- Joined
- Oct 27, 2014
- Messages
- 74
I just purchased a Guardian Tactical Mini Helix and wanted to share my very positive first impressions:
This is a near perfect knife design. It is the right size for every day carry: not cumbersome like the full size Helix, but not borderline dinky like I feel the Exilis is. CPM-154 is perhaps my all time favorite stainless steel and Guardian Tactical's heat-treat is known to be first-rate; on par with Microtech if not better.
The robust "leafy" blade provides the right amount of belly for most tasks while retaining an aggressive swedged drop-point. The inletting on the blade is a nice touch which is likely intended to help lighten the blade for fast firing. It would also provide some purchase on the blade in the even that it did not fully open and needed some help from a thumb.
The sculpted aluminum handle feels phenomenally ergonomic in my hand. It is long enough not to leave my pinky begging for a lanyard, although it does offer the option with a lanyard hole. For those that dislike aluminum, it comes in an CF version. Jimping is in the right place all around. When closed either end of the hard aluminum handle sports a point which could be easily used as a glassbreaker. I usually prefer a deeper clip than seen here, however without a lanyard the exposed end makes for a smooth and pleasant draw.
The knife fires fast and adequately hard with flawless lockup. Although it is on ball-bearings it is not noticeably smoother than, say, a Pro-Tech or comparable auto. The button is inset just enough to require a nice positive actuation, and sufficiently prevents accidental firing in the pocket.
I have no complaints about this knife whatsoever, however I really wish it came in a manual or flipper variant. I'm not a huge fan of autos, but found that the Exilis flipper left a few things to be desired as compared with this design.
Size in hand.
Compared with Exilis.
This is a near perfect knife design. It is the right size for every day carry: not cumbersome like the full size Helix, but not borderline dinky like I feel the Exilis is. CPM-154 is perhaps my all time favorite stainless steel and Guardian Tactical's heat-treat is known to be first-rate; on par with Microtech if not better.
The robust "leafy" blade provides the right amount of belly for most tasks while retaining an aggressive swedged drop-point. The inletting on the blade is a nice touch which is likely intended to help lighten the blade for fast firing. It would also provide some purchase on the blade in the even that it did not fully open and needed some help from a thumb.
The sculpted aluminum handle feels phenomenally ergonomic in my hand. It is long enough not to leave my pinky begging for a lanyard, although it does offer the option with a lanyard hole. For those that dislike aluminum, it comes in an CF version. Jimping is in the right place all around. When closed either end of the hard aluminum handle sports a point which could be easily used as a glassbreaker. I usually prefer a deeper clip than seen here, however without a lanyard the exposed end makes for a smooth and pleasant draw.
The knife fires fast and adequately hard with flawless lockup. Although it is on ball-bearings it is not noticeably smoother than, say, a Pro-Tech or comparable auto. The button is inset just enough to require a nice positive actuation, and sufficiently prevents accidental firing in the pocket.
I have no complaints about this knife whatsoever, however I really wish it came in a manual or flipper variant. I'm not a huge fan of autos, but found that the Exilis flipper left a few things to be desired as compared with this design.
Size in hand.
Compared with Exilis.