Hogue / Elishewitz - Awesome Knives That Should Get More Attention

They are nicely made knives, but 154cm is not my favorite steel, and it would be nice if the automatics were also available in a non-coated blade.
 
Personally I think their fixed blade exf01 is darn near the perfect blade design for the woods. I have the 7". If it were up to me, they can lose the Allen key and make the scales solid. The handle is too short for me for chopping too comfortably, but it does work, just needs another half inch or so. The fit and finish on these knives is amazing. I especially like the wide area on the spine near the tip. So many knives billed for outdoor use have false grinds which make batoning almost impossible. I don't do it much, but I like to have the option if need be.

I agree that they are very well made production knives. A very nice value.
 
Beautiful knives. So I just dug out my Hogue, a 4" green Gmascus -- and found another Elishewitz to go in my pocketagain, a Mission 4" titanium clip point folder!
 
I am a fan also. I have the EX-03 and I am contemplating an auto. The ONLY complaint I have is that the pocket-clips are not reversible. Its a pet-peeve I have with many brands, but because I like these so much it makes it all the worse. Generally speaking, the button-lock is better for righties, but it works very well with the left index finger also, so to me its a shame the knives aren't more lefty friendly.
 
I had an EX-01 "Gmascus" and sold it almost immediately. I liked the knife, the design, ergonomics, the lock, the steel, etc. What I did not like at all was that it was blade heavy, and it lacked liners. If that knife has full length liners it would have been perfect. The balance was just all wrong for my hands.
 
I once had a EX01 I got in a trade. It was the smaller, aluminum, green, tanto. That would have been the last EX01 I would have picked if buying new -in other words I'd want the large drop-point, with black g-10. But, the knife was so nice, I still loved it. Super, super smooth, locked like a rock, handle was near perfect, very secure. Yes, the large spoon-like pocket-clip was the down side, but that can be ground down some or replaced if you wish.

-I know it's a sorta heated issue, but with mine, I did spine-whack it, very hard, several times on a steel ladder rung and it held up perfectly with zero ill effect on the knife or it's function. The safety was okay. Not needed really, but no problem for me. -If I recall correctly, it can be tightened down in the unlocked position via the screw and then it basically becomes a non-issue. I actually took my safety apart at one point and lost a small part, perhaps a tiny spring or something that was in there. I contacted the company and they shipped a replacement out asap. Great knife for the price. I believe the large, drop-point in g-10 would be the near perfect knife. Hope to own one eventually.
 
To be honest, the Hogue Extreme Series, and in particular the EX-04, are all costly and beyond my means when converted to my local currency. I estimated that I could have one meal per day for 3 months with that kind of money, at least where I live. Even THAT did not stop me from buying the Hogue EX-04 4" Upswept Blade! Worth the sacrifice! OK, time to go starving... :p
 
I have the EX-04 Wharncliffe. The quality is great. Solid lock up. Centered blade. The only complaint I have is the design. When cutting through medium such as cardboard the blade has a tendency to slip out of the cut at the exaggerated upsweep portion of the blade...so not a great utility design in my opinion. (I have no intention of getting rid of it due to how unique (kewl?) the design is). The quality is superb though, and I've handled an EX-01 and other models. Very solid knives. Great quality, fit & finish. I will likely buy more Hogue knives in the future. I agree with the OP, Hogue knives don't seem to get the deserved love from steel queers like those of us on BF...not sure why.
 
Rock solid knives, great value for money and unique designs. Nothing wrong with Hogue knives.

But I just sold mine solely because I did not like the motoric of the button-lock. It has learned me that I have to stick to frame- and liner-locks.
 
I decided I needed a Hogue after seeing some at a gun show. I went with an EX-03 tanto with polymer handle, as I liked the look of their tanto a lot but was already at the high end of my knife budget at the time and couldn't justify more $$ for the aluminum version. That being said, my next Hogue will be a drop point with aluminum handle. No complaints about the poly handle except that it is blade-heavy. Feels and looks great, so I should probably start using it for something or other.
 
I had a Hogue EX-03 4" drop point with G-Mascus that I got rid of and ended up regretting it. It hasn't been a priority to replace it, but I really dig the look of the Wilson Combat version, so it may have just bumped up the list... I also think Hogue knives don't get the recognition they deserve though, I'd put their quality and utility up against any of my ZTs, Benchmades, or Spydercos any day of the week.
 
Which handle material do you guys prefer, aluminium or gmascus? Which is the tougher and more durable?
 
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Those look pretty cool. Never really looked into these before. Is that manual one spring assisted? How does the push button lock work? Is it like push the button and the blade releases and free falls or is there tension behind the blade when you close it?
 
I agree, some of the most underrated knives around. They hit the mark on every level for me. The Ergo's are outstanding, strong solid knives with excellent blade designs. I'm particularly fond of the modified Warncliff on the EX-04. The EX-01 is next on the list at some point.

Yeah, very underrated but outstanding non the less.

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I was really lusting after one of these a while ago. They look good, but something happened and I lost interest. Thanks for re kindling my desire. They look like a lot of knife for the money
 
fielder said:
Which handle material do you guys prefer, aluminium or gmascus? Which is the tougher and more durable?
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I have two of the original drop points in 3.5", one in green G-Mascus and one in green Aluminum. If I had to pick, I would pick the aluminum one over the G-Mascus. The design is already very blade heavy and unbalanced (though it makes a surprisingly light package altogether), but the even lighter handle of the G-Mascus model just accentuates the blade heavy design. As for durability, I don't think the average person would be able to tell the difference. The G-Mascus models still have a stainless liner around the lock and pivot, similar to a Griptilian, so there's still some strength built in.

If I had any complaints (other than the balance), it's that the unique pivot design makes finding the sweet spot between smoothness, blade play and blade center is very very tricky and requires a lot of playing around to find.
 
I think with Hogue its a combination of two things why you don't hear more about them.

1) As stated before, those who buy them don't tend to sell them
2) People shy away from 154cm at that price point.

I owned an EX-01 4" satin for about three weeks. It was well made, came with a mirror finish on the edge, but at 4" it was too blade heavy to be comfortable. I've been considering the EX-02 flipper in 3.375. Which it was a button lock like the others.
 
I took a look because of the hogue name. Designs are a little too busy for my tastes. Okay price wise, not a great deal not a bad deal either. IMO people that know hogue name from firearms products would probably expect a little lower price point.
 
I have a 4" version in "G-mascus", which I liked ok.

A dealbreaker on this knife (for me) is the clip -- doesn't function the way that I want.

What options have people come up with for a strong/better clip on this knife? I see there's an STR one... Anything else?
 
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