Review Manly Folders: Comrade, Peak, Wasp. Fixed Blades: Patriot and Drugar, Made in Bulgaria

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That handle certainly looks like the contours provide some solid gripping there.
G2
 
Does anyone know what the closed length of the Wasp is?

Edit to add: Never mind I'll find out when it gets here. :rolleyes:
 
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Just got this in Friday, So far I like it.
The first thing you'll notice is it is much easier to open than the Comrade. It came working sharp which is as good as I'll describe a factory edge.
I put a clamp on the blade and measured the pull at 3/4 pound, on the first two stops. The Comrade measured 2 pounds, on the first two stops. That heavier opening pull is what kept the Comrade from being a favorite worker.
Measured the thickness behind the edge at .012, this is a very good slicer.
This is my first S90V, I'm going to like it. :thumbsup: :D
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That looks like a great cutter for sure! One day I'll have a try at their S90v some tough stuff I am sure !
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I put it to a 600 diamond stone the day after it came in and refined the edge a bit.
No problem but Yes that S90v is some tough stuff.
I'm going to carry it until I can dull it. :D
 
Lubo was kind enough to send me one of the Drugar fixed blade knives to try out and review, thanks sir!

The knife is a bit more robust than the Patriot, both in size and thickness, with a more contoured handle and deeper guard area as well as an extended jimping on the spine and an extended tab at the end for smashing things :)

The blade thickness behind the edge on this one I have measures about .019" so it is fairly thin and cuts well. It arrived with a relatively sharp edge but a light few strokes on a fine ceramic and then a leather strop, she is shaving sharp. One 'test' that I do with most all my knives, is to see how comfortable it is whittling on a piece of hard wood, this handled and cut great, very comfortable and easy to control the cutting.

Blade width is about 1.13" wide handle at it's thickest is about .7"

Here are some shots compared to the Patriot, Lubo had sent the red one sharpen up as he intends to gift this to a Boy Scout in an upcoming give away.

Red and Green...seems appropriate for an old salty sailor that I am, I was a plank owner on the USS Ortolan ASR22...many many years ago!

Manly by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

some handle comparisons
Manly by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

You can see that the Drugar has a softer contouring of the handle scales, fit and finish is excellent !

Manly by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

The Patriot is riveted together while the Drugar scales can be removed/changed out.

Manly by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

The guard area, while the Patriot has a good guard area, the Drugar provides a bit more security in use.

Manly by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

Manly by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

and I am not familiar with the Wanger name but I'll let Lubo fill us in on who or what that stands for;

Manly by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

The sheath holds the knife quite secure without any rattling, but the edges around the outside of the sheath could use some TLC to round off the crisp edges from when they were ground down, but that is a very minor issue, also there isn't any drainage hole but you can easily add that to the sheath if you feel that it is necessary.

As with the Patriot sheath, the handle ends up being pretty high above your belt when worn vertically, the Drugar is about 3" of handle reaching above the top of your belt. This does keep the sheath from hanging too low I suppose, but I think I will end up making a leather swivel belt loop that will drop it a bit lower for easier retrieval and return.

Manly by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

Manly by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

It's a very fine well made and well ground knife!
G2
 
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Nice, though just by looks I would still prefer the Patriot.. If I hadn' g a white river knives backpacker recently.
As for Wanger, Dirk Wanger is the guy running the German messerundco shop and has realized a few of his design or special runs in collaboration with some manufacturers/knife makers. Also is the German we knife and manly dealer. Sadly his shop and his internet sales behavior are far less stellar than his prices and selection.
 
tantrik77 said:
When are the Peaks going to be available again? I'm looking for black g10 with s90v. Thanks!
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Peak D2/S90V and Wasp will be back in stock early July.
At the same time we will be offering the Wasp with Swedish Sandvik 12c27 steel blades. Signup to our newsletter and you will receive the notification when back in stock. Cheers!
 
vilePossum said:
Nice, though just by looks I would still prefer the Patriot.. If I hadn' g a white river knives backpacker recently.
As for Wanger, Dirk Wanger is the guy running the German messerundco shop and has realized a few of his design or special runs in collaboration with some manufacturers/knife makers. Also is the German we knife and manly dealer. Sadly his shop and his internet sales behavior are far less stellar than his prices and selection.
Click to expand...
The knife was designed by Dirk Wagner and that's why the Wagner logo is on the knife. I believe that in Europe the knife will be sold exclusively through Messer & Co only.
 
Thanks for the info Lubo, and using the knife some today at work, it sliced through thick cardboard easily with it's thin profile blade. The sheath is trim in size so I attached some paracord to the sheath to make a static line type carry. Where you loop the paracord around your belt loop and slip the sheath in the waistband of your trousers. Able to draw the knife quickly and then just grab the sheath up from where it is dangling and insert the knife back into the sheath, less hassle than trying to find the sheath and return the sharp blade, this way the sheath is in your one hand while you insert the knife, a bit safer, at least for me :)
G2
 
In my work shop tonight I had a yard stick that I had cut down to do some sanding on another knife, the yard stick was sitting on the bench with one end a bit ragged, so I took the Drugar to the end and pressed cut down through, which it did admirably :)
Some of my pocket knives might not make as clean a push cut down through that but this flat grind is done well and is fairly thin profile.

Untitled by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

G2
 
Manly are making a new version of the Drugar - with CPM154 steel:
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Although the hardness is listed at 59-61HRC, in actuality it is very close to the 61HRC mark. Currently is is still in short supply, but there is interest and soon these will start to make appearance on the market.
I got it two days ago and still haven't put it through its paces, but so far from my limited use the knife is an excellent cutter and does very well in the kitchen. I plan to test it thoroughly on my trip to Greece and then I can post an informed opinion on how the knife handled the chores of a camping/boating trip.
 
You're going to like it, I put mine to work right away.
The first week it opened 15 bags of mulch, 5 boxes and styrofoam packing, a couple blister packs and a dozen saplings. The knife handled it all and is still sharp.

It's much easier to open than the Comrade. The pull weight on the first two stops is half of what the Comrade is but full open it locks up as tight as the Comrade. The blade measured 0.105, I'm glad it was thinner than the .110 advertised. Thin is what makes this knife an amazing slicer but it's still strong enough for heavier cuts.
It even got accidentally painted and the paint came off with a little WD-40 and a soft brushing.
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