Bradley Cutlery Alias II/First Impressions

I have no personal interest as EDC users in liner/frame locks outside of light precision cutters, even then I would prefer a more secure lock because even very slim and narrow blades like the Vapor are capable of doing an awful lot of utility work but are restricted by the lock releasing.

For example, rock the blade into a piece of wood, torquing up and down on the knife to drive the knife deeper into the wood and once it gets too tightly bound then just rotate the wrist to split the wood apart. The vapor easily has enough blade strength to do this, but the lock will release.

If I am going to carry a knife which is so restricted in use that it can't do this I'll simply carry a well made, deeply hollow ground stockman with 1/16" full hard blades. The Alias is a nice looking knife though, I can see how a lot of people would carry it.

-Cliff
 
Sure, this is what some people live for. :rolleyes:
Some people just need to get l**d.
Good Day.
 
We are having a discussion about a new knife that is making a little controversy amongst some Sebenza owners. I own both and appreciate them both. Plus I get laid just about every night. Maybe you need to stop posting on this thread if you don't have anything to say about the actual subject that started this thread. Good day to you sir :thumbdn:
On another note, Cliff we need to get an Alias II to you to test. I am thinking about sending you mine to evaluate. What all would you do to the knife?
 
That's OK Dave I am too old to take part in a getting laid passaround anyways. :)
 
Did this thread ever take some odd turns.

I didn't even see the Bradley booth at BLADE...
So much to see so little time....


Good review, USASF.
Tom
 
Thanks Tom, some people posted here with an agenda, and talking about the Alias II wasn't nessasarily one of them. This one is going to go out for a passaround and lotto, so get on it quick. LOL
 
TKD said:
. . .
And yes, fit and finish is EVERYTHING.

Oh and
"Yes, fit and finish is nice, but about how it actually works as a knife compared to a Sebenza."
What else will this "knife" be used as other than as a "Knife"? :foot:

An
Click to expand...

Sir, you answered your own question. A knife can be used as an object of worship rather than as a tool. Viewed thus, "fit and finish is EVERTHING."


(And an obvious observation, dear forumites, one can be inaccurate without being a "liar." In the end, respect is more important than agreement.)
 
Thomas you are a gentleman and a scholar. One non existant green chicklet would have been shot your way. At least you understand what is going on. BTW you should join the passaround. :thumbup:
 
Thanks for the review USAFSP and the pass-lotto :thumbup:

I dunno, all my knives are "users" and I use the right one for the job at hand. This Bradley looks pretty nice to me for an EDC, if I am lucky enough to win the thing it will most likely be sent to Matt Cuchaiarah (sp?) to make it a cool looking EDC.
 
Cliff Stamp said:
I have no personal interest as EDC users in liner/frame locks outside of light precision cutters, even then I would prefer a more secure lock because even very slim and narrow blades like the Vapor are capable of doing an awful lot of utility work but are restricted by the lock releasing.

For example, rock the blade into a piece of wood, torquing up and down on the knife to drive the knife deeper into the wood and once it gets too tightly bound then just rotate the wrist to split the wood apart. The vapor easily has enough blade strength to do this, but the lock will release.

If I am going to carry a knife which is so restricted in use that it can't do this I'll simply carry a well made, deeply hollow ground stockman with 1/16" full hard blades. The Alias is a nice looking knife though, I can see how a lot of people would carry it.

-Cliff
Click to expand...


Cliff,
I disagree with you.

I started a new thread here so as to not hijack this thread:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=359776
 
USAFSP,

Great review!

This knife looks like a real winner and I'll definitely be checking them out if I get a chance.

I'm always looking for a titamium folder that is more affordable than the Sebenza (which I refuse to pay MSRP out of principle).
I have only seen one Benchmade Pinnacle and I currently own a CRKT S-2, but the Alias looks like a great replacement.

BTW,
The exchange between you and Cliff has been somewhat informative.
However, I must disagree with you on just one point:
The spine-whack-test.

I think that it is valid and is something that every locking folder needs to pass.

And I'm not talking about some extreme variation of the test (like attaching the knife to a 6' pole and hitting it as hard as you can against a metal beam)--I'm talking about just hitting the spine firmly, with moderate force (just a flick of the wrist will do), on the floor carpet or the sole of your shoe.

I'm sure that you already know this, but for others who might not:
The spine-whack-test does'nt test lock strength as much as lock geometry and lock design.
If the lock geometry is'nt right, it will not take much force to make it fold.

I think it is a valuable test because there are very few folders (in my experience) that will fail.
I have only owned one that failed: A CRKT Grey Ghost Mirage.
It looked solid, and the lock seemed 100% secure, but it would fold everytime with just a light tap on the spine.
The angles of the tang and liner-lock just were not right.

I did eventually file the locking-liner and re-angle it so that the lock would pass the spine-whack.
But I really never trusted the knife again.

Anyway, thanks again for the terrific review,
Allen.
 
[spine whack]

allenC said:
I'm not talking about some extreme variation of the test ...
Click to expand...

The name is the problem here, it tends to have people picture beating the knife violently against a rock which begs the obvious question "How is that supposed to simulate anything close to actual use of the knife?" as few makers and manufacturers will actually promote batoning on a folder.

The test as origionally proposed by Barr and used by Joe is different. Now it is true that others do different tests, everyone is free to set their own standards for what is acceptable and many keep raising the level of acceptable as locks keep passing the existing ones.

Reference :

http://www.agrussell.com/knife_information/knife_encyclopedia/articles/liner_lock_tests.html

As a starting point it would be useful if all those who jump into the threads were familiar with the FAQ and maybe even talk to the people who designed the tests to get their perspective on the reasoning behind them, what you are supposed to learn from the them.

-Cliff
 
A light hit on the spine is acceptable in my book. If any knife I had failed that test I would want to throw it away. A waste in design if you ask me. I thought that Cliff would put the knife in a gloved hand and smack it hard down on a table edge, or put the handle in a vice and hit it. My bad Cliff. If it is a light smack like said above then I could see why it would have to be evaluated.
 
USAFSP said:
... put the handle in a vice and hit it.
Click to expand...

I would find it hard to argue for this (aside from just testing a break point) because if you can't actually hold onto the knife and take the impact the strength of the lock is kind of pointless as the knife would just get knocked out of your hand.

From a utility perspective I am mainly interested in light and fast impacts like you are holding the knife and turn around and the spine hits the edge of a desk, that is what I would want all locking knives to be able to take from a safety perspective.

There is an extreme class of knives which are marketed for really heavy spine impacts like the Ritter Grip, but few knives are promoted for such use so in general it would be hard to claim that should be a standard test. It is only really of interest on a small subset of the folder market.

Ritter has actually stated otherwise :

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3115556&postcount=18

But there are few makers/manufacturers I am aware of that would not cry abuse if you did this to their knives.

-Cliff
 
I understand how someone doing light or medium controlled use might look askance at the spine whack, I guess. But if you're doing heavy use or defensive use, where things aren't always perfectly controlled and hitting the spine is possible (and numerous people have detailed how it has happened to them), I think you'd be crazy not to do it. I tend to do a light whippy snap rather than powerful hammer type blows. Ironically, I find that a light whippy snap more easily defeats most locks than a hammer type blow -- the speed at which the energy is dumped into the lock, rather than the total energy itself, appears to be critical in showing lock geometry issues.

Steve used to test his defensive folders by holding them in one hand (actually, I think the knife was mounted on a stick which was held in the hand), and hitting them on the spine with a stick. This was meant to simulate the bad guy using his stick to do a "defang the snake" type attack, where the blow hits the knife instead of the hand. Seems like a horrific test, but once he handed me a knife he'd tested this way and that had sailed through, and the lock failed the first time I did a light whippy spine whack on it.

Point of all this being, a light whippy spine whack shows a lot of problems and is not even remotely abusive.

Joe
 
Now we're on track with some outstanding info and viewpoints...
Thanks for the info guys!
Tom
 
Be sure to look in the passaround area for the reviews of the Alias II I just sent out. I am sure you are gonna get a lot of great veiws. :)
 
Thanks, USAFSP -- Great review. I own two Sebenzas as well as a passel of other folders. Owning my Sebenzas has not stopped me from buying other knives. Thanks to your review I have a sneaking suspicion that an Alias II will soon become a new EDC for me.
Bob
 
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