Aaron Shapiro

Aaron Shapiro began writing for BladeReviews.com in 2017, but has been producing written and video reviews since 2012. Aaron is widely recognized as an authority on watches, knives, and other daily carry gear. By day he is a professional photographer, but you probably already know Aaron from his Instagram feed, YouTube channel, or from one of his past online projects. When Aaron isn't writing about some of his favorite things here at BladeReviews he also writes at A Blog to Watch.

Longines Conquest V.H.P. Review

by Aaron Shapiro 4 Comments

Something that comes up surprisingly infrequently when it comes to watches is the question, “What role does this item play in my life?” Timekeeping is the answer less often than I would anticipate. For me however, accuracy and reliability really are paramount. The advent of the quartz movement exemplified that accuracy did not always have to come at a great expense. Quartz watches primarily were coming out of Japan and the Swiss suffered as a result.

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During the panic of the Quartz Crisis during the 1970’s and 80’s Swiss watchmakers struggled to find a solution to the dwindling revenue and customer base. One of the most notable attempts came from Longines in 1984 in the form of the VHP movement (Very High Precision). This movement emphasized accuracy, shaving down the time keeping variation to fractions of a second per month. Ultimately, as mechanical watches rebounded, the Longines VHP’s were discontinued and the mantle of HAQ (High Accuracy Quartz) fell to others. But now they have returned. Longines announced the reintroduction of the VHP series in 2017 at Basel, and that’s what we’re looking at today, the Longines Conquest V.H.P. First off, some specs:

Case Width: 41.45mm
Case Thickness: 12.19mm
Lug to Lug: 49.79mm
Lug Width: 20mm
Weight: 5.3oz (on bracelet)

Fit

The VHP is a fairly low-impact watch in your daily life. In a way, I suppose on the wrist the VHP is relatively unremarkable. When we’re discussing how a watch fits on the wrist; “unremarkable” is a good thing. The VHP is available in a 41mm case and a 43mm case. The 41 is pretty much perfect on my 7.25” wrist. You want a watch to fold itself into your day-to-day activities and wardrobe, not stick out and be conspicuous… at least not in respect to comfort. The VHP excels at this.

Movement

The caliber L288 Longines VHP Quartz movement was developed in partnership with Longines and ETA under the Swatch umbrella. This movement is what really sets the VHP apart in my eyes. Previous to this watch I have owned both a Breitling Aerospace (actually a couple of them) and an Omega X-33 both HAQ (high accuracy quartz) watches with a ton of value and functionality. Both the Omega and the Breitling movements are spec-ed to get +/- 10s variance per year. While this is already remarkable, Longines wanted to make the most accurate non-radio controlled watch available on the market. In their attempt, they achieved a movement that cut the previous annual variance in half. The Longines VHP’s average +/- 5s a year. That may seem like splitting hairs, but to my knowledge, they only have one other peer in the Citizen Chronomaster.

In addition to the timekeeping of the L288, Longines developed a couple other really great features. Firstly, the watch has a power saving mode. To access it you pull out the crown and leave it. After 1-2 minutes the hands will all snap to noon and remain there. While in this mode the watch continues to keep time, but the hands do not move, saving power. To exit power saving mode simply push the crown in and the second hand will snap to time, the minute/hour hands rotate and resume timekeeping, and the date window will also tick over to the correct date if it’s been longer than 24 hours since you last wore it.

The L288 also features an anti-magnetic/anti-shock protection system called GPD or “Gear Position Detection.” To, I’m sure, vastly over simplify how it works; the GPD remembers the position of the hands at all times. When the watch encounters a magnetic field or a shock from a drop the hands freeze till the interruption passes, then snap back to the correct position and resume timekeeping.

Lastly, setting the VHP is a unique experience unto itself. Longines makes use of what they call a “magic crown,” which allows you to adjust the minute’s hand in tiny increments, or with a fast turn, it will advance one entire hour at a time. When you pull the crown out and turn it, the second hand snaps to noon to allow you to easily sync the watch with atomic time when you’re setting it.

Case

The case on the VHP is pretty low key. You can tell that Longines really wanted to focus on the other elements of the watch and kept the case low key so as not to distract. I think if there’s one area I could critique this watch it would be the case. It seems unnecessarily thick. A friend of mine whom also bought a VHP said that it seemed as if Longines simply shoe-horned the VHP movement into the regular Conquest line’s case. I can agree with that, it seems overly large for a quartz watch.

Dial, Bezel, and Crystal

The bezel on the VHP is a polished steel bezel reminiscent of the Tudor Oysterdate’s or a Rolex Datejust. This is an element that I feel classes the watch up, but could also result in an area that could exhibit heavy wear. I generally prefer brushed finishes over polished.

The dial has a concentric circle pattern radiating out from the middle, making the black dial look almost grey-ish in certain light. I really like this touch. I think it classes up the watch a lot. It reminds me a bit of the wave dial on Omega SMPs. All of the hour markers and the Longines logo are applied with the noon and six o’clock marker being large polished numerals. The hands are polished sword hands with generous amounts of lume applied to them. The second hand is red tipped and lines up with the second markers on the dial perfectly with each tick.

Lume is also applied to the hour markers with the exception of the large numerals. All-in-all the lume is sufficient for practical use (telling the time during a movie) but not exceptional. Last little detail to pick out is the date window at 3. It has a small white outline, but the date wheel itself is black. (One cool detail on the date is after 31 and before 1 there is a Longines symbol that rolls passed.)

Lastly, let’s talk about the crystal. Flat sapphire with really, really nicely done AR making you think you can almost reach in and touch the dial itself. Not much else to say there. Well done Longines.

Strap/Bracelet

Okay, the VHP comes on a really nice steel bracelet that has a butterfly clasp and uses split pin construction for the links. On my wrist, the bracelet is nicely done, with a brushed finish and polished sides. The catch with this bracelet is, to my knowledge, Longines does not have half links available. My wrist fits fine with two links removed. However, my buddy’s wrist the bracelet is too big with two removed and too small with three, so he’s been exiled to NATOs only. That may be an issue for some of you. Apart from this potential issue, I love the bracelet.

Longines Conquest V.H.P. Review – Final Thoughts

To put a bow on this watch… I love it. I was extremely interested in the technology that Longines and ETA pioneered in this piece, but then I stayed for the aesthetic. It’s a sharp looking watch that would be equally at home in a dresser environment as it would with jeans and a t-shirt. The Longines VHP’s are available for around $1000 and come in two different sizes 41 and 43mm. There is also a VHP Chronograph available if that’s your bag.

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Editor: I recommend purchasing the Longines Conquest VHP at Amazon or Jomashop. Please consider that buying 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.

Also, if you like the watch reviews, here is a link to all our watch reviews.

Citizen Promaster Diver BJ8050-08E Review

by Aaron Shapiro 6 Comments

Generally, when someone gets into watches one of the first places they’re going to go is either Seiko or Citizen. This will generally dictate your brand allegiance from the start and it may prove difficult for you to look elsewhere. Myself, the first watch I ever wore with serious intent was a Seiko SKX009 that I bought off my buddy Zach nearly 5 years ago. So, as the rule would go… I never really consider Citizen, until now.

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I actually sort of stumbled into this Citizen Promaster Diver as a trade for something else. I’ve always been a fan of the Seiko Tuna and figured this looked pretty similar. When it first arrived and I opened it, I laughed to myself, this watch is almost as-if Citizen wanted to create a parody of the Tuna, but also create a watch that would stand by itself as a dive watch. If that was in any way their intention, they succeeded. Anyway, specs first:

(All Measurements are my personal measurements and may differ from manufacturers specs)

Case Width: 48mm
Case Thickness: 18.6mm
Lug to Lug: 54.5mm using the lug adaptors, otherwise, the rubber strap attaches directly to the case
Weight: 6.6oz on the custom canvas strap I’m using
Movement: Citizen Calibre B873 Eco-Drive Movement
Lug Width: Using the adaptors it’s 24mm, without it’s proprietary

Fit

The Citizen Promaster Diver, or EcoZilla as it’s affectionately called, is a massive watch in every way. It’s tall, it’s wide, it’s chunky, but… similar to the Seiko Tuna it wears pretty trimly. I believe this is largely to do with how compact it is lug-to-lug. The strap descends immediately down from the lug (or lug adaptor) instead of arching across your wrist. In my experience this makes the watch wear smaller than it “should.”

The watch is also a “lefty,” in that the crown is on the left side of the case, so when worn on your left wrist it can’t dig into the back of your hand. This does require that you take the watch off to adjust it, but we’d do this anyway, right? I guess, the one downside to this watch is the height, there’s really no way around its 18mm-ness. It’s tall, it’s gonna get knocked into things, but in the end, it’s a no-nonsense tool watch and that’s what it lives for.

Movement

The Eco-Drive technology that Citizen uses is something that they have been developing for a long time. It’s part of their efforts to make watches that are powered strictly by the sun. In 2007 Citizen estimated that they have avoided the disposal of over 10m watch batteries by using the Eco-Drive movement, a remarkable feat if that figure is accurate.

The movement itself is pretty straightforward, quartz regulated, with a date complication. The Citizen Calibre B873 boasts an impressive 180-day power reserve, so… if the watch was exposed to bright sunlight it would take 11 hours to fully charge, on a cloudy day 40 hours, and 8” under a 30w fluorescent bulb 130 hours. Which seems like a lot until you realize that unless you lock it in a light-tight box, it will always be passively absorbing some energy. Anyway, very cool tech, and a good workhorse of a movement. According to the writing on the case-back, it’s anti-magnetic as well.

Case & Crown

The case is massive. If you, like me, measure watches in measurements of Oreos, this is solidly 1.5 double stuff Oreos on the wrist. As I said in the intro, it wears very much like a Seiko Tuna, the lug to lug is fairly diminutive on the wrist. It has a very solid build feel though, nothing rattles, the bezel is tight (but useable) and it just feels “monolithic,” on your arm.

The crown, however, is a little bit if a different story. It’s a bit fiddly, can be a little tough to catch the threads when you’re screwing it down, but I believe due to the quartz nature of the movement you shouldn’t be adjusting it that often. It’s unlikely that you’ll encounter these issues more than a couple times a year.

Dial, Bezel, and Crystal

Alrighty, top-down; the bezel is large and in charge (there’s a theme with this watch…) there are polished scallops on the bezel between the elapsed time indicators. Between the bezel and the crystal is a marked ring with indicators for the individual minutes. The bezel itself is a nice 60-clicker, works well, turns with just the right amount of force, it’s a good bezel.

The crystal is a flat mineral crystal not much to say there. The dial, well, it looks small compared to the case. The whole watch has a “cartoon-y” appearance to it; from the small dial to the large numbers on the bezel. It’s super legible, however, with the oversized hands and the orange minute hand. (These continue the cartoon-y theme in my opinion.) A note on the lume, it’s blue and pretty bright. Seiko is still the lume king, but the Citizen’s is perfectly adequate for your needs.

Strap Options

The Citizen Promaster Diver comes on a rubber strap that actually screws onto the case itself. I’ve tried on the Rubber strap, but almost immediately switched to using lug adaptors and a canvas strap. The watch does wear nicely on the wrist with either option. The OEM rubber is a nice vented strap with a substantial signed buckle and keeper. I just prefer the look and feel on canvas, and that would be my suggestion.

Citizen Promaster Diver BJ8050-08E Review – Final Thoughts

Alright, to wrap up my look at the Citizen Promaster Diver, I think it’s important to say that I’m not sure this watch is right for most people. I think it ‘could’ be right for anyone that’s looking for a supremely over engineered dive watch but, it’s going to wear large and look large so you need to be comfortable and ready for that. I am a fan, but admittedly it doesn’t see a ton of wrist time, I generally opt for slimmer pieces. They are very affordable though, so that’s a good plus. You can find them on Amazon new for just over $250, and used they generally go for $180ish.

Sale

Citizen Men's Eco-Drive Promaster Sea Dive Watch in Stainless Steel with Black Polyurethane strap, Black Dial (Model: BJ8050-08E)

Iconic Promaster watches with advanced functions designed to venture to the deepest depths.
3 Hand, Date
Silver-Tone Stainless Steel
Luminous Hands and Markers and Anti-Reflective Mineral Crystal
300 Meters Water Resistant and 5 Year Limited Warranty

Editor: I recommend purchasing the Citizen Promaster Diver BJ8050-08E at Amazon or Jomashop. Please consider that buying 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.

Also, if you like the watch reviews, here is a link to all our watch reviews.

Casio G-Shock Gulfmaster GWN-1000

by Aaron Shapiro 1 Comment

My Dad was a firefighter for his entire adult life. One of the enduring memories I have, as a budding gear-baby, was Dad taking his g-shock off and setting it on the counter. Dad wore the same watch for years, it survived fire, and water, shock, and general abuse galore. Ultimately when Dad retired after decades of firefighting, he gave the watch to the chief at the time. It was still perfectly operational, and ready to do more work.

Buy the Casio Gulfmaster at Jomashop

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Fast forward to a few years ago, I was looking to make my first watch purchase. This was before I got into mechanicals before I bought my first Omega, or really understood what was available out there. Of course, I went looking at G-Shocks. Now, the watch we’re looking at today is not your run-of-the-mill G-Shock. We’re going to be looking at a “Master of G,” one of Casio’s top tier G-Shocks.

The Master of G line us broken up into, primarily, three different watches; the Gulfmaster, Mudmaster, and Gravitymaster. These three families of watches encompass the primary “genres” of the watch world, and also offer different levels of complexity. Specifically today we are going to be discussing the mid-tier Gulfmaster GWN-1000. Before we get into that let’s go over some specs:

Case Size: My calipers measure this out somewhere between 52-48mm depending on where you measure. The Gulfmaster has a lot of protuberances on the case that makes getting a solid width difficult. Casio’s website lists it at 44.9mm
Lug to Lug: Again I get 59.71mm, Casio lists it at 55.8mm
Case Thickness: 17mm
Weight: 3.5oz
Movement: Module 5371
Solar Charging, Shock Resistant, Tough Movement

Fit

So, who can wear a watch this size and look normal except maybe Thor or Arnold Schwarzenegger? I am, generally speaking, most comfortable between 40 and 43mm’s in regards to case size. So, to strap on roughly 45-50mm case seems like something ludicrous. But Casio makes large cased watches well, even the largest G-Shocks fit the wrist well and don’t seem too cartoonish.

The Gulfmaster does hug the wrist nicely for a watch this tall, think this is largely due to how the straps point almost directly down from the lugs. This allows the watch to maximize the space on your wrist.

Movement

The movement on a G-Shock is a difficult thing to talk about. They were built with robustness in mind, something that could stand up to shock, liquid, magnetism, and anything else we could possibly think to throw at it. The watch has at least 15 complications, including the triple sensor, world time, chronograph, etc. G-Shock’s are meant to be a bridge between a watch and something more (think smartwatch).

The Gulfmaster, in its role, is meant to be a maritime watch. It can help you predict the weather, keep track of the temperature, and keep you pointed in the right direction. If you bump up to the upper tier Gulfmaster you’ll also get a depth meter.

Another remarkable thing that the Gulfmaster does, is sync with the atomic clock. The “Tough Movement,” may not be a COSC certified quartz, but it does sync daily to ensure maximum accuracy. My example syncs around 1:30 am every night.

The Gulfmaster’s movement is a complicated one, with lots of customizability, and the ability to display a variety of information at one time. I’m not going to go into detail on all the different options, but I will say that you’re able to display a day/date, a different time zone, and/or track the barometric pressure changes over time, all while maintaining the analog face that shows you your home time.

Case and Crown

The case of a G-Shock is an exercise in resistance. The case is hollow and the movement is supported by a series of shock absorbing materials, additionally, the case is water resistant to 200m. It’s a watch you can wear to do anything, and will not let you down. That’s the whole G-Shock motto. It’s a little “tumorous,” with all the bumps and knobs for the different sensors and interfaces. I think this really lends itself to the whole “technical” look that Gshock is going for.

The Smart Access Crown was a big selling point for me. One of the big complaints that I see with some GShocks is that the “press and hold” button interface can be difficult to manage and frustrating to use. With the Smart Access Crown, you just make a half turn to unlock it, and then that’s the interface you’ll use to setup the different features. Much like the Breitling Aerospace, this user interface feels very natural and is simple to use.

Dial, Bezel, and Crystal

Okay easy stuff first, the crystal is mineral glass, which is… ‘fine.’ The next step up in the Gulfmaster line has a sapphire crystal, but mine just has mineral. It will scratch easier than sapphire, but at least it sits down below the steel bezel and so far that’s protected it.

Next the bezel, it’s metal (I’m guessing aluminum or steel) and it’s been anodized blue. Engraved into it are the numbers 1-10 on both sides. These are used with the barometer monitoring functions to show you the change in barometric pressure over time. Aside from the practical application, I think the bezel looks really great on this watch. The numbers are engraved giving it some nice depth, and there’s a lip going around the outside further accentuating the bezel’s dimension.

Lastly, the Gulfmaster has a very deep dial with large applied markers around the hour track. The hour indices are lumed, as well as the really nicely shaped hands. The hour hand is arrow shaped whereas the minute is more of a sword hand. The hands are both outlined in white, making them jump off the face.

There is a digital display on the lower portion of the dial, this display can be used to show lots of different information. I primarily use it for day/date. Next, there is a small sub-dial near the 10 o’clock position. This is used primarily for tracking the tide (based on your home city and the moon age) and/or monitoring barometric pressures changes when you have the watch in the right mode.

The last thing to point out is the backlight, pressing the top right button turns on the backlight which will illuminate the dial and digital display. It works alright, but I think it could be executed a little better. The light doesn’t stay on long, maybe if they had placed one at noon in addition to 6 you’d get a little more light on the dial.

All in all the watch is a busy one, but that busyness is intended to communicate a lot of information at a quick glance. I believe that the watch does this well.

Strap/Bracelet

G-Shocks mostly come on integral rubber straps, the Gulfmaster is no exception. The rubber itself is supple, and the double tang buckle is a nice touch. The one gripe that I have about the strap is that the steel keeper is large, and has a wide gap to feed the strap through. This doesn’t really “keep” the strap and it is known to ride up or down while you wear it, not a deal breaker but I do wish this was better executed.

Unlike other watches, you won’t be able to swap the strap out on the Gulfmaster, so what you see is what you get, that being said there are some folks out there that have figured out ways to mount aftermarket stuff so that might be worth looking into if you’re interested.

Casio GWN-1000B Gulfmaster Review – Conclusion

The GWN-1000B Gulfmaster by Casio is large and in-charge. It’s a watch that delivers a ton of information at a single glance. Its capabilities are slanted towards maritime applications, but it would (and does for me) preform anywhere that I’ve taken it. It would be worth looking at the different versions of the Gulfmaster to see if a higher-end or lower-end version may suit your needs better, but I dig this one. If what you want is a no-holds-barred, high functioning, watch that is always correct, then I say look no further than the Gulfmaster.

Sale

Casio G-Shock GWN1000B Master of G Series Quality Watch - Black / One Size

Radio frequencies: 77.5 kHz (DCF77: Germany); 60 kHz (MSF: UK); 60 kHz (WWVB: USA); 40 kHz (JJY: Fukushima, Japan) / 60 kHz (JJY: Kyushu, Japan); 68.5 kHz (BPC: China)
Radio wave reception: Automatic reception up to six times a day (except for use in China: up to five times a day); manual reception
Digital compass: Measures and displays direction as one of 16 points with the second hand; measuring range: 0 to 359; measuring unit: 1; 60 seconds continuous measurement; bidirectional calibration and magnetic declination correction
Barometer: Measuring range: 260 hPa to 1,100 hPa (7.65 to 32.45 inHg); measuring unit: 1 hPa (0.05 inHg); atmospheric pressure change indicator (10 hPa); atmospheric pressure tendency graph (past 20 hours graph display); barometric pressure tendency
Altimeter: Measuring range: -700m to 10,000m (-2,300 to 32,800 ft); measuring unit: 1m (5 ft); altitude change indicator (100 m / 1000 m); others: measurement interval setting (every 5 seconds / every 2 minutes) (1 second for first three minutes on

Editor: I recommend purchasing the Casio GWN-1000B Gulfmaster at Amazon or Jomashop. Please consider that buying 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.

Also, if you like the watch reviews, here is a link to all our watch reviews.

Benchmade Proper 319 Review

by Aaron Shapiro 1 Comment

Two or three years ago if you told me that Benchmade was your favorite knife company I’d roll my eyes and mutter something like, “Okay Griptillian dude…” now, that’s no disrespect to the Grip, those are great knives at a great price point, but they’re kinda vanilla for my tastes. That was Benchmade a few years ago.

Buy the Benchmade Proper at BladeHQ

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I’m not sure what happened over at Benchmade HQ but man are they putting out some absolute HEATERS in the last year or so. Starting with the Benchmade Proper slip joint (reviewed here) to the Benchmade Bugout and the full titanium integral Anthem 781.

Now, the slip joint thing is kinda interesting. Over the 2-3 year period, slip joints have begun to increase in popularity with the “tactical knife” folks. With the growth in popularity, it only makes sense that companies like Benchmade and Spyderco with the Roadie would begin to investigate the slip joint market.

Slipjoints are a very traditional style of knife designed so that a steel spring runs down the spine of the knife, the tension of that spring on the tang of the blade holds the knife open or closed. This design has been around for hundreds and hundreds of years so they’re really nothing new but I do believe that they are seeing a more widespread adoption in the last few years.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

Let’s get some specs before the review:

Blade Length: 2.75” (by my reckoning, BM puts it at 2.86”)
Overall Length: 6.625” (again by my ruler, BM states 6.69”)
Weight: 2.4oz (BM states 2.32oz)
Steel: CPM-S30V
Country of Manufacture: USA

Like most traditional folders, the Proper is an EDC knife through and through.

The Proper is available in two different blade shapes a sheep’s foot/wharncliffe type deal, and a clip point. At the risk of over simplifying the matter, I think that the clip point probably looks the best whereas the sheep’s foot is the most functional. I haven’t handled the clip personally, so take that with a grain of salt.

The sheep’s foot is exceptionally useful though, and is ideal for draw cuts when breaking down boxes, or slicing food. The blade stock is .09 thick steel and tapers to a nice .026 behind the edge. If you want to make it REAL crazy you can see if you can get a reground Krein version that is a literal lightsaber.

So how about the steel? S30V is a tried and true workhorse. Developed by Crucible with the help of legendary knife maker Chris Reeve, intended to hold a fine sharp edge for a long time, as well as having a very healthy amount of chromium making it extremely rust resistant.

In my experience, I find S30V to be a little chippy (in fact my Proper has a little chip out of the edge). Sharpening it is easy enough, and the edge does last a long time, to some extent S30V has become a little ho-hum in the realm of super steels. It’s still a performer though, and I do recommend it.

Handle and Ergonomics

The Proper, at the time of this review, is available in two handle materials. The first being red G10, and the second being the (more popular) green micarta. In terms of material I think they are equal, both G10 and micarta will stand up to a lot of wear and tear. They both offer a decent amount of grip traction for your hand in normal EDC use (what you’d use a slip joint for, no skinning wild boars or Hollywood-style knife fights).

The shape of the handle provides a great grip as well, with two very slight depending angles or you might call them quasi-choils on either end of the handle lock my pointer, middle, and ring fingers in place. The knife also has a bit of a badonkadonk, with a larger handle that extends past the downward angle of the choil, giving you an even more secure grip on the knife itself. That some extension also houses the lanyard hole.

I think all-in-all the knife is well designed for its intended use. This is not going to be a knife that you’re going to put through serious/hard work. A folding, non-locking, knife like this you’re going to perform pretty lightweight tasks.

Walk and Talk

So, the knife does not technically lock. It’s held in its various positions by the tension of the backspring. That being said, the Proper has a softer action than I’ve felt on other slip joints. Customs that I have had, or even GEC’s have very positive “walk and talks,” or the feeling and sound of the knife moving into its different positions.

I would prefer a positive action on the knife throughout, but when opened it doesn’t feel insecure.

Benchmade Proper Review – Final Thoughts

All things said and done, I think that the Benchmade Proper offers a lot to be had in terms of a modern/non-traditional slip joint. More interesting than that, however, I think seeing knives like this, the Spyderco Roadie, and even the Hinderer XM18 slippy hitting the marketplace shows an interesting trend when it comes to how people are choosing to spend their money.

If you had told me two years ago that I’d see a Hinderer slip joint or that Benchmade was making their own version of a non-locking folder I would have thought you were nuts, but here we are. I think the value is there, you’re going to spend nearly the same for a new Great Eastern Cutlery slippy, but you’re getting a modern design with a modern blade steel, versus GEC’s tried and true 1095.

If you’re not a slip joint guy, I think the Benchmade Proper is a great place to start. And if you’re already “in the fold,” then maybe it’s a good way to diversify your collection.

COLD STEEL AD-10 3.5" S35VN Steel Ultra-Sharp Drop Point Blade 5.25" G-10 Handle Tactical Folding Knife with Tri-Ad Locking Mechanism

CONSTRUCTION - The AD-10 tactical folding knife features an ultra-wide, ground thin at the edge, honed to razor-sharpness blade that offers unprecedented cutting, shearing, and piercing power while resisting bending, breaking, or chipping
S35VN STEEL BLADE - Crafted from S35VN steel, the AD-10 folding knife's blade ensures super-fine cutting edges and exceptional edge retention; This premium steel is renowned for its durability and ability to maintain sharpness through rigorous use
STRONG HANDLE - The handle of the AD-10 knife boasts heat-treated, full-length aluminum liners and 3D machined G-10 scales, providing unparalleled strength and grip; Its precise contouring and integral finger guard ensure a snug and secure fit in the hand
TRI-AD LOCK - Complete with the Tri-Ad, the AD-10 offers unrivaled strength, shock resistance, and durability; This reliable locking mechanism provides peace of mind, safeguarding your fingers during use and ensuring the blade remains securely in place
SPECS - Weight: 7 oz (198.4 g); Blade Thickness: 3.8 mm; Blade Length: 3 1/2"; Blade Steel: S35VN; Handle Length/Material: 5 1/4" G-10; Overall Length: 8 3/4"; Knife Type: Folder; Blade Shape: Drop Point; Locking Mechanism: Tri-Ad Lock

Editor: I recommend purchasing the Benchmade Proper at Amazon or BladeHQ. Please consider that buying 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.

Nomos Club Review

by Aaron Shapiro 1 Comment

Nomos Glashutte is a watch brand based in Germany that has made a name for themselves by creating stylized watches that range from casual to dress to even highly complicated. They are known for utilizing their own in-house movements with beautiful finishing visible through sapphire case backs.

Buy the Nomos Club at JomaShop.com

German made watches have a lot of history in the large horological landscape. With brands like Sinn, Damasko, Glashutte Originale, and even A Lange Sohn. Nomos, however, is a relatively new kid on the block.

Founded in 1990 they started out specializing in making hand wound watches that drew a lot of elements from the Bauhausian school of design (see our review on the Junghans Max Bill). In 2005 Nomos debuted an in-house movement that they have continued to develop and expand on. They now have over ten in-house designed movement calibers as well as their own escapement design that is slowly being integrated into their watches.

I was originally drawn to Nomos while I was searching for something that would compliment the rest of my collection but not overlap any area specifically. I wanted something that would easily dress up or down, and would potentially be a good conversation piece if the occasion arose.

Specifications

Case: 40mm
Lug to Lug: 51mm
Case Thickness: 10mm
Weight on Bracelet: 2.4oz on strap
Movement: Nomos Epsilon Automat

Fit

One of the things that drew me to the Nomos Club originally was the case thickness. A 10mm thick automatic watch? Sign me up. Nomos also offers the club in a couple different case sizes, with 40mm being the second largest.

The challenge in choosing a case size really comes down to the lug to lug measurement. My 40mm has a 51mm lug to lug measurement, those are some long lugs. On my 7.25” wrist it barely fits, any larger and it would overhang my wrist. If you have a sub-7” wrist I highly encourage you to look at the 38 or 36mm versions of the club.

Movement

The movement in a Nomos is really something to behold. Well decorated, well regulated, and a unique in-house caliber. In this way it really becomes a watch person’s watch as well as a exercise in near-haute-horology. Nomos offers display backs on most of their watch models, the in-house nature of what they do basically requires it. In these watches it IS about the movements.

Practically speaking, the watch keeps excellent time. I haven’t noticed any amount of deviation. My time-graphing app is telling me +/- 8s/day, but take that with a grain of salt.

Case and Crown

The cases Nomos use serve to highlight the work they put into their dials and movements. For a simplistic design that in many ways adhere to a very Bauhausian design language it would make sense for the simple steel case to not distract from the basic legibility. The entire case is polished steel with a bezel-less design that leads up to the crystal. The polish does lend itself to a refined “classy-ness” in the overall appearance of the watch. I am guessing that the Club would look considerably more casual if it was brushed.

Again, the crown is simple. It’s on the largish side, delicately serrated for grip, and signed on the end with “NOMOS.”

To boil the case and crown down, I think it’s safe to say that with both of these elements Nomos really wanted to draw attention away from them, and rather focus on the dial, or if it’s off the wrist, they wanted the movement to stand out through the display back. They have made considerable investment to ensure that they have something unique to offer in these areas, and instead of watering that down with an overly “designed” case they kept it simple.

Two additional details that are worth commenting on:
Firstly, the case-back is a sapphire display back show a beautiful Nomos Epsilon movement that is decorated and signed. This really showcases what is, in my opinion, the biggest attraction to the Nomos brand. Secondly, is the water resistance. Nomos rates the clubs at 10 ATM, it should be more than adequate for swimming, hand washing, being drunkenly pushed in a pool, etc… It does not have a screw down crown, but this isn’t something you’d take on a canoe trip anyway. I just like having the peace of mind knowing that if one of my stupid friends throw me in a lake, I’ll only be buying a new phone.

Dial, Bezel, and Crystal

Working top down on this category is pretty easy. The crystal is a flat sapphire crystal that sits just above the simple polished bezel. They both do exactly what they are supposed to, perfectly, and nothing else. Just like with the case, I’d say that the bezel and crystal serve to get you to the dial.

The dial is a slightly off white color, with painted numerals every other hour, and a plain indice between. The dial is signed just below the noon indice a there is sub-seconds dial at 6 o’clock. The dial is accented by small orange details, first and most apparent in the hands, but then also around the outer minute ring which counts up from “05” in small orange script. I think this is a pretty nice use of color, and “grounds” the orange hands. The hands themselves are painted with some sort of black lacquer giving them a really cool glossy appearance, the contrast between the black and orange also pop the hands off the dial making it very legible.

It’s important to point out that this dial is non-luminous. It does not glow in the dark at all, Nomos DOES make a version that has lume, but most of their watches are non-luminous. This, to me, really emphasizes the style of watch that Nomos makes. These are not tool watches.

Strap and Bracelet

Most Nomos’ come on leather straps, but not just any leather strap, they come on OEM Shell Cordovan leather straps. Shell is a really impressive kind of horse leather that will last for a long, long time. It maintains a nice shine, and doesn’t crease or “pull-up.” These straps are great, but they are long. I have a larger then average wrist size, and I wear this on the last hole. Generally speaking, I wear a larger strap, so this is pretty unusual and worth knowing on the front end.

Nomos Club Review – Final Thoughts

Man, how do I sum up the Nomos Club? What I was looking for when I bought mine, was something that would fit the slot of my “fourth watch,” without overlapping anything else. I already had a diver, chrono, and a vintage piece… I wanted something that could be a little dressier, but also had the potential to be casual. Something you’d wear to a jazz night at a winery. Nomos’ watches fit this exceedingly well.

The nice thing that Nomos has also done to make the Club a more versatile piece is by giving it some water resistance. If what you want is a fancy piece, with some legit horological chops, but also has some uniqueness, I don’t think you can go wrong with a Nomos Club.

I recommend purchasing Nomos Watches at Amazon or JomaShop.com. 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.

Also, if you like the watch reviews, here is a link to all our watch reviews.

Kizer Gemini Lefty Review

by Aaron Shapiro 1 Comment

Ray Laconico has been a favorite knife maker of mine for a long time. Over the years that I have been buying and selling custom knives I’ve had the opportunity to own two different customs from Ray. His style is simplistic, but with a very unique aesthetic that sticks out on a table full of titanium knives.

Buy the Gemini at BladeHQ

Buy on Amazon

The Kizer Gemini, a production version of the famous Jasmine, came out a few years ago to much fanfare and excitement, it was a chance for everyone that wanted a piece of Ray’s designs to be able to get it, at a price that would encourage them to put the knife to use.

Kizer also has been making ripples in the EDC cutlery world, largely because of the fact that they seem to have mastered the ability to partner with custom knife makers and create extremely high quality versions of their knives. They’ve successfully done this with a number of notable makers including Matthew Christensen, Sheepdog Knives, Mikkel Willumsen, and a handful of others. Let’s get into some specifics.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Gemini has an overall length of 7.25″, a 3.125″ blade, weighs 3.6 ounces, and is made in China. Kizer makes a more affordable Vanguard series version of the Gemini. Ben Schwartz reviewed that one in 2016. And although this review is of the lefty version, it just as easily applies to the regular Gemini. The only difference is that the knife has been “mirrored” and the lock is now on the other side.

The Gemini has a traditional “leaf” style drop point blade. Very similar in a lot of ways to some of the popular offerings from Spyderco. This blade shape excels, in my experience, for general EDC use. The full flat grind peels layers away when you’re slicing through food or other materials, it’s easily sharpened without any tricky recurves, and the 3” mark is right in my sweet spot for daily carry.

S35VN steel seems to attract a little bit of controversy, my experience with it has been pretty good however. It takes a good edge on my Wicked Edge, and will hold it through a lot of work (in particular a lot of cardboard boxes). As an aside, I think that sharpening your own knives can be a good exercise in understanding how steel preforms under wear. Lots of people talk about wear resistance, toughness, and edge retention but I have found that these characteristics present themselves best during sharpening.

Kizer stonewashed the blade on the Gemini. Stonewashing comes in many flavors, this one is very similar to the stonewash CRK uses on their knives. It repels wear, and looks really sharp (ha) over time.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

The handle is contoured Titanium, that have been blasted to a satiny matte finish. The handles are rounded (kinda like a river stone) to be comfortable in hand. There’s something to be said about the knife being a little slippery but its a tradeoff in my opinion.

The handle’s design is simplistic, flaring out towards the pivot to contain the mechanics, and tapering as it moves backward. The spine of the knife rises up a bit to create a very effective palm swell when you grip it. There is a negative angle on the handle that descends down into your grip, between that and the choil formed by the flipper tab when opened the grip is pretty firm and stable when the knife is opened. With the knife closed the pocket clip acts as a nice guide to rest your fingers on when you flip it open, doing this helps keep your hand off the lockbar.

The clip that debuted on the Gemini was a (frankly) cheap bolt on bent Ti spring clip. It was a real speed bump visually for me on the knife. In the newer iteration Kizer has created a milled Ti clip that compliments the design very well. It’s mounted with two screws to the lock side and leaves roughly half an inch visible when it’s in the pocket.

I want make an important point when it comes to a knife’s pocket clip. You likely use the clip more than you use the blade. It’s what holds your knife in your pocket and keeps it from falling out. While doing this, the clips also have to be trim enough to not catch on anything, rounded enough to not cause a hot spot when you use it, and attractive enough to not completely mess up the lines and aesthetics of a reasonably expensive knife.

I’ve seen and handled the first generation of Kizer Gemini, the original clip was really awful at several of these points, but the updated clip solves those problems.

Deployment and Lockup

The Gemini is a titanium frame lock flipper, the tried and tested configuration. One of the things that stands out about Laconico’s custom pieces is their flippability. The knives I’ve owned from Ray have been smooth, with perfect detents, and excellent lockup. The Gemini is no different.

Kizer incorporated a steel lock insert on the Gemini to ensure lasting lock strength and to guarantee that there won’t be any lock stick. The steel lock bar insert trend in production knives is an interesting one to me, in theory it’s the best way to give a frame lock the longest life possible. Late lock up typically occurs as the harder steel tang on a blade rubs against the softer titanium lock face, the blade side of the frame lock over time grinds away the surface of the lock bar’s lock face. Replacing the Ti side of the lock with steel prevents this, it also prevents galling (lock stick). Additionally the steel insert acts as an over-travel stop preventing you from hyper extending the lock bar when you unlock it.

One of the things that always stood out about Laconico’s custom knives is their flipperability (That’s a technical term we use in the industry to describe how well a knife flips. -Ed.). Kizer employed a similar caged bearing system in the Gemini to ensure smoothness and ease of opening. It’s a tried and true method, and Kizer executed it well.

Kizer Gemini Lefty Review – Final Thoughts

So, to wrap up the Lefty Gemini in a nutshell, I think it’s a great value. You’re getting a full titanium, S35VN, steel lock-bared, knife. The fit and finish is excellent, and it’s a great way to get introduced to Laconico’s work without spending custom knife prices.

It’s also worth commenting on the left handedness that Kizer has embraced. Being lefty was what pushed me into buying custom knives, I didn’t like having to adapt myself to use production knives. Whenever I see a company that offers a specifically left-handed option, I try to at least buy one to support that gesture. If you’re left handed, I encourage you to do the same, and if you’re right handed… Well, the Gemini is still a great choice.

Kizer Gemini Framelock

I recommend purchasing the Kizer Gemini at BladeHQ or Amazon. 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.