EDC Knives

Rike Thor4s Review

Rike doesn’t enjoy the same name recognition that Reate, Kizer, or WE Knives does. While those companies are easily recognizable as the leading names in the renaissance of Chinese knife manufacturing, Rike is often left out of the conversation. On one hand, that’s perfectly understandable: unlike Kizer, WE, or Reate, Rike hasn’t cultivated much cachet with trendy designers, relying instead on in-house designs. At the same time, they have the same reputation for quality as the others, and an aesthetic all their own besides.

Buy the Rike Thor4s at BladeHQ

To be perfectly honest, I never thought that Rike would produce a knife that’d suit my tastes. Most of their offerings have blades nearly four inches long, which is utterly out of bounds for my line of work. When I saw the specs for the Thor4s, I nearly spit out my coffee. A reasonably sized integral? From Rike, no less? I was intrigued, and luckily, my girlfriend noticed and passed that information along to my family.

It should be noted that this was a Christmas present from my folks, and if ever there was a cause for bias, it’s the knowledge that your family might read every criticism you level at an earnestly given gift. I don’t think this has affected my judgment, but all the same, it’s something you should know.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Rike Thor4s is among the smallest knives in my collection, with a blade length of 2.375”, a handle length of 3.125”, an overall length of 5.5”, and a weight of 2.08 oz. To be perfectly honest, I was caught off guard by just how small this knife is; to give you a sense a scale, the box is so small I mistook it for jewelry. The blade is short enough that it’s less than ideal on a picnic, but it’s more than long enough for standard office chores. It also bears mentioning that with a blade length less than 2.5”, it’s unlikely to spook any coworkers.

Rike Thor4s

Despite Rike’s fascination with angles, they chose a simple drop point for the blade’s profile. Were it not for a few issues I’ll bring up momentarily, this would be the utilitarian ideal. Most of the spine’s thickness is brought to the tip, so there’s little concern of snapping the tip off, whether in a fall or a bit of prying. The belly is just wide enough to feed, say, the edge of an envelope into, but not so wide that it’ll slip out of a cardboard box you’re breaking down.

Rike Thor4s

The grind on the Thor4s is immaculate. All the details are perfectly executed: the plunge lines are crisp, the swedge is even, and both the primary grind and cutting bevel are consistent and well finished. Unfortunately, the blade stock is thick enough that all that work at a grinder is functionally irrelevant. It cuts fine, don’t get me wrong, but it’s no slicer. That would normally be a deal breaker, but as mentioned above, it’s too short for most food prep anyway.

This is the first knife I’ve reviewed that has M390 steel, and truth be told I haven’t really put it through its paces. A knife this size is meant for intermittent office use, not breaking down a pallet of boxes. It’s held its edge without chipping or rolling, hasn’t rusted, and responds reasonably well to a loaded leather strop. The high satin polish has a remarkable rainbow sheen that undoubtedly helps with rust resistance.

Rike Thor4s

Handle, Ergonomics, and Carry

Of course, the prime selling point of the Rike Thor4s is its integral handle. For the uninitiated, that means that the handle is milled from a single block of material, which in this case is titanium. It’s an expensive process with few (if any) practical upsides, and most of an integral’s appeal lies in its status as a feat of engineering. Rike’s design language carries this theme to its logical endpoint, as the over-machined aesthetic pushes the Thor4s into “pocketable sculpture” territory.

Rike Thor4s

Overall, the ergonomics of the Thor4s are fine, with the exception of two distinct flaws. The first of those is the butt of the handle, which, as you can see, tapers down to a wide, flaired end that leaves a rather sharp point on either side of the handle. In turn, this generates a slight hotspot when the knife is opened, though not when it’s held normally during use. The second issue is the pocket clip. For what I can only guess are aesthetic reasons, the tip of the clip isn’t rounded, or even squared: instead, it ends in an angular point. Most of the time this isn’t a problem, but every so often it catches on the meat of my palm in an altogether unpleasant way.

Rike Thor4s

Normally knives with questionable ergonomics are also unpleasant to carry, but such isn’t the case here. It’s lightweight, compact, and its ergonomic flaws are only noticeable in the hand. As much as I want to rail against milled pocket clips in general, the spring tension on the Thor4s is quite nice, neither fraying the lip of my pocket nor acting like a hook instead of a clip.

Rike Thor4s

Deployment and Lock Up

The blade is deployed by a well-executed flipper. It’s definitely of the ‘pull’ variety: trying to push on the tab will only leave you with a bruised finger. Instead of washers, the pivot runs on caged bearings, which is to be expected at this price point. The detent is crisp, the action is smooth, and as far as deployment is concerned, there’s not a fault to be found.

Rike Thor4s

Once deployed, the blade is held open by a titanium frame lock that features a stainless steel lock insert. There is no horizontal or vertical blade play, and the lock consistently engages around 30% of the blade tang. The decorative pivot collar also functions as an overtravel stop. This is exactly the list of features I want in an integral frame lock. By contrast, when I was working on the DPx Aculus review, I was always aware that if something happened to the lock, I’d be up a certain creek without a paddle.

Rike Thor 4 Review – Final Thoughts

Overall, the Thor4s is an intriguing – if imperfect – addition to the market. The blade stock is a bit chunky, and the ergonomics a bit pokey, but at heart the Thor4s is an office knife, and as such those two flaws are tolerable. Between the top notch manufacturing, high end materials, and the novelty of a sub-3” integral, there’s more than enough to redeem the design.

It’s difficult to find comparisons to the Thor4s. There are plenty of production integrals, but few at this price point, and none at this size. The Lionsteel SR-22 (when it debuts) will be the next smallest integral that I’m aware of, but even then it will be substantially larger than the Thor4s. If you’re in the market for reasonably sized integral, this is likely your only option.

Next up: the Steel Will Modus.

Editor: I recommend purchasing the Rike Thor4s at BladeHQ. Please consider that buying anything through any of the links on this website, including Amazon.com helps support BladeReviews.com, and keeps the site going. As always, any and all support is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

Great Eastern Cutlery Tidioute 43 Oregon Trapper Review

by Aaron Shapiro Leave a Comment

I’ll never forget when my family was cleaning out my late Grandfather’s house after he passed. I found an old band-aid tin that was full of a variety (in both style and age) of small multi-bladed slip joints. They were all he carried and on most of them one blade was worn down to a nub, whereas the rest were shiny and like-new. He was a true EDCer, he didn’t think about the concept of carrying things like I do, he just made sure he had what he needed. A traditional knife was always included.

Buy the GEC Oregon Trapper at KnivesShipFree or GPKnives

Slipjoints, or traditional knives, have seen a bit of a resurgence in the last couple years with the knife community at large. So much so that you see dedicated slip joint knives being made by brands like Spyderco, Benchmade, and Lionsteel.

Great Eastern Cutlery while being relatively new on the slip joint scene when compared with the likes of Queen, or Imperial, have been generating new levels of interest and collectibility with traditional knife collectors since their founding in 2009. They’ve reborn some classic brands such as Northfields and Tidioute and honor a lot of the classic production patterns that have been in pockets for decades. All that to say, today we are going to be looking at the Great Eastern Cutlery Tidioute 43 – Oregon Trapper. Now, before we get too far into this review, I want to be upfront and say that I am not a history expert on traditional knives, so please forgive some discrepancies in that regard. This review will take into consideration actually putting the knife in your pocket and carrying it in your day-to-day life. So, without further ado, some specs:

Blade Length: 3.25”
Closed Length: 4.25”
OAL: 7.5”
Steel: 1095 Carbon Steel
Weight: 3.8oz
Handle Materials: “Frontier Bone” handle scales, I think this is just a form of cow bone, but I’m not sure.

I’ve owned a handful of GEC’s knives over the last few years, even been able to get my paws on some of their much sought after Tom’s Choice (or TC by the cool kids) special factory runs. So, when I got the Oregon Trapper in hand I was struck by one thing right off the bat, this knife is large for a slip joint. I was, obviously, aware of the size when I ordered it. The specs were clearly listed on knivesshipfree.com but it wasn’t until I got the knife that I realized exactly how big it is. Now, depending on where you fall in the slip joint community that could be a good thing, or that could be a bad thing. As a tactical knife carrier in recovery, I dig the larger size. I think it’s easy to feel, “under-gunned,” for some reason when you’re carrying a small slip joint knife by itself, but this Oregon Trapper dispels that feeling.

GEC 43 Oregon Trapper Blade

GEC’s chosen steel is the venerable 1095 high-carbon steel. 1095 is like a bowl of vanilla ice cream when it comes to knife steels. It’s really all ya need, but there’s nothing really special here. It’s high-carbon, so it will take and hold a fine edge very well, but it will also stain and rust if you let it. To add onto that, there is also a whole “sub-culture,” that forces patinas on their blades, and I have to admit, a well-done patina (or a naturally formed one over a long period of honest use) looks really, really nice. The steel thickness on the GEC starts at 0.113” and is ground to a blistering 0.018 before the final edge. There are sharp knives, and then there are “sticky” sharp knives where when you lightly touch the edge your skin sticks to it. This knife is the latter.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Carry

As I stated earlier the handles of the GEC 43 Oregon Trapper are made from a material GEC calls it’s “Frontier Bone,” which is a vaguely frightening term that makes you think of bleached buffalo bones in a sandy Arizona desert landscape, however, the truth is less menacing. Frontier Bone is a portion of light cow bone that’s burnt or toasted, and then polished. I think it looks pretty cool and is generally cheaper and easier to find compared to something like stag or jigged bone handles.

GEC 43 Oregon Trapper Handle

The one catch with GEC’s (and really all traditionals) is that these type of bone handles can vary greatly in thickness. Looking straight down at my example shows that the right-hand scale is slightly concave, whereas the left is convex. So that will always be a gamble with this particular handle material, something like micarta will not have this issue. The handle shape itself is simple, straight back with a slight swell and negative angle at the tail. This allows a solid purchase in hand but doesn’t have any choils or jimps to provide texture.

It terms of carrying the GEC 43, I use a leather pocket sheath. knivesshipfree.com include their own branded buffalo leather pocket slip, that I used for a while. I have a custom pocket slip made by a friend of mine that carries a slipjoint and a Muyshondt Maus. Due to the fact that the knife is a bit larger than your normal slipjoint it may not work with all your carry methods, but it seems to work well with these. I generally suggest some sort of pocket organizer to keep the knife vertical in your pocket, there’s nothing worse than knife sitting sideways in your pocket.

GEC 43 Oregon Trapper in a Pocket Sheath

Walk and Talk

Lastly, the action. Slipjoints are measured on a scale of 1-10. 1 being the blade having zero resistance on it from the spring, and 10 being it needs the screaming He-Man strength to open it. Most GEC’s are a 6-7, they have a stronger pull than I like, but are usable and manageable. The Oregon Trapper clocks in at a solid 5, nice and smooth action with a pinch-able blade. I found the walk and talk to be a little spongey, but there is still a good positive half-stop and audible snap when closing/opening. Once opened the knife is solid and doesn’t have any movement side to side. For a production, this is perfectly acceptable.

GEC 43 Oregon Trapper Closed

Great Eastern Cutlery Tidioute 43 Oregon Trapper Review – Final Thoughts

So, would I suggest this to someone else? Sure, if what you want is a larger slip joint that could serve as your only EDC knife. I think the decision to transition from a locking folder to a slip joint as part of your EDC is one that takes some consideration. I would personally say that non-locking folder of any sort is more of a lighter-duty knife. So if you’re in law enforcement, construction, fire fighting, etc – I think that you’d need to think long and hard about what the lack of a lock would mean on your knife.

If you’re like me and you work in an office, and primarily open mail, packages, and cut food with your EDC knife, this is an obvious choice; and a great way to introduce some variety into your EDC rotation. As always our preferred source of everything sharp is either from knivesshipfree.com or bladehq.com both of which have this particular Great Eastern Cutlery 43 Oregon Trapper in stock.

GEC #73 Cody Scout
From: KnivesShipFree

Editor: I recommend purchasing the GEC 43 Oregon Trapper at KniveShipFree or GPKnives. 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.

Manly Peak Review

by Dan 2 Comments

I have a couple Manly knives for you today. That’s not a typo. Manly is a Bulgarian knife manufacturer. More recently they have started distributing knives in the USA through their aptly named Manly USA distributor.

A couple articles on Nemo Knives Review put their products on the map for me, and I quickly became attracted to their spare yet functional designs.

I reached out to their US Distributor, Lubo, and and was kind enough to provide these knives for review free of charge (full disclosure). What you are looking at is actually their Peak and Peak 2 models. The Peak features the thumb hole, while the Peak 2 is a two hand opening design. That’s the biggest difference so I’ve decided to put them both into one review. I also have their fixed blade, the Patriot, and will perform a write up on that later on.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Peak has an overall length of 8.66″, a 3.7″ blade, weighs 4.0 ounces, and is made in Bulgaria. This is a big work knife, but it’s slim and lightweight for its size. It reminds me of a beefed up Spyderco Endura, and strikes me as a hybrid between that knife and the Cold Steel Broken Skull.

The Peak came with a thin full flat grind, while The Peak 2 came with a partial flat grind. Both blades are cut from 3mm thick stock and share a similar elongated clip point profile. The long and thin blade profile provide plenty of cutting edge, some belly, and a fine tip. Manly included small sharpening choils on both models. The edges are evenly ground, and Manly states on their website that the edges are 15 degrees inclusive. It’s nice to see that information provided by the manufacturer. The blades are left with a light stonewashed finish.

Manly offers this knife in a variety of blade steels, including S90V and D2. My particular knives came in DIN 1.2379. DIN 1.2379 is a German steel and is equivalent to ANSI D2. Here is a link to the full data sheet for 1.2379 where you can review the chemical composition. Here is a link to DIN 1.2379 on the excellent ZKnives Steel Composition Chart. With a Chromium content of 12%, 1.2379 is more stainless than other variants of D2.

Lubo told me these knives were designed for use and asked me to put them through their paces. Right on. I so happened to have a couple large cardboard boxes at the house, and that is where I started. The Peak 1 was especially good at cutting through cardboard with its full flat grind, but both performed admirably. I also used the knives outside and whittled extensively with them. They aggressively removed large chunks of wood, and were handy for a morning of yard work. Finally I tested the knives on some apples. I try to have some fruit after dinner each night, and find cutting up an apple to be a good test of edge geometry and stain resistance. Both knives cut cleanly, although again the original Peak was a slightly better slicer due to that full flat grind.

Edge retention was good on both of my knives. Cardboard is an extremely abrasive material, and by the end of my box break down session both knives needed a tune up. Neither could shave hair. I used the coarse and fine rods on my Spyderco Sharpmaker and was able to freehand these back to shaving sharp in under a minute. This was surprising as D2 can be a notoriously tough steel to sharpen. I had no issues.

I also haven’t had any issues with staining, rust, or corrosion. I never cleaned this knife after cutting up fruit and I took the pictures after weeks of testing. The extra Chromium in this blend has to be why. Frankly, I would have never guessed the blade steel in this knife was an analog to D2. It behaves nothing like the steel on the Benchmade 710. In my opinion that is a good thing as I found the 710 tough to sharpen.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

The Peak features full G10 handles with nested stainless steel liners, and a steel black lock. Everything is held together by a series of allen head fasteners. Fit and finish are good. The G10 has been crisply chamferred, all the hardware has been given the same bright stonewash of the blade, and all the parts line up neatly. This is like a reinforced version of the Endura.

Manly offers the Peak in 2 grades of G-10. A coarse peel-ply G10 shown with the black Peak 2, and a finer, less abrasive G-10 as featured on the orange Peak. Both offer good traction without being overly abrasive. In addition to the orange and black colorways, Manly offers these knives with desert camo G10 scales as well.

The Peak is a simple design. What it lacks in finger choils and curves, it makes up for with a simple handle design that is sure to accommodate most hands. It doesn’t get much more basic than this, with the gentle curve of the handle meeting easily with the palm of your hand. The corrugated G10 provides plenty of traction, and the inclusion of a short run of jimping on the bottom of the handle works perfectly for capturing your index finger. You don’t see jimping placed here on most folding knives, but I like it. It doesn’t wear out your thumb, but it also prevents your fingers from slipping forward on the blade. Smart.

The pocket clip is yet another example of simple, practical design. The pocket clip is a fold over deep carry clip, mounted on the very edge of the handle to ensure the knife buries as deeply and discreetly as possible. It’s swappable for tip up right or left hand carry, and a “filler tab” a-la Hinderer Knives is included to fill the space for the side you aren’t using.

In practice the Peak and Peak 2 both carry well. They are relatively thin and light knives, and the strong pocket clip anchors them securely in your pocket. The only possible issue is the prominent inclusion of the word “manly” on the clip. More self conscious readers may find that to be a message they would rather not broadcast from their hip, but like every other aspect of the knife, I think the branding has been done tastefully and I don’t mind it.

Deployment and Lockup

For deployment you have your choice of the thumb hole clad Peak, or the two hand opening Peak 2. Your choice will of course depend on your preference, but also perhaps where you live. As a Bulgarian company I am sure Manly has many European customers, and some of these countries don’t allow one hand opening knives. As an American who has grown quite fond of the one-hand-opening feature of modern folding knives, I tend to prefer the Peak, but the Peak 2 is kind of fun in its own way.

For the Peak, the thumb hole is actually a slight oval. In speaking with Lubo, my understanding is that this is done in part to avoid any issues with Spyderco and their Round Hole trademark. It works well, and you can easily snap the blade open with your thumb. However, the strong back lock will prevent you from flicking the blade open.

And on the subject of Spyderco, here is a shot of the Peak vs. my Paramilitary 2:

The Peak 2 is easy enough to unfold with two hands. There is plenty of room to grab the blade, and both knives are equipped with phosphor bronze washers. They operate smoothly.

For lockup we have the tried and true back lock. This is one of man kind’s oldest locks, and it remains relevant for good reason. It’s simply, sturdy, and secure. Here the lock back has been executed crisply. The spring is strong and the blade locks in place with a satisfying “snap”. There is no blade play on either of my knives. When it’s time to close the knife back up, the lock is easy enough to disengage with your thumb. All in all there is little to complain about when it comes to the lock on these Peak knives.

Blade centering is a mm or so off on my Peak, and perfectly centered on my Peak 2. No complaints given the price point.

Manly Peak Review – Final Thoughts

The Peak and Peak 2 are charming every man folders from Manly. I like the simple design. The knives are left with everything you need and nothing you don’t. They are built nicely from quality materials. All of this adds up to no-nonsense work knives. These may not win the “Most Innovative Knife of the Year” award any time soon, but they are comfortable in hand and cut really well.

Long time readers know I’m a fan of no-nonsense work knives like the Cold Steel American Lawman, and ESEE Zancudo. Humble work knives that get the job done. This Manly Peak is cut from the same cloth. But it’s also a very thoughtful design. Elegant, really.

I thought I would enjoy the Peak, otherwise I wouldn’t have requested a review sample, but I was surprised at exactly how much I enjoyed it. It’s hard to believe a simple knife like this didn’t already exist in a market crowded by thousands of models. I’m glad I checked it out.

These knives start at $80, and top out around $120 if you want S90V blade steel. I think Manly is offering good value for money here. $80 isn’t much more than what an Endura will run you these days, and in this case you get a superior steel, a deep carry pocket clip, and a full G-10 handle.

I like and recommend both these knives.

My understanding is that Manly Knives are mostly sold through their distributors at this point. So I recommend purchasing the Manly Peak and Peak 2 at ManlyUSA if you live in the States or Manly Canada if you are in Canada.

That said, please consider that buying anything through any of the links on this website, including Amazon and BladeHQ, helps support BladeReviews.com, and keeps the site going. Any and all support is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

Zero Tolerance 0450CF Review

by Dan 14 Comments

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I lust after knives for months, or even years, before pulling the trigger. That was the case with this Zero Tolerance 0450CF. The original 0450 was cool, but the carbon fiber version put me over the top. It’s a little lighter and sleeker, and the choice of green anodized accents isn’t something you see on a lot of knives. I decided I wanted one, but could never find a decent deal on it.

Buy the ZT 0450CF at BladeHQ

Fast forward a couple years later, and I received a trade offer that included this 0450CF. Right on. I immediately responded back that I was interested, and a few days later the knife was at my doorstep.

By way of a more formal introduction, the 0450 series is a riff on the original Dimitry Sinkevich designed 0454CF that I reviewed back in 2014. Chad McBroom reviewed the mass marketed 0452CF and Ben reviewed the shrunken down full titanium 0450. I’ve got the ultra light 0450CF for your consideration today.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The 0450CF has an over all length of 7.375″, a 3.25″ blade, and weighs a mere 2.45 ounces. Like all Zero Tolerance knives, the 0450CF is made in the USA.

The 0450 and the 0450CF are reactions to the knife market. Zero Tolerance is know for large overbuilt knives, but they received feedback that everyone didn’t want to carry around a big honking pocket knife. So the 0450 hit the scene, and then this 0450CF took that even further by replacing the titanium show side handle with carbon fiber. This shaved over almost half an ounce off the already lightweight 0450. This, my friends, makes for an ideal EDC knife in my book.

The 0450CF shares the same low slung blade that made us all fall in love with the 0454CF when it hit the scene. It’s a long, sleek, modified drop point blade, featuring a little belly and plenty of tip. The knife has a high flat grind and a decorative swedge. The blade has been given a semi-glossy black DLC coating. The edge has been uniformly applied, and there is a sharpening choil so you can easily sharpen this blade from tip to heel.

ZT opted for S35VN for the blade steel. Regulars to the site or high end knives need no introduction to S35VN. It’s a high performance stainless steel from Crucible designed specificaly for pocket knives with the help of Chris Reeve. It’s an excellent all round blade steel and a good choice for small pocket knives like this as it offers a good balance of edge retention, toughness, and ease of sharpening. I like S35VN generally, and they did a great job with the heat treat on this 0450CF. As always if you want to dive deeper into blade steel check out our steel section for all sorts of additional info.

Practically speaking this little 0450CF is a capable cutter. The blade shape is perfect for getting under envelopes, breaking down boxes, cutting fruit, and performing all the little odd ball chores I require of my EDC knives. That said, I must agree with Ben that this knife is not the best slicer. The partial flat grind binds up in material. While it cuts, it’s no Alox Cadet. This is probably my biggest gripe with the knife.

The S35VN blade has held up great, and so has the Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) coating. DLC coatings are among the best money can buy, and unless you scrape this knife on concrete or metal it will hold up well.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

The handle of the 0450CF is a solid piece of carbon fiber on the show side, and a black DLC coated titantium framelock on the reverse. The knife is held together with two green aluminum standoffs and an oversized pivot. Construction is simple yet elegant. All the hardware is black save for the green anodized standoffs. The fit and finish is exceptional. The screws are all the right length, the parts line up perfectly, and the finish work is excellent. The carbon fiber is lightly textured, and shimmers slightly in the light. This handle has been beautifully done.

The 0450CF is a small knife, but it doesn’t compromise in the ergonomics department. Dimitry’s design is simple and it should work well for most people. I take an “XL” size glove and have no problem getting a full four finger grip on this knife.

There is a short row of jimping on the spine that provides you with a little traction and something to index your thumb on. Beyond that there is not much in the way of texture. That’s fine by me as I don’t think this knife needs aggressive texturing. It works well as is.

The pocket clip is a standard parkerized black spoon style pocket clip. It’s relatively discreet and unobtrusive. While it’s not a true deep carry clip, it buries the majority of the knife in your pocket and keeps the 0450CF tucked away. The clip is swappable for right or left side tip up carry. A deep carry clip would have been nice.

I have carried this knife quite a bit. The 0450CF is a knife that you forget you are carrying. At just under 2.5 ounces this is not going to pull your pants down. The clip has great retention and the knife stays where you want it to in your pocket.

Deployment and Lockup

This is a Dimitry Sinkevich designed flipper made by Zero Tolerance, so the flipping action is outstanding. The detent is perfectly tuned for crisp, snappy flipping action each and every time. I’ve never “flubbed the flip” with this knife and I’d say the action is a solid “8” on the 0-10 scale. It’s good. Inside you have a caged bearing system. It is exceptionally smooth and you can shake the knife closed easily.

Please note I’m a lefty, so I don’t have any issues with putting my fingers on the lock bar when flipping the knife. I tried flipping this 0450CF with my right hand. Beside it being incredibly awkward for me, it works fine. No issues flipping open this knife. I think ZT fixed the issue that plagued their earlier knives.

Here is a shot of the 0450CF next to another excellent EDC knife, the Spyderco Sage 1:

For lockup we have a titanium frame lock with a stainless steel insert. Zero Tolerance does such a good job with these, that I almost feel that writing this section is unnecessary. The lock bar engages early and securely. The lockup is rock solid with zero blade play in any direction. The lock is smooth and easy to manipulate with no lock stick. This is titanium frame lock perfection and continues to be something of a gold standard in my world.

Blade centering is dead nuts center on my knife.

Zero Tolerance 0450CF Review – Final Thoughts

Ben was a little lukewarm on his 0450. He didn’t like the way the knife cut, the ergonomics, and he had issues with the action. Aside from that Mrs. Lincoln tells me the play was OK.

I think Ben raises valid points. A little knife like this should zip through stuff, but the combination of narrow blade and partial flat grind impacts the 450CF’s slicing performance. It still cuts, but it could be better. Personally, the ergonomics were spot on for my hand, and I found that the 0450CF flipped great. Ergonomics will vary from person to person, and I think ZT addressed the flipping action.

All in all, I am glad I picked up this little 0450CF. It’s as cool in person as I always hoped. I like the look of it over the standard 0450 and how it’s even lighter with this carbon fiber handle.

The 0450CF is an excellent little EDC knife in my book. With a retail price at close to $200 it’s not cheap, but I’m glad I went for it. The 0450 is probably ZT’s most practical EDC offering for the average person. This carbon fiber version takes things up a notch.

Zero Tolerance 0450CF; With 3.25” DLC-Coated S35VN Stainless Steel Blade, All-Black Carbon Fiber and Titanium Handle Scales, KVT Ball-Bearing Opening, Frame Lock and Reversible Pocketclip; 2.45 OZ.

List Price: $158.53

Current Price: $145.00

Price Disclaimer

I recommend purchasing the Zero Tolerance 0450CF 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.

Spyderco Chaparral FRN Lightweight Review

by Benjamin Schwartz 3 Comments

The word ‘refinement’ is one of those bits of critical shorthand that gets people nodding their heads without, most of the time, meaning anything. But in the case of the Chaparral FRN, the latest, least expensive entry in a series that began in 2011, we know it’s been worked over, thought about, maybe even agonized over. Sal himself has alluded to the Chapparral FRN project’s particular specialness to him and the company’s drive to get it done and get it right.

Buy the Spyderco Chaparral Lightweight at BladeHQ

And the Chaparral series itself is part of a longer lineage. There’s a kind of “Ur-Spyderco” design at which many of the company’s most successful releases originate. Utility-oriented blade, friendly size, ergonomic handle with a half-and-half finger choil…this is the starting point for many seminal Spyderco knives. The Caly, Sage, Cat, Native, Dragonfly, and Stretch series all originate here, and so does the Chaparral – and it may, possibly, be the best of all those knives in terms of pure EDC.

Yeah, I don’t like to bury the lead like this, but it’s no use withholding the obvious truth here: the Chaparral FRN is a great knife. It’s probably perfect, and I knew that before I even got one. This is the rare case where there was little difference between imagining what a knife was like before I owned it and discovering what it was actually like after carrying and using it. There’s not a thing I would change about this knife and I think it would please anyone in the market for a knife of this size and use category.

But then again, knives aren’t like books or games, where each one offers a different experience you can’t find elsewhere. All knives fundamentally do the same thing. Is the Chaparral FRN’s Platonic perfection worth your attention and your dollars? Let’s take a look.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Chaparral has a blade length of 2.8”, with a cutting edge of 2.2”. Handle length is 3.5” without the finger choil, and with it is right at 4”. Overall length is 6.3” and weight is 2.5 oz. The Chaparral is made in Taichung, Taiwan.

In terms of size, the Chaparral falls between the Dragonfly 2 and the Delica 4. It has about .4” more cutting edge than a DF2 – enough to boost it into wider cutting capabilities – and compared to the Delica it’s more compact, albeit with .3” less cutting edge (not as crucial a size increase).

This will be a recurring motif with the Chaparral FRN, but the leaf shape blade does most things well and nothing poorly. And when it comes to detail work and surgeon-like snipping in particular, the blade really sings due to a thin, precise grind. Edge geometry and blade thickness rarely make or break a knife for me, but the Chaparral FRN’s configuration was noticeably optimized.

The Chaparral FRN marks my first long-term encounter with CTS-XHP. I’ve been so long acclimated to the solid performance of modern steels that it had virtually no chance to wow me, but that doesn’t mean it was bad. Edge retention and sharpening seemed about on par with S35VN, and maybe due to the generous edge bevel and thin blade it responded eagerly to stropping.

Now of course, seeing this kind of steel on an $80 knife plays into the value proposition with the FRN Chaparral, but I’ll discuss that further down.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

The gentle central handle swell, the narrow butt-end, the forward half-and-half choil – any knife enthusiast knows these elements like the words to his or her favorite song. And as with a favorite song, familiarity has failed to breed contempt. I’m not tired of this handle design at all. Each time I returned to the Chaparral FRN after a day with something else, I was pleasantly surprised. It just feels right.

This is a very thin-handled knife, and thin handles don’t always make for good ergonomics. Narrow knives can twist and turn in hand or dig into your palm during hard cutting tasks. Thankfully the Chaparral FRN avoids these problems, with chamfered edges all along the perimeter, adding dimensionality and softening the places pressed against your palm and fingers. A subtle and smart detail that makes a world of difference.

Yes, the bi-directional texturing pattern here is new, but not really different. Spyderco opted for a hexagonal motif, but otherwise the new texturing provides the same sure grip (and fires off the same trypophobia if you look at it too long) as previous FRN-handled Spyderco knives.

The deep carry wire clip is here, and yes, I admit, it is good. I’ve overcome my distaste for this clip. It hides the Chaparral completely in the pocket, which is a nice, people-friendly flourish for a knife as urbane as this. Still, I think the method of securing the clip, a screw that goes over two little prongs laid into cutouts in the handle, is weak, susceptible to knocks and scrapes in a way the standard clip screws aren’t – but not everyone is as klutzy as I am and a little care will go a long way here.

Deployment and Lockup

The opening hole is, as always, great. Accessible, ambidextrous, able to be opened one- or two-handed. It’s a winner.

But take a moment to pity the poor lock back. Wrongly neglected, it does so much right and very little wrong. It’s strong, self-adjusting, innately ambidextrous, and keeps your fingers out of the blade channel when you close the knife. Why does it have this reputation as a stodgy, cumbersome contrivance of yore, in the days before the twin lights of Michael Walker and Chris Reeve brought us out of the dark ages?

Well if you’re looking for a good argument in 2018 for the lock back, the Chaparral FRN is it. Glassy smooth, it snaps into place with authority and holds the blade dead still, with nary a millimeter of play in any direction. The overall narrowness of the knife makes repeated disengagements slightly uncomfortable, but that’s only if you’re sitting there opening and closing it for extended amounts of time.

Spyderco Chaparral FRN Review – Final Thoughts

The Chaparral FRN is a great knife. But yeah , there are tons of great knives out there right now. What, if anything, makes the Chaparral stand out?

It comes down to price. Delivering real value in the crucial sub-$100 bracket takes doing. Real value comes from innovations, not sacrifices. A knife with bad steel and cheap materials is not a good value, it’s simply cheap (whether or not it’s a good knife). The Wharncliffe Delica 4, the Polestar and Alcyone, even the Byrd line upgrades all reflect attempts at real value, and so does the Chaparral FRN.

It may be more expensive than those others, but it goes further than they do, too, bringing excellent steel, perfect size, and as much pure Spyderco design excellence as you could wish for, all while hitting a price point within spitting range of the Delica – and that’s a pretty big deal. It won’t ever dislodge the Delica/Endura lines in terms of popularity, and there’re many knives from many manufacturers to consider, but there’s a distinct chance that for anybody in the market for a pure EDC knife, the Chaparral FRN is now the sub-$100 entry to beat.

The particular Chaparral FRN under review is a special one, a Christmas gift from my girlfriend Leslie that came engraved on the show side (hence why you only get pictures of the back throughout this review). It’s part of my permanent collection on that ground alone. But in addition to sentimental value it also happens to be a perfect knife that I unreservedly recommend. I think it’s the best version of the Chaparral to get, unless you crave the pizzazz some of the pricier versions offer.

Yeah, but is it better than the Delica? Only time – and a possible Showdown – will tell.

Spyderco C152PGY Chapparral Folder 2.8 in PlainEdge FRN Handle, Gray, 2.8"

List Price: $87.72

Current Price: $87.69

Price Disclaimer

Editor: I recommend purchasing the Spyderco Chaparral FRN Lightweight 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.

Boker Plus Kalashnikov AK-74 Automatic Knife Review

by Dan 2 Comments

My recent review of the Microtech Stitch ignited my interest in automatic knives. I think it’s easy to see why. The Stitch is a beautiful and unique knife. It is also a $400 knife. That’s a significant chunk of change. I wanted to check out a more affordable segment of the market.

Buy the Boker Kalashnikov at BladeHQ

The Boker Kalashnikov is an easy knife to consider in the budget auto category. It has been a best seller for BladeHQ for years. But for whatever reason I’ve been ignoring it. Maybe it’s the Kalashnikov schtick. Not really my thing. That combined with it being an auto dropped it far down on the list of knives to review.

But lets check it out. For $40, its about 10% the cost of the Microtech Stitch, so it will be interesting to compare the two. Lets see how it holds up.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Kalashnikov, which is sometimes referred to as the 74 or “AK-74″, has an overall length of 7.625″, a 3.25” blade, and it weighs 3.70 ounces. It’s a good size for EDC, provided that it’s legal for you to carry an automatic knife where you live. In many parts of the world it’s not legal to carry an automatic knife, so check your laws carefully before pocketing the Kalashnikov in public.

Also, it’s worth mentioning that this knife was designed by Dietmar Pohl of Pohl Force fame. I didn’t realize this until I sat down to write the review. Good to know.

Boker Plus Kalashnikov vs. Microtech Stitch

Boker offers this knife in a variety of blade shapes and colors. I happened to get the spearpoint bladed version with the BladeHQ exclusive “Smokewash” finish. My knife has been evenly ground. The blade stock is right at 3mm thick. It gets reasonably thin behind the edge, and has a fine tip. The edge has been applied evenly, and the smokewash finish has an attractive distressed look. All in all, the blade has been well done.

If a spearpoint isn’t your thing Boker offers the knife with a drop point, tanto, or clip point blade. There are probably other versions. This has been a successful model for Boker and like the Kwaiken it has been released in a myriad of configurations over the years.

The Ak-74 comes in AUS-8 blade steel. This seems to be their standard offering for this model, although you may be able to find different steels in various limited releases. Those who have been around the budget knife market for a minute know that AUS-8 is a softer steel. Edge retention isn’t great, but it does take a nice edge and is easy to sharpen. For $40 I’m not complaining. I think AUS-8 is appropriate given the price point.

Boker Plus Kalashnikov Blade

In practice the Kalashnikov held up to all the little EDC chores I put it through. This includes the usual stuff like opening mail, breaking down boxes, and cutting fruit. This sort of stuff is no problem for the Kalashnikov. When the edge eventually dulls a couple swipes on my Sharpmaker or DMT stones bring the edge back without issue. This is an easy steel to sharpen.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

The AK-74 features an anodized cast aluminum handle. The handle is contoured and heavily textured. It has 3 bands running down it, designed to mimic the magazine of an AK-74 rifle. The handle pieces are held together by torx hardware and 3 stand offs, providing a decent view into the guts of the knife. There’s not much to see. Just more black aluminum. The hardware is black, save for the pivot which has a little extra decoration on it.

All the parts line up. There are no sharp edges. When I shake the knife it doesn’t rattle. The handle appears to be dialed in.

Boker Plus Kalashnikov Handle

The Kalashnikov has decent ergonomics. The first thing I noticed are the 3 finger grooves. Typically these can cause hot spots, but I had no issues with my size “XL” hands. There is a row of jimping on the spine of the blade and back of the handle. It works well. It’s on the aggressive side, but for basic EDC tasks it didn’t bother me.

The handle itself is loaded with texture. It has a faux stippled look to it. Kind of like a Pebble Tec swimming pool but even milder. All said the ergonomics on this knife aren’t bad. It’s not the world’s most comfortable knife, but it’s not offensive either.

Boker Plus Kalashnikov Pocket Clip

The pocket clip is a large black deep carry pocket clip. It carries the same motif as the handle with 3 ridges. I’m not a huge fan of the styling, but beyond that this is a functional and discreet pocket clip. It buries the knife in your pocket, and the good spring retention keeps the knife tucked away.

In practice the Kalashnikov carried as I would expect it. At a little under 4 ounces the knife is relatively small and light. For the most part I didn’t notice it.

Boker Plus Kalashnikov Flow Through Construction

Deployment and Lockup

The Kalashnikov is a coil spring automatic. To release the blade you depress the button. Very simple and effective. The spring action is excellent and the blade slams open with a loud smack. No complaints in the deployment department.

Boker Plus Kalashnikov Ergonomics

For lockup we have a button lock. This setup is just like the Microtech Stich, although everything done has been on a much smaller scale. Lockup is tight, but I detect a slight amount of side to side play when I pull on the blade. Nothing crazy, but it’s there. The lock disengages easily, with no lock stick or binding.

Boker Plus Kalashnikov

Blade centering is close to perfect on my knife.

Boker Kalashnikov Review – Final Thoughts

I still find the entire premise of the knife to be slightly goofy, but I’m glad I picked up the Boker Kalashnikov. I think if you are looking for a sturdy automatic folder for $40 or so, then the Kalashnikov is well worth considering. It’s well made and fully functional. I don’t think there is anything else out there that touches it.

I see Smith and Wesson makes a series of “Extreme Ops” autos for $20-30, but I’d bet my bottom set of dentures that they won’t be as good as this AK-74. Kershaw makes a nice series of USA made automatic knives, but these are going to cost you at least twice as much money. Anything by Gerber or Benchmade is going to set you back at least $150. So for $40 I’d say this is a nice sweet spot if you are wanting to add an automatic folder to your collection but want to keep the cost below $50.

And the knife works well. It benefits from a simple design, decent materials, and sturdy construction. It cuts well, is reasonably comfortable to use, carries nicely, and has a snappy push button automatic action. There is really nothing wrong with it. I think it represents good value for money given its price. It is easy to see why this knife has sold well over the years and continues to stay in production with a wide variety of different configurations.

Does it impress me like the $400 Stitch? Not really. But it’s still a good knife for the money. Recommended for a sub $50 auto.

Boker Kalashnikov – From $39.95
From: BladeHQ

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