EDC Battle for my Pocket ala Clich - 5 Great EDC's in a city-oriented showdown!

[crimsonfalcon07]

Well, I've been meaning to post my impressions of my top EDC folding knives for some time, and admittedly, the Ka-Bar Phat Bob has only been in my pocket for about 5 days now, and is in a whole different price category than the others (as is the Darrel Ralph, for that matter, but on the other end), but after reading some great threads by clich (check out his reviews in the Becker and Ka-Bar subforums), I decided to get off my stump and put on my reviewing hat. I've always been a fan of photo threads, and I've been told numerous times by the YouTube community that my recorded voice is funny sounding (and, admittedly, it really is), so I'm going to eschew the more common videos in favor of my usual pictorial line of commentary (ha HA, I managed to use "eschew" in a sentence. Take that, vocab teachers of my ever-more-distant youth!).

This battle for my pocket is also a battle of manufacturers, as I am EDC'ing what are, in my opinion, among the best offerings from 4 of the top manufacturers, and a mid-tech from a famed custom maker: The Ka-Bar Phat Bob, the Spyderco Stag Arms Manix 2, the Benchmade Ritter Griptilian, the Zero Tolerance 0350, and, the prize of my collection, the Darrel Ralph HTM DDR Gun Hammer Radian AO.

Unlike clich, I don't find myself going out to the wilderness on a regular basis, so, for this EDC battle, I decided to test out the usual sorts of foes that my EDC knives would likely encounter. I'll be adding some more tests as I go, but for now, we'll settle for the usual--manila rope (one of the toughest opponents a city knife can face short of carpet, and I was NOT about to try my DDR on old carpet), cardboard, and paper. Next series will be food prep. Then I may take on some of the more usual wood targets.

Introducing the Competitors

Ever since joining Blade Forums, I've been on the hunt for the best mid-budget EDC for my pocket, and, because of that, I've been hunting for the best representative from the main manufacturers that called me. I wanted something that was comfortable, 3.5" blade, premium steel, wide profile blade (I want to put a big hole in something if I have to stab it), and tough enough to manage most situations that I could find myself put into.

My first love was Benchmade, and I decided on the Ritter Griptilian for the Benchmade representative, thanks to its AXIS lock, S30V blade, and the larger, thicker, profile and high flat grind, which I felt improved on the original.

Spyderco is also very well thought-of on the boards, so I picked up a Manix 2, which was my favorite of their knives. I spent probably 2 hours in the Spyderco Factory Outlet talking to their reps and handling the knives, and the Manix 2 was by far the best feeling in my hands (medium gloves, if you're curious), and I loved the Ball Bearing Lock.

Kershaw was next, and I'll admit that I had a tough time. I tried the R.A.M., the Skyline, Blackout, and Blur, and none of them really managed to stay in my pocket. My usual test is to carry it for a week. If I don't love it at the end of that week, it doesn't make my EDC rotation. So, I decided to step it up a notch, and go with Zero Tolerance. I chose the 0350 because I liked the looks and size of the knife, and it was a bit thinner than their usual tanks, which makes it better for an EDC blade, while still being tough enough.

Now, I've had my eye on Darrel Ralph's folders for a long time. I'm a regular reader of Tactical Knives, and his Mad Maxx is on the back of every issue, his AXD found its way into Hollywood and Jason Statham's hand in The Expendables (and a basketball, for that matter), and I remember thinking: "wow, that is a gorgeous knife." But the Gun Hammer is by far my favorite of his designs, and his Damascus-handled customs have to be seen to be believed. That was one of my grail knives, and I finally dropped the hammer on the Gun Hammer. I went with the Radian blade because I couldn't find a Bowie anywhere that wasn't automatic, and the Radian was my second choice.

I was honestly going to stop there, when I read about the Phat Bob in the Ka-Bar subforum. The knife started to sound more and more appealing (go check it out if you want to know what I'm talking about, but beware, you may find yourself buying one, as moosez45 is very persuasive). http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/876870-Sell-me-on-the-Phat-Bob.

Moosez45 challenged me to buy one, and said he'd buy it off of me if I didn't love it. He also further argued that it would kick all of my other knives out of my pocket and become my regular EDC blade. So, I decided I'd give it a try. It's been kicking around in my pocket for 5 days now, and has 2 more before I make my final decision. As part of that process (I'm really trying to give it a chance), I threw it into the mixup here. I'll do a review on each knife, and then the test results for each.

The Testing

I will be testing these amazing blades against their usual EDC foes in a city environment—1/4” manila rope, cardboard, a bamboo cutting board, and then paper. They will have to undergo first a chop test on the rope, then a draw cut on the rope. Then I will do a push cut on cardboard, followed by a draw cut on cardboard. Next I'll try to dull the edges by running the edge on the cutting board repeatedly (100 times), and then I will push cut paper. You'll notice I put the worst targets first, so that the paper test will be more challenging.

Ka-Bar Phat Bob Review

I purchased this knife from my favorite Ka-Bar retailer, Man Venture Outpost, for 38.97 + shipping. MVO only ships to the US, so bad luck for our foreign friends. This particular Phat Bob is the AUS8 rendition. I had not, to date, tried Ka-Bar's AUS8 (and let me tell you, it's VERY good), so this was a good opportunity for me to find out more about the steel outside of Cold Steel's offerings (also very good).

One of the major draws to the Ka-Bar Dozier Phat Bob is what you get for the cost. For under 60 dollars shipped, you get a high quality blade with a good steel, and the handle, unlike most knives in that price range, actually has micarta slabs instead of some type of plastic, or maybe G10. This feature gives the Phat Bob a custom look to it that is unmatched by most, if not all, other knives in the same price range.

Specs

The knife has a 3.125” drop blade, with a slightly different tip design than I'm used to, and a nice wide profile (1.008” wide), and 1/16” thick. It's got a righty-only thumbstud screwed into the blade (which is kind of unfortunate for me, as I'm generally a lefty, although I use my EDC as a righty fairly frequently, so it's not a deal breaker for me). The blade has “Dozier Design” and “KA-BAR” printed on one side, and “Taiwan 4082” on the other. That's right, for those of you who only buy American, this one is not made in the US. That being said, if you're mainly in it for the quality, the Taiwanese factory did a very good job. It weighs around 5.3 oz, and has hollow ground AUS8 blade, tempered to 57-59 RC.

The Knife

The handle itself has a pocket clip on one side, which, while no-frills plain, is still durable. It can be attached to the other side in a convenient cutout machined into the polished green canvas micarta, but can only be attached tip-down.

One thing I really like about the handle is the little divot machined into the handle by the thumbstud, allowing easier access to the thumbstud, which, being the same height as the handle, would otherwise be very uncomfortable to use. That's one of my biggest pet peeves, and I'm very happy to see that Bob Dozier took care of that.

There's also a raised portion on the back of the blade with aggressive jimping, which helps your thumb retain a positive grip, and probably also helps use with a fire steel.

The knife is a liner lock design, which, while not the thickest liner lock ever (it is 1/16” thick), still has a rock-solid lockup. The knife opens easily with a flick of the thumb, thanks to the phosphor bronze washers.
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The blade itself is just as thick as any of the other models, and sports a hollow grind, which really boosts its cutting capabilities. It has been hardened to 57-59 RC, and does a great job of holding a very keen edge.

Ergonomics

A few things to remark about this knife. It has a wider handle than most, phat, if you will, and the knife itself is not contoured to make it more comfortable than otherwise. The handle shape is also very basic, but it's still pretty comfortable for all that. I ranked it 4th in a standard grip in comfort, ahead of the ZT 0350, last in a reverse grip, and in terms of being designed for multiple grips, it didn't strike me as being particularly geared towards that. This knife is a fairly simple and straightforward design, without many of the frills that mark the others. But that has it's own appeal, and, as you'll see, it's a very good performer, and much cheaper than the others. I'm going to be doing a little bit of handle modification, and we'll see what we'll see after that.

It also only opens with a flick of the thumb, which is fine, but it's not at all ambidextrous like the other knives. There's no flipper, no special lock design to allow ambidextrous opening, and the thumb stud is righty only. You also can't open this knife easily with gloves on. That's a definite negative in my book, although I can't deny that what you get for what you pay is quite astounding. It's also probably the least sturdy of the knives, thanks to the thinner liner lock, and the hollow ground AUS8 blade. It's still a hefty cutter, and I don't really think I have to worry about getting cut. I tried the spine whack test on it, and the liner didn't even flex. The knife is fairly heavy, weighing in at 5.3 oz.

In terms of comfort, this knife probably comes in 4th or 5th of the competitors. It's still quite comfortable, but the simple design limits its ergonomics. It's also the fourth heaviest of the knives, outweighing everything but the massive 6.2 oz heft of the ZT 0350, which makes it distinctly noticeable in pocket. I like my knives to be light-weight yet very sturdy, so this is another downside to the Phat Bob. Don't get me wrong, I think this knife is a great buy and a great EDC. But on the surface, it's probably my least favorite of the five, despite the great value per cost. Performance will tell, however. Let's take a look at the next knife to be tested, the Zero Tolerance 0350.

 

[crimsonfalcon07]

-Zero Tolerance 0350 Review

Zero Tolerance is a division of Kershaw, and its specialty is hard-use tactical folders. You can expect knives that are overbuilt to the point of looking as much like a tank as a folding knife can get, although they may sacrifice some cutting ability in comparison to smaller knives. The 0350 is one of the better EDC variants offered by ZT, since it's basically a scaled-down version of the ZT 0300, designed more for EDC. I purchased this knife for 105 shipped from kershawguy here on Blade Forums, and I do want to mention that he's in my opinion the only way to go for Kershaw/ZT knives.

Specs

The ZT 0350 sports a 3.25” DLC (Tungsten Diamond-Like-Carbon) coated blade in high flat ground S30V, in a modified drop-point configuration. The blade is 1/8” thick, and 1.25” across. It has a slight bulge to the blade, which looks like a very shallow recurve. It is made in the USA, and individually serialized. It weighs a whopping 6.2 oz, making it a rather hefty addition to your pocket. The blade has the ZT logo on one side, and says “0350, patented (next to the Kershaw logo), MADE IN USA,” as well as the serial number along with Speed Safe S30V Ken Onion Design on the other. It is an assisted opening knife, using Kershaw's Speed Safe design, and opens by use of a flipper, which can be activated even by a gloved hand. It has ambidextrous thumb studs, which serve only to stop the blade on the handle, since they have proven to be utterly useless at opening the knife.

The Knife

The handle sports a non-reflective black coated pocket clip with the ZT logo on it. I like the black clips, because I generally wear black or dark pants, and it's far less obtrusive than the shiny silver of a regular steel clip. Mine came in tip-down configuration, although it can be mounted on either side, or in tip-up on either side. It has textured matte-black G10 handle scales. I really like G10; it is one of the best folding knife handle scale materials out there, short of custom stuff, which generally has materials like semi-precious stones, bone, exotic woods, carbon fiber, micarta, or 3D machined aluminum, or even damascus steel.

I found the thumb studs to be rather annoying. They're shiny, which, while adding to the aesthetic appeal, really detracts from the stealthiness of the knife. If it's going to be a tactical knife with non-glare finish applied, I feel like the entire knife should be matte and non-glare. Having silver liners and thumb studs really defeats the purpose, and suggests to me that it's being marketed to the mall-ninja/tacticool crowd, rather than actual military personnel. That's not to say that it won't serve a tactical function very well, just that those little details are rather counter-intuitive to what I take the purpose of the coating to be. Perhaps someone will be able to instruct me otherwise.

Aside from that, the thumb studs are not effective at all at opening the knife. I can put enough pressure on the studs to make my thumbnail turn white, and it still won't open. Their primary purpose seems to be to stop the knife in the open position, since they fit neatly into a detent machined into the top of the handle.

The handle and bottom of the blade both have some nice aggressive jimping machined into it, right where your thumb would rest in both of the standard grips. That's a nice feature, and again, it's aggressive enough to permit use with a firesteel.

The handle is machined nicely to provide good control in a wide variety of grips, and the blade has a thumb shaped detent designed into it, in case you need to choke up on the grip for finer control.

Below you can see how the detent in the handle allows really good control with thumb and forefinger.

Here's me choked up with my thumb on the blade:

The Speed Safe system with the flipper means a lightning fast deployment, that requires no practice to get down. While thumb flicking and wrist english opening require some practice, even a total novice can open an AO flipper system, and Kershaw has done theirs very well. The knife comes out very fast with a satisfying thud as it clicks into place. I had some of my friends and family who would, in our community, be labeled “sheeple,” and they were surprised by how easy it was to open, although some of them found it vaguely terrifying. So be warned!

The knife uses a thick liner-lock, which is 3/32” wide. I am not sure what the lock is made out of, but I suspect some kind of stainless steel, since they don't advertise a Ti-lock. It is definitely beefy, and bank-vault solid. I tried a spine-whack test, and it doesn't budge at all.

Ergonomics

The design on this knife is really quite good, although I found it to be the least comfortable of the five knives. Again, the caveat is that this is a very comfortable knife; the knives are all far more comfortable than is the average. But it feels very blocky in hand, despite the excellent design on the shape. It needs more 3D texturing in order to really feel proper. Once this bad-boy gets a custom handle, then we'll really be in business. However, what it loses in blockiness, it makes up in the fact that it's well designed for a variety of different grips, and is one of the easiest knives to control in a gloved hand. So it's a qualified last place, because it beats out the Phat Bob on versatility of grip.

The opening mechanism is great. This knife is easy to deploy, no matter whether you are wearing gloves, your fingers are freezing cold, or you just don't have the practice to open it one-handed. It also doesn't matter whether you are a righty or lefty, as the knife is ambidextrous in everything except the lock. Minus points for the useless thumbstuds, which look like thumbstuds but aren't, but that's not a big minus because they're not necessary anyways, since most people will use the flipper. It is a bit hard to close one-handed, especially lefty, but that's true of all assisted openers. It is also the fastest knife to deploy of the 3, although we're talking milliseconds here. It is very, very smooth, and a solid knife. This one made it into my regular EDC rotation, although it's not my favorite of the usual suspects.

Spine-whack test again proved the beefiness of the lock. It's plenty strong enough for me, even if it can “only” take something like 300 pounds before it fails. Honestly, if I somehow manage to put that much weight on it, I'll be really proud of it anyways. I could use it to climb up some weird surface that permits me to jam a knife deep into it, or do the Jackie Chan cut-your-way-down-through-a-strip-of-cloth stunt, and feel as safe as could be outside of the inherent dangers of the stunt itself. This is one beefy knife, and if that's your cup of tea, you're looking in the right place. Next, we'll take a look at the Benchmade Ritter Griptilian.

Benchmade Ritter Griptilian Review

My first good knife, outside of Swiss Army, was a Benchmade Steirer-Eisen Monochrome. I loved that knife, and when my doctor's office and another unscrupulous patient helped me lose it (they knocked over the coatstand, it fell out of my pocket, they left it up on wall by the door, and another patient stole it), I immediately replaced it. So, when it came time to pick a candidate for best EDC, it was small wonder I went with Benchmade. Now, on the various knife forums, I think Benchmade is probably best known for their AXIS lock, and their best EDC's are, in my opinion, AXIS lock variants. I ended up going for the Benchmade Ritter Griptilian, which features an S30V blade (one of very few Benchmade knives to use that premium steel), which is a bit wider than the usual Griptilian blade, while still being within my 3.5” criteria for blade length (dictated by state law, although I think it's a really good length anyways). I purchased this knife from the only place you can buy them new, Knifeworks, for 119 USD + shipping. It weighs only 3.82 oz.

Specs

The Benchmade Ritter Griptilian features a 3.44” wide-chord drop-point blade, made out of S30V steel, hardened to 58-60 RC. It is .115” wide, and 1” across. It uses a high flat grind in a 30 degree configuration, which is really nice, because S30V can really take a 30 degree edge and hold it well, and it touches up very well on a Sharpmaker. I went for the stonewashed blade, instead of the blackened one, because DLC or BT2 coatings generally don't cut as well due to the friction, and the stonewashed blade is amazingly gorgeous, and is somewhat more resistant to looking bad from scratches than a satin finish, like the Phat Bob. It uses 410 stainless steel liners, and Glass-filled Noryl GTX (space-age plastic) for handle material. The washers are Phosphor bronze. Naturally, it uses the amazing AXIS lock, which is one of the only locks that I know of that permit rapid one-hand opening AND closing. The thumbstuds actually work to deploy this knife, while you can also pull down on the AXIS lockbar, and flick your wrist to open or close the knife. This knife wins the lock contest, although the Spyderco Ball-Bearing lock, once broken in, comes in a close second. Due to the nature of the design, the AXIS lock is also the second strongest lock of the knives I tested (coming in third on the market after the Ball-Bearing lock and the Cold Steel Tri-Ad lock).

The Knife

The Ritter Grip also has a nice non-reflective pocket clip, which can be attached on either left or right, in tip up configuration only.

The handle shape is very nice, and its slightly rounded, so it doesn't have that blocky feel that the usual flat knife with flat spacers tends to generate. It fills the hand very well, and has jimping on all of the places that you would likely put your thumb for a wide variety of grips. However, the handle material is a bit of a downer. The glass-filled Noryl GTX just feels like hard plastic, and is by far the cheapest feeling handle of the 5. This knife will really excel once I get custom carbon fiber grips for it, but the GTX, while grippy, just isn't the best material for a handle. I'd prefer to see G10 on this knife as well, at minimum. There is a Gold Class rendition with carbon fiber handles that is amazing, but at a much higher price than I think you should be paying for an EDC.

Notice the jimping around the handle and along the bottom of the blade. The blade actually flares out a bit at the base, and provides a very comfortable and secure spot for your thumb. Again, the jimping on the blade is fairly deep, so it should be reasonably good at working with firesteels.

The AXIS lock, is, of course, the primary reason to go Benchmade in the first place. All you have to do to open and close the knife is pull down on the knob, which is on either side of the handle, and flick the blade with your wrist. The spring isn't quite as strong as on the Spyderco Ball-Bearing lock, which makes it a truly ambidextrous knife. As for a spine-whack test, well, the way the lock is designed means it puts stress on the knife differently, and it's far stronger than any liner or frame lock. The spine-whack was really irrelevant, but I tried it out anyways. Ended up denting the wood I was smacking, but not the blade.

Ergonomics

While the handle doesn't look to be specifically designed to support multiple grips, it still feels pretty nice in multiple grips, and the jimping is specifically placed to support your thumb no matter what grip you choose. That fact is somewhat mitigated by the fact that you'll almost certainly end up getting custom grips for the knife, because the Noryl GTX will not likely be your favorite thing. The leading custom grip manufacturers are probably Kevin Wilkins and Cuscadi, although I've heard that tuffthumbz is not bad either, despite some undisclosed issues resulting in him getting banned here on Blade Forums. Overall, this is probably #3 in terms of comfort, of the five, which makes it a very comfortable knife. Between the lock and the overall comfort, this knife is an excellent EDC choice.

 

[crimsonfalcon07]

Spyderco Stag Arms Manix 2 Review

Any visitor to the forum will probably quickly be able to tell that there are a lot of fans of Spyderco, rightly so. I actually initially didn't like Spyderco, mostly because of how they look, so I never invested in one, prior to joining Blade Forums. But, I lived only 30 minutes away from the factory. After seeing all of the Spyderco recommendations, I ended up stopping by the Factory Outlet, and trying out all of their folders in my length range. I ended up choosing the Manix 2, which has the most unique lock style (very similar to the AXIS, but with a ball-bearing upon which the blade rotates, making it a very fast and smooth opening knife. I've tried other ones, but kept gravitating back to the Manix 2. The standard Manix 2 comes with a hollow-ground 154CM blade, so I went for a sprint run in Full Flat Ground S30V. The most readily available (and least expensive one), appears to be the sprint run produced for Stag Arms, which has a coated FFG S30V blade, and green G10 scales. I purchased mine direct from Stag Arms for 120 USD.

Specs

The Manix 2 has a 3.375” S30V blade, which is 1.375” wide at the broadest point, and 1/16” thick. The blade is FFG S30V, and has a nice belly to promote cutting ability. Honestly, it was the performance of the Manix 2 that converted me, since, like Spyderco knives, it performs very well. The knife weighs in at 5 oz, making it the third heaviest. The one thing that is noteworthy about the tip profile is that it's definitely the slenderest of the three, which might leave it the most prone to breaking. It has blackened, skeletonized steel liners with Stag Arms Dark Green G10 scales, and a DLC coated blade. The lock is the Spyderco Ball-Bearing lock, which I am told can support a whopping 1000 pounds of pressure at the pivot point. From the Stag Arms website: “The Stag Arms Manix2 features an exceptionally strong lock called the Ball Bearing Lock. It operates with a free-floating ball bearing contained in a custom-engineered high-tech polymer cage. The spherical ball bearing allows the lock to self adjust across a large surface, smoothly and consistently locking up with solid confidence.”

The Knife

The Manix 2 has a nice, blackened steel handle clip, which can be attached tip-up on either side. It is definitely the best-looking clip, and carries very discreetly in a pocket. I'm not the biggest fan of pocket clips, but it's still fairly comfortable in hand.

The handle is nicely shaped, molded perfectly to the hand, and with jimping on the liners to provide positive control between finger and thumb to help control the knife.

The blade also has jimping on the back, and it also has a detent in the front allowing the user to choke up on the blade. It's also a convenient safety feature, because when you have a finger in the detent, the blade cannot close on your fingers. In this picture, you can also see the ball-bearing lock.

The blade has Stag Arms and the Stag Arms logo imprinted on one side, and also says “Golden, CO, USA, Earth.” The other side has the Spyderco logo, and “Spyderco, CPM S30V.”

Ergonomics

The Spyderco Manix 2 is the second most comfortable of the five knives I am discussing today. The handle shape is well designed to be quite comfortable, although it doesn't have any 3D texturing. The lock is fairly hard to operate at first, but once it's broken in, it's easy to open with one hand, and, because the lock is so smooth, pulling back on the lock will actually allow the blade to fall open through the influence of gravity. This knife finds its way into my pocket with some regularity.

Darrel Ralph HTM DDR Gun Hammer Radian Review

I have had my eye on Darrel Ralph's work for quite some time. He makes some of the most gorgeous customs out there, and his HTM branch, which stands for Hand Tech Made, provides the next best thing to a custom folder at a much more affordable price. I purchased the Gun Hammer from MyKnifeDealer.com. They had excellent service, and allowed me to switch my order from the automatic one I'd accidentally ordered to the AO one that I needed.

Specs

The Gun Hammer comes with a 3.5” S30V blade, in Darrel Ralph's Radian shape, which is an aggressive recurve. The blade ranges from 1.125” to 1” in width, and is slightly more than 1/16” thick. The knife weighs 4.4 oz, thanks to the light-weight 3D machined aluminum handle. It uses an assisted opening flipper system to deploy, and has a very thick Titanium liner-lock.

The Knife

The handle includes a tip-down pocket clip, which can be reattached on either side in both tip-up and tip-down configuration. The handle is Darrel Ralph's 3D machined aluminum, which he calls Ergonomic Tactical, or ETAC for short. The handle is by far the most comfortable knife handle I've used, and has a series of grooves machined into it to promote grip. While it doesn't have any jimping on it outside of the jimping on the blade, it's very comfortable in any grip.

Here you can see how the handle molds against your fingers in a standard grip:

The back of the handle fits flush against your thumb, and is very comfortable.

It's also quite comfortable in reverse grip:

There's also a detent machined into the blade, which fits the thumb if you choke up on the handle.

The radian recurve blade is well designed, and has some unique looking cutouts, which probably reduce the weight of the knife as well. It has HTM-DDR engraved on one side.

The flipper system is really cool. The flipper is what gives the knife the name “Gun Hammer,” since it takes its styling from a Commander-style pistol hammer.

The assisted opening is very clever, and involves a long spring stretching the length of the handle. I tried to get a good picture, but it's not terrifically visible:

Here's a shot of the big thick titanium liner, which measures nearly 1/16” in thickness!

The back of the blade has jimping, although it's not terribly deep.

This knife can also be easily deployed and used, even in gloved hands. Overall, it's a very impressive piece of work. The one feature that may be questionable is that the bottom of the blade sticks up far enough through the handle that, if you apply pressure, it may be possible for you to cut yourself. I ended up blunting that point with a diamond rod from my Sharpmaker, just in case.

Ergonomics

Well, the title of the handle says it all. This is by far the most comfortable folding knife I've ever held. The 3D machining is really nice, and should be a selling point on any knife that features it. I think there are some ZT knives with 3D machined handles. Sure, it makes them more expensive, but it just feels fantastic in hand. Does it make it worth the 260 USD asking price? I don't know, but any of the other knives I've mentioned with custom handles would be fairly comparable in price, so I think it's probably fair. The deployment is nice and fast with the flipper, and the liner-lock actually has a ball-bearing built into it for smoother deployment. The HTM DDR Gun Hammer is definitely the nicest knife I own, and will have a place in my EDC line-up for as long as I own it. But, performance is king! I will use any knife I buy; safe queens have no place in my collection. Ironically, the less I like a knife, the better condition it stays in. So, let's get to the testing!

 

[crimsonfalcon07]

Cutting Tests

Phat Bob

I started off with the manila rope, and gave it a good whack. This is a pretty good test of a general city EDC knife, in my opinion, because the fibrous rope is one of the hardest things for a plain edge to cut, especially with chopping. The Phat Bob did okay, mostly severing one of the strands, but leaving the rest largely untouched. Given the relatively light weight and short blade, it really did quite well. I've tried a similar test with much larger and heavier kitchen knives and seen worse performance.

Next up was the draw cut on the rope. This time, it cut much deeper, fully severing a strand and biting a bit into another.

Then I tried it against its usual foe, cardboard. I tried a push cut, using force until I just couldn't get it to cut further. You'll notice that it seized up occasionally and resorted to tearing, but still cut clean through the sheet of cardboard. Note the occasional messiness. It was certainly not like cutting through butter, but did a fairly solid job. I think the satin finish and hollow grind really help it in this kind of task.

The next step was to test how cleanly and deeply it cut through cardboard on a draw cut. The Phat Bob excelled at this task, cutting very smoothly through the cardboard.

I'll show the paper cutting pictures at the end, since I used the same piece of paper. Suffice it to say that all knives passed the paper cutting test handily, even after 100 swipes on a bamboo cutting board. Their edges were barely affected at all, even the AUS8 on the Phat Bob.

Zero Tolerance 0350

The ZT 0350 was next up. I took a good swing at the manila rope to try the chop test:

It did about as well as the Phat Bob, cutting through a single strand. Then I tried a cutting test. Due to the flipper, it couldn't draw cut along the entire length of the blade, and was thus unable to cut deeply into the rope.

Next up was the cardboard push cut test. I have to say, the ZT 0350 failed this one miserably. It was unable to cut entirely through the cardboard.

However, it did just fine on a draw cut.

Benchmade Ritter Griptilian

The Ritter Grip was next up, and it did quite well on the chop test, splitting two strands of the manila rope on its chop test:

However, it really astounded on the draw cut test. It was the only knife to cut cleanly through the rope!

It also did very well at the push cut, only really seizing up towards the end of the strip:

On the draw cut, it cut more deeply than any of the other knives except the Manix 2.

Spyderco Manix 2

The Manix 2 also managed to split 2 strands of the rope on its chop test:

It nearly cut through the entire rope on its draw cut test, but didn't make it all the way through. I kind of suspect that the DLC coating didn't help.

The Manix 2 excelled at the cardboard push cut test, cutting cleanly through the entire strip of cardboard with barely any catch. The FFG and 30 degree angle really did well.

On the draw cut, it also did very well. The belly on the blade lends itself well to cutting.

Darrel Ralph HTM DDR Gun Hammer

The Gun Hammer only severed 1.5 strands on its chop test, putting it in third place.

Like the ZT 0350, the Gun Hammer didn't do so well on the draw cut.

It did a lot better when I piled it up high enough that the whole blade could touch.

Overall, the Ritter Grip won the cutting test so far, followed by the Manix 2, then the Phat Bob, Gun Hammer, and the ZT 0350 did the worst.

The results were, by and large, very close on all tests, so there is no definitive winner yet. All 5 knives are great EDC's, and I do strongly recommend them to anyone who likes their styling. As you can see, there is a great EDC available for a wide range of costs! I would probably say that the Manix 2 and Phat Bob are the best values for their cost, while the Benchmade Ritter Griptilian, once it has a custom grip, will be one of the best available. That being said, the Gun Hammer will probably be my main EDC for the foreseeable future, due to the excellent performance and amazing ergonomics. Phat Bob gets one more day, and I'll be modifying the handle to see if I can keep it in my EDC rotation. I think the ZT 0350 will probably drop out of my rotation after this round of testing. Thanks for reading!

 

[untamed]

^ Whoa! Thanks for taking the time/effort and sharing.

 

[Moosez45]

Excellent review. One of the best I've seen.

Moose

 

[crimsonfalcon07]

An update for you. My main complaint about the Ka-Bar Phat Bob was how blocky it felt in my hand. Fortunately, that is a very easy fix. You may have noticed that the handle shape is very similar to the handle on the Benchmade Griptilian, but the Griptilian handle, despite the inferior material, is more comfortable because it's rounded. I took some files and sandpaper to the Phat Bob and rounded out the edges, tapered the bottom, and widened the notch by the thumbstud to provide a natural place for your pointer finger to go. I finished it with 600 grit sandpaper (which is as fine grit as I have been able to find in hardware stores around here), and a coat of lacquer. It's not dark green any more, but it's much more comfortable, and the sanding really brought out the grain in the micarta. Now this knife really fits in nicely with the rest, although the blade profile isn't my favorite.

And some shots from the side, so you can see how it's a bit more rounded. For all you Phat Bob owners, this made a world of difference to how comfortable it was for me. If you don't mind possibly changing the resale value, you might give it a go. I recommend using hand sandpaper and taking your time, because you can shape it a bit better for your hand. I did a little preliminary shaping on a belt sander, I admit, but most of it was hand work with sandpaper and files.

More tests to come!

 

[clich]

AWESOME REVIEW man. its an honor to be mention in the title but man this puts mine to shame. nice stuff

 

[crimsonfalcon07]

Hey, you inspired me I really enjoy reading your reviews, and am looking forward to seeing more from you. Today I've been messing around and modding the Phat Bob, so it's more to my liking. Touched up the edges again, and next step is food prep--cheese, salami, tomatoes, and bread...

 

[Tostig]

Very well done review of several heavy hittin' knives !

Applause man !

Tostig

 

[gooeytek]

My brother has one of those DDR Gunhammers, and we never use the thumbstuds (bladestop studs?) to open it because it's so far up the top and flush to the scales. We always use the flipper. Do you use the thumbstuds? Asking because you seemed to make it a very important point with the ZT (even though it's a bladestop on the ZT) & the accessibility to them on the Dozier (since that's the only practical way to open it, not having a flipper).

 

[crimsonfalcon07]

I don't always use the thumbstuds. But if they're going to be there, they ought to actually work, IMO. Sure, the flipper is nice. But I can use the thumbstuds to open the Gun Hammer, and it's a blade stop on that also. Also, using thumb studs requires less movement of the knife in hand to actually get it to a normal grip than using the flipper. No, it's not a huge deal, and I do like the flippers. But if there's a flaw to the ZT 0350, besides the usual blockiness of the knife, that's probably the one. Minor, yes. But these are all great knives. None of them are going to have any major flaws.

And honestly, non-functional thumbstuds really bother me, even if there's another way to open the knife. All it takes is a little bit more effort machining access to the stud into the front of the handle. That's a common problem for a cheap crappy knife, and it irks me to see that in a higher-end knife. None of the other knives mentioned have this problem. In fact, none of my other knives period have this problem, except the crappy Colt and Gerber ones that are basically trash. Minor? Perhaps. Has another way to open it that's plenty easy? Sure. But it's still something about the design that could be improved. And if you're a person that doesn't like flippers for whatever reason (maybe because you like to open your knives in a way that won't scare the sheeple), the thumb stud is generally the favorite option.

On a side note, I cooked an omelet, and did all the food processing with the Ka-Bar Phat Bob. It might just stay in the kitchen. It cut very cleanly, even into slightly overripe tomatoes, and that's not an easy task.

 

[Rockywolf]

Due to this review thread, I ordered a Phat Bob. Received it today and liked it right out of the box, EXCEPT the cutout for the thumb stud. I took out my SAK and shaved a much larger area and it opens MUCh easier now. I'm going to round the edges and drip some oil into the pivot and I bet this becomes one heck of an EDC. I have a few higher end pocket knives and this one is not too shabby compared to them, especially for being so cheap. Thanks for the review!

 

[crimsonfalcon07]

I am glad you liked it! Just goes to show how good the Phat Bob is; I like mine a lot more after rounding the edges on that micarta and shaping it a bit though.

Here's a few more cut tests. I went to town on some beef summer sausage.

Phat Bob:

Not surprisingly, ole Bob did great at this. It cut more easily than anything except the BM Ritter Griptilian on this, although draw cutting the beef sausage was very easy and left clean cuts on all of them. Just one cut to get through the whole thing on all knives. Phat Bob was buttery smooth though. Definitely one of the best cutters out there.

BM Ritter Griptilian:

Not surprisingly after my last set of tests, the BM Ritter Grip excelled here. It cut very well, and actually did a bit better at processing the greasy (and hence, sticky) meat than the Phat Bob, although I could not discern which one cut more easily. Both were great!

ZT 0350:

This knife did fine, although it was probably the hardest to cut with. I suspect the coating doesn't help cutting ability, because the Manix 2 also had trouble. Regardless, the ZT 0350 is probably now my least favorite of the 5. It does very well, don't get me wrong. But it's still come out last or second to last on all of the cutting tasks. I like it, but it's not in my rotation right now. Kershaw knives just don't seem to stay in my EDC rotation for some reason, despite their obvious quality. I think it's mostly just that I have better knives in whatever category they tend to compete in (honestly, if it wasn't for my Gun Hammer, it would probably still be in there, and the Gun Hammer costs twice as much).

Speaking of the Gun Hammer:

This one came in a definite third in the contest. Although the Radian recurve blade actually did the best of the 3 at cutting through the meat on a draw cut, when I was push cutting the slices into fourths, it was a bit more difficult than the Ritter and Ka-Bar, which barely felt like I was cutting anything at all on the same task. I grant you, I have used the HTM Gun Hammer as my EDC for the last week without sharpening it before this test, while the others are still sharp, so that may have been somewhat unfair. I will check that later. But this knife definitely eats up meat, and due to its comfort, is my current favorite EDC. It will get a run for its money once I get the Griptilian some new handles, but until then, it's reigning supreme as my regular in-pocket knife.

Manix 2:

This one came as a bit of a surprise. I honestly expected it to do close to the best here, but on the draw cut, it barely beat out the ZT 0350. Was perceptibly harder to cut with, and on the push cut, I encountered even more of a surprise:

If you look carefully, you'll see that the cuts weren't clean, and there was some tearing! I suspect it has something to do with the DLC coating, honestly. I'll try the same test with a regular Manix 2. But the meat didn't process quite as cleanly as the other knives, for whatever reason. Tomatoes, on the other hand, it does great at. I think it's the stickiness of the meat. Now, be aware that this is a very close contest here; I can barely feel the difference, so it's a fairly arbitrary distinction between the knives.