- Joined
- Jun 8, 2005
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- 4,761
This is what I've discovered about these knives in the month or less I've had them or friends have had them:
Scallion--the speedsafe action is still very strong despite constant opening out of habit. Elizabeth's sister was apparently using her scallion to cut bottlecaps in half (???) and has noticeably chipped the edge. It has seen hard use and survived reasonably well for a ~30 dollar knife.
Storm--still doing very strong. The sandpaper like grit that annoyed me during the initial review has become milder and is about just right now. The lockup is still a little iffy but has proven worthy. The blade develops lateral blade play after ~20 hard flicks and requires adjustment. The blade was sharpened for the first time and the Sandvik 13C26 proved to be very challenging to work with. Nonetheless, edge retention and sharpness are satisfactory.
M16/11K--still a favorite of mine. Has never developed any play at all. Liner lock is still the strongest I've ever seen and the calluses I've built in my thumb make its rigidity very tolerable. The blade remains very sharp. The paint on the the belt clip is very easily scratched though and already looks worn. Otherwise performing perfectly.
Cabela's D2 Minigriptilian--still working pretty well. The edge was never that great, but the retention is excellent. The blade develops play after ~20 hard flicks and requires adjustment. The axis lock still performs beautifully. I'm beginning to notice light streaking in the black coating of the blade. Very hard to see, but something I'll be careful not to scratch in the future. Otherwise, performing well.
Spyderfly--despite certain factory defects, this knife has impressed me. The VG10 is flawless, with superb edge retention (to be fair, only over two weeks) and incredible factory edge. I may be adding it to my EDC rotation, despite certain potential legal issues. Balisongs have grown on me greatly. The spring latch, though bent, still performs well. Because of light contact with the blade due to handle play, there is very light streaking on one side of the false edge. I keep meaning to send it into spyderco for a bit of a play adjustment and a new latch, but I just can't deal with giving it up for 2-3 weeks right now.
Interestingly, of all these knives, the CRKT has proven to be significantly higher quality than these competitors. Of course, this doesn't surprise me, but it does affect my feelings of Benchmade's and Spyderco's super-premium reputation. We'll see if this still holds true in a month.
Scallion--the speedsafe action is still very strong despite constant opening out of habit. Elizabeth's sister was apparently using her scallion to cut bottlecaps in half (???) and has noticeably chipped the edge. It has seen hard use and survived reasonably well for a ~30 dollar knife.
Storm--still doing very strong. The sandpaper like grit that annoyed me during the initial review has become milder and is about just right now. The lockup is still a little iffy but has proven worthy. The blade develops lateral blade play after ~20 hard flicks and requires adjustment. The blade was sharpened for the first time and the Sandvik 13C26 proved to be very challenging to work with. Nonetheless, edge retention and sharpness are satisfactory.
M16/11K--still a favorite of mine. Has never developed any play at all. Liner lock is still the strongest I've ever seen and the calluses I've built in my thumb make its rigidity very tolerable. The blade remains very sharp. The paint on the the belt clip is very easily scratched though and already looks worn. Otherwise performing perfectly.
Cabela's D2 Minigriptilian--still working pretty well. The edge was never that great, but the retention is excellent. The blade develops play after ~20 hard flicks and requires adjustment. The axis lock still performs beautifully. I'm beginning to notice light streaking in the black coating of the blade. Very hard to see, but something I'll be careful not to scratch in the future. Otherwise, performing well.
Spyderfly--despite certain factory defects, this knife has impressed me. The VG10 is flawless, with superb edge retention (to be fair, only over two weeks) and incredible factory edge. I may be adding it to my EDC rotation, despite certain potential legal issues. Balisongs have grown on me greatly. The spring latch, though bent, still performs well. Because of light contact with the blade due to handle play, there is very light streaking on one side of the false edge. I keep meaning to send it into spyderco for a bit of a play adjustment and a new latch, but I just can't deal with giving it up for 2-3 weeks right now.
Interestingly, of all these knives, the CRKT has proven to be significantly higher quality than these competitors. Of course, this doesn't surprise me, but it does affect my feelings of Benchmade's and Spyderco's super-premium reputation. We'll see if this still holds true in a month.