Travis Pike

Streamlight Wedge Flashlight Review

The Streamlight Wedge is the latest in Streamlight’s line of EDC flashlights. We first saw glimpses of the Wedge at the end of 2020, but in early 2021 we got the full details of this little fella. I knew off the bat I wanted one. I’ve downsized my pocket light to nothing more than a 100-lumen penlight because of how annoyed I get trying to get in and out of my pocket with bigger lights. The Wedge gains its name from its wedge-like shape.

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It’s flat and thin and designed to fit in the pocket with ease. I like Streamlight a good deal. I use their weapon lights extensively and also carried a Streamlight Sidewinder on my overseas adventures. The Sidewinder sold me on Streamlight’s durability and made me a forever fan. From Africa to Afghanistan, the Sidewinder endured more abuse than it had any right to. Streamlight was kind enough to provide me a pre-release sample for test and review, and I was more than happy enough to oblige them.

General Dimensions and Construction

The Streamlight Wedge is 5.46 inches long, 1 inch wide, and .5 inches thick, and weighs a total of 3.3 ounces. Streamlight designed the Wedge for low-key pocket carry without being obstructive or intrusive to your daily life. The square-like design does very little to fill your pocket, and the light sits in nice and flat.

Streamlight used aluminum in the construction of the light for a very tough and rugged design. The outside is anodized and comes in gunmetal gray and FDE. Aluminum gives it a rather tough design that’s resistant to the elements as well as drops and falls. The anodization also corrosion and provides an external layer of protection to the raw aluminum.

Fit and finish are outstanding, and Streamlight designed the light to be pocket-friendly. Every corner is rounded and smoothed out. There is no ultra-aggressive texturing that could rub through a pocket. The bottom of the light has slight finger grooves with small trenches for a good grip.

The Streamlight Wedge reeks of high-quality construction and feels great in your hand and pocket. It’s also shaped to be easy to bite down on when working with both hands.

Output, Runtime, and UI

Streamlight designed the Wedge with two output modes. The first is a basic 300 lumen light that is back by 1,200 candela, which is quite powerful for such a small light. Our second model is called the THRO mode. THRO stands for Temporary Heightened Regulated Output. Swapping to the THRO modes grants you 1000 lumens and 3000 candela for a 35-second burst.

Either mode grants you a bright white beam that’s more on the cool scale than hot. In both modes, the beam provides a massive hotspot that’s designed more to fill a room than be super focused for long-range use. As far as an EDC light goes, a good amount of spill is a must-have. It’s made for standard urban environments where a lot of throw isn’t necessary.

That being said, the THRO mode effectively doubles your range and gives you a light better suited for outdoor environments. If you are trying to navigate the dark with an added layer of fog or rain, then the THRO mode becomes quite handy.

I live in a dark rural environment without streetlights and any ambient light outside of the moon and stars. I’ve no issues on early morning dog walks with the Wedge. When I hear something poking around in the woods around me, I hit the THRO mode and spot the rabbit, opossum, or armadillo that’s stumbling around.

In practical use, the standard mode provides a beam that allows me to see things in perfect detail out to 25 yards. With the THRO mode, that ranges doubles to about 50 yards. The beam obviously goes further, but beyond those ranges, you won’t see everything in crystal clear detail.

Again, as far as a small, pocket-friendly EDC light, the Wedge is more powerful than most.

As far as the user interface goes, the design is very simple. You have a black toggle switch. Push it forward, and the light comes on. Push it a position beyond on to activate the THRO mode. The THRO mode is only momentary, and when the switch is released, it falls back to normal 300-lumen operation. After 35 seconds, it will automatically dial back to 300 lumens and ‘cool’ down.

The toggle switch is flush fitting with the body of the Wedge, and this helps the toggle from accidentally turning on in your pocket. This way, your battery doesn’t die, and the hot light doesn’t give you a little burn. The toggle has a textured portion for easy activation, and it does require a good press and seems resistant to accidental pushes.

Streamlight used an internal battery in the design of the Wedge. This rechargeable battery uses a USB C cable to recharge the light. Max battery life is three hours, and the toggle has a battery indicator. Green means you’re good, but red means your battery is getting low.

Ergonomics and Carry

Design-wise this is the most comfortable light I’ve ever had the please to carry. When it comes to size to comfort ratio, the Wedge is tough to beat. I can clip it in my pocket alongside my knife and forget about it. If I use that same pocket to carry my keys, cash, or assorted junk, I can reach in my pocket and retrieve those goods without the light getting in the way.

Round lights constantly got in my way and forced me to adopt a smaller penlight out of frustration. The Wedge minds its own business and lets me get my stuff without frustration.

A reversible pocket clip allows you to carry it tip down in either pocket without issue. Swapping the pocket clip takes very little effort, and it’s a mere two bolts. The Wedge comes with an optional lanyard, but I don’t have a need for it.

While the light is small and unobstructed, it’s still very comfortable in hand. You have plenty of real estate to grab the light and hold it comfortably. The thin nature allows you to use both the light and hold stuff in the same hand at the same time. It’s quite convenient for two-handed tasks where you still might need some light.

Streamlight Wedge Review – Final Thoughts

The Wedge has earned its place as my go-to EDC light now. It’s just so dang convienent. I like the way it slides into my pocket and stays out of my way. I like that it shares a charging cable with my cell phone and gives me 300 to 1,000 lumens at my fingertips. Streamlight has made a very competent, pocket-friendly, and ergonomic EDC light for the daily tasks of everyone. It’s the perfect daily (or nightly) companion.

Streamlight 88810 Wedge 300-Lumen Slim Everyday Carry Flashlight, Includes USB-C Cable and Lanyard, Black

Features two lighting modes: Constant on and easy to use THRO (Temporarily Heightened Regulated Output) mode for maximum brightness; 300 lumens; 69m beam; runs 3 hours and THRO: 1,000 lumens; 110m beam for a 35 second burst
Thin, ergonomic design fits comfortably in your hand and provides clean pocket carry; includes deep carry pocket clip that attaches to either side
Rotatable switch with battery level indicator; USB-C rechargeable; recharges in 3 hours
Durable, anodized aluminum construction; IPX7 waterproof to 1m; 1m impact resistance tested

I recommend buying the Streamlight Wedge at Amazon.

Ka-Bar TDI Shark Bite Review

by Travis Pike Leave a Comment

I have a real thing for discrete weapons. It might be a focus I have on concealed carry, but it’s extended to more melee type weapons as well. Part of this love of discrete weapons leads to weapons made from nontraditional materials, like carbon fiber, G-10, and all variance of polymers. These weapons are typically incredibly light and invisible to metal detectors and make me feel spy-like. The Ka-Bar TDI Shark Bite is one such weapon.

Buy the Ka-Bar TDI Shark Bite at BladeHQ
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Ka-Bar’s TDI series are very distinctive knives that position the blade at a 90ish degree angle. These knives were made specifically for police officers as a last-ditch weapon for self-defense purposes. The TDI Sharkbite variant is an all-polymer variant made of something called Ultramid. This super lightweight polymer design forms the Shark Bite’s entirety and creates a rather exciting self-defense knife.

An all-polymer knife isn’t made to cut up cardboard, cut through rope, tape, or other EDC tasks. It’s made for self-defense purposes. The TDI’s design is also not lent to EDC tasks, so when you make a polymer TDI, you only have one real option for it.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The TDI Sharkbite has an overall length of 5.125 inches with a 2.625-inch blade and a handle length of 2.625 inches. The cutting edge is 2.125 inches long on the main portion of the blade. The blade has a quasi dagger-like design that leaves the top of the blade with about half the bottom part’s cutting edge. The point is a spear point design.

The TDI Sharkbite weighs a mere 2.4 ounces, and it feels like nearly nothing. The included sheath is also polymer and lightweight. The TDI Sharkbite is super easy to carry and disappears as a concealed carry weapon.

The entirety of the knife is made from Ultramid. Ultramid is a polymer, but it seems like the fancy term for it is molding compound. This ‘molding compound’ is known for its high mechanical strength, stiffness, and stability variance regarding temperatures. As far as the Sharkbite is concerned, the best property of Ultramid is its impact resistance. According to my research Ultramid is perfect for this type of weapon. It won’t crack, bend, or break when driven hard into a target.

I set up 12 layers of cardboard (thanks Amazon and Christmas shopping), duct-taped them together, and then taped them to a pole. I drove the Sharkbite into the cardboard a half dozen times, and each time it penetrated through all twelve layers, and the point struck the wood. I was pleasantly surprised at the blade’s ability to penetrate.

I attempted a few slashes, and while it made abrasions in the cardboard, this is not a very effective slashing weapon. It wouldn’t be a pleasant situation to be in, but it’s better at stabbing

The tip did dull a fair bit from those few attacks into the cardboard. Sharpening the point is possible with a file or using a blade from a pocket knife. This does make the tool disposable, but it’s a tool you’d use in a fight, not for everyday tasks. If you only use it for one fight, it’s likely worth the low admission cost.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Sheath

The 90-degree positioned blade makes this a quasi punch dagger, and the handle works well for that. The handle itself is short and thin, but the curved design offers you an excellent grip on the blade. Your thumb sits on top of the grip, and the jimping on the back of the blade shows you exactly where to rest your thumb. The grip and the blade work together for a good retention based grip. Due to how the handle is designed, there is no need for aggressive texturing, which is great because you don’t get any.

When striking with the TDI, there is an impact point behind the blade that strikes your finger. It causes some pain as it digs back into your trigger finger. This little pain is unlikely to be noticed when the TDI is used defensively.

The sheath is all polymer and designed to accommodate a variety of carrying styles. This includes on the belt, around a necklace, into a MOLLE section, or even laced into your boots. The lightweight design also makes carrying the knife easy, but the sheath is a little bulkier than it needs to be.

The blade weirdly locks into the sheath. The blade has a cutout in the middle that locks into two posts that are part of the sheath. To deploy the blade, you have to press down on the posts with your finger and lift with your hand. The sheath covers the edge portions of the Sharkbite, but the majority of the knife is left exposed.

TDI Sharkbite Review – Final Thoughts

The TDI Sharkbite is a compact and well-designed polymer-based knife, that is half impact weapon and half stabbing tool. It’s solely for self-defense and will disappoint you if you choose to try it for anything else. The Ultramid blade is a smart design that is impact resistant and suited for the Sharkbite’s design.

The polymer design does allow you to squeeze passed metal detectors, but you’ll still be breaking the law should you take the knife into an airport or courthouse. If you want to get through an area with metal detectors that don’t have the force of law backing their use, then the Sharkbite is a perfect choice.

The ultra-lightweight design makes it convenient to carry, but the sheath is somewhat bulky. However, the sheath’s polymer design would allow it to be easily modified and trimmed via Dremel tool.

The TDI Sharkbite is super cheap, often selling for less than twenty bucks online. The Sharkbite is a discrete self-defense tool that is worth the few bucks it costs. It’s not perfect, but in a last-ditch situation, it’s better than harsh words.

Ka-Bar 9908, TDI Shark Bite, Ultramid

Blade length: 2.625 inch
Overall length: 5.125 inch
Made completely of ultramid

Editor: I recommend purchasing the TDI Sharkbite at BladeHQ or Amazon. Thank you for reading.

Gerber Ayako Review

by Travis Pike 3 Comments

I’m a sucker for cool-looking knives. Not impractical fantasy knives, but practical knives that have a cool look to them. That’s why knives like the Gerber Flatiron and now the Ayako. I’m a sucker for budget-friendly knives that have a unique style and grace to them. The Ayako, as the name implies, has a Japanese styling to it. Not to sound like a weeb, but the katana like inspiration makes this an eye-catching knife.

Buy the Gerber Tri Tip at BladeHQ
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The swept-back blade with a forward-positioned belly makes this look like some form of mini katana. Call it the influence of Ghosts of Tsushima, but I really dig the vibe of the Ayako, and that’s what caught my eye at my local Academy Sports and Outdoors. I’ve been carrying the 30ish dollar knife for about two weeks now, and while it won’t be my main go-to for an EDC knife, I appreciate a budget-friendly option.

It’s easy to get lost in the snobbery when you carry a Hoback or a Micro-Tech. Budget-friendly blades have a rightful place and are the most bought blades, so they deserve some love when they can deliver performance above their price tag.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Ayako has a 3.5-inch long blade with a 3.625-inch cutting edge. That rounded edge near the tip of the blade gives you a little more cutting edge than the blade’s length offers. The handle is 4.625 inches long, and the blade has an overall length of 8.1 inches. The Ayako weighs 3.8 ounces, so it’s relatively light and comfortable for daily carry.

The blade seems to be half tanto half sheep’s foot tip. It’s not exceptionally pointy like a tanto, but it’s not as tip reduced as a sheep‘s foot. The belly like area near the tip of the blade gives good traction if you want to go deep on your initial cut. For a sword, that’s probably a great trait when you have to fight a Khan invader. On a knife, it allows me to cut through tomatoes quite quickly and dig into thick materials efficiently.

The slightly swept-back blade is only slightly curved and seems to follow the tip into deep cuts rather well. The blade is made from the pain in the butt to type 7Cr17MoV stainless steel. 7Cr is a Chinese made stainless steel that is relatively cheap.

The corrosion resistance is high, which is excellent, and as stainless steel, this is one of the more defining features of 7Cr. 7Cr is also an easy to sharpen steel, and that’s important because you’ll be sharpening it a fair bit as the edge dulls quickly. In my two weeks or so of use, it hasn’t be pressed into hard service by any means. I’ve cut up a lot of cardboard as I disposed of a ton of Amazon boxes during the Christmas rush and put it towards most of my daily knife tasks.

Gerber barely seems to sharpen it before it heads out the door, and it seems to dull rather quickly. It’s low-end steel, but I’ve had low-end steels hold a better edge than this. The edge itself can get decently sharp with a whetstone. Sharp enough to slice and dice cardboard, zip ties, chicken, tomatoes, and even an onion or two with relative ease. It hangs up a bit with cardboard but will still make it through when pressed.

I wish it had more to the tip, especially when cutting the zip ties that held the portions of a bike in a box. It worked, eventually, but more of a point would help with basic tasks.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Carry

One side of the handle is an aluminum scale, and the other is a stainless steel scale. Both are checkered and marked, but it’s not overt checkering. It’s subdued and likely wouldn’t cling tight to your hand under stress. The knife has never slipped in my grip, but the checkering is nowhere near what something like G10 offers. You can grip it tight and still pull it out of your hand with little resistance.

The handle is plenty comfortable, and it does allow you to cling to it without much discomfort. The grip is nice and long and seems to fit my big hands well. It’s thin but functional and comfortable. The shape is well done and allows for intuitive blade manipulation.

The grip is thin, and my main complaint about it would be the pocket clip location. It’s a big clip on a svelte design. I almost wish the knife didn’t have a pocket clip; it feels like it ruins the smooth lines of the grip.

You can remove the pocket clip, but you can’t move its location. You are stuck with the blade in a tip-down carry position with the clip on the right-hand side of the knife. It clings tightly to your pocket though and doesn’t budge when you move.

Deployment and Lockup

The Ayako has two means to deploy the blade. The first is via a flipper that extends past the body of the blade and is part of the blade. The second is a thumb hole in the blade. Neither is a means to quickly deploy the blade. The flipper allows for one-handed manipulations, but it’s not going to fly out in a hurry and takes a deliberate motion to deploy the blade.

The thumb hole is nearly useless and very small when the blade is closed. It’s such a small little slot that my monkey fingers have a hard time reaching into it and using it. If my nails are trimmed, it’s useless.

Once deployed, the stainless steel liner lock seems to do a good job of pinning the blade open. The liner lock is part of the rear grip scale, so your own grip keeps the blade pinned open. Once the liner lock is engaged, the Ayako’s blade is locked in place and seemingly won’t move or budge even a bit. A cut in the front grip scale makes it easy to depress the liner lock and close the blade with ease.

Gerber Ayako Review – Final Thoughts

The Ayako is a little bit more than a pretty face. It’s a decent little EDC knife. The solid lockup and decent blade design make it well suited for EDC tasks. If the knife was more expensive, I’d be more critical of the 7Cr steel and how fast it dulls. Knives like the Flatiron are about the same price but featured a much worse grind than the Ayako.

The Ayako is a solid little knife for the money. It won’t win any awards, and it’s not exceptional in any way. The most redeeming qualities are its price and attractive appearance. Behind the pretty face is a knife that cuts and claws as it should, but it doesn’t do much else. I don’t regret my purchase, but I’m betting the Ayako is a knife I put in my knife box for a long stay or eventually give away. Speaking of, with Christmas around the corner, its a great budget based gift, especially for a young man or woman in need of a knife they can abuse, break or lose.

Gerber Gear Ayako Folding Pocket Knife with Clip, EDC Knife, Silver, Stainless Steel

The Ayako pocket knife is modern take on a classic Japanese designed friction folder EDC
The EDC knife features dual deployment options: a nail nick hole, as well as an extended tang front flip
Featuring a fully fine edge 3.5 Inch, Japanese style tanto blade of 7Cr17MoV
Frame Lock for easy one-hand closing for EDC
Handle scales of coined aluminum, and stainless steel with Frame Lock for easy one-hand closing

Editor: I recommend purchasing the Gerber Ayako at BladeHQ or Amazon. Thank you for reading.

Kershaw Lucha Review

by Travis Pike 2 Comments

The Punisher, The Outsiders, Blood In Blood Out, Face/Off, Red Dawn (’84 version of course), and of course, Big Trouble in Little China were all some of my favorite flicks growing up. Do you know what they had in common? Besides being awesome? They all have Butterfly knives in them. I grew up with a fascination for butterfly knives, or Balisongs if you’re fancy. I had a pile of cheap pot-metal junk butterfly knives and always wanted a real one. By real, I mean a quality model, and I found that in the Kershaw Lucha.

Buy the Lucha at BladeHQ or GP Knives

Lucha means the fight or struggle, and this Filipino design became famous for its camera catching action. It flips and spins into place, and a skilled practitioner can put on quite the show with a Butterfly knife. They are honestly my version of a fidget spinner, and if it’s in my hands, I’m probably flipping it around. It’s bad enough that I have to set it down and away from me to type this out. This Filipino design has a Spanish name but is made in the USA. It’s a gosh darn melting pot of a knife.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

This is a big knife. The Lucha has an overall length of 10.25 inches with a total blade length of 4.6 inches. The blade is .875 inches wide and .16 inches thick. The blade has a clip point with a nice aggressive belly to it. The blade length of 4.6 inches is not the cutting length. Due to the design of balisongs, the cutting edge is a bit shorter at 4.375 inches. The knife is built like a pro basketball player. It’s tall but skinny. It’s a hefty guy at 5.9 ounces as well.

The blade is made from stainless steel from Sandvik, known as 14C28N. Stainless means we excellent protection from corrosion, and the knife needs it. The balisong handle is not a sealed design, so it’s exposed to everything all the time. The steel itself was exclusive to Kershaw for a few years, and they seem to be producing amazing knives with it. This steel holds a bloody brilliant edge. It gets super sharp and sharpens up nice and smooth.

With us all staying at home and doing a little less adventuring, I have been focused a lot on cooking tasty meals. This has allowed me to slice and dice through meat, and that seems to be the role of the Lucha. It’s a cutter, a deep slasher, and relentless in its ability to cut through meat. I sliced and diced a pound of steak, a pound of chicken, some onions, and a bell pepper to make some fantastic fajitas.

The aggressive belly makes deep cuts easy, and the swedge at the top of the blade ensures it glides through the thickest of materials without getting stuck. I cut through tomatoes and oranges, and the blade never stuck. Balisongs have a reputation as a weapon, and the Lucha proudly takes that name. Without a doubt, it would be an effective weapon for self-defense. With a little practice, you’ll be able to flip it open quickly and with a single hand.

The clip point and good belly give it a good bit of versatility to allow the knife to fulfill your everyday EDC tasks. It’s a lot of knife for those tasks, but it will get you there. The large size and blade design could even make it a half-decent game skinning knife.

Handle and Ergonomics

The Kershaw Lucha’s split handle is made from stainless steel and is a sandwich-style construction versus a liner lock style. The handles are square-like but have rounded edges that allow the knives to smoothly flip in hand for both opening and doing all sorts of fun tricks. The trick with Balisongs is having a handle thats smooth enough to flip but is textured enough to provide a good grip with.

The Lucha does both, and the way it provides a good grip is the cuts in the handle. They give both weight reduction for easy flipping and texture for your hand to grip. It works and does provide a suitable means to grip the knife. The absolutely massive handle also offers plenty of room for you to grasp and grab the handle in any way you see fit.

The Lucha’s blade has a small handguard built into it and allows you to rest your thumb and apply leverage and control to the blade as it cuts.

The Balisong handle isn’t the most comfortable thing in the world. There is no round palm smells or G10 grips. It’s pretty simple and minimalist. If you are planning to do heavy-duty cutting, another knife might be for you. The grips will tire your hand if you use the knife outside of its intent.

Deployment and Lockup

The blade’s deployment is entirely dependent on how you can handle a balisong. With all my practice from cheap pot metal Chinese knives, it’s a natural motion for me. The rounded handle bevels do make the task a little easier and ensure you can spin the blade into action when needed. It’s just gonna take practice, and if you are new to these knives, then get a trainer, they’re cheap and worth it.

Trust me, as a kid who cut himself a lot get the trainer.

The blade and handles swing smoothly into action. They are guided by the KVT ball-bearing pivots, and you can feel the quality with every deployment. Those ball bearings also ensure the lockup is nice and tight.

The lockup is also friction, and the blade stays in place by holding the handles together. The latch can lock it into place as well. The latch does lock up the knife rather well and remains very tight. With the latch, the blade doesn’t move even a bit, not a hair’s worth of movement. This tight lockup occurs with both the latch and a friction-filled hold.

Kershaw Lucha Review – Final Thoughts

I’m a fan of this knife, and as someone who desired a real Butterfly knife for years, I’m glad to finally have one. The Lucha delivers in all the cool ways a butterfly knife is supposed to. At the same time, the blade is ultra-sharp, incredibly robust, and designed to be used.

It’s a big knife admittedly, and it’s one of those knives that is incredibly well built, but it’s not necessarily a practical choice. There are knives that are more efficient and better built for hard work, but that’s not exclusive to the Lucha. That’s a reality of butterfly knives. As far as butterfly knives go, the Lucha is a fantastic example of what a real butterfly knife should be.

Kershaw Lucha – From $119.95
From: BladeHQ

Editor: I recommend purchasing the Kershaw Lucha at BladeHQ or GP Knives. Thank you very much.

Gerber Tri-Tip Review

by Travis Pike 1 Comment

I like weird stuff in general, and that extends to my knife collection. The good news is knives can get really weird. I now have three cleavers that have been produced by companies who don’t specialize in kitchen utensils. My ESEE cleaver, my Gerber Flat Iron, and now a second Gerber, the Gerber Tri-Tip mini cleaver knife, make up my collection.

Buy the Gerber Tri Tip at BladeHQ
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Gerber is a broad brand when it comes to knives. They can range from quite lovely and rather expensive, to remarkably affordable. The Tri-Tip leans more to the affordable side. It includes a molded polymer sheath and admittedly has a very fresh look. The Tri-Tip is a pretty blade, and I can’t lie when I say its looks drew me to it more than any specific need for a mini cleaver. I’m a real sucker for a pretty blade, and the Tri-Tip is a rather attractive and stout little knife.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Gerber Tri-Tip has a 2.875-inch cleaver blade is divided into a chisel edge and a cutting edge. The chisel edge is about an inch long, not very sharp, and it is finger safe. The bottom cutting edge is the near 3-inch blade. The handle is 2.75 inches long, and the whole thing weighs a mere 3 ounces. It is a full tang knife with a set of grips attached.

The blade is made from 7Cr17MoV. This cheap stainless steel that’s very popular for budget based knives. It’s quite common in affordable hunting and camping knives and even kitchen knives. The Tri-Tip fits that description nearly perfectly. It’s a budget based blade optimized for camping kitchen chores. This steel does offer excellent corrosion resistance, is easy to sharpen, and for low-end steel tends to hold an edge okay.

Edge retention is somewhat questionable, and it’s not one that lasts long. The good news is that as a cleaver, the blade isn’t always tasked with tradition cutting tasks, so the edge lasts longer than I thought. This steel isn’t known for being tough, but I’m not batoning wood or striking a fire rod for cleaver tasks.

Its edge is good enough to cut through meat and veggies easily, and even thin bones with a little strike to the rear of the blade. It’s not as sharp as any ZT or Emerson, but it’ll do its job as a 30 dollar cleaver. The small blade length offers a solid cutting edge due to the knife’s aggressive belly. You can cut through thick meat and chop vegetables rather well.

Admittedly the use of such a small cleaver is somewhat niche. I can see it as a functional camping cooking utensil that takes up very little room and weighs very little. With sustenance camping becoming more popular, I see the Tri-Tip being a handy tool for cleaning up squirrel, rabbits, and deer. The small blade won’t chop through the thicker bones of medium-sized game, but it quickly eats through chicken bones.

The chisel edge acts as a useful bench scraper to collect ingredients with ease after slicing and dicing them. The edge could also serve as a pry tool or even a stripping tool to remove bark from branches.

Handle and Ergonomics

The little 2.75-inch handle doesn’t necessarily fill the hand and won’t give you the real cleaver’s wacking ability. The grip angle has a slight incline that allows for a rocking motion to cleave through meat. The handles are made from aluminum and textured.

The downside is that there are some immediate hotspots in the area where the handles meet the palm. Using the cleaver to strip meat from bones creates hot spots throughout the hand. Using the Tri-Tip in traditional kitchen tasks was comfortable enough. Giving the black a wack, rocking it back and forth, and using the chisel edge was all plenty comfortable.

The handle is textured comfortably, and you can get a sure grip, which was surprising due to how small the grip is. I like the rounded aluminum grips and the texture they add, but they were far from perfect.

Once you turn to more outdoorsy tasks, you’ll want a larger, more prominent handle. The lightweight design is appreciated, and at only 3 ounces, it won’t pull on you when belt-mounted.

The rear of the blade is wide enough to cover with a towel and give a wack to break through thick veggies and small animal bones. You can split a chicken breast, but anything more significant might prove to be a challenge.

Sheath

The included molded polymer sheath is a high point in the Tri-Tip design. It’s mostly a simple, rectangular shape that fits 1.5-inch belts. The sheath is quite sturdy and well designed. The Tri-Tip sheath is outfitted with an active retention device. To defeat the device, you merely press down a small spring-loaded toggle and pull the blade out.

Tri-Tip slides in and out of the sheath with ease and allows you to dismount and mount the knife quickly. It’s a neat design that seems like it would be more at home on a more expensive knife. The included sheath can be worn on the right or left side, or even in a scout position. Scout being the fancy name for wearing it upside down on a plate carrier or pack strap.

While I haven’t tried to modify the sheath, it seems possible to attach a variety of clip options and change how it’s mounted. With different belt clip options, it looks like a great candidate for horizontal carry should you wish for such a thing.

Gerber Tri-Tip Review – Final Thoughts

The Tri-Tip is a neat mini cleaver. It looks and feels cool. The aluminum grips are fantastic, as is the included sheath is quite nice. I like the Tri-Tip, and I say that because I can’t find a use for it. If you wanted to kill a squirrel and clean it in the woods, then here you go. The Tri-Tip is perfect for that role. I could do the same with a dozen other essential fixed blade knives and have a more useful tool overall.

With that said, I think the knife has a powerful cool factor that makes me a fan. For the low price, I don’t mind buying it for the giggle factor.

Sale

Gerber Gear TRI-Tip Mini Cleaver Fixed Blade Camping Knife with Molle Sheath for Survival and Bushcrafting, Green

DURABLE CAMPING GEAR: At home on the trail or in camp, the Gerber TRI-Tip mini cleaver camping knife's standout design rewrites what an outdoor cooking knife can do, perfect for outdoor enthusiasts
INNOVATIVE DESIGN: The cleaver blade is not only eye-catching with its black oxide coating but serves as both a scraper tool and a cutting tool, making it a versatile camping cooking utensil
QUALITY CRAFTED: The machined aluminum handle scales provide an excellent grip and a balanced contrast of color to the knife
COMPACT AND CONVENIENT: The multi-mount knife sheath can be carried in two positions: tip down or horizontal SCOUT carry and a lanyard hole is integrated into the handle as an additional place to secure the knife
VERSATILE APPLICATIONS: This fixed blade knife is ideal for various camping, hunting and outdoor activities, offering the functionality of multiple utility knives in one tool

Editor: I recommend purchasing the Gerber Tri Tip at BladeHQ or Amazon. Thank you for reading.

Kershaw Shuffle 2 Review

by Travis Pike 2 Comments

I’m on a mission. A mission to find the best, budget-priced EDC knives. Many people carry budget knives for a variety of reasons, one being they often lose them. I’ve been there and done that, so I see the logic. One budget knife brand that seems to garner some respect is Kershaw, and with that in mind, I grabbed a Kershaw Shuffle 2.

Buy the Kershaw Shuffle 2 at BladeHQ
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The Kershaw Shuffle 2 costs a mere 20 bucks, and that’s a reasonable price for a budget based knife. The Shuffle 2 is more significant than the original Shuffle but keeps its multifunction design. It also has several different features that distinguish it from the Shuffle and make it more than just a slightly modified variant.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Kershaw Shuffle 2 sports a 2.6-inch long blade that is 0.106 inches thick. The handle is a hair under 4 inches long and is .4 inches thick. When closed, the knife is 4 inches long, and when opened, the overall length is 6.3 inches. The knife weighs just a mere 3 ounces, and that’s super light. The blade does a decent job of being efficient in both size and weight.

The Shuffle 2’s blade is an American Tanto design, so it packs a little wallop for such a small knife. The cutting edge is rather short due to the lack of any real belly to the knife. The American Tanto tip gives you a nice corner edge, and that does allow for good cuts into thicker, less friendly materials. The Shuffle 2 cuts effortlessly through heavy cardboard, clamshell packaging, several layers of duct tape, and even thicker fabrics

The blade itself is made from 8Cr13MoV, a pain-to-type, but not a bad budget steel. It’s an affordable option for discerning customers. The blade can get quite sharp and seems to hold the edge well for cheap steel. It’s not as lovely as 154CM steel, but the edge seems to last for a couple weeks’ worth of EDC tasks. The Blackwash finish is one that I’ve always been a fan of. It looks very nice and protects your knife from visible scratches and stains.

For a twenty-dollar knife, I find the 8Cr13MoV to be more than adequate. For a pocket knife, the steel is well suited for daily tasks and cuts well while looking good.

The Shuffle 2 has a big choil that your finger fits into easily and prevents the blade from closing should the lock fail. The choil is quite comfortable and is a natural extension of the grip. Not using it to hold the knife would be silly. The knife blade lacks any jimping at the top of the blade for driving it with your thumb.

The Shuffle 2 has a nice swedge for cutting through thicker materials. It does glide through things like tomatoes and allows the wide and flat blade to do its job.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

The handle is an exciting design that has a gradual curve to it. The handle is designed built-in finger grooves that feel generous and conforms to your hand and does not force your hand to adjust to it.

The grip itself is made from glass-filled nylon and comes in various colors. Mine is a lovely olive green, and I honestly enjoy the look of it. The grip is also textured with an odd wave-like design that clings to the hand without being overly uncomfortable.

The grip design also fits all four of my massive fingers on it. I wear XL gloves, and my hand fits on the knife very well. The knife gives you a fantastic degree of control over the knife. The mix of a short blade and a long handle makes it very easy to handle. You can put a lot of pressure on this little blade, and it can take it.

On the bottom end of the handle is where the multifunction nature of the Shuffle 2 comes into play. The sizeable looking lanyard loop is a lanyard loop and a bottom opener, and the tip is even a flat head screwdriver. As a flat head screwdriver, you can also use it as a pry bar. These are neat, but to be honest, I’ll never use the rear of this knife for anything other than a bottle opener.

The pocket clip is skinny, but the knife is light, so it’s not a big deal. The pocket clip is reversible for either side, but you can only carry tip-up. I prefer tip down, but it’s not a deal-breaker.

Deployment and Lock-Up

Opening the knife is easy enough, and it has ambidextrous thumb studs. You can easily open the knife with one hand, and the blade does glide out of the handle very smoothly. Those thumb studs are rather small, so you can’t sling it open rapidly like most knives. I think a rear thumb flipper would be a better option. If you want to use two hands for whatever reason, you can comfortably grip the swedge and pull it open with little resistance.

The blade uses a simple nested liner lock that clicks loudly in place and delivers both an audible and tactile feedback. The Shuffle 2 does lock up very tightly and feels very solid overall. I have not noticed any movement, play, or feel like the blade is going to come loose on me. The choil also ensures the blade isn’t going to close on you as well.

The liner lock is rather small and tougher for me to reach with my fat thumb. It’s easier for me to use my index finger to hit the liner and close the lock. The Shuffle 2 is a compact knife, so I guess this is one sacrifice you have to make.

Kershaw Shuffle 2 Review – Final Thoughts

The Shuffle 2 is a rather impressive blade for the money. Color me impressed. I plan to keep seeking out budget knives, and I’m pleased the search has started so well. The Shuffle 2 is a worthwhile budget blade that is a great EDC tool. It’s not one you’d take as a survival blade, a self-defense weapon, or on deployment, but it’s a great choice for everyday carry. The Shuffle 2 offers a lot of knife for a low price.

Kershaw Shuffle II Folding Pocket Knife, Small, Lightweight Utility and Multi-Function Knife, Multiple Styles

Editor: I recommend purchasing the Kershaw Shuffle 2 at BladeHQ or Amazon. Thank you for reading.