Kershaw Blur

06/25/2010 by D B Cooper

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

Exceeds my expectation in every way. I carry the Black Blur Assisted Open Ken Onion with serrations.

After two years, I have not had to sharpen the blade: it is still razor sharp.

To use for self defense, this is scary looking and will give an opponent pause.

For every day tasks, it exceeds my expectations. Example: I was camping and didn't have a can opener, nail or sharp pointy thing and I really, really wanted evaporated milk in my fine coffee! Using this knife to punch two holes was abusing it, so I "gingerly" applied pressure to the can top - punctured like a hot knife through butter, and no damage to the blade.

Note that as my dad used to say: take care of the things that take care of you. I take care of this with CLP on the pivot, and Vaseline on the edges.

D.

Benchmade 150 Marc Lee Glory Knife

06/15/2010 by KettleOne

-Price Paid: $200.00
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

This knife is very useful around the camp. It chops very well and is reasonably sharp out of the box. Sharpening is a bit tricky for me with the curved shape of the blade, but that is why it chops so well, too. Anyway, my biggest complaint is the handle. Uncomfortable. Heavy chopping requires you use a glove. Other than that, I'm happy with it. Very solid.

Benchmade 950 Rift

06/14/2010 by Richard

-Price Paid: $140.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

This is my review of the Benchmade Rift. It is my favorite knife out of the approximately the one hundred I have. In a nutshell, it was a brilliantly designed by one of the best minds in the industry, executed by a world class company, and produced here in the best nation in the world!

Now, let's start with the details, starting with the blade. It is a ___ inch 154CM blade featuring Osborne's trademark reverse tanto point. The blade is flat ground, with the grind starting somewhat between FFG and saber ground. The reverse tanto provides a strong tip that the tanto provides, while retaining a functional belly. The belly combined with the almost fully flat ground makes it a hell of a slicer. The tanto tip provides strength to the tip, and unlike conventional belief, the tanto tip does not make it a good all-around piercer, but instead helps introduce most of the widtth of the knife very quickly. This makes the best of use of the short time when the power of the stabbing motion is as its peak. This allows for Cold Steel to pull off their famous stunts and allows the tanto to achieve a reputation for being an armor piercer. While the real life applications for an EDC carry do not require such a strong point, it is always good to have assurance the the tip will not break off under hard use. The tip, however, is still acute enough for any task I can think of. Benchmade likes to use 154CM for many of their top knives, and while many people (ahem steel snobs) think Benchmade should offer their black and blue class knives in "better" steels like VG-10, D2, and S30V, 154CM is only marginally inferior on paper, and I daresay 95% of "knife people" would be unable to discern a difference. Benchmade's heat treat is also top notch, and the 154CM can take just a fine of an edge as S30V and VG-10 and even finer than D2, and holds it for a VERY VERY long time. Now here is the most ingenious part about this blade: the choil. The blade is listed as a __ inch blade. It does indeed extend that far from the handle, but the choil makes the edge start at a half inch past the end of the handle. By that, the distance from the start of the edge to the tip is only a bit past 3 inches. I asked one of my buddies, who is a LEO whether or not the knife is okay for civilians. The law in my locality is, like most knife laws, is an outdated and subjective. It states that the blade must not be bigger than the width of the palm. Not counting the choil, the blade is "legal". My LEO friend checked it and said that it was fine. Now this may not seem like a big deal, and I may be excited over very little, but I come from the school of thought that if a knife is to be used in an altercation (it really has almost no value in a SD situation with disproportionate legal implications, but is a brutal and deadly offensive weapon) the only real way to use it is to pump it in to the adversary as many as you can until they drop. This is how it is done in prisons, and has proved effective all over the world. Every little bit of length helps, especially considering that the fact that flesh compresses three times, so the extra half of an inch can equal one and a half inches of penetration. Other features that bear mention including an attractive swedge to aid penetration and contoured thumbstuds that are more than adequate for opening the knife.

Now on to the handle: It is contoured G10 that is both attractive and functioning. The scalloping along the edges of the handle give the the user a firm grip and allows for good tool retention. I am glad to see that there is no scalloping along the center of the handle, which prevents the handle and the clip from eroding your pants away. I am also to see the lack of a backspacer (which some people like, some don't). This allows for the inside of the handle to be cleaned easily. One critique of this knife is the lack of jimping along the thumb ramp and the finger choil. While I don't think tool retention is lacking, it may help in some tasks. Worth mentioning is the little hump at the rear of the handle. I have seen this executed on many knives (ie: Benchmade Pika II) and all have been unsuccesful, but in this instance, it has been very comfortable. The handle is torx construction. One easy and failproof way to see if the handle "works" is to stab it repeatedly into a constructed target out of a old pair of jeans and stuff it full of cardboard. I did this and the knife stabbed deeply, and while the handle still felt comfortable in my hand. There is also a hole in the base of the handle for a lanyard.

For the lock, we have Benchmade's proprietary axis lock, which is proven time and time again. The omega springs keep the lock functioning and even if one spring is broken, the other spring can keep the lock functioning. The lock is designed to fit snugger as it wears in, which makes it pretty much the perfect lock. There is absolutely no blade play, and it locks up Fort Knox. The axis lock on this model also is angled upwards, which I think has no change in the operation of the lock, but allows for an added dimension of safety of being harder to accidentally disengage.

A final aspect of the knife to discuss is the clip. It is attached by three torx screws, and is very secure. The spring is very stiff and allows for the knife to be attached very securely to the pocket. There is no play in the clip, and the clip is reversible for left and right handed carry, and is only available in tip-up carry.

Overall this is a very excellent knife, offered by Benchmade's Black Class, designed by Osborne, and produced here in the US of A. I give it a 10/10 overall. For any needs, EDC or professional field use, this is the superior tool/weapon to use.

---

Spyderco Tasman Salt

06/14/2010 by white cloud

-Price Paid: $68.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

of all my spyderco knives i consider this one to be the most perfect design. there is nothing i would change about it. this knife excels at general purpose cutting tasks in an urban environment. these include things like gardening, white water and opening various types of plastic packaging. the hawk bill just does this much more efficiently than any conventional blade can. the h1 steel apparently is rust proof as sweat or tomato juice has had no effect to date. the blade is easy to maintain with the sharp maker. one other really nice feature is this knife's light weight. coupled with a sak i feel i am ready for any cutting task. i highly recommend this knife.

Kershaw Leek

06/08/2010 by Eric Johancen

-Price Paid: $40.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

Great overall value for money. Slim,sharp,and more durable than it looks.Kershaw also has the best serrated blades for price range in the biz. Have owned cold steel,spyderco,case,Crkt,and many others. For price and quality Kershaw Kai and Lonewolf in my humble opinion are the best value knives on the market!

Emerson Knives Mini A100

06/07/2010 by kevin

-Price Paid: $170.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

I got this knife mostly because of its size. Most Emerson knives are somewhat large, which is great for some situations but i dont feel is ideal for every day carry in city life. At 3 inches this blade seemed like what I was looking for in most everyday carry situations. However don't let the "mini" in its name fool you. The blade is a little shorter but this knife is just as think and shares many of the same features as the larger Emerson knives.

The handle on this knife is made from G10, which i really like. it is really stong and is very grippy. It has a titanium liner lock. The other liner is made of stainless steel. Some people have complained about Emerson's liner locks. I have not had any problem with mine. it locks up nice and tight and feels very strong. Be warned though, many Emerson liner locks have a break in period where the first week or two it might be dificult to disengage the lock. The pivot on this knife, like all Emerson knives is very large which seems to be bery strong. The shape of the handle doesnt give it the best ergonomics. Every Emerson knife i've held has had exceptional ergonomics and while this knife does not have the best ergonomics, it is still way above average. It is very comfortable in my hand.

The Knife blade is 154cm steel. I feel this is a good steel for a more utility knife, which is what I would use this knife for. It doesn't get quite as sharp as some of the higher end steels but still gets pleanty sharp. mine was very sharp out of the box. I would not say that it has great edge holding ability but definitly above average. The chisle grind of this knife is something that you might have to get used to. the blade edge is not in a v shape, but is cut like a chisle as the name would imply. This however I feel makes the knife easier to sharpen. It took me a little while to get used to sharpening the chisle shape, but once I did I found if every easy to do.

Emerson knives to some people seem to feel a bit thick for thier hands. And this knife is thincker then most. The blade is .125 inches thick which makes it very strong.

I got my blade with a stonewashed finish which I would highly recommend. Not only do I think that it looks the best, but some of my other Emerson knives finishes have gotten scratched, this finish has not.

This knife is not for everybody. I would probably not recomend it as a first knife. If you are looking for a pure cutter I would probably not recomend this knife. It can get the job done but there are better choices out there. If you are looking for a good strong knife for a wider range of uses such as stabbing, prying (which should never do with a knife). Then there are very few knifes I can think of that would be better then this. This is a very tough knife. I have no worries of it breaking no matter how hard I abuse it. If thats what you are looking for then this is a fantastic knife.

Spyderco Military

06/06/2010 by exParrot

-Price Paid: $130.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

The Spyderco Military is an extraordinary folder. Every aspect, every feature of the knife is designed for optimal function. While it is by no means the most aesthetic knife, I have yet to use a folder that is as useful.

Initially, I thought the Millie was gigantic, and far too large for EDC. However, after carrying it for several months, I think the size is perfect. The blade is long enough to conquer most conceivable EDC tasks, yet not large enough where the knife is too bulky to carry comfortably. With the light weight, and slim profile, the Millie carries exceptionally well for its size, while retaining plenty of strength for any appropriate task with the ingeniously designed nested liner lock.

The ergonomics are one of the best features on this folder. The large handle offers an extremely comfortable grip both behind and within the choil, even with gloves. Also, the great jimping on the coil, thump ramp, and liner offer an extremely secure grip, and the liner cutout makes lock disengagement very easy, and doubles as a comfortable secondary choil. Like most spydercos, the blade angles downward from the handle, making the knife more comfortable during cutting.

The Millie's cutting performance is beyond exceptional. The large blade, combined with the superb blade shape, and Spyderco's phenomenal full flat grind provide the best cutting performance of any folder I have ever used. It slices extremely well, and thanks to the fine tip, pierces very well and excels at detailed cutting.

Overall, an unbeatable folder.

Spyderco Urban

06/06/2010 by exParrot

-Price Paid: $90.00
-Used for Light Duty/General
-Owned for 1 year

Comments:

I purchased my urban for use in localities and countries with strict knife laws, and the folder excels in such an environment. It provides outstanding cutting performance and good ergonomics given its size, and carries extremely well with the wire clip. Quality is great, materials are excellent, and Spyderco's slip joint mechanism is extremely well-designed.

While it is a great knife overall, I do have a few nitpicks:

-While ergonomics are outstanding for a folder of this size, they are still somewhat lacking compared to the larger spydercos. The smaller handle makes ergonomics somewhat cramped. Largely because of this, I prefer the longer-handled UKPK to the urban.

-Fit and finish, while great, was not perfect. The interior of the back spacer and the inside of the spyderhole were somewhat rough. While by no means a functional issue, I would have liked to see this surface polished at this price point.

-Speaking of price point, I think it is a tad high for this folder. While it is still a great buy, I do not think it is the incredible value of other Spydercos like the military and UKPK. I would like to see this knife around the $75 dollar price point.

Overall, the knife does a great job as far as providing as much utility as possible given the legal parameters. However, if the UKPK is also legal in one's area, I think that is a better choice due to the superior ergonomics and blade steel.

Kershaw Tyrade

06/06/2010 by charles

-Price Paid: $39.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

Geat knife!!! I wanted a safe but fearless knife/weapon to carry this makes the mark. Easy one hand release, think blade for multi-task chores. I love it!!!!!

KaBar 12-5/8 Heavy Bowie

06/03/2010 by C.J.

-Price Paid: $40.00
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

To start I have the 14 inch version not the 12.

I have stripped the black finish off of the blade and hand sanded out 98% of the machining marks, this allows for better penetration while chopping,smoother slicing, and easier blade clean up.

kabar could stand to pay more attention to the grinds, but for the size and overall serviceability it is a great tool at a great price.

I have used and abused this knife for over three years, chopping, batoning, digging, and even thrown it a time or two and I still have nothing bad to say about it.

It takes an edge and keeps it, its not hard to sharpen, and lends itself to near any task at hand.

Al Mar SERE 2000

06/02/2010 by Pat

-Price Paid: $165.00
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

Got this knife from knifecenter.com. As expected,it is a very well made blade just like most of AL MAR's knives. The folder open fast and action is silky smooth. The blade steel is super sharp and line up right in the center.

I like the G10 grip (I had the original one years ago with wood grip, which was too slippery!)it stick to my hand wet or dry, and the blade could easily switch from a forward grip to a reverse grip.

The overall construction of this knife is like a tank, the lock up is tight and no movement at all.

If you like a factory made knife with custum feels, this should be the one to get!

Spyderco Ronin

06/02/2010 by Pat

-Price Paid: $240.00
-Used for Self Defense
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

I have been searching for a Ronnin for a while. Due to the fact that Spyderco had discontinued this model, it was very hard to find, even in the Internet.

I found this in a knife shop in CT, since it is a regular item, i paid full retail price for it. The blade shape was like an over-size razor blade, sharp and thin, very distructive if use on any human or animal skin! It carries in either the bely mode or neck carry, I prefer the neck carrying method because it is so easy to take it out of the sheath in a upside down position.

The 3 holes in the handle makes it easy to switch from a forward to reverse grip position, which is a plus for a fixed blade.

Overall, this is a great knife but if the price was lower, it will be a better buy!!