made in Taiwan

Ka-Bar Jarosz Folder Review

Last Updated: August 1, 2019
A couple things drew me to the Ka-Bar Jarosz Folder.

First, Ka-Bar doesn’t release a lot of folding knives. They are a knife company best known for their classic USMC combat knife, and have a reputation for being a traditional knife company with a lot of fixed blade designs.

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Second, Ka-Bar chose to collaborate with custom knifemaker Jesse Jarosz. Jesse is a maker that I have heard a lot about over the past few years. I have yet to handle any of his designs, so I was excited about the prospect of checking out this collab with Ka-Bar.

What’s interesting about Jesse is his unorthodox handle designs and decision to focus on non-flippers. This may not have been remarkable a few years ago, but these days most custom knifemakers are producing flippers. It has gotten to the point where someone producing a knife that is not flipper has actually become novel. It’s kind of crazy when you think about it.

His folder for Ka-Bar is based on his popular Model 75. This is a no-nonsense function-over-form design that appeared to be a great candidate for a production piece. With that in mind I bought the knife.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Jarosz Folder has an overall length of 8″, a 3.5″ blade, weighs 5.25 ounces, and is made in Taiwan. This is a brute of a knife, with a thick blade and full steel liners. 5.25 ounces won’t pull your pants down, but it is substantial, and the Jarosz Folder is more of a weekend carry for me. Of course if you can get away with EDCing a bigger and heavier knife then this could be a daily carry.

The Jarosz Folder comes with your choice of a drop point or tanto blade. I went with the drop point, as that is my preference, and it seemed to hold truest to Jesse’s original Model 75. The drop point blade is simple. It is ground from near 4mm thick steel, and the blade has a saber grind. The knife came surgically sharp from the factory, which is always great to see. The edge is neat, but peters out a little towards the tip. Ka-Bar finished things off with a coarse tumbled finish. This is a durable blade shape. The thick stock provides strength, while the hollow grind allows it to cut efficiently.

Ka-Bar went with Aus8 steel here, which is par for the course for a sub $50 knife. Aus-8 won’t win any edge retention awards, but is fine for a beater blade like this. You probably know as well as I do that Aus-8 is tough, easy to sharpen, and corrosion resistant. It’s a good budget steel and Ka-Bar gives you plenty of it. I have used the Jarosz Flipper to for several projects, and have broken down a fair amount of cardboard with this knife. It slices well, stands up to hard use, and has proven to be a great work knife.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

The handle is comprised of fiberglass reinforced nylon (FRN) scales over full steel liners. There is a partial FRN backspacer that straddles a lanyard pin.

Handle construction is solid, but not perfectly executed. My handle scales were slightly proud of the liners in some spots, and the edges of the scales are rough. It was odd enough for me to post an inquiry about this on BladeForums to see if others shared that issue, or if I was just unlucky.

The feedback I received suggested that I was unlucky. Jesse himself was kind enough to post in the thread and recommend that I loosen the screws holding down the scales and nudge everything in place, or send the knife in for service. Adjusting the scales worked, and the problem mostly went away. In retrospect this seems pretty obvious but I haven’t run into the issue before. That said, the edges of my scales still catch the skin of my fingers slightly; especially the scale behind the locking liner. It’s not unpleasant, and it actually provides a little traction. Also, it is not noticeable when using the knife.

Once I resolved the issue with the handle scales I began to appreciate the sensible ergonomics of Jesse’s design. This is a funky looking handle, but in practice it works well. The handle shape is comfortable, and provides plenty of space for a wide variety of grips and hand sizes. There is a row of toothy flat-top jimping on the spine of the drop point version, and the FRN handles provide traction without being abrasive. The slightly rough edges of the FRN scales provide additional grip.

The pocket clip is an adaptation from the custom knives, and is a spoon style clip with Jarosz’s geometric logo. The clip is right side only, but is allows for tip up or tip down carry. It is uncoated stainless steel, but appears to have been tumbled to make it less shiny.

The Jarosz Folder carries OK. This is a substantial knife. I found that the combination of lightly textured scales, heavy knife, and light spring tension of the clip meant that the Jarosz Folder would continually slide down towards the base of my pocket. I mostly wear shorts with V pockets, and prefer to keep my knives higher up on my pocket for concealment and ease of accessing my wallet. This knife required regular adjustment.

Deployment and Lockup

The Jarosz Folder makes use of dual thumb studs and teflon washers. The blade is heavy and the detent is strong. You can flick open the blade, but it takes a fair amount of force. This is not a knife for the weak thumbed. The action is smooth, but I am not a fan of teflon washers, and would prefer phosphor bronze washers here. I am also not a fan of the decorative pivot on this knife. It’s nice and large, but Ka-Bar does not include a tool to adjust it. I don’t see this pivot on Jesse’s customs, so I don’t know where it came from. The good news is that the blade centering is excellent so there was no need to adjust the pivot out of box.

This knife makes use of a stainless steel liner lock. The liner lock is substantial and it engages the blade about 50%. The end result is a sturdy lock free of play in any direction. Initially my lock exhibited a slight amount of stick, but it has broken in and smoothed out over time. This is a solid liner lock.

Ka-Bar Jarosz Folder Review – Final Thoughts

Although I have raised some quibbles about the Jarosz Folder I think the pros outweigh the cons and this is a great work knife. In a perfect world I’d prefer a stronger pocket clip, a pivot with “regular” hardware, and phosphor washers, but when you get this knife in hand and actually cut stuff with it the design really comes together. It’s comfortable like a good pair of leather boots. I may not care for some of the details, but can’t argue with the results.

This is also a substantial knife designed to take some punishment. This is a hard use tool, not a slim daily carry, and that is OK if you know what you are getting into. Not every knife needs to be modeled after the Spyderco Delica. The unorthodox nature of the Jarosz Folder is part of what I enjoy about it, but it has also made this a tough knife to review.

Despite the Jarosz being unorthodox, I still want to contrast it with some other offerings that sell for around $40. Cold Steel offers the Pro-Lite and Voyager. These are 2 AUS-8 and FRN handled knives that are also tough. The Ontario RAT I is another excellent choice at this price point with similar construction and materials. You can venture into the $50 price bracket and find gems like the Blur and Aus-8 American Lawman.

While there are plenty of options to consider at the crowded ~$40 price range, I think the Jarosz Folder will appeal to the right buyer. This is especially true if you are looking for tank like construction. I don’t recommend it if you are looking for a lightweight every day carry. It is not that kind of knife.

The execution is not perfect, but the design is solid. This is a successful collaboration, and a good introduction to Jesse Jarosz if you don’t have the coin for one of his custom pieces.

Recommended if you are interested in Jesse’s designs, and want a no-nonsense work knife.

KA7505-BRK Jarosz Folder

Country of Origin: Taiwan
Package quantity: 1
Product type:KNIFE
Package dimensions:5.25" (L) x 2.0" (W) x 1.0" (H)

I recommend purchasing the Ka-Bar Jarosz Folder at Amazon or BladeHQ.

Spyderco Mantra 1 Review

by Benjamin Schwartz 23 Comments

Last Updated: August 30, 2019
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.

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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 Review – 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

material type: Synthetic
Mantra Framelock

If you are thinking of buying a Spyderco Mantra, please consider purchasing it at Amazon or BladeHQ. Thanks for reading.

Cold Steel Pro-Lite Review

by Benjamin Schwartz 10 Comments

I was excited when Cold Steel announced the Pro-Lite. I like good knives, and I like cheap knives, and the Pro-Lite looked like it might check both boxes. And while there’s definitely a lot to say about Cold Steel’s behavior in the last few years, it’s nice to see a genuinely interesting budget knife from a company other than Kershaw.

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People talk about the Hinderer/KAI collaborations a lot but, really, the partnership between Cold Steel and Demko is where it’s at. Cold Steel’s affordability, competent machining, and quality materials complement the utility-driven Demko style perfectly. This harmonious pairing has allowed Cold Steel to first reinvent itself as a maker of reliable tools and not just oversized Mall Ninja props, and to move upmarket with compelling offerings in the mid-priced knife bracket.

That move meant there wasn’t really an entry-level Cold Steel knife anymore. Sure, there were a few cheap knives in the lineup, but they were all a little too corner case or niche to be representative of the brand. With the Pro-Lite, Cold Steel brings out a true modern CS design, at a low price. This is the Cold Steel budget flagship we were waiting for.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Pro-Lite has a blade length of 3 5/16”, a handle length of 4 ½”, and an overall length of almost exactly 8”. It is very light for its size, weighing only 3.2 oz, and is made in Taiwan.

Andrew Demko’s style is particularly adaptable to production knives. I think this is because his design philosophy is so practical. His blades are stylish, but that style derives from a commitment to utility. Every custom maker I’ve ever spoken to says they want their knives to be used, but few make this as obvious as Demko does. It also helps that his signature design element, the Tri-Ad Lock, is easy to implement in production knives.

Generally, I prefer smaller knives. I’ve been trying to carry more larger knives to get a feel for the advantages they offer. For what it’s worth, I think the Pro-Lite’s size is part of its charm. This wouldn’t work as a smaller knife. The incredible ergonomics would be compromised, and the very nice blade shape would be altered, likely for the worse.

My Pro-Lite has a clip point blade, long and low-slung, similar to the Buck 110’s blade. I think I’m still a drop point boy at heart, but the clip point is growing on me. The Pro-Lite’s tip is just south of the pivot, and the blade is ground thin enough that you get a lot of a control. The hollow grind starts fairly low, but given the thinnish initial stock you have a good combination of sliciness and stability. This is a burly blade I can get behind.

Steel is interesting. As much as I would have loved to see Cold Steel’s erstwhile standby, AUS-8A, on the Pro-Lite, what we have instead is Krupps 4116. A less common steel, seen on a few of Cold Steel’s previous super-budget options like the Pocket Bushman. I’ve never had a knife with 4116 before, and my experience with it on the Pro-Lite has left me ambivalent. Edge retention seems to be below AUS-8A, and while it is rust-resistant, it has a splotchy finish that just looks weird. Even in the glamour pics on retail sites it looks bad. In the end though 4116 is serviceable and easy to sharpen, which is tantamount in an ‘everyman’ blade, as the Pro-Lite is designed to be.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Carry

Word on the street is that Andrew Demko was particularly fond of the Pro-Lite’s handle, and he has every reason to be. The ergos here are excellent. The bi-level sculpting puts your fore- and middle finger at a lower level than your ring finger and pinky, letting you pinch around the pivot for superlative control. The guard is pronounced enough to keep your hand from going forward, but shallow enough not to interfere with cutting. The beak at the back keeps your rear two fingers situated. This is one of the nimblest-feeling medium-sized blades I’ve ever handled.

Other nice things: there is a slight contour to the scales. The orange peel finish is positive-feeling, but not Cold Steel Classic abrasive. The extra-large jimping on the spine of the knife is great for indexing. Overall proportions for a medium-sized knife are spot on. The Pro-Lite feels hardy and dependable without feeling comically overbuilt, and it has a rugged, Jean Claude Van Dammian swagger that some of the more cerebral heavy-duty knives lack.

The Pro-Lite is a little wide in the pocket, but it’s nothing catastrophic. At its widest point it’s still narrower than a PM2, and it’s nice and thin compared to something like a Voyager. I also heartily approve of the clip. Angled clips are one of my pet peeves, and I’m hoping that Cold Steel is moving towards straight, unadorned clips like this one in the future. Tension is perfect, length is just right, and it seems durable. I have no complaints here. It may not be a revelation in the pocket as it was in the hand, but the Pro-Lite still carries damn good.

Deployment and Lockup

Cold Steel cheaped out big time on the washers: big plastic affairs. The pivot feels cottony, and deployment is very slow. A lockback isn’t ever going to be the fastest opener in the world, but these cheap washers really gunk it up. Once the knife is broken in they’re serviceable, and I can just about flick it open now, but really, phosphor bronze washers would be perfect here, and even at $30 that isn’t asking for the moon.

The Tri-Ad lock is here, and completely serviceable. I get the slightest amount of vertical play if I really wrench on the Pro-Lite, but it’s nothing to get upset about. For a working knife, the Tri-Ad lock is such a good choice. It’s dead simple to operate, requires no real maintenance, and is as unfinicky as they come. Worth noting, however, is that there are degrees of quality in Tri-Ad locks. This is a workmanlike variation, less tuned than the one on my Large Espada. If I flick open the Pro-Lite really hard the lockbar travels deeper into the notch on the tang and it takes some doing to unstick it. It doesn’t feel as dialed in as on a higher-end offering, but I don’t think it affects performance in the least.

Cold Steel Pro-Lite Review – Final Thoughts

The Pro-Lite makes a lot of sense for Cold Steel 2016: when most of their line was in the $40-60 range, they would undercut themselves with something like this. Now that they’ve moved upmarket, they can introduce a blade for somebody interested in their design ethos and the Tri-Ad lock, but without the money to spend on higher-end options. And, in the budget knife world, I think the Pro-Lite can compete with the all-time greats in the price bracket: the Drifter, the Tenacious, the Cryo.

If they made a Pro-Lite with contoured G-10 scales, CTS-XHP steel, and tighter fit and finish, I would gladly pay $120 for it. And you can’t always say that you’d be interested in higher-end versions of budget knives. A Drifter wouldn’t be all that interesting against more the diverse competition in the high-end market. It’s too generic. The Tenacious fails to impress next to the Native 5, or even the Delica. But I like the Pro-Lite design better than the Voyager or the Recon 1.

There is no dearth of cheap knives in the world, but there are precious few that we will remember in five years. There are budget knives that are good budget knives, and budget knives that are good knives. The Pro-Lite falls into this second, much smaller category. This is a great design, full stop. It is quite an accomplishment, and even amongst the string of great knives Cold Steel has been releasing, it stands out. Its own flaws can’t stop the design from shining through either. For $30 this is an easy, easy recommendation.

Cold Steel Pro Lite 3.5" 4116SS Clip Point Razor-Sharp Blade 4.5" GFN Handle Everyday Carry Pocket Folding Knife w/Tri-Ad Lock

PRO LITE CLIP POINT FOLDER - The Cold Steel Pro Lite heavy-duty folding knife aims to deliver superior strength and durability; Sporting a clip-point blade shape, the Pro Lite offers a thin, sharp tip, enhancing its piercing capabilities and precision
4116 STEEL BLADE - This Pro Lite folder features a resilient 3.5-inch blade crafted from 4116 stainless steel; Renowned for its toughness and ease of sharpening, 4116 steel ensures reliable cutting performance in various everyday scenarios
GFN HANDLE - The Pro Lite folders feature handles made from Glass-Filled Nylon (GFN), a durable and high-quality material that provides a secure grip and comfortable handling; GFN offers reliable performance, enhancing handling and control
TRI-AD LOCK - Equipped with Cold Steel's renowned Tri-Ad locking mechanism, the Pro Lite folding knife offers unparalleled strength and shock resistance; This locking mechanism enhances the knife's reliability and safety during heavy-duty tasks
SPECS - Weight: 3.3 oz (93.6 g); Blade Thickness: 3 mm; Blade Length: 3.5"; Blade Steel: 4116 Stainless Steel; Handle Length/Material: 4.5" GFN; Overall Length: 8"; Knife Type: Folder; Blade Shape: Clip Point; Locking Mechanism: Tri-Ad Locking Mechanism

Editor’s Note: I recommend purchasing the Cold Steel Pro Lite at Amazon or BladeHQ. Please consider that 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.

CRKT Homefront K270GKP Review

by Dan Jackson 20 Comments

Last Updated: August 12, 2019
One of the hallmarks of a quality folding knife is to be able to take it apart and put it back together without any problems. That is one of the qualities I find most admirable in my Spyderco Sage 1, which remains one of my all time favorite EDC knives to this day. Certainly that is one of the draws to the CRK Sebenza; its unapologetic simplicity and ease of disassembly and re-assembly. I think it’s one thing to put something together properly at the factory and have it work well in the short term, but if it doesn’t go back together correctly after being taken apart then something is horribly wrong.

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So when I saw CRKT roll out the Homefront, a knife that was designed to be taken apart, I took notice. At first glance this may seem gimmicky in the same way Lionsteel made a handle that changes color when you hold it. The knife industry is a tough one to innovate in, and some of features touted as “innovations” can be questionable at best. But the Homefront was designed by Ken Onion, and CRKT has a history of executing custom designs well. So I approached the Homefront with both interest and a healthy dose of skepticism.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Homefront has an overall length of 8.3″, a 3.5″ blade, weighs 4.8 ounces, and is made in Taiwan. I have a soft spot for utilitarian folders with a 3.5″ blade. Some of my favorite user pieces fall into this category, including the Cold Steel American Lawman, Kershaw Blur, and Buck Marksman. In an age of high dollar titanium framelock flippers these are the unsung heroes of my knife collection. While I am as guilty as the next guy for wanting to check out high end offerings, these humble pieces keep showing up in my pocket to get the job done.

The Homefront has that same “no bullshit” appeal that these other knives have. It’s simply constructed and geared towards functionality. But that is not to say that the Homefront is devoid of detail and visual interest. The knife has a military inspired aesthetic that has grown on me since acquisition. I am still not a fan of the oversize star on the pivot, but the rest of the design agrees with me, and the knife is nicely made and beautifully finished. In my mind this is a dedicated utility knife, and is one that could be pressed into a variety of roles as your situation requires.

The blade is a handsome drop-point design, with a prominent fuller, big belly, and a simple swedge terminating in a capable tip. You almost forget this is a Ken Onion design, except for that suggestion of a recurve. The blade features a hollow grind and a lustrous satin finish. The knife is ground reasonably thin and it slices well. This is a classic and useful blade shape.

One critique is that the edge is not sharpened all the way to the plunge line. Instead, you have about a quarter inch of unsharpened steel. The advantage is that you can use this as a poor man’s forward finger choil, but the disadvantage is that you lose that cutting surface and the knife can be a little harder to sharpen on some systems.

CRKT chose AUS-8 for the blade steel. I’m not a steel snob, but this is my biggest criticism of the knife. Given the near $100 retail price point (I paid $90 for mine, but now see the knife retail for a little over $80 on Amazon), this should be S30V, 154CM, or some other higher end stainless steel. Every other aspect of the Homefront is on par with a $100 knife, so it’s a shame to see the steel suffer here. Still, AUS-8 is serviceable stuff, and it will certainly work for a knife that is meant to be used. It is tough, doesn’t rust easily, and is easy to sharpen.

If you add up all my reviews I have probably written the equivalent of a full length novel on AUS-8, so I won’t belabor this further. At the end of the day I don’t mind the steel in a lower end knife, but would be remiss not to ding the Homefront for the choice of AUS-8 blade steel.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

The handle is constructed of 2 slabs of 6061 aluminum that have been type-3 anodized a rich olive green. There is a partial geared aluminum backspacer, and a nested steel liner lock. The handle is modified to accommodate the Field-Strip take down system (more on that below) with the inclusion of a release lever near the pivot and a geared wheel at the pommel.

Fit and finish on this knife is immaculate. The lines are crisp, there is an absence of tooling marks, and everything comes together perfectly. The anodization is tough to capture with photography – it has a subtle depth to it that doesn’t show up well in the pictures. The anodization has held up nicely, but I don’t doubt if I drop it on my driveway it will show signs of wear like my Marksman.

The Homefront benefits from a simple approach to ergonomics, and is a comfortable knife in hand. The handle itself is lightly textured and the aluminum is a far cry from abrasive G-10 or rough patterning. There is a shallow finger choil, and a row of toothy jimping – aggressive enough to bite in sharply if you really bear down on the knife, but easy to avoid if you place your thumb on the spine of the blade. The geared backspacer and release wheel provide additional traction if you need to use the knife in a reverse grip, but largely stay out of the way when you are using the knife with a normal forward grip.

Ken knows how to design a comfortable knife, and this Homefront benefits from his decades of experience.

The pocket clip is an unassuming piece of folded-over stainless steel. It’s black, rectangular, and does a decent job of keeping the knife held in place in your pocket. The aluminum handles don’t offer much traction, so retention isn’t outstanding. It is a deep carry clip, and the Homefront all but disappears into your pocket. Beyond that, there isn’t much to report, beyond the handle being milled, drilled, and tapped for right side tip up carry only – not a big deal for me, but a potential source of contention for some.

The Homefront carries nicely in the pocket. It’s not overly thick, heavy or large, and it carries like you would expect it to. No complaints.

Field-Strip Technology

The Homefront is the first production knife to feature Ken Onion’s Field-strip Technology. It’s a system that allows the knife to be taken apart without tools in seconds by way of a lever near the pivot and a release wheel at the butt of the handle. Flip the lever, turn the wheel, and in seconds you have a fully disassembled knife.

I have had my Homefront for about 6 weeks at this point, and in that space of time I have disassembled and re-assembled the Homefront probably 100 times. Not out of necessity, but out of that neurotic fidgety compulsion that drives most knife collectors to obsessively and absentmindedly flick the blades of their folders. This is the same neurosis that is responsible for grown men spinning $100+ tops and the TorqBar. Plus I wanted to test the system out thoroughly.

I am here to say that after taking the knife apart obsessively the Field-Strip system still works great. I can take the knife apart and put it back together in under 30 seconds at this point. There was a small learning curve, but with a little practice the Field Strip system becomes easy to manipulate.

The bigger question is, “How handy is this?” I don’t work a particularly dirty job. I’m not in the military, or law enforcement, or anything remotely physical. So I don’t really “need” a knife that I can strip in the field, because, let’s face it, I’m never in the field.

But I can tell you this is a nice well implemented feature. I do occasionally take my knives apart, and when I do it’s at best an ordeal necessitating the use of torx drivers, a quiet space, a clean surface, and 10-15 minutes of my time. At worst you can mess up the knife. I have stripped screws, lost pieces under my desk, and have taken a knife apart only to find out it doesn’t want to come back together quite right.

There is value to this system whether you are trying to take your knife apart inside a tent or at your kitchen table. I wouldn’t want to take my Benchmade apart on a camping trip. But taking apart the Homefront outside is something I am completely comfortable with.

Deployment and Lockup

The Homefront is a sub-liner lock flipper. The flipper looks like a bayonet lug, paying further homage to the Homefront’s throwback military-inspired design. The blade runs on nested teflon washers. I am typically not a fan of teflon washers, but they work here. The washers are nested in such a way that they don’t fall out when you disassemble the knife, and my guess is that was the primary consideration when selecting teflon. Regardless, the blade flips open easily and the action doesn’t have that “floaty” feeling that is typical of teflon washers. It actually flips well, especially after a break in. The oversize flipper provides plenty of leverage, and the blade pops opens with a satisfying snap.

You can get a good look at the nested steel liner lock in the picture of the dissassembled knife. It’s unassuming, but it works well. The lock bar is easy to get at and doesn’t stick. There is a little side to side play, an acceptable trade off for a toolless design, but nothing more than you would find on an axis lock. Also, the blade centering is dead center every single time, without any tweaking on my end. This is super impressive to me, as so many knives get this wrong. It’s a testament to how well the Homefront is engineered and manufactured.

CRKT Homefront Review – Final Thoughts

It would be easy to dismiss the Homefront and its Field-Strip system as a gimmick. But I think doing so would be a mistake. At its core this is a well made and functional piece, and the Field-Strip aspect of the knife works surprisingly well. The knife comes apart and goes back together easily and consistently. This is a legitimate improvement over a regular screw-together folder, and CRKT did a good job with this. I’d like to see them carry this out with other designs and dial the system in even further.

I’d also like to see CRKT beef up the blade steel. I realize that this knife was manufactured in Taiwan, which means there are logistical challenges to getting quality steel to the factory, plus this was probably an expensive knife both to develop and manufacture, but at this price point you really need to be above the AUS8/8Cr13MoV tier of steel. Both Spyderco and Cold Steel have figured out how to get good steel to their Taiwanese factories, so it can be done. The choice of AUS-8 is not a deal killer for me, but I know it will be a turn off for many.

At the end of the day I think the pros to the Homefront outweigh the cons. This is an excellently executed knife, and it’s the most interesting edged tool to cross my desk in 2016. I think this knife is a good choice for both collectors of interesting and unusual knives, and I also recommend it for those who are considering the Homefront as an EDC piece. I purchased this knife with my own money for long term testing and evaluation. I’ll continue to carry and use the Homefront and will update this review if my opinion about the knife or Field-Strip system changes over time.

As I close this review out I can’t help but compare my Homefront to my Marksman. Both feature aluminum handles, classic lines, and solid construction. Both are unique and innovative in their own ways. And both are rock solid workhorse knives. It’s my pleasure to highlight unique offerings like these.

COLUMBIA RIVER KNIFE & TOOL CRKT Homefront Aluminum Folding Pocket Knife: Take Apart Field Strip, Satin Blade, Flipper Open, Liner Lock, Aluminum Handle, Deep Carry Pocket Clip K270GKP

Easy Maintenance: Field Strip take apart your knife for cleaning without tools
Easy To Sharpen: High carbon stainless steel blade takes an edge well
Lightweight And Strong: Aluminum handle combines strength with minimal weight
Designed by Ken Onion in Kaneohe, Hawaii
Versatile Use: Suitable for every day carry around the home or office

If you are considering buying a CRKT Homefront, I recommend purchasing it at Amazon or BladeHQ. Thanks for reading.

Spyderco C149G Vallotton Sub-Hilt Folder Review

by Chad McBroom 5 Comments

I purchased my very first tactical folder during my Freshman year of college in 1992. That knife was a Spyderco Edura. Since that time, I have always been a fan of Spyderco knives. They were pioneers in that they were the first to incorporate a pocket clip into a knife design, deeply influencing the concept of the modern tactical folder as we know it today.

Buy the Spyderco Vallotton at BladeHQ

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Butch Vallotton is a custom knifemaker and tinkerer who is probably best known for his innovative method of converting a manual knife into an automatic. Butch and Spyderco teamed up a few years ago to offer a collaboration known as the Spyderco Vallotton Sub-Hilt Folder model C149G. This was an excellent move on Spyderco’s part, because the result was amazing.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The C149G is a heavy-stock folder (6.2 ounces) with a thick 0.156” (4mm) modified tanto-style blade. The blade has a hollow grind on the cutting edge and a convex grind at the tip. This clamshell-shaped grind, known as a Hamaguri or Appleseed Grind, was very popular in designs by the late Bob Lum (the knifemaker who first introduced the modern tanto-style knife) and brings a distinct Japanese flare to the blade design.

The blade length of the C149G is 3.75 inches, and the length of the handle is 5 inches, resulting in a knife that is just under 9 inches in total length—8.687 inches to be exact. Based on those numbers, it may appear as though some length was lost somewhere—exactly .063 inches—but this is due to the angle of the handle near the ricasso.

The blade is made from Crucible Steel Company’s CPM S30V stainless, a proprietary powdered steel formulated specifically for cutlery. S30V is considered to be one of the best knife steels on the market. It is a very hard steel, so make sure you have a good diamond sharpener if you plan on touching up the edge. Of course, it will be a while before you need to re-sharpen it.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

The C149G has a lightly contoured handle with black G10 handle scales. The highly-polished G10 scales have a beautiful, almost carbon-fiber look to them. The fitted stainless steel bolsters add a bold contrast to the black scales, resulting in a handle that has the aesthetic appeal of a custom folder.

There are four mounting options for the pocket clip. The knife can be configured to be carried in either a tip up or tip down configuration with the clip on either the right or left side. While this option makes the knife extremely versatile and customizable to the user, the mounting holes on the bolster do detract a bit from an otherwise flawless handle. The clip itself is stainless steel with a nicely polished black finish and the Spyderco logo laser engraved into the metal.

This Vallotton design pays homage to the Big Bear sub-hilt fighting knife designed by knife maker Bob Loveless. A comparison reveals that even the handle shape was heavily influence by the Big Bear. Since most of us here are knife nuts and like to concern ourselves with the minute details, I will go ahead and point out that, in the traditional sense of word, a folding knife does not actually have a hilt. A hilt actually refers to the entire handle of a sword or dagger. English is a derivative language, however, and knifemakers have historically modified the use of terms for lack of better descriptions, so I can see how calling this knife a “sub-hilt folder” is quite appropriate under the circumstances.

This knife is pretty comfortable in the hand, though it does not offer anywhere near the level of retention or ergonomics as its namesake. The thumb hole has some fine jimping on the back portion and doubles as a thumb ramp when the blade is open, but the “sub-hilt” offers little more than a finger grove, most of which is obscured by the liner lock. All in all, the handle is very aesthetically pleasing, but nothing to get overly excited about in terms of handling.

Deployment and Lockup

The C149G features Spyderco’s round thumb hole in addition to an ambidextrous thumb stud. The thumb stud doubles as a stop pin, in place of a locking bar, to prevent the blade from rotating beyond its lockup position. The combination of the two blade deployment options makes for a very positive single-handed deployment. I have found that the thumb stud serves well as a roadblock for the thumb to prevent it from slipping out of the thumb hole.

The stainless steel Michael Walker LinerLock™ is very robust. The beefy liners on this knife are about as thick as the blades of some of the folders in my collection. This beefy lock combined with the thick blade offers one substantial lockup. I do not expect this knife to close without permission under anything but the most extreme adverse conditions coupled with sheer bad luck.

Spyderco Vallotton Review – Final Thoughts

This knife is not for the weak or faint of heart. It is a hefty 6.2 ounces, so if you are not a strong swimmer, then I do not recommend that you jump into the water with this knife in your pocket, even though it is stainless steel. I have been packing my Sub-Hilt Folder around for a little over three years, and I have affectionately referred to it as my “folding fixed-blade” because it is such a stout folder. It remains to be the smoothest opening knife in my collection, as well as the easiest one to open under stress. The Spyderco Thumb Hole is in my opinion one of the best one-handed opening systems on the market, and the addition of the ambidextrous thumb stud only increases its reliability.

Although it is made in Taiwan, you would never believe it if it was not stamped on the blade. This knife has all the qualities of a handmade custom folder. This Italian-style, thick stock folder with its Japanese inspired blade design, à la Bob Lum, and its Loveless Big Bear flare, is not only an amalgamation of international blade culture, but a tribute to a couple of the greatest knife makers in American history. I do not know if that was what Vallotton and Spyderco intended when they began this project, but that is definitely what they accomplished.

Spyderco Vallotton Sub-Hilt Specialty Knife with 3.70" CPM S30V Premium Stainless Steel Blade and Black Textured G-10 Handle - PlainEdge - C149GP

Folding Knives: Locking folding knives are safe, compact, and easy to carry. They also happen to be where the Spyderco revolution began.
G-10 Handle: An epoxy filled woven glass fiber that is rigid, non-slip, and impervious to temperature changes and chemicals.
Hollow Grind: It comes with bevels that are ground with a concave radius. The bevels may extend the full width of the blade (full Hollow Grind) or only a portion of its width.
PlainEdge Blade: This knife has a sharpened blade with no serrations or teeth sometimes referred to as a smooth blade.
Specifications: Closed Length (Inches): 5, Overall Length (Inches): 8.7, Blade Length (Inches):3.7, Blade Steel: CPM S30V, Grind: Hollow

I recommend purchasing the Vallotton at Amazon or 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.

Cold Steel Large Espada Review

by Benjamin Schwartz 12 Comments

Last Updated: July 28, 2019
Although knife collecting, like any hobby, is a mild form of mania, I like to think that within this gentle madness I am a reasonable man. My uses for my tools are reasonable. My knife preferences are reasonable: I prefer simple handles, simple blades, and I generally like those blades at 3” or less. No one could look at my collection of knives and think me anything but a very reasonable individual – unless their eyes by chance fell on my Cold Steel Large Espada.

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How did I end up with such a ludicrous knife? Well, even though most of my purchases come after much consideration, reading, and weighing of pros and cons, every so often I like to impulse-purchase a knife that is out of my comfort zone, just to counterbalance the homogeneity in my collection that my preferences tends to create. But when I ordered the Large Espada late one night, I wasn’t just stepping out of my comfort zone; I was taking a flight to a location on the other side of the planet.

No knife I can think of offhand (outside of some particularly egregious customs) so flamboyantly violates every edict of utility I’ve set for myself over the years like the Large Espada does. But, going beyond that, I don’t think that it’s a practical choice even for the applications for which it was ostensibly designed. The Large Espada is impractical. It is unreasonable.

So this is going to be an odd review: an unreasonable knife reviewed by a reasonable man. But I like to imagine that even the palest, milquetoastiest accountant likes to cut lose once in a while. Sometimes you want to listen to Electric Wizard, not Glenn Gould. Sometimes you want to carry a giant, unwieldy tactical blade instead of a reasonable and non-threatening tool. And when those sometimes strike you, there aren’t many knives I know of that can scratch that itch quite like the Large Espada.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Large Espada has a blade length of 5 ½”, a handle length of 7 1/8”, and an overall length of 12 1/2”. It weighs 9.8 oz. – almost as much as four Benchmade 940-1s. The Espada is made in Taiwan.

Of course, when you’re dealing with a knife of this size, it doesn’t make sense to get hung up on weight – after all, the 5 ½” blade folding knife isn’t exactly a crowded category, is it? Even very big knives like the Benchmade 710 or some of the Hogue knives aren’t really in the same size class. The only other reasonable competition for the Large Espada is the more affordable, all G-10 Large Espada, which weighs about 1 ½ oz. less.

The Large Espada’s blade is a dramatic, theatrical, aggressive clip point. The tip is somewhat strengthened by the swedge, and will pierce material, even thick material, quite easily, but it gives the impression of relative delicacy. The edge is all belly, dipping out right after the ricasso. This, coupled with the (excellent) hollow grind and the wide edge bevel, give the Large Espada considerable cutting ability, at least on the macro level: cardboard, wood, plastic, metal, all can be separated cleanly and easily by this monster.

Cleanly and effortlessly for a while, at least. The steel, AUS 8A, simply wasn’t the right choice here. If you want to use your Large Espada in roles other than self-defense, you’re going to use it for the macro cutting tasks I mentioned above, and when you do, you’ll find that AUS 8A dulls quickly. Editor’s note: in 2015 Cold Steel finally upgraded these to CTS-XHP steel, and then to S35VN. I have had some experience with Cold Steel’s CTS-XHP and their S35VN and both steels have been excellent. S35VN is a meaningful upgrade over AUS-8A. It holds an edge better and is tougher. It’s a better choice all around.

I could deal with poor edge retention if it were the only problem, but, on this blade shape, with this grind, the steel is also fragile. When I first got my Large Espada a couple years ago, I took it out on the patio to cut up some water bottles, cardboard, and boxes of frozen peas (yup), both to test it and to participate in the time-honored tradition of goofing around with a knife (what are the Absolute Proof videos if not footage of people goofing around with knives?). During one cut I happened swing down and hit the balustrade – not hard enough to bite into the wood, even, but when I looked at the blade I saw that it had chipped, in multiple places and quite badly:

I’ve sharpened the Large Espada since then, and managed to reduce the chipping a bit, but it’s still visible, and I don’t think I was abusing the knife when it happened. I think it comes down to that wide edge bevel; AUS 8A isn’t tough enough to be run that thin at the edge. I understand that in the self-defense role, such issues are less likely to matter, but I still think that Cold Steel could, and should, have chosen a better blade steel than AUS 8A. Let us not forget that we’re talking about a $130 knife here.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Carry

The Large Espada’s handle is comfortable no matter which way you hold it: forward, with your index finger in the choil, or in a pistol grip with the lower scalloping between your middle and ring fingers, reverse grip: it’s all good.

The handle is composed of two parts, almost in the style of a traditional knife: the aluminum ‘bolsters,’ which are integrated with the liners and the sort of grommet at the end of the knife, and the polished G-10 scales or inserts. Everything is decently if not artfully contoured, and all the edges are chamfered. I feel like a good portion of that comfort would be lost on the pure G-10 models: Cold Steel’s traditional unpolished G-10 is famously aggressive, and I don’t like it at all. It ruins your pockets, makes the knife uncomfortable to hold, and, let’s face it, looks a hell of a lot less classy than the original Espada’s set-up. If you’re going to get the Large Espada, get the original set-up. It is very comfortable in hand.

In the pocket? Not so much. I can fit the Large Espada into the pocket of my jeans, but just barely, and even though it doesn’t feel as heavy as I was expecting, it sure doesn’t disappear. And this is where I take issue with the Large Espada in its intended role as a self-defense tool: issues of legality aside, it’s almost too big to carry around every day, even as a dedicated tactical blade, to use the Nutfancian term. I know a lot of smart guys who carry multiple blades, but I am a one-knife man, and I don’t have enough pocket space for a second knife of any size, let alone something as elephantine as the Large Espada.

Maybe I’m doing it wrong, though; Tool carries his in in a kydex boot sheath. Might be worth looking into.

Deployment and Lockup

More problems arise with the deployment methods on the Large Espada. There are two, although they both utilize the thumb plate on the spine of the blade. The first method is your traditional roll/flick open. Either is difficult to do reliably or quickly because of the size of the Large Espada. Rolling it out requires your thumb to stretch quite a bit, so it isn’t comfortable or fast. Flicking it takes a lot of wrist momentum, as well as careful placement of your thumb on the plate.

The disk is also designed to be wave deployed; that is, you can draw the Large Espada from your pocket in such a manner as to cause the plate to catch on the corner of your pocket, deploying the blade as you pull it out. Wave openers, to me, aren’t handy enough to compensate for the awkward stares and for the accidental half-openings that can occur, but this one is particularly finicky.

In my last review I wrote that every big blade I’ve had has some bladeplay. I guess I have to eat a little crow because that isn’t true: I had forgotten that my Large Espada has none, whatsoever, in any direction. It did when I first got it, but earlier this year I took it apart, cleaned everything, and put it back together a little tighter, and it was totally gone.

The Tri-Ad Lock truly deserves every accolade thrown its way. As ambidextrous as the Axis Lock, but with less moving parts, and tougher than a frame lock, it is a marvel. A weak lock on a knife this big would be an absolute disaster, but with the Tri-Ad Lock in place I have absolute confidence that my Large Espada will only close when I want it to.

Cold Steel Large Espada Review – Final Thoughts

So I’ve spent 1,500 hundred words enumerating all the ways in which the Large Espada is an impractical purchase. It’s huge, the steel is iffy, it’s huge, the design is aggressive and off-putting to those around you, the deployment methods are a bit of a pain, and it’s huge. I never carry blades for reasons of self-defense. I don’t think it’s a silly thing to do, but it’s just not something I’m interested in doing. However, even carried as a self-defense knife, I think there are better options out there than the Large Espada; even in that role it is impractical.

But, hey (and turn up the metal for this next bit), sometimes you just want a huge, badass knife. Something for the collection, something that looks rad, is made well, and never fails to make you smile (maybe a little self-consciously), when you take it out to show somebody, thwacking it open and watching their eyes go wide.

I bought the Large Espada on a impulse. It wasn’t cheap. I hardly carry it. I usually only take it out every couple of months, and even then just for a few minutes. I forget that I own it for months at a time. It’s ludicrous. It’s impractical. It’s unreasonable.

I’ve never regretted buying it.

Cold Steel Espada with Polished G10 Handle, Large

Blade Length: 5-1/2"
Handle: 6-3/4" Long, Polished G-10 with Polished 7075 Aluminum Bolster and Frame
Steel: Japanese AUS 8A stainless
Blade Thick: 4 MM
Overall Length: 12-1/4"

I recommend purchasing the Cold Steel Espada at Amazon or 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.