Got my United M48... Short review

[BePrepared]

I'll get a lot more detail in tomorrow, when i have time to break out the camera and throw up some comparison pics between my SOG fusion, and my M48

for the moment, lets start with first impressions

THINGS I LIKE.

The sheath is a MASSIVE improvement over the sheath on the SOG. The velcro loops on the back are much more user friendly. Also the snaps are much stronger. This is a big thing as i've had my SOG fall out of the sheath and hit me squarely on the boot...

The spike is BRUTAL... I can see this being farm more useful than the pseudo spike on the SOG

The main blade shape is nifty...

The compass it came with is GREAT

So far, that's it...

THINGS I DON'T LIKE

The blade came only semi-sharp. I was expecting much much more as other reviews have described it as incredibly sharp... not so much. This actually REALLY annoys me. I like blades to come sharp. I generally don't by items that are dull from the factory. It shows lack of interest in your final product.

The handle. The SOG seriously takes the edge here. At first glance, they are very similar, but the SOG has higher density materials, and a slightly larger diameter which makes the grip more comfortable. I probably wouldn't have noticed this had i not already owned 2 SOGs because it's not BAD at all, it's just less awesome

The actual black finish on the blade has some minor chips or scratches in it... the SOG did not...

The cord wrap on the handle SUCKS... it actually made the handle feel unstable in my hand. I don't know precisely how to describe that. It didn't really MOVE but it seemed to flex enough that it affected my sense of control. It has already been removed. I'll replace it with some grip tape.


NEUTRAL OBSERVATIONS

The head on the SOG is far more forward heavy than the M48. The SOG has it's weight strongly distributed forward, whereas there is more spike in the back and less head in the front on the M48

The ACTUAL weight is very similar, but the sog seems to be heavier in a swing than the M48.

I will get some hacking time in on them in the next few days.

IF you actually care about this, i'll be glad to answer any questions.

 

[HandAxeProMan]

Thanks for the initial impression. Look forward to the in-depth.

 

[broe]

If you have a soldering iron you can run a 2 rows of poke dots up the sides about an inch apart and the handle will not come out of your hand but you will still have skin on your hand later. Should take about 15 minutes to do. My gloved hands can have dog snot on them and still have a firm grip without the bulky and annoying cord wrap.

 

[Turbo4x4]

Thanks for the review!
Can You make picture from eye side- I'm very interested in thickness and profile of the head.
Many thanks!

 

[omniviking]

thanks for the post.

 

[Machete Gringo]

I too was disappointed in the m48 factory blade edge. I'd read reviews that said it was sharp. And to make matters worse, I can't get an edge on the thing. I can cut paper with my SOG hawk. The m48 is blunt. I'd like to know how to sharpen this blade. To me the curved edge and big blade shoulders tha ride into the edge don't help matters.