Southern Grind Bad Monkey Comparison Pics

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shandrydan1

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Was asked yesterday how the Bad Monkey compared to my Vindicator so figured I would post up some pics of them compared. Also included my CQC-15 and one pic with a ZT0301. I have been carrying it more than most of my others as of late.



It is hard to tell because they are pretty close but the Bad Monkey is the biggest of the three knives.





It is also slightly thicker but it tends to disappear in the pocket because it is lighter.



The lockup on the Vindicator and the Bad Monkey are both a little early but they both are solid with no play anywhere. The 15 has full lock bar contact but it is solid as well.




Some other shots:







 
I really like the look of those drop-point Bad Monkeys, but would definitely prefer a higher grind. How thick is the blade at the spine?
 
Do you like the bad monkey? I've been looking at one for a while and never pulled the trigger
 
They are worth it. I took a gamble and I am glad I did. Here is mine with a military and a 561


 
Haha thanks for the pics, brother! You really went above and beyond.

I didn't realize the Bad Monkey was so damn big!

I really like the looks of that drop point model. What kind of blade length are we talking here? 3.75"? Longer?
 
Any time man! It is right at 3.9" cutting length. I think they list the blade at 4" which would be right if you measure from where the scales stop. It weights in at just under 5oz.
 
Awesome pictures! for the longest time I debated between these and the ZT 0620 and I went for the ZT. but someday I will get on those bad monkeys
 
Riz2530 said:
They are worth it. I took a gamble and I am glad I did. Here is mine with a military and a 561



This is funny because I got rid of my 560 because it was too big and I found carrying it to be a pain in the @ss. However since I've gotten the Bad Monkey, I've been carrying it regularly with no problems. It may be because the BM has a more long and slender profile while folded and in the pocket than the 560 does.
Click to expand...
 
They are very nice knives. I have had two, traded the original (that was received through a trade), but have the second one I purchased at full price. With the exception of perhaps the blade steel, all the materials are top notch and executed with precision. What sold me on the second was the excellent customer service I received when emailing the company a few questions. Long story short, I was able to get them to piece together a folder combination that they don't currently offer (G10 handles with the "wave" feature), and have the knife drilled and tapped for both lefty and righty pocket clip for no extra charge. If you dont like large folders, you may wish to steer clear, as they are pretty big.
 
I really do not feel that there is anything wrong with the steel. Its a very clean, fine grained stainless that performs well at 59-61 rockwell. I have many kershaw leeks with the steel that are ground crazy thin and have never chipped on me. 14c28n has nitrogen in it which improves corrosion resistance in a stainless and allows higher hardness. Its easy to sharpen. It gets sticky sharp. One thing people may not realize is that the Bad Monkey has a convex, mirror polished edge, which I feel improves the performance.

If I could improve the Bad Monkey for me, I would take the primary grind higher, maybe even close to a full flat. I get that they are a tribute/inspired by Zack Brown's favorite brand, but I find that the Emerson style grind sacrifices some slicing ability for blade strength and I would prefer it the other way around. Either way, this knife is a beast and I love it. One thing I like the best is that it is unique and not something you see everyone carrying. The fit, finish and the slickness of the blade movement are amazing. The ergonomics are actually quite impressive as well.
 
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Here are few more shots.

Check out the crisp grindlines and stonewash.





 
What's the deal with the tool? Do you have to order one seperatly, or does it come with it? I was under the impression you had to buy one, andthat is a huge turn off. A knife of this value should come with a tool since they chose to use proprietary hardware. However, if I'm wrong tben this might just be my next buy.
 
It uses a 3 piece set because if I remember right all of the hardware is in house proprietary. It is a separate addition but considering it is a custom bit set it isn't surprising it is not included. And I will second their customer service. Talked with them at blade show this year and they were more helpful and polite than quite a few of the other large production companies.

They also offer a build your own Bad Monkey now as well.
 
All of the knives look good but the Grind is where I'm headed one of these days..I have to get my Mini-Draco SBR'ed then I wil have some bucks.
 
I bought a jade green g10 version with ano'd blue liners. while I think I paid more than I should ,its still a very well made knife. I also sometimes question the blade steel choice,but ive had no issues with it.Compared to the prices ive seen lately on knives,i guess its not too bad of a price.its the only knife in recent memory I kind of paid more than I should have,but with some of the bargains ive gotten, I think it evens out.The short pocket clip works good being a lefty,it does not dig into my fingers like the zt560/550 does in the tip up setup.
 
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