- Joined
- Jun 23, 1999
- Messages
- 1,209
Hey, for $55 or so, I thought I would give it a try... I've rarely played with a fixed blade under 4", so I thought it might be fun to see what it was like. I think this knife is a good toy to use in examining some of the technology it deploys, but ultimately not suited to its primary purpose (self defense).
The best part is the sheath. This sheath is the best exposition of the multi-position carry idea I've seen in anything under $100. The magnet works really well on this light knife, allowing it to be drawn from the sheath very quietly for kydex, and much more smoothly than the usual expansion-style stay-in-place technique used in most kydex sheaths.
The best of the multi-position gadgets that comes along with the sheath is the little belt loop for an inside the pants carry, but the neck chain is a nice one, and the other plastic attachments that supposedly permit the knife to be worn concealed under a jacket only work if you never have to take the jacket off! Even then, some of the carry positions are a little silly, and would also prevent you from sitting down!
The handle is a cheap (if hard) plastic. What look like holes in it are just depressions that help to maintain a grip on the otherwise slipery handle material. Some better material would make this knife much nicer, and such material is to be found I understand on the more expensive versions of this knife, but given the low-cost goal of this particular version, I think something like Kraton would have been a better choice for slip-resistance.
Slip resistance is further compromised because the handle is very thin. This is intentional, as it supports the knife's concealability, but it make it even harder to hold securely.
The blade is OK, not super hard, but I like the shape. It cuts cloth real well, and plastic sheet, hose, etc, but doesn't do so well on hemp or plastic rope right out of the box because the bevel is too steep. It shaved hair, but would not push cut well due to this. I have not yet tried to modify it.
Probably the worst aspect of this knife is its lack of protection for the hand in a thrust. The thin slipery handle coupled with the lack of any sort of guard or finger cut-outs almost encourages the hand to slide over the blade if you aren't really careful.
There is a very very slight choil-like cut out right where the handle meets the blade. This indentation is so slight that it can only be there to serve as an indexing guide (which indeed it does), but it is absolutely useless to prevent or even resist the hand's sliding up on the blade. I would think this a very bad characteristic in a knife that might be used in a real fight.
The best part is the sheath. This sheath is the best exposition of the multi-position carry idea I've seen in anything under $100. The magnet works really well on this light knife, allowing it to be drawn from the sheath very quietly for kydex, and much more smoothly than the usual expansion-style stay-in-place technique used in most kydex sheaths.
The best of the multi-position gadgets that comes along with the sheath is the little belt loop for an inside the pants carry, but the neck chain is a nice one, and the other plastic attachments that supposedly permit the knife to be worn concealed under a jacket only work if you never have to take the jacket off! Even then, some of the carry positions are a little silly, and would also prevent you from sitting down!
The handle is a cheap (if hard) plastic. What look like holes in it are just depressions that help to maintain a grip on the otherwise slipery handle material. Some better material would make this knife much nicer, and such material is to be found I understand on the more expensive versions of this knife, but given the low-cost goal of this particular version, I think something like Kraton would have been a better choice for slip-resistance.
Slip resistance is further compromised because the handle is very thin. This is intentional, as it supports the knife's concealability, but it make it even harder to hold securely.
The blade is OK, not super hard, but I like the shape. It cuts cloth real well, and plastic sheet, hose, etc, but doesn't do so well on hemp or plastic rope right out of the box because the bevel is too steep. It shaved hair, but would not push cut well due to this. I have not yet tried to modify it.
Probably the worst aspect of this knife is its lack of protection for the hand in a thrust. The thin slipery handle coupled with the lack of any sort of guard or finger cut-outs almost encourages the hand to slide over the blade if you aren't really careful.
There is a very very slight choil-like cut out right where the handle meets the blade. This indentation is so slight that it can only be there to serve as an indexing guide (which indeed it does), but it is absolutely useless to prevent or even resist the hand's sliding up on the blade. I would think this a very bad characteristic in a knife that might be used in a real fight.