Pohl Force ~ H3 Alpha Two

Bill86 said:
Not sure what they cost but 440c *pukes*
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It's always funny to me when someone dismisses an excellent knife out of hand just because it isn't made from some,supposedly, super steel.
I was in Germany in 2007 and managed to visit a few knife stores. Europeans seem to be a little bemused by the North American obsession with exotic steels.
 
Tostig said:
How rude... Next time spend a minute telling us why and you wont come off looking like a troll.


Thanks for the thread and the pics Wouter , those look like solid , well built knives.
I agree the price is a bit steep for the materials , it's still a good looking knife , I would prefer one without serratons and a non coated blade.

As far as the blade steel choice you guys have to remember that not everyone is a wiz at keeping their knife sharp , a soldier most likely does not have the time or material to sit and fiddle with a difficult to sharpen steel which is why a steel like 440C is used , IMO.
Not to mention that despite all of today's shmancy steels , 440C is still very used and very respected , especially amongst the old school. :)

Tostig
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Suddenly it's trolling to offer a concise opinion? :confused:
 
i really dont like how it looks, but it does look pretty functional and strong. it just really looks like a dark ops or extrema ration knife, i really dont like the look of those knives but thats just me.
 
Ok,
I do own a Alpha 2.
It's build like a tank, quality is A++. Never have held a more solid folder in my hands. For EDC you might go for a smaller knife. For outdoor or combat purpose, that would be the folder you want to have on you.
CIMG2538.jpg

My hands are above average size
CIMG2537.jpg


rp 701
 
440C choise?
Quite simple, in Germany the 440C is grated to a competative steel variant.
There is not much difference to this HRC level with N690 and lots of S30V used for military/tactical knives. A knife out in the field dont needs rust or breaking/chipping problems. So HRC 58/59 is more than enough!!!!

3G, M4, D2, M390, S90V etc. etc. would only give trouble in the end.

So saying that 440C *pukes* makes no sense to me at all.

440C is used alot in West Germany. An Italien brand would choose N690, an USA brand would pick S30V. Thats the reason I suppose.

And in the end its all a matter of taste and picking the right knife for the right job. Bout the scales......? Dont forget that knives like these are used with gloves on.
 
It is way too visually aggressive for my liking, and its just enormous in size! If im outdoors and would need a a knife that big, id prefer a fixed blade. The sheeple would scatter in all directions if i pulled that thing out!

I'd like to get its little brother, the Bravo One, at some point. That knife has a perfect size, about the size of an Endura.

The optional kydex sheath is pretty nice, but it seems to ride real high.

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It looks cool and all, but the price here in the US from the one company that seems to stock them is very high for the materials in question. I have nothing against 440C at all, and FRN makes a good handle, but for the price of one Alpha 3 I could buy a Spyderco Endura, a giant Cold Steel folder and a USMC KaBar.

Economic realities work against this knife in the US market.
 
Josh K said:
Funny, this knife has put it's guts on display, not just a cover. I feel more then happy judging it based on what I've seen.
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Oeps... but feel free to think what ever you feel like.
I just do not take quality judgements based ONLY on what you SEE very seriously.

Cheers
 
wouter1967 said:
Oeps... but feel free to think what ever you feel like.
I just do not take quality judgements based ONLY on what you SEE very seriously.

Cheers
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Come off your high horse and down to ground level. At that price (ridiculous as it is) how many people are going to handle it? How many people have handled Dark Ops knives? Would it be wrong to say that this "looks like crap" without handling it?

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elkins45 said:
It looks cool and all, but the price here in the US from the one company that seems to stock them is very high for the materials in question. I have nothing against 440C at all, and FRN makes a good handle, but for the price of one Alpha 3 I could buy a Spyderco Endura, a giant Cold Steel folder and a USMC KaBar.

Economic realities work against this knife in the US market.
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The price over here is about 150 euro's (about 190 dollars).

This is cheaper then a foliage green g10 endura (160 euro).
If we want to buy a military we pay about 200-240 for the normal s30v.
So the price of these knives for us EU people is good as a "real life store" price.

(Most of us buy from Usa web stores.)


But i can understand the Usa price is expensive compared with others.
 
Josh K said:
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If this had no name i would say Extremo Ratio.

The Alpha One has his own unique look and is not a copy of some kind of knife.

And if you read the replies the Pohl Force is a lot of bang for the bucks for EU customers.
At EU store price.

This will not be the same for Usa buyers.

But if you buy a German BMW and i would buy exactly the same i have to pay lots and lots more money.
The prices are lowered for you.
This same price adjusting is done with knives like Opinel, Victorinox, Boker, etc..

For example:

Boker Plus exk1.
Usa about 50 dollars
EU 80 euro (100 dollar)
So a Eu brand and Usa price is half of our EU price:confused:.

Maybe this price adjusting could be done with this Alpha if they want to sell it at the US market.
If not it will probly not be a "high seller".;)
 
I like its looks, but I don't like the serrations, and I don't like black coating, but that could be taken care of by offering options.

For others, there will be objections to the recurved blade and the 9.9 oz. weight.

In any event, this looks like a knife that Cold Steel wishes it made.

The ad copy says "Extradition with collector’s pouch ...." So if I get extradited for buying this knife, at least they'll put me in a collector's pouch? Very comforting.
 
Josh K said:
Come off your high horse and down to ground level. At that price (ridiculous as it is) how many people are going to handle it? How many people have handled Dark Ops knives? Would it be wrong to say that this "looks like crap" without handling it?

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Buddy.... it's the way you said it , learn some manners why dont ya. You dont walk into someones party that you are invited to but do not know personally and tell them their food and beer is garbage.
Or maybe you do....


Aside from that, I think it looks like an interesting knife. I do wonder why they used zytel in place of G10 though. :)

Tostig
 
There are people that make custom handles for those that don't like the standard scales.
a1_camo_1.jpg

a1_grenade_3.jpg

a1_grooved_6.jpg


Makes the knife look even better:thumbup:.
 
Thanks for those pics jijoel !

They all look great but the black and tan really catches my eye.


Tostig
 
Tostig said:
Buddy.... it's the way you said it , learn some manners why dont ya. You dont walk into someones party that you are invited to but do not know personally and tell them their food and beer is garbage.
Or maybe you do....


Aside from that, I think it looks like an interesting knife. I do wonder why they used zytel in place of G10 though. :)

Tostig
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If someone posts an open house specifically for the purpose of showing off their food and it tastes like crap I definitely will say something.

I suspect that the zytel is cheaper then the G10.
 
In practice the textured zytel handle works well enough.

It should not be compared to a Dark Ops thing. It is an original design, it is very very reliable, and if you care about street cred: as I mention above it is actually carried by a German army unit over there in Afghanistan.

I do agree that for a marketing point of view, it would be good to launch an S30V (or the D2 of the Aloha 3) + G10 version in the USA.
Over here in Europe, people handling the Pohl Force products at knife fairs are universally impressed, with 440c/D2 and zytel.
 
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