- Joined
- Jan 20, 2004
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- 1,526
After seeing some positive feedback on the Browning Ice Storm, I decided to buy two from cdnninvestments.com. This was my first time using this company and it was a good experience. Shipping was prompt and tehy included a couple little gifts, completely unexpected. They have a flat shipping rate of $15, which is somewhat high for a single item, but is great when buying bulk. Since I bought two Ice Storms, the price came out to $33.50 per knife, an excellent price. I bought a "gold" colored model for myself and a red one for my step-dad, who is also a regular knife user and edc-er. I would provide pics, but don't yet have a digital camera 
Here are my initial impressions after receiving the Ice Storms.
Initial Impressions - I'm a returning student at the local university, finishing my degree in journalism. I wanted a new, non-black knife for edc and the Ice Storm fits the bill. This review, then, doesn't cover any daily use yet, as the knife will sit unused for one more week.
On first glance, the Ice Storm is slightly smaller than my 551 Griptilian. The blade lists at .2" shorter and that looks correct, placing them next to each other. The handle is also slightly smaller, although not uncomfortably or awkwardly so.
My first impression of this knife is that it is well-made. Lots of time and thought seems to have gone into its design. There are little thumb serrations for traction on both sides of the thumb stud. Therefore, this is a grippy knife in both the regular holding position and with the thumb choking up on the blade.
HandleThe handle color was listed as "gold" on cdnninvestment's web site. In their pics, it appears to be yellow. However, mine is somewhat deeper and has a hue that I describe as "dusty, metallic pumpkin". It's a very attractive handle. I'm thinking of getting a Case Harvest Orange slipjoint to match for the fall time :thumbup:
This is one grippy handle, despite being made of aluminum. The scalloped, vertical grooves in the handle not only look neat but give traction to the palm. There are plenty of serrations in the forefinger hole and directly above for the thumb, giving excellent grip right in front of the blade where it's most needed. This knife doesn't have a large forefinger guard, so I really appreciate the extra traction here.
Overall, the handle is well-sized and comfortable. It's slightly convex instead of flat, which gives a better grip and feel than flat handles. Conversely, it also takes up a little more carry space. In my opinion, it's worth the trade.
This handle fits my hand well, whose size I describe as medium-large. I'm a 30-year-old man, if that helps any.
My one complaint about the knife lies in the handle. The upper corner, directly above the lanyard hole, has a very pronounced corner. This causes the handle to poke a bit into my palm when really gripping the knife. If I was paying $100 for the knife, I'd be slightly more concerned. At $26, I'm not at all worried.
Lockup - this is a linerlock knife with aluminum scales. As such, the blade has a very solid, basic platform. Opening the knife, the lock fully engages then stops at the beginning of the tang. This is great, as it implies good craftsmanship and years of use with the knife. The liner lock has plenty of room to work across before wearing out.
There is no blade play whatsoever on this knife when opened. Horizontal, vertical, it doesn't matter - the blade is fully secured.
Sharpness and Edge Retention - I've not used the knife yet except for a preliminary arm shaving. WOW, is this knife SHARP! I couldn't even feel it slicing hair from my arm, yet is effortlessly created a completely smooth patch on my arm. Out-of-box sharpness is amazing.
My step-dad, to whom I gave the red-handled version to, reports that his knife was exceptionally sharp and had a very toothy edge. After dulling it a bit with use, he re-sharpened it on the fine side of a Norton India stone. It sharpened easily and, in less than a minute, he had a shaving-sharp edge again. The edge was smoother after sharpening, which implies that this blade needs a couple sharpenings to get down to the good steel. This is perfectly ok and even to be expected.
Opening and Carrying - this knife is right hand only, tip down carry. The clip is situated so that the knife sits entirely in pocket. I really like this feature, as it means the knife won't protrude from my pocket at all. The pocket clip is TIGHT. This is great, because I don't envision losing the knife. However, it can be slightly difficult to remove the knife from my pocket, particularly since it seats so low. Still, I'll take the carrying security any day.
The knife opens smoothly and has a nice "click" when locked open. I imagine that, with more use, this knife will become even more smooth and satisfying to open. The thumbstud is positioned in a functional spot. After opening and closing the knife with both hands, I can do it comfortably and smoothly.
Overall Fit and Finish - man, this is one well-made knife. The blade centers properly, the handle is attractive and mostly comfortable, the lock-up is great, the blade grinds are dead even, the edge is SHARP, the steel sharpens readily, and it costs $26 before shipping! I'd buy this knife again in a second and I wholly recommend other knifers snag one... or three... for themselves
:thumbup:
Here are my initial impressions after receiving the Ice Storms.Initial Impressions - I'm a returning student at the local university, finishing my degree in journalism. I wanted a new, non-black knife for edc and the Ice Storm fits the bill. This review, then, doesn't cover any daily use yet, as the knife will sit unused for one more week.
On first glance, the Ice Storm is slightly smaller than my 551 Griptilian. The blade lists at .2" shorter and that looks correct, placing them next to each other. The handle is also slightly smaller, although not uncomfortably or awkwardly so.
My first impression of this knife is that it is well-made. Lots of time and thought seems to have gone into its design. There are little thumb serrations for traction on both sides of the thumb stud. Therefore, this is a grippy knife in both the regular holding position and with the thumb choking up on the blade.
HandleThe handle color was listed as "gold" on cdnninvestment's web site. In their pics, it appears to be yellow. However, mine is somewhat deeper and has a hue that I describe as "dusty, metallic pumpkin". It's a very attractive handle. I'm thinking of getting a Case Harvest Orange slipjoint to match for the fall time :thumbup:
This is one grippy handle, despite being made of aluminum. The scalloped, vertical grooves in the handle not only look neat but give traction to the palm. There are plenty of serrations in the forefinger hole and directly above for the thumb, giving excellent grip right in front of the blade where it's most needed. This knife doesn't have a large forefinger guard, so I really appreciate the extra traction here.
Overall, the handle is well-sized and comfortable. It's slightly convex instead of flat, which gives a better grip and feel than flat handles. Conversely, it also takes up a little more carry space. In my opinion, it's worth the trade.
This handle fits my hand well, whose size I describe as medium-large. I'm a 30-year-old man, if that helps any.
My one complaint about the knife lies in the handle. The upper corner, directly above the lanyard hole, has a very pronounced corner. This causes the handle to poke a bit into my palm when really gripping the knife. If I was paying $100 for the knife, I'd be slightly more concerned. At $26, I'm not at all worried.
Lockup - this is a linerlock knife with aluminum scales. As such, the blade has a very solid, basic platform. Opening the knife, the lock fully engages then stops at the beginning of the tang. This is great, as it implies good craftsmanship and years of use with the knife. The liner lock has plenty of room to work across before wearing out.
There is no blade play whatsoever on this knife when opened. Horizontal, vertical, it doesn't matter - the blade is fully secured.
Sharpness and Edge Retention - I've not used the knife yet except for a preliminary arm shaving. WOW, is this knife SHARP! I couldn't even feel it slicing hair from my arm, yet is effortlessly created a completely smooth patch on my arm. Out-of-box sharpness is amazing.
My step-dad, to whom I gave the red-handled version to, reports that his knife was exceptionally sharp and had a very toothy edge. After dulling it a bit with use, he re-sharpened it on the fine side of a Norton India stone. It sharpened easily and, in less than a minute, he had a shaving-sharp edge again. The edge was smoother after sharpening, which implies that this blade needs a couple sharpenings to get down to the good steel. This is perfectly ok and even to be expected.
Opening and Carrying - this knife is right hand only, tip down carry. The clip is situated so that the knife sits entirely in pocket. I really like this feature, as it means the knife won't protrude from my pocket at all. The pocket clip is TIGHT. This is great, because I don't envision losing the knife. However, it can be slightly difficult to remove the knife from my pocket, particularly since it seats so low. Still, I'll take the carrying security any day.
The knife opens smoothly and has a nice "click" when locked open. I imagine that, with more use, this knife will become even more smooth and satisfying to open. The thumbstud is positioned in a functional spot. After opening and closing the knife with both hands, I can do it comfortably and smoothly.
Overall Fit and Finish - man, this is one well-made knife. The blade centers properly, the handle is attractive and mostly comfortable, the lock-up is great, the blade grinds are dead even, the edge is SHARP, the steel sharpens readily, and it costs $26 before shipping! I'd buy this knife again in a second and I wholly recommend other knifers snag one... or three... for themselves
:thumbup:
) 
Once I start carrying it regularly and it shows some wear, I'll reshape the handle corner.