Made in the USA

Kershaw Lucha Review

The Punisher, The Outsiders, Blood In Blood Out, Face/Off, Red Dawn (’84 version of course), and of course, Big Trouble in Little China were all some of my favorite flicks growing up. Do you know what they had in common? Besides being awesome? They all have Butterfly knives in them. I grew up with a fascination for butterfly knives, or Balisongs if you’re fancy. I had a pile of cheap pot-metal junk butterfly knives and always wanted a real one. By real, I mean a quality model, and I found that in the Kershaw Lucha.

Buy the Lucha at BladeHQ or GP Knives

Lucha means the fight or struggle, and this Filipino design became famous for its camera catching action. It flips and spins into place, and a skilled practitioner can put on quite the show with a Butterfly knife. They are honestly my version of a fidget spinner, and if it’s in my hands, I’m probably flipping it around. It’s bad enough that I have to set it down and away from me to type this out. This Filipino design has a Spanish name but is made in the USA. It’s a gosh darn melting pot of a knife.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

This is a big knife. The Lucha has an overall length of 10.25 inches with a total blade length of 4.6 inches. The blade is .875 inches wide and .16 inches thick. The blade has a clip point with a nice aggressive belly to it. The blade length of 4.6 inches is not the cutting length. Due to the design of balisongs, the cutting edge is a bit shorter at 4.375 inches. The knife is built like a pro basketball player. It’s tall but skinny. It’s a hefty guy at 5.9 ounces as well.

The blade is made from stainless steel from Sandvik, known as 14C28N. Stainless means we excellent protection from corrosion, and the knife needs it. The balisong handle is not a sealed design, so it’s exposed to everything all the time. The steel itself was exclusive to Kershaw for a few years, and they seem to be producing amazing knives with it. This steel holds a bloody brilliant edge. It gets super sharp and sharpens up nice and smooth.

With us all staying at home and doing a little less adventuring, I have been focused a lot on cooking tasty meals. This has allowed me to slice and dice through meat, and that seems to be the role of the Lucha. It’s a cutter, a deep slasher, and relentless in its ability to cut through meat. I sliced and diced a pound of steak, a pound of chicken, some onions, and a bell pepper to make some fantastic fajitas.

The aggressive belly makes deep cuts easy, and the swedge at the top of the blade ensures it glides through the thickest of materials without getting stuck. I cut through tomatoes and oranges, and the blade never stuck. Balisongs have a reputation as a weapon, and the Lucha proudly takes that name. Without a doubt, it would be an effective weapon for self-defense. With a little practice, you’ll be able to flip it open quickly and with a single hand.

The clip point and good belly give it a good bit of versatility to allow the knife to fulfill your everyday EDC tasks. It’s a lot of knife for those tasks, but it will get you there. The large size and blade design could even make it a half-decent game skinning knife.

Handle and Ergonomics

The Kershaw Lucha’s split handle is made from stainless steel and is a sandwich-style construction versus a liner lock style. The handles are square-like but have rounded edges that allow the knives to smoothly flip in hand for both opening and doing all sorts of fun tricks. The trick with Balisongs is having a handle thats smooth enough to flip but is textured enough to provide a good grip with.

The Lucha does both, and the way it provides a good grip is the cuts in the handle. They give both weight reduction for easy flipping and texture for your hand to grip. It works and does provide a suitable means to grip the knife. The absolutely massive handle also offers plenty of room for you to grasp and grab the handle in any way you see fit.

The Lucha’s blade has a small handguard built into it and allows you to rest your thumb and apply leverage and control to the blade as it cuts.

The Balisong handle isn’t the most comfortable thing in the world. There is no round palm smells or G10 grips. It’s pretty simple and minimalist. If you are planning to do heavy-duty cutting, another knife might be for you. The grips will tire your hand if you use the knife outside of its intent.

Deployment and Lockup

The blade’s deployment is entirely dependent on how you can handle a balisong. With all my practice from cheap pot metal Chinese knives, it’s a natural motion for me. The rounded handle bevels do make the task a little easier and ensure you can spin the blade into action when needed. It’s just gonna take practice, and if you are new to these knives, then get a trainer, they’re cheap and worth it.

Trust me, as a kid who cut himself a lot get the trainer.

The blade and handles swing smoothly into action. They are guided by the KVT ball-bearing pivots, and you can feel the quality with every deployment. Those ball bearings also ensure the lockup is nice and tight.

The lockup is also friction, and the blade stays in place by holding the handles together. The latch can lock it into place as well. The latch does lock up the knife rather well and remains very tight. With the latch, the blade doesn’t move even a bit, not a hair’s worth of movement. This tight lockup occurs with both the latch and a friction-filled hold.

Kershaw Lucha Review – Final Thoughts

I’m a fan of this knife, and as someone who desired a real Butterfly knife for years, I’m glad to finally have one. The Lucha delivers in all the cool ways a butterfly knife is supposed to. At the same time, the blade is ultra-sharp, incredibly robust, and designed to be used.

It’s a big knife admittedly, and it’s one of those knives that is incredibly well built, but it’s not necessarily a practical choice. There are knives that are more efficient and better built for hard work, but that’s not exclusive to the Lucha. That’s a reality of butterfly knives. As far as butterfly knives go, the Lucha is a fantastic example of what a real butterfly knife should be.

Kershaw Lucha – From $119.95
From: BladeHQ

Editor: I recommend purchasing the Kershaw Lucha at BladeHQ or GP Knives. Thank you very much.

ESEE-6 Review

by Dan Jackson Leave a Comment

It has been a while since I’ve reviewed a large fixed blade. Regular readers know I’m in S.W. Florida. It’s a nice place to live, but it’s not exactly a mecca of bushcraft. I mostly moved here to be by the beach. The land itself is either dry and scrubby, or dank and marshy. It’s a beautiful place to live in it’s own way, but was one of the last places in the USA to be settled for a reason.

Buy the ESEE-6 at BladeHQ
Buy on Amazon

And while I enjoy trimming trees on our tiny 1/4 acre lot and even having a bonfire a couple times a year, I’m no Ray Mears. Plus, I already have my big bushwacker – the ESEE Junglas. I’ll probably be buried with that knife. Maybe sooner than later depending on how this coronavirus plays out. Regardless, it’s my go to yard tool, and I’ve had it for almost a decade. Why mess with success?

Well, when you run a site like this, people have certain expectations. And they vary somewhat wildly. Since I’ve reviewed some outdoor fixed blades in the past (aka “survival knives“), some visitors may believe that I am duty bound to keep that section updated. And they make a good point.

So I want to keep reviewing survival knives. I enjoy them even if I can’t use them as much as I would like. So take the review with a pinch of salt. I don’t proclaim to be a bush master. I’m just a schlemiel with a knife review website and too much time on his hands.

One knife we have been missing from the website for years is the ESEE-6. And frankly, it’s missing from my understanding of the ESEE lineup as well. I’ve reviewed the smaller ESEEs, and the big Junglas, but haven’t touched anything between the 6 and 4. I’ve had Chad write on the ESEE-4, and Josh write on the Laser Strike, but I have to understand these knives as well. So here we go, a long needed review of the ESEE-6.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The ESEE-6 has an overall length of 11.75″, a 6.5″ blade, and the knife itself weighs 12 ounces. This is a pretty big knife. It’s not a Junglas, which is more of a fortified machete, but it’s still pretty damn big. It could be a good choice if you are looking for something that packs a whallop for chopping tasks, something that can baton pretty big pieces of wood, yet is still reasonably packable, and is also usable as a knife rather than a machete or small sword.

Certainly this would be a good camp knife. It can carve, cut and chop with the best of them. And it’s stout. ESEE knives. are tough, and this ESEE-6 is almost 5mm thick.

Here is a family portrait with my Junglas and ESEE-3 for reference:

It could also be used in certain martial applications. While it’s not a dagger, I think this 6″ blade has pretty good reach for a hog hunt or in an emergency. So the ESEE-6 strikes me as a large all-round utility / combat knife. The trade off is the size and weight. I wouldn’t take this on the Appalachian Trail, but if I needed something robust for a camp out or day hike, then the ESEE-6 could be a good choice.

Let’s turn to the blade. Here you get 6″+ of powdercoated steel. The shape is ESEE’s classic drop point. It’s a subtle drop point, offering about 3″ of straight edge and a good 3″ of curving belly as well. Lots of room to work with the ESEE-6. The blade is simple. It’s fully flat ground and there are no swedges or anything like that.

Blade steel is 1095. 1095 is high carbon steel, and is the same steel found on their regular lineup. For those who don’t know, 1095 is not a stainless steel. In exchange for being not-stainless, you get a tough high impact steel that is easy to sharpen. 1095 holds a good edge when used on wood. I find it dulls pretty quickly when used to cut material like cardboard. However, it is very easy to sharpen. That said, you will get good life out of the edge assuming you will be using this knife more for wood and food prep rather than breaking down a pile of boxes.

The entire knife comes with ESEE’s thick powder coat. The offer the coating in various colors, but I prefer the classic look of black powder coat. I took pictures of this knife before I started using it. You can see how the coating looks new, and you can see on my Junglas how the coating will hold up after years of use. It wears pretty well, but it isn’t invincible. It will do a good job of keeping rust off of most of the knife.

Here’s another size comparison. This time I have it next to the Fallkniven A1:

It compares favorably to the A1, friends. That’s why I selected it. Also, both knives are quite thick.

Back to the blade. In practice this is an extremely capable knife. It’s big enough for significant chopping and batoning tasks, but it’s still small enough to use as a knife. Not my first choice for peeling potatoes, but you can certainly chop them up, whittle, etc. The trade off is that the ESEE-6 is significantly heavier than a knife like the ESEE-3. But with the 3 you won’t be chopping, and unless you are a talented woodsman you are going to have a hard time batoning anything significant with the ESEE-3 either.

Handle and Ergonomics

My ESEE-6 came with gray linen micarta handle scales with red liners. It’s a handsome look, and the gray linen micarta is beveled for comfort. ESEE also offers G-10 handles if micarta isn’t your thing, and their extra handle scales are reasonably priced.

Personally, I like the way micarta wears, and it offers excellent traction even when your hands get wet or sweaty. This is a full tang knife, meaning the blade and handle are one continuous piece of steel, and that tang extends down to the pommel. This provides room for both a lanyard hole and am impact tool. You can crack walnuts or crack skulls depending on what the situation requires. Nice.

The ESEE-6 comes with a comfortable “Cadillac” of a handle. There is plenty of room, and there is a forward finger choil if you need to choke up on the blade. The micarta handle fills the hand and offers plenty of traction. ESEE included an inch or so of jimping on the spine of the blade. It’s aggressive jimping and is the kind that is better suited for gloved hands. Personally, I find the jimping to be a bit much for a naked hand, but that’s just me.

In practice I found this handle to be comfortable for extended use. This whether you use gloves or not. I tend to avoid gloves and did not run into issues with hot spots. The jimping I could live without, especially for crunching cuts, but I understand why ESEE put it there. All in all, it’s a comfortable handle. However, I prefer the edge radiusing (contouring) on the handle of the Junglas over the ESEE-6.

Sheath

The ESEE-6 comes with a high density thermoplastic sheath. It’s riveted and is built similar to a kydex sheath (pancake style). As usual, the quality is there. The sheath is nicely finished and holds the knife securely in place. There is a small amount of rattle, but nothing crazy. It takes a fair amount of force to pop the knife out of the sheath with your thumb, and ESEE included a short run of serrations on the sheath for that purpose. This knife is not coming out accidentally. They also included a drain hole in the bottom of the sheath and plenty of rivets for mounting options.

While you can lash this sheath to something or use MOLLE clips, I suspect most people will want to use the included belt clip. It mounts easily and securely to the sheath with the included hardware and allows for amibidextrous up or down carry. All the components of the sheath and belt clip are simple and of high quality. The plastic is dense, the steel clip offers a good blend of ease of use and high spring strength, and everything is set up to provide years of trouble free use.

Here is a better shot of that spring clip. The spring clip easily slides over a belt, so you can add or remove the sheath without taking your belt off. Once you have a sheath with a clip like this, it’s hard to go back to your standard sheaths with a belt loop.

ESEE-6 Review – Final Thoughts

Once again ESEE demonstrates their ability to make a high quality fixed blade knife and sheath. Everything is thoughtfully designed, made of high quality materials, and finished neatly. Oh, and it has all been made in the USA and is backed by one of the most comprehensive warranties in the business. They are on the expensive side, but I’ve found when you buy an ESEE fixed blade you are going to get a no-bullshit product that is designed for the long term. My Junglas and ESEE-3 are excellent examples of that, and I’m happy to add this ESEE-6 to the permanent collection. I have no doubt that it will serve me well for years. That said, if something happens I’ll update the review.

Perhaps the hardest part of selecting a knife within the ESEE catalog is settling on a single piece. The ESEE-6 is substantial, so that’s arguably it’s biggest potential problem. If you are looking for a knife to take on extended hikes, then you will likely want to give this one a pass. But if you are looking for something to use on a campsite, or packed into a truck, or even used in the yard, then I think the ESEE-6 has a lot to offer. Also, while I’m fond of my Junglas, it’s not usable as a knife. The ESEE-6 strikes more of a balance between a compact chopper and a utility knife.

ESEE Knives 6P Fixed Blade Knife w/Molded Polymer Sheath

Editor: I recommend buying the ESEE-6 at BladeHQ or Amazon. Thank you for reading.

Gerber Fastball Review

by Dan Jackson 4 Comments

I haven’t reviewed much Gerber stuff on here. That’s because these days Gerber’s best known products are plastic handled collaborations with Bear Grylles, or is just super low end, or something like the Downrange Tomahawk – cool, but not something I can review well. I enjoy the occasional fixed blade, but confess that I’m mostly a folding knife guy these days. Thankfully I’ve had some great contributing writers to fill in some of my deficiencies as a reviewer. We actually have a handful of Gerber knife reviews.

Buy the Gerber Fastball at BladeHQ

Buy on Amazon

The Gerber Fastball is interesting because it’s a folding knife made for a normal person who likes higher end tools. It’s a USA made knife, features premium materials, retails for around $100, and it lacks a celebrity endorsement. Instead, it’s a bearing equipped flipper. It isn’t some novelty knife you can buy at the Wal-Mart sporting goods counter.

And enthusiasts appear to have taken notice. The Fastball has appeared on both EveryDayCommentary and KnifeInformer. That sort of begs the question of whether I needed to review it, but the folks at Gerber contacted me about reviewing the Fastball. Given that Tony and Matt both liked it I agreed to check it out.

So this knife was provided to me from Gerber free of charge to review and keep for long term testing. As usual, all thoughts are my own.

Speaking of which, is it possible to change my thoughts on a brand with a single product? We shall see.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Fastball has an overall length of 7″, a 3″ blade, weighs 2.79, and is made in Portland Oregon. I know, because it says so right on the blade.

The Fastball is targeted firmly at the enthusiast EDC crowd, so it’s no surprise that the proportions of this knife are ideal for daily carry. It’s a great size and weight for my kind of carry, and the Fastball kept gravitating towards my pocket. Here it is next to my Spyderco Delica:

Although I’m not the biggest fan of the Delica, I like the size of it. And I like the size of the Fastball too. It’s small enough to forget you are carrying it, but large enough to get all sorts of work done.

The Fastball comes equipped with a distinct reverse-tanto blade. In a way it seems polygonal. Or maybe it is a study of triangles. I didn’t do particular well in Geometry. Looking back, that was the beginning of the end for me. My parents always wanted be to be a doctor, but I always struggled with math. Calculus evades me to this day. Now I’m a divorce lawyer who only needs to know how to divide by 2. Regardless, I get a futuristic vibe from this model due to all the aggressive angles. Was the Fastball actually sent from the future to protect us from being enslaved by a race of cybernetic beings? Quite possibly. It doesn’t take many cues from the traditional drop point hunter.

Despite it’s non-traditional styling, the blade of the Fastball is fully functional. Reverse tantos can be among the best EDC knives. Just look at the Benchmade 940. Here we have a little less belly, but a low and fine tip. The blade comes with a shallow partial hollow grind, and has been left with a lustrous stonewashed finish. Details include a small swedge, and a long even edge.

Gerber selected S30V blade steel. In some circles S30V may be getting a little long in the tooth, but it is still highly serviceable blade steel and remains a totally appropriate choice at this price point. In some cases I have found S30V be a little tough to sharpen, but no one can argue with its good edge retention and high resistance to corrosion.

In practice my Fastball has proven highly capable. That low thin tip easily gets underneath envelopes and in between the folds of boxes. The edge is wide and shallow so it’s easy to keep sharp. The Fastball also excels at fine tasks like preparing strawberries. Here in Florida we are just getting into strawberry season, and they happen to be my girlfriend’s favorite fruit. So the Fastball has been deployed to process cartons of strawberries. Neatly trimming the leafy tops, and excising any bruised flesh with surgical precision. Usually that’s a task I reserve for my nimble Dragonfly 2, but the Fastball has been a great stand in.

Speaking of the Dragonfly 2, here the Fastball next to it and a Mini Griptilian:

All said I find little fault with the blade of the Fastball. Perhaps an upgrade to S35VN would have been nice, but that’s nit picking.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Blade Details

The Fastball comes with aluminum handle scales. The show side is solid aluminum, while the flip side is aluminum over a stainless steel liner. The handle is screw-together construction with a geared black FRN backspacer. The fit of this handle is good. All the parts line up and come together solidly. There are some nice details including a custom pivot, countersunk holes for the body screws, and a slotted lanyard hole that looks like more than an after-thought.

Where the Fastball impresses a little less is in the the finish of the stainless steel pieces. You can see machining marks on the edges of both the steel liner and the pocket clip. Also, the aluminum handles have some attempts at chamferring around the edges, but no true 3-D contouring like you see on a lot of titanium handled pieces. I also don’t like how the body screws thread directly into the aluminum handle. If you take the knife apart often they could eventually strip out. Steel standoffs or bushings would have been more robust.

Are these deal breakers? Absolutely not. Given the price, the materials, and the fact that this is a USA made product, something probably had to give. These are areas where compromise is evident. It gives the knife a less premium feel, and more of tool vibe.

The ergonomics are also strictly business, but in a good way. The Fastball feels at home in the hand. The handle itself is generous, and easily accommodates a full 4 finger grip. While the handle isn’t heavily contoured, the chamferring Gerber did works. As a result, the Fastball is comfortable. The only area that pokes out a little is the release tab for the liner lock, but that’s so you can easily unlock the blade. It also provides a little texture underneath your index finger, not a bad idea given the knife is not otherwise heavily textured. The Fastball provides the ergonomic assurance of a dedicated work knife.

The pocket clip is simple stamped steel. Like I mentioned, it’s a little rough around the edges. Literally. But it’s fully functional and a solid design. It’s set at a slight angle on the handle for some reason. I don’t know if there is a practical purpose for that, possibly to keep the clip from too close to the edge of the handle. It might drive the OCD slightly more insane. Present company included.

In pocket the Fastball performs great. The clip is strong and secure. It buries the knife deeply in your pocket, but still provides a little sumpin’ to grab onto. And the knife is thin, light, and basically disappears into the pocket. The smooth aluminum handles are easy on your pockets, making the knife a joy to draw out and use. I think the carry-ability factor of this knife is another high point.

Here is your in the pocket shot:

Deployment and Lockup

The Fastball is a liner lock flipper. Some might view that as a poor man’s framelock flipper, but the Fastball stands on its own. The Flipper action is very firm. Firing the Fastball sounds a little like the crack of an air rifle firing. It has a very mechanical feel. I’d put the action at a solid 8.5 or 9 out of 10. It’s crisp, and the sharp jimping on the flipper tab further accentuates that. If you are a fan of stiff action flippers you will like the Fastball.

Inside there is a caged bearing system. I haven’t taken the knife apart, but you can see it at the right angle, and a bearing symbol is also printed on the blade. The bearings are smooth and work well at propelling the blade out.

The liner lock works well. It engages fully, and holds the blade securely in place. I noticed my pivot kept loosening up, so a little lock tite is a good idea. With the pivot tightened everything works, but there is a small amount of side to side blade play in my knife. Nothing dangerous, but noticeable. The lock bar disengages easily and there is no lock stick.

Blade centering is good on my knife but not perfect. It falls towards the show side as the pivot loosens.

Gerber Fastball Review – Final Thoughts

The Fastball is a solid effort from Gerber. If you are looking for a no-nonsense higher end work knife I think it’s worth considering. While the design doesn’t reach the iconic status of the Para 2 or Griptilian, I found it to be a great size for an EDC knife. For example, it falls in between the Mini Griptilian and the full size Griptilian, giving it Goldilocks “just right” appeal.

The knife is also practical in other regards. Regular readers know I’m a sucker for a good work knife, and the Fastball strikes me as a small but refined work knife with a lot of versatility. It could work well in an office setting, but it also would work underneath the hood of a car or on a hike. The combination of capable blade, comfortable handle, and excellent carry make it a surprisingly sweet EDC piece. The snappy action, smooth bearings, and lightweight construction all serve to subtly elevate the knife. It’s not perfect, but it gets a lot right.

Where the Fastball falls short is that it doesn’t quite deliver that premium knife experience. The machine marks on the edges of the pocket clip and liner, the use of aluminum rather than titanium, the lack of true 3-D contouring on the handle, the slight bit of blade play. Knife users may be willing to overlook these quibbles for a practical work knife, while knife collectors may turn their noses up. But then again, this is a $100 made in USA folding knife. Not a $150-$200 Chinese folder.

At first glance the Fastball struck me as a humble offering, but it quickly grew on me. Mostly after I started to carry and use it. I wasn’t immediately impressed when I pulled the Fastball from it’s box, and as a collectible I’d probably pass. But as a user piece I can easily recommend it. When you consider that a Delica costs ~$85 these days, I’d pay the extra $15 for a Fastball. I think it’s well worth it.

Check it out if you want a well made and practical flipper for around $100. The fact that it’s a made in the USA is a big plus in my book.

While the Fastball hasn’t completely changed my view of Gerber, it’s definitely a step in the right direction. Good job, Gerber.

Gerber Fastball Folding Knife with Lock Release - Flat Sage

Features an S30V Wharncliffe blade with precision detent that provides "lightswitching" operation
Easy-off Liner Lock release with ball bearings for consistent, smooth deployment
This pocket knife features a 3-position pocket clip; switch it up as needed or remove it entirely
Balls of Stainless Steel technology leverages a ball-bearing system, providing smooth deployment
Proudly made in USA at Gerber's Portland, Oregon factory

Editor: I recommend buying the Gerber Fastball at BladeHQ or Amazon. Thank you for reading.

Emerson La Griffe Review

by Travis Pike 3 Comments

The La Griffe, which apparently means ‘the claw’ in French, is designed by Fred Perrin and produced by Emerson. Fred Perrin is a French SpecOps veteran and martial arts practitioner who also designs knives on the side. Most of his designs are more or less designed to be weapons and his designs come from a martial arts background.

Buy the Emerson La Griffe at BladeHQ

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The La Griffe is really no different. It’s a short blade, with a short handle not necessarily designed for EDC tasks. Of course, a knife is a tool and is adaptable. Emerson makes a La Griffe called the White Water with an all serrated edge. As a kayaker, I can certainly see why one would want the finger hole for a good grip while on the water. I use the Gerber Remix as my kayak knife and it has a similar finger hole.

While it can be pressed into other tasks the La Griffe is a small, easily concealed weapon that most of us could find a way to carry with ease.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The La Griffe sports a short 1.75-inch blade that blends into a 3.125-inch handle for a total length of 4.875 inches. It weighs only 1.5 ounces and is .125 inches thick. The knife is made from 154 CM steel that seems to be a favorite of Emerson and a good all-around knife steel.

It can get quite sharp, isn’t terribly difficult to sharpen, holds a decent edge and is very strong. Additionally, it’s corrosion-resistant which is an important feature if you are wearing it concealed against the body where it can be exposed to sweat.

Another Emerson calling card is the use of a chisel grind blade. That makes this a rough cutter for fine work but does make it easy to sharpen and supposedly it’s a stronger edge. As a knife designed to be a weapon, the chisel grind makes sense. It doesn’t need to be an edge designed for super fine and controllable cuts. It does need to be strong though, and being easy to sharpen is another excellent benefit.

The blade also comes in a stonewashed or black cerakoted finish. Mine, as you can see, is the stonewashed variant. The black cerakote adds a layer of additional protection and would likely be less eye-catching if accidentally exposed while being concealed.

The short blade and handle, as well as the relativeness thinness of the entire package, limits the scope of use for the knife. When a knife is purpose-built to be a small weapon it’s difficult to put it in play for other tasks.

Handle and Ergonomics

The handle is very thin and is designed to be easy to conceal. The downside to this is that it’s not extremely comfortable for heavy use or work. It’s very short as well and offers little leverage. It seems to be best suited for quick stabs and slashes.

The finger hole ensures the knife stays put. This is a must-have because the handle is so short and smooth. Without it gaining a grip on this knife would be near impossible. The handle does conform to the hands though. The curve in the middle goes around the middle finger and leverages out over the ring finger.

Overall it’s comfortable to hold, but it’s not going to be a heavy-duty worker. Splitting cardboard boxes quickly makes your hands tired. Fatigue and pain set in around the finger ring as well. I attempted to use the knife to help cut USPSA targets from sheets of cardboard and found the knife difficult to control.

The short and thin handle does make the knife easy and comfortable to conceal. It can be worn as a neck knife, or you can purchase an IWB loop as I did. The knife disappears and is invisible under a t-shirt.

Sheath

The included sheath is very simple and made from kydex. It covers the blade perfectly and locks in on the front portion of the finger ring. A distinct snap is heard as the knife locks in and its held in very tight. The majority of the finger ring is left exposed and you can easily fit your finger in and draw the knife.

The sheath also offers plenty of places to add accessories through the six holes that run from the top to the bottom. Plenty of places to add an IWB loop or necklace for carrying. The sheath is naturally ambidextrous and also very lightweight and thin. It won’t add much bulk if concealment is your goal.

Emerson La Griffe Review – Final Thoughts

The La Griffe by Fred Perrin and Emerson certainly succeeds as an easy to carry knife. It’s a vicious little tool that’s sharp enough to cut deeply. In a pinch, it would appear to be an excellent defensive weapon. Something you can use to cause injury, make space, and escape from an attacker. The simple design makes it impossible to drop and very difficult to have it taken from you.

My advice would be to purchase the knife if you want something easy and lightweight to carry as a defensive weapon. If you are looking for a standard EDC knife I’d look elsewhere. That’s not an insult to the La Griffe, just a reality-based observation. The La Griffe is easier to carry than most knives, especially for women who may not have actual pockets on their clothing. The La Griffe is well built and fearsome, and that’s what a defensive weapon should be.

Emerson La Griffe Neck Knife with Satin Blade

I recommend purchasing the Emerson La Griffe at Amazon or BladeHQ. Thanks for checking out the review.

Kershaw Bareknuckle Review

by Seth Vietti 5 Comments

It’s been a long time coming. The Kershaw Bareknuckle is the latest iteration of a knife design that has been churning between sister brands (and rival companies) since Zero Tolerance unveiled the 0777 back in 2011. It’s also something of a new flagship for Kershaw, who haven’t introduced a moderately priced, USA-made, manual action folder since the Skyline hit the market more than a decade ago.

Buy the KershawBareknuckle at BladeHQ
Buy on Amazon

I was excited to get my hands on a Bareknuckle. From afar, it looked like a winner: a covetable design, made well, at a competitive price. Does it deliver? Let’s take a look.

General Dimensions & Blade Details

The Bareknuckle takes the muscular design of the 0777 and wrings out all the water weight. Its slimmed proportions give the knife a lean, sinewy look: still stylish, just more severe. They also make the Bareknuckle feel neatly compact, especially when closed.
Open, the blade measures 3.6 inches and every bit of it is usable edge. The plunge grind intersects the sharpening choil tidily, and the geometry of the handle allows the edge to stretch almost all the way to the oversized pivot. Compared to the Spyderco Endura (or Pacific Salt pictured below), the Bareknuckle has more usable blade length despite being a half-inch shorter overall.

Although the blade shape is unlike anything else I’ve ever used, I came to like it quite a bit. If I had to classify it, I’d go with “modified wharncliffe.” The edge is mostly straight except for a short, slight kink right in the middle. It doesn’t cut with the effortlessly precise tip control of a true wharncliffe, but it also isn’t anywhere near as inconvenient to work with on a plate or cutting board. Thanks to a high flat grind and reasonably thin blade stock, it slices quite well. Overall, it’s a nice compromise for a general-purpose EDC knife, especially if you want a pointy tip that isn’t so delicate you have to baby it.

Interestingly, I found the Bareknuckle’s unusual blade shape particularly easy to sharpen. The straightaways at the tip and heel of the blade made it simple to register the edge against a stone, and the belly (always a challenging part for me) was small enough I didn’t even get a chance to struggle. It helps that the steel here, Sandvik’s 14C28N alloy, is a real joy to sharpen. It doesn’t have the brute wear-resistance of a high carbide steel, but it takes a positively crispy edge without much fuss.

Handle, Ergonomics, & Pocket Clip

KAI have been riffing on this handle design for years now, and I can see why they keep coming back to it. The angular “humpback” in the spine keeps the flipper tab out of the way when closed, and provides a comfortable concavity for the thumb to rest in when open. The finger choil doubles as a cutout to access the sub-frame lock, and stops the knuckles from riding up against the flipper tab. The milled lines in the handle give the smooth anodized aluminum a pleasant tactility, and flow nicely with the facets of the blade.

There’s not a millimeter of wasted space anywhere on the Bareknuckle’s handle. It’s so tightly matched to the blade – and the blade has so much edge – that folding the thing up feels like some trick of non-euclidean geometry. In use, I found myself wishing for either a little less blade length or little more handle. The tip feels awkwardly far away in a saber grip, and the way the handle tapers through the palm feels slightly insubstantial, though not uncomfortable. I preferred using it in a pinch grip, which the concave pivot accommodates perfectly.

Pocket clips have always been KAI’s biggest bugbear. They make so many variants I’m sure some of them are fine, but all the clips I’ve experienced from the company were either functional but odd (Leek), mediocre (Cryo, ZT 0801), or good but borrowed from another designer entirely (Strider, Emerson, Hinderer collabs).

As for the clip on the Bareknuckle, well, it can be great. Just not the way it comes from the factory. Fresh out the box it had too much spring tension to work predictably without an assist from the other hand holding the pocket taut. Luckily, it’s a dead-simple fix: some careful prying from my Victorinox Bantam’s combo tool and the clip now slides onto my pockets thoughtlessly. The Bareknuckle actually carries quite well – it’s lightweight for its size at just 3.6 ounces and slim enough to tuck out of the way.

Deployment & Lockup

The Bareknuckle employs KAI’s sub-frame lock: a heavy-duty lock bar integrated into a lightweight handle. Combining the rigidity of a frame lock with the weight savings of a liner lock is an appealing idea, and the tech is admittedly cool-looking. I just think it’s a bit over-engineered. Other than maybe a marginal increase in strength, I don’t see what advantages a sub-frame lock has over an inset liner lock.

And unfortunately, a sub-frame lock is also susceptible to the same problems as a typical frame lock. Since the lock bar is exposed, it’s easy to unintentionally put pressure on it, pushing the detent ball into its hole and ultimately making the blade harder to deploy. When the Bareknuckle was new the detent was punishingly stiff – there were times I absolutely could not open the knife, especially if my hands were wet or sweaty.

Thankfully, after a few weeks it broke in dramatically. The lockbar lost its sensitivity to pressure, and the detent was tempered. Little details here – like the “landing pads” for your finger behind the flipper tab – go a long way towards making the lengthy break-in period more agreeable. Now the action is every bit as crisp, confident, and fast as anything from Zero Tolerance.

Kershaw Bareknuckle Review – Final Thoughts

I mentioned it once already, but it bears repeating: the Bareknuckle is the first USA-made Kershaw to eschew assisted opening in over a decade. The knife market looks very different than it did ten years ago. Consumer expectations have changed. Chinese startups are jockeying for position against American stalwarts. Social media has given knife enthusiasts a louder voice than ever. The Bareknuckle is undoubtedly a product of these pressures: a manual action ball-bearing flipper, competitively priced, with a famous (among knife nerds, that is) design heritage.

The Bareknuckle is the most appealing iteration of the 0777 yet. If you like the design, you shouldn’t hesitate to buy it; it’s worth the $60-$70 asking price. But as much as I appreciate the knife, I don’t think it’s going to be the one to break Kershaw’s Speedsafe habit – it requires too much patience and practice for a knife novice. For all the griping they elicit from enthusiasts, at least Speedsafe knives don’t ever need to be held a special way to work properly. Still, the Bareknuckle is a good knife, and a leap in the right direction for Kershaw.

Kershaw Bareknuckle Pocket Knife (7777); 3.5-Inch Stonewashed 14C28N Steel Blade; 6061-T6 Anodized Aluminum Handle; KVT Ball-Bearing Opening; Flipper; Sub-Frame Lock; Reversible Pocketclip; 3.4 oz

Classy, exciting, matte gray 6061-T6 anodized aluminum handles distinguish the knife amongst others. The striking color combination and contrast is impressive and sure to catch the eye of an admirer
Opened manually the old-fashioned way, the KVT ball-bearing opening makes the Bareknuckle smooth, safe, secure, fast, quick, convenient, and protective to deploy
The all-black, black oxide coated hardware along with the intricate, oversized pivot adds to the interest and stunning design of the knife. A slim backspacer adds another element of classic style
Sandvik calls 14C28N the overall highest performing knife steel and still maintains the productivity benefit of being fine-blankable. The strong blade with a long, piercing tip defines the knife
The stonewashed finish on the blade offers a rugged, tough, worn-in, roughed up look that works to hide fingerprints, dirt, scratches, use, wear and tear

Editor: I recommend purchasing the Kershaw Bareknuckle from Amazon or BladeHQ. Thanks for reading.

Zero Tolerance 0470 Review

by Dan Jackson 4 Comments

Reviewing the Zero Tolerance 0470 is about as safe as it gets. We have reviewed countless Sinkevich / Zero Tolerance designs. It is well within our comfort zone of review material.

Buy the ZT 0470 at BladeHQ

Buy on Amazon

So why review the 0470? Well, it’s a beautiful knife, it appears to be built differently than the other ZT/Sinkevich collabs I’ve reviewed, and I bought the knife at a fantastic price. I hope no one minds.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The 0470 has an overall length of 7.8″, a 3.4″ blade, weighs 3.3 ounces, and is made in the USA. Like the recently reviewed 0609 this model is aimed towards the EDC enthusiast. This 0470 is thinner, lighter, and more discreet than the ZTs that got the ball rolling for the company.

I still remember the halcyon days of the 0560 and the 0300. Those models put Zero Tolerance on the map, but those were some big knives. Totally impractical for most people, but they paved the way for blades like this 0470. Personally, I’m glad ZT is continuing to head in this direction. I’m sure they will still release some big knives as well.

Lets talk about the blade. It shares the same low slung lines that make a Sinkevich a Sinkevich. It’s a beautiful triangle of steel with a high flat grind, partial swedge, and two-tone satin and stonewashed finish.

A detail I love on the blade of this knife is how the spine has been subtly chamferred up by the jimping. This is a feature on my Shirogorov F3 and on the Sebenza. To see this detail brought to a ~$250 knife is awesome. That chamferring has also been brought to the flipper tab. It eliminates any sharp edges on the flipper that can cut your finger. Another small touch is the generous sharpening choil. Frankly, a sharpening choil something I would expect to see, but it doesn’t always make it into every pocket knife.

A blade shape like this can do no wrong, unless perhaps you are wanting to skin a buck with it. In that case the tip is probably a little too prominent, but for everything else this is a versatile and functional blade shape.

As a quick aside, here is a size comparison with the ZT 0609. They compare favorably in size, but are built differently:

For blade steel ZT went with CPM-20CV. CPM-20CV is made by Crucible Industries in Solvay, New York. CPM-20CV is chemically similar to M390, a high end European steel I have long appreciated. Crucible has a long track record of making high end specialty knife steel. Their catalog includes 154CM, S30V, S35VN, and S90V. They are specialty steel makers and know what they are doing.

CPM-20CV and M390 have both earned a reputation for high hardness and excellent edge retention, while not being as stubborn to sharpen as something like S90V or ZDP-189. CPM-20CV is also stainless and tough. It’s arguably the best all-round blade steel money can buy as of early 2019.

In practice, the blade of my 0470 has been a excellent performer. The blade came razor sharp. The edge bevel was neat and even, and the stock blade easily popped hairs off my arm. After sanitizing the blade thoroughly (ie, wiping it on my shorts), I put the knife into my daily carry rotation. I used it at home and at work for opening mail, breaking down boxes, and food preparation. I used the 0470 in place of my paring knife for vegetables and fruit.

The blade has performed admirably. It tracks through cardboard and holds up well under harder use, but the geometry is nimble enough to slice apples cleanly, route the tops off of strawberries, and mince garlic. Edge retention has been excellent. When the edge begins to slow I show it to my near mythical Spyderco Golden Stone, and all becomes right in the world again. No issues with the edge chipping or rolling, and no signs of rust, staining, or corrosion either.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

The handle is where things get interesting. If you peruse our pretty decent catalog of ZT reviews, you will notice there is nothing quite like this 0470 with it’s 3-d machined titanium handles and marble carbon fiber inlay. It’s a level of complexity and workmanship I haven’t seen on any of their other production knives.

That’s what drew me to this knife. If the handle didn’t have this unique twist I probably would have passed on it. The end result is an simple and classy handle. It’s elegant, not ornate. And it has been done beautifully. There is not a stray mark on this knife. And I love the simplicity of the handle construction. There is only one body screw at the tail end.

Inside the titanium handle pieces have been deeply milled out to reduce the weight. Holding it all together is a black aluminum backspacer with an integrated lanyard hole. Again, this integrated lanyard hole is a feature found on my significantly more expensive Shirogorov. Since I’m not a big lanyard guy I really appreciate how they avoided drilling a big ugly hole into the handle of the knife. It’s a level of care you simply don’t see on most pocket knives.

This detailed disassembly video shows the tight tolerances and attention to detail of this knife. Impressive. I don’t think I’ll be taking my knife apart any time soon.

The ergonomics of the 0470 are excellent. It’s a simple open design that will accommodate most hand sizes, and the spine of the canted handle meets my palm easily. The balance point is just behind the pivot, making the knife feel light and natural in hand.

Texture has been used strategically on the 0470. A run of fine jimping on the spine of the blade is balanced by coarser jimping on the back of the handle. The handle pieces aren’t heavily textured, but they are deeply contoured to meet your fingers and given an attractive end mill finish. The net result is a positive grip and a knife that isn’t going anywhere. It’s comfortable to hold in forward and reverse grips.

The pocket clip is a simple metal spring clip. No 3-d machining on this model. I’m OK with that. The clip design is simple and effective. It was designed for this knife and follows the lines of the handle. It also lacks any overt branding. It offers good spring retention and is easy to insert and remove from your pocket. The handle is drilled and tapped for ambidextrous tip up carry. It’s not a deep carry clip, but most of the handle is buried.

Here is your in pocket shot:

In practice the 0470 carries well. With a near 3.5″ blade, the 0470 is still on the larger side of a true EDC knife for me. It is substantially bigger than the Dragonfly 2, the most pocketable folding knife of all time.

But I don’t think comparing the 0470 to a DF2 is fair. In defense of the 0470, it isn’t a huge knife, and it has a gentleman’s folder quality to it. It’s just a little over 3 ounces. For its size the knife carries well and the pocket clip does a good job keeping the knife in place.

Deployment and Lockup

The 0470 is a titanium framelock flipper running on caged bearings. The flipper keeps a low profile and heavily jimped. The action is smooth and easy. After disengaging the lock the blade will fall shut with a flick of the wrist.

Here is a size comparison with my Shirogorov F3:

However, the detent on this knife is surprisingly light. The blade doesn’t fall out of the handle, but it’s not the level of snappiness I’m used to. The best way to open this blade is using the light-switch technique. Push buttoning it gives me mixed results. The angle of the flipper tab seems to be designed for light switching.

I find the light detent highly unusual given ZT’s long track record of dialed in detents. I would often comment in my reviews how they are the industry standard in my book. But here the 0470’s detent was surprisingly light, and I don’t think I’m alone either. The knife works fine and with the right technique there are no issues opening the knife, but those expecting the typical action of a ZT flipper will be disappointed. At least initially. Now that I know to lightswitch it I’m able to get the blade open every time, but still this came as a surprise.

For lockup we have a titanium framelock with stainless steel lockbar insert. Thankfully there were no surprises with the lockup on this knife. Perfectly rock solid, with early engagement, and easy to disengage. No sticking, and absolutely no blade play. This is exactly what I would expect from a Zero Tolerance blade.

Blade centering is also perfect on my knife.

Zero Tolerance 0470 Review – Final Thoughts

If you are like me, and think there is no room for another ZT in your collection, then the 0470 might just change your mind. It’s a different knife from this company. Just when I was beginning to lose interest in their offerings they tempted me with this dressed up EDC knife.

I think this constant evolution of their products is what keeps the brand interesting and relevant. They continually step out of their comfort zone, and don’t mind pivoting in different directions. Another example of this is their 2019 0022. It’s the smallest knife they have made, and I just might have to grab one.

But lets get back to the 0470 in particular. I love the classic Sinkevich lines paired with the heavily machined and highly engineered titanium handles. The carbon fiber inlay adds a touch of class. The blade cuts well, the handle is comfortable, the fit and finish is top notch. It’s everything you would expect executed near perfectly.

The only surprise was the light detent. Frankly when I first got this knife I thought something was wrong with it. I was shocked. But now that I’ve had the chance to carry and use the knife for a few months, I have no issues getting the blade open. And my understanding is that this is typical on the 0470. If you own the knife please let me know how the flipper action is for you.

At the end of the day I think the pros far outweigh any cons cons. At ~$250 this is not a cheap knife, but you can see where the money went. I have enjoyed mine and can easily recommend it if the design intrigues you.

Zero Tolerance 0470 Dmitry Sinkevich Flipper Knife

CPM 20CV Stainless Steel Blade
Titanium with Marbled Carbon Fiber inlay
KVT Ball Bearing System
Made in the USA

I recommend purchasing the Zero Tolerance 0470 at Amazon, or BladeHQ. Please consider that by purchasing things through any of the links on this website you support BladeReviews.com, and help produce future reviews. Thank you very much.