Holt Morpheus vs. Shirogorov Neon

TreesNoDummy

TreesNoDummy

Gold Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2020
Messages
552
I recently picked up a Shirogorov Neon NL and love it. Extremely slick knife. I saw one video where the reviewer's NL would misfire, but mine has what appears to be a perfectly dialed in detent, and fires every time, regardless of how you orient the blade or flick it open. The cons I have so far are the proprietary screws (of course), the learning curve of having your finger off the lock bar, and that on the rare occasion, the back of the blade will catch my palm as it deploys because of how small the knife is.

My obsession has recently brought me across the Holt Morpheus. I understand that this one costs quite a bit more than the NL, but it also seems to get a decent discount on the forum. How do these two knives compare? The Holt looks like I could disassemble without any proprietary tools, while having a deep carry clip, and being made in the USA. All of these are big plusses to me. But otherwise, how would you say these knives stack up against each other in terms for fit and function? And yes - I'm comparing the entry neon to the morpheus as opposed to using the neon zero, but the upgrades from NL to zero don't overwhelmingly change the comparison in my mind - you may disagree!
 
I would put Holt and Shiro as pretty much equivalent in terms of quality, attention to detail, specs/tolerances, etc. I love and own several of both, and have had several more pass through my collection, and haven't seen a flaw in the bunch.

I do like Holt's milling patterns, and that they're made in my state, so if I had to choose one maker over the other that's what I'd go with.

Shiro has more variations (though most come from the same basic designs), and they make many larger knives than Holt, so if you prefer that size or like one of their models then Holt may not have a comparable offering. I also find Shiro's ergos to be a bit better, especially the F3.

All that being said, you can't really go wrong either way, so the obvious answer is get both!
 
RBB2 said:
I would put Holt and Shiro as pretty much equivalent in terms of quality, attention to detail, specs/tolerances, etc. I love and own several of both, and have had several more pass through my collection, and haven't seen a flaw in the bunch.

I do like Holt's milling patterns, and that they're made in my state, so if I had to choose one maker over the other that's what I'd go with.

Shiro has more variations (though most come from the same basic designs), and they make many larger knives than Holt, so if you prefer that size or like one of their models then Holt may not have a comparable offering. I also find Shiro's ergos to be a bit better, especially the F3.

All that being said, you can't really go wrong either way, so the obvious answer is get both!
Click to expand...
Thanks! Do you see the necessity of proprietary tools on the shiro as a major downfall, or is that type of maintenance really not necessary? I don't work on a construction site or in a dirty environment, so the bearings are less likely to get gunked up.
 
Not a necessity in more ways than one.

Probably don't need to disassemble it to clean it, really. And, just use a quarter and a dime, at least at first. Or regular screwdrivers with a little vinyl electrical of tape over the bit - I've done that and it works, but there is some risk involved. The sharp edges of the driver can bite into the screws.

I did eventually buy the driver because once I had several knives, it was a small additional cost compared to the cost of the knives and does make it more convenient.

But it's probably not necessary to disassemble knives as much as we "knife enthusiasts" do. A good rinse, possibly followed by pouring a little alcohol through, and a drop of oil in a few spots, followed by operating the knife several times is very likely sufficient. But since I enjoy knives, and enjoy fiddling with them, I take them apart once in a while to clean and examine.
 
This is really helpful, thank you. I agree and had already considered that if my shiros begin to multiply, then I can justify the driver/bits. But I did see an article where water, blow drying, then oiling is likely enough. So I appreciate you confirming that. I've just been spoiled by CRK.

I'm still interested in the morpheus. At first glance, I had absolutely no interest in it, then as I looked more, I became more interested. But now as I'm looking even more, I'm kinda meh about the profile lol. For me, I like the handle of the neon aesthetically more than the morpheus, but maybe tomorrow I'll change my mind again!
 
Holts are excellent knives and their detent system provides a really unique feel...hard to describe it until you've flipped one. I decided to keep my Haptic over my Morpheus just because the blade shape provides more variety in my somewhat small and similar collection, but in a "one and only one" knife situation I'd probably take the Morpheus. I will say that the way the blade disappears into the handle of the Morpheus is extremely satisfying and it feels great in hand both open and closed. I have a MEFP Neon Zero that is one of my all time favorite knives and would probably beat out either Holt in that same "one and only one" scenario, mostly because it is noticeably thinner, a little lighter, and I prefer the blade shape to either Holt.
 
I know what you mean about the profile of the Morpheus - the handle looks bulky compared to the blade. I find the specter to be the best looking of the Holt knives.
 
Own both. In my humble opinion Neon has smoother slower hydrolic action while Morpheus drop shuts once it passes detent.
Action: I feel i have more control on Neon's action . but Holt has the advantage of liner lock. so you never mis fire or have issue like with frame locks.
Look: Holt design appeals more to me but that's everyone's taste.
Grip: Perfect grip with Holt. Neon feels slimmer than it should, I have medium to large hands.

hope this was helpful :)
 
OkQu said:
Own both. In my humble opinion Neon has smoother slower hydrolic action while Morpheus drop shuts once it passes detent.
Action: I feel i have more control on Neon's action . but Holt has the advantage of liner lock. so you never mis fire or have issue like with frame locks.
Look: Holt design appeals more to me but that's everyone's taste.
Grip: Perfect grip with Holt. Neon feels slimmer than it should, I have medium to large hands.

hope this was helpful :)
Click to expand...
Thanks! Definitely helpful, but at the same time not helpful at all because now you make me want both.
 
Oh both is definitely the way to go. At least to try them both out. They're both easy enough to resell if you decide one of them isn't for you.
 
I just discovered Holt and bought my first,Morpheus.Had really great deal and loving every bit of knife.Great EDC,fit and finish,action,tolerances,ease of maintenance,clip,carry,blade..Everything I like about my favourite brand CRK I do find in Morpheus plus flipper ;.
It is a must have for sure!
Cheers!
 

Attachments

  • 3E865BFD-7465-426C-B199-361F4FD02AF0_1_201_a.jpeg
    3E865BFD-7465-426C-B199-361F4FD02AF0_1_201_a.jpeg
    728.9 KB · Views: 39
Own a Neon NL Elmax, HATI Gen 3 M390, and a Morpheus M390 liner lock with the widow pattern.
Both the Shirogorovs have close-to-perfect detent from the factory. Very smooth action but I wouldn't call them dropshutty. I don't own the tool so have not tried to play with the pivots at all, and see no reason to.
The Morpheus came with a very stiff detent from the factory, it is crazy snappy and smooth, and dropshuts very fast, almost as fast as my Grimsmos. I tuned the detent with the enclosed tool, and also tightened the pivot a bit (T15). Now it is how I like it for the most part. The near-mirror blade together with the nude Ti scales make the knife look very classy/upscale. The Shirogorovs (at least my regular/non-custom division ones) look much more like tools. The Neon NL is part of my carry rotation.
 
I actually just dropped the NL. It had a perfect detent, and extremely slick action. I loved it. It had one glaring error to me. the butt of the handle comes to a very abrupt point. It's not sharp, but it could do some damage while it's in the pocket. The pokey portion sticks out, and I play/rough-house with my kids a ton. I like a knife I can carry at all times. So I need good pocket retention (why I dropped the medford midi slim), and why I had to drop the NL. It looks like other shiros don't have as abrupt of a point on the handle, so I could definitely get another one some day.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top