Enzo trapper underrated ?

Revolverrodger

Revolverrodger

Joined
Jul 23, 2007
Messages
3,880
I have a enzo trapper scandi grind in O1 and I really love that knife as a survival / bushcraft knife. I don't see it getting alot of press and reviews...
I was just wondering what experience other people have with this great knife
 
Enzo knives have quite a following in the bushcraft community. They get mentioned often in BF's outdoors section. However, they don't seem to be available at many on-line stores in the US (I bought mine during a trip to the UK), and those that offer Enzo products don't stock much variety (just one or two models). That might explain why they don't have a bigger presence on forums and such.

I have an O1 Trapper and it's been great so far. In fact, I'm itching to try out one of their folders.
 
Enzo makes great knives, folders and fixed blades but they don't have any real distributors in the US. I hunted for a Birk folder for 2 years before laying my hands on one. Most of the people that sell them don't actually keep them in stock on a regular basis. Even the sites where I found them listed as out of stock couldn't be bothered to order one for me. So I don't think it's that they're underrated, just unavailable. The fixed blades aren't quite as rare as the folders but are not common by any means- at least as far as I've seen. And most people have simply never heard of them.
 
I love the fact that Enzo makes many of their blades available without scales so that you can customize them to suit your taste and intended use.

TedP
 
I had Enzo recommended to me several times when asking about good camp and bushcraft-style knives. I definitely don't think they're underrated because every time I've seen them mentioned, it has been totally positive. I do agree that they don't get much buzz here on the forum, probably due to their non-availability on larger online retailers, even knife-specific ones. People just don't see them.

An O1 Enzo Trapper blade is my next planned purchase, (unless a nice Mule comes up), I think they're one of the best values available for a fixed blade, depending on what you're looking for. They're miles ahead of most kit knives, and comparably designed bushcraft style knives routinely run 150-200% of what you'd pay for one.
 
I find the Scandi grinds too steep to be of much use. I have the same problem with Scandi grinds from Blind Horse Knives. Not many people are making Scandi's thin enough to work really well in my opinion. My 10 dollar Mora's outperform any Enzo or similar thick Scandi I've ever tried using.
 
when looked at by folks who appreciate 01 steel, and the style of blade that the Trapper is, it gets good reviews. Possibly it is not in as wide distribution as other brands, or maybe reviewed in venues we don't peruse.
It's a good knife, by any standard.
 
They are underrated. I have one of their scandi birk folders and also one of their neck knives. Great blades for the money.
 
Sulaco said:
I find the Scandi grinds too steep to be of much use. I have the same problem with Scandi grinds from Blind Horse Knives. Not many people are making Scandi's thin enough to work really well in my opinion. My 10 dollar Mora's outperform any Enzo or similar thick Scandi I've ever tried using.
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I know the blade on an enzo trapper is thicker than a Mora but what is the edge angle on a Mora vs an Enzo?
 
hollowdweller said:
I know the blade on an enzo trapper is thicker than a Mora but what is the edge angle on a Mora vs an Enzo?
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I don't know what the angles of the Scandi bevels are, I just know that the thicker Enzo blades versus the thinner Mora blades make it harder to cut things with. I cut wood with Scandi's and find a higher beveled Scandi works better if it's a thick blade. But you can get away with a lower bevel height if the blade is thinner. I hope that makes sense.
 
The Enzo Trapper in scandi is a great blade, I personally just don't like the handle contour, too thin for my taste. Getting an Enzo blank and have custom handles put on would make a lot of sense! The heat tretment is good. The scandi angle is usually about 12.5 dps and the thickness should be 1/8 inch which is a bit thicker than most Moras but Mora now has the robust line which is also 1/8 inch. It is what it is, a scandi blade is a carving/whittling blade, excels at making shavings, notches etc. It is not meant to be for chopping, batoning or even cutting fish/fruit/cucumber etc.
 
I have got a few Enzo Trappers both half and full flat grind. To my taste: blades are good, handles not so much - a bit shortish and fattish... I have modified the contours somewhat but the opportunities for doing that are quite limited because of cut-outs in the handle to make it lighter. So my opinion: neither good no bad.
 
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I have a D2 Trapper that I bought as just a plain blade about five years ago. It's a great knife. I made some blasted canvas micarta scales and a kydex sheath for it and carry it in my back pocket. Their D2 holds it's edge really well and I haven't had any trouble with chipping. I did get a little tired of the scandi gring though so I sent it to Tom Krien and got a full flat grind on it. The edge is a little frightening now. It's certainly not as robust as it was but it's great for fire/food prep and would make a great skinner.
 
Bigfatts said:
Enzo makes great knives, folders and fixed blades but they don't have any real distributors in the US. I hunted for a Birk folder for 2 years before laying my hands on one. Most of the people that sell them don't actually keep them in stock on a regular basis. Even the sites where I found them listed as out of stock couldn't be bothered to order one for me. So I don't think it's that they're underrated, just unavailable. The fixed blades aren't quite as rare as the folders but are not common by any means- at least as far as I've seen. And most people have simply never heard of them.
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I just bought a Trapper blade from thompson's blades. They have a pretty good selection online and they're good to work with. I think they're located somewhere in the Great Lakes region.
 
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