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Viper Rhino Review

The Rhino is a large folder from Tecnocut’s Viper brand. Honoring its namesake, it features an oversized frame, robust build and armored appearance. Created by long time collaborator and custom knife maker Fabrizio Silvestrelli, it has flowing considered lines and a distinct appearance.

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General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Rhino has an over-all length of 9.96”, a 4.25″ blade, weighs between 8.6 and 9.9 oz depending on the choice of scales, and is made in Italy. Don’t kid yourself, “Rhino” was not a misnomer. This is a big knife and is designed for those seeking something, well, built like a Rhinoceros.

The blade has an unusual shape that sits in between a sheep’s foot and a harpoon pattern. At 4.25” and with a maximum width of 1.375” it offers a long cutting surface along with resistance against lateral stresses. The nature of the sloping spine also provides excellent tip strength.

While a typical sheep’s foot blade is designed to avoid penetrating cuts, the combination of an elongated radius meeting a sloping belly results in an aggressive point. This is augmented by a swedge, improving the Rhino’s ability to perform thrust cuts. A dip after the nose-like tip adds visual interest as well as a practical place for your free hand for reinforced push cuts. The grind is a full flat with a secondary bevel. Because of the large width, the edge geometry is shallow, producing a fine edge despite the generous .157” stock.

The steel used depends on the finish. Satin blades are stainless Böhler N690 while the charcoal blades are D2 achieving their corrosion resistance through the applied PVD coating.

Both blade steels are good options and provide solid value for money. N690 in particular offers an excellent combination of stain resistance, ease of sharpening, and edge retention. D2 has a reputation for being more finicky, as it’s a tough semi-stainless steel that can be more challenging to sharpen, but it’s a good choice for harder use applications.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

The handle is substantial in both length and width. At 5.5” it will easily accommodate medium and large sized hands with or without gloves. The construction is closed with scaled, full stainless liners. You have your choice of carbon fiber or cocobolo handle scales.

Designed for maximum retention, there are three distinct finger grooves that lock your hand in place. A slight flare on both sides of the inside edge prevent slipping in either direction. The back side is convex and nests in the palm comfortably. The back spacer is rounded adding style and avoiding hot spots while an adequately jimped thumb ramp provides extra control and feedback. Another run of aggressive, file-like jimping can be found on the lock release leaver for easy disengagement.

Over-all the ergonomics are excellent. While several people don’t like finger groves I personally think they work well here. The grip is very secure. A full, natural feeling in hand is partly achieved by a palm swell equally .83” (21mm) at its apex. This could be somewhat of a downside when considering pocket carry as the knife tends to hog space. Even though the clip is deep riding, the ornate appearance along with the handles bulge might generate some unwanted attention. Is that a Rhino in your pocket….?

As an additional carry option there is a recessed lanyard slot in the pommel. I’m a fan of these as it keeps everything clean looking and orients your lanyard in a sensible direction. It would be nice if Viper also included a MOLLE compatible belt sheath. I could see a folder this size benefiting from the ability to carry it on a bag, vest or belt straight out of the box.

Deployment and Lockup

Deployment is achieved via ambidextrous thumb studs. Phosphor Bronze washers and a finely dialed in spring tension make opening very fluid and easy. The thumb studs are large and easy to access. One downside is that the pivot is not adjustable unless you remove the handle scales. That said, I have not needed to adjust the pivot on this knife.

Back locking knives aren’t often associated with smooth operation however Viper has, on a number of models, achieved a perfect balance between ease of use and a reliable, tough play free lock-up. The lock is easy to disengage when you are ready to close the knife. Blade centering is perfect on these knives.

Viper Rhino Review – Final Thoughts

Everything considered the Rhino is an unusual yet attractive knife. Unapologetically oversized, it will probably appeal to a very niche market of collectors and users. If massive appeals to you, it will surely impress in the over all fit, finish and value. With a maximum price of $200.00 for the the PVD D2 and Carbon fiber model, you are getting a ton of premium materials and craftsmanship for your money. I could easily see this knife in any collection, in the bag of an outdoorsman or on the vest of a serviceman.

7Regardless of its quirks it is undeniable that the Rhino is extremely well made and functional. It’s also great that Viper, as with many of their other models, offer the Rhino in a variety of handle and blade materials accommodating a variety of tastes. To further this, it might be good for the company to consider a scaled down version as an EDC for a wider audience.

Viper Rhino – From $175.00
From: BladeHQ

Viper Rhino PAU Wood

List Price: $154.78

Price: $154.78

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

Steel Will Cutjack Mini Review

by Dan Jackson 4 Comments

When you look over the the stuff I reviewed last year, it’s a lot of high end pieces. With all that titanium and carbon fiber, you would think I’ve lost touch with the budget knives. In fact, when Travis wrote in his review of the Hogue OTF that the knife was expensive, a commenter said that it’s “Weird BladeReviews would call a $229 knife expensive!”

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In a way that comment warms my heart, because this is a true enthusiast’s site and we have dived deep into all sorts of high end knives here. I’ve personally purchased and reviewed so many expensive knives that a $229 knife amounts to a rounding error. I probably have $229 in knives lost in my couch cushions. One time I wiped my ass with a $229 knife. Not really, but you get the point. I have a problem. That’s part of the reason why I use a penknife name.

But in another way, it shows I may have been focusing a little too much on the higher end of the hobby. $229 is an expensive knife for a lot of people, including myself, and the hobby isn’t only about buying expensive knives. At the end of the day I use a lot of my knives, and the knives I tend to keep are users. The pocket frosting is what typically gets sold off.

I’m still interested in budget pieces, but I pick them carefully. Rather than review every single Chinese made Kershaw that comes out, I’d rather review stuff that interests me. Not all the budget stuff interests me.

But sometimes you can find cool knives for not a lot of money. The Steel Will Cutjack is one such candidate. When Steel Will came onto the scene a few years ago I wasn’t that interested. Most of their knives were plastic handled fixed blades, and I wasn’t that excited.

I believe their first folder was the Gekko. A sleek Italian made piece retailing for around $150. Nice knife, but I wasn’t ready to pay $150 for it.

I sort of lost sight of the brand at that point, but Steel Will continued to blaze forward with new designs and at different price points. Their stuff earned a following and the Cutjack kept popping up again and again. It slowly crystalized in my subconscious until it eventually found itself at my door step. Ok, maybe an Amazon shopping list and credit card were involved, but for $40 I didn’t think too hard about it. This is BladeReviews after all.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Cutjack has an overall length of 7″, a 3″ blade, and weighs 3.01 ounces. The knife is made in China, although it’s interesting to note I don’t see “China” anywhere on this knife or in the packaging. The Cutjack is firmly marketed as an EDC knife and is part of Steel Will’s “Urban” series. Originally when I wrote this review I though I had the regular Cutjack, but turns out this is the mini version. It’s a good size for EDC. Lightweight and easy to pocket. If you want something bigger, Steel Will offers a full size Cutjack with a 3.5″ blade and overall length of 8″.

The Cutjack’s blade is a riff on the modern drop point. The swooping belly compliments the curvy backside of the handle. There is a long lean swedge that runs the entire length of the blade. A high flat grind and satin finish lend a smart look to the knife. One thing to note is the edge on my knife is almost perfectly even. For a $40 folder I’m impressed, as it’s tough to find a perfectly even edge on any production knife.

Steel Will selected D2 steel for the blade. An interesting choice, as D2 has a reputation for being semi-stainless and a bit of a bear to maintain, unless you by a knife made by Bob Dozier. But this isn’t a Bob Dozier knife. When I think “D2” I think of the Benchmade 710. Great knife, but a bitch to sharpen. For this reason I wasn’t sure about a budget knife in D2 steel. At least it would give me something new to write about. Writing countless reviews of knives in Aus8 and 8Cr13MoV has worn a permanent groove in my brain. But D2 in a budget blade. That’s something different.

Here is a size comparison with the Benchmade Bugout. Buying lots of blue knives lately…

So I put the Cutjack through its paces. I’m writing this review after the holidays, so this knife has gone through an impressive quantity of cardboard. I’ve used it quite a bit in the kitchen as well. Cutting fruit and cheeses in place of a paring knife. I’ve had a chance to sharpen it on my Spyderco Goldenstone a few times to maintain the edge. The D2 blade has held up great. No staining at all, easy to sharpen, and it has held a good edge. Hard to believe it’s actually D2 with performance like that, but I’m not complaining.

Handle, Ergonomics and Pocket Clip

The Cutjack’s handle is FRN scales over stainless steel liners with a high density plastic backspacer. This is similar to what you would find on a Delica. In practice the FRN plastic handle scale isn’t quite as heavy as what you find on a Japanese Spyderco, but it’s pretty nice. In fact the handle is surprisingly nice and well constructed. All the parts line up, the steel liners have been skeletonized, and there is custom hardware for the body screws and pivot. For $40 this is great.

I will say that the inside edges of the handle are all a little sharp. Some ultra fine sandpaper would take care of that. Beyond those sharp edges, there is little to grouse about when it comes to the Cutjack’s handle construction.

How does it feel in hand? Well, some of the inside edges are a little sharp as I’ve mentioned, but on the all the handle is comfortable. Plenty of room for a 4 finger grip, whether you are choking up on the forward finger choil, or laying back in the cut. As far as traction is concerned, there is no lack of texture on this knife. The thumb ramp is finely jimped, the backspacer is a big toothy geared affair, and the handle scales themselves have a pleasant woven texture to them. Not as grippy as Spyderco’s bi-directional texturing, but it gets the job done.

In practice the Cutjack feels good in hand and I’ve had no issues breaking down boxes, slicing fruit, and doing some light carving to get a campfire going in my back yard.

The pocket clip is a silver spoon style clip. It buries the knife deeply, but isn’t a low rider clip. All in all I think it’s a good clip. It has good retention, keeps the knife tucked away, and the handle is drilled and tapped for ambidextrous tip up carry.

The Cutjack carries well. It’s neither ultra thin nor ultra light, but it is passably thin and passably light. It’s the kind of knife that I quickly forget I’m carrying until the anointed time arrives and I need to produce a pocket knife. The Cutjack earns strong marks for its practical carry clip and easy pocktability.

Deployment and Lockup

When I look at my list of best budget EDC knives, I notice only the Kershaw Skyline is a flipper. And the Skyline isn’t a great flipper when we think about modern flipping knives. It was designed before the renaissance in flipper folders.

The only knife that comes to mind as a great sub $40 flipper is the excellent CRKT Swindle. Could the Cutjack join the ranks? I think it’s possible. However, the flipping action of the Cutjack isn’t as good as the Swindle. The Cutjack uses phosphor bronze washers rather than bearings, and the detent isn’t as crisp on the Cutjack. But it’s still pretty good. I’d put the action around a “5” on the 0-10 scale. It’s not bad, but it’s not going to come close to the feel of a Zero Tolerance flipper or even the Swindle.

For lockup we have a stainless steel liner lock. Lockup is pretty good. I have a little side to side wiggle. Nothing crazy, but it’s there. I tried tightening the pivot, which removed the blade play but made the blade impossible to flip open. No up and down play at least. Lockup is fully engaged but is still early. The lockbar is jimped and easy to get at when it’s time to close the knife.

Blade centering is perfect on my knife. That is always nice to see. Here is a parting shot with the Cutjack next to the ESEE Zancudo:

Steel Will Cutjack Review – Final Thoughts

The Cutjack is pretty damn good for the money. It’s not perfect, but what do you expect for $40? I’d say its about 90% there. You get a lot of knife for the money. The overall design is excellent. The blade feels good in hand and cuts well. The knife carries nicely. The D2 steel is better than I expected. Little touches like the custom hardware show you that this knife was carefully considered.

It’s not a perfect piece. The inside edges of the handle are a little sharp. The deployment is on the sluggish side, and there is some side to side blade play. But this is a $40 knife, which means there will always be compromises in the execution of the knife. I think Steel Will has done a lot here, and that they allocated the money to the right places. I can’t think of much else that comes close to it if you want a flipper. What would you rather have for $40? The Skyline and Swindle are still excellent options, but they are lighter duty knives. The Cutjack is the kind of grab and go piece that finds itself making its way into my pocket over and over. It’s a great no-nonsense tool.

For these reasons I’m adding the Cutjack to my list of Best EDC Knives. I can easily recommend it if you are looking for a $40 EDC knife, and especially if you want a flipper. I still think the Zancudo represents an excellent value, and I think it’s slightly better made than the Cutjack, but the Cutjack is an excellent knife.

This knife will remain in my collection for the long term, and I’ll update the review as I continue to carry and use it.

Steel Will Cutjack C22M-1BL Linerlock

List Price: $38.99

Price: $38.99

Price Disclaimer

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

Maxpedition Excelsa Review

by Andrew Gene 3 Comments

Maxpedition is a company best known for their military inspired backpacks. They offer a wide range of fabric goods, including packs, pouches, slings, and related accessories. This is a niche brand that has developed a loyal following over the years in the outdoor recreation and daily carry communities.

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So it was a little surprising to hear in 2013 that Maxpedition was going to start selling knives. On some levels it makes sense, as knives definitely compliment outdoor and “tactical” backpacks, but on the other hand they are completely different products. I’d say it’s akin to Apple deciding to sell office furniture.

At any rate, the Maxpedition Excelsa is the second knife from the Maxpedition, the first being the Ferox. The design closely resembles their previous offering, but sees a significant upgrade in materials and construction.

While considerably more expensive, the Excelsa is still aggressively competitive for a titanium frame-lock. Coming in below $130, it has features found on knives over double the price, including an over-travel stop and tool-steel blade.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Excelsa comes in two sizes. The small version is 6.7” in total length with a 2.9” blade and weighing 2.9 oz while the large version is 8.3” in with a 3.6” blade and weight of 5.1 oz. Both sizes are good for Every Day Carry (EDC) depending on your needs and preferences in an EDC knife. The knives are made in Taiwan.

The pattern is a straight forward drop point. This is commonly used on sport and utility knives for its well rounded performance in both slicing and penetrating cuts. It is also easy to maintain with a bellied profile which lacks any kind of re-curve or otherwise unusual geometry. A full flat grind with a secondary bevel produces a keen working edge. A choil will make sharpening to the end of the edge possible. The spine is capped adding nice detailing and there is a jimped thumb ramp for added control.

The blade steel used is D2. In this case it has been hardened between 58-60 Rockwell.

Unusually, there are no markings on the blade denoting the materials or manufacturer. While I like this clean aesthetic, it would be helpful to have the steel type embossed on the ricasso to let the user know how to care for the blade. This is especially true since D2 is a semi-stainless tool steel that will require some maintenance to keep it free of corrosion. If you were the second owner of the knife and didn’t have or read the documentation, then you might be surprised to see the blade behave differently from a true stainless steel folder.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

The handle of the Excelsa has a simple two slab open build with a minimal amount of fasteners: three including the pivot. The inner edge has a first finger groove and another convex sweep that helps to lock the hand in place. The back edge is primarily straight with a slight turn down at the pommel that nests in the hand or serves as a thumb rest in a reverse grip. The titanium and hardware have been given a matching matte, bead blast finish.

The ergonomics are simple but comfortable. This relatively handle design will accommodate most people. You won’t be surprised to hear that the large version is larger and more comfortable for big hands. There is wide toothy jimping on the spine of the blade that captures the thumb without irritating it.

For carry there is a lanyard hole and right handed, tip up or down deep carry pocket clip. When you consider that there is only a single thumb-stud and frame-lock, this adds up to the knife being for right handed people only.

At under 3 ounces, the smaller version of this knife is imminently pocketable. It carries easily and something you will quickly forget thanks to it’s light weight, and the strong spring retention in the pocket clip. The large version is more noticeable in the pocket, but still carries well for what it is thanks to the discreet deep carry clip and thin design.

Deployment and Lockup

For deployment there is a tiered thumb-stud with an angled face. Set a good distance away from the scale’s inner edge, producing the blade is easy with one hand. This is helped along by good tolerances and phosphor bronze washers. These thumb studs remind me of those found on the Kershaw Blur.

On opening the tang meets a solid, titanium frame-lock. On the review samples provided, both were play free in any direction and easily disengaged. In order to protect the spring integrity Maxpedition has added a small tab on the inner surface to prevent over-travel when unlocking. While there are several variations of this type of mechanism, Maxpedition is in the process of patenting theirs, asserting differences in the implementation.

Unlike the blade without any markings, the locking leaf has “Maxpedition” laser etched on the surface. The branding here is a little too bold for my taste and I feel the logo could definitely be dialed back a bit to uphold the sober aesthetic.

Maxpedition Excelsa Review – Final Thoughts

Over all the Excelsa is an interesting design. While I understand and very much appreciate minimal design, this may border on sterile for some. It could have been nice to add a little something to make it more personable. Something that wasn’t a large Maxpedition logo. Maybe some added texture or subtle anodized details? Possibly a greater departure from the Ferox design could have expanded the design vocabulary of the line-up? Outside of design taste my only real issue with this knife is the lack of marking for the steel type.

Criticisms aside Maxpedition has done an excellent job with the utility as well as the pricing. You would be hard pressed to find another folder that can boast the features, materials, fit and finish at this price point.

Maxpedition FRMLCKL Excelsa Large Framelock Folding Knife with D2 Blade and Titanium Handle

List Price: $149.59

Price: $124.98

You Save: $24.61

Price Disclaimer

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

Additional Specifications:

Small Version

Overall Length: 6.7″
Weight: 2.7 oz

Blade:

Length: 2.9″
Thickness: 0.11″
Steel : D2
Hardness : 58-60 HRC

Handle:

Slab and lock thickness: 0.12″
Length: 3.9″

Large Version

Overall Length: 8.3″
Weight: 5.1 oz

Blade:

Length: 3.6″
Thickness: 0.14″
Steel : D2
Hardness : 58-60 HRC

Handle:

Slab and lock thickness: 0.15″
Length: 4.7″

Made In Taiwan

Arthos Knives Drop Point Fixed Blade Knife Review

by Dan Jackson 2 Comments

It’s not every day I get to share a new manufacturer. I was recently approached by Robert Yates with Arthos Knives about checking out his new line of fixed blade outdoors knives. Robert is an engineer by day, who decided to take the leap and start his own knife company. I think basically anyone who enjoys knives long enough eventually dream of designing their own knives, or starting a knife company. I thought it would be interesting to see what he developed, and I told him I’d be happy to check out his new knife.

Arthos stands for “The ART of Hunting, Outdoors, and Survival”. This drop point fixed blade is the only knife in their catalog currently, and it does not have a name. I will refer to it as the “Arthos” throughout the review.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Arthos has an overall length of 8.6″, a 4.0″ blade. The handle and sheath are made in the USA while the blade is made in China. The knife is finished an assembled in the USA.

The Arthos is geared towards the outdoors crowd. It is a little bigger than my ESEE-3. This could be a good camp knife. It’s big enough to do some light chopping and batoning, but small enough to carry around on your belt without issue. I’m not a hunter, but could see it being used in that capacity.

The Arthos has a simple drop point blade. This classic blade shape is capable and versatile. The edge is almost a continuous belly ending in a strong tip. Arthos went with a saber hollow grind. It makes for a strong knife.

I tested this knife on some seasoned oak firewood, bamboo, 2x2s, and green wood. The Arthos came sharp, and is a good carver. The uncoated blade peeled off thin slices of wood with ease, and did a good job limbing small branches. I am a little spoiled by heavy duty convex ground blades like my Fallkniven A1, and Bark River Bravo 1 (to be reviewed), but for a mid size knife I felt like the Arthos held its own. The tip is strong and held up under some light prying.

I also did a little batoning with the Arthos. The relatively thin and short blade don’t make this a great choice for batoning, and neither does the saber hollow grind, but the blade held up to the beating and I was able to pop apart smaller diameter pieces of wood.

Arthos decided on D2 steel for their fixed blade. D2 is a good choice for a camp knife. It’s tough and it holds a good edge. D2 has a reputation for being stubborn to sharpen, but I haven’t noticed any issues with this simple blade shape. In fact, the Arthos sharpens up nicely on my Lansky Crock Sticks. D2 is a semi-stainless steel, so it will stain and it may rust if you aren’t careful with it. Arthos does offer this knife with a black coating, which may not be a bad idea for humid environments.

Handle and Ergonomics

Robert mentioned to me that it always bugged him how the handles on knives felt like an afterthought. Here he wanted to give the handle special attention. I gotta say he did a great job with it. The Arthos features a fully contoured CNC machined G10 handle. These were done by Stoner CNC, and they did an excellent job.

I will note that there is no locktite on the torx hardware. If you plan on using this knife spiritedly you will want to add some thread locker prior to taking it out.

Arthos offers their knife with a variety of color options. The scales are held in place with T-10 torx bits.

As you can imagine, the handle feels great. There is plenty of palm swell to support your hand, and your fingers fall naturally into the countours of the handle. There is a short run of jimping on the spine of the blade. Personally, I feel that the jimping is too sharp to be useful without gloves. On the bare thumb the jimping is painful for any kind of serious cutting. Beyond that I found the handle to be comfortable. I think the choice of machined G-10 handles kicks things up a notch on the Arthos.

Sheath

The sheath is another part of the knife where Arthos went above and beyond. The Arthos features a hand fitted custom kydex sheath. This pancake style sheath has been nicely finished; no sharp edges and a generous drain hole. The blade pops out with the deliberate push of a thumb, and slides back in with a satisfying “thwack”. There is no rattle or wiggle.

Arthos also included a Tek-lok pre-attached to the sheath. This is an expensive add on to include, and makes the sheath easy to attach to a belt. At this price point you will be hard pressed to find a knife with a nicer sheath.

Arthos Knives Drop Point Fixed Blade – Final Thoughts

For a first offering, I think Arthos did a great job with their D2 hunter. The handles and sheath are top notch, and serve to elevate the basic blade. I can’t think of anything else that has handles and a sheath as nice as the Arthos at anywhere near this price point. The blade is serviceable, but pales in comparison to the sheath and handles. The grind is basic and I am not a fan of the jimping, but the blade performs well and the D2 steel is a good choice for and outdoor fixed blade.

If I were to offer Arthos Knives some constructive criticism, I’d recommend upgrading the blade. I might suggest thicker stock with a full flat or higher grind, and perhaps bringing the manufacturing of the blade over to the USA. It may significantly increase the price, but at that point you would have a truly premium product, and I think the handles and sheath justify it.

As it stands I think this an impressive first offering from a new company. For those that are interested in this knife, I think that the Arthos provides a lot of value for money, and the exceptional handles and sheath distinguish it from a competitive market. I’d recommend it.

I recommend purchasing Arthos Knives directly from the manufacturer or at 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.

Freeman Outdoor Gear 451 Flipper Review

by Benjamin Schwartz 6 Comments

Few of us have the money to shell out hundreds of dollars for every knife we think we might like. We have to cull the herd. Maybe we splash out for a promising ‘Maybe’ every once in a while, but 80% of the time we go for the sure thing. Most of the knives I skip I forget about, with nary a second thought given them. But every so often a Maybe knife won’t be forgotten. It lingers in the memory and asks me over and over again, “What if you’re missing out on something special?”

Such was the case with the Freeman Outdoor Gear 451 Flipper. I heard good things, and admired the flipping action, unique aesthetic, and button lock mechanism from afar. My cursor would hover over the “Add to Cart” button on the Freeman website, but I never could quite commit. Thankfully, a friend and fellow gear geek offered to send his 451 my way to try out.

After wondering for years what this knife is like, I’ve had a chance to try it out, and the news is mostly very good. The Freeman 451 flipper manages to bring a unique set of features to a section of the market that is saturated with a lot of sameness. It goes deeper than a straightforward recommendation, but there’s a lot of interesting things to cover.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The 451 has a blade length of 3 5/8”, a handle length of 5 1/8”, an overall length of 8 13/16”, and is made in the USA. There are bigger blades than the 451, but this pushes up right against the limit of what I would consider reasonable proportions for something that folds and is meant to be carried the pocket. That is strictly a function of the 451’s overall shape, however: at 5.5 oz. it’s actually quite light for its size.

The market is so rife with drop points that you think I’d be sick of looking at them. However, the proportions and grind make the 451’s blade shape memorable and useful. This feels like a blade that can take a beating , with thick blade stock and a lot of material brought right up behind the edge, but the grind is masterful: a mirror-polished secondary bevel that is nice and wide without being thin or brittle. The result is a combination of toughness and slicing ability that is rare in big blades. This is probably as good a balance as you’re likely to see on a knife this size.

The striations on the blade are bound to polarizing. I actually think they’re look pretty good, and they make cutting through choky material like cardboard easier. The knife almost ‘revs up:’ the longer the pull through material, the easier it gets. They might cause issues with long-term sharpening, but other than that I can’t complain.

Steel here is D2. This is a venerable tool steel that I have had very little experience with before now. The edge was very clean and very sharp. I think the thick stock and wide-but-not-narrow edge bevel really accentuate D2’s edge holding ability while minimizing its reported tendency to chip. In another smart move Jeff Freeman chose to Cerakote the blade. As a semi-stainless tool steel, rust is a concern with D2. In an uncoated blade the grooves would give me pause; I can see moisture creeping into them and wreaking havoc. Thankfully, between the coating and the mirror polish on the bare edge, I’d say you’re pretty much protected set barring grossly neglectful behavior.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Carry

The handle on the 451 looks like your average one finger groove affair, but that isn’t quite how it feels when you’re holding it. That finger groove is huge. It can accommodate two fingers, actually, but it works best with one finger in it. Holding the knife naturally, the pointer finger rests at the very bottom of the groove. This gives your knuckle some clearance so it isn’t butting up against the flipper tab – something that so many flipper knives neglect to do.

In terms of control, it’s good. Your hand is situated pretty far back. You undoubtedly lose fine control, but fine cutting tasks aren’t the 451’s calling. I used to think that all big knives that couldn’t also do fine cutting were needlessly sacrificing something, but that’s not true. Just because the PM2 can function as an EDC doesn’t mean that all larger knives have to, and really the PM2 is just barely a big a knife anyway. The 451 is much more clearly meant for specific kinds of tasks, and in those tasks the ergonomics are great. There’s a sort of finger choil on the blade itself as well, but I found it a little too close to the edge for my comfort.

The 451 carries quite well for a big knife. You could EDC it if you wanted and not be totally displeased with the in-pocket feel. But where I think the 451 excels is in its lightness and narrow frame relative to other hard-use big blades. You aren’t going to feel like you have a paperback strapped to your thigh carrying the 451 on a hike. The aluminum frame is gentle on your pockets and the titanium clip is adequately-tensioned and beefy as hell.

Deployment and Lockup

I don’t think flippers are, in any way, an improvement over thumb studs or opening holes. I tend to think that they are in fact actively worse. They often muck up the ergonomics of a knife, and they always make it a worse carry. The 451 makes its flipper as agreeable as possible.

It deploys surely and swiftly every time. The weight of the blade and the strength of the detent make the 451 a snappy and sure flipper. You have to try to mess up the flipping in order to get the 451 to not lock up. It’s hard to do.

The button lock is still something of a novelty in the knife world, isn’t it? Hogue has been using it with success, but other than that the only non-automatic production maker using button locks regularly is Gerber. Maybe this is a vestige of Freeman’s influence on the company (he was head designer there for many years), who knows.

Either way, the Freeman clearly believes in the button lock, and it’s easy to see why. On the 451 it is strong, secure, and easy to engage/disengage. Your fingers don’t have to be in the blade channel to disengage it – a major positive given the free-swinging blade. There is variability in the amount of play I get when I lock the 451 up, but it’s never enough play that I care. The button lock also sticks to greater or lesser degrees depending on how hard you flick it. I think these are characteristics of the lock design, and not indicative of poor fit and finish or tolerancing.

In many ways this button lock reminds me of the Axis Lock. It’s probably slightly worse than the Axis, if only because it isn’t ambidextrous, but I never doubted its strength or security, and I am happy to see something in this price range without a frame lock.

Freeman 451 Flipper – Final Thoughts

I’m glad I got to try out the 451 flipper. It answers a question I’ve been asking for a long time: Is it a good knife? The answer is a definite yes. Would I buy one for myself? That’s a tougher call. When the 451 first came out, it was a little cheaper ($200 instead of $225), and the market was way less competitive. If you’re looking for a big high-end knife there are a lot of choices out there at or under the same cost, some with better features like S35VN steel – which you can get on the 451, but for a significant premium that puts the knife well outside of reasonable.

If I had bought and reviewed the 451 when I first learned about it, it would have my unreserved recommendation. What a difference a couple years and $25 can make! The 451 is still a competitive knife in a lot of respects. The materials are simple but very well-executed. It’s nice and light for its size without sacrificing any sort of durability. And personally, I think it’s a really cool-looking knife. I can’t say that the 451 is a must-buy, but definitely don’t ignore this knife when you’re looking for something big and bold.

I recommend purchasing the Freeman Outdoor Gear 451 Flipper at Amazon, KnifeArt, BladeHQ, or you can buy it direct from Freeman Outdoor Gear. 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 0454 Review

by Dan Jackson 12 Comments

Updated: 11/29/2015
Every so often as a knife collector I have had my expectations taken up a notch. For purposes of this introduction I’ll call them “game changing blades.” Making the jump from a $25 knife to a $65 knife was one such moment – my move from a CRKT M16 to a Benchmade Griptilian opened my eyes to what nice knives were all about. Climbing up the ladder further I have experienced the incremental improvements that often come with expending increasingly more money on a knife.

The jump to a CRK Sebenza was one such revelation. And I have to consider the Zero Tolerance 0560 and the Lionsteel SR-1 as game changers in their own right as well. Maybe these weren’t leaps directly correlated to the price of the knife, but each blade brought it’s unique strengths in quality of construction, innovation, and design. I have appreciated the experience as a collector and that is a huge part of the reason why I continue to spend time working on this website.

Well the 0454 is another game changer – in so many ways that I hardly know where to begin. Designed by Belarusian knifemaker Dmitry Sinkevitch the Zero Tolerance 454 may be the sexiest blade to cross my path yet. This knife has not yet been released to the public and was named the Blade Show 2013 knife of the year. I was extremely fortunate to be one of the lucky 10 individuals selected at random at the 2014 Blade show for the opportunity to buy this knife.

I remember winning the 454 like it was yesterday, because it actually was only a few weeks ago. I had entered this lotto among many others on offer at the Blade show. In addition to the 0454 I was hoping for the chance to score a Brad Southard, Michael Burch, or perhaps even a Hinderer XM-18 at a reasonable price. Most of the time these lottos don’t pan out, but you have to be in it to win it. So I could barely believe my ears when my name and number were called by Kershaw Jen for the 0454 lotto.

My first thought after parting ways with $500 and tucking the 454 into my backpack was, “I hope I don’t get stabbed in the parking lot over this thing” because I knew that the fabled 888 has sold for as much as $3,000 at auction. Thankfully I made it out of the parking lot and all the way back home to Florida with only a scrape, and I feel incredibly fortunate to bring you this review.

Let me start by disclaiming that I have not carried this knife nor have I actually used it to cut anything. I will in all likelihood keep it as a collectible as it’s an incredible knife and very rare. I will be examining it as critically as I can, but take this “review” with a big grain of salt…

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The 454 has an overall length of 9.385″, sports a 4.1″ blade, and weighs a mere 4.1 ounces. This is the cutlery equivalent of a supermodel, with biologically improbable dimensions and curves that make the jaw drop and eyes glaze over. The knife feels like a feather in hand, and they have crammed a ton of blade into this slender profile.

The 454 has a modified drop point blade. There is something about Dmitry Sinkevich’s designs that really speak to me. Whether it’s his collaborations with Shirogorov, Fantoni, or this one with ZT, I am really enjoying the hard lines and athletic curves of his designs. The this is a long narrow blade, and it fits well with the long narrow handle. It has a high flat grind and a long swedge. The tip is very fine but it feels like there is still some meat behind it. If I actually cut anything with it I’ll let you know how it performs but I can say it came shaving sharp and I’ve already managed to cut myself twice with this long blade.

One of the proudest features of the 454 is its composite steel blade. The dark sections are CPM D2 while the silver middle section is 12C28N. The pieces have been braised together with copper. It isn’t clear what they have managed to heat treat this knife to, although I know that ZT has struggled to properly manufacture and heat treat some of these fancy composite blades in the past. I have plenty of knives that I can cram into my pocket and cut with, so I don’t feel the need to do that with this very rare knife. Some people feel the need to carry and use every knife in their collection – even expensive custom pieces. I have my users and and I have my collector pieces, and the 454 is firmly in the collectible category. I won’t make any qualms about that.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

Every piece of the 0454’s handle has been 3-D machined. ZT started with two slabs of carbon fiber, sandwiched them between a titanium backspacer, and went to town with them. The finishing work is immaculate and the carbon fiber handle makes the knife feel exceptionally light for its size. Even the lanyard hole has been elegantly rendered. Everything is just super nice.

The 454 is a long knife, so it should come as no surprise that there is plenty of room for your hand. The curves of the handle fit my fingers naturally and the 3-D machined carbon fiber fills the hand. There is a row of mild jimping on the thumb ramp. It does a great job indexing and holding the thumb in place without being overly sharp or irritating. I haven’t used this knife hard, but I think this will be a comfortable knife to use.

The pocket clip is an elegant piece of 3-d machined titanium, and looks like something out of the Shirogorov catalog. Jim Skelton has told us that any knife over $700 should have a 3-d machined pocket clip. My only experience with these kinds of clips has been with my Mnandi (a knife I have really grown to enjoy), and I am very happy to see this clip on the 454. It elevates it and makes it even more unique. I’ve never used this pocket clip, but the spring is very strong and is positioned for deep right side tip up carry. I’m glad they didn’t go ahead and drill a bunch of holes in this piece. As Thomas W can attest to, pocket clips can be tough to get right, but I wouldn’t change a thing with this one.

Deployment and Lockup

I have publicly commented that I think that people that wax poetic for extended lengths about how well their knives flip are blowhards. I made sure to skip lunch before writing this review because I am about to eat my own words. Deploying the 454 is like deploying a surface to air missile. The detent is strong and the blade explodes open, without fail, every single time. By far it is the most robust flipper in my collection. Zero Tolerance installed their KVT bearing system and the blade rotates around a large decorative pivot. The action is smooth. Fall closed with the force of gravity smooth. I will say that the flipper tab can be tough to use some time. The combination of uber strong detent and total lack of jimping on the tab means that my finger has slipped off the trigger on more than one occasion when trying to flip open the knife.

ZT installed a sub frame lock on the 454. This is the same technology used in their higher production products, like the recently reviewed Kershaw Knockout, and I think it is cool to see that translate up and down their product line. This time around they upped the ante by 3-D machining the sub frame lock out of titanium, and then installing a stainless steel lock insert that doubles as a hidden over-travel stop mechanism. Lockup is early and secure, and blade centering is perfect. One thing I noticed on my 0454 is that the oversized pivot screws on my knife did not come with locktite. After only a couple flips they began backing out. I could cinch them back down with the meat of my thumb, but after a couple days I noticed a slight rattle with the handle. After torquing down the pivot with a driver I was able to fix the problem and remove the rattle entirely.

Zero Tolerance 0454 Review – Final Thoughts

I don’t think anyone will be surprised when I say that the 0454 is one hell of an awesome knife. As a collector and enthusiast of high end production pieces I am extremely impressed by the 454. The beautiful design, high end materials, advanced manufacturing, and impeccable fit and finish all make this well worth the $500 asking price to me. The 0454 is yet another showcase of Zero Tolerance’s talent and we can only hope that the sweet stuff found in these high end limited production knives continue to trickle down to ZT’s mass market products.

Buy one without regret if you have the funds and the opportunity, but don’t wait long – I see no reason why the 0454 won’t be as coveted and collected as the triple seven or 888.

Zero Tolerance Small Sinkevich Pocketknife (0450) 3.25” Stonewash S35VN Steel Blade with Satin Finish; Stonewashed Titanium Handle with KVT Ball-Bearing Opening, Frame Lock and Reversible Clip; 2.9 OZ

List Price: $160.00

Price: $160.00

Price Disclaimer

These currently aren’t for sale, although I guess you could always lust over them at BladeHQ or pick up a ZT452 at Amazon to try and scratch that itch. As always, buying anything through the links on this site helps support BladeReviews.com, and I greatly appreciate it. Thank you so much for all of your support.