ArtisticCutleryQuest
BANNED
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2012
- Messages
- 156
Since The first time I saw Snody's work, I knew there was something about the knives and Mike that represented my confidence in a custom knife and it's maker.
I'm excited over the next few weeks to be uploading knife review videos as I complete editing to share some of his best work being put to the test.
I have to say the results are in so far and even though I'm waiting for many of my knives to arrive, everything I have reviewed so far has been very impressive. And Mike as a person has been truly professional and honorable.
I have experienced extremely high quality in his Knives, Paracord Wraps, Japanese Wraps, Unbelievable Sting Ray Skin, handmade Leather Sheaths, Micarta Scales, g10, Carbon Fiber Scales, wood, and all sorts of creative designs I would classify as world class art. I'm very happy that after this review was the first kydex I received directly from mike and it was absolutely perfect.
I'm proud to be a collector and To have gotten the chance to review a lot of these knives. And the only thing I've expressed is that I'd like to see even more of his greatness but hey the man is doing his thing and I have in my dealings with him experienced a work ethic that is very rare in any profession.....Mike is an extremely hardworking and driven professional and also man who has proven himself to be a master at every aspect of the custom cutlery profession.
I can't get enough of his Texas USA twist on Heirloom Customs....the quality has always been world class and there isn't a piece in my collection that I dislike, they all resonate to me on the deepest level and I can't wait to receive some of the folders and fixed blades I've ordered to add to the reviews I'll be uploading over the next few days.
---------------------------
So onto this review-
I wanted to share the quality I experienced from my latest Snody Customs purchase recently. Even as a New but fairly experienced collector I am pleasantly surprised at the perfection of the the knife and the kydex sheath as this is the first kydex I've actually gotten directly from Mike.. And I wanted to share this review for anyone who is considering a purchase to let them know I would highly recommend it.
A few weeks back I purchased a Zombie Boss and Kydex directly from Mike and the shipping was Lightning fast. My previous purchase was of the Yakuza Japanese DamaSteel Asian Family Crest knife with the wicked grind single side Swedge which I feel extremely fortunate to own and I mention this for a reason which I'll get back to later in my review.
Now that I've had a chance to review The Knife and Kydex Sheath in several configurations , I'm Able to report that I'm impressed far beyond what I'd expected, in performance, beauty, and most importantly during this economy all of above paired with a truly great value that has the artistic quality and performance of a a custom knife that is worth much more
------------
The main objective in this review is to be as scientifically accurate as possible and also to provide an unbiased review no matter what even if it means admitting I'm wrong or have made incorrect or flaws in my own data. I'm here to give a honest reviews and many different philosophies and perspectives of use from collection, EDC, reliability and edge endurance in the field, to resale and retention of value
Review Data:
Knife: A+ rating. Zombie boss and polished bevel was nothing short of beautiful. The chisel grind and reverse edge that The Boss has become known so well for was executed to literal perfection, im very picky about edges and i examine them very thouroughly and there were absolutely no flaws. The result is one hell of a beautifully finished custom multipurpose chisel ground knife with hair popping beyond razor sharp edge on the back side that overperforms edc tasks with ease. The finish of the rest of the knife was beautiful and shows the continual growth of the Boss' generational evolution of craftsmanship design and implementation as well as artistic zombie outbreak specific outfit as a demonstration to the knives' versatility. The Hardcore Bug Out Snody Special custom paired with a very stylish take on a low profile signature Zombie DNA heritage via paracord coloration which I found to be very tasteful as most of the zombie Blades and kitted gear you see on the market today besides being noncustom in nature and produced on a AI assembly line of robotic automated stages to be cliché on the neon lime coloration and similar, I found this to be just enough of a superstylish collage of colors to exhibit the perfect zombie or EDC/survial kit theme while once again showing the versatility of the many generational potentials of the Snody Boss.
Performance/Value/Pricepoint/Edge Endurance: These topics fit nicely together. To find a knife of this quality that is custom handmade at this Pricepoint, you would already be lost but to find one that performs this well and holds..from a well know designer. We are talking about a knife with a proven track record. This is a knife that is a great choice for a lightweight high performance solution for your EDC kit as a backup or even a main knife. At this Pricepoint you aren't going to mind getting it a little field time...I have put more use to this knife and other boss generations out there than most other people on the planet with the exception of Snody himself No where else on this planet will you find a multitask knife of this quality and heritage with this edge and I'm telling you, the videos where Snody is cutting through stuff are no joke. I have batoned through wood to simulate building a fire in a survival situation in which you would want to preserve your knife as best as possible, with no damage to the edge. The value of this knife is of extreme high performance to dollar ratio you are gonna get your money's worth and on top of that this knife from my experience is going to hold its value better than a Mercedes or BMW. Look on online auction venues there is a reason that custom Snody knives don't stick around very long on there, people are buying them up.
-Easily handling tasks such as cutting paracord and multiple strands of paracord with ease, chop cutting multiple strands of paracord with ease, shaving wood tinder for a fire, batoning wood for a fire, slicing 1 gallon water jugs well past 50 percent in a knife this package, shaving, food preparation, eating a steak a Ruth's Chris.
My bosses have been there and they have been there with me through it all the past few months I have taken 1 from almost each generation and put it through extensive outdoor EDC testing abuse....not one of those knives has any damage to the blade, not one of those knives needs and resharpening and not one of those knives has a faded logo....That is the definition of performance value money.
On top of that, when you look at Snody's warranty and resharpening prices which are practically nothing...you are talking about a knife that is going to last you a lifetime, or get you to where you are going and easily cash you into the high demand so when Snody releases something else and you are on a budget you are going to have a knife that you can sell, and I have done it enough times to tell you there are people across the world on this forum, others, and other obvious online sale venues that will buy that knife for the exact same price you purchased it for and more. I have personally received countless emails from people ALL OVER THE WORLD telling me how impossible it is for them to get a Snody knife in their country.
Going back to earlier in the review I mentioned my purchase before this was the DamaSteel Zombie Yakuza with the Insane single side Swedge that is literally one of the best designed and well made knives in the History of the world, a knife that is in a collectors case that gets babied....when you purchase a Boss like this you are purchasing a knife that includes many of the same heritage, experience and handmade craftsmanship that you don't mind using in the field. In many ways buying a knife like this is getting you many of the same features of a knife worth exponentially more.
Kydex sheath with belt lock: A+ Perfection on craftsmanship,fitting, and Value for sheath and adjustable Belt Lock
This brings me to my favorite part of this particular review and that is the kydex sheath.
Let me preface this section by telling you I have a love hate relationship with kydex. On one hand it has so many benefits, yet on the other, kydex craftsmanship is of the utmost importance, out of the countless number of knives I've purchased directly from Mike...this is the very first setup Ive bought directly from Mike with a Kydex sheath. I had my doubts and this is the unbiased part where I told you earlier if scientifically and objectively I am wrong I will admit it flat out....and I was wrong....I had expressed to a couple people that I had purchased a few setups on the forum of kydex and that I had questions as to Snody's skill and I will tell you right now....I was flat out WRONG. It's unfair to a knife maker to make any assumptions based on their skill level buying a knife from someone else because there is no telling if that knife was the knife that that particular sheath was even made for or if that particular knife maker was even the maker of that sheath, and I would like to apologize to Mike and to anyone else that I expressed that I was unhappy with the level of friction and fitment to a particular knife. I had tested a sheath that was sold to mr and there is no telling how many hands it had passed through, if someone decided along the way they wanted to switch it out and keep the Leather or God knows what.
As a knife reviewer and a collector it's important to be as scientific as possible and by assuming that Snody's skills were anything but masterful as he has proven EVERY single aspect of the custom cutlery based on a setup that was not even from him I have done a great injustice to the few members and Mike Snody Himself as someone I consider to be one of the most talented and creative knifemakers on the planet. I owe him an apology and I also owe those couple members an apology for publishing a review that expressed in my own words that I was worried that the Kydex didn't match the level of the knives and I don't mind admitting I was wrong and I'm glad I was wrong and that I can hone my reviewing skills with all due respect to the knifemaker and their respective products if something is great it deserves to be labeled as such
1st of all this kydex and belt lock is among the best I have ever tested on ANY knife. Simply put its PERFECT
The lock up is smooth and secure towards the top of the handle of the Knife and there is no friction what so ever on the blade.
And I can now say with 100 percent assurance Snody makes the best Boss Sheath In the world...I'm not just saying that either, this sheath is worlds better, and I have searched the world high and low and while there are others out there that make sheaths there is an old saying....if it ain't broke don't fix it.
I am so pleased with the value of the kydex that came With this setup, it absolutely without a doubt in my mind made this purchase to be one hell of a great value. The variances and choices of mounting are many that support options . I love options especially when kydex is done correctly
You can wear it on your belt vertically or on a bug out pack or camping bag strap, and you can also turn it horizontally and wear it affixed on your belt concealed with an untucked shirt or light jacket or hoodie/windbreaker or on a tactical chest rig at the ready for sporting or BugOut
Some of my pet peaves about kydex in general is it takes a master to make correctly. Kydex wear on your blade is something that occurs far too often with most of the kydex knives on the market both production and custom are made with too much friction on the blade portion of the knife to get a secure fit. I was very happy when testing this kydex to conclude that Snody truly is a master at all phases of knife making. I had a friend who made a couple boss sheaths who told me he was going to make a perfect sheath and as far as I'm concerned those sheaths can go in the garbage....Snodys sheath are the best Boss sheaths in the world and furthermore based on this review he makes some of the Best Kydex I have ever tested if not the very best. Not to mention his Leather sheaths are extremely high quality and his you tube videos of him stitching them are incredibly entertaining to watch.
I have a number of review videos that I will be uploading of both high and low and once again I apologize for being inaccurate because mike Snody is a larger than life hero he is a great and honorable person and extremely dedicated to his craft.
Conclusion: the knives mike is putting out right now are a great value by them up while you still can you will get your monies worth and some...personally the boss line has treated me right and is a great knife for new collectors and seasoned veterans looking for an all purpose outdoor knife that is worthy of putting to good use
I'm excited over the next few weeks to be uploading knife review videos as I complete editing to share some of his best work being put to the test.
I have to say the results are in so far and even though I'm waiting for many of my knives to arrive, everything I have reviewed so far has been very impressive. And Mike as a person has been truly professional and honorable.
I have experienced extremely high quality in his Knives, Paracord Wraps, Japanese Wraps, Unbelievable Sting Ray Skin, handmade Leather Sheaths, Micarta Scales, g10, Carbon Fiber Scales, wood, and all sorts of creative designs I would classify as world class art. I'm very happy that after this review was the first kydex I received directly from mike and it was absolutely perfect.
I'm proud to be a collector and To have gotten the chance to review a lot of these knives. And the only thing I've expressed is that I'd like to see even more of his greatness but hey the man is doing his thing and I have in my dealings with him experienced a work ethic that is very rare in any profession.....Mike is an extremely hardworking and driven professional and also man who has proven himself to be a master at every aspect of the custom cutlery profession.
I can't get enough of his Texas USA twist on Heirloom Customs....the quality has always been world class and there isn't a piece in my collection that I dislike, they all resonate to me on the deepest level and I can't wait to receive some of the folders and fixed blades I've ordered to add to the reviews I'll be uploading over the next few days.
---------------------------
So onto this review-
I wanted to share the quality I experienced from my latest Snody Customs purchase recently. Even as a New but fairly experienced collector I am pleasantly surprised at the perfection of the the knife and the kydex sheath as this is the first kydex I've actually gotten directly from Mike.. And I wanted to share this review for anyone who is considering a purchase to let them know I would highly recommend it.
A few weeks back I purchased a Zombie Boss and Kydex directly from Mike and the shipping was Lightning fast. My previous purchase was of the Yakuza Japanese DamaSteel Asian Family Crest knife with the wicked grind single side Swedge which I feel extremely fortunate to own and I mention this for a reason which I'll get back to later in my review.
Now that I've had a chance to review The Knife and Kydex Sheath in several configurations , I'm Able to report that I'm impressed far beyond what I'd expected, in performance, beauty, and most importantly during this economy all of above paired with a truly great value that has the artistic quality and performance of a a custom knife that is worth much more
------------
The main objective in this review is to be as scientifically accurate as possible and also to provide an unbiased review no matter what even if it means admitting I'm wrong or have made incorrect or flaws in my own data. I'm here to give a honest reviews and many different philosophies and perspectives of use from collection, EDC, reliability and edge endurance in the field, to resale and retention of value
Review Data:
Knife: A+ rating. Zombie boss and polished bevel was nothing short of beautiful. The chisel grind and reverse edge that The Boss has become known so well for was executed to literal perfection, im very picky about edges and i examine them very thouroughly and there were absolutely no flaws. The result is one hell of a beautifully finished custom multipurpose chisel ground knife with hair popping beyond razor sharp edge on the back side that overperforms edc tasks with ease. The finish of the rest of the knife was beautiful and shows the continual growth of the Boss' generational evolution of craftsmanship design and implementation as well as artistic zombie outbreak specific outfit as a demonstration to the knives' versatility. The Hardcore Bug Out Snody Special custom paired with a very stylish take on a low profile signature Zombie DNA heritage via paracord coloration which I found to be very tasteful as most of the zombie Blades and kitted gear you see on the market today besides being noncustom in nature and produced on a AI assembly line of robotic automated stages to be cliché on the neon lime coloration and similar, I found this to be just enough of a superstylish collage of colors to exhibit the perfect zombie or EDC/survial kit theme while once again showing the versatility of the many generational potentials of the Snody Boss.
Performance/Value/Pricepoint/Edge Endurance: These topics fit nicely together. To find a knife of this quality that is custom handmade at this Pricepoint, you would already be lost but to find one that performs this well and holds..from a well know designer. We are talking about a knife with a proven track record. This is a knife that is a great choice for a lightweight high performance solution for your EDC kit as a backup or even a main knife. At this Pricepoint you aren't going to mind getting it a little field time...I have put more use to this knife and other boss generations out there than most other people on the planet with the exception of Snody himself No where else on this planet will you find a multitask knife of this quality and heritage with this edge and I'm telling you, the videos where Snody is cutting through stuff are no joke. I have batoned through wood to simulate building a fire in a survival situation in which you would want to preserve your knife as best as possible, with no damage to the edge. The value of this knife is of extreme high performance to dollar ratio you are gonna get your money's worth and on top of that this knife from my experience is going to hold its value better than a Mercedes or BMW. Look on online auction venues there is a reason that custom Snody knives don't stick around very long on there, people are buying them up.
-Easily handling tasks such as cutting paracord and multiple strands of paracord with ease, chop cutting multiple strands of paracord with ease, shaving wood tinder for a fire, batoning wood for a fire, slicing 1 gallon water jugs well past 50 percent in a knife this package, shaving, food preparation, eating a steak a Ruth's Chris.
My bosses have been there and they have been there with me through it all the past few months I have taken 1 from almost each generation and put it through extensive outdoor EDC testing abuse....not one of those knives has any damage to the blade, not one of those knives needs and resharpening and not one of those knives has a faded logo....That is the definition of performance value money.
On top of that, when you look at Snody's warranty and resharpening prices which are practically nothing...you are talking about a knife that is going to last you a lifetime, or get you to where you are going and easily cash you into the high demand so when Snody releases something else and you are on a budget you are going to have a knife that you can sell, and I have done it enough times to tell you there are people across the world on this forum, others, and other obvious online sale venues that will buy that knife for the exact same price you purchased it for and more. I have personally received countless emails from people ALL OVER THE WORLD telling me how impossible it is for them to get a Snody knife in their country.
Going back to earlier in the review I mentioned my purchase before this was the DamaSteel Zombie Yakuza with the Insane single side Swedge that is literally one of the best designed and well made knives in the History of the world, a knife that is in a collectors case that gets babied....when you purchase a Boss like this you are purchasing a knife that includes many of the same heritage, experience and handmade craftsmanship that you don't mind using in the field. In many ways buying a knife like this is getting you many of the same features of a knife worth exponentially more.
Kydex sheath with belt lock: A+ Perfection on craftsmanship,fitting, and Value for sheath and adjustable Belt Lock
This brings me to my favorite part of this particular review and that is the kydex sheath.
Let me preface this section by telling you I have a love hate relationship with kydex. On one hand it has so many benefits, yet on the other, kydex craftsmanship is of the utmost importance, out of the countless number of knives I've purchased directly from Mike...this is the very first setup Ive bought directly from Mike with a Kydex sheath. I had my doubts and this is the unbiased part where I told you earlier if scientifically and objectively I am wrong I will admit it flat out....and I was wrong....I had expressed to a couple people that I had purchased a few setups on the forum of kydex and that I had questions as to Snody's skill and I will tell you right now....I was flat out WRONG. It's unfair to a knife maker to make any assumptions based on their skill level buying a knife from someone else because there is no telling if that knife was the knife that that particular sheath was even made for or if that particular knife maker was even the maker of that sheath, and I would like to apologize to Mike and to anyone else that I expressed that I was unhappy with the level of friction and fitment to a particular knife. I had tested a sheath that was sold to mr and there is no telling how many hands it had passed through, if someone decided along the way they wanted to switch it out and keep the Leather or God knows what.
As a knife reviewer and a collector it's important to be as scientific as possible and by assuming that Snody's skills were anything but masterful as he has proven EVERY single aspect of the custom cutlery based on a setup that was not even from him I have done a great injustice to the few members and Mike Snody Himself as someone I consider to be one of the most talented and creative knifemakers on the planet. I owe him an apology and I also owe those couple members an apology for publishing a review that expressed in my own words that I was worried that the Kydex didn't match the level of the knives and I don't mind admitting I was wrong and I'm glad I was wrong and that I can hone my reviewing skills with all due respect to the knifemaker and their respective products if something is great it deserves to be labeled as such
1st of all this kydex and belt lock is among the best I have ever tested on ANY knife. Simply put its PERFECT
The lock up is smooth and secure towards the top of the handle of the Knife and there is no friction what so ever on the blade.
And I can now say with 100 percent assurance Snody makes the best Boss Sheath In the world...I'm not just saying that either, this sheath is worlds better, and I have searched the world high and low and while there are others out there that make sheaths there is an old saying....if it ain't broke don't fix it.
I am so pleased with the value of the kydex that came With this setup, it absolutely without a doubt in my mind made this purchase to be one hell of a great value. The variances and choices of mounting are many that support options . I love options especially when kydex is done correctly
You can wear it on your belt vertically or on a bug out pack or camping bag strap, and you can also turn it horizontally and wear it affixed on your belt concealed with an untucked shirt or light jacket or hoodie/windbreaker or on a tactical chest rig at the ready for sporting or BugOut
Some of my pet peaves about kydex in general is it takes a master to make correctly. Kydex wear on your blade is something that occurs far too often with most of the kydex knives on the market both production and custom are made with too much friction on the blade portion of the knife to get a secure fit. I was very happy when testing this kydex to conclude that Snody truly is a master at all phases of knife making. I had a friend who made a couple boss sheaths who told me he was going to make a perfect sheath and as far as I'm concerned those sheaths can go in the garbage....Snodys sheath are the best Boss sheaths in the world and furthermore based on this review he makes some of the Best Kydex I have ever tested if not the very best. Not to mention his Leather sheaths are extremely high quality and his you tube videos of him stitching them are incredibly entertaining to watch.
I have a number of review videos that I will be uploading of both high and low and once again I apologize for being inaccurate because mike Snody is a larger than life hero he is a great and honorable person and extremely dedicated to his craft.
Conclusion: the knives mike is putting out right now are a great value by them up while you still can you will get your monies worth and some...personally the boss line has treated me right and is a great knife for new collectors and seasoned veterans looking for an all purpose outdoor knife that is worthy of putting to good use
Last edited:
