Dan Jackson

Dan is the creator of BladeReviews.com. He founded the site in 2010, and for the first 5 years Dan wrote all of the reviews and recorded all of the video reviews. He grew up using pocket knives, and the decision to start the website stemmed from his fascination of all things sharp combined with a deep passion for writing. At this point he has personally reviewed almost 300 knives of all shapes, sizes, and price points. He is widely recognized as an authority on daily carry knives and has consulted with knife companies on product design and has been featured on national media outlets including the WireCutter. In 2016 Dan decided to branch out and experiment with the website by reviewing watches, flashlights, and multi-tools. Today BladeReviews.com features a number of expert authors reviewing a wide range of daily carry gear. He is proud to write detailed long format reviews with original photography. The website remains largely independent with the vast majority of the products reviewed being purchased by Dan personally. When he isn't writing knife reviews from his home in Southwest Florida, or talking about himself in third person, he enjoys practicing law, reading, fishing, cigars, and weight lifting.

At this point he has personally reviewed almost 300 knives of all shapes, sizes, and price points. He is widely recognized as an authority on daily carry knives. He has consulted with knife companies on product design and his opinions on pocket knives have been featured on national media outlets including the WireCutter. In 2016 Dan decided to branch out and experiment with the website by reviewing watches, flashlights, and multi-tools. Today BladeReviews.com features a number of expert authors reviewing a wide range of daily carry gear. He is proud to write detailed long format reviews with original photography. The website remains largely independent with the vast majority of the products reviewed being purchased by Dan personally.

When he isn't writing knife reviews from his home in Southwest Florida, or talking about himself in third person, he enjoys practicing law, reading, fishing, cigars, and weight lifting.

Buck 505 Knight Review

by Dan Jackson 4 Comments

Last Updated: July 26, 2019
When we think of Buck lockbacks, our first thought goes to the 110. That’s the knife that launched a genre, and started thousands on their journey as folding knife collectors. The 110 remains one of the most iconic and popular folding knives today. At least on paper. In practice it’s a bit of a boat anchor, and by today’s standards you can see that we have come a long way from the 110.

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If you are looking for some of the old school charm of the wood and bolsters of the 110, but want something more practical, then I think the Buck 505 “Knight” may be a better option.

The 505 shares the 110’s aesthetic, but is a fraction of the size. It’s slim, light, yet polished up enough to wander into gentleman’s folder territory. And it’s also well under $50. Frankly I was surprised to learn about this knife, and picked up after a reader asked me to review it. I figured it would have come up more in the circles I frequent. At any rate, the 505 shall be a mystery no longer, and I look forward to sharing a review of this sleeper blade with you today.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Buck 505, aka the “Knight” has an overall length of 4.6″, a 1.875″ blade, and weighs 1.35 ounces. The Knight is made in the USA. The 505 Knight is one of the smallest knives in my collection. It’s tiny, even when compared with my Spyderco Dragonfly. It may be too small for some, or relegated to the role of a backup knife. Still, it’s a capable little blade and has performed admirably as an EDC knife.

The 505 has a simple drop point blade with a high hollow grind. It is simple with a belt satin finish. The tip is not particularly fine, and when they put the edge on this knife they bumped the plunge line with the belt grinder. The edge is almost a continual belly. It has been neatly applied, and came razor sharp from the factory.

Predictably this knife comes in Buck’s 420HC steel. I was actually pleasantly surprised with how this little knife cut. It still shaved hair after breaking down a good size cardboard box. It does fine with opening letters and packages, slicing fruit, and performing other light duty EDC chores. I have been able to maintain the edge with light stropping. Maybe that Bos heat treat is more than mere marketing.

Handle, Ergonomics and Carry

The 505’s handle is made of stainless steel. There are no liners, and the handle is milled from 2 slabs of steel that sandwich a stainless steel backspacer and lock bar. Stabilized Rosewood handle scales are riveted on. Handle construction is simple but solid. The bolsters and rivets have been buffed to a high polish, and the transition between the scales and the bolsters is baby bottom smooth. The end result is a knife with gem like qualities. This attention to detail elevates the 505 from humble tool to more of a more refined piece.

The downside to such a small knife is you have less to grip onto. With the 505 you are afforded a 3 finger grip, maybe a 3.5 if you choke up onto the blade. However, you can still get a lot done with the Knight. I have no issue breaking down boxes, cutting string, and using the 505 for other light duty tasks. I wouldn’t recommend the knife to a rancher or police officer, but the 505 makes for a capable backup knife, a light duty EDC, or even a gents folder.

Although it would spoil the lines, I can see the advantage to having a lanyard hole on this knife. It might make the 505 a little easier to retrieve from the pocket and provide something for your pinky to grab onto a la the CRKT Minimalist. That said, I’ve never been a fan of lanyards on folding knives, and I don’t miss having one on the Knight.

There is no pocket clip on the 505, so I can only comment on how this knife carries loose in the pocket. The Knight is the kind of knife that disappears into the pocket. That should come as no surprise as it’s a slim sub 2 ounce knife. You may want to consider carrying the 505 in a slip sheath if you can find or make one small enough. Another option could be or carrying the 505 in the coin pocket of your jeans.

Deployment and Lockup

This is traditional lockback, and the 505 comes with a nail nick to open the blade. It’s a generous nail nick, and that combined with the saber grind gives you plenty to grip on to as you grip the knife. The backspring is mild. There is no chance of the knife opening accidentally, but it won’t take much effort to manipulate the blade open either.

That same mild backspring makes the lockback mechanism easy to disengage. The tab is placed at the very end of the knife, so there is no danger of accidentally releasing the blade in your hand, but when you are ready to close the 505 it will not be a chore. Lockup is tight and free of blade play. The 505 performs just like you would expect from a good lockback. Blade centering is perfect on my example.

Buck 505 Knight Review – Final Thoughts

The 505 Knight may be the surprisingly good little lockback that you have never heard of. Or maybe I’ve been living under a rock. Regardless, I am glad I came across the 505 as I think it represents an interesting value proposition. This is a more practical alternative to the 110 for the urban EDC crowd, and is an all around nice knife.

The biggest potential issue is whether the 505 swings too far in the opposite direction of the 110. While the 110 is a big and bulky knife, the 505 is diminutive. It is probably the smallest knife I have reviewed. You can’t get a full 4 finger grip on it, and the absence of a pocket clip or lanyard hole increases the likelihood of misplacing the knife. Personally, I haven’t been bothered by the small size, but there are limitations to the 505 and they may be too great for you to seriously consider this as your daily carry. In that instance the 505 may still be appealing as a backup EDC option or a dress knife.

Another option may be to jump up to the 501 Squire or the 503 Prince. There aren’t any particularly good size comparisons on these knives, but here is a link to an old BladeForums thread with some pictures and opinions. Maybe I need to pick some up for a proper comparison?

For under $40 you get a solidly built folder that is made in the USA and nicely finished. The cutting performance is surprising given the 420 HC steel. That said, the Knight is not perfect. I wish a little more care was taken when they put the edge on it, but for the money I’m not sure I can complain. And the handle construction and performance make up for it. I say buy it if you like it.

Buck Knives 505 Knight Folding Lockback Pocket Knife, 1-7/8" 420HC Blade, EDC

Razor sharp & VERSATILE- 1-7/8" Drop point 420HC steel blade delivers excellent strength, edge retention, and corrosion resistance. The full bellied blade is suitable for every Day tasks. Closed length 2-3/4", weight 1. 5 oz.
Strength and safety - easy to open with a nail notch on the blade. The lock back mechanism locks the blade open for reliable strength and safety while you work
Handsome handle - Rosewood handle with nickel silver bolsters provide a knife that is as handy as it is handsome!
Classic and Compact - the Knight is the smallest knife in the 500 series. Its slim design fits perfectly in your pocket for easy access and every Day use.
Made in the USA - Forever - Since 1902 Buck Knives has offered a Lifetime on our knives because we believe in the integrity of our products. This knife is proudly made in the USA.

I recommend purchasing the Buck 505 Knight at Amazon and BladeHQ. Please consider that purchasing anything through any of the links on this website helps support BladeReviews.com, and keeps the site going. As always, any and all support is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

Benchmade 560 Freek Review

by Dan Jackson 11 Comments

Last Updated: July 15, 2019

As much as I enjoy picking up the latest “gee whiz” must have knife of the moment, I get the most satisfaction in sharing a great knife that may have flown under the radar. This particular knife has flown so far under the radar, I would not have even heard about it if reader Darren hadn’t gone out of his way to send me a couple emails about the knife and how much he enjoyed it. Thank you, Darren.

Buy the Benchmade Freek at BladeHQ

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Enter the Benchmade 560 Freek. Like our friend the Bruised Forehead, the Freek didn’t win the knife name lottery. It also doesn’t benefit from being designed by a high profile knifemaker. And I don’t recall much in the way of fanfare from Benchmade or the knife collector community when the Freek arrived on the scene. It was quietly released. Rather than being a subject of media attention, the Freek has slowly earned a reputation for being a practical tool from those who have given this unassuming knife a chance.

I liken the Freek to the Benchmade Volli, another no-frills knife that didn’t get much attention, but may be be one of the best all-round EDC knives that Benchmade has released in the past 5 years. The Freek is cut from the same cloth. It’s another function over form design that is worth consideration if you are in the marketing for a largish EDC knife.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Freek has an overall length of 8.46″, a 3.6″ blade, and it weighs 3.72 ounces. This knife is made in America. As I mentioned earlier, I’d classify the 560 Freek as a large EDC knife. It could possibly be used as a hunting knife, as it has a good belly and shares the blade profile of their Saddle Mountain Skinner. Of course a knife of this size could also be used as a duty knife for a police officer, or perhaps pressed in to other self defense type applications. This is a versatile knife.

The drop point blade is distinguished by a curving thumb ramp and high flat grind. The blade is 2.9mm thick, and gets thin behind the edge thanks in part to that high flat grind. The edge has been neatly applied, and like on pretty much all the Benchmades I’ve owned over the years there, is a sharpening choil allowing you to sharpen the edge all the way down to the heel. The tip is fine, but the the deep belly keeps it out of the way. Again, this lends me to believe this could be a decent hunting knife, although frankly I’ve never been on a hunt in my life.

Benchmade has gone with tried and true S30V steel for the Freek. Although S30V has fallen slightly out of favor thanks to the widespread adoption of it’s more exotic cousin S35VN, I find that Benchmade does a particularly good job with their S30V. Case in point my Volli with its 2.5mm thick blade cuts like almost nothing else I own. That thing is a laser. The Freek is right up there. This knife is a phenomenal slicer, the S30V blade holds an excellent edge, and I found it to be an easy edge to maintain with strops and the ceramic rods from my Spyderco Sharpmaker.

This knife makes quick work of cardboard, laughs in the face of of your lunchtime apple, and will capably assist you with all those odd cutting tasks that crop up in our daily lives. Much like the Volli, the Freek is a knife that I looked forward to busting out when it came time to break down a box or open a package. It’s a performer and the S30V blade steel punches above its weight thanks to the heat treat and grind.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

The handle is where things get interesting, and also where the knife is bound to alienate a significant section of the audience. Like the Griptilian, this is a plastic handled knife with partial stainless steel liners. Unlike the Griptilian, the Freek has a unique high density rubber (“Versaflex”) overmold that is bonded to the plastic. The end result is a lightweight grippy design that is unlike anything else in my collection.

Some will love the lightweight nature of the design and the non-slip feel to the handle. Others will dismiss it as being cheap and plasticy. If you couldn’t stand the feel of the handles of the original Griptilian, then my guess is you will want to skip the Freek. But if you don’t mind trading G10 for a large ultra light knife, then the Freek could be a winner for you.

The ergonomics of the Freek benefit from a streamlined handle design. There are few curves, and little reliance on jimping except for the thumb ramp. Although the handle is textured, it’s not an abrasive knife in the hand. The end result is a no-frills handle that is comfortable and secure in all kinds of conditions. The Freek easily accommodates my larger hand, and the handle is well suited for extended use and hard tasks.

This knife comes from the factory with Benchmade’s split arrow clip. I’ve long been a fan of this clip, and here it is situated for ambidextrous tip-up only carry. This is a discrete knife that and buries deeply in the pocket. Benchmade left part of the FRN endoskeleton exposed where the pocket clip meets the handle, and that makes for easy insertion and extraction of the knife from your pocket.

At well under 4 ounces I found the Freek to be an easy knife to tote around. It’s about as thick as the Griptilian and carries comparably. On that note, it’s worth stating that the Freek is actually almost half an inch longer than the Griptilian but weighs .16 ounces less.

Deployment and Lockup

There isn’t a whole heck of a lot new here to say in this section. This is a thumb stud axis lock knife. A tried and true design. Here the thumb studs and phosphor bronze washers work just as great as they did on my original Griptilian. While bearings are all the rage, I think something needs to be said for bronze washers. Especially for a thumb stud equipped user knife like the Freek. Bronze washers are still exceptionally smooth and are ideal for working knives like this.

I continue to appreciate the axis lock for it’s simple and intuitive design. Plus I always appreciate that this is a fully ambidextrous knife. Lockup is secure, but as you would expect from a plastic handled partial liner axis lock knife, there is a little side to side blade play. Nothing to get upset about, just a trade off in the design. Personally, I’m happy to exchange a modicum of side to side blade play for all the practicality and utility that this design offers. Your mileage may vary.

Blade centering is pretty good. It slightly favors the pocket clip side of my knife, and is far from rubbing.

Benchmade 560 Freek Review – Final Thoughts

For those wanting a premium lightweight work knife with an over 3.5″ blade, I think the Freek is a no-brainer. Benchmade has been refining this type of knife for years. It’s like a Griptilian but it is leaner and meaner, yet also slightly larger. Perhaps it’s oriented slightly more towards the lightweight camping and hunting ground. Benchmade doesn’t offer much insight in their product descriptions, but for some reason I keep going back to hunting when I consider the Freek.

Those that can’t stand the plastic scales on the original Griptilian would be well served to steer clear of the Freek. Instead check out the Volli or the G-10 Griptilian. Those models will also provide you with great cutting performance and ergonomics, but will also be a little stouter than the Freek.

I am glad Darren called this model to my attention. I hope in writing this review I have turned at least a couple people on to an excellent “sleeper” knife from Benchmade.

Benchmade - Freek 560, Drop-Point Blade, Plain Edge, Satin Finish, Black/Grey Versaflex Handle, Made in the USA

HIGH-QUALITY: The CPM-S30V stainless steel blade is extremely well-balanced, offering superb edge qualities and rust resistance. The Grivory and Versaflex dual durometer handle offers strength, comfort, and grip.
WELL-DESIGNED: Benchmade's AXIS lock is exceptionally strong and fully ambidextrous. The Freek 560 is a manual knife that can be opened and closed with either hand.
ALWAYS READY: The 560's quick, one-handed opening makes it easy to hold and use. The reversible pocket clip offers ultimate accessibility.
VERSATILE: The Freek 560's drop-point, utility blade style and all-around functionality make it ideal for everyday carry.

I recommend purchasing the Benchmade 560 Freek at Amazon or BladeHQ. Please consider that purchasing anything through any of the links on this website helps support BladeReviews.com, and keeps the site going. As always, any and all support is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

Spartan Blades Horkos Review

by Dan Jackson 3 Comments

Spartan Blades has a reputation of producing a premium product geared towards military applications. Founded by a duo of retired Special Forces operatives, I always considered Spartan Blades to have a unique position in the market. Their approach is simple: manufacture high end fixed blade combat knives in the USA out of premium materials.

Buy the Spartan Blades Horkos at BladeHQ

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The only other company that shares this approach and readily comes to mind is Chris Reeve, and CRK is best known for their folding knives. Spartan Blades has since branched out into high end folders, but I will always associate Spartan Blades with high end fixed blades.

And the Horkos is arguably Spartan Blade’s flagship fixed blade knife. It may not be the most expensive, but it strikes me as their most approachable model and emblematic of their lineup as a whole. This knife was apparently commissioned by the Combat Weapons Team of the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY and is given to graduates of their elite program. A review of a Spartan Blades knife is long overdue, and given its pedigree the Horkos almost begs for evaluation.

This knife was provided to me for review by Spartan Blades.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Horkos has an overall length of 10-7/8″, a 5-11/16″ blade, and weighs 9 ounces. Like all Spartan Blades the Horkos is made in the USA. This is a combat / utility knife. Versatility is the name of the game with a combat knife. Obviously it needs to be capable in a defensive role, but most of the time the knife will be used for utility work. So it needs to be a practical knife, but still capable in a defensive role. I consider the Horkos to be an evolved Ka-Bar USMC knife.

Of course I’m a mild mannered suburbanite, so my experience with the Horkos has been purely as a utility knife. And thankfully the Horkos is a practical enough tool that I could effectively test it.

The Horkos sports a modified drop point blade with a dramatic harpoon tip. Spartan Blades has incorporated the harpoon tip on a number of their designs. It’s a nice aesthetic touch and lends a nod to the Spartan warriors that the company was named after. Beyond the harpoon tip you have a fairly typical partial flat grind and swedge. There is a little bit of belly, a nice strong tip, and plenty of cutting edge. The grinds on this knife are beautiful. In fact, all the machining is top notch. My favorite feature of the knife is that all the edges have been chamferred. This detail provides a premium feel and distinguishes the Horkos from all the other knives in my collection.

The Horkos is made from a single piece of S35VN steel. Although I have tested dozens of folders with S35VN blades before, this was my first experience with a fixed blade in S35VN. At 3/16″ (~4.75mm) thick, this is a substantial knife. I have come to appreciate S35VN in folding knives, but was unsure how it would hold up in a knife like the Horkos. After all, a blade of this size will need to hold up to the rigors of chopping, prying, and perhaps even batoning.

Spartan Blades offers the Horkos in a black DLC coating or a tan Zirconium Nitride (ZrN) coating shown here. Although the ZrN coating is described by Spartan as a “flat dark earth” color it seems to me more like a metallic brown gold. It has an almost etheral sheen to it. It’s subtle, but also totally different from something like a flat brown powder coat.

I was curious to see how this ZrN coating and the S35VN blade would hold up under use. I first used the knife on some cardboard. This is a thicker grind, and thick stock, but the keen edge cleaved through cardboard as you would expect it to. You will never mistake the Horkos for a kitchen knife, but it cuts cleanly and gets the job done. The coating and edge both held up fine.

I then worked with the Horkos on some seasoned oak logs that I keep for camp fires and grilling. The grind on this knife is pretty stout, but it handled the oak capably, shaving away the bark and and then peeling off thick curls of wood. I chopped quite a bit, performed some light batoning, and then moved to a large stump of grapefruit wood. Grapefruit is much softer than oak, but it allowed me to drive the tip of the Horkos deeply into the stump and test the tip strength. There was no edge deformation and the tip held up perfectly.

I have since used the Horkos on several other occasions. Mostly breaking down boxes and prepping wood for fires. It continues to be a capable tool.

The ZrN coating also held up well. There is some light surface scratching (perhaps from rubbing up against bits of sand on some of the wood), but the coating remained largely intact. It didn’t peel off like a teflon coating or flatten out like a powder coating. ZrN is a premium coating and I’d say it performs close to DLC. I also like how this coating does not bind up or effect the cutting ability of the knife.

I am keeping this knife for long term testing and will update the review as I gain more experience with this knife.

Handle and Ergonomics

The Horkos is a full tang knife overlayed with textured micarta handle scales. Once again everything has been thoughtfully designed and meticulously executed. I cannot find fault with the material selection or the fit and finish of this knife.

The scales on this knife have a large diamond pattern texture to it. I was concerned that this would make the knife uncomfortable to use. In fact the number of ergonomic features on this knife had me concerned: the beak of the pommel, the finger groove on the handle, and the saw cut jimping on the thumb ramp, and this aggressive diamond texture. I was pleasantly surprised to not develop any hot spots after extended use. While this won’t handle like a purpose built bushcraft knife, it still handles well. All the ergonomic features aided in the grip rather than getting in the way and I walked away from my testing sessions appreciating the Horkos more.

Sheath

The Horkos comes with your choice of a Kydex or Nylon sheath. My particular knife came with a nylon sheath in multi-cam. This is one of the most robust nylon sheathes I have owned. This is high denier nylon, triple stitched, molle capable, and threaded with paracord. The retention strip is adjustable and backed with velcro. This is a high quality sheath and strong departure from the bargain bin cloth sheathes you get with budget knives.

The plastic insert is lined with what appears to be the loop side of velcro. This gives the knife a secure friction fit, even if you don’t use the retention strap. There is a velcro lined belt loop at the top of the sheath, and a thick plastic D-ring at the bottom, so you can carry this knife in a number of different ways.

The kydex sheath is a $30 option and is probably worth the extra money, but I think as far as nylon sheathes go this is about as good as it gets.

Spartan Blades Horkos Review – Final Thoughts

The Horkos is an impressive combat knife. At over $300, this is a high-end product. The materials are top notch, every detail has been considered, and the knife performs. I think this is an instance where you get what you pay for. It’s overkill for a backyard bushwacker like myself, but if I needed to carry a combat knife on a daily basis I think the expense is easily justified. You certainly get something more for your money over a $100 knife.

I have enjoyed experimenting with a 10″ S35VN fixed blade. I continue to be impressed by the qualities of this steel. The combination of good edge retention and easy sharpening make it tough to beat. And I was also pleasantly surprised by the mild nature of the handle.

If I had to pick apart the Horkos, I think my approach would be more of a general commentary on combat knives. Combat knives ride that precarious line between utility and defensive use. It’s an exercise in compromise, and compromise by it’s very definition won’t leave everyone 100% happy. If you are looking for a pure utility knife to split wood all day I might suggest an axe or a Fallkniven A1. If you are looking for a straight up fighting knife, then the something like a ROSarms Kisten would probably be a better option.

But the Horkos still does a good job of riding that line between practical and tactical. There is no compromise in the materials, and the design is refined enough to get all manner of jobs done. If you need a tough, do it all utility / combat knife then you will be hard pressed to find a finer tool than the Spartan Blades Horkos.

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I recommend buying the Horkos at Amazon or BladeHQ. Please consider that purchasing anything through any of the links on this website helps support BladeReviews.com, and keeps the site going. As always, any and all support is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

How to Sharpen Hair Clipper Blades

by Dan Jackson 50 Comments

This post came out of a desire to solve my own problem. I have some Oster Fast Feed hair clippers, and the blades became dull after a while. I spent $50+ on these clippers, so I wasn’t about to throw them away. They sell replacement blades, but at almost $20 they seemed awful expensive. I wanted to figure out how to sharpen the existing blades.

After spending half an hour combing through the dregs of YouTube and Google I had yet to find a simple, no B.S. article on how to sharpen hair clippers written by someone who actually knew what they were talking about. Plenty of shill sites were willing to serenade you with articles barely written in English, and plenty of people on YouTube were willing to fumble around for 10-20 minutes trying to explain this simple process. Neither of those experiences left me feeling good.

Eventually I was able to figure it out, and I wanted to pay it forward by putting together this quick guide.

So I apologize to my regular readers if this is outside our normal programming, but the article does involve sharpening things, and Japanese water stones, so it sort of fits the theme of the site. Maybe you will find it useful or mildly entertaining. And don’t worry, I won’t be reviewing hair clippers any time soon…

Without further adieu, I present my no-nonsense guide to sharpening hair clippers:

What You Will Need

You won’t need much to sharpen your clippers. Here’s a bulleted list so you don’t forget anything:

Some Dull Hair Clippers; (In this article I sharpen a set of Oster Fast Feed clippers.)
A Phillips Screw Driver;
A Cleaning Brush;
A Bench Stone; (I use King Whetstones, but any set will do.)
Clipper Oil; and
A Rag.

The most important piece of equipment will be your sharpening stone. I used Japanese water stones, because those are the bench stones I have, but you could easily substitute in a diamond stone or Arkansas stone. Heck, you may even be able to use super fine wet sandpaper.

I will say that the water stones work great for this. I have a set of King 1000 grit and 6000 grit stones and they are perfect for the job. If you use water stones like I did, you obviously need to soak them before you start. If you have a diamond or Arkansas stone you may want to hit them up with a little lubricant before starting.

Disassemble Your Clippers

Now that you have everything you need to get the job done, carefully take your clippers apart with a Phillips screw driver. There are 2 blades to a set of clippers, so pull those both off and clean them. Now would also be a great time to clean out your clippers with a brush.

Sharpen the Blades

You will want to sharpen the flats of both the top and bottom blade. This is easy to do, and is much easier than sharpening a knife. The arrows in this picture point to the flats I am talking about:

The trick is to lay the blade flat on the stone, and run the blades back and forth along the stone with gentle pressure. It should not take much to sharpen your blades. I would suggest 10 passes along the stone.

Make sure you keep the flats of the blades flat on the stone. The only way to screw this up is if you don’t keep the blades flat. Some people use a magnet as a handle. That’s a next level clipper sharpening move. I’m not that sophisticated. Thankfully if you don’t have a special magnet your thumbs and index fingers will work fine.

I sharpened my blades on my 1000 grit stone, and then polished them on the 6000 grit stone because I had it handy. I don’t think you need a super fine stone to get a decent result, but it doesn’t hurt.

It should take only a minute or 2 to sharpen the blades. I ended up taking 5 minutes because I was trying to snap some pictures while I sharpened. The actual sharpening is super easy.

Clean and Oil the Blades

Once you have sharpened your blades you will want to clean and oil them prior to reassembly. I used a little soap and water to clean my blades, but rubbing alcohol wouldn’t hurt. I then oiled my blades down to prevent rust, and blotted away the excess oil.

Reassemble Your Clippers

This is probably the trickiest part of the process. When you reassemble your clippers you will want to take the time to make sure you have the blades lined up properly. The blades are sharp so be careful.

I don’t tighten the blades down all the way until I am sure I have everything adjusted the way I want. Once you have your blades dialed in add a drop of oil to the blades, and then fire up your clippers before you start cutting hair to make sure everything was put back together properly.

Sharpening Hair Clippers – Final Thoughts

Cutting hair with dull clipper blades is no fun. They don’t cut cleanly, and will sometimes pull hair. It’s just like trying to use a dull knife. I use my clippers once a week or so, and end up sharpening about once a year. I’d be curious to hear how often professional barbers sharpen their clippers.

I hope this article helps some people. Don’t be intimidated by this if you are new to sharpening things. Sharpening clippers is easy to do and you will immediately be able to tell the difference after sharpening.

A good bench stone will make a big difference here. You want something that won’t move while you are trying to sharpen, and a stone that is wide enough to accommodate your clippers. If you don’t already have a good bench stone, I’d recommend the investment. The King stones I used in this article are inexpensive, and they will last most people a lifetime. Plus, if you learn how to freehand sharpen you can also use the stones for your kitchen and pocket knives.

Cold Steel Broken Skull Review

by Dan Jackson 7 Comments

I try not to read too much into the name of a knife. After all, the name has no impact on the performance. But sometimes good knives can have bad names. Even after learning that this knife was designed by “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and named after his Broken Skull Ranch, I still thought the Broken Skull was a pretty dumb name for a pocket knife. Hopefully I don’t receive a “Stone Cold Stunner” for writing this.

Buy the Cold Steel Broken Skull at BladeHQ

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But much in the same way that I am a sucker for Emerson knives, I’m a sucker for these Cold Steel offerings. That is because despite all the theatrics, lawsuits, and marketing bullshit they make some good stuff.

The American Lawman is a perennial EDC favorite of mine, while pieces like the Mini Tuff Lite and Ultimate ~~Warrior~~ Hunter. continue to satisfy in niche situations when I want a small or overbuilt folder. The Broken Skull, even with it’s unfortunate name, struck me as an another imminently useful pocket knife from CS, if on the larger side.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Cold Steel Broken Skull has an overall length of 9.25″, a 4.00″ blade, and weighs 3.10 ounces. This knife is made in Taiwan. The Broken Skull reminds me of an Spyderco Endura. My buddy in law school enjoyed his Endura because it was an easy knife to pocket but packed a lot of blade. I think he would enjoy the Broken Skull. It is also thin, light, and packs a big blade, yet this feels like a much stronger knife than the Endura.

While a 4″ blade is probably too big of a knife for most people to EDC, if you enjoy carrying a small and big pocket knife at the same time I could see the Broken Skull being your big knife. Of course if you are a fan of “tactical” folders then the Broken Skull could also be up your alley.

The Broken Skull has a long thin exaggerated clip point blade. This blade provides you with plenty of cutting edge, a little bit of belly, and a fine tip. This blade has a full flat grind, and gets thin behind the edge. A black DLC coating rounds things out.

Like all the new higher end Cold Steel folders, this knife comes in CTS-XHP stainless steel. I like CTS-XHP because it holds a good edge and is easy to sharpen. Its a nice step up from the AUS-8 Cold Steel used to run in all their knives, although it does raise the price.

I have used this Broken Skull as an EDC knife, and in that capacity I have opened and broken down many boxes, performed some light food prep, and and have worked with it a fair bit in my back yard. I have found the Broken Skull to be a good slicer. Both the grind and profile are thin and the knife zips through boxes, slices fruit easily, and bites deeply into green wood. The DLC coating has held up excellently with little in the way of visible wear.

This is a useful blade shape with good geometry for slicing, and Cold Steel’s recent switch to CTS-XHP steel with a DLC coating is a significant upgrade over their AUS-8 and teflon coated blades of yore. While the long profile lends the knife to penetrating cuts, you can still get plenty of chores done with the Broken Skull.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

Much like the American Lawman, the Broken Skull has a linerless G-10 handle with a black aluminum backspacer. What sets the Broken Skull apart is how thin the G10 is. It makes for a slim knife, but the handle is still strong with zero flex in it.

Handle construction is of high quality with counter sunk button screws, chamferred G-10, and all black hardware. Cold Steel offers this model in a variety of handle colors – a nice bonus. The blue version happened to catch my eye but they have everything from standard black to pink.

The long simple handle of the the Broken Skull provides you with plenty of ergonomic options. You can choke up on the knife and make use of the simple jimping on the spine of the G10, or you can pull back on the handle and avail yourself of almost 8″ of reach. Either way the knife feels comfortable and secure. The texture of the G10 is relatively mild compared to knives like the American Lawman and Emerson’s offerings. Still, there is plenty of grip here and I don’t think anyone will mistake this for a slippery knife.

Cold Steel provides you with 2 pocket clips – one for left hand carry and one for right hand carry. The clip is short and strong, and is oriented for deep carry. The combination of the G10 and strong clip make this knife something of a chore to extract and remove from your pocket. It will also shred your pants pockets if you aren’t careful. I’m not wild about the clip for this reason. Too tight, and difficult to use.

On the flip side, the clip is discrete and it is highly unlikely that the Broken Skull will ever work its way out of the pocket. Because this knife is thin and light it carries well despite being over 5.25″ long when closed.

Deployment and Lockup

Like most of Cold Steel’s folding knife offerings, the Broken Skull comes with their asymmetrical slotted thumb studs. They work to manipulate the blade open, but this is not a knife you will be able to flick open easily thanks to the strong backspring. It’s best to roll the blade open with your thumb. The action is smooth thanks in part to phosphor bronze washers, and once you get past the halfway point, the knife snaps open.

For lockup we have the Tri-Ad lock. The Tri-Ad lock has become a staple for Cold Steel, and for good reason. It’s simple, strong, and secure. There is no blade play on my knife, despite it lacking any sort of metal liners, and the G10 being relatively thin. This is even when I try to wiggle the blade from the very tip – quite a feat considering the long blade. Construction is solid and the Tri-Ad lock is robust.

Blade centering is almost perfect on my knife.

Cold Steel Broken Skull Review – Final Thoughts

Nice pocket knife. Dumb name. That is how I feel about the Broken Skull. For normal EDC use the Broken Skull is going to be excessively long, and that is probably my biggest hangup with the knife. But I think people who enjoy carrying a long and slim folding knife will find a lot to like here for around $75. The materials are premium. Construction is simple yet functional. I even like how you have a choice of color for the handles. The Broken Skull is an efficient tool and even with a silly name I can’t help but like it for what it is.

If I could make changes, I find the clip to be too small and stiff, and I’d like to see them offer this knife in a smaller size, but I think the Broken Skull compliments Cold Steel’s catalog. They have plenty of 3-3.5″ folders. This model is a little different and that is not a bad thing.

I recommend the Broken Skull to those seeking a long slim folding knife or fans of the design.

Broken Skull IV (Blue)

Product Type: Knife
Package Dimensions: 2.032 L x 4.826 W x 13.97 H (centimeters)
Country of Origin: Taiwan, Province Of China
Package Weight: 0.022 kilograms

I recommend buying the Broken Skull at Amazon or BladeHQ. Please consider that purchasing anything through any of the links on this website helps support BladeReviews.com, and keeps the site going. As always, any and all support is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

Rosarms Kisten Overview

by Dan Jackson 9 Comments

Last Updated: August 20, 2019
In the course of reviewing hundreds of knives, occasionally something comes so far from out field that you feel compelled to examine it. If anything, for posterity. I felt that way when Vlad Kovalov of RussianKnives.com approached me about the Rosarms Kisten.

This is a Russian fighting knife designed by Alexander Kisten. Alexander Kisten is a 1984 graduate from the Ryazan Airborne Command School. After graduating he went on to serve in a distinguished military career with the Russian army. In 1995, he retired from military service and began working in the security services of commercial companies. Since 2003, he has lived in Moscow, teaching techniques of knife fighting for the special units of various government agencies.

In 2016 Alexander teamed up with Rosarms to develop the Kisten. This is a knife so far outside my comfort zone that I won’t even pretend to call this a review. I have absolutely zero martial arts training, and no practical knowledge of using a knife for combat or self defense. I probably should have passed the Kisten on to Chad McBroom for a true evaluation, but when the knife arrived I was intrigued. “Sure, I can write an article on this,” I thought as I thumbed the sharpened spine of the blade.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Kisten has an overall length of 11″, a 6.25″ blade. This knife is made in Russia. I am not sure of the exact weight, but it feels light for its size and has a nice balance to it, with the center of gravity being right behind the guard.

This knife is a pure combat / fighting knife. While I suppose nothing is preventing you from using it at a campsite, it’s double edged, so it could be potentially illegal to bring to a camp site. And lets face it, Alexander Kisten isn’t designing kitchen knives. A man with this kind of martial arts pedigree is building a purpose built tool.

The blade of the Kisten is a dramatic modified drop point. I think the most interesting aspect of the blade is that it is double edged, and the top edge features a row of serrations. These are fully sharpened serrations. The sweeping belly and ample recurve are likely the next most noticed aspect of the blade. The deep belly may provide a little extra weight and geometry for chopping, but my guess is it’s primary advantage is for trapping and cutting flesh.

The blade is double hollow ground and features a bright satin finish. It makes for a dramatic knife. The grinds are all done beautifully. The knife gets thin behind the edges. And the edges themselves are even and neatly ground.

The blade of the Kisten is made from EL-107 stainless steel. I have not encountered this steel before, but ZKnives has it covered in his steel chart, and even he doesn’t have much to say about it beyond it being “heat resistant valve steel” that is “used by several Russian knifemakers”. I can’t say that I have used this knife a whole lot. If I do I’ll update this section of the article.

Handle and Ergonomics

Like the blade, the handle of the Kisten is also unique. For starters you can completely disassemble the knife with a flathead screwdriver. This is thanks to the stick tang construction. I haven’t tried this, but it’s interesting to see. The choice of materials is also unique. you have an aluminum forward guard, a hornbeam wood handle segment, and a polished aluminum pommel.

Hornbeam wood is not a wood I have experience with, but according to Rosarms hornbeam wood was used on the classic Russian NR-40 WWII Scout/Recon knife, which is essentially a Russian Ka-Bar USMC knife. Hornbeam is a dark brown wood with a tight grain.

The handle has been finished neatly with a diamond pattern and 2 deep dimples. I suspect the dimples are for indexing your fingers on the handle. Adding to the ergonomics is the flared pommel / end cap, and flared forward guards. The top guard doubles as a thumb ramp and is lightly jimped. Rounding things out are 2 lanyard holes for extra security. The end result is a comfortable handle that fills the hande and offers good traction.

I won’t pretend to know what I am talking about when it comes to the ergonomics from a self defense standpoint, but the knife feels fast and light in hand, and I can’t see how it would slip out easily.

Sheath

The Kisten comes wit ha pancake style ABS Thermoplastic sheath. It’s like a kydex sheath, but lighter weight plastic. In some ways it reminds me of the lightweight sheathes that come with Fallkniven knives. Although it feels a little less impressive than a true kydex sheath, this is still a secure and functional sheath.

It is MOLLE compatible and comes with MOLLE clips and a nylon belt loop. There is no rattle, a drain hole, and extra eyelets so you can configure the sheath for horizontal or vertical carry. Removing the knife from the sheath requires you to place your thumb on the sheath and levering the blade out. It’s secure. My preference would be for a true kydex sheath with a heavier belt loop, something like my Junglas, but this sheath is fully functional.

Kisten Rosarms – Final Thoughts

The Kisten is a dedicated self defense tool for martial artists and enthusiasts of fighting knives. This is not a review, but hopefully this has at least been a decent introduction to the knife. Although I don’t want to comment much on the practical merits of the knife, obviously I would not recommend this for casual knife fans or people seeking an outdoor utility knife.

However, if you are a fan of tactical fixed blade knives or a fan of Alexander Kisten, then I think you will find this ROSarms Kisten to be nicely made and fully functional. The blade is beautifully ground and the knife has been made to tight tolerances. The sheath is equally well made. The Kisten is not or everyone, but I think those who like this knife on paper will enjoy it in person as well. I also think the $140 price tag is fair for this unique knife. The materials are nice and the craftsmanship is evident throughout the Kisten.

If you want to learn more about the knife I recommend checking it out at the RussianKnives.com.