Folding Knives

Zero Tolerance 0300 Review

When Zero Tolerance first came on the scene the 0300 is one of their knives that really caught my eye. The graceful curves reminded me of some deep sea mammal while the construction reminded me of a semi truck. So I wasn’t surprised to learn that the 0300 was a collaboration between Ken Onion and the Strider Knife Corporation. Ken Onion is known for making a lot of really nice designs for Kershaw (and now CRKT) and Strider is known for making some of the toughest folders in the world. When you get two powerhouses like this in the same room working on a knife that is made in the USA with the fit and finish Kershaw is known for – well, I start to pay attention.

Before we go forward I need to say that “0300” is used to designate the coloration of the knife. All the knives in the 0300 Zero Tolerance line (which include the 0300, 0301 and 0302) are identical except for the color schemes. Pictured in this review is the black on black 0300. The ZT 0301 has a Forest Green handle and Tiger Striped blade finish and the ZT 0302 has a Coyote Brown handle with a Tiger Striped blade finish. All 3 knives are made in the USA.

General Details and Blade Dimensions

The size and heft of this knife are the first things you notice. The 0300 has the profile of a bulldozer and it is incredibly stout. The total length is 9″, the blade is 3-3/4″ and the weight is a solid 8.6 ounces. This is a heavy knife and the weight may deter some people from wanting to carry it. I’ll admit, it’s not my ideal EDC and this is definitely a knife that you don’t forget that is in your pocket, but I have carried it no problem with a sturdy pair of shorts or jeans. I feel that whether the knife is “too heavy” is up to you, so I’m not going to pass judgment in that regard.

The blade is a modified drop point, marked by Ken Onion’s signature styling. It features a high flat grind, and a partial swedge near the top. What I really like about this knife is the big belly on the blade. This is great for utility tasks. The blade steel is thick (4mm) and it holds the thickness all the way to the tip. This knife wasn’t designed for stabbing, it was designed to hold up to hard use tasks. There is a nice subtle recurve for enhanced slicing power and the Zero Tolerance logo and various other insignia has been laser etched onto the blade.

The steel on the 0300 series is a large piece of S30V. For those unfamiliar with S30V, it is one of the finest knife steels available, and it’s been this way for a number of years now. More expensive steels have arrived on the scene but it’s really tough to match the combination of ease of sharpening, edge retention and corrosion resistance that S30V is known for.

The blade has been further treated with a Tungsten DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) Coating. This is a high quality blade coating that will hold up a lot better than more inexpensive painted coatings. The tiger stripes on the 0301 and 0302 are really killer and quite unique in the production knife world.

Handle, Ergonomics and Pocket Clip

The handle of the 0300 is really well done. As far as construction goes, on one side we have textured G10 over a stainless steel liner. The other side (the lock side) is made of a single piece of titanium. There is a G10 spacer between the two sides and everything has been screwed together. Everything lines up flush, and it’s all been beautifully finished with no rough edges or anything of that nature.

Ergonomics on the 0300 are excellent. The handle has the same wide profile of the blade and it feels very satisfying in the hand. The flipper doubles as a choil and there is a generous amount of jimping on the thumb ramp and pommel. Both sides of the handle are machined with a very aggressive textured pattern. All of these elements combine to provide superior grip and response. I am not worried about my hand slipping forward on the knife at all. It is very comfortable to hold this knife, with zero hot spots. The 0300 is a large knife so I expected good ergonomics, but the designers really went out of their way to cover all of the bases. I am very impressed with the ergonomics of this knife.

The pocket clip of the 0300 is straight out of the Kershaw parts bin. I have an almost identical clip on my Skyline (and a number of other Kershaw knives). That is ok though, because this is a proven clip design, it’s simple, and it totally works. This is a very stiff clip, which works well with the flat and wide profile of the knife; it will hold the knife in place anywhere in your pocket. Heavy knives have a tendancy to sink down to the corners of my pants pockets, which can interfere with some of the other gear I carry (like my flashlight). The stiffness of the 0300’s clip avoids that issue.

Another great thing about the clip is that it is mountable on all 4 corners of the knife. This gives you the freedom to carry your knife the way you want to. I also like how the clip has been blackened. All in all this is a very secure and discreet carry, I am very pleased with how well everything works considering it such a heavy knife.

Deployment and Lock-up

First of all, the 0300 is an assisted opening knife, making use of Kershaw’s SpeedSafe assisted opening technology. With the 0300 you have the option of either deploying the knife with the thumbstuds or flipper. This is really cool because the thumb studs actually work as the stop pin here, and often it’s very difficult to get at the thumbstuds on this type of knife. For me, I had no problem – even left handed, getting at the thumbstuds. Either way you want to deploy the knife, the SpeedSafe quickly engages and moves this big blade out with a good amount of speed. It’s a fun and satisfying knife to open and the SpeedSafe is a proven assisted opening mechanism. Of course, you could always disable this feature if you preferred 100% manual operation.

Deployment is not only fast, but it’s very smooth. The 0300 uses a pair of very large phosphor bronze washers. These low friction washers are very smooth. Also, the pivot pin is very big. It’s actually a large bolt that requires a 3/8″ driver to loosen it. This may be problematic in the field, but everyone owns a 3/8″ driver so for my use it wasn’t an issue. I think it’s a pretty cool look and is appropriate given how overbuilt the rest of the knife is.

The lock on the 0300 is a titanium frame lock. This is a very sturdy style of lock and ZT really put this one together correctly. As you can see, mine engages nice and early, with plenty of room to break in with use. It almost goes without saying, but there is absolutely no blade play in this knife. Despite the strength of the lock, it is still easy to disengage when you want to fold the knife up. A cool detail is that they included a Hinderer lockbar stabilizer (that dark circular portion) on the side of the lock. This handy feature prevents you from overextending the titanium frame lock, which could compromise the integrity of the knife.

Zero Tolerance 0300 vs. Zero Tolerance 0350

A common question a lot people have is whether they want the ZT 0300 or the smaller Zero Tolerance 0350. If you are one of those people, I made a video comparing the two knives.

Zero Tolerance 0300 Review – Final Thoughts

The ZT 0300 is an incredible knife. The build quality is superb, the selection of materials is top notch and the design and features are outstanding. The knife retails for around $230, which is actually an outstanding value when you consider that this knife is very similar in both design and build quality to several Strider knives selling for $400-$500. I don’t think you will be able to find another folding knife as well built and feature rich as the ZT 0300 in the $230 range.

Perhaps the biggest complaint would be the weight. It is not a light knife. However, if you want a large, beautiful, hard use folder with premium materials made in the USA then I can safely recommend the 0300 or any of it’s siblings.

I recommend purchasing the Zero Tolerance 0300 at Amazon.com.

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Spyderco Caly 3 Carbon Fiber Review

by Dan Jackson 18 Comments

Last Updated: August 7, 2019
Hands down the best part about operating a website like this, is the excuse to play around with bad ass knives like the Spyderco Caly 3.5 in Carbon Fiber. This special version of the Caly3 uses exotic Japanese laminated steel and carbon fiber handle scales to give the original Caly3 an extra touch of class. The original Spyderco Caly (short for Calypso) was introduced in 1998 and featured a 4″ blade and micarta scales. Spyderco has refined the knife over the years in their quest to get this knife to become “part of the hand”.

Buy the Spyderco Caly 3 at BladeHQ

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Before I launch into the details of this review let me just say, this knife is really nice. I got one mainly as a collectible but this thing is built like a bank vault and Spyderco considered every detail so if you intend to use the knife for Every Day Carry (EDC) it will perform. My first impressions leave me with nothing but good things to say about this blade although I will do my best to find some weaknesses for those seeking the dirt on this high end production knife.

General Dimensions and Blade Specifics

The Spyderco Caly3 CF has a total length of 7 inches, a blade length of 3 inches, weight of 3 ounces, and is made in Japan. The knife is slender with a total thickness a hair under 3/8 of an inch. These strike me as ideal dimensions for an EDC knife and I think EDC is exactly what Spyderco had in mind when they put together the Caly3. It also makes a handsome gentleman’s folder.

The blade on this knife is very interesting. It’s a standard Spyderco leaf shaped blade with a thumb hole for deployment and a long curving belly for plenty of cutting space. The blade stock starts at 1/8″ thick and it tapers down to a fine, razor sharp point. The entire blade has been given a beautiful full flat grind and a 12.5 degree edge.

The blade steel Spyderco selected for the Caly3 CF is ZDP189/420J2, a Japanese laminated steel. This is accomplished by sandwiching a piece of ZDP189 between two pieces of 420J2. The 420J2 outer layers are incredibly tough. 420J is commonly used by high end knife manufacturers for liners due to the strength and corrosion resistance of the steel. The cutting edge is ZDP189, an ultra high end steel that is extremely hard. This steel gets incredibly sharp and holds it’s edge very very well. The problem with ZDP189, is that it’s extreme hardness makes it difficult for some to sharpen.

Another potential problem with the 420J2/ZDP189 combination is that 420J2 scratches relatively easily. That said, 420J2 is very stain and corrosion resistant, so the blade is less likely to rust. For those considering the Caly3 CF for EDC, scratching will happen with any knife. Arguments on the pros and cons of the 420J2 outer layer could go on for days, so I’ll just leave it at that.

And on the subject of scratching, one concern with this knife is that the tang rubs up against the knife when deploying and you get very fine circular rubbing marks on the tang. I’ve noticed that this doesn’t only happen with my knife, others have reported it too, and from a collectors standpoint it’s a bit problematic. Perhaps these marks can be carefully buffed out; I will update the review if I try this.

A very cool result of this laminated process is that you can see where the the 420J2 ends and the ZDP189 begins. At first glance, it almost appears as if the knife has been given a saber grind, but upon closer inspection you can see that it is in fact one full flat grind.

Handle, Ergonomics and Pocket Clip

The handle has steel liners (that have been painstakingly and attractively milled out to reduce weight) and polished carbon fiber scales. The carbon fiber is lightweight and handsome however it doesn’t provide the kind of grip a textured G10 handle does. The handle does feel a little slippery when wet. Again I think if Spyderco was going for all out utility they would have selected a different handle material (they did in fact do that for their regular Caly3.5). Even with the lightweight carbon fiber the handle has a little heft to it.

As far as ergonomics are concerned, the knife has excellent jimping on both the thumb ramp and the finger choil. The design of the thumb ramp and choil make the knife fit very well in the hand. Despite the absence of textured handle scales when you are gripping the knife you feel in control, largely due to the excellent ergonomic design. The carbon fiber scales have been radiused and there are no sharp edges in the palm. I think Spyderco came very close to their goal of making the knife an extension of the hand.

The pocket clip is simple yet elegant. It is a single blackened piece of wire that is held in place with a star bolt. I like this style of clip for smaller knives because it is plenty strong and very discrete. Spyderco designed the Caly3 for tip up carry and the clip is reversible. The knife rides low in the pocket and the clip has good retention.

Deployment and Lock

The Caly3 CF uses the signature Spyderco thumb hole for blade deployment. I have found the deployment of the Caly3 to be slow. There is quite a bit of blade retention and it appears to be impossible to flick open. Maybe I need to loosen my pivot screw up? I’d love to hear some opinions. When you do open the knife it clicks in place very forcefully with a nice snap.

The Caly3 is a lockback knife and the lockback is positioned in the middle of the handle. There is absolutely zero blade play and it almost feels as if you are working with a fixed blade knife. This is one of the most solid locking knives I have handled and I am very impressed by the way this knife engages.

Spyderco Caly 3 Carbon Fiber Review – Final Thoughts

The Spyderco Caly3 CF is one hell of a knife. Beautiful materials, rock solid construction and an amazing attention to detail make this a near perfect EDC option. However, the steep price, slow deployment and non-textured handle scales may make people think twice about making this their go to blade. I will say that if you end up deciding on a Caly3 CF, you won’t be disappointed.

Spyderco Caly Prestige Knife with 3.40" ZDP-189 Stainless Steel Blade and Black Carbon Fiber Handle - PlainEdge - C144CFPE

Iconic Design: The Calypso is one of the classic mainstays that spawned numerous variations and converted legions of knife buyers to the benefits of flat-ground, thick leaf-shaped blades.
More To Love: Available now in a premium variant, is the Caly 3.5 with a ZDP-189 blade and carbon fiber handle. The Caly 3.5 combines beauty and functionality into a new Spyderco classic.
Superior Blade Steel: The leaf-shaped blade is made of three layers of steel. The core is high carbon ZDP-189 Japanese powdered steel, the outer laminated layers are softer, pliable 420J2 steel.
Pocket-Friendly: It comes with a gray carbon fiber handle and a mid-positioned back-lock. Its low-seated wire clip designed for right-hand deep-pocket, tip-up carry.
Ergonomic: Great Ergonomics means more control over the cutting edge. The Caly 3.5 accomplishes this with a substantial finger choil located where the handle and blade meet.

I recommend purchasing the Caly 3 Carbon Fiber at Amazon or BladeHQ. Thanks for checking out the review.

Boker Plus Exskelibur I (01BO001) Review

by Dan Jackson 10 Comments

Last Updated: August 11, 2019
Every now and then I see a knife that I absolutely have to own. Now, believe it or not, my collection of knives is small in comparison to the size (and value) of many knife collectors, so I like to think I exercise some “restraint” in my purchases. This might have more to do with the size of my bank account than anything else, but my point is, this knife really struck me as something special, and I bought it. I am talking about the Boker Exskelibur, a collaboration between Boker Knives and South African custom knifemakers Mike Skellern and Fred Burger.

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The Exskelibur is part of Boker’s “Plus” Line which is their line of high quality value knives. For purposes of the review I would classify the Exskelibur as a EDC knife, and perhaps even a collectors knife. I know mine wont be seeing much use even despite the very reasonable price tag – I simply want to keep this knife nice for my collection. What we really have here is a gentleman’s folder; it’s simple lines and rich titanium accents make the Exskelibur an exercise in minimalism and elegance that will feel very at home in an office or carried during a formal event.

I have found the attention to detail and build quality on this knife to be extraordinarily high. What may be most surprising to some readers is that this knife is made in China. Now, my Spyderco Tenacious review showed that Chinese manufacturing isn’t always synonymous with low quality, but the Exskelibur isn’t just well made for a Chinese knife – it’s well made for any knife.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Exskelibur I has a 3 5/8″ blade, an overall length of 8″ and a weight of 3.3 oz. Due to the advanced handle construction almost all of that weight is in the blade. And speaking of the blade, what a beautiful piece of steel. It’s a large and simple drop point design with a high hollow grind. The blade has been given a nice satin finish that glows under the light of my studio. What strikes me about the blade is how big it is relative to the handle. The blade to handle ratio is very impressive and has to be close to 1:1.

The steel chosen here is 440C, which is a mid grade steel that is very popular in European knives. Seeing how this is a mid range knife I was very happy to find 440C here, it is one of my favorite all purpose knife steels. 440C is capable of taking a very keen edge and my Exskelibur I came shaving sharp right out of the box. The blade is beautifully finished and has a “Boker Plus” logo on one side and a Skellern logo on the other.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

The handle follows the same minimalist approach of the blade, while weaving in a couple interesting features that really elevates the style and sophistication of the knife. The handle is made almost entirely out of black G10. The G10 is very lightly textured and doesn’t offer much in the way of friction, however the there very good jimping on the spine of the knife and the handle has been contoured to allow your fingers to wrap around it comfortably. The resulting grip is very good for normal EDC tasks. I think the texturing is adequate and fits very well with the overall classy theme of the knife.

The construction of the handle is not open, a piece of G10 runs the entire back length of the handle and in between that piece and the handle slab is a thin strip of red G10. This is purely for aesthetics and is a very interesting detail that makes the Exskelibur a little special and is really quite cool.

The pocket clip is a piece of titanium that has been finished in a dark matte blue. It’s a little stiff but it performs well and is reversible for tip up or tip down carry (right side only). The clip is held in place by 3 small Phillips screws which is a bit of a departure from the allen or hex screws we often see. Another thing to note here is that there isn’t a lanyard hole in this knife. Since this is a larger EDC knife, I really don’t miss the lanyard hole, but I thought it was worth pointing out.

Deployment and Lock

The Exskelibur deploys with an unobtrusive flipper located on the back of the blade by the pivot. This is a very simple yet effective method of deployment. The blade moves easily and I find that I can quickly and easily open this knife with 1 hand. The bushings on this knife appear to be phosphor bronze and everything is very smooth. The knife opens quietly with a soft click as the blade snaps into the titanium liner lock.

There is only one liner on the Exskelibur and it is made of the same blued titanium that clip is fabricated from. It makes the knife incredibly lightweight and it provides another interesting detail that sets the Eskelibur apart. I have found the lock to be strong and it locks in the middle of the open blade with no danger of slipping.

Boker Exskelibur I Review – Final Thoughts

The Exskelibur I is an outstanding folding pocket knife. The knife oozes style and is a simple and beautiful folder. I appreciate the great design and quality manufacturing and am not put off by the fact that this knife is made in China because the quality control here is outstanding. The titanium liners, the big sweeping blade and lightweight handle are all very appealing. I think 440C was an excellent choice for bladesteel and love how big and practical the blade is. It’s hard to find fault with the knife, I think if you use it as an EDC or gents folder you will be very pleased with the Eskelibur.

Boker Plus Exskelibur I Knife

440C satin finished blade
Blue anodized titanium liner
Contoured G10 scales
Red fiber spacer
Reversible titanium pocket clip

I recommend purchasing the Boker Exskelibur at Amazon.com or BladeHQ. Thanks for reading.

Kershaw Skyline Review

by Dan Jackson 11 Comments

Last Updated: March 19, 2019

The Skyline is often regarded as a reference point. A knife we compare other knives to. It’s also a damn good Every Day Carry (EDC) knife. Back when I originally reviewed the Skyline in 2010, it was among the first reviews to be published on the site. It was a great knife then. Today, it is just as relevant and excellent of a knife.

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This is an in-house design from Kershaw, meaning it wasn’t designed by a popular custom knife maker, and I doubt that when they originally created the knife they expected to have such a run away success on their hands. The Kershaw Skyline is an American-made, high-value, lightweight, EDC knife with all the features you would expect from a modern folding knife that is widely available and accessible at almost any budget.

General Dimensions and Blade Steel

The Skyline has an overall length of 7.375″, a 3.125″ long blade, weighs 2.3 ounces, and is made in the USA. In addition to being long and light, the knife is slim, measuring an inch across when closed and 3/8″ wide. The Skyline is ideal for EDC.

The Skyline sports a long spearpoint blade shape with a plain edge and a hollow saber grind. This is a very practical blade shape that is good for piercing and slicing. It is surprising how much blade you get considering the weight. The full size blade and handle lend a lot of versatility to a little 2.3 ounce knife.

The blade, liner, and pocket clip are all made of Sandvik 14C28N stainless steel. This is a hearty Swedish steel that holds an edge well and is easy to sharpen. My Skyline came sharp out of the box and is easy to maintain. The blade and the clip has a beadblasted finish. This isn’t my favorite finish, because it is more susceptible to rust than a stonewash or satin finish, but it works here (especially at the price).

Given the tremendous popularity of the Skyline, Kershaw has released this knife in a number of different handle colors and blade steels (including carbon fiber covers, a damascus blade, etc). So the knife can also have a collectible element to it if you want to go that route.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

The handle of this knife is made of lightly textured G10. The G10 is lightweight, feels nice and provides decent grip. The liner lock has received some jimping which works well however the spine of the knife has no jimping at all, which means your thumb has no real grip on the top of the knife when in use. This can be a problem, especially if you were to do some stabbing or thrust type cuts or were working with something like slimy foods, and is one of my few complaints with this knife.

The Skyline has a a pocket clip that allows for tip up or tip down carry. I found the clip to be very tight and I had to bend it with a plastic spatula before I got the desired pocket retention – an easy adjustment. One problem I do have with the clip is that it is not ambidextrous. Being left handed, this is something of a concern, and I would prefer if they drilled and tapped the handles for 4 way carry. They may have opted not to do that because there is only 1 liner.

The pocket clip rides fairly low in the pocket, there is about an inch of knife sticking up when the clip is mounted for tip up carry. I would prefer a lower riding clip, but the knife is still pretty discrete.

Deployment and Lock

The Skyline uses a flipper to open the blade. This was back before flippers were cool. Consequently, it does not have the dialed in, rocket the blade out action that we have come to expect on modern flippers. You need to pre-load the flipper tab or use your wrist to ensure fast opening, but it certainly gets the job done. There are thumb studs, but they are primarily blade stops. You can use the thumb stud if you are right handed to roll the blade open, but the flipper is the preferred way of opening the knife. Inside there are phosphor bronze washers, a feature typically found on higher end knives – especially when this knife originally came out.

The Skyline uses a liner lock to lock the blade open. This knife has only one steel liner (on the side of the lock) which greatly reduces the weight and thickness of the knife. I think this was a wise decision by Kershaw although some might prefer a beefier knife. In that case, I would simply suggest buying a bigger knife. The lock itself performs admirably. I like liner locks in general and this knife has a good one. Blade centering on my knife is perfect.

Here is a size comparison with the Skyline and another top shelf EDC blade, the Benchmade Mini Griptilian:

Kershaw Skyline Review – Final Thoughts

This is an amazing knife that has stood the test of time. The build quality is extremely high. Everything feels nice, the knife is well put together, and the materials are all of high quality. The Skyline is thin, lightweight and unassuming, which makes it an ideal choice for EDC. I often forget that I have it in my pocket. For around $40, you can use it guilt free.

In a perfect world, the Skyline would come with a 4 way pocket clip to ensure maximum versatility, and the detent strength would be improved to ensure better flipping action. Beyond that it is tough to find fault with the Skyline.

There is a reason why the Skyline remains so popular among knife enthusiasts for years and years: it is an excellent knife.

Kershaw Skyline (1760), Lightweight Pocketknife, Manual Open 3.1” High-Performance Sandvik 14C28N Stainless Steel Blade, Stonewashed Finish, Textured G-10 Handle, Reversible Pocket Clip, 2.5 OZ

3.1” blade made of high-performance Sandvik 14C28N stainless steel, offers excellent strength, corrosion and wear resistance
Lightweight G-10 handle scales offer a secure grip with texture and a deep index-finger contour
The drop-point blade offers good balance and a strong, hard tip. The rugged Stonewash finish is capable of hiding scratches and fingerprints
The perfect EDC for cutting tasks such as opening difficult packages, breaking down boxes, removing zip-ties, cleaning small game, aggressive animal defense, slicing fruit, and stripping small wire
An excellent gift idea for any hunter, hiker, hobbyist, carpenter, angler, backpacker or any knife enthusiast in need of a highly reliable, American made pocket folder

I recommend purchasing the Kershaw Skyline at Amazon or BladeHQ. Purchasing anything through any of the links on this site helps support BladeReviews. Any and all support is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

Spyderco Military Review

by Dan Jackson 5 Comments

Last updated: February 14, 2019
Those in the military, law enforcement and contract defense firms require high quality gear designed to meet the rigorous demands of these types of positions. The Spyderco Military was designed to meet these demands as either a large utility knife or a full on tactical blade. In addition to law enforcement and military use, this could be an excellent civilian self defense blade or an oversize EDC knife. Lets take a look at what sets this knife apart from Spyderco’s more civilian oriented offerings.

Buy the Spyderco Military at BladeHQ

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General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Spyderco Military has an overall length of 9.5″, a 4″ blade, weighs 4.2 ounces, and is made in the USA. It’s a large knife, but when you pick it up I think most will very surprised how light it feels. The knife is extremely light for it size, making it practical for both a hard working tool and as a dedicated self defense knife.

The blade on the Military is a modified drop point design. Spyderco started with 1/8″ blade stock, added a nice full belly, and applied a full flat grind. This is quintessential Spyderco blade, simple, elegant and entirely effective. There is no swedge or recurve – just a simple and utilitarian cutting surface. The tip is unreinforced, and is somewhat delicate if you aren’t careful with it, but I find the blade to overall be very well balanced and good at a variety of cutting tasks.

Spyderco selected CPM-S30V stainless steel for the blade. S30V is excellent stuff. It’s best known for holding a great edge, but it’s also fairly easy to sharpen and very corrosion resistant. I think for a combat knife S30V was a good choice here, provided that you are willing to occasionally sharpen and maintain the edge.

Handle, Ergonomics and Pocket Clip

The Spyderco Military features a large handle, designed for serious use. As far as construction is concerned, Spyderco started out with large pieces of G10 and added nested partial steel liners. This provides a lot of strength and rigidity but is also what keeps this knife at an amazing 4.2 ounces. The steel liners are screwed into an aluminum backspacer. Everything can be taken apart and is extremely easy to clean. This is a simple and very effective handle design.

When discussing the ergonomics of the Military, the first thing to mention is how large this handle actually is. I can almost get a 2 hand grip on it – and I wear large gloves. This gives you plenty of room for forward or reverse grips with or without gloves. The G10 provides plenty of traction and Spyderco has done a great job of jimping the thumb ramp and choil. This is very aggressive jimping and it works very well. There is also a small choil so you can choke up on the blade. I’m a big fan of this choil – it allows the Military to flex between a defensive (or offensive) tool, and a straight up utility knife. The ergonomics on the Military are outstanding.

The clip is a simple affair, it’s been blackened and is made of tempered steel. One of the biggest complaints peole have with this knife is that the clip is tip down right side carry only. I know most people prefer tip up, and that would be my preference as well. However, there are no steel liners near the butt of the handle, so there really is no place to add a clip unless you want to significantly increase the weight by adding a larger liner. For people wanting left side carry, Spyderco has a separate left-hand version of the Military available here.

All in all, the clip is good. It rides decently low, it’s discreet and has good retention. Tip up carry would be nice but it’s not feasible given the overall design.

Deployment and Lockup

The Spyderco Military, utilizes an oversize thumb hole (or a “Spyder hole”) for deployment. Deployment on my knife is pretty fast. The thumb hole is a generous 14mm in diameter, which allows for easy access with bare hands or gloves. I can flick the blade out on my new Military, but it takes a little more force. With time the knife and it’s high quality phosphor bronze washers will break in, and deployment will only get smoother and easier.

After deployment the blade is locked in place with a thick steel liner lock. When the lock engages its sounds sorta like someone stepped into a bear trap – it makes a very crisp and satisfying “SNAP” when it locks in place. Lockup is very secure. There is no blade play at all. The partial liners are bolted together through the aluminum backspacer – this is just a rock solid design and again, I’m blown away by the fact that this knife only weighs 4.2 ounces. To have such a big knife with such a strong lock with this weight puts the Military in a class of its own.

Spyderco Military Review – Final Thoughts

The Spyderco Military is an amazing folding tactical knife. With its light weight, large handle and incredibly versatile blade, the Military is made with tactical use in mind. It’s a very well thought out design, and Spyderco has been refining the knife for years. I also really like how the Military is made in America.

In terms of potential criticisms, I would caution readers on the relatively delicate tip of the blade, and the fact that the pocket clip is designed for tip down carry only. If you want a folder that doubles as a pry-bar, I’d look elsewhere (the Zero Tolerance 0550 comes to mind), but if you want a practical tactical knife you will not be disappointed with a Military.

Spyderco Military Model Signature USA-Made Knife with 4" CPM S30V Stainless Steel Blade and Durable Camo G-10 Handle - PlainEdge - C36GPCMO

Iconic Design: Originally created to meet the demanding needs of forward-deployed military personnel, it incorporates all the best elements of Spyderco's unmistakable style while exemplifying our commitment to "Reliable High Performance."
Superior Blade Steel: Since the steel is the spirit of the knife, CPM S30V seemed the logical choice for the blade given its reputation for long-term edge retention and rust resistance. It is available in satin finish or non-reflective DLC coating.
Light and Durable: The Military Model is modified with a clip-point profile and a full-flat grind for balance strength and exceptional cutting performance.
Versatile: A defining feature of the Military Model is the fully accessible 14mm Round Hole. It ensures swift, ambidextrous, one-handed opening: even while wearing gloves.
Dependable: Each knife includes a nested Linerlock mechanism, textured G-10 scales, lined Lanyard holes, and right-side, tip-down pocket clips that keep your knife poised and ready for immediate access.

I recommend purchasing the Spyderco Military at Amazon or BladeHQ . By purchasing things through any of the links on this website you support BladeReviews.com and help produce future reviews without any additional cost to you. Thank you very much.

Benchmade 741 Onslaught Review

by Dan Jackson 9 Comments

Last Updated: August 21, 2019
Once in a while you run into a knife that really blows you away. The Benchmade 741 Onslaught is certainly one of those breathtaking knives for me. Designed by the late Bob Lum, the Onslaught is a large and elegant folding tactical knife that speaks to me on a lot of levels.

Buy the Benchmade Onslaught at BladeHQ

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General Dimensions and Blade Steel

Make no mistake, the Onslaught is a big knife. The blade alone is 4.3″, the overall length is 9.63″ and the weight is 6.8 ounces. Yeah, this is a big knife and I wouldn’t use it for EDC. I would prefer to use a Benchmade 746 Mini Onslaught with a 3.45″ blade, an overall length of 7.8″ and a weight 3.9 ounces. The “mini” is still a pretty big knife, but I find it much more practical for daily carry. That said, the full size Onslaught could make for a very deadly defensive/tactical knife, or a high end user.

In reality, I think many of the people who buy the 741 will buy it as a collectors piece. They may be fans of Bob Lum or simply like the look (it’s pretty wicked looking). There is nothing wrong with that. When you drop $150+ on an elegant folding knife like this, you are probably not going to immediately take it to the backyard to thump on some 2x4s. This is the kind of knife you could pass on to your kids, and who knows, if Benchmade decides to discontinue the model or ship production overseas, it may even be a little bit of an investment down the road.

Anyhow, lets talk about the blade. The 741 Onslaught has a big, up-swept modified clip point blade. There is plenty of belly on this knife, and it looks like this would be a decent skinner. There is a long swedge that terminates with a very delicate tip. For such a big knife the tip is almost comically thin. In fact, the entire blade is made from pretty thin stock. I would prefer if they made it slightly thicker. I think this would improve the strength and utility of the knife as I would be very cautious with putting this knife in any kind of hard use role.

Further adding to the delicate nature of the blade is the almost full flat grind. The slicing ability of this knife is incredible and the long thin blade will shave off material with ease, but this is all done at the expense of blade strength. My blade came with a lightly stonewashed finish, but you also have the option of a black coated blade as well.

Blade steel on this knife is tried and true Benchmade 154CM. 154CM is a hearty steel that takes a great edge and holds it well. The 154CM can be somewhat prone to rust so keep the knife clean and dry to ensure it will stay beautiful.

Handle and Pocket Clip

The handle is made of large pieces of G10. The G10 has a relatively smooth finish and it isn’t particularly grippy but the handles are so large it doesn’t really matter and the result is you have a beautiful knife. Under the G10 scales are full stainless steel liners. These liners have been blackened and are skeletonized in effort to reduce the weight. Everything is screwed together with attractive black chromed hardware and a large black backspacer runs most the length of the handle.

As far as ergonomics are concerned the handle is fairly comfortable. The handle material doesn’t have a high traction finish, instead relying on larger design elements to hold your fingers in place. The choil and sweep of the handle have a way of wedging your hand in place. This provides a firm grip and is still pretty comfortable for my larger hands. If I choke up a little more on the knife it’s much more comfortable and allows me to better control the big blade. There is no jimping to be found on this knife, which doesn’t bother me because of the overall size, but for such a big knife I felt the ergonomics to be decent, but not outstanding.

The pocket clip on the Onslaught is rather large, which compliments the overall size of the knife. It is made of blackened nickle and allows for right side tip up carry. It is designed to support a lot of weight and balances the knife well in your pocket. I like the chrome finish Tip up carry is preferred for quickly deploying folding pocket knives so I am not complaining that Benchmade didn’t leave an option for tip down. The nickle pocket clip fits well with the overall elegant nature of the knife.

Deployment and Lock

For a big knife the Benchmade Onslaught moves fast. There is a large thumb hole that provides enough room to snap the blade out with or without gloves. The G10 scales have been machined to open up access to the thumb hole. Even though the thumb hole is partially occluded by the handle it is still easy to get at.

The Onslaught uses the Benchmade Axis lock. This is a great lock and has been proven time and time again with Benchmade’s other offerings. The Axis Lock in the Onslaught is very smooth and when the blade is locked open there is zero play in the knife. When the blade is closed it is centered in the middle of the handle, another small detail that I’ve come to expect from Benchmade.

Benchmade 741 Onslaught Review – Final Thoughts

The Onslaught is a beautiful knife with amazing build quality and great attention to detail. As a working mans knife you could find some faults with the design, but I suspect that Benchmade had the collector in mind when they built this blade. Practical weaknesses would include a relatively thin tip and a low traction handle, but the end product would still make a serviceable weapon and a beautiful heirloom. All in all I like the full size Onslaught a lot, but for every day carry, and even tactical use I would reach for the “mini” version.

Benchmade 741 Lum Onslaught Folding Knife Plain Edge

Axis Lock Bob Lums first
154 CM
Big Awesome Folding Knife
Reversible pocket clip

I recommend purchasing the Benchmade Onslaught at Amazon or BladeHQ. Thanks for reading.