- Joined
- Aug 27, 2004
- Messages
- 12,955
Harsey D2 Auto review
Upon first inspection the folder came with a very good blade center when closed. Overall fit and finish was good with no sharp or rough areas noted.
Getting used to the auto mechanism was a bit of a learning curve due to how well its hidden under the really grippy handles.The auto mechanism on this folder is quite stout. Its 'old school' also, meaning its of the same design as early autos with a real back spring and not a flimsy coil spring. The texturing of the grip is superb on this model. Ergonomics are on par with the best I've handled in the tactical folder market. The D2 was a bit heavier than expected. At 5.8 ounces according to my postal scale its not much lighter really than the massive CPMD2 Kershaw Tyrade frame lock at 6.4 ounces. At an overall length of 8 and 13/16th" the D2 proves to be a handful. The blade on my model measured exactly 3 and 7/8".
Lock type- Liner lock.
Liners- Stainless steel .060" thickness
Blade thickness and steel- .115 CPM S30V with a nice size pivot, of unknown thickness but it appears to be at least 3/16" in diameter. Phosphorus bronze washers surround the pivot making for a nice silky smooth action.
Stop pin diameter 5/32 (.153)
Lanyard hole- yes 7/32 hole size.
Pocket clip- .040 thick stainless steel for tip down carry only.
Made in the USA
Upon playing with the D2 model some to get a feel for it it became obvious that the detent ball was not properly functioning on this model. Actually it wasn't working at all to be honest. I determined that the problem was that the blade contact for the spring was not taken down enough at the factory to allow the blade to seat as deeply as it should when closed. Taking into account that the wear may be why I finally decided it had to be right to keep gravity from having its way with it. The blade sat too high up and rested on the spring when closed instead of resting on the bump stop as it should but it was so close. I noted before changing this that if I pushed the blade down it would push the spring and then bump the stop and at this time the detent activated so it was a simple matter of reducing the steel on the contact for the spring by a hairs width and it was fixed. A few seconds with my Foredom dremmel and a 1/2" super fine well used drum sander took care of this and its right on now after some precision grinding in the key spot and now the ball just begins to fall in the hole in the blade as it should leaving some room for a bit of wear to boot. At least now the detent works and I can see the lock move as it falls into the hole in the blade properly giving that satifying 'click' when the blade snaps shut and the lock catch for the auto spring engages. Note to anyone reading. Grinding on a key area of the folder like this that is responsible for making sure the auto spring goes down far enough to pass the catch designed to keep the spring cocked is not for the inexperienced. I'm sure it voided the warranty technically but it was either fix it myself or wait for an untold time frame to get it done by the manufacturer. I did it myself. The folder would pass the gravity knife test with ease now and works as it should have out of the box. I also noted that the blade 'squeeked' when opened and closed. This was determined to be the detent ball as well and from being bone dry and this was noted at the store before buying the folder. A single drop of Tuff Glide fixed that problem right up. I attribute this problem to the fact that it was the only model left at the dealer where the knife was purchased and in fact was the demo model on display. No big deal and an easy maintenance job.
The nicely ground edge geometry and overall thin profile of the flat grind CPM S30V combo edge blade was razor sharp and ready to go. Hemp slicing, carpet remnant slicing and whittling hardwoods proved no challenge for the blade at all and in fact it excelled at all these tasks better than most tacticals I've tested. I've grown very used to the fact that most tactical folders have somewhat obtuse edge profiles that require a lot more force to make them cut through some of the things mentioned above. With the D2, after 50 slices through 3/8" hemp rope the edge would no longer shave but it was certainly not dull and still managed to slice through all the other mediums mentioned before needing any touch up to the edge at all. I noted that gloves were necessary after 15 slices through the hemp and this was surprising for how easy it was slicing through the stuff. The deep grooving for grip can really start to bite into the bare hand after a while even with a thin blade but they do aid grip a lot. I noted that the deeper wider grooving on the handle itself and not the blade were the ones that seemed to bother me the most, particularly the ones that my pinky and ring finger wrapped into in a white knuckle grip. These latter grooves seemed a bit 'overkill' in size to me and are even deeper and wider than Strider uses which seem to be as large as any need be to provide grip without discomfort. Gloves fixed the problem of discomfort quite well. The problem would be when you don't have that option. The handle grip and length provided ample leverage to securely use it through all materials I cut with the blade. Cardboard box cutting proved no issue as well. The lock held firmly regardless of twists and flex of the body and it held up to moderate to severe stress to the tip and spine of the blade trying to push the lock to defeat but the lock held admirably never even so much as sliding toward close until I chose to close it. The lock also breezed through all spine taps on the toe of my boot. 25 taps to the tip third of the blade in all. No movement or change in the lock at all were noted.
I had thought to myself that it was redundant to put the auto mechanism in this model since it opened so easy with the thumb stud. It occured to me that perhaps with gloves the automatic would be needed and even be helpful but this did not seem to pan out for me as being true. In fact what I found was just the opposite. I felt it was very difficult to make the auto button work and even hard to find it at all with gloves on. I finally pulled my glove off to find the button and even after making note of it still could not make it deploy with a gloved thumb. EDIT: Note I had thinsulite insulated gloves on for this test due to the cold. A day later I had a thinner set I use in my shop and had no problem operating the button with these gloves on.
Using the blade to baton through some small logs using another log as my baton to whack the spine of the blade to split some thinner strips for kindling was possible with this folder but it was not something I'd recommend doing a lot of with this blade. While it would work in a pinch for this job I found the stock thickness and edge geometry a bit thin on this model for this kind of survival test and I feared it would jeapordize my investment in the folder, which is substantial. The blade on this model is thinner stock but the edge measured .025 just above the bevel. The fact that my model is a combo edge also made this harder to do and meant at the serrations that the edge was even thinner than at the plain edge part of the blade. I took some measurements there and came up with .016 in places. A plain edge would probably work better for this but being so thin I opted not to push it further than two small logs with my D2 model used to split them. Both logs were small at like 8" long pieces and the wood cut off with the blade did make for starting a nice quick fire this evening. I chose silver maple and hackberry to split since I have ample amounts of both these woods this season. Both longs were under 3" diameter. The spine of the blade did not suffer from this batoning and the lock held up to all this as well or better than others I've tested. Some locks have moved on the contact from doing this, one other liner lock I did this same thing with actually defeated on me doing this. The Harsey did it with no ill effects.
Overall I rate the folder quite high for slicing ability where the ample grip and nicely ground blade seem to excell. Edge holding is on par with other S30V steels and is very good as is usually the case. It looks like Lone Wolf has another fine collaboration under their belt here with this model. I think its one of the finest autos I've tested to date and although I do not work on autos or usually deal in them except in person I do enjoy them immensely. I have owned some very nice Microtech, Protech,. Boker Tree Brand, and Italian made autos in my time. This one screams of quality also and has many features I really do like. One of those features ironically is the rubber like grippy feel of the handles. I thought from the description before seeing this folder in person that I would feel as I normally do with FRN (fiberglass reinforced nylon) type handles, that they take away from the quality feel of the product even if they do bring many great features with them when incorporated into the design of a folder. These rubber type grippy scales however, remind me of some higher quality Thermorun handles seen on Fallkniven and other fine higher priced knives. The pebbled texture and rubber like feel make them quite easy to use even in the cold weather which we had plenty of here today for me to work in. Unlike some other folders with rubber type grips like the BenchMade HK 14200 and the Cold Steel Ultimate Hunter I did not notice this folder sticking to my pocket as I slid the folder on and off to get it out or put it back.
In short, I don't think anyone would be disappointed in the purchase of this folder. The spring is quite strong and the blade just flies out of the thing when you depress the button. The thicker hardened stainless liners in conjunction with the handle scales and spine which is also the auto spring combined with the stand offs come together to form a rigidly built folder that is quite stable in most uses. It does not flex or twist near as easily as other tactical liner lock folders this user has handled. I tried to defeat the lock on this one. It did not cooperatate at all but instead defied me and any efforts I made to make it release. I salute the makers. Its not often this user is impressed with a longer bodied liner lock.
My only recommendations to the company should they ask would be to reduce the size of the very deep wide traction grooves on the bottom of the folder body and make the grooving the same size throughout the folder closer to the ones on the blade itself which are more than adequate and less bothersome in white knuckle grips to the bare hand and fingers. I would also suggest a two way pocket clip option. Idealy all four mount options for both right and left handed would be nice but tip up and tip down options for right hand carry would be a big plus by itself. I did note that if you are a lefty the auto button works just as well for the index finger on the left hand as it does the thumb on the right.
STR
Upon first inspection the folder came with a very good blade center when closed. Overall fit and finish was good with no sharp or rough areas noted.
Getting used to the auto mechanism was a bit of a learning curve due to how well its hidden under the really grippy handles.The auto mechanism on this folder is quite stout. Its 'old school' also, meaning its of the same design as early autos with a real back spring and not a flimsy coil spring. The texturing of the grip is superb on this model. Ergonomics are on par with the best I've handled in the tactical folder market. The D2 was a bit heavier than expected. At 5.8 ounces according to my postal scale its not much lighter really than the massive CPMD2 Kershaw Tyrade frame lock at 6.4 ounces. At an overall length of 8 and 13/16th" the D2 proves to be a handful. The blade on my model measured exactly 3 and 7/8".
Lock type- Liner lock.
Liners- Stainless steel .060" thickness
Blade thickness and steel- .115 CPM S30V with a nice size pivot, of unknown thickness but it appears to be at least 3/16" in diameter. Phosphorus bronze washers surround the pivot making for a nice silky smooth action.
Stop pin diameter 5/32 (.153)
Lanyard hole- yes 7/32 hole size.
Pocket clip- .040 thick stainless steel for tip down carry only.
Made in the USA
Upon playing with the D2 model some to get a feel for it it became obvious that the detent ball was not properly functioning on this model. Actually it wasn't working at all to be honest. I determined that the problem was that the blade contact for the spring was not taken down enough at the factory to allow the blade to seat as deeply as it should when closed. Taking into account that the wear may be why I finally decided it had to be right to keep gravity from having its way with it. The blade sat too high up and rested on the spring when closed instead of resting on the bump stop as it should but it was so close. I noted before changing this that if I pushed the blade down it would push the spring and then bump the stop and at this time the detent activated so it was a simple matter of reducing the steel on the contact for the spring by a hairs width and it was fixed. A few seconds with my Foredom dremmel and a 1/2" super fine well used drum sander took care of this and its right on now after some precision grinding in the key spot and now the ball just begins to fall in the hole in the blade as it should leaving some room for a bit of wear to boot. At least now the detent works and I can see the lock move as it falls into the hole in the blade properly giving that satifying 'click' when the blade snaps shut and the lock catch for the auto spring engages. Note to anyone reading. Grinding on a key area of the folder like this that is responsible for making sure the auto spring goes down far enough to pass the catch designed to keep the spring cocked is not for the inexperienced. I'm sure it voided the warranty technically but it was either fix it myself or wait for an untold time frame to get it done by the manufacturer. I did it myself. The folder would pass the gravity knife test with ease now and works as it should have out of the box. I also noted that the blade 'squeeked' when opened and closed. This was determined to be the detent ball as well and from being bone dry and this was noted at the store before buying the folder. A single drop of Tuff Glide fixed that problem right up. I attribute this problem to the fact that it was the only model left at the dealer where the knife was purchased and in fact was the demo model on display. No big deal and an easy maintenance job.
The nicely ground edge geometry and overall thin profile of the flat grind CPM S30V combo edge blade was razor sharp and ready to go. Hemp slicing, carpet remnant slicing and whittling hardwoods proved no challenge for the blade at all and in fact it excelled at all these tasks better than most tacticals I've tested. I've grown very used to the fact that most tactical folders have somewhat obtuse edge profiles that require a lot more force to make them cut through some of the things mentioned above. With the D2, after 50 slices through 3/8" hemp rope the edge would no longer shave but it was certainly not dull and still managed to slice through all the other mediums mentioned before needing any touch up to the edge at all. I noted that gloves were necessary after 15 slices through the hemp and this was surprising for how easy it was slicing through the stuff. The deep grooving for grip can really start to bite into the bare hand after a while even with a thin blade but they do aid grip a lot. I noted that the deeper wider grooving on the handle itself and not the blade were the ones that seemed to bother me the most, particularly the ones that my pinky and ring finger wrapped into in a white knuckle grip. These latter grooves seemed a bit 'overkill' in size to me and are even deeper and wider than Strider uses which seem to be as large as any need be to provide grip without discomfort. Gloves fixed the problem of discomfort quite well. The problem would be when you don't have that option. The handle grip and length provided ample leverage to securely use it through all materials I cut with the blade. Cardboard box cutting proved no issue as well. The lock held firmly regardless of twists and flex of the body and it held up to moderate to severe stress to the tip and spine of the blade trying to push the lock to defeat but the lock held admirably never even so much as sliding toward close until I chose to close it. The lock also breezed through all spine taps on the toe of my boot. 25 taps to the tip third of the blade in all. No movement or change in the lock at all were noted.
I had thought to myself that it was redundant to put the auto mechanism in this model since it opened so easy with the thumb stud. It occured to me that perhaps with gloves the automatic would be needed and even be helpful but this did not seem to pan out for me as being true. In fact what I found was just the opposite. I felt it was very difficult to make the auto button work and even hard to find it at all with gloves on. I finally pulled my glove off to find the button and even after making note of it still could not make it deploy with a gloved thumb. EDIT: Note I had thinsulite insulated gloves on for this test due to the cold. A day later I had a thinner set I use in my shop and had no problem operating the button with these gloves on.
Using the blade to baton through some small logs using another log as my baton to whack the spine of the blade to split some thinner strips for kindling was possible with this folder but it was not something I'd recommend doing a lot of with this blade. While it would work in a pinch for this job I found the stock thickness and edge geometry a bit thin on this model for this kind of survival test and I feared it would jeapordize my investment in the folder, which is substantial. The blade on this model is thinner stock but the edge measured .025 just above the bevel. The fact that my model is a combo edge also made this harder to do and meant at the serrations that the edge was even thinner than at the plain edge part of the blade. I took some measurements there and came up with .016 in places. A plain edge would probably work better for this but being so thin I opted not to push it further than two small logs with my D2 model used to split them. Both logs were small at like 8" long pieces and the wood cut off with the blade did make for starting a nice quick fire this evening. I chose silver maple and hackberry to split since I have ample amounts of both these woods this season. Both longs were under 3" diameter. The spine of the blade did not suffer from this batoning and the lock held up to all this as well or better than others I've tested. Some locks have moved on the contact from doing this, one other liner lock I did this same thing with actually defeated on me doing this. The Harsey did it with no ill effects.
Overall I rate the folder quite high for slicing ability where the ample grip and nicely ground blade seem to excell. Edge holding is on par with other S30V steels and is very good as is usually the case. It looks like Lone Wolf has another fine collaboration under their belt here with this model. I think its one of the finest autos I've tested to date and although I do not work on autos or usually deal in them except in person I do enjoy them immensely. I have owned some very nice Microtech, Protech,. Boker Tree Brand, and Italian made autos in my time. This one screams of quality also and has many features I really do like. One of those features ironically is the rubber like grippy feel of the handles. I thought from the description before seeing this folder in person that I would feel as I normally do with FRN (fiberglass reinforced nylon) type handles, that they take away from the quality feel of the product even if they do bring many great features with them when incorporated into the design of a folder. These rubber type grippy scales however, remind me of some higher quality Thermorun handles seen on Fallkniven and other fine higher priced knives. The pebbled texture and rubber like feel make them quite easy to use even in the cold weather which we had plenty of here today for me to work in. Unlike some other folders with rubber type grips like the BenchMade HK 14200 and the Cold Steel Ultimate Hunter I did not notice this folder sticking to my pocket as I slid the folder on and off to get it out or put it back.
In short, I don't think anyone would be disappointed in the purchase of this folder. The spring is quite strong and the blade just flies out of the thing when you depress the button. The thicker hardened stainless liners in conjunction with the handle scales and spine which is also the auto spring combined with the stand offs come together to form a rigidly built folder that is quite stable in most uses. It does not flex or twist near as easily as other tactical liner lock folders this user has handled. I tried to defeat the lock on this one. It did not cooperatate at all but instead defied me and any efforts I made to make it release. I salute the makers. Its not often this user is impressed with a longer bodied liner lock.
My only recommendations to the company should they ask would be to reduce the size of the very deep wide traction grooves on the bottom of the folder body and make the grooving the same size throughout the folder closer to the ones on the blade itself which are more than adequate and less bothersome in white knuckle grips to the bare hand and fingers. I would also suggest a two way pocket clip option. Idealy all four mount options for both right and left handed would be nice but tip up and tip down options for right hand carry would be a big plus by itself. I did note that if you are a lefty the auto button works just as well for the index finger on the left hand as it does the thumb on the right.
STR
Seriously I'll give you one guess. 