Surefire Alpha, request for review

[Ritt]

Anyone have any experience with the Surefire Alpha? Came across it in their new catalog last night. Saw a couple on e-bay this morning, pretty pricey. I'd appreciate a review or even impressions from anyone who's handled it. Thanks.

 

[Klesk]

I own 2 Alphas, serial numbers 0007 and 0021, both are first generation, which are identified by the natural finish handle and blade, and green/black G-10 inlay. The current knives, which are second generation, have black coated handles and blades and red/black G-10 inlays.

The ones currently on Ebay are 2nd generation, and that Surefireparts guy is selling them for a reasonable price. I paid $250 for a used one, and $300 for a new one not too long ago.

I EDC #21, so I have a reasonably good idea how the knife handles. First off, it's a pretty big knife. It's about the same size as a BM 630 and Strider SMF, and just as thick as the SMF. The length doesn't bother me as much as the thickness. Here's a pic of my Alpha next to some of my other EDCs:

The knife is well-built, and fit and finish are superb. The blade opens smoothly, and lockup is rock solid.

What I like: the attributes that I mentioned above, the assymetrical blade grind gets wicked sharp, and the handle feels good in the hand.

What I don't like: the thumbstuds are also blade stops, in both the open and closed position, so the thumbstuds rest against the handle when closed. This makes the flipper almost a necessity, and I don't really like flippers. I would have mine ground off, but on this knife, it has to stay. Since the handle acts as a blade stop, the handle can't be relieved for access to the locking liner. This makes it somewhat difficult to manipulate the liner to close the knife, but I guess that it's better to be hard to close rather than have the knife so easy to close that it might accidentally close on you during use. The knife comes with 2 pocket clips, I normally wouldn't mind, but on a knife already this thick, the off-side clip is annoying. If the off-side clip is removed, it leaves an unsightly "trough" in the handle, not good in this price range. I had Shawn Thatch make a fix for mine, and it came out great:

Overall, at the price that they are going for now (Buy It Now of $209 on Ebay) it is a superb value. I think you would be hard-pressed to find a finer production knife for around $200.

Please feel free to post or e-mail me if you have any questions, I hope this helped.

 

[Ritt]

That helps a lot, thanks for the information. A few follow-ups:

Are the thumb studs eventually going to mar the scales where they make contact? I don't have any experience with a flipper, once you're used to it is it just as quick as a thumb stud/hole/disc? ?Asymmetrical blade grind? Are the two sides of cutting edge actually ground at different angles, or just the primary grind? Sorry to add more questions, but it is true that no good deed goes unpunished.

On another point, SERIOUSLY nice pictures, seriously. That's a formidable EDC rotation, I mean you've made the Police look like the runt of the litter, I thought it was a SS Delica until my brain was able to put it into context. And who did your Skirmish scales? Is that all done with heat? Does Hawaii have no knife laws? Color me green...

 

[Klesk]

Are the thumb studs eventually going to mar the scales where they make contact?

The thumbstuds will eventuall make little marks on the top of the handle where they rest when the knife is closed, and on the end of the handle, where they go when the knife is open. Nothing really bad, though, and I'm pretty picky about my knives.

I don't have any experience with a flipper, once you're used to it is it just as quick as a thumb stud/hole/disc?

This flipper is not like the ones on some of the assisted openers. Unless you have the pivot really loose, and give the flipper a hard push, the knife won't open all the way with just the flipper. I use it to start the blade opening, and use the thumbstuds to finish the motion.

Asymmetrical blade grind? Are the two sides of cutting edge actually ground at different angles, or just the primary grind?

The knife is ground almost like an Emerson, though somewhat thinner, that's why it gets so sharp. There is a "normal" looking grind on one side, and a tiny line down the other. I sharpen it like I sharpen my Emersons, hit the normal side like you would on any other knife, then lightly go over the other side at a pretty steep angle.

On another point, SERIOUSLY nice pictures, seriously. That's a formidable EDC rotation, I mean you've made the Police look like the runt of the litter, I thought it was a SS Delica until my brain was able to put it into context. And who did your Skirmish scales? Is that all done with heat? Does Hawaii have no knife laws? Color me green...

Thanks for the compliments. I originally posted the top pic under a thread titled "Have you ever thought a Police Model was small?", so you hit the nail right on the head. As mentioned, I recently added a Strider SMF to the rotation, no small knife either. The Skirmish was done by a member of the "other" forum, you can e-mail me if you need details. And yes, it was done with a torch. I no longer own that particular knife, I just replaced it with a untouched First Production 630. Hawaii has the standard knife laws, no autos, no double-edged blades, no real limit on blade length, which could be interpreted as good or bad. Good because I can carry whatever size knife I want. Bad because, since there is no specified length that is illegal, any length blade can be seen as a "deadly weapon" if you are doing something stupid. In that case, the LEO would just as soon arrest you and let the judge work it out.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[sithjedi333]

GREAT review!!!