- Joined
- Jan 28, 2001
- Messages
- 3,709
I picked up a Smith & Wesson Power Glide today and I must say I am quite pleased. My version is the spear point version with a matte finished blade.
Pics are from 1sks.com
By design, it is similar to the paratrooper knife replicas available from United Cutlery, but the Power Glide is of far better quality. My version is stamped "First Production Run 1 of 5000" and is marked "Design by Rocky Moser" on the right side of the blade.
In order to open the knife you separate the handles and you'll see the gears move forward until they meet at the centre, then simply close the handle. For those of you familiar with the SOG Power-Lock Tool, operating this knife will be a breeze. Once open, there is no blade play in any direction and it is impossible for the knife to close on you. This knife is perhaps the closest thing to a fixed blade other than a butterfly knife. One handed operation is possible once you break the knife in, but it will take a bit of practice in order to manipulate the knife.
The handle is very comfortable to hold and is made of aluminium with black Zytel-like scales. Taylor Cutlery claims the scales are Kraton, but they feel more like Zytel or FRN. There is no pocket clip, but there is a plastic cell phone type belt clip which you can use to slide the knife into. Once the knife is on the cell phone clip, it will swing, well..like a cell phone on your belt. A neat carry system, but it may not appeal to everyone. One concern of mine is the latch which keeps the knife handles closed. It works well as it should, but it is made of plastic, so I suspect that in time it will eventually wear out or possibly even break. Only time will tell. Still, if it does, it should be covered under warranty.
On the whole, I like this knife alot and I think it is a must for those who like knives with interesting locking mechanisms. It is definately one of the many "bang for the buck" knives hitting the market and I recommend it highly.
***Update***
One more thing. I noticed that when you open the knife, part of the cutting edge comes into contact with the bottom front spacer which causes the thinly ground edge to blunt a bit on one spot. Not too big an issue if you're not going to use it often, but some may find it a bit annoying.
Pics are from 1sks.com
By design, it is similar to the paratrooper knife replicas available from United Cutlery, but the Power Glide is of far better quality. My version is stamped "First Production Run 1 of 5000" and is marked "Design by Rocky Moser" on the right side of the blade.
In order to open the knife you separate the handles and you'll see the gears move forward until they meet at the centre, then simply close the handle. For those of you familiar with the SOG Power-Lock Tool, operating this knife will be a breeze. Once open, there is no blade play in any direction and it is impossible for the knife to close on you. This knife is perhaps the closest thing to a fixed blade other than a butterfly knife. One handed operation is possible once you break the knife in, but it will take a bit of practice in order to manipulate the knife.
The handle is very comfortable to hold and is made of aluminium with black Zytel-like scales. Taylor Cutlery claims the scales are Kraton, but they feel more like Zytel or FRN. There is no pocket clip, but there is a plastic cell phone type belt clip which you can use to slide the knife into. Once the knife is on the cell phone clip, it will swing, well..like a cell phone on your belt. A neat carry system, but it may not appeal to everyone. One concern of mine is the latch which keeps the knife handles closed. It works well as it should, but it is made of plastic, so I suspect that in time it will eventually wear out or possibly even break. Only time will tell. Still, if it does, it should be covered under warranty.
On the whole, I like this knife alot and I think it is a must for those who like knives with interesting locking mechanisms. It is definately one of the many "bang for the buck" knives hitting the market and I recommend it highly.
***Update***
One more thing. I noticed that when you open the knife, part of the cutting edge comes into contact with the bottom front spacer which causes the thinly ground edge to blunt a bit on one spot. Not too big an issue if you're not going to use it often, but some may find it a bit annoying.