Here's another review of another great Chad Los Banos design. It's in Boker's Magnum line and sells for about $25 or so. It's made in Taiwan, and the quality is great. Introducing the model 588, the Wharncom. It's a Subcom, but with a wharncliff-shaped blade. These make great utility knives. On with the review...
Handle Details: The Wharncom is just over 2-1/2" closed, and it's 1-1/2" wide. The back side is one piece of stainless steel; the front is a steel-lined scale of black FRN. Construction is simple: three Torx (T-6) on each side to hold the knife together, three T-6 screws for the pocket clip, and one T-8 screw for the blade pivot pin. The knife is an open-back design so you can blow out pocket lint or debris, and there's no added weight. The shape of the handle is unique to the CLB designs; a rounded block with a choil.
There's also jimping on the back of the knife near the blade, the butt, and where your fingers rest when the knife is open and in hand (see the photo). The shape of the knife coupled with the flat design make this a very comfortable user. You also get a lanyard hole, which I usually equip with some 550 cord. As good as the CLB designs are, they ride a bit too deep in my pocket to withdraw easily with gloves on. 550 cord solves this problem. The FRN handle scale does its job, and it's textured more aggressively than my other "biscuit" knives.
The pocket clip is adjustable for tip up or tip down carry, but it's right-hand only. Retention on mine is great; not too loose and not too tight.
The Wharncom locks open via frame lock, and it's solid. The lock is jimped too, and it engages the blade for exactly all of its (the lock's) thickness. Speaking of thickness, the liners on the Wharncom are 1/16" thick. The entire knife is just under 5/16" thick, not counting the pocket clip. When locking open, the knife makes a "clink" sound.
Blade Details: The Wharncom has a blade of AUS-8, and it's 1-7/8" long. The cutting edge is 1-3/4" long. The blade is flat ground and has all of the normal jimping you'd expect from a "biscuit" design. Jimping on the back of the blade gives you a nice place to put your thumb while working, and a bit more fine jimping further up makes a nice spot for your index finger (should you decide to use it in this manner). As mentioned, the blade is a wharncliff shape. The cutting edge is straight, with the back of the blade ramping down to meet it. This blade shape is great for general utility work, and makes me think of a nifty box cutter.
Opening is accomplished via two plastic thumb ovals on the blade. Opening is smooth because of nylon washers on both sides of the blade, but mine is a bit hard to open with gloves on. Bare-handed, opening is easy. In colder weather (25 to 35 degrees) opening is a bit fidgety; sometimes my finger skips off the oval and sometimes it doesn't. Oh yeah, it came out of the box extremely sharp.
This is another winner from Boker and Chad Los Banos, and would be a good addition to anybody's EDC for when a larger blade wouldn't be called for. It's also handy to keep around in a toolbox, whatever your trade is.
Handle Details: The Wharncom is just over 2-1/2" closed, and it's 1-1/2" wide. The back side is one piece of stainless steel; the front is a steel-lined scale of black FRN. Construction is simple: three Torx (T-6) on each side to hold the knife together, three T-6 screws for the pocket clip, and one T-8 screw for the blade pivot pin. The knife is an open-back design so you can blow out pocket lint or debris, and there's no added weight. The shape of the handle is unique to the CLB designs; a rounded block with a choil.
There's also jimping on the back of the knife near the blade, the butt, and where your fingers rest when the knife is open and in hand (see the photo). The shape of the knife coupled with the flat design make this a very comfortable user. You also get a lanyard hole, which I usually equip with some 550 cord. As good as the CLB designs are, they ride a bit too deep in my pocket to withdraw easily with gloves on. 550 cord solves this problem. The FRN handle scale does its job, and it's textured more aggressively than my other "biscuit" knives.
The pocket clip is adjustable for tip up or tip down carry, but it's right-hand only. Retention on mine is great; not too loose and not too tight.
The Wharncom locks open via frame lock, and it's solid. The lock is jimped too, and it engages the blade for exactly all of its (the lock's) thickness. Speaking of thickness, the liners on the Wharncom are 1/16" thick. The entire knife is just under 5/16" thick, not counting the pocket clip. When locking open, the knife makes a "clink" sound.
Blade Details: The Wharncom has a blade of AUS-8, and it's 1-7/8" long. The cutting edge is 1-3/4" long. The blade is flat ground and has all of the normal jimping you'd expect from a "biscuit" design. Jimping on the back of the blade gives you a nice place to put your thumb while working, and a bit more fine jimping further up makes a nice spot for your index finger (should you decide to use it in this manner). As mentioned, the blade is a wharncliff shape. The cutting edge is straight, with the back of the blade ramping down to meet it. This blade shape is great for general utility work, and makes me think of a nifty box cutter.
Opening is accomplished via two plastic thumb ovals on the blade. Opening is smooth because of nylon washers on both sides of the blade, but mine is a bit hard to open with gloves on. Bare-handed, opening is easy. In colder weather (25 to 35 degrees) opening is a bit fidgety; sometimes my finger skips off the oval and sometimes it doesn't. Oh yeah, it came out of the box extremely sharp.
This is another winner from Boker and Chad Los Banos, and would be a good addition to anybody's EDC for when a larger blade wouldn't be called for. It's also handy to keep around in a toolbox, whatever your trade is.
