Fox FX-516 B.R.I.

Czechnologist

Czechnologist

Joined
Nov 17, 2018
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Haven't been able to locate very much on the Fox FX-516 BRI (01FX013) on YouTube, only one review in German and another in French. Was just wondering if anyone else here had this knife and if they liked it. I like the design. It probably wouldn't be my first choice for EDC (I have a Guardian Tactical Helix Nano for that) but, for a hefty, hard use tactical folder it looks pretty awesome and I like Fox knives in general.
 
OK, so I take it that nobody personally owns this knife and therefore can't provide any feedback on it. I totally get that. Based on my research, it appears that the knife came out about a year ago and only recently became available in the USA. That probably explains why there's no English language reviews of it on YouTube yet.

From the web:

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The Fox FKMD B.R.I. Knife is a bulldog of a tactical knife, designed by Stephane Ballarin, and manufactured by the Fox Knives Military Division. The B.R.I. (Brigade de Recherche et d'Intervention - the French Special Forces Unit), features a 3.5" clip point blade made of N690Co stainless steel, .15" thick, with a non reflective black finish, a top swedge and a fuller. The blade has a notched thumb rest for secure grip, dual thumb studs and a flipper for ambidextrous one hand opening. The black G10 handle, 4.8" closed, has steel liners for strength, a liner lock, and a glass breaker / impact weapon at the pommel. A side to side reversible pocket clip is mounted at the butt end. The FKMD B.R.I. has an overall open length of 8.3", and it weighs 8.5 ounces. Made in Italy.

One thing I think is pretty cool is that Fox also includes a flat replacement tip and the tools to switch-out the glass breaker. I went ahead and ordered it. It seems like a lot of knife for the sale price ($162) plus, I had $40 worth of Hilton Honors points I could apply. That made it $122 with free shipping.
 
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Just arrived! I'm very pleased to find that this particular knife came with the smaller, more subdued Fox logo at the top of the blade rather than the larger, more prominent one shown upthread.

My first impressions are very positive. The N690Co blade is ridiculously sharp out of the box. Flipper is silky smooth and robust. Blade deploys extremely fast with either the thumb studs or the flipper tab. It's a beast at 8oz+ but I didn't buy it with any intention of EDC. This is going to be a great, hard use hunting/outdoor cutting tool and I'm looking forward to putting it to good use.
 
Saw your post in the 'pictures' thread and was intrigued...glad to see a more in depth look! Looks like an awesome knife. Really like the upper choil continued through the frame to the blade.
 
Backwoodsfiero said:
Saw your post in the 'pictures' thread and was intrigued...glad to see a more in depth look! Looks like an awesome knife. Really like the upper choil continued through the frame to the blade.
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Thanks! I was looking at the FX-528 'Tur' when I came across the FX-516 BRI. Immediately went to find a review on YouTube and could only locate one in German and one in French. My German is pretty rusty but I was able to glean a good bit of information and liked enough of what I saw to go ahead and take a chance on it. The review in French was interesting with English subtitles running. A lot of what it translated made no sense at all but in spite of the language barriers, it was easy to tell that both reviewers were enthusiastic about the FX-516.

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The designer is a French guy named, Stephan Ballarin and that upper choil is present in some of his other designs. I really like it. The jimping is aggressive without being too abrasive yet, allows for very nice wide spot for the thumb to ride comfortably.
 
I didn't notice it until that pic of you holding it, but the blade shape is quite unique. Kinda a Wharncliffe meets drop-point with the overall design looking tanto-esque!
 
I owned the Boker "PM-3" (BOP03523) which is made by Oreste Frati (Fox Knives) and was released at the same time as the Fox B.R.I. and seems to have similar construction. It was beautifully fit and finished, but I found the action incredibly tight and unsatisfying compared to a Spyderco backlock or a Buck 110.
 
vanadium said:
I owned the Boker "PM-3" (BOP03523) which is made by Oreste Frati (Fox Knives) and was released at the same time as the Fox B.R.I. and seems to have similar construction. It was beautifully fit and finished, but I found the action incredibly tight and unsatisfying compared to a Spyderco backlock or a Buck 110.
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I think the difference between those two may be in the locking system, which would explain such a tight action. Isn't the Boker PM-3 a lockback design? The BRI has a liner lock. The BRI's flipper action is amazing, as good as any ZT I've owned. It doesn't matter if you light switch-it or push button-it, the blade deploys incredibly fast and smooth for its size and weight.
 
I really like the looks of that. I'm not a liner lock guy, so I don't think it would be for me, but man, it looks really unique and comfortable in hand. Hope you enjoy it!
 
Czechnologist said:
I think the difference between those two may be in the locking system, which would explain such a tight action. Isn't the Boker PM-3 a lockback design? The BRI has a liner lock.
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I hadn't noticed that the BRI is a liner lock. Yes, the tight action of the PM-3 was due to the tension of the backlock — I know that for sure because I loosened the pivot and it made no difference. With that out of the way, I can only reiterate that the materials and fit-and-finish of the PM-3 were great.
 
By the way, Fox may refer to this knife as the "B.R.I.", but it also seems to be known as the "UNITS ASO". And you can find versions online with the blade marked different ways: the Fox Knives logo, the "UNITS" logo with a pitchfork, the marking "A.S.O.: Assistant Special Operation", and simply "B.R.I." with no Fox logo.

Likewise I found that my PM-3 was available in a version marked with the Boker Plus logo (kind of a shame to mark a Maniago-made knife identically to all manner of Chinese-made Boker Plus junk, but I digress) and also a version with only the Swiss coat of arms and no mention of Boker.

Interesting knives.
 
It kinda blows my mind that no one has done a YouTube review of it yet in English and I tried many different search descriptors like, "ASO," "Units," "Fox FX-516," "Stephane Ballarin" and "FKMD."
 
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