- Joined
- May 4, 2015
- Messages
- 947
Before I talk about this knife, I just want to say I know its been heavily discussed/reviewed. I just wanted to share some additional thoughts that may or may not have been brought up in the past so that anyone considering buying this knife has a little better idea of what to expect.
For TLDR, there are pretty pictures below
The 228 had been on my radar for months SPECIFICALLY because of how it looked. I am a fan of pocket bricks, and this knife seemed to fit the bill while appealing to me aesthetically. So I went ahead and ordered it, and when it arrived today, there were quite a few surprises. First off, pictures DO NOT do this thing justice. It is thick. Very, very thick. I am 99% sure the scales are the same .19 thickness as the blade, which makes for some pretty serious overall mass. The detent is powerful. More so than my Medfords. If you arent use to this, you'll be turned off by it right away. If you are, you'll appreciate the absolute security of this blade being held down between the scales when closed. Feel like going for an up hill jog with this knife in your cargo pants? Go ahead. That blade aint coming out. Which brings me to the pocket clip. I could probably do without the whole skull thing, but it adds a little personality to the otherwise minimalist look of the 228, so i'm ok with it. When the knife is in your pocket, again, its secure. Its not going anywhere. On the down side, the retention is so heavy, the knife doesnt come out very easily. At least not in jeans. I suppose that goes with the overall theme of heavy duty though, so if the goal was to make sure it doesnt fly out of your pants, they accomplished that! Next up, lock up. I took a pic of the lock up straight out of the pouch. About 40-50%. VERY secure. One of the most authoritative "click-clacks" I've ever heard. No movement in any direction. That special kind of "no movement" that you can feel, but not describe. It is solid beyond reason. There was a little lock stick at first, but after 100 or so deployments, it went away completely. The blade deploys on bearings, and was decently smooth at first, but became much smoother after I had cleared the lock stick. It deploys easily with a light flick of the thumb, but the heavy detent contributes to this. The lock bar is on par, if not HEAVIER than a Medford Marauder. It takes some considerable force to move that thing back and out of the way. This can tear up your thumb if you're not used to it, but again, if you are, you'll see it as another bonus. This super heavy lock bar is responsible for that indescribable lock up. There's no way it's going to move back unless you force it back. Once the blade is locked out, you're good to go. Fit and finish is absolutely superb. Theres nothing to complain about. In fact, the knife is flat out impressive all the way around. Dead centered blade. Hasnt leaned at all so far. The quality is apparent the moment you pick it up. Its an awesome feeling. But the real shocker was the edge. I took one look at this thing on google images and thought, "That is one badass blade... but there's no way it'll cut."... well guess what? It does! Much, much better than you would expect. This isn't a Shiro or Rockstead obviously, but for a pocket brick? Ya, it definitely, definitely cuts! The blade is hollow ground, which isnt something I knew until I had it in hand. It went through paper like it was nothing, and I had no issue getting some fine curly Qs either. All in all, this thing is ABSOLUTELY worth the money if you dont mind a heavy detent, lockbar, and some serious girth. Its a serious blade, and its made for serious work. You won't be dissapointed if it's been on your radar for a while. Thanks for reading! Heres some pics
For TLDR, there are pretty pictures below
The 228 had been on my radar for months SPECIFICALLY because of how it looked. I am a fan of pocket bricks, and this knife seemed to fit the bill while appealing to me aesthetically. So I went ahead and ordered it, and when it arrived today, there were quite a few surprises. First off, pictures DO NOT do this thing justice. It is thick. Very, very thick. I am 99% sure the scales are the same .19 thickness as the blade, which makes for some pretty serious overall mass. The detent is powerful. More so than my Medfords. If you arent use to this, you'll be turned off by it right away. If you are, you'll appreciate the absolute security of this blade being held down between the scales when closed. Feel like going for an up hill jog with this knife in your cargo pants? Go ahead. That blade aint coming out. Which brings me to the pocket clip. I could probably do without the whole skull thing, but it adds a little personality to the otherwise minimalist look of the 228, so i'm ok with it. When the knife is in your pocket, again, its secure. Its not going anywhere. On the down side, the retention is so heavy, the knife doesnt come out very easily. At least not in jeans. I suppose that goes with the overall theme of heavy duty though, so if the goal was to make sure it doesnt fly out of your pants, they accomplished that! Next up, lock up. I took a pic of the lock up straight out of the pouch. About 40-50%. VERY secure. One of the most authoritative "click-clacks" I've ever heard. No movement in any direction. That special kind of "no movement" that you can feel, but not describe. It is solid beyond reason. There was a little lock stick at first, but after 100 or so deployments, it went away completely. The blade deploys on bearings, and was decently smooth at first, but became much smoother after I had cleared the lock stick. It deploys easily with a light flick of the thumb, but the heavy detent contributes to this. The lock bar is on par, if not HEAVIER than a Medford Marauder. It takes some considerable force to move that thing back and out of the way. This can tear up your thumb if you're not used to it, but again, if you are, you'll see it as another bonus. This super heavy lock bar is responsible for that indescribable lock up. There's no way it's going to move back unless you force it back. Once the blade is locked out, you're good to go. Fit and finish is absolutely superb. Theres nothing to complain about. In fact, the knife is flat out impressive all the way around. Dead centered blade. Hasnt leaned at all so far. The quality is apparent the moment you pick it up. Its an awesome feeling. But the real shocker was the edge. I took one look at this thing on google images and thought, "That is one badass blade... but there's no way it'll cut."... well guess what? It does! Much, much better than you would expect. This isn't a Shiro or Rockstead obviously, but for a pocket brick? Ya, it definitely, definitely cuts! The blade is hollow ground, which isnt something I knew until I had it in hand. It went through paper like it was nothing, and I had no issue getting some fine curly Qs either. All in all, this thing is ABSOLUTELY worth the money if you dont mind a heavy detent, lockbar, and some serious girth. Its a serious blade, and its made for serious work. You won't be dissapointed if it's been on your radar for a while. Thanks for reading! Heres some pics
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