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I received a D'allara Drop Point in a trade recently, it being my first Axis-style knife. Here are my initial impressions.
Construction and Ergonomics
The knife features dual skeletonized liners sandwhiched in between molded FRN grips that swell in the middle and at the ends and feature texturing similar to Endura and Delica 4's. The texture is very grippy and makes the FRN feel much better than what most companies produce. The slight swelling of the handle improves ergonomics, but the knife remains thin for comfortable pocket carry. The knife is handle-heavy and has some heft to it, though it pales in comparison to a Buck 110 or a Spyderco Manix in weight. The spine is a solid chunk of steel in between the liners and sits 1mm to 1/2mm lower than the scales. Overall the scales are the best feeling FRN I've laid hands on and the large handle size fits my hands wonderfully. The thumb rap feels very natural to use with the handle size and shape. It has a lot of handle material on the first 2/3 of the thumb ramp, making it much more comfortable than having a narrow blade spine to press against.
Blade and Lock
The VG-10 blade features a hollow sabre grind and has a thickness just a hair thinner than the 110 or an Endura 3. The last half inch approximately has a functional taper, reducing the tip to roughly 1/3 the width of the back end. Cutting edge to handle ratio is 3 1/2 inches to 5 inches. The ball-bearing lock holds the blade closed securely, requiring more force to open than an average Spyderco lock-back. Opening and closing action is among the smoothest knives I've used. Because the ball rotates freely, it's difficult to disengage the lock using one finger. It's impossible in my practice to accidently disengage the lock in any grip I can think of, even when making intentional efforts to do so.
Cuts made on thin shipping box and printer paper.
Real World Usage
I used this knife to help me prepare a light meal consisting of two carrots, an apple and a toasted turkey sandwhich.
I was very pleased with how the hollow-ground blade preformed in slicing the skin off the carrots. This type of activity is better handled by flat ground blades in my opinion, but the D'allara did better than most blades with a similar grind. The high sharpness and acute edge let it cute very fine shavings. Some light woodworking was done in a similar manner and it excelled above other hollow-ground blades of mine here to. In the future, woodworking photos will be posted.
The entire meal. The narrow tip dug into apples and sliced through them with great ease. As would be expected with Spyderco's VG-10 the blade suffered no deformation on plastic cutting boards when chopping apples and suffered from no corrosion or loss of sharpness.
I'm very pleased with this knife. I traded off my Manix in a deal that got me the D'allara and some other blades. As well-rounded and intelligently designed as the Manix is, I find myself preferring the D'allara surprisingly. Thinner, lighter, cheaper and more ergonomic. The only changes I'd like to see is an additional run offered in blue FRN or G10, but aside from my cosmetic wishes I feel the knife is perfect left how it is. Thanks goes to Spyderco for producing this exceptional knife.
I received a D'allara Drop Point in a trade recently, it being my first Axis-style knife. Here are my initial impressions.
Construction and Ergonomics
The knife features dual skeletonized liners sandwhiched in between molded FRN grips that swell in the middle and at the ends and feature texturing similar to Endura and Delica 4's. The texture is very grippy and makes the FRN feel much better than what most companies produce. The slight swelling of the handle improves ergonomics, but the knife remains thin for comfortable pocket carry. The knife is handle-heavy and has some heft to it, though it pales in comparison to a Buck 110 or a Spyderco Manix in weight. The spine is a solid chunk of steel in between the liners and sits 1mm to 1/2mm lower than the scales. Overall the scales are the best feeling FRN I've laid hands on and the large handle size fits my hands wonderfully. The thumb rap feels very natural to use with the handle size and shape. It has a lot of handle material on the first 2/3 of the thumb ramp, making it much more comfortable than having a narrow blade spine to press against.
Blade and Lock
The VG-10 blade features a hollow sabre grind and has a thickness just a hair thinner than the 110 or an Endura 3. The last half inch approximately has a functional taper, reducing the tip to roughly 1/3 the width of the back end. Cutting edge to handle ratio is 3 1/2 inches to 5 inches. The ball-bearing lock holds the blade closed securely, requiring more force to open than an average Spyderco lock-back. Opening and closing action is among the smoothest knives I've used. Because the ball rotates freely, it's difficult to disengage the lock using one finger. It's impossible in my practice to accidently disengage the lock in any grip I can think of, even when making intentional efforts to do so.
Cuts made on thin shipping box and printer paper.
Real World Usage
I used this knife to help me prepare a light meal consisting of two carrots, an apple and a toasted turkey sandwhich.
I was very pleased with how the hollow-ground blade preformed in slicing the skin off the carrots. This type of activity is better handled by flat ground blades in my opinion, but the D'allara did better than most blades with a similar grind. The high sharpness and acute edge let it cute very fine shavings. Some light woodworking was done in a similar manner and it excelled above other hollow-ground blades of mine here to. In the future, woodworking photos will be posted.
The entire meal. The narrow tip dug into apples and sliced through them with great ease. As would be expected with Spyderco's VG-10 the blade suffered no deformation on plastic cutting boards when chopping apples and suffered from no corrosion or loss of sharpness.
I'm very pleased with this knife. I traded off my Manix in a deal that got me the D'allara and some other blades. As well-rounded and intelligently designed as the Manix is, I find myself preferring the D'allara surprisingly. Thinner, lighter, cheaper and more ergonomic. The only changes I'd like to see is an additional run offered in blue FRN or G10, but aside from my cosmetic wishes I feel the knife is perfect left how it is. Thanks goes to Spyderco for producing this exceptional knife.
