spring leaf of metal, the blade stays extended. It doesn't fall down. Not even with a little flick of the wrist. I have to use both hands.
The black on black version is truly beautiful. I rather this coloration to the previous one.
The size is perfect for me, I'm 1,90 mts tall and 110 kilos weight. In my hands, it looks normal and not so escary. The black blade I believe is more scary for knife coinosseurs than lay people. Lay people, through cinema and media in general, tend to associate danger and serial killer to a shiny blade, not a black one.
If the knife would have been smaller, I wouldn't had bought it.
I can perfectly understand why people say they want a smaller version.
I compare it to the manix iteration, only backwards
they started with the regular, and the offered the xl.
I own a xl.
others love the regular.
It's reasonable to have a "regular" szabo.
But there is a difference. Manix it's an utilitarian edc. Manix xl also, but the size turned it into a tactical blade also, wich in turn evolved into a black blade manix xl, wich I also own.
Thid would be the reverse path. take a tactical fighting folder, and scale it down to an utilitarian edc. But then, the unique blade design would be rather...pointless? misspent?
There was the civilian, and then there was the matriarch, and smaller models, retaining the civilian blade shape, with variations, so I suppose it could be done...
Also, I have read in some thread here that Mr. Glesser perspective was that in the future, knife laws would get more and more strict, so he is betting on smaller blades and "non warrior like" locks and designs...so again, an smaller edc szabo would make sense.
I just wanted to say that I love this design and size, and thank Mr. Glesser for selling this knife, to my size and needs it's a perfect fit.
