Spartan Blades Quality?

[Thomas Carey]

Just wondering what you fine folks think of the quality of Spartan Blades products. What brands would you say they compare to in terms of quality and design? If you own one of their knives please post a photo.

 

[bodog]

Just wondering what you fine folks think of the quality of Spartan Blades products. What brands would you say they compare to in terms of quality and design? If you own one of their knives please post a photo.

I've handled, not used, a Phrike and Akribis. I didn't think they were anything exceptional. Nothing wrong with them but I personally felt something as good or better could be had for less, especially concerning the Phrike. The Akribis was a nicely done folder but for +/- $450 it seemed overpriced, especially when you can get a sebenza or whatever for less. I had a buddy who raved about them but I never saw him actually use either one.

Not the most authoritative answer.

 

[bodog]

And if you were going to do some collaborative effort with Minuteman, I'd look at look at something a little lower priced unless the protech and ZT knives flew off the shelves.

 

[smuiradise]

I've only owned an enyo. Everything about it was quality. I ended up selling it because it wasn't comfortable in my hand. I'm always tempted to pick up another. Would like to check out an akribis but the price keeps me away.

 

[Thomas Carey]

And if you were going to do some collaborative effort with Minuteman, I'd look at look at something a little lower priced unless the protech and ZT knives flew off the shelves.

The ZT's for sure flew off the shelves. In fact i wish we would have done twice as many of them. =)

 

[bodog]

The ZT's for sure flew off the shelves. In fact i wish we would have done twice as many of them. =)

I personally liked the looks of the ZT collab. The protech not so much. I like what the "minuteman" stands for. It'd be cool to see you do a collab with an AR manufacturer and see a bust of a Minuteman engraved on the lower.

As far as knives go, do you have anyone else in mind or just Spartan? They're pretty high priced. Personally I think a Minuteman collab with Esee would generate all kinds of interest, especially with a cool graphic etched on the blade. Have you contacted Busse? These two names generate all kinds of users and collectors. Spartan seems to have kind of died off and price is usually a quoted factor.

The Esee (or Busse or Becker) minuteman has a good ring to it.

 

[nesplin]

I have been a pretty big fan of Spartan Blades for a while now.

Their Akribis was my first, and I have been trying unsuccessfully to compare it to an Umnumzaan for a year or two now. I think it compares in terms of quality and durability, but they are apples and oranges re. design and feel of use. I like the shape of the Akribis blade better than the Umnumzaan, but I like the swedge on the Umnumzaan. They are apples and oranges re. their function though. The Akribis opens easier, but feels tighter, if that makes any sense. Basically I love them both the same but different, a bit like my sons, and it is a tough call every time I go to put one in my pocket. The Akribis usually wins. I don't have any pics of it handy.

I have used an Enyo for a while now as well. I had a brown one, but recently landed one of the damascus versions and sold the CB version. It is a super cool little neck knife, and is surprisingly useful and user friendly for being so small. I compared it to my Chris Reeve Professional Soldier, but it won out when I got the damascus version so completely that the pro soldier was sold. If CRK made a damascus pro soldier it would be another tough call.

I have had a V-14 for about a year. It might be my favorite knife of all, but it isn't very useful in my day to day desk job type life. I keep it on my battle belt for that sort of use. I like that it feels rooted in history, but is made of awesome modern material and could stand up to a war or two of use if one needed it to. Honestly I don't think it compares to anything on the market that I am aware of.

I have had and sold several other Spartan Blades (horkos, velos, phrike). They were all awesome, but I didn't have a lot of need for what they were awesome at and found them homes with active duty types where they were needed and would be used correctly.

This is a really cool time to be into knives. There are so many awesome knife companies in business now, and so many talented custom makers out there, it is almost an embarrassment of riches. To my mind Spartan Blades stands out of even that amazing group based on their philosophy, history (both personal, and actual historical like the design of the V-14), kick-ass customer service, and their collaboration with some other pretty cool knife guys. I have no hesitation recommending them to anybody who has a need that might be filled by something they make and that likes their design ideas.

Any relation to Mark Carey?

 

[Thomas Carey]

I personally liked the looks of the ZT collab. The protech not so much. I like what the "minuteman" stands for. It'd be cool to see you do a collab with an AR manufacturer and see a bust of a Minuteman engraved on the lower.

As far as knives go, do you have anyone else in mind or just Spartan? They're pretty high priced. Personally I think a Minuteman collab with Esee would generate all kinds of interest, especially with a cool graphic etched on the blade. Have you contacted Busse? These two names generate all kinds of users and collectors. Spartan seems to have kind of died off and price is usually a quoted factor.

The Esee (or Busse or Becker) minuteman has a good ring to it.

I did talk to Jerry Busse about a year ago and I guess we got sidetracked in looking more at that. To be honest we would love to do a small fixed blade at some point.

The AR lower idea is interesting and at some point you might see something like that.

We have actually wanted to do something with Southern Grind as their etho's line up well with ours in my view. We were not able to get the pricing we would need to make that work. But at some point we may get together.

For sure we would love to do something more with ZT but we really don't have the ability to sell enough for that currently.

 

[Thomas Carey]

I have been a pretty big fan of Spartan Blades for a while now.

Their Akribis was my first, and I have been trying unsuccessfully to compare it to an Umnumzaan for a year or two now. I think it compares in terms of quality and durability, but they are apples and oranges re. design and feel of use. I like the shape of the Akribis blade better than the Umnumzaan, but I like the swedge on the Umnumzaan. They are apples and oranges re. their function though. The Akribis opens easier, but feels tighter, if that makes any sense. Basically I love them both the same but different, a bit like my sons, and it is a tough call every time I go to put one in my pocket. The Akribis usually wins. I don't have any pics of it handy.

I have used an Enyo for a while now as well. I had a brown one, but recently landed one of the damascus versions and sold the CB version. It is a super cool little neck knife, and is surprisingly useful and user friendly for being so small. I compared it to my Chris Reeve Professional Soldier, but it won out when I got the damascus version so completely that the pro soldier was sold. If CRK made a damascus pro soldier it would be another tough call.

I have had a V-14 for about a year. It might be my favorite knife of all, but it isn't very useful in my day to day desk job type life. I keep it on my battle belt for that sort of use. I like that it feels rooted in history, but is made of awesome modern material and could stand up to a war or two of use if one needed it to. Honestly I don't think it compares to anything on the market that I am aware of.

I have had and sold several other Spartan Blades (horkos, velos, phrike). They were all awesome, but I didn't have a lot of need for what they were awesome at and found them homes with active duty types where they were needed and would be used correctly.

This is a really cool time to be into knives. There are so many awesome knife companies in business now, and so many talented custom makers out there, it is almost an embarrassment of riches. To my mind Spartan Blades stands out of even that amazing group based on their philosophy, history (both personal, and actual historical like the design of the V-14), kick-ass customer service, and their collaboration with some other pretty cool knife guys. I have no hesitation recommending them to anybody who has a need that might be filled by something they make and that likes their design ideas.

Any relation to Mark Carey?

No relation to Mark that I know of but there may be a distant connection as my great grand father was a railroad man if you know what I mean. =)

When we first started up Minuteman we caught the eye of Bill Harsey who I am sure many of you are familiar with. He hooked us up with some SF guys and we did a special watch for them. When we first thought of a knife I went right to Bill for some suggestions. To be honest I would love to do something with a Harsey design at some point. At any rate Bill suggested a few companies. But the one he suggested most was Spartan. We looked into them and really liked what we saw. At the time we first approached them they were still getting ready to move into their current building or had just moved in. Plus they just could not make enough knives to meet demand. We checked back with them recently and they said the timing was better and they suggested something based on their Pallas.

As far as price the Pallas is pretty much right there with the Pro-Tech we recently did. I will say I am proud of the quality we've had in the finished products from ZT and Pro-Tech and I am quite sure it will be the same with Spartan. These might be pricey but they are a quality product. Which to be honest is just like our wrist watches. Like I tell people cheap we do not do. If your looking at best value we probably are not right for you. But if you a quality American product at a fair price I feel that's us.

Which here is an update on the Pallas project. We have handle samples coming in Flat Dark Earth and a camo pattern. At this point we are not sure if the camo pattern will just be too darn cheesy for both our brands. For the camo idea we are getting a sample from http://www.pkselective.com/ who has done some really interesting looking stuff for Pro-Tech in the past. In talking to the owner of PK he suggested trying something in a sort of camo effect. Its something they really have not done yet so non of us is really sure how it would look yet.

In the future as I said we would still like to do a small fixed blade at a lower price point. We would also like to do a smaller folder at a lower price point maybe even a traditional slip joint.

We keep trying to think of other types of products that would be a good fit for us as well and are always open to suggestions.

 

[MatthewSB]

Just wondering what you fine folks think of the quality of Spartan Blades products. What brands would you say they compare to in terms of quality and design? If you own one of their knives please post a photo.

Spartan Blades are very well made, and their heat treat is noticeably better than most other S35VN out there. I would compare their designs to the best in the business, they're designed by, and for, real life action heroes. I've used, extensively, a Nyx and a Harsey Hunter.

The Nyx is a versatile utility fixed blade. It's very light and flat so it carries and packs easily, taking up very little space in a pack or on my belt. I normally don't like stout saber grinds, but they designed it just right and even though it's a 3/16" blade with a lot of thickness behind the edge, it still manages to cut well. Processing firewood is no problem thanks to the tough edge. It cuts like a recurve, the edge is just one big 'belly' angled down from the handle. A quick pull and it goes through just about anything.

The Harsey Hunter is hand ground by Bill Harsey himself, it's an extremely capable "do everything" knife that has become my "go to" fixed blade for everything outdoors. The deep hollow grind allows for minimal material behind the edge, so it cuts very well, while maintaining a thick spine all the way to the tip. The handle is extremely secure, and very comfortable even for hours of use.

 

[bodog]

.....

 

[corwise]

I have a Harsey Hunter. It's a great knife, sharp as hell, holds an edge very well, comfortable, etc. Its been my primary user for camping, random chores in the backyard, etc. I've seen/handled some of their other fixed blades and they all seem well made to me. I put them around the same quality/price/style of Chris Reeve, Busse, Fehrman, etc. Good quality solid well made knives. If you like the style and shop at that price point then they're well worth the money.

Since you request a picture the only one I have is of their Horkos damascus special edition, which I also own. Not the best picture, but the knife is beautiful. Not a user which is a shame, maybe someday.

 

[whitty]

We started selling Spartan Knives about a month ago. I can tell you from a dealer stand point they have been spot on. Every email answered quickly and every question answered in detail. We are in North Carolina so Mark Carey even brought us our first batch of knives!

I personally own an Akribis and a Pallas. The Akribis I picked up at Blade Show. It is very well made. It comes tight at a tick out of the box and loosens up after about a week of use. It is buttery smooth with bank vault lock up.

The Pallas I started carrying when we got our first batch. I was a little hesitant about the button lock but they have mastered it! The more I have used mine the more it has settled in and gotten tighter. There has been no blade play at all. The button lock is also extremely addictive. It is set perfectly for quick close and you get so used to it that when you switch out with another knife it takes a while to stop going for the button. It has quickly become one of my favorite knives.

I will be excited to see what you guys come up with!

Whitty

 

[Thomas Carey]

We started selling Spartan Knives about a month ago. I can tell you from a dealer stand point they have been spot on. Every email answered quickly and every question answered in detail. We are in North Carolina so Mark Carey even brought us our first batch of knives!

I personally own an Akribis and a Pallas. The Akribis I picked up at Blade Show. It is very well made. It comes tight at a tick out of the box and loosens up after about a week of use. It is buttery smooth with bank vault lock up.

The Pallas I started carrying when we got our first batch. I was a little hesitant about the button lock but they have mastered it! The more I have used mine the more it has settled in and gotten tighter. There has been no blade play at all. The button lock is also extremely addictive. It is set perfectly for quick close and you get so used to it that when you switch out with another knife it takes a while to stop going for the button. It has quickly become one of my favorite knives.

I will be excited to see what you guys come up with!

Whitty

Hello Whitty,

Thanks so much for sharing with us and the kind words. =) I don't know that we are going to come up with anything too radical as we have to keep the price in check as well.

 

[TrojanSteel]

The fit and finish is a really spot on - perfect. You can really tell a quality FF on knives when the g10 scales perfectly align with the blade where there is jimping - meaning the curves of the G10 perfectly match the curves of the steel. This was the case on the Harsey Model II that I handled. I would upload pictures, but it's too much of a pain in the ass on bladeforums. I have them posted on my IG though (trojan_Steel).

 

[RevDevil]

A member here Mistwalker did a review on a few diffeent models. He used them to do various cutting tasks in the woods and they worked terrifically. Great knives.

 

[clockman]

I bought an Akribis from a second owner. The knife has play in both directions. I sent it back to him for a refund. He wanted me to send it

back to Spartan for repair. A new knife Shouldn't have play side to side and up and down.

I watched a vid on the Akribis. The scales and another part, I don't remember which part, have to be taken off of the knife to adjust the pivot.

It was a nice knife but, not worth $490! Maybe $375..................The quality wasn't as good as some guys are saying IMO.