bearings

Spartan Blades Metis Review

Few companies have the pedigree that Spartan Blades does. I rarely hear them pop up in conversation among gear geeks, but that hasn’t stopped them from accumulating a small hoard of Blade Show awards. Between the aforementioned awards and the extensive Special Forces resumes of the two founders, I’m surprised they don’t get more chatter. Maybe they do, just not among folks I know.

As Dan covered in his review of the Horkos, Spartan’s reputation is firmly grounded in its fixed blades and (though I hate the overuse of the term) “tactical” folders. This reputation was so entrenched that when I was offered a Metis in trade, I had to triple check the dimensions. There was no way Spartan made a sub-3” blade…right? Curiosity piqued, I went ahead with the trade. How would an everyday carry knife designed by former Special Forces handle mundane tasks? The short answer: better than I expected, given recent trends among overbuilt folders.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Spartan Blades Metis is close to my ideal size for a pocket folder. It features a 2.7” blade housed in a 4” handle, and the entire package (sans clip) weighs in at 2.79 ounces. Those numbers look pretty good, especially when you consider the all metal construction. A knife this size is well suited to a range of everyday tasks, from opening packages to light food preparation. It’s also legal to carry in a wide range of jurisdictions, as it falls under the common 3” blade limit.

If there is one aspect of the Metis that grabs my attention, it’s the blade shape. Most folks would probably call it a drop point, but the dip along the spine gives it something akin to a harpoon’s profile. Whatever the nomenclature, it’s fantastic. There’s enough belly for slicing cuts, but not so much that the edge slides out of the cutting medium during push cuts. The harpoon-ish profile – in addition to reinforcing the tip of the blade – leaves a dip in the rounded spine that’s a perfect resting place for a thumb.

For enthusiasts, Crucible’s S35VN is no longer news. In fact it pretty much serves as a benchmark against which we compare other steels. It has a proven track record as a “do-everything” steel: it chips less and is easier to sharpen than its predecessor S30V, with comparable or better edge retention and rust resistance. I didn’t strenuously test the steel in this case, but I was mostly using it as a gentleman’s folder, and it hasn’t needed any maintenance in the few months that I’ve had it.

When I did use the Metis, it outperformed my expectations. No, it didn’t pass the apple test, but it did well enough that my insensate pinky never started twitching nervously. It behaved similarly while breaking down cardboard boxes: not the best, but good enough to flex into the role. The old saying “jack of all trades, master of none” is appropriate here.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Carry

There’s not much that can be said about the handle of the Metis. Like so many of its competitors, it’s another slab-handled, titanium-on-titanium knife. So what makes the Metis stand out in a crowd? That’s difficult to answer. The show side of the Metis is beautifully simple; between the milled backspacer and the singular visible screw, it seems almost hewn from titanium. The lock side couldn’t be more different. Every screw that was hidden on the show side is plainly visible, and the milling for the lock bar in conjunction with the overtravel stop give it an aesthetic not far off from a circuit board. With that in mind, it’s arguable that Janus is as fitting a namesake as Metis.

Ergonomically, the Metis ranges from unoffensive to pleasant, depending on the task. It never stood out as being great, but neither did it stand out as being horrible – which surprised me given the odd placement of hard angles. If the knife is resting in your fingers, chances are you’re not gripping it so tightly that the angles will have an impact on the ergonomics. By contrast, if you’re gripping it so tightly that the angles would matter, you’re probably holding it farther back in your palm where the angles won’t cause any hot spots. At least, that was my experience. The generous chamfering and subtle curve of the handle are certainly factors here.

The best I can say about the pocket clip on the Metis is that I understand some of the design impulses behind it. It’s attractive and fits the overall aesthetic. The screws for the pocket clip are hidden (meaning they screw in from the interior), which is a nice touch, though it makes removal inconvenient. In slacks, dress pants, or particularly thin jeans, this pocket clip works fine. Beyond that, the news isn’t as nice. The clip doesn’t have much spring to it, so to compensate it doesn’t make contact with the handle scale. Ultimately, this restricts the number of ways to comfortably carry the Metis.

Problems with the clip aside, the Metis is a pretty quiet pocket companion. Most of the time I carried it in the leather slip I use for traditional knives, and while it was a bit of a tight fit, the slip ensured that the Metis didn’t slide out of my pocket or roll to the bottom and cause discomfort. I’d have preferred to carry this with a clip, but it wasn’t onerous to forego it. My CRK Mnandi has a great pocket clip, but I still carry it in a pocket slip more often than not.

Deployment and Lock-Up

The blade of the Metis is deployed solely by the flipper tab. As the entirety of the blade is housed within the handle, there is no pinch point which would facilitate two-handed opening. Though slightly disappointing – it’s always a feature I like to have on a “dress” knife – I can’t fairly complain, as a wider blade wouldn’t carry as well. This flipper is meant to be pulled (like a light switch) rather than pushed. Deployment is thoughtless, reliable, and doesn’t generate discomfort, even if you’re using the Metis as a fidget toy.

The ease of deployment is in part thanks to the caged bearings the blade rides on. I’m of two minds regarding the use of bearings in folding knives: on one hand, they allow for silky smooth pivots, but on the other they’re far more susceptible to grime and grit than traditional washers. (Addendum: I’ve been informed that I may be wrong on this account. More information is welcome in the comments.) On a knife like the Metis caged bearings are fine. A knife this size is clearly in the “EDC/gentlemen’s” category, and not intended for hard use.

At this point, there’s not much that can be said about a well-executed framelock, and the lock on the Metis certainly qualifies as such. The lock face consistently engages 50% of the blade tang, disengaging the lock is easy, and there’s only a fraction of a hair of wiggle in the lock, which vanishes in use. A steel lock insert could fix that, but the only titanium framelock I’ve ever handled that doesn’t have that slight amount of play is the Mnandi, and that knife certainly isn’t being flipped open like the Metis.

Spartan Blades Metis – Final Thoughts

Currently, it’s difficult to find a Metis in stock anywhere. My understanding is that this design hasn’t been discontinued, Spartan just hasn’t released any batches recently. Hopefully when Spartan comes back to it, they do so with an eye towards improvement, because there are a few changes that I’d like to see. The bones of a truly great knife are here, and it wouldn’t take much to flesh it out.

First, the pocket clip needs to be redesigned. A nondescript spring clip with outside accessible screws would be far more functional. Second, eliminate the overtravel stop by incorporating a steel lock face into the frame lock. This would eliminate the scant play there is and clean up the lock side of the knife. Those two changes would improve the function and form of the Metis, and (designing and retooling costs aside) I can’t imagine it costing more to produce than the current design. By moving away from a sculpted clip, it may actually cost less.

When they were available, the Metis sold for $340. That’s quite a bit of money – especially for a pocketknife – and the competition is stiff. The obvious comparison is the Small Sebenza. I can’t make a direct comparison (I’ve never owned a Sebenza) but I do own an Mnandi. The best way I can describe it is that if the Metis is practically flawless, the Mnandi is flawless. Of course, no Chris Reeve knife has a flipper, so Spartan is ahead of the game in that department.

Is the Metis still worth buying in the meantime? If you can find one, and if the design speaks to you, I’d say yes. It’s well made, attractive in its own right, and can flex into a number of different roles. If my complaints dissuade you, I’d recommend keeping an eye on Spartan Blades in the meantime.

Spartan Blades Metis Folding Flipper Knife Titanium SF4SWXX

List Price: $340.00

Current Price: $340.00

Price Disclaimer

I recommend purchasing the Spartan Blades Metis at BladeHQ, KnifeArt, and Amazon. Please consider that purchasing anything through any of the links on this website helps support BladeReviews.com, and keeps the site going. As always, any and all support is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

Zero Tolerance ZT 0450 Review

by Benjamin Schwartz 3 Comments

Despite positioning itself as a maker of hard use tools for hardcore individuals, Zero Tolerance has always had more universal appeal than its marketing would suggest – and I don’t think the company’s appeal has ever been wider than it is today.

Unlike sister brand Kershaw, there isn’t any internal division between ZT products: there aren’t ‘cheap’ and ‘expensive’ ZTs in the sense that there are cheap and expensive Kershaws; everything they make falls within the same general bracket of impressive machining and high-end materials; the price differences just indicate which high materials you’re getting and how much impressive machining you see.

And while ZTs may have been considered pretty pricey back in the day, as the market has shifted upwards their prices have remained relatively consistent, so that they seem more reasonable now than they did five years ago. So as the knife world has shifted into its current strata of price brackets, Zero Tolerance has found itself in a sweet spot between accessibility and quality.

All of this combines to put ZT pretty much at the center of current knife enthusiast culture. I’m sure there are soldiers, cops, and first responders who carry and use Zero Tolerence knives, but I would bet there are a lot more ZTs in the pockets of enthusiasts and on the shelves of collectors. That being said there has never been a ZT knife that really spoke to me.

I couldn’t find one that was ‘just right;’ this knife had a great design but is assisted, that one was the right size but inordinately heavy. It is this way for me with every knife ZT releases. Eventually, waiting for the Perfect Zero Tolerance became a kind of mania. Perfect design, perfect size, perfect price: I figured if I waited long enough such a ZT would come out.

But it never did, and eventually I got tired of waiting and picked up the knife that came closest to that ephemeral, unrealized Perfect ZT I have in my mind: the Dmitry Sinkevich-designed ZT 0450. It can’t possibly be perfect, but is it any good? Let’s take a look.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The 0450 has a blade length of 3 3/16”, a handle length of 4 1/8”, and an overall length of 7 3/8”. It weighs 3.04 oz. and is made in the USA. I want to mention here that this is a damn good looking knife. It comes up later and I don’t want to keep repeating myself in the interim, so just keep in mind that almost every inch of this knife is nice to look at.

The ZT 0450’s racy drop point is a good EDC cutter. It has much more straight edge than belly, which I don’t necessarily mind, and a very sharp tip. A chunky grind means two things: 1) both the tip and cutting edge are hardy enough to beat on, however 2) it isn’t as good of a slicer as you would hope for. Given the fast, futuristic, aggressive styling I was hoping for equally aggressive cutting performance but that isn’t what you get here.

However, trading some sliciness for durability isn’t exactly Faustian as long as cutting performance is still the favored attribute to some degree, and the 0450 meets this criterion. It’s best-suited for medium-duty tasks like cutting through cardboard or plastic, but you aren’t going to hate slicing food with it either. It works.

When Zero Tolerance began using Elmax a few years ago accusations of improper heat treating and burnt edges were leveled at them from the enthusiast quarter. The 0450 is made from S35VN, not Elmax, but there is a small portion near the tip of my 0450’s blade that looks burned:

From what I understand, this occurs during the edge grinding portion of manufacturing, and is localized to the burned area – in other words, if it is burned, it shouldn’t affect the performance of the edge in general – and my experience bears this out.

S35VN is great. I would almost say it’s boring, because it doesn’t have the epic abilities and tragic flaws of a steel like M4, but for the average user (and most enthusiasts are average users AT BEST) that is a good thing. I’m convinced that you could sharpen S35VN with even a rudimentary setup and some patience. The S35VN here performed just as well as I expected it to, and if there were any problems in the burned portion I didn’t notice.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

One of my biggest ergonomic pet peeves is when a knife has a beak or a scoop at the butt end of its handle that either doesn’t accommodate all four fingers ahead of it, or that makes my fingers feel crammed because it ushers them too close together. I really want this issue to become the Too Many Finger Grooves of 2017, because it nearly ruined the Para 3 for me and designers need to stop doing it.

By all accounts it looked like the 0450 would have this problem, and even now I’m not sure that it doesn’t. I can get all my fingers between the finger groove and the beginning of the beak, but not easily, comfortably, or without premeditation; my fingers would never fall across the handle this way naturally.

But the way I think you’re supposed to hold the knife is how I ended up holding the Para 3: with my index finger in the groove, my middle and ring in the “valley,” and my pinky landing on the far side of the beak. This feels natural, but, again, it isn’t the natural way my hand wants to hold the knife.

If I just grab the knife without thinking, my pinky lands right on the tip of the beak. This doesn’t sound like it would be comfortable, but thanks to the big chamfer around the scales, the tip of the beak isn’t too pointy and it works. And even during hard cuts this wasn’t that uncomfortable because most of the pressure is focused on the portion of the knife between your thumb and forefinger.

So I don’t know where I come down on this. The way it appears the knife is designed to be held isn’t natural, and the way it seems natural to hold it doesn’t feel right, even if it isn’t intolerable. At the end of the day I guess I’m okay with this handle, because it allows for a very slim and stylish profile, and going into it you know the 0450 isn’t going to be an ergonomic masterpiece.

The 0450 itself is so very narrow that it would be a pretty decent carry regardless of what kind of clip it had. This is one of very few flipper knives whose flipper tab doesn’t annoy me in the pocket, and I think that’s a function of the knife’s extreme narrowness. The 0450 would be a great carry even with a bad pocket clip, but hey: the clip here is anguish free. The same clip seen on the Kershaw Dividend, and in that review I expressed a little anxiety about its stability over time, but I’ve had no issues here.

Deployment and Lockup

I’m going to grouse a lot in this section so I’ll say this up front: The ZT 0450’s action is fast, sure, very snappy, addicting, and fun. The flipper tab is well designed. It is a great example of why flippers are so hot right now. Okay, grousing starts now.

I was prepared for the lock bar issue, and it is definitely present: if your fingers are on anywhere on the lock bar, the detent is such that the knife will not open – it feels almost like you have a secondary safety feature engaged. When I first got the knife I had a couple attempted deployments where the blade refused to budge.

However, if you align your fingers with the clip it keeps them off the bar; now that’s where my fingers naturally goes when I flip open this knife. Still, not cool, and from what I’ve seen it’s present on newer models as well. I’d like to see ZT put this issue to bed.

I think ball bearing pivots are bad. I hope the recent issues with the Advocate will precipate a move back to traditional washers, which are more durable, have no moving parts, are easier to maintain, and don’t cause as much unnecessary wear. Ball bearings against naked titanium (as we have on the 0450) is probably asking for trouble in the long term – albeit in the long, long term that most of us won’t see, as we trade and swap knives and carry different ones on different days. But still.

I also think that the ZT 0450’s fall shut action is dangerous and not to be desired. I’ve cut myself more times on the ZT 0450 than any other knife I’ve owned, either because it rolled shut so fast I didn’t have time to get my knuckles out of the way, or I pushed it a little bit and it gained enough momentum to keep rolling when I didn’t want or expect it to. Not necessary.

Lockup via titanium frame lock with a steel insert, is good however. If you look at the knife from the side, it doesn’t seem that a lot of the blade tang actually makes contact with the lock face, and disengagement has no feedback or friction whatsoever, but there is no blade play and the lock has never been other than stable and reliable. The double over-travel stop provided by the insert and by the clip is a nice touch as well.

Zero Tolerance 0450 Review – Final Thoughts

There is no meaningful area in which the Zero Tolerance 0450 excels other than carry. It isn’t a great cutter. Ergonomically, it’s kind of a mess. The deployment is problematic. But I still like it.

As much as I hate to say it it comes down to the look. Sinkevich has one of the strongest aesthetics around and the 0450 benefits greatly from that. It isn’t my style necessarily, but we don’t see a lot of knives that are this visually confident, and I think I responded to that. If you showed me a less interesting design that had all of these quirks and problems, I would never even think of buying it.

Not exactly the resounding praise, but praise nonetheless. I can’t not like this knife, even if there are so many things about it that I don’t like. It stops just short of brilliance but looks stunning doing it.

Zero Tolerance Sinkevich Titanium Folding Knife, Small

List Price: $157.95

Current Price: $157.95

Price Disclaimer

I recommend purchasing the Zero Tolerance 0450 at Amazon and BladeHQ. 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.

Emerson Sheepdog Review

by Dan 9 Comments

Having reviewed many Emerson knives over the years, and reaching largely the same conclusions, you would think I am a glutton for punishment in selecting the Emerson Sheepdog for review. However, the Sheepdog brings something new to the table. This is the first Emerson flipper I have reviewed, and it features their new ball bearing system. Plus the handle has been drilled and tapped for ambidextrous carry. This is big news from a company that is very much set in their ways.

This isn’t the only flipper Emerson has done. They also released the CQC-7 flipper. The CQC-7 flipper seems interesting on paper, as flippers have been in vogue for years now and the CQC-7 is the knife that put Emerson on the map, but the design is uninspred and the end result is literally a CQC-7 with a gigantic shark fin flipper pasted onto it. I can understand the appeal to some, but personally I wasn’t interested.

In contrast the Sheepdog isn’t a model where the flipper was an afterthought. The knife was designed to be a flipper, per the specifications of Lt. Col. David Grossman, the man who approached Ernest Emerson about collaborating on a knife and designing something for David’s company Sheepdog Knife and Gun.

David Grossman is the author of On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society, a seminal text on the psychology of the act of killing, how most men are reluctant to kill, and how law enforcement and military have trained people to overcome this reluctance. I’m sure On Killing makes for stimulating beach reading, but I didn’t pick up the Sheepdog to write a book report.

Before I proceed, let me disclose that this knife was provided for me to review free of charge by the fine folks over at BladeFlick.com. In no way will it impact my review.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Sheepdog has an overall length of 8.4″, a 3.5″ blade, and it weighs 5.54 ounces. This knife is made in the USA. This is a purpose built utility and self defense knife geared towards law enforcement (hence the name). Grossman wanted something functional for a Police officer’s daily work, yet relatively non-threatening. The handle is generous, while the blade is big enough to get work done without being over the top. As usual this won’t be practical for your average urban or suburban EDC, but no Emerson is. I have carried my knife primarily on evenings and weekends.

The Sheepdog comes with your choice of a clip point or spear point blade. Personally, I like the look of the spear point a little more. I think that visually the spear point blade it balances out the handle a little better. It’s also a little less aggressive looking than the clip point. Both designs provide good all round utility and come with partial flat grinds. Both blade shapes are cut from 1/8″ thick blade stock.

As usual the blade on this Emerson is immaculate. Crisp lines, beautiful satin grinds, a generous sharpening choil, and sparkling stonewashed flats. The tip on my clip point is needle fine, while the spear point version appears to have a little more meat behind it. The primary grind is “V” ground, while the edge is only applied to the show side.

Like all the other Emerson’s I have reviewed, the Sheepdog comes in 154CM. At this point the 154CM stainless steel is a known quality. It comes sharp and stays sharp for a good while. Maintenance is easy. You sharpen the bevel side as you normally would, and that quickly raises a prominent burr. I then knock the burr off with a single swipe on a ceramic rod, and the blade is good to go. I have a suspicion that Emerson heat treats their 154CM on the softer side. It makes it an easy knife to sharpen, but you lose a little edge retention and the blade shows wear without much effort.

The Sheepdog takes a nice toothy edge, and has no problem with boxes, and I broke down plenty in the wake of assembling furniture and appliances for my rental house. I also used the knife on wood and for some mild food prep. The clip point is a practical blade shape, although it’s a little aggressive for use in public. It slices well, but also offers excellent penetration ability. Corrosion resistance is pretty good, but 154CM will stain if you aren’t careful with it.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

The handle is classic Emerson: coarse peel-ply black G10 scales over a stainless steel non-locking liner, a titanium locking liner, black stand offs, Phillips head body screws, and a slotted pivot. Fit and finish is good on my knife. Emerson got a bad rap for their knives a few years ago for off-centered blades, tooling marks on the liners, late lockups, etc. These days those issues have largely disappeared. All the parts line up, the body screws are counter sunk, the edges are chamferred, and the pocket clip screws don’t stick out past the liners. If I had to nit-pick, I’d say that one of my liners is about .1 mm proud on one spot of the handle, but beyond that I can’t complain. This is a solid knife and it isn’t horrible to look at either.

The ergonomics of the Sheepdog may be inspired by Grossman, but they are pure Emerson. Like most of his designs the handle has an almost orthotic quality to it. The simple shape comes with decades of experience and the end result works great. Your index finger sinks into a deep finger groove while the flared pommel catches your pinky perfectly and the gently sloping spine supports your palm. This handle design would keep your hand in place work without excessive handle texturing, but of course Emerson offers the knife with sandpaper like G-10, and a broad thumb ramp with mild jimping. The end result is an undeniably comfortable and functional handle, but the G-10 will shred your pockets if you aren’t careful.

I know not everyone will share in my excitement, but I think the craziest feature on this knife is the fact that the handle has been drilled and tapped to accept a pocket clip on either side of the handle. Holy shit, what a concept. Some people may be less enthusiastic about this great advance in technology, after all these days you can get a $5 gas station knife that is drilled and tapped for ambidextrous carry, but for Emerson this is a big freaking deal. I’m glad Grossman got more than his company logo on this knife. Congratulations on getting this thing to come ready for ambidextrous placement of the pocket clip.

The clip is the same black parkerized stainless steel spring clip that you will find on every other standard Emerson. It’s a nice functional clip. Here it has been placed on the high on the handle for relatively deep carry. It’s not super deep carry, but you can easily retrieve the knife. The Sheepdog carries pretty well. It’s a relatively big knife, and it is thick, but it’s not going anywhere with this pants-shredding G-10. It carries as you would expect it to.

Deployment and Lockup

While the three extra holes in the handle are a big step forward, the flipper is what truly sells the Sheepdog. Since this is one of Emerson’s first flipper I wasn’t sure how successful of a flipper this would be. I was pleasantly surprised with what arrived. The Sheepdog flips well thanks in part to a large flipper tab, relatively heavy blade, and GTC bearing system. The detent doesn’t feel an stronger than your typical Emerson, and you can use the thumb disk or wave if you want, but it still provides enough resistance for the blade to flip open every time. The blade doesn’t pop like a Zero Tolerance flipper, but it isn’t a wet noodle either. I’d say it’s a solid 6 on a 1-10 scale, with a 5 being a Spyderco Domino, and a 10 being a ZT 454.

The GTC bearing system is worth another paragraph. Regular readers know I am not a fan of the teflon washers found in the regular Emersons. These bearings are like night and day in comparison. While the teflon washers are slow and gritty, these bearings are fast, smooth, and a pleasure to operate. This is is a caged bearing system designed by Brazilian custom knifemaker Gustavo Cecchini of GTC Knives. Gus knows what he is doing, and Emerson has done a great job implementing this bearing system into their knives.

For lockup we have your typical titanium liner lock. As usual I found my lock was sticky out of the box. I applied a little Sharpie marker to the tang of the knife, and it helped tremendously in alleviating the lock stick. I have to re-apply the Sharpie every couple weeks but it makes the knife much more pleasurable to operate.

Blade centering is perfect on my knife.

Emerson Sheepdog – Final Thoughts

I think this is the Emerson knife a lot of people have been waiting for. While the company has made minor incremental improvements to their products over the years, the knives have remained largely unchanged. This Sheepdog is still very much a traditional Emerson, but the inclusion of bearings and an ambidextrous pocket clip are big steps. The flipper is successful as well. This isn’t the sleekest flipper design, and the action won’t rival a ZT, but the flipper is functional and less clumsy looking than the CQC-7 flipper. I think they did a good job with it.

I find little to complain about here. I am ecstatic about the switch to bearings. I wish they did this for all their knives. The extra pocket clip holes are nice too. The liner lock still sticks but there is a workaround if you are willing to periodically apply Sharpie marker to the tang of the knife.

I suppose the biggest hangup for me is the bulkiness of this knife. That shouldn’t come as a surprise as Emerson knives are always big and thick. You notice them in the pocket and people will notice you if you use the knife in a public setting. If you already realize that going into the purchase, then I think you will find a lot to like with the Sheepdog. It features significant improvements over past Emerson knives.

I easily recommend the Sheepdog for Emerson fans. But I also recommend it for someone seeking a large folding “tactical” knife. This is my favorite Emerson to date, and is a successful collaboration with Lt. Col. Grossman. I hope it inspires the company to try more new things.

I recommend purchasing the Emerson Sheepdog at BladeFlick, Amazon, and BladeHQ. 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.

Spyderco Mantra 1 Review

by Benjamin Schwartz 23 Comments

Admittedly, the Mantra 1 had a hill of biases to climb from the start with me. It is a titanium frame lock flipper, a style of knife that I’ve never warmed up to. I find the flipper to be an inferior deployment method for knives, and while I’ve had positive experiences recently with the frame lock, unless it is done exceptionally well it’s temperamental nature make it a sub-optimal lock for daily use.

There was also the Mantra’s heritage to consider: it is more or less a retooled Delica 4. I like the Delica as it exists in knife community mythology: an affordable, ideal EDC blade, a true classic that anyone can afford. I enjoy the reality of the Delica much less: strange ergonomics, underwhelming VG-10 steel, and a just-slightly-too-high price point have made it hard for me to connect with this venerable blade.

So I picked up the Mantra 1 to see if it could prove itself worthy, both as a titanium framelock flipper, and as a reimagining of the Delica chassis.

And there are many ways in which the Mantra is a fine tool. But it has completely bounced off me. The Mantra is a safe design. Too safe. Not every knife needs to be a history-making masterpiece, but nothing about the Mantra’s design excites me. It is purely perfunctory, a competent knife, but a complacent design. Worse, there are things about it that drove me crazy from day one. The longer I carried the Mantra, the more I noticed major problems with its form, its function, and its purpose. Carrying it was never a chore, but it never distinguished itself in use, and now that it’s out of my pocket I can’t imagine why I’d ever carry it again.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Mantra has a handle length of 4”, a blade length of 3 1/8”, and an overall length of 7 ¼” and is made in Taiwan. It weighs 3 oz. As a modified Delica 4, it is a little bigger, and a little heavier.

The leaf shape blade is a workhorse. The additional cutting edge length and blade width over a Delica makes a difference when it comes to slicing. The Mantra’s blade is precise and efficient without being overlarge or cumbersome. The ergonomics mess with the cutting control somewhat, but the blade shape itself is pure gold.

The steel is my first big issue with the Mantra. I will never disparage CPM-M4’s sheer cutting ability. This is a knife that takes a sharp edge, holds it forever, and is tough, tough, tough. I liked its performance on my Air and I like it here on the Mantra – but when I’m not cutting with M4, I hate it.

M4 is not a stainless steel. It discolors, tarnishes, and stains with little provocation, and quite quickly. The minute I got my Mantra I wiped it down with oil, and even so every time I touched the blade my fingers left a mark. I left the Mantra out overnight on my desk in an air-conditioned apartment, and there was discoloration all over the next morning. If the Mantra was designed to be a true everyday user, M4 was a bad choice. I don’t want to have to baby and fret over my EDC knife; it should work well and virtually maintain itself.

I feel like Spyderco knows that M4 has a corrosion problem, because the Mantra’s flipper tab, ostensibly the place that will be receiving the most contact from your finger, is differently finished, almost polished, as if to counteract that additional contact – and it still discolors. If Spyderco wanted to go with M4 here, they should have coated or clad it. The sprint run HAP40 Delicas have a laminated blade to fight corrosion, and HAP40 actually has more chromium than M4, so I don’t know why they didn’t work to combat M4’s weaknesses on this more expensive knife.

M4 is a great steel for specialized applications, but its quirks preclude it from being an all-purpose folding knife steel. If it was the only steel in the world with great edge retention and toughness, that would be one thing, but we are literally spoiled for choice when it comes to super steels available on $150-200 knives. S35VN is not a ridiculous thing to ask for at $160, and it would have been perfect here. My suspicion is that we are seeing M4 on the Mantra for the same reason that we are still seeing a lot of Spyderco knives with S30V: they have a lot of the stuff lying around and need to get rid of it. But whether it was a matter of convenience or Spyderco really believes in this stuff, it just doesn’t work here.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Carry

I may not love the Delica 4, but I readily acknowledge that the design has been gone over so much that nothing feels like an accident. Even the handle, which I find too prescriptive, is more refined and considered than most knives’. If there was one thing the Mantra seemed to carry over unmodified from the Delica 4, it was its handle design.

But here’s where the flipper starts to make life difficult. The Delica 4 handle may not be my favorite, but it does work. However, it needs every last centimeter of its handle length to do so. The Mantra retains the Delica 4 handle’s overall length, but doesn’t change the size to accommodate the flipper tab, which of course works as a forward guard, perpendicular to the handle, when the knife is open. What this means is that you actually lose usable handle length over the Delica.

Thus, in hand, I found the Mantra a Delica-but-less, and thus uncomfortable. The scalloping makes your pointer finger run right up against the flipper tab. You also have to stretch your thumb a bit to actually make use of the jimped thumb ramp. Holding the knife like you’re supposed to, your hand is canted at a weird angle, and strangely distant from the start of the cutting edge. You lose a lot of control.

The titanium handle scales themselves are quite nice, well-machined and chamfered, with an attractive large grain stone wash. They’re mildly textured, but positive enough grip-wise, aided by the jimping on the thumb ramp and the lockbar insert. All details that Spyderco and its Taichung facility generally get right, but the flawed fundamentals make the execution more or less moot.

The Mantra works well in the pocket. The deep carry wire clip keeps it buried and out of the way until you need it, and the scales won’t shred your pants. I have been a longtime disparager of the Spyderco wire clip, finding it a little fragile. If there’s a positive takeaway from my time with the Mantra, it’s that I was wrong about this clip. It survived weeks of carry with no problem, and actually looks handsome in its way, so I’m a semi-convert on the wire clip.

Deployment and Lockup

Judging by any standard, the Mantra’s flipper is mediocre. Despite utilizing a ball bearing pivot, it’s laggardly. It isn’t thoughtless: you have to be deliberate with your deployment motion. It misfires every once and a while. It even fails at the more frivolous things: it isn’t particularly smooth, particularly effortless, or particularly satisfying to fidget with. Ironically, the Spyder Hole works really well here, and this is a satisfying knife to flick open in the ‘traditional’ way: fast and sure.

The frame lock is good. No play, and disengagement is easy. A very scrawny-looking lock bar, but it manages to inspire confidence with its fuss-free performance.

Spyderco Mantra 1 – Final Thoughts

I don’t like the Mantra. The steel choice isn’t right, the ergonomics are actually bad, and the main selling point, the flipper, is undercooked. It’s hard to make an unusable knife at the $160 price point, and Mantra does work, but its profound lack of spark, along with its flawed fundamental execution, scuttles what could be good here. Spyderco is famous for thinking their knives through, but the Mantra feels like it’s one or two design revisions away from where it should be. There are better blades at pretty much every price point.

Spyderco Mantra Titanium Plain Edge Knife

List Price: $159.52

Current Price: $159.06

Price Disclaimer

If you are thinking of buying a Spyderco Mantra, please consider purchasing it at Amazon or BladeHQ. By purchasing things through any of the links on this website you support BladeReviews.com, keep the website free of annoying banner ads, and help produce future reviews. Thank you very much.

Zero Tolerance 0888MAX

by Dan 2 Comments

First of all, this is not really a review. The 0888MAX is a pure collectible for me. A collectible I was able to acquire through a trade with my good friend Andrew of the Edge Observer. The knife has been admired and “fondled” (as much as I hate that word – it’s right up there with “hubby” and “moist” for me), but certainly not carried and used. Given the value and rarity of a knife like the 0888MAX, I hope those who came here for a rough and tumble review can look past that and enjoy the knife from the same collector’s mindset that I have.

It seems as if Zero Tolerance has lost their way in some respects with their recent limited editions. To me knives like the 0777>, the 454CF, and this 0888 represent the pinnacle of ZT’s limited editions: bold and innovative designs that are beautifully and meticulously executed, featuring feats of engineering largely unseen in their regular lineup, yet the knives are still timeless and universally appealing.

A 0392 with “toxic green” hardware doesn’t get me going in the same way an 0888 does. The 0427 is cool, but a little busy. It is more of an acquired taste, than a timeless classic. I have similar feelings about the 0999. To me they just gratuitously layered on more stuff, like a chef at a fancy restaurant simply piling on more expensive ingredients.

There is something about the 0888 that places it the top my favorite ZT LE’s. Maybe because it is an in house design, so simple and elegant yet so meticulously and beautifully rendered. The gentle play between the open blade and handle, the fully contoured titanium scales, and the ingenious one piece pocket clip that flows seamlessly with the rest of the knife, all serve to elevate this design from the rest. There is something almost magical about the 888, made even more etheral by the limited quantity: a mere 250 pieces of the 0888 and 250 of the 0888MAX. These days Zero Tolerance limited releases even seem to be less limited. But that’s OK, this only serves to make the 0888MAX more special.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The 0888MAX has an overall length of 9.125″, a 3.75″ blade, a weight of 7.56 ounces, and is made in the USA. I will use “0888” and “0888MAX” interchangeably throughout this article except for when specifically discussing the steel below. With that said, the difference between the 2 is that the 0888 is uncoated and comes with a composite S110V and 14C28N blade, while the 0888MAX is black DLC coated and approximately half of the 0888MAX knives feature Maxamet steel, and the other half have M390 steel blades after Zero Tolerance realized it would be too difficult to finish out the entire batch in Maxamet. Also the fuller on the regular 0888 does not extend the length of the blade like the 0888MAX.

The 0888 was apparently the 2012 Overall Knife of the Year. Although I agree with Tony that this is an award of dubious distinction, in this case I think they got the award right, and the 0888 is certainly worthy of the Knife of the Year title.

The 0888 features a modified drop point blade. It’s almost a spearpoint, and that spear shaped blade is further accented by a dramatic fuller that runs the length of the blade before transitioning into the handle. The knife is flat ground, with the grind running half the height of the blade. There is no swedge.

The “MAX” in 0888MAX signifies ZT’s choice of Carpenter’s Maxamet high speed powder tool steel. Here is a link to Carpenter’s datasheet. Here is a link to ZKnives always informative Composition Analysis Graph, Equivalents and Overview.

After reviewing Carpenter’s datasheet, it looks like Maxamet is to be hardened to anywhere between 66-71 HRc, which is super high on the Rockwell C scale for knife blades. For reference, steels like S110V and ZDP 189 are taken up to the low 60s (maybe as high as 65 for ZDP-189). According to Zknives, ZT had trouble grinding the Maxamet blades after heat treat, and experienced issues with warping if they ground the blades before heat treat. That is why they did not make the full 250 piece run of 0888MAXs in Maxamet, and that is what makes a “real” Maxamet clad 0888MAX so special.

This all sounds great, but since I have not used this knife I cannot comment on the real world implications of a knife with a Maxamet blade. I can’t imagine it being easy to sharpen.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

The 0888 comes with a 3 piece titanium handle. I love the absence of visable hardware except for the custom pivot on the show side. The end result is an exceptionally clean and elegant knife; especially when you consider that this was released several years ago. These days we are seeing more integral designs hit the market, but at the time that wasn’t the case. The handle has a full titanium backspacer tastefully engraved with the “Zero Tolerance” wordmark.

The overall fit, finish, and execution of the handle is fabulous. Your fingers catch on the fine, almost herringbone, machining on the handle. The backspacer and handles are almost seamless, and the lockbar is precision cut. The all black MAX version is especially seductive, lending the knife a stealth fighter feel.

The 0888 is a large and comfortable knife. It’s simple shape provides the end user with excellent ergonomics. Again, I haven’t cut with this knife, or carried it, so I can’t offer much besides impressions after handling it. If you were to use it my best guess is that it would feel great. There is no jimping to speak of.

The pocket clip is also quite special. It’s a one piece ambidextrous tip-up pocket clip. Again, it is beautifully finished and 3-d machined from a single piece of titanium. This is easily the most elaborate clip I have ever seen on a knife. It is secured by a single phillips screw hidden from view unless you look down into the inside of the handle. I haven’t carried my 0888MAX. It’s a big heavy knife, and my guess is that you would really feel it in the pocket. Not my choice for an every day carry piece, but definitely a cool collectible.

Deployment and Lockup

The 0888 is a bearing equipped flipper. The action is crisp and smooth, and the knife opens with a distinctive metallic click. After disengaging the lock you can shake the blade closed. Blade centering is perfect on my knife. As with some ZTs, you need to keep your finger off the lock bar when using the flipper.

The 0888 is a titanium framelock with replaceable steel blade insert. I think having a steel insert is especially prudent with this Maxamet blade. If the blade is truly hardened to 66+ HRc, it will chew through a titanium lockbar. A steel insert is essential here. Lockup on my knife is early and secure. There is no blade play, and the lock does not stick. Typical ZT quality here. They have the 0888 dialed in just as good as any other Zero Tolerance framelock I have handled.

0888MAX – Final Thoughts

It is a privilege to share a knife like the 0888MAX with you. I occasionally run into some cool stuff, but largely stay within the realm of normal production folders. I don’t own many custom knives, nor do I spent a lot of time in the midtech market.

With all that in mind, the 0888 is a special piece unlike anything else I have reviewed. Even compared to my 454CF or Shirogorovs this 888 is a totally different knife. I think it is especially interesting that this is an in house design. That is a testament to the team they have built over at Zero Tolerance. Given the somewhat “funky” nature of the new ZT LE’s I think they should consider another in house design. Clearly they have some talent over there, and I think an overreliance on custom maker designs may be a step in the wrong direction at this point.

The 0888MAX is no longer available at retail, and they rarely appear on the secondary market, but if you are in the market for a Zero Tolerance knife, please consider purchasing it at Amazon or BladeHQ. By purchasing things through any of the links on this website you support BladeReviews.com, keep the website free of annoying banner ads, and help produce future reviews. Thank you very much.

Shirogorov F3 Review

by Dan 2 Comments

The Shirogorov 95t is arguably the nicest knife I have reviewed to date. It is a beautiful piece embodying all the characteristics one would seek out in a high end titanium framelock flipper: top shelf materials, amazing action, a beautiful design, plenty of details, and an otherwordly level of machining, fit, and finish.

The 95t was undoubtedly a sweet piece of steel, but like many high end knives in my collection it was eventually sold off to fund other purchases. I paid over $700 for the 95t, and at that price point I didn’t feel comfortable keeping the knife in my collection, let alone actually using it on a regular basis.

The 95t was almost too nice to use.

I noted in my 95t review that prices on these knives had dropped to what I thought was a reasonable level. Over the past year the secondary market prices on Shirogorov knives have continued to drop. While trolling the buy/sell/trade section of Bladeforums one evening I stumbled across the Shirorogov F3 that you see in this review. The price tag was around $500. It’s still big bucks for a pocket knife, but I couldn’t resist after letting the 95t go.

The F3 is the liner lock version of the 95. This G10-clad linerlock flipper seemed a little less ornamental than the 95t, and a touch more practical. I was excited to bring a Shirogorov back into the collection.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The F3 has an overall length of 8.75″, a 3.875″ blade, weighs of 5.1 ounces, and is made in Russia. Some call the F3 the “Sebenza of Flippers”, and for good reason. I think the tolerances are on par with offerings from Chris Reeve Knives, and in some ways I think Shiro’s manufacturing prowess is superior.

In contrast to the 95t, this bead blasted and G-10 handled F3 feels more like a tool knife than a collectible. It lacks the ornamentation and detail of the 95t, but retains the elements of what makes a Shirogorov special. It is also executed with the same eerie precision of their more expensive knives.

One element of contention for me is that despite this feeling like more of a user, it’s still a ridiculously large knife with its near 4″ blade. Most people won’t be able to carry and use this in public. Those that can carry a F3 will probably opt for something less expensive (or perhaps even a fixed blade). These knives are immaculate, but I wish they would also offer a flipper with a sub 3.5″ blade. A version with a 3″-3.25″ blade would probably do well here in the States.

The blade pattern of the F3 is identical to the 95t. It features the exact same drop point profile and geometry. The major difference lies in the finishing. My 95t had some subtle and interesting jimping on the spine. It also had a nice bright stonewashed finish. In contrast, my F3 has no jimping and a simple bead blasted finish. The matte blade compliments the olive drab handles nicely, and I haven’t had any problems with this working finish (no rust). That said, some F3s include jimping, and you may be able to find the knife with a different blade finish.

My particular F3 comes with Elmax blade steel, but it’s important to note that Shirogorov has released the F3 in a number of different blade steels including S30V, S90V, Vanax 35, and even 440C.

Elmax is a high end steel with a good combination of edge retention, ease of sharpening, and corrosion resistance. The full flat grind of this knife gets thin behind the edge and the knife has no problem with breaking down packages, cleanly slicing through paper, etc. While most of these Shiros will sit on a shelf as a collectible due to their size and cost, these are fully functional knives. If you can carry a F3, then I think that it will make for a great user.

Handle, Ergonomics and Pocket Clip

The F3 features 3-D machined G10 handle scales over full titanium liners with a geared G10 backspacer and custom hardware. Like my 95t the fit and finish is excellent and there are plenty of details to enjoy. Every edge has been chamferred. The titanium liners have been tumbled to compliment the matte finished blade. The lanyard hole is inset into the backspacer rather than simply drilled through the entire body of the handle. The hardware is all precision machined.

Speaking of hardware, if you decide to take the knife apart or adjust it use a coin wrapped in tape to avoid marring the slotted hardware. A regular flat-head screwdriver can wreak havoc on a Shirogorov.

The F3 is a comfortable knife thanks to its thick handle and simple shape. The 95t was a pretty comfy knife, but the addition of G10 scales takes the F3 to a different level as it helps fill the hand. The scales have been given a very light machined pattern and offer a little bit of traction. The simple handle shape will accommodate all sizes of hands. The pocket clip and backspacer are tucked out of the way to minimize hot spots. I won’t sit here and say I thrashed on this knife in the same way I have beat on some of my ~$100 knives, but I have used it for some extended cutting chores and it works well in hand.

The pocket clip is a 2-piece milled clip. It’s attractive, discrete, and functional. A cool feature is that they milled out a section under the pocket clip, so the clip has a low profile and it also easily slips in and out of the pocket without destroying your pants. The series of grooves milled onto the outer face of the clip is designed to grab your thumb and help remove the knife. That feature works well, and the knife is easy to retrieve. The clip has a strong spring that offers excellent retention. This is not a low-rider clip, but the F3 still buries discretely.

The F3 is a large knife, and the inclusion of G10 scales make it significantly fatter than the all titanium 95t. So you will feel this knife in the pocket a little more. Still, I found the F3 carried well considering. At 5.1 ounces the knife is still lightweight for its size, and the strong clip keeps the knife in place in your pocket.

Deployment and Lockup

Shirogorov is known for producing fast firing flippers, and my F3 is no exception. The detent is tuned perfectly on this knife, and the blade fires crisply every single time with the blade locking open with a satisfying “snap”. My particular F3 is equipped with a single row of bearings, and the blade is capable of falling into the closed position simply by releasing the lock bar. It’s smooth. Since this is a liner lock, you never need to worry about your fingers contacting the lockbar and interfering with the flipper action like with a frame lock.

The F3 comes with a robust titanium liner lock. Don’t let the term “liner lock” turn you off if you are a framelock fanboy: this liner is actually thicker than some of the framelocks in my collection. My lock engages early and without any kind of play. If you look closely at the face of the lock you can see they included a stainless steel lock bar insert. There is no stickiness in the lock, and this is after flicking the knife open hundreds of times. The liner is also easy to disengage. This is arguably a “perfect” liner lock flipper.

Blade centering is perfect on my knife.

Shirogorov F3 – Final Thoughts

Just like the 95t, the F3 is a beautiful knife. I am a fan of pretty much every aspect of this knife. From design, to material selection, to execution, Shirogorov gets it all right. Given the price tag, that is what I expect.

If I were to find something to complain about with the F3, it would be the size. I don’t mind this being a larger knife, but would like to see it also offered in a smaller version. These days the trend is towards smaller more functional knives for urban carry, and I’d love to see Shirogorov jump on that bandwagon.

While I can’t promise this F3 will remain in my collection forever I think I will have a harder time letting it go than the 95t. I like the warmth of the G10 handles, but I also appreciate the more low-key and user-oriented approach to this F3.

Plus there are tons of full titanium framelock flippers on the market. Whether it’s the mid-techs coming out of the USA, high end Chinese framelock flippers, or higher end offerings from production companies like Spyderco and Zero Tolerance, the market is getting inundated with framelock flippers. There are relatively few high end liner lock flippers.

In closing, the Shirogorov F3 is a beautiful knife. If you have the cash and desire to check out a F3 then I definitely recommend it.

Shirogorov F3
From: BladeHQ

Occasionally Shirogorov knives find their way to BladeHQ, and I recommend purchasing them there. 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.

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Shirogorov F3 – Final Thoughts