Traditional Knives

Chris Reeve Knives Sebenza 25 Review

How do you improve on perfection? That may have been a question asked by the engineers at Chris Reeve when they approached the Sebenza 25. I wasn’t in the room, so I really have no idea. The Sebenza has received incremental improvements over the years, but for it’s 25th anniversary CRK really wanted to up the ante, or at least do something different from the tried and true Sebenza 21. The Sebenza 25 is that knife.

Buy the CRK Sebenza 25 at BladeHQ

The 25 is beefier and has more attitude than the 21, but there is still no mistaking it for a Sebenza. Is the 25 a worthy buy? Should you get it instead of a Sebenza 21? How does it compare with other knives in CRKs lineup? Having owned a Unumzaan, and presently owning a large Sebenza 21, I decided to pick up a Sebenza 25, give it a whirl, and attempt to answer some of these questions.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Sebenza 25 has an overall length of 8.375″, a 3.625″ blade, and it weighs 5.2 ounces. It’s similar in size to a large 21, but it’s definitely a more heavily built knife and weighs a full half ounce more. Offhand I would consider it as a hybrid between the 21 and the Umnumzaan. Unlike the 21, CRK does not currently offer a small version of the 25. Will we eventually see a mini 25? Only time will tell. I know plenty of people like to EDC the large 21, so I don’t see why you couldn’t EDC a 25. Personally I prefer a small Sebenza or a Mnandi for EDC, but I did make a point to carry the 25 around a bit to understand how it performs as a daily carry.

The blade of the 25 is a classic CRK drop point, with a few subtle (or not so subtle) changes over the 21. First of all the blade stock is visibly thicker at .14″ (which is approximately 3.5mm – the blade on the Sebenza 21 is about 3.1mm thick). Chris Reeve also gave the knife what they are calling a “large hollow grind” which is billed as a compromise between the thinness and slicing performance of a hollow grind and the toughness of a full flat grind.

I recently expanded my office at work and bought some new office equipment including a monitor, printer, computer, etc. As a result I had a lot of extra cardboard on my hands and decided to give the ole 25 a whirl at breaking down all of the boxes. I wasn’t blown away by the performance of the 25 on cardboard, but I wasn’t disappointed either. My large 21 slices a little better, but then again, so does my Benchmade Volli with it’s thin flat ground blade. It’s still miles ahead of the Strider SnG. The 25 is more heavily built than the 21, and it comes with a thicker grind. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, just different. Speaking of different, there is also a little depression in the blade after the jimping. I have no idea what it is for, so I’ll wait for someone to let me know in the comments section.

Steel on the 25 is S35VN, which is what CRK is using on pretty much everything these days if my understanding is correct. The blade on the 25 is heat treated to 58-59 HRc, and at that hardness it seems like a good combination of edge retention and sharpenability. Some might find it a little too soft, but I like a knife that easily takes a good edge, and the 25 has been very easy to maintain with my strop. I will say after testing the blade out thoroughly on cardboard the edge didn’t feel that sharp, but it still sliced paper with no problem. A few swipes on the strop brought it all the way back. If edge retention is super important for you, then you are probably better off finding something in M390 or S90V (harder more exotic steels), but if you are OK with the idea of regularly maintaining the edge of your knife then I don’t see a big problem with S35VN and this milder heat treat that CRK favors.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

The handle of the 25 is the typical full titanium goodness you would expect from Chris Reeve. Construction is simple and elegant, with a pivot, stop pin, and single standoff. Some may lament the lack of a lanyard hole, but it looks like CRK designed it so you can loop some cord around the standoff. Personally, I don’t miss the lanyard doohickey on my large 21 at all. Construction is top notch, as expected. This is a Sebenza after all. I like the choice of beefier hardware. The pivot has seen a serious upgrade and the domed body screws are beefed up as well. The disadvantage to this setup is that 2 allen keys are required (and supplied), rather than just the one required to take down a standard Sebenza.

Perhaps the biggest change in the Sebenza 25 is the inclusion of double finger choils. It certainly adds a visual element to the knife not previously evident on CRK models. In practice I think the choils work well and capture the index and middle finger nicely. My hand feels very at home with the standard grip. A revision I am less enthused about is the razor wire inspired jimping installed on the back of the blade. I would say that the jimping on my large 21 is a damn near perfect blend of traction and comfort. Why Chris Reeve felt the need to mess with that winning formula is a mystery to me, but it certainly looks more aggressive. The jimping is fairly abrasive, but I only really noticed it on hard cuts, like cutting rope. Still I think they could have toned it down a bit. All said the 25 is a reasonably comfortable knife. I’m not sure I would call it an improvement over the 21, but it’s definitely different.

The pocket clip for the 25 is the same legendary double dip clip found on the 21. I’m glad they didn’t fool around with this. It works well and is one of my favorite clip designs. In pocket the 25 carries pretty good. It is a big knife, and is full titanium, but with that in mind I’d say it still carries well for its size.

Deployment and Lockup

The term “Sebenza smooth” is something of a gold standard in knife collector circles when considering the action of a pocket knife. So it’s interesting to see that CRK made some tweaks to ensure the deployment of the 25 is even smoother than its predecessors. In addition to a much larger pivot, the knife features extra large perforated phosphor bronze washers. According to the Chris Reeve website these were installed to carry more grease and make the action smoother. In practice I think it has worked. My 25 is noticeably smoother than my 21. Granted I am testing a pretty small sample size here, and some may disagree because the 25 doesn’t include the 21’s famous bushing pivot system.

The knife flicks open easily via the ambidextrous titanium thumb studs. Speaking of thumb studs, or thumb “lugs” as CRK calls them, I think it’s about damn time that dual thumb studs came standard equipment on a Sebenza. I also can’t help but wonder if CRK has plans to introduce a bearing equipped knife in the future. Bearings are by no means a necessity, but since that is where a lot of the industry is going I would be curious to see them offer a knife with bearings.

For lock up Chris Reeve went with a ceramic ball detent. Just like on the Umnumzaan, it serves double duty as both an interface between lock and tang, as well as detent to hold the blade in place. It works well and I have no complaints. The blade locks open with a satisfying thunk and lockup is steady at right around 50%. No blade play at all and the blade is perfectly centered.

CRK Sebenza 25 Review – Final Thoughts

For whatever reason I always find myself under some pressure to come up with a poignant parting thought on Chris Reeve products. Perhaps it’s to justify the price in my own mind, or justify the level of excitement and expectation that has been built up around these knives, or attempt to get ahead of the inevitable discussion about Chris Reeve knives and “value”. I’m going to avoid that this time around, and instead focus on my honest take on the knife.

I think the 25 is a solid and well made product. I consider it a hybrid between the Umnumzaan and 21. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but if you already have a 21 or an Umnumzaan I don’t really see the “need” for this knife. Then again, I don’t really see the “need” for a $450 pocket knife in general, yet I have owned dozens, so that is beside the point. Like other high end knives, people will buy this because they want it. I’m here to tell you that if you want it, it’s a nice knife. But I’ll also play the role of devil’s advocate:

The 25 is thoughtfully designed and well made, but isn’t a huge enough leap from Chris Reeve’s other offerings for me to truly get excited over it. Maybe if they installed bearings, milled the handle from a single piece of titanium, or did a flipper or something like that it might move the Richter scale a bit further. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a perfectly fine knife, and if this is your first CRK I think you will like it, but when you compare it with the rest of the CRK product line I can’t help but feel like it’s more of what we have already seen. I’m glad I got to check one out, and recommend you to do the same if the 25 interests you, but I don’t feel compelled to hang onto both the 25 and my large 21 or to tell you that this is the most amazing thing since the titanium frame lock.

Chris Reeve Sebenza – From $445.00
From: BladeHQ

I recommend purchasing the Sebenza 25 at BladeHQ or KnifeArt. 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.

Svord Peasant Knife Review

by Dan Jackson 8 Comments

Last updated: September 20, 2018

Over the years I’ve had the fortune to be friends with several excellent chefs. What’s funny is that when I ask them what and where they like to eat, they don’t tell me about some 5 star restaurant or spout off some obscure or complex dish. I was surprised to learn that many professional chefs prefer simple honest meals made from a few quality ingredients at the end of the day.

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I often wonder if that same observation holds true with knifemakers. Whether they carry the high end knives they sell or reach for something simple, tried and true. Perhaps if they did subscribe to the less is more philosophy a Svord Peasant Knife might land on their work bench. After all, it doesn’t get more basic than this friction folder from New Zealand. Something about this simple knife has always intrigued me, so it’s high time to one out in the form of a full written review.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Peasant knife has an overall length of 8-1/4″, a 3-1/4″ blade, and weighs 2.53 ounces. There is also a mini version with a 2.5″ blade, and a giant version with an 8″ blade. The standard Peasant knife is on the larger side for my typical EDC, but it is carriable enough if that is what you want to do with it.

The blade is a classic drop point shape, best characterized by the dramatic contrast of the dark scale left over from the heat treat with the bright satin finish of this hand ground blade. This is a knife that practically begs to come with a convex edge, but the edge is a traditional “V” bevel. I’ve heard some reports of people being dissatisfied with the out of box edge, but both of my Svords came sharp, and the grind itself is nice and thin. This is a decent slicer, and fared well in a variety of daily tasks.

Svord went with L7 for the blade steel. L7 is a Swedish high carbon steel. It has all of the characteristics that I like about high carbon steels, mainly it exhibits good toughness and easily takes a very fine edge. Much like the rest of the knife, this is an honest hard working steel and it’s capable of getting a lot of work done. It does patina and will rust if you aren’t careful. Keep it oiled and there shouldn’t be any problems. If found it plenty tough for my purposes, and it held a nice edge under basic tasks like carving wood and breaking down boxes.

Handle and Ergonomics

The handle of the peasant knife is about as simple as can be. You have two generous slabs of plastic or wood, a single internal stop pin, and two oversize brass screws to hold it together. For what it is, it’s well finished but there isn’t a whole lot to write about.

The Peasant knife is comfortable to hold. The handle slabs are simple and nicely contoured, so they will accept all sizes of hand without any issue. There is a fine texture on the plastic handled version, which feels good and offers a little grip. Despite the absence of any kind of lock, this is still a knife that you can get some hard work done with, and the comfortable handle makes the work all the more enjoyable.

The peasant knife doesn’t have a pocket clip, so typically you will either carry it free-floating in your pocket, or perhaps on a belt sheath. It’s not impossible to EDC, but it’s a far cry from something like my Victorinox Cadet. The long protruding tang needs to be carefully negotiated, and it is not my go to pocket knife. However, it’s relatively light weight and the corners of the handle are all nicely chamfered; it is possible to daily carry this knife.

Deployment and Lockup

Once again, as I venture further into the world of traditional knives I find that my typical system of organizing a review is a little less on point. For “deployment” you have the stick tang poking out of the back of the handle, and you can open the knife up by pressing on the tang. There are no washers or bearings or anything; the blade presses directly against the plastic handles. Oddly enough the knife is still smooth and satisfying to open. True to its name, there is a good deal of friction this folder, and I found that opening the knife was deliberate and purposeful.

For “lock up” you have perhaps the worlds oldest folding knife design in place. While it isn’t the sexiest solution, as long as you have a firm grip on the handle the blade isn’t going anywhere. It’s actually very secure, even when doing some hard carving. No complaints with this non-locking folder.

Svord Peasant Knife Review – Final Thoughts

The Svord Peasant knife is about as simple as can be, and therein lies its charm. The low part count, slim and sturdy design, and quality materials make for a serviceable and robust folding knife. Staying true to it’s name this is a simple working man’s blade, and is about as comfortable outdoors as it is nestled next to my i-phone. If you haven’t checked one out, you really can’t go wrong. For $15 I can easily recommend it.

Sale

Svord SV145 Fixed Blade,Hunting Knife,Outdoor,Camping, One Size

Crafted from the highest quality materials
Built for performance and durability
Made in New Zealand

I recommend purchasing the Svord Peasant Knife at Amazon or BladeHQ. Please consider that purchasing anything through any of the links on this website helps support BladeReviews.com, and allows me to keep the site independent. As always, any and all support is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

Case Sod Buster Jr Review

by Dan Jackson 27 Comments

Last Updated: July 20, 2019

I recently reviewed the Victorinox Cadet. This is a time honored knife, but frankly I was unsure whether many people would be interested in reading a review on it. The feedback was actually really good. So much so that it has encouraged me to write a review on another classic slip joint in my collection, the Case Sod Buster Jr.

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I got into the Sod Buster Jr after realizing how much I enjoyed carrying the Cadet, and wanted to venture further into the world of traditional slip joint knives. I’ve been into modern EDC and Tactical knives for 5 years now, but really know very little about traditional slip joints. So when I knew that I wanted to try another slip joint out it wasn’t long before I stumbled across the Sod Buster Jr. Three things really drew me to this knife: 1. It’s made in the USA 2. It’s under $25 and 3. it features a nice carbon steel blade (although you can get the knife in stainless steel if you want). Throw in the fact that it’s made by Case, a company that I know has a serious pedigree in the world of traditional American knives, and I figured it was a great starting point.

I have to say though, I’m not much of a historian. If you are looking for a definitive history of the sod buster pattern then this won’t be the place for it. My understanding is that the pattern or style of knife is anywhere from 100-130 years old, and emerged from Germany as a kind of a folding butcher’s knife or a clasp knife. It can be loosely classified as a type of peasant or farmer’s knife. Case apparently associated the name “sodbuster” with their knife design in the 1960s. If any historians want to correct me or drop some knowledge in the comments section, by all means be my guest. I’ll be approaching the knife purely from a utilitarian/general knife enthusiast’s standpoint.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Sod Buster Jr has an overall length of 6.45″, sports a 2.8″ blade, and weighs 2.19 ounces. For a mild mannered suburbanite these are great numbers. Much like my trusty Cadet, I can easily slip this knife into a pair of slacks and not miss a beat. Of course if you are looking for something a little larger, Case does offer the full size Sod Buster, and it could easily be carried as well.

The blade is a classic drop point design with a short belly and tough tip. The knife was designed to be used as a utility blade, and it certainly functions that way in the 21st century. The grind is a full flat grind, or something close to it, and it gets nice and thin behind the edge. It is a tool knife and it cuts quite well.

Case actually offers the knife with 2 distinct steel choices. You have their “TrueSharp Surgical Stainless Steel” and their Chrome Vandium (CV) high carbon steel. I opted for the high carbon steel version as the thought of a pocket knife with a carbon steel blade was intriguing (and, believe it or not, is actually a first for this website), and what little preliminary research I did do before buying the knife suggested that the CV steel superior to the TrueSharp stainles steel in the arenas of sharpening and edge retention. Whether that is true in practice is impossible for me to say at this point, but I did notice a good deal of info floating about the web comparing CV to TrueSharp, if that sort of question tickles your fancy.

In practice the CV steel exhibited a lot of the qualities I like about carbon steel. It was easy to sharpen and it held a decent edge. It’s not a super steel in the edge retention department, but for my purposes it got the job done.

I will say that the CV steel does patina (and will rust if you aren’t careful). The knife arrives from Case with something of a mirror polish to it. My blade started to get some color after cutting up an apple, and I actually noticed a couple little spots of rust forming on my knife when I left it in a drawer for a few weeks (without oiling it first). At that point it wasn’t the nicest knife to photograph so I tried my hand at forcing a patina with some mustard. My results were interesting. The knife definitely darkened and I think it looks pretty cool. It would be even nicer to “earn” that patina over decades of use, but I guess there is still plenty of time for that.

At the end of the day for a $20 slip joint the performance of the blade and steel definitely surpassed my expectations. This is a nice little cutter and you will have a hard time finding much else that will exceed it’s performance given the price tag.

Handle and Ergonomics

My Sod Buster Jr came with yellow synthetic handles. They offer the knife with black plastic handles, but there is a bunch of writing on the blade, and that didn’t appeal to me. The synthetic yellow material is actually quite dense and has a quality feel to it. The yellow has some old school charm to it, almost as if it were made of bone or ivory, and I enjoy that aspect of it. The handle is of pinned construction with brass pins and pivot and brass liners. The backspacer / spring is stainless steel.

Ergonomically, the chunky yellow scales fill the hand nicely and there is just enough room for a 4 finger grip (with large hands). There is no jimping or texturing anywhere on the knife. I wouldn’t call the handle slick, but it’s not a traction machine either. I was able to comfortably accomplish normal EDC tasks including opening my mail, cutting up fruit, and breaking down boxes. If I had a rocking chair I could easily spend an afternoon whittling on the porch with a corn cob pipe and a fat slug of whiskey.

While we are discussing the handle, it’s worth noting that the handle is pretty thick. For example, it is way thicker than my Alox Cadet:

This also isn’t a bad time to point out that the blade centering on this $25 knife is dead nuts center.

Deployment and Lock Up

For your “deployment” you have a nail nick, and the knife doesn’t have a lock, so this section once again proves to be a little off point. The action or, “walk and talk” as slip joint aficionados call it, seems pretty good. I don’t have enough slip joints to form a frame of comparison, so I won’t attempt to rank it on a 10 point scale (slip joint enthusiasts sometimes rank the pull or strength of the spring on a 1-10 scale). I will say that this knife sure as heck isn’t opening up by accident, and the blade makes a satisfying snap when it pops open. There is no half stop on this knife.

The lock up is pretty good considering that there is no lock. I didn’t have any issues with the knife closing on my hand, but I was careful in using it. If you mind your p’s and q’s and use the right tool for the job then you should be able to get a fair amount of work done with this knife.

Case Sod Buster Jr. Review – Final Thoughts

I am frankly very impressed that they can still make these in the US and sell them for under $25. Little details like a centered blade a sharp even edge bevel are present at a price point where these kinds of details often cant be found. Case in point, I bought a little plastic handled Buck lockback knife a couple years ago, and the thing was such a piece of junk that I didn’t even bother reviewing it. The Sod Buster Jr is legitimately a nice knife. Much like the Cadet, this would also make a great gift knife.

What else can I say? The Case Sod Buster Jr is an absolute classic. There are folks who have dedicated their collections to traditional slip joint knives, and could lend far keener insights than I have. So I hope I didn’t do it too grave of an injustice with this review. I still wanted to take an opportunity to talk about it, because I can appreciate the knife even as a relative outsider to the world of traditional folders. It’s a nice gateway knife, and a safe starting point for a traditional collection. I like and recommend it.

Case Sod Buster Pocket Knives, Yellow, Small

Chrome vanadium (CV) steel blade
Skinner blade; smooth yellow synthetic handle
Great everyday pocket knife for projects around the house, the outdoors, and hunting
Length: 3.63 inches closed and 2.1 ounces
Limited Lifetime Warranty

Editor: I recommend purchasing the Case Sodbuster Jr. 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.

Victorinox Alox Cadet Review

by Dan Jackson 18 Comments

Think back to your first experiences with a pocket knife. If you are anything like me, it probably came in the course of exploring your father or grandfather’s desk drawers or perhaps rifling through that treasure box of items many men keep. Invariably, you would come across at least one well-worn red handled Swiss army knife (SAK). For many that would be their first encounter with a pocket knife.

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And for many more, their first practical experiences with a pocket knife may very well have have been at boy scouts. I vaguely recall my first pocket knife while camping as part of my tenure at scouts. I am unsure on the exact model number, but it was some sort of a classic SAK. I would use it to prepare tinder for a fire, get ingredients ready for the dutch oven, and even used it to try my hand at carving one of those wood handkerchief slides. These were some of my first experiences with pocket knives. When I pause to reflect on those moments I am instantly transported back in to a much more simple and wholesome time of my life, with much of it centering around the ubiquitous Swiss army knife.

Fast forward to me starting to seriously get into the hobby of knives. My first “real” knife was a Benchmade Griptilian. From there I then ran fast and hard down the rabbit hole. I have handled many many pocket knives. Hell I have reviewed over a hundred here on this website alone. In my search for a perfect pocket knife I have spent thousands of dollars. At this point I don’t think twice about spending several hundred dollars on a single knife if it catches my eye. I’ve traveled to Blade show, joined a knife collecting club, appeared on podcasts, videos, and guest blog posts all to advance my interests in the latest and greatest portable cutlery.

But my knife collecting came full circle when a little over a year ago I was given the gift of a Victorinox Cadet. Mine was the very same unassuming blade that I would find in my father’s dresser drawer. Red plastic handles. Unassuming blade complete with the usual cap lifter and can opener. Instinctively, upon unboxing this new blade and admiring the snappy action of all the little tools I put the Victorinox into my pocket. It has been over a year later, and I haven’t left the house without some sort of a SAK since.

For many I am surely preaching to the choir. This is after all, the quintessential pocket knife. An unwavering staple in the every day carry of men the world over. I still want to pay my respects, write this review, and share with you a tool that I hold quite near and dear; the humble Victorinox Alox Cadet.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Alox Cadet has an overall length of 5.75″, a 2.5″ blade, and weighs 1.6 ounces. Victorinox makes the Cadet in a number of variations, I happen to like the one with the silver aluminum “alox” handles because it keeps the knife nice and thin and seems to wear a little better than its plastic-scaled counter parts. It’s also worth noting that Victorinox makes larger and smaller knives with the Alox handles as well. Ones that quickly come to mind include the Pioneer (larger) and Classic (smaller).

The Cadet is the perfect size for daily carry. Mine rolls around loose in the bottom of my pocket every day. At a sub $25 price point, I could care less if it gets beat up by my flashlight and car keys. Even if by some freak accident the knife it were to fall out my pocket some day I would have no problem plunking down the coin for another one.

When I am at work this is the only knife I carry. I spend most of my day behind a desk banging away at a keyboard or talking on the phone, so this little slip joint is plenty of knife for the things I do, which is mostly opening letters and packages. At home the Cadet can often be found cutting up apples, smearing cheese onto crackers, or handling whatever other minor task I may have at hand.

The thinly ground blade of the Cadet slices as good or better than anything else I have handled. Seriously, it’s a little laser and it cuts really well. Whatever stainless steel Victorinox uses sharpens very easily and doesn’t stain. This is a softer steel so it doesn’t earn a blue ribbon for edge retention, but it holds a decent edge and a couple licks on a strop will restore it to hair shaving performance at the end of the day. I’d say it’s on part with 8Cr13MoV and other lower end steels. The only other maintenance I perform is regularly washing the knife out with hot soapy water.

When I’m not at work I may clip a larger folder to my pocket, but the Cadet still comes in handy as a secondary blade. It’s perfect for situations where you don’t want to bust out a large knife, and the extra tools are real handy too. Victorinox includes a nail file / phillips driver, a can opener, and a bottle opener/flat head driver. Next to the blade my bottle opener sees the greatest amount of use, but the drivers can come in handy and the file can maintain your fingernails in a pinch. In a sub 2-ounce package you won’t find much else that packs as much utility as the Cadet.

Handle, Ergonomics

Handle construction of the Cadet is simple, but everything is clean and nicely finished. The knife is pinned together. The tools and backspacer are given a high satin finish while the aluminum handles are given a matte finish. After a year of daily carry and use my Cadet does show some signs of wear, but it is still a handsome knife. The action for all the tools is still springy and satisfying and there is no play with any of the parts.

A discussion of the “ergonomics” of the Cadet is almost laughable, as I have never used the knife for tasks harder than breaking down a cardboard box, but the handle is big enough to get 4 fingers around and is plenty comfortable for my needs. The handle texture is pleasing to touch and visually interesting. It provides some traction without being obnoxious. The red Victorinox shield provides a splash of color and that extra touch of class.

There is no pocket clip on the Cadet, which is just the way I like this knife. Unlike my $300 Strider PT, I have absolutely no reservations to pocket carrying the Cadet. It doesn’t need a little leather slip-sheath or anything like that, although Victorinox does include a split ring if you want to put a lanyard on it or attach it to your keys. It’s a beater knife and gets beaten up quite a bit in my pocket, but the slim design and durable aluminum scales allows the knife to age gracefully.

Victorinox Cadet Review – Final Thoughts

What is left there to say about the Cadet? Buy one. Seriously, this is an absolute must have knife. Buy a couple and give them as gifts to family and friends. You won’t find a nicer knife for $20 and you won’t find anything as functional and disarming either. That said, despite the small price tag this is still a very classy knife and it comes with an unexpected level of pride of ownership. And it performs too. This thinly ground edge can’t be beat for managing your mail and cutting up food. And all the extra tools are gravy… delicious, delicious gravy ladled on top of one of the finest little EDC knives money can buy.

If I had a gripe about the knife, it would be that I really like the little tweezers and toothpick included with the thicker plastic handled version of the knife, and sometimes miss that with the Alox Cadet. But there is a price to pay for style and durability, and the trade off is that Victorinox cant squeeze in those tools.

At this point I have waxed poetic about EDC knives for the better part of 5 years. This is the gold standard for EDC. Whether it’s your primary knife or a secondary blade paired with a larger folder or fixed blade, the Cadet is sure to get lots of use and will be appreciated by seasoned knife collectors and laypeople alike. I don’t say this often, but the Cadet is a must have knife.

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

Titanium frame lock houses hardened steel lockbar; frame lock secures blade in position so it does not close accidentally
Flipper works for left- and right-handed users; assists blade’s manual release with one-handed convenience
Finger guard, jimping and choil protect fingers during rigorous use while slicing, cutting, chopping, scaling, slashing, piercing or digging in any environment, in any conditions
Drop-point tip provides extra strength and chip resistance and eliminates pitch momentum
Overall length: 7.4 inches; closed length: 4.1 inches; blade thickness: 0.121 inches; weight: 2.9 ounces

$219.99
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I recommend purchasing the Victorinox Cadet at Amazon or BladeHQ. Please keep in mind that purchasing anything through any of the links on this website helps support BladeReviews, and keeps the site going. As always, any and all support is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

ROSarms Companion II Review

by Dan Jackson 12 Comments

I have always enjoyed things that are authentic and simple. I don’t think I’m alone, and that may explain America’s recent re-interest in craft beer and artisanal cheeses. At any rate, as much as I enjoy reviewing the latest and greatest knives, I occasionally return to the simple stuff. Case in point, I’ve been carrying a very basic Swiss Army Knife for the past month. No super steel, no titanium framelock, no stonewashed thrustbearing-enabled flipper madness. Hell, I need to use 2 hands to open it, and the thing doesn’t even lock. Sure I sacrifice some performance with a knife like this, but I still enjoy the simplicity.

That same interest in authentic simplicity drew me to ROSarms Companion II. The Companion II is a traditional knife made of old world materials, and is built on time-honored traditions of Russian knife making. The knife is actually surprisingly capable and full featured. And it’s also lightweight – VERY lightweight. At under 3 ounces you would think this was made of space age materials. Maybe authentic and simple doesn’t have to mean sacrificed performance afterall…

General Dimensions and Blade Details

ROSarms makes knives out of their factory in Zlatoust, Russia. Much like the cities of Solingen, Maniago, and Seki City, Zlatoust has a serious cutlery pedigree. ROSarms takes that pedigree seriously – to the point where all their knives are still hand made.

The Companion II is a little knife with an overall length of 7-3/4″, a 3-3/8″ blade, and a weight of 2.9 ounces (4.6oz with sheath). The knife is aptly named, and is a good size tool to have on a trail or around a campfire.

The Companion II has a simple drop point blade with a full hollow grind. It’s a proven blade shape and complements the traditional look of the entire package. The blade has been given a highly reflective satin finish that borders on a mirror polish. Blade thickness is 1/8 of an inch, and is plenty stout for the kinds of small tasks the knife was designed for.

The steel used here is 110x18MШД. This is a Soviet-era stainless steel forged in Zlatoust and it is apparently a popular choice for both military and aviation needs. In this case the steel is heat treated to a minimum of 58HRc so it’s hard enough to make a decent knife.

This is my first experience with the steel so needless to say I was a little curious to check it out. ROSarms says it’s very similar to BG-42. BG-42 is a former super steel manufactured by Latrobe, and was once the steel of choice for Chris Reeve Knives. If you are curious about the more technical aspects of the steel I invite you to check out ROSarms’ FAQ page where they have described the steel and its chemical composition in detail.

I found my Companion II to be a little on the dull side out of box, so the first thing I did was actually sharpen it up on my Spyderco Sharpmaker. I found that the Companion quickly took a nice edge, so I began to attack a 6 foot section of 3/8″ thick sisal rope. After cutting the rope into 1 inch pieces with relative ease I stropped the edge and moved on to some wood. I had some standard 2x2s and I also had some live branches to whittle on. I found that the knife carved wood well and cuts easily. Happy with the results, I tested the slicing capabilities on some cardboard boxes. Once again the Companion II performed faithfully, and it’s lean hollow grind proved to be a capable slicer. After the wood and cardboard the edge needed another good stropping.

All said and done I am pleased with the performance of this blade and the 110x18MШД steel. Rope and cardboard are actually pretty tough tests of an edge, and the Companion fared well enough (although it clearly wasn’t some kind of miracle super steel). My carving and whittling was a much better representation of what “real life uses” the Companion II might realistically be designed for. In those roles I was very happy.

Handle and Ergonomics

ROSarms offers the Companion II with a couple different handle styles. Shown here is a birch wood handle with stacked birch bark accents and micarta bolsters. The handle is well shaped and nicely executed. There is a slight amount of texture on the birch wood which provides a pleasant amount of feedback yet the handle is completely smooth and very comfortable. The knife is of stick tang construction and is well made. While the knives are plenty sturdy for normal cutting tasks, I would not baton with them.

The ergonomics are where the Companion II really shines. Although this is a smaller fixed blade, the handle is generously sized and accommodates my larger hand nicely. The handle itself simple, smooth, and has no hot spots. As I mentioned earlier, I did a rope cutting test with this knife. This can be absolute hell on your hands with an uncomfortable handle (or a knife with excessive jimping). The Companion made the work feel easy, and I was happy to spend some time carving and slicing in my back yard. There is a small guard that keeps you from slipping forward on the blade and the knife came with a lanyard that I ended up removing because it felt unnecessary with a knife of this size.

All things considered I found this to be an extremely comfortable knife.

Sheath

The Companion II arrived with a simple leather sheath. The leather is a rich red-brown and is thick and soft. It’s stitched and has a belt loop riveted to the back of it. Like many of these traditional sheathes the knife buries deeply and is held very secure. I carry the knife on my belt with no problems and feel that it’s good given the price ($75) and traditional nature of the design.

ROSarms Companion II – Final Thoughts

The Companion II is a well made knife and has a very interesting story. It’s not everyday that something handmade winds up on my review table, so I took my time to admire not only this knife, as well as the people and process behind it. ROSarms has done a great job educating their customers with their website, and have included background material on how the knives are made. I found that aspect of my experience especially interesting.

The knife is also very practical and is well made. It’s lightweight, comfortable, and cut very well in my hands. With a MSRP of $75 I also think the Companion II also represents a good value. I would have liked to have seen it arrive a little sharper out of box, but aside from that I have few complaints. Whether you are a fan of handmade traditional knives, or are seeking a compact fixed blade for general use, the ROSarms Companion II could be a great option.

ROSarms sells these directly on their website. That is where I recommend buying this knife. As always, thanks for reading.