United Cutlery's new offer.....anyone?

I received my copy - a black coated version with plain edge.

It is a big knife and heavy - but I did not have too much problem with it in my pocket - the clip works fine.

The knife arrived sharp enough - not a razor but it will push cut, and the edge is very even and nicely done.

The odd upward-sweep of the tip makes it interesting to try and pierce-cut things - so far that is about all I have cut with it.

I notice that the lockbar is a bit thin, and there is a fairly significant gap between the blade and the liners, which leads me to believe that the lockbar will eventually wear and work it's way over to eventually "fall off" the back side of the blade tang.

I have seen this with other cheaper knives - like S&W cheapies you get at O'Reillys etc.

I can't say that this knife will do that for certain, but I am guessing it would.

The lockup is tight, but the lockbar is very thin, so it is engaging the tang well past the lockbar side of the blade.

No up or down or side to side play. Finishes are all nicely done.

Its a $30 knife and of the quality that I expect at this price point. When I get better I am pleasantly surprised. This knife is not of the quality of a $30 Kershaw for instance. It is a unique design that I think you either love it or you don't.

Pictures will follow - I'll do some cutting and see if I think the lockbar is going to travel into the "cheap knife pivot abyss" as I suspect.

best

mqqn
 
I looked at mine and don't see the possibility of having the lock actually slip off the far side of the tang. Yes, the gap between blade and liners is wide, but it doesn't look quite as wide as the lock is thick. Mine locks up about 90%, and I couldn't force it any farther over. How far it may eventually move remains to be seen, but even if it moves all the way over to the G10 side, I believe it will still be in contact with the tang. I'll mic out the lock thickness and gap later tonight just to be sure and post the numbers here.
 
Thanks G. Scott -

Like I said - I was eyeballing it - I will take some pictures.

The knife is worth $30.

best

mqqn
 
:D
note etching on this copy...
browning_zps3f90e6bb.jpg

Length: 26.5cm
Blade length: 11.5cm
Handle length: 15.2cm
Blade width: 3.8cm (widest point)
Blade thickness: 3.9mm
Blade material: 5Cr15MOV
Hardness: 57HRC
Weight 230g
 
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I'll pass. It is just too big a folder for me and I would never carry it. So, why buy it unless I am just wanting try it out. (I do that occasionally.) I also don't care for the blade shape. The scales appeal to me.
 
Okay, lock is .10" thick and tang/scale gap on G10 side is only .051". It looks wider to the naked eye, but that's the measurement I got. :thumbup:
 
So which is it? 440C or 5cr15mov?

I guess it's possible that they make it in China with 5cr and just call it 440C. I don't like that though...

I guess I would be more likely to buy that Walmart Camillus thing. Can't remember the name, but it's supposed to be VG10, and it's also huge.

Now that I think about it I doubt I'll buy either. :) There are just too many good knives in that price range.
 
Strigamort said:
So which is it? 440C or 5cr15mov?

I guess it's possible that they make it in China with 5cr and just call it 440C. I don't like that though...

I guess I would be more likely to buy that Walmart Camillus thing. Can't remember the name, but it's supposed to be VG10, and it's also huge.

Now that I think about it I doubt I'll buy either. :) There are just too many good knives in that price range.
Click to expand...

The 440c is the united cutlery one. The "browning" version with the 5cr13mov is a crappy copy from alibaba.com
 
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I took some pictures this evening - The lockbar is not as thin as my original impression.

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You can see the washers are fairly thick, and the gaps are larger than I am used to seeing in the knives I typically buy.

The lockup is solid, as I said previously, but note that the lockbar is completely onto the tang, it is over 100%. That might not be a problem, the cut on the tang is angled such that it looks like there would have to be a lot of wear to move it significantly across to the other side.

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The knife has a lot of style, and it us very unique. The look is odd, a lot of "out of the mainstream" cues, so if that is your thing you will like this knife.

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It was not super sharp as delivered, but it would do for most cutting chores out of the box. I ran a few passes on a diamond stone and it perked up quickly.

Size comparison with some other knives - it is a large knife for sure, and it is pretty heavy as well.

DSC_3734.JPG


Lockbar/pivot comparison, left to right: ZT300BW, UC Blondie, S&W ElCheapo.

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As you can see, the Blondie comes in somewhere in the middle of the quality road; it is not the best quality, but it is far from the worst.

I do have one problem with my knife that I noticed while taking pictures - one of the screws is missing from the frame.

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As a result, I will try the large online retailer where I purchased this knife and see what they want to do about the problem. I can definitely see there are threads in the lockbar side of that hole, and the box shows a screw in that position.

I will update here when I find out if I have to contact UC or if the seller will warranty the knife.

I think you could do much worse that this knife, so for the $30, if you like this kind of style, you get a funny-looking (in my opinion) knife that will likely give some good service.

Pictured is the Cert of Authenticity that came with the knife.

DSC_3745.JPG


best

mqqn
 
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This knife is growing on me. I thought it was too big...now it seems to melt in my pocket. maybe some brass washers and a trip to the Edge Pro might do the trick!
 
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