So while looking for a ball bearing knife to test and torture to confront my prejudice against ball bearing knives, I came across the CH CH3001. This knife arrived a few days ago and it is being carried along with a Harnds Talisman as my foray into ball bearing pivot knives.
This is a titanium frame lock knife with ball bearings, stainless steel insert on the lock bar to engage the blade lock surface as well and also functions as a lock over travel stop when unlocking. The blade is a full flat grind with D2 steel. It is a flipper with pretty good action out of the box. The pocket clip is also made from titanium. The titanium parts of the knife can be purchased with purple, green, or blue anodizing, or just natural.
The blade sticks out the 4-1/8" (103mm) handle by 3-3/8" (85mm), more or less. The blade overall shape is straight back with a bit if a drop. Actual cutting length is around 3-1/4" (80mm). The blade stock is around 1/8" (3mm). The whole knife weighs around 3oz (86g).
The first impression out of the box was that it was fragile. Everything feels so light and almost delicate thanks to the titanium and fairly light detent. It flipped out easily but seemed a bit slow. I only own three other flippers, a ZT0566, Kershaw Cryo II (POS!) and the Harnds Talisman. They all fire with some force needed. The CH3001 seemed too easy and sloppy to open at first. My opinion has changed.
The handle is comfortable and fits my XL hands very well, and even the hands of the size S hands of my wife. This is a great handle design. It is also very slim and very pocketable. There are no hot spots for me but my wife thought the pocket clip was a bit bothersome. Overall the ergonomics are very good.
The blade was paper push cut sharp out of the box, but a bit toothy. I touched it up to my liking and from that process it feels like the D2 of my Ontario Rat1 D2 as far as sharpening goes. The blade design is clean and has no thumb studs, which I am realizing that I prefer after carrying the Talisman and this knife for a bit now.
The pocket clip is nothing to write home about, but it is nothing to complain about neither. The great thing is that it is NOT polished and shiny. It is a nice matte color to match the handle color. The blue version means that it disappears in my blue jeans and draws no attention. It is sufficiently deep tip up carry, and retains well but not too grippy.
The pivot came greased with some unknown type of thick grease. Of course this was not for me so I took it apart and cleaned and oiled sparingly with Nano-Oil 85, both the bearings and the detent ball. WOW! It now falls closed under gravity only, and flies open now with almost no effort. It does not open without intent though.
How does this compare? Well, compared to the Rat 1, it carries almost the same length of cutting edge with a huge difference in size and weight. Against the ZT0566, almost the same cutting edge, MUCH lighter, and as fast to open even against the assisted ZT. Another way to look at this knife; It is basically the same size in the pocket as the Delica 4 or smaller and almost the same weight. The cutting edge though is something like 30% longer! IMHO (yeah right me humble) it is also more comfortable in hand than the Delica 4, which is a real accomplishment. This and all for around $60 USD shipped to your door.
What is not to like....... ??? No idea at this point.
Conclusion: For a $60ish USD knife, this is a knife to consider for a light and sheeple friendly EDC that is probably also capable of some more HD use. It carries in the pocket like a Rat 2 or Delica 4 but carries a capable blade with a size closer to a PM2 or Rat 1. It is elegant enough that it won't embarrass you in a family setting but it appears it will also stand up to more HD uses. The build quality is beyond anything else I have seen at this price range. The final verdict will be dependent on how well the edge stands up according to its claimed D2 composition and how well the ball bearings against titanium works. Buy one.
Edit:
I like mine so much I purchased another! Here is a comparison to two of the most popular knives on the market. Notice again that it has more cutting edge than the PM2 but basically in the overall size of the Delica.
This is a titanium frame lock knife with ball bearings, stainless steel insert on the lock bar to engage the blade lock surface as well and also functions as a lock over travel stop when unlocking. The blade is a full flat grind with D2 steel. It is a flipper with pretty good action out of the box. The pocket clip is also made from titanium. The titanium parts of the knife can be purchased with purple, green, or blue anodizing, or just natural.
The blade sticks out the 4-1/8" (103mm) handle by 3-3/8" (85mm), more or less. The blade overall shape is straight back with a bit if a drop. Actual cutting length is around 3-1/4" (80mm). The blade stock is around 1/8" (3mm). The whole knife weighs around 3oz (86g).
The first impression out of the box was that it was fragile. Everything feels so light and almost delicate thanks to the titanium and fairly light detent. It flipped out easily but seemed a bit slow. I only own three other flippers, a ZT0566, Kershaw Cryo II (POS!) and the Harnds Talisman. They all fire with some force needed. The CH3001 seemed too easy and sloppy to open at first. My opinion has changed.
The handle is comfortable and fits my XL hands very well, and even the hands of the size S hands of my wife. This is a great handle design. It is also very slim and very pocketable. There are no hot spots for me but my wife thought the pocket clip was a bit bothersome. Overall the ergonomics are very good.
The blade was paper push cut sharp out of the box, but a bit toothy. I touched it up to my liking and from that process it feels like the D2 of my Ontario Rat1 D2 as far as sharpening goes. The blade design is clean and has no thumb studs, which I am realizing that I prefer after carrying the Talisman and this knife for a bit now.
The pocket clip is nothing to write home about, but it is nothing to complain about neither. The great thing is that it is NOT polished and shiny. It is a nice matte color to match the handle color. The blue version means that it disappears in my blue jeans and draws no attention. It is sufficiently deep tip up carry, and retains well but not too grippy.
The pivot came greased with some unknown type of thick grease. Of course this was not for me so I took it apart and cleaned and oiled sparingly with Nano-Oil 85, both the bearings and the detent ball. WOW! It now falls closed under gravity only, and flies open now with almost no effort. It does not open without intent though.
How does this compare? Well, compared to the Rat 1, it carries almost the same length of cutting edge with a huge difference in size and weight. Against the ZT0566, almost the same cutting edge, MUCH lighter, and as fast to open even against the assisted ZT. Another way to look at this knife; It is basically the same size in the pocket as the Delica 4 or smaller and almost the same weight. The cutting edge though is something like 30% longer! IMHO (yeah right me humble) it is also more comfortable in hand than the Delica 4, which is a real accomplishment. This and all for around $60 USD shipped to your door.
What is not to like....... ??? No idea at this point.
Conclusion: For a $60ish USD knife, this is a knife to consider for a light and sheeple friendly EDC that is probably also capable of some more HD use. It carries in the pocket like a Rat 2 or Delica 4 but carries a capable blade with a size closer to a PM2 or Rat 1. It is elegant enough that it won't embarrass you in a family setting but it appears it will also stand up to more HD uses. The build quality is beyond anything else I have seen at this price range. The final verdict will be dependent on how well the edge stands up according to its claimed D2 composition and how well the ball bearings against titanium works. Buy one.
Edit:
I like mine so much I purchased another! Here is a comparison to two of the most popular knives on the market. Notice again that it has more cutting edge than the PM2 but basically in the overall size of the Delica.
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