Evaluation request TRM, MBK, Kizer

[jerok8]

I like sober looking blades that slice well, from 3.25 - 4 inches. I prefer titanium of micarta scales, and thin blade. Price below $250 is acceptable, but have no qualms spending less on a knife that represents good value.

I'd like to hear feedback from owners comparing these:

TRM Atom/Neutron

MBK Old Guard

Kizer Gemini Vanguard Micarta

I'm also open to similar suggestions.

 

[zippifish]

Had an Atom, didn't keep it long, owned the Old Guard liked it so much I bought the Ti Mini Old Guard when it was released, I much preferred both Old Guards, to me they feel better in the hand and are very smooth when opening be it slow roll or thumb flick. I also prefer a frame lock knife over a liner lock, every liner lock knife I've owned I ended up quickly selling so no more liner locks for me but that's just my preference. Never owned a Kizer.

 

[jerok8]

Had an Atom, didn't keep it long, owned the Old Guard liked it so much I bought the Ti Mini Old Guard when it was released, I much preferred both Old Guards, to me they feel better in the hand and are very smooth when opening be it slow roll or thumb flick. I also prefer a frame lock knife over a liner lock, every liner lock knife I've owned I ended up quickly selling so no more liner locks for me but that's just my preference. Never owned a Kizer.

Thanks Zippi!

 

[Random Dan]

I have had both TRMs and a mini OG. If you want thin blade then TRM is probably the better bet. But keep in mind the handles are also thinner, so they carry really well but depending on your mght not be as comfortable. The mini OG is comparitively chonky for it's size but is also an excellent knife.

The Hogue Deka, Benchmade Bugout, and Quiet Carry Drift are all good options in that price range and have pretty thin slicey blades.

 

[hhmoore]

I quite like the Atom, personally... It just didn't manage to knock the reigning knife out of my rfp.
The Hogue/Ritter is a great knife, as well; and the lower price tag is nice, too.

 

[NG VI]

I like sober looking blades that slice well, from 3.25 - 4 inches. I prefer titanium of micarta scales, and thin blade. Price below $250 is acceptable, but have no qualms spending less on a knife that represents good value.

I'd like to hear feedback from owners comparing these:

TRM Atom/Neutron

MBK Old Guard

Kizer Gemini Vanguard Micarta

I'm also open to similar suggestions.

Recently there was a sale on the carbon fiber version of the upscale Begleiter, and mine has a nicer action than my Skaha II, maybe better than any of my other linerlocks. On top of that it has a lovely thin piece of stock for the blade and the compound grind is really outstanding for a production knife. If you can either appreciate or get over the tanto tip and kwaiken profile, that on sale is probably the best sub-$130 purchase I've made. There were others but that's fresh on my mind. The titanium version is sweet too, I ended up impulse buying one to go with the CF. The action on the framelock isn't quite as glassy and snappy but it's still an exceptional model from Kizer. The more traditional tanto version that the framelock comes in might be more your speed.

The Ritter has been on my want list for a long time, it's a great choice and maybe the shape fits the 'sober appearance' criteria better than any kwaiken tanto ever could, but like the Begleiter they're both pretty exquisitely detailed.

The TRM is going to be awesome and the most significant purchase of the things on your list, and will allow you to modify it to your liking.

I have a mini Old Guard and I do like it, it feels robust and the blade is excellent, the ergos are classically neutral and overall it's great. I just feel like it was maybe twenty or thirty bucks overpriced, though that sort of applies to everything nowadays. It's very much what you're looking for though.

 

[Chronovore]

I'm familiar with the Atom and have a special edition of the Gemini with N690 and brown Micarta. Both had issues but I kept the Kizer.

The Atom was okay but did not live up to the hype in my opinion. Yes, the blade was thin, slicey, and made of great steel. The Micarta scales were okay but had rough inner edges. I could have taken a few minutes to clean up those edges during disassembly but I feel like I shouldn't have to do that on an almost $200 knife. That combined with the already thin handle profile and lock-bar cutout made the knife less comfortable in hand than I liked. At least on mine, the detent was pretty weak. That meant that it was easy to shake out and didn't have the snappy opening I like on thumb stud knives. (For instance, both my mini Domin and mini Begleiter from Kizer have notably better action.)

The Gemini is decent. While N690 isn't as good as 20CV, it's a little better than VG-10 and totally reasonable in a $75 knife. While not as thin as the Atom, my Gemini has a relatively tall flat grind starting from 0.11" stock and slices well. Like the Atom, it has Micarta scales with nested liners. Like the Atom, the inner scale edges were left rough from the factory. Unlike the Atom though, it only cost $75 so I didn't mind. After cleaning up the inner scale edges, the ergonomics are pretty good. There is a little bit of a hot spot from the end of the pocket clip and the very top of the lock bar came to a sharp corner. While the detent is perfect, lock-up is too early on mine. That makes it very easy to disengage. That isn't normal and Kizer was willing to help me out, but being a limited edition meant they didn't have replacement stock available. Since the large flipper tab acts as a guard, and the action is fantastic, I decided to keep it.

 

[jerok8]

Thanks for the insights so far folks - sounds like a dead heat.

NG VI - thanks for the info on the Beigleiter - looks like a real value.

Any other insights?

 

[Hackenslash]

For me it's the TRM Neutron hands down.

The MBK is a great knife but the flood of imported, good quality knives has become a little excessive. The Old Guard isn't that much different from a couple dozen other knives available in a similar price range and it seems to suffer from an overload of vanilla. The blade stock is fairly thick so I'm not sure it would make a good slicer.

The Kizer is a significantly cheaper knife. The Vanguard line is a good, budget option but it's a couple steps down from either MBK or TRM. I have a Ti Genesis and it lives in a knife bag.

The TRM is made in the USA in small batches. It has a very distinctive look and stands apart from all the mid-tech, frame lock imports. The blade is the sliciest of the bunch. The one criticism that some may have is that the knife is very thin. With the Atom and Neutron 2 you can buy sculpted scales that change the thickness profile. My Neutron is always in my EDC rotation.

Another knife hitting the stores soon that may interest you is the CIVIV BO. It's a Brad Zinker design and Brad knows how to make a slicey knife. It's priced similar to the Kizer but I expect it to be better in overall quality. Looks-wise its very similar to the Mini Old Guard at a fraction of the price. I'll probably pick one up to check out.

View attachment 1612200

 

[JoWa]

I have had the Atom for a little over a week now, and I love it. As some have mentioned, the scales are really thin...which is nice for carrying, but less impressive if you're going to spend hours cutting with it. Shortly after I got mine I spent 4 hours breaking down boxes with it. The edge held up incredibly well, just a quick strop and it was like new again. If you want a handle that fits the hand better you can select some of their contoured micarta or g-carta scales, though the added cost of those will drive it toward the top of your stated price range.

 

[OrangeBlueOrangeBlue]

I've got the Neutron 2 and Vanguard Gemini, and they're completely different classes of knife. I got the Gemini for around $50 during a Black Friday sale a few years ago, and it's a "nicer" budget knife, but absolutely a budget knife at heart. Meh steel, too soft detent, pretty good build quality. The Neutron, meanwhile, is impeccable. You can tell a lot of attention goes into their production. It's also substantially better with the contoured scales rather than the flat scales. I don't have an Old Guard, but I do have an MBK EWC, and it's very well made. I love Ray Laconico's designs, but some of his stuff is available for a lot less than what MBK charges.

 

[K.O.D.]

For me it's the TRM Neutron hands down.

The MBK is a great knife but the flood of imported, good quality knives has become a little excessive. The Old Guard isn't that much different from a couple dozen other knives available in a similar price range and it seems to suffer from an overload of vanilla. The blade stock is fairly thick so I'm not sure it would make a good slicer.

The Kizer is a significantly cheaper knife. The Vanguard line is a good, budget option but it's a couple steps down from either MBK or TRM. I have a Ti Genesis and it lives in a knife bag.

The TRM is made in the USA in small batches. It has a very distinctive look and stands apart from all the mid-tech, frame lock imports. The blade is the sliciest of the bunch. The one criticism that some may have is that the knife is very thin. With the Atom and Neutron 2 you can buy sculpted scales that change the thickness profile. My Neutron is always in my EDC rotation.

Another knife hitting the stores soon that may interest you is the CIVIV BO. It's a Brad Zinker design and Brad knows how to make a slicey knife. It's priced similar to the Kizer but I expect it to be better in overall quality. Looks-wise its very similar to the Mini Old Guard at a fraction of the price. I'll probably pick one up to check out.

View attachment 1612200

By the same token, the Civivi Exarch is excellent as well. I have it with the CF and Damascus. Hard to beat for $80, Its a front flipper. They make a regular flipper version called the Chronic.

 

[jerok8]

Hack, that Bo looks interesting - though it may be just a tad on the short side, and I'm not sure how I feel about the handle material.

KOD - the Exarch seems to be the right length, with a bit thicker stock. How are the ergos? The handle looks a little angular.

For the Atom/Neytron, maybe I need to go over to the "Knives you want but can't get" thread.

 

[JoWa]

Hack, that Bo looks interesting - though it may be just a tad on the short side, and I'm not sure how I feel about the handle material.

KOD - the Exarch seems to be the right length, with a bit thicker stock. How are the ergos? The handle looks a little angular.

For the Atom/Neytron, maybe I need to go over to the "Knives you want but can't get" thread.

Atom DLC's and Newtrons are both dropping again this month. I picked an Atom up at the last drop. They went fast, but not too fast...maybe 30 minutes, I didn't time them. Check their FAQ page regularly, as that's where they announce the drop time and date. Right now both the Atom and Newtron are listed as 'August', but Marianne indicated that they would be in the second or third week.

 

[Chronovore]

Hack, that Bo looks interesting - though it may be just a tad on the short side, and I'm not sure how I feel about the handle material.

KOD - the Exarch seems to be the right length, with a bit thicker stock. How are the ergos? The handle looks a little angular.

For the Atom/Neytron, maybe I need to go over to the "Knives you want but can't get" thread.

I have the regular version of the Exarch. It's a dandy little knife but I prefer the Chronic. The Chronic is basically the same knife but with a regular flipper tab, slight difference in blade shape, and WE's excellent 9Cr18Mov. I finally ordered the Bo. I could post a comparison picture with stats in a few days if you are interested.

 

[Random Dan]

Here's some comparison pictures with the Atom, Mini OG, and my newly arrived WE Esprit.

 

[ktataragasi]

I have an Atom on the way to me so I can update when I have some time with it.

I have a Kizer T1 which design wise is very similar to the OG and has a great thin grind. It's all titanium and has S35vn. It's worth a look.

The Bugout is a good cutter also.

 

[zippifish]

Here's some comparison pictures with the Atom, Mini OG, and my newly arrived WE Esprit.

How do you like the Esprit so far? 3.25" blade and close to 7.5" OAL is a sweet spot for what I like to carry, never owned a WE the only imports have been from MBK and Spyderco.

 

[Random Dan]

How do you like the Esprit so far? 3.25" blade and close to 7.5" OAL is a sweet spot for what I like to carry, never owned a WE the only imports have been from MBK and Spyderco.

I'm really liking it so far. Typical of WE I can't find a flaw in the construction. It's a little thinner/wider than the mini OG and the grind is pretty nice. Very smooth and flips out nicely with either thumb studs or front flipper, although the front flipper is taking me a bit of an adjustment because I'm used to the Pena style top flippers. I like the orange peel texture; it gives it a little bit of uniqueness without being flashy. Overall a very solid well-ade knife.

 

[Zboson]

The only knives that I have multiple copies of are from TRM and Chris Reeve. The TRM Atom complements the Sebenza and Inkosi extremely well. The Atom carries so well that I can even clip it into my shirt pocket. If I needed to pound a knife into a tree and use it for a ladder, I'd probably not choose the Atom. Other than that, I happily carry the Atom for anything else that I might want to do with a knife.