Well, the Schrade OTF has been a big talking point over in the Automatic forums (http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=566513) so I figured I throw a brief review out there.
When I called up Smokey Mountain Knife Works they told me the black handle was out of stock so I went with the gray. The color looks good and is different than the same old black on black that's prevalent. The handle is not ergonomic by any means. Out of my Cold Steel OTF and the Bokermatic (which are briefly reviewed later) its the most uncomfortable in a working grip. However, I don't think anyone is ordering these to do heavy work or really serious cutting with. That isn't to say the Schrade OTF couldn't do it, but I'd rather have gloves on. The pocket clip cuts into the hand slightly and the grip is uneven due to the way the handle is designed. Removing the clip is out of the question as that is a critical point of gripping (yes, I just made that up
) when opening the knife. IMHO the grip issues could be rectified by situating the opening stud (for lack of better term) on the top where the safety is rather than the side (like the Microtech Troodon). On the upside, the handle has excellent grooves and checkering for gip enhancement and I feel that the glass breaker is a nice touch.
The blade is sharper than I expected, not shaving sharp but I haven't touched it up at all either. It went through three strands of 550cord simultaneously without a hitch. The coating is wearing a bit but I find that attractive, some things look better when you know its been used:thumbup: I think a double edged version would be neat but that just shoots it out of the realm of non-knife people friendly so we'll never see one that wasn't modified by one of us.
To open the knife, one has to push the thumb stud forward about 1/2inch then the spring takes over and really shoots it forward...hard. This is a very fast OTF. To close it, one has to push the metal tab that's next to the thumbstud down and then muscle the blade down (the spring is no joke) until you hear it click twice. On the top of the handle is a safety that keeps the blade from opening. I feel that this should be painted with white on one side and red on the other (safe, fire) or have "S" and "F" molded on each side so one knows which is which; it took me a while to figure out what was safe and fire. Also, I found that the best way to hold it when opening is to rest the curve of the clip in the bend of your last knuckle of the trigger finger and push with the middle of the thumb. This seems most secure and least painful to me.
Now, some other OTF's that I have...
The Cold Steel Survival Rescue 1 is a neat manual OTF and I recommend picking one up if you find it. Mine is a double edged dagger design that's about 80% serrated. It cuts and stabs well, offers a good grip, and has no pocket clip (which makes it more comfortable in the grip IMHO). The blade is opened and closed with the stud, and clicks open and closed. The stud rattles a bit in the closed position, which could be universal or just mine.
The Bokermatic is very differnt. The spring shoots the blade closed rather than open. Opening is smooth with the stud as the spring is not very strong. The knife is locked and unlocked by shifting the handle (see pictures).
On a side note, I hope to get a Kershaw Ripcord soon and will post some pictures and a review when I get it.
Now the pictures:
Safety ON
Safety OFF
When I called up Smokey Mountain Knife Works they told me the black handle was out of stock so I went with the gray. The color looks good and is different than the same old black on black that's prevalent. The handle is not ergonomic by any means. Out of my Cold Steel OTF and the Bokermatic (which are briefly reviewed later) its the most uncomfortable in a working grip. However, I don't think anyone is ordering these to do heavy work or really serious cutting with. That isn't to say the Schrade OTF couldn't do it, but I'd rather have gloves on. The pocket clip cuts into the hand slightly and the grip is uneven due to the way the handle is designed. Removing the clip is out of the question as that is a critical point of gripping (yes, I just made that up
) when opening the knife. IMHO the grip issues could be rectified by situating the opening stud (for lack of better term) on the top where the safety is rather than the side (like the Microtech Troodon). On the upside, the handle has excellent grooves and checkering for gip enhancement and I feel that the glass breaker is a nice touch.The blade is sharper than I expected, not shaving sharp but I haven't touched it up at all either. It went through three strands of 550cord simultaneously without a hitch. The coating is wearing a bit but I find that attractive, some things look better when you know its been used:thumbup: I think a double edged version would be neat but that just shoots it out of the realm of non-knife people friendly so we'll never see one that wasn't modified by one of us.
To open the knife, one has to push the thumb stud forward about 1/2inch then the spring takes over and really shoots it forward...hard. This is a very fast OTF. To close it, one has to push the metal tab that's next to the thumbstud down and then muscle the blade down (the spring is no joke) until you hear it click twice. On the top of the handle is a safety that keeps the blade from opening. I feel that this should be painted with white on one side and red on the other (safe, fire) or have "S" and "F" molded on each side so one knows which is which; it took me a while to figure out what was safe and fire. Also, I found that the best way to hold it when opening is to rest the curve of the clip in the bend of your last knuckle of the trigger finger and push with the middle of the thumb. This seems most secure and least painful to me.
Now, some other OTF's that I have...
The Cold Steel Survival Rescue 1 is a neat manual OTF and I recommend picking one up if you find it. Mine is a double edged dagger design that's about 80% serrated. It cuts and stabs well, offers a good grip, and has no pocket clip (which makes it more comfortable in the grip IMHO). The blade is opened and closed with the stud, and clicks open and closed. The stud rattles a bit in the closed position, which could be universal or just mine.
The Bokermatic is very differnt. The spring shoots the blade closed rather than open. Opening is smooth with the stud as the spring is not very strong. The knife is locked and unlocked by shifting the handle (see pictures).
On a side note, I hope to get a Kershaw Ripcord soon and will post some pictures and a review when I get it.
Now the pictures:
Safety ON
Safety OFF
