My thoughts on the Hogue EX-01

edctac

edctac

Joined
May 7, 2011
Messages
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I got it in the mail 2 days ago, I ordered the medium size(3.5"). This knife is almost perfect, and exactly what I had expected. The blade is ground very well, and stone washed. This knife came stupid sharp, even sharper than any of my spydercos. The button lock works very well, and is accessible. The blade is very heafty and solid, and seems like it could take some hard use. The G10 looks amazing, and is pretty grippy. One of the main downsides to this knife however is the fact that the blade is very heafty(not in a bad way IMO) and the handle is all G10 with no liners, so the weight feels very far past what I would prefer was the balance point(the finger choil). The handle also feels under sized for the blade. The finger choil looks great, and feels pretty good, however the G10 is a little thin towards the deepest part of the choil and I could see it becoming a hot spot. The deployment is very fast, and the detent feels firm but not sticky. Closing the knife one handed is quite easy(in the same manner as you would a BM grip, or Manix 2, only with a button). The knife however doesn't seem very lefty friendly(I'm right handed so not a concern to me). I think the design and execution is excellent, but I wouldn't mind a bit more weight in the grip or the choil slightly farther forward. All in all I think its a great knife, and am happy with my purchase(it was my birthday gift to myself). I will try and post some pics of the knife along with some comparisons to a few of my other edged goodies :)

Thanks for reading, and feel free to post any pics of yours :)
 
They really are amazing knives for the money. I keep buying them and trading them off for some reason though. Too nice for me to beat on I guess.
 
Yeah its hard for me to beat on a knife this knife right away. This thing is great though :)
 
I keep considering one. I'll break eventually. I always do. BTW, edctac, I am in Plymouth, welcome to Bladeforums!
 
I've got a couple. They are nice knives, well made and comparable to the higher end Spydercos and Benchmades.

hogues.jpg
 
I recently got a 3.5 incher, tanto, green aluminium. I think I'd rather have a 4 incher, drop-point, with black g10, lol. But, the truth is the aluminium is solid and offers a plenty secure grip. For me, the handle is the perfect size. Very good blade/handle ratio. The blade is strong but pointy, and I think people underestimate the usefulness of a well designed tanto. The lock takes a little getting used to, but it'd be hard not to trust it. The safety is nice to have, but probably not needed. Only thing I'd think I'd change is the pocket-clip, which while effective, is wider and more noticable than average.

I recently took mine apart and ended up losing the small part that rides between the spring and button on the saftey (It's spring loaded and the size of a pin head, so pay attention if you take yours apart). I called their customer service, and the lady was kind, knowledgeable, and helpful. Unfortunately, they can't send the part to me so I had to send the knife in, but I understand that.

All in all, I think these knives are great. I need to see how well it'll hold up over time, but if it does as expected, I'd say it's a total package offering. -US made, secure grip, secure lock, blade options, handle options, size options, quality customer service, tip-up option, good steel, reasonable price.
 
Rockywolf, I'm in Bloomington. Do you know any good shops in this town, I can't find any other than the usual suspects(gander, joe's, cabelas). Siggyhk, I got the drop point and I love it :)
 
I have the 4" drop point in black aluminum. Feels much better in the hand to me than the 3.5" gmascus which I sold. Great knife for the price.
 
Hmm, maybe I'll have to pick one of these up. It's been on the list for a while. Still, it's 150, and I don't want to drop that much unless I know it's going to have a shot of kicking my regular EDC's out of my pocket.
 
I have the 4 inch black g-10. Those who say it matches the fit and finish of Benchmade make my eyebrows rise. This is far and away superior on every level to what Benchmade produces.

I have four Benchmades and I don't think I'd buy another. As soon as Hogue releases a new folder I'll be all over it like a fat kid on a candy bar.
 
crimsonfalcon07 said:
HO34140_1.jpg


Is this one new, or old?

Also, which BM's do you have?
Click to expand...

The knife in that picture looks like someone modded the existing tanto blade of an ex-01. That or photoshopped it.

My benchmades in order of like are:

Barrage (great assisted opening terrible handle).

530 Pardue (I do like the weight to blade length ratio).

Benchmade HK 14100 (looks are fun, but there are better fixed blades in my collection).

Benchmade Stryker (got one with an unreliable opening mechanism).

Personally (on average) I prefer my Spydercos. However the Ex-01 has done nothing but impress me. If you can forgive the blade heavy front end (and I do) it's an amazing knife.
 
I would love to handle the 4 incher(no jokes please), I love mine but the handle feels a bit short. I wouldn't even mind the med blade on a large handle.
 
There's a guy who modded his to auto. Can't remember his name but I think it's Raptor.
 
I kinda doubt it's a modded one. It's from a retailer website, and not a shady one either. Might just be the EX-01 from a different angle though. Gotta agree though, many of the best BM models in an affordable price range don't have the best handles.
 
Very cool. No good places here, I buy online instead. I am adding this knife to the top of my list.
 
I traded my ZT 0551 for a Hogue. I have been very very impressed with it. I watched some of the video's that allen put up about the lock strength and I was sold. I had had my 0551 close on my hands a few times because the lock-up on it was poor. I honestly think I had the one flawed one, cause everyone else seems to love theirs. Anyway, not that I really need 600+ pounds of resistance, it is still nice to know it is there. The blade came decent, needed a few strokes on the sharpmaker. It is a bit blade heavy, but it is alright by me! I had to put it to hard work the day I got it. I was kinda sad to abuse it already, but I know this is a knife that can take it! And it did amazing! I love this knife, and with the overall weight and ease of use, I often carry this one. I have the aluminum handle version, so it is a little slippery, and I can't seem to find any grip tape here on post :( anyway, this knife is most definitely on my top 5 for price, value, strength, etc.
 
I have three of the EX-01s now. :D The newest one is one of the Autos and it's pretty sweet. :cool: The EX-02 is the one to be excited about IMO. It's based on Allen Elishewitz's Tank design--a liner lock with flipper versions. And the EX-03 is an A2 tool steel folder with hard use written all over it. :thumbup:
 
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