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We Knife Co. Mini Buster Review

Snecx! If you haven’t heard of him yet, Snecx Tan is a Malaysian knife and tool maker who is, in my opinion, currently the most mechanically innovative knife designer in the world. His Instagram profile says “Just a hobbyist working on knives. Not a knifemaker.” That’s a bit of an understatement for someone who recently held an auction on Instagram for the one-of-a-kind prototype of his upcoming “Vision S” knife. It sold for $18,900.00 USD. That’s a pretty well-funded hobby.

Buy the Mini Buster at BladeHQ or GP Knives

There are a lot of knife enthusiasts like myself who have been eager to get our hands on a reasonably priced Snecx knife, and WE Knife Co. has delivered with the Mini Buster, which goes for $289. I’ve been using it every day for the last month, and here’s what I’ve learned: it’s a nearly perfect large-ish EDC knife with one major design flaw.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Mini Buster is 4.5” (115 mm) closed, 7.8” (198 mm) open, and has a 3.4” (86 mm) blade made of CPM-20CV steel. The blade stock is 4 mm thick at its widest point, and the handle is about half an inch thick (13 mm) not counting the clip, which adds another 4.5 mm. So it’s no slim little Brad Zinker disappear-in-your-pocket folder, but it’s also no Cold Steel supersized monster knife either.

The blade is a very slightly curved sheepsfoot style, which I consider to be the ideal do-everything EDC blade shape. Its tip is pointy enough to pierce tough materials, and the blade is wide enough to use as a butter knife. I prefer the ergonomics of a
sheepsfoot (or wharncliffe) blade over a traditional drop point blade because, when holding the knife with my index finger on the spine of the blade to open a box, the low tip of the sheepsfoot blade keeps my wrist and arm at a more comfortable angle than when using a drop point blade.

The picture above illustrates how the Mini Buster’s sheepsfoot blade tip can cut while nearly parallel to a surface, while the drop point blade on the RealSteel Rokot needs to be at a much higher angle to utilize the tip of the blade.

The WE Mini Buster’s blade stock is Crucible CPM-20CV steel, which is a premium American-made blade steel with extremely high hardness and above-average toughness. To avoid taking an unnecessarily deep dive into metallurgy, I will just say the Mini Buster’s blade has excellent edge retention, but is more likely to chip than bend.

CPM-20CV is nearly identical to the European-made Bohler M390 steel, and these powdered-metallurgy “super steels” are THE go-to blade steels for high-end knives lately. In fact, of the 14 folding knife reviews BladeReviews.com has published so far in 2020, 35% of them had CPM-20CV or M390 blades. They’re great knife steels, and I’ve noticed that I need to sharpen my D2, CPM-154, and RWL34 knives more often than my harder steel M390 or 20CV knives.

Over the past month, I’ve been hacking away at everything in my vicinity that can be hacked at, including thick plastic packing straps, cardboard, annoying clamshell packaging, stray tangerine tree branches, and, when trying to cut a piece of baklava in half, I sliced up a metal catering pan. Despite all that, I have yet to scratch the blade’s black DLC coating or the handle’s anodizing. That’s quite impressive considering that I normally scratch my DLC coated steel blades and anodized titanium handles almost immediately.

The blade’s primary grind angle is known as a “flat” grind, which looks like a narrow symmetrical “V”.

In the kitchen, the blade’s uninterrupted “V” shape had no contours or additional angles to disrupt its slicing path through a bunch of tomatoes and cucumbers. As with nearly every folding knife, the Buster’s blade/handle configuration doesn’t allow food dicing without rapping my knuckles on the cutting board with every downstroke. Snecx tested the durability of his original Buster knife by slashing the tops off of green coconuts- I think the Mini Buster could handle that task, but it would definitely be easier with a non-Mini Buster…

I’m a pretty frugal guy, but I’m impulsive when it comes to my steel and/or gunpowder-related hobbies. It also usually takes me making the same mistake two or three times before I learn my lesson. For example, I’ve watched myself compulsively click the “buy” button on some limited-edition knives that I thought looked cool: a Dervish Knives Alchemy midtech ($395) and a Prometheus Design Werx/Strider Knives SMF “Frogskin” ($635). But my biggest impulse buy of all was in 2018 when I bought a Snecx/Jake Hoback Knives collaboration Buster ($775), which is the most I have ever spent (or ever will spend) on a knife.

Like my first marriage, I always knew I was making a mistake but went ahead with it anyway. I immediately regretted my decision- I didn’t really like them, I wanted to sell them (the marriage analogy definitely no longer applies from this point on), and so I never carried or even enjoyed them. I managed to sell the Dervish and the Strider at a loss, and I’ve tried to sell the Snecx/Hoback Buster twice with no takers. In early 2020 I saw one in the BladeHQ closeout section for $499. Maddening! I’m done with buying expensive knives.

A brief history of the Snecx/Jake Hoback Knives Buster: Snecx is indeed a knifemaker (despite his claims to the contrary) but is not a knife manufacturer, so in 2018 he launched two collaboration projects. The first was the Custom Knife Factory Terra, and the second was the Hoback Buster. According to what I’ve read on Snecx’s Instagram and Hoback’s website, Snecx’s core visual design was minimally modified, but a lot of details were changed, most notably the addition of a honeycomb pattern in the handle.

I definitely appreciate innovation and unique aesthetics, but (sorry Mr. Hoback!) I think it ended up looking like a mashup of two contrasting, not complimentary, design styles. Plus it’s huge. I give zero fucks about what the general public considers an “office-friendly” or non-scary looking knife, but the Hoback Buster is so big and heavy that it’s unwieldy.

I was surprised to see that the Hoback Buster isn’t much bigger or heavier than my Chris Reeve Knives Large Sebenza 21 (an expensive knife that I’ve never regretted buying) but in the hand, the Hoback Buster is a big manly beast knife. OK- out of the shame spiral and back to the review.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

The Mini Buster feels great in use, even though I can’t quite get a full four-finger grip with my medium-large hands. The handle is long enough overall, but the upswept end of the bottom of the handle (see arrow in picture above) removes some finger gripping space. The pad of my pinky finger ends up on the handle screw near the lanyard loop, and that’s enough for me to achieve a secure grip with all four fingers.

When held in a regular grip with my thumb on the spine, my thumb naturally rests in a little indentation where the backspacer ends above the pivot, but I can also comfortably shift my thumb forward onto a section of jimping on the blade spine if I want more precise control of the blade.

The jimping ends in a stylish little dip for the tip of my thumb, which is one of four places (see arrows in picture above) on the Mini Buster where Snecx used this dip-in-a-straight(ish)-line design cue.

The Mini Buster also has a number of subtle angular details, which are definitely accentuated by the artificial edge wear of the “antique bronze” finish version I bought. There are almost no straight lines on this knife. There’s an almost subliminal curve to every part of the Mini Buster, including the blade, which has a very slight belly. Another interesting design choice on the WE Mini Buster is how the angular front tip of the handle crosses the plunge line of the blade. This is a carryover from the original Snecx Buster design.

According to Snecx, he allowed Jake Hoback to “fix” the handle angle and plunge line so they’re parallel. You can see this difference between the two knives in the picture above. But when WE Knife Co. did the same “fix” to an early Mini Buster prototype, Snecx made them retain his original Buster handle/plunge line design.

Deployment and Lockup

The Mini Buster is a framelock with a unique Snecx twist: the H.D.P.S. system. That stands for Hybrid Detent Pin System, and my admittedly limited understanding of it boils down to this: the shiny round steel pin on the lockbar (see picture below) acts as both the stop pin, which keeps the blade locked into its open position, and as the detent ball, which keeps the blade in place in its closed position.

I can’t be sure if this is a function of the HDPS system, but the Mini Buster does a far better job than most other knives of easily opening while there’s pressure on the detent. I can squeeze the lockbar section of the handle (the part attached to the aforementioned shiny round steel pin) pretty hard without hampering my ability to flip open the knife. Snecx, however, isn’t the only recent innovator on this front. Zero Tolerance Knives recently released the 0707 framelock, featuring their new Tuned Detent System, which is designed to address the same problem, but using a different mechanical approach. I watched a video review of the 0707, and although it does an admirable job of opening irregardless of pressure on the lockbar, it does not smoothly swing shut like the Mini Buster.

I only have one criticism of this knife, and this is the major design flaw I alluded to at the beginning of this review: the little tiny nubby flipper tab becomes completely inoperable if your finger is even slightly wet or slippery.

Why? The face of the flipper tab is completely smooth, without any machined texturing like most flipper-actuated knives have. That in itself isn’t necessarily a problem, but it’s also so small there’s barely any surface area for your fingertip, so a single drop of water will defeat any attempt to flip open this knife. In my wet and slippery kitchen and gardening adventures with this knife, I found that the only way to open the Mini Buster was to pinch the spine of the conveniently “V” shaped blade and manually pull it open.

Snecx is known to be an absolute perfectionist, so I don’t understand how there could be such an obvious problem like this. According to what I saw in Snecx’s Instagram posts about the WE Mini Buster, he seemed quite pleased with it, so my theory is this: the lack of flipper leverage (a conscious design choice) was deliberately compensated for by using a somewhat weak detent. The detent, which in this context is the wall of force that my index finger on the flipper tab must overcome to deploy the blade, isn’t quite strong enough to guarantee the knife completely opening every time. I suspect that the detent was made as strong as was possible given the limited leverage on the flipper tab. That’s not a huge deal, but it does require more concentration and effort to deploy the blade than is required for most knives in this price range. I’m probably overthinking all of this, but I have seen several other people mention their knives have a weak detent, so it’s possible I’m right.

Nonetheless, once the blade gets going, the ceramic ball bearings surrounding the pivot give it a smooth and easy action. It locks open with a confidence-inspiring snap, and in use it feels as solid as a fixed blade knife.

We Knife Co. Mini Buster Review – Final Thoughts

Even with it’s flipper design issues, I stand by my initial claim that this is a nearly perfect large-ish EDC knife. According to Snecx, it’s also his final framelock design. He’s moved on to his “Vision” knife, for which he has invented two new technologies: the Superlock locking system, and the Zero Flex Pivot. It became very obvious to me that Snecx was onto something special when heavy-hitter designers like Ostap Hel, Rotten Design, and Tashi Bharucha all publicly commented on the same Instagram post about Snecx’s Zero Flex Pivot. Tashi B’s comment just said “Perfection”. The Vision looks amazing, but that doesn’t matter to me at all, because as I said, I’m absolutely done with buying expensive knives.

UPDATE: I bought a $160 titanium COVID tool.

It’s a very limited edition (only 15 pieces) handmade by one of my favorite knife designers, Tashi Bharucha, in partnership with his frequent collaborator Thierry Savidan. It’s part of a series called “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly”. I bought “The Good” (pictured above), but did not get “The Bad”, which is the same design but with three knuckle spikes. Both versions came with a little COVID-19 shaped lanyard bead engraved with the words “THE UGLY”.

Like my Hoback Buster, it’s huge and expensive, especially compared to my $17 Civivi copper COVID tool also pictured. Unlike my Hoback Buster, however, I have NO regrets about buying this thing- it’s awesome and I smile every time I whip it out to open a door or punch in my PIN number.

Finally, the Hoback Buster that I’ve been whining about for the entire review is still for sale! Hit me up in the comments or on Instagram if you want to make this “As seen on BladeReviews.com” Hoback Buster all yours…

Thank you to Sara O’Neil for the use of her painting.

We Knives Mini Buster – From $272.00
From: BladeHQ

Editor: I recommend purchasing the We Knives Mini Buster at BladeHQ or GP Knives. Thank you very much.

Zero Tolerance 0308 Review

by Travis Pike Leave a Comment

I got a little silly with my knife purchases in the last few years. If it wasn’t an automatic knife, my purse strings got tight. I’m not saying I’m a cheapskate, but I was ignoring some great knives in the premium market if they didn’t have a button to flip them into action. A friend told me I needed a Zero Tolerance because I had never owned one, and he sent me the Zero Tolerance 0308, and upon my reception of the knife, I saw how silly I was being.

Buy the ZT0308 at BladeHQ
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The ZT 0308 is a sweet knife that’s designed for heavy-duty work, and it doesn’t have that fancy button I love to press to deploy a blade. I’ve always known that Zero Tolerance makes great knives but never had one I could personally experience. I quickly figured out how much I’ve been missing out on when it comes to ZT knives.

The Zero Tolerance 0308 is a new knife in the ZT line up and is a good choice for those who prefer a bigger knife for everyday carry.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The 0308 has a 3.75-inch blade that is 1.375 inches wide, and .16 inches thick. The overall length of the knife is 8.875 inches long, with the blade open. The ZT 0308 weighs 7 ounces and is a big, beefy knife. This big knife is certainly not for everyone, and it may be a bit much for many looking for an EDC knife.

The 0308 is an excellent knife for those in the first responder field who need something a bit bigger than the standard pocket knife. This does offer those in that role a knife with a big, thick blade, a superbly secure lock-up system, and a grip that’s perfect for gloved use. I work in a field that takes me in and through the woods at times, so I do prefer a bigger knife for my daily carry.

The big, beefy blade does provide a very nice belly that gives you 4 inches of cutting edge and a drop point tip. The upswept drop point design does give you the ability to slice deeply and cleanly. The swedge on the top of the blade certainly helps when cutting straight through soft materials. It also reduces weight and does give the blade an eye-pleasing appearance.

Speaking of eye-pleasing, the stonewash finish is evenly applied and looks fantastic. It’s not overtly bright or eye-catching, but quite handsome. The top of the blade is jimped for texture, and the flipper is also jimped to ensure your finger latches on as you press the edge into service. At the bottom of the blade, we have a sharpening coil, which is a nice touch.

The 0308 steel is made from CPM-20CV steel, which is a Crucible Industries creation. This is very high-quality knife steel that is hard and extremely durable. It’s not difficult to sharpen and seems to stay sharp for absolutely forever. The CPM-20CV is an excellent all-around steel that stands up well to abuse. I batoned wood with it and have yet to see a cheap or bend, or anything else. Batonning wood is typically a function of hard, heavy-duty fixed blade knives, but the ZT 0308 is also up to the task.

During my quarantine blues, I’ve been setting up a bit of a home gym, and to hang a punching bag, I strung up some 10mm climbing rope. The ZT 0308 chewed through that thick rope without any difficulty. It just cut and sliced through that material exceptionally smoothly.

For more traditional cutting, the 3.75-inch blade chewed through cardboard, 550 cord, envelopes, heavy-duty clamshell packaging, and even fabrics including thick 5.11 Tactical pants.

I had a spare pair of work pants with blown-out knees, and I wanted to see how fast I could cut through them. This would replicate what a first responder may have to do to access a wood, cut through a seat, and more without stuttering the ZT 0308 cut right through them.

It’ll also cut right through chicken for my famous chicken fajitas.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

As a guy with big hands, I love a big grip. The ZT 0308 has a significant grip that is a must for such a big blade. One side of the handle is a G10 panel, and the other is titanium. Both sides are textured aggressively but comfortably as well. Hot spots are only an issue at the area where the pocket clip sits. Loosen that grip a bit near the rear, and the knife comfortably works and works hard without rubbing you raw.

The texture is also well suited for glove use, which many first responders will undoubtedly be wearing. With my thick and heavy fire rated gloves, the ZT is still easy to wield, and both deploy the blade and put it away. Once the flipper is locked into place, it also acts as a tiny finger guard.

The pocket clip is broad and clings tight to the knife. This prevents it from catching on an armrest when you sit down, and as someone who does that all the time, I appreciate it. The pocket clip is reversible, and according to the ZT website, the knife is compatible with aftermarket pocket clips as well. On top of that is a lanyard loop, which is another good option for military and first responders.

Deployment and Lock-up

I was surprised by how fast and how easily and smoothly the blade deployed. A big heavy blade would be seemingly slow and rough to deploy. It’s just physics, right?

ZT utilized KVT Ball bearings in the action, and the blade slides out incredibly smoothly. It locks into place with a loud and satisfying thwack. The jimping in the flipper is also a must-have for gloved use, and ZT was smart to include it.

The titanium frame lock is beveled for smooth engagement, and you get plenty of real estate for pressing it inwards and allowing the blade to close. The frame lock is outfitted with a hardened stainless steel lock bar insert to protect that always wonderful titanium.

The lock-up is remarkably strong, and the blade doesn’t budge in any single direction. I can’t force this thing to give.

Zero Tolerance 0308 Review – Final Thoughts

The ZT 0308 is a very well made knife. It’s designed to be a big, hard-working tool with a big belly and a lot of power. It can take some serious abuse and still keep kicking. It’s big, and some will feel like 7 ounces is a boat anchor, but it gives me a feeling of confidence. The ZT 0308 showed me that my obsession with expensive automatic knives made me ignore some very well made and designed flippers. The ZT 0308 is my work and field knife for here on out, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

Zero Tolerance 0308 Folding Knife, Premium CPM 20CV Blade Steel, Manual KVT Opening, Coyote Tan G10 Handle, Made in The USA, 3.7 Inch

Large 3. 7 Inch razor sharp blade, premium CPM 20CV Steel provides exceptional hardness, wear resistance, and edge retention
Coyote Tan G10 Handle on the front scale with a titanium back - above average weight at 6. 9 ounces
Stonewashed blade finish helps hide use scratches while a titanium framelock holds the knife open while in use
KVT opening mechanism is manually opened with a flipper; the blade glides smoothly open on ball bearings. Pocket clip is reversible and compatible with many aftermarket pocketclips.
Made in the USA - All Zero Tolerance Knives are produced in our Oregon facility

Zero Tolerance 0308 – $300.00
From: BladeHQ

Editor: I recommend purchasing the Zero Tolerance 0408 at BladeHQ or Amazon. Thank you for reading.

Chris Reeve Knives Impinda Review

by Dan Jackson 2 Comments

Chris Reeve Knives doesn’t release many new models. And when they do it’s often a variation on a theme rather than a brand new design. That’s part of the reason why the last time I reviewed a CRK was a review of the Sebenza 25 back in 2014. Another interesting tidbit about CRK is that founder and namesake of the company retired in 2016. He passed the company on to his ex-wife, Anne, in 2016. As a divorce lawyer with an overactive imagination, I can only speculate about how that transition went down, but I won’t.

Buy the CRK Impinda at BladeHQ

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By my math the Impinda is the first new design since Chris’ retirement (I’m probably wrong so see the comments section for the truth). And this knife a significant departure from their usual fare. The Impinda a slip joint, and lacks their signature ~~titanium framelock~~ integral lock, that they are so well known for. But as usual for CRK, this isn’t a cheap knife. In this case the Impinda retails for a cool $450. That’s a lot of scratch for a non-locking folding knife. Some may view it as a cash grab on the revival in slip joint folders, but CRK enthusiasts may beg to differ.

I’ve reviewed a couple of these modern slip joints and tend to enjoy them. Most recently I reviewed the Hinderer XM-Slippy back in 2018, so I’ve had a couple glasses of the high end slip joint Kool-Aid. Let’s see whether this Impinda still makes me a believer.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Impinda has an overall length of 7.15″, a 3.125″ blade, weights 3.38 ounces, and is made in the U.S.A. This one is designed by Bill Harsey. Bill is one of the greats, and for some reason his designs strike me as quintessentially American. Maybe because he has designed some iconic USA made knives, like the Lone Wolf T2.

Obviously a slip joint like this is going to be geared towards the enthusiast EDC crowd. Bougie bros like myself with a penchant for man buns, 3/4 sleeve tattoos, and pocket frosting. Or maybe silver haired Corvette drivers. Either way there is an aspirational element to the brand.

Here’s a size comparison with a couple other slippies in my stable. The XM-18 Slippy, and Fantoni Dewller:

I think it’s a little large to be considered a true “Gentleman’s folder”, but you are welcome to disagree. At nearly 3.5 ounces this is a chunky little knife, so you may want to opt for both belt and suspenders if you decide to take this one out on the town. It’s a good size knife, but nothing crazy.

The blade is an elongated drop point, with a thin swedge and a slight, near continuously curving belly. The blade features a high hollow grind, which is something of a CRK signature, and zero markings. The blade is surprisingly thick: .12″ or a hair over 3mm. This was likely done to match the overall proportions of the knife. Plus, another CRK signature is that they tend to make a stout knife. Their fanbase is notoriously fickle, so I wouldn’t surprised if they erred on the side of over engineering.

The Impinda comes in S35VN blade steel. That should be no surprise, as this is the steel Reeve himself co-developed with steel producer Crucible Industries to be a successor to S30V. S35V is an excellent choice for a working knife, as it’s shows a good blend of edge retention, easy sharpening, toughness and corrosion resistance. CRK tends to give their knives a softer heat treat. That makes the knives easier to sharpen and less prone to chipping, but you sacrifice a little edge retention.

In practice, I’ve found the Impinda to be a good all rounder for daily carry chores. I’ve done the usual stuff with mine, and it’s held up great. I’ve opened envelopes, broken down boxes, sliced apples, and performed countless odd jobs as I’ve navigated through my personal and professional life the past month. The Impinda has met every task with cheerful readiness. Sharpening hasn’t involved anything more than occasional stropping and one time I ran the edge over my Spyderco Golden Stone to get a feel for things. This is an easy steel to sharpen and I’ve had zero issues with rust or corrosion.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

The Impinda features thick full titanium handle slabs with a full stainless steel back spacer. The pieces all screw together, and CRK provides an allen wrench to take the knife apart. The handles are not 3-d machined, only chamferred. Construction is rock solid, and fit and finish is perfect. Just what you would expect. The oversize pivot is a nice touch, while the lanyard hole seems like an afterthought, although I’m not sure what else they could have done.

The Impinda feels decent in hand for a small utility knife. My biggest gripe is that there is a lot of meat in the tail, and the balance point is an inch behind the pivot. As a result the Impinda feels heavy. Some associate weight with quality, so maybe that was the idea here, but to me it’s a heavy knife. Everything about it feels slow and deliberate. Granted, this is a utility knife, and not a combat dagger, but those are my impressions in wielding the Impinda.

Beyond the weight the knife feels good. No hot spots. No texture or jimping at all for that matter. But the generous handle and deep finger choil offers plenty of space for your fingers, and I never felt like I lost control of the knife in use.

The pocket clip is a piece of 3-D machined titanium. It looks like they gave the clip design a lot of thought. It is highly sculpted. Spring tension is excellent on it. The knife stays firmly in place.

CRK ships this knife with a calf-skin slip sheath. That’s how I like to carry my Impinda. I got a new used car recently. It sits low to the ground, and I have been anal retentive about scratching up the seats and door jamb to the point where I’ve actually switched my style of carry to avoid pocket clips while driving around. Plus I’ve never liked using pocket clips at work. I’m a lawyer and wear suit pants most days. The pants are expensive and I don’t want to tear them up. Accordingly, the Impinda has been a great option for me. It has gotten a ton of pocket time with the slip sheath.

Still, the pocket clip works well if you want to carry the knife that way. Here is your pocket clip shot:

Deployment and Lockup

Everything about the Impinda is deliberate. That’s most apparent when you go to open the knife. It takes considerable effort to get the blade out. CRK designed it that way, as it makes the knife much harder to close accidentally as well. This gives the knife serious “Walk and Talk”. By comparison, the action is much stronger than the XM-18 slippy. The action of the XM feels comically light compared to this.

Personally, I like the action on the Impinda. It’s heavy and deliberate, but it’s also smooth. The knife comes with a couple large perforated phosphor bronze washers. I think those that are skeptical of slip joints generally, will find a little more solace in the Impinda. It feels nothing like the action on a Swiss Army Knife, and theoretically it could stand up to harder chores.

Closing the blade is also deliberate. According to a roadside shaman I consulted whilst preparing this review, it takes 5 pounds of force to close the blade on this knife. That may not seem like much, but it’s considerably more force than most commercially available slip joints. Apparently there is patent pending spring technology inside this knife that makes the draw tension only one pound, and the closing tension 5 pounds, but it requires a good amount of force in both directions by my hand. Regardless, I like the beefier action on this knife. As I mentioned, it lends a deliberate feel to the Impinda, and inspires more confidence than the typical slippy.

Here is a parting size comparison with my CRK Mnandi:

Unsurprisingly, blade centering is perfect on my knife.

Chris Reeve Knives Impinda Review – Final Thoughts

The Impinda is a difficult knife to review. It definitely won’t appeal to everyone. Price alone is going to alienate a lot of folks. It’s a lot of money for an unassuming non-locking folder. I don’t know what CRK’s costs are (obviously) but find the price tag to be a bit much, even for CRK. Certainly they are entitled to price their products however they like, but I wonder what the economics would have looked like at $300 or $350. After all, the Small Sebenza costs $375 these days, and CRK fans might argue that you “get less” with this one, as it doesn’t lock. I’m not sure if that is a fair argument, but the internet can be a cruel place.

And to be honest, I haven’t checked out other reviews or the forums on this knife. I don’t know how well the Impinda is selling or what the consumer temperature is on this model. My guess is that it’s a mixed bag.

Personally, I have found the Impinda to be well made and highly composed. Keep in mind, the concept of “value” in the absolute sense goes out the window as you venture into luxury brands like CRK. Certainly the blade on a $20 Swiss Army Knife will do 95% of what this knife can (while opening bottles, driving screws, and helping you assemble an airplane on the way down). But that’s not the point, and is akin to comparing a Casio to a Rolex. While you get more for your money, the returns diminish considerably with each additional dollar spent. The person who buys an Impinda isn’t trying to optimize bang for buck. They want the experience and they don’t care if it costs $350 or $450.

And in that sense the Impinda delivers. It’s solidly made, carefully considered, and totally unique. It’s an experience. It’s the Chris Reeve quality many have come to know and love, in a sleek non-locking package. If the design appeals to you and you can afford it, then I think you will enjoy the Impinda. I’ve enjoyed mine. And like the Mnandi, I plan on keeping my knife for the long term.

Chris Reeve Knives Impinda – From $450.00
From: BladeHQ

I recommend purchasing the Impina at BladeHQ or Amazon. Thanks for reading!

Kizer Yorkie Review

by Dan Jackson 2 Comments

Ray Laconico designs some elegant knives. I like the clean lines, and the practicality of his pieces. I’m not alone, and over the past few years his work has taken off. Kizer was smart to collaborate with him, and the results so far have been excellent.

Buy the Kizer Yorkie at BladeHQ

Buy on Amazon

We previously reviewed the Intrepid, and the Gemini. He has gone on to collaborate with other companies, including Alliance Designs, where the focus appears to be on higher end collaborations. The Kizer Yorkie is more approachable. It retails for around $150, still a lot of money but a fraction of what the Alliance Designs pieces cost, yet it still has a timeless look and is made from premium materials.

All knives reviewed are bought with my own money unless stated otherwise. I bought this particular knife with my own money. I’ve mentioned this before, but it probably bears repeating as Kizer has provided us with a few knives to review in the past.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Yorkie has an overall length of 6.125″, a 2.5″ blade, weighs 2.93 ounces and is made in China. On it’s own it doesn’t give me the impression of being a smaller knife, but the Yorkie is a smaller knife and it compares more favorably to a Mini Griptilian or even a Dragonfly II than the Delica. Here is a size comparison so you can see for yourself:

Kizer Yorkie vs. Benchmade Griptilian and Spyderco Dragonfly II

Perhaps part of what gives the Yorkie the illusion of being larger than it actually is, is the clean, near continuous line from pommel to blade tip. Laconico manages to tease out both a lot of handle and blade with this design. That, combined with substantial full titanium handles, lend the Yorkie some substance. Also, in hand the Yorkie actually feels more substantial than the slightly bigger Mini Griptilian.

The blade is an exaggerated drop point. It’s almost hawkish in appearance, yet it is also close to being a spear point. The simplicity of the blade shape is further accentuated by the almost full flat grind. You can see the slightest bit of flat at the top connecting with the ricasso, but beyond that you have essentially a full flat grind. The blade finish is a fine stonewash. It is a clean and functional look that matches the rest of the design.

Kizer Yorkie

For blade steel we have S35VN. Standard fare for a knife like this. For the uninitiated, this is a higher end American steel developed by steel manufacturer Crucible in conjunction with Chris Reeve, and was formulated as a predecessor to S30V and developed specifically for cutlery.

It may not have the “Gee Whiz” factor of some of the more exotic steels, but I certainly welcome it on this knife. I have always appreciated S35VN as a practical choice for a daily carry knife, and think it was a good selection for the Yorkie. In practice, this blade takes a fine edge and is easy to maintain. I haven’t had much in the way of issues with rust or corrosion with S35VN either.

Kizer Yorkie Blade

The blade geometry on this knife is quite good, and will easily accomplish the typical EDC tasks you would expect a small knife like this to tackle. Packages and mail are no problem. Light food prep, including cleanly slicing apples, is no problem thanks in part to the wide blade and lean grind. The Yorkie is also capable of tougher tasks, and I’ve used it while working in the yard. In a pinch it can pass through a palm frond, or assist with opening a bags of mulch. All told the blade is well considered and should meet most people’s needs.

Handle and Ergonomics

The Yorkie’s handle is 2 slabs of solid titanium separated by the pivot and 2 stainless steel stand offs. The Yorkie revels in its simplicity, and can pull it off by being so well executed. For example, the pocket clip screws are flush with the inside of the handle. No ugly screws are poking out into the handle like you might find on lesser knives. Also, the handles have been given just the slightest amount of beveling. You might need to squint, but the handles are not perfectly flat. Instead, there is a slight almost imperceptible radius to the entire outside of the handle. It’s these kinds of little details that subtly elevate the Yorkie. The overall fit and finish is great.

The only contrast on the handle is the bright stainless hardware, and the only ornamentation is a single hole fixed dead center on the show side. Even that hole has been given careful attention; there isn’t a machining mark to be found. I don’t know why exactly it was placed on the handle, except for perhaps to provide a little visual interest. I’m not sure if it rises to the level of addition by subtraction, but it does provide a focal point at least.

Kizer Yorkie Ergonimics

For a smaller knife, I’d say the ergonomics are pretty good. It’s not the magic trick of the Dragonfly 2, but there is a good amount of usable space on this smaller handle. This is thanks in part to the simple design and the small forward finger choil created by the flipper tab. There is just enough room to get your index finger in.

If you rely on just the titanium handle I’d say its a 3.5 finger handle for me, and probably a cramped full 4 finger grip for most. However, that finger choil allows you to spread out and really get comfortable with the Yorkie. The thick titanium handle also helps, and gives you something to grab onto. There is no jimping or texturing to speak of, but the simple boxy handle offers enough traction on its own. At least for my pedestrian purposes.

The pocket clip is a small milled titanium clip. I’ve always enjoyed a well executed milled clip, and I’m pleased to say that spring retention on this clip is excellent. The knife easily slides into the pocket, but is also firmly held in place. It isn’t a deep carry clip, but the Yorkie is still fairly discrete.

Kizer Yorkie Pocket Clip

There is a groove milled into the pocket clip that blends in with the lock bar cut out. I haven’t seen this on a knife before. It’s kind of arbitrary, but like the hole in the handle, I think it was an attempt at injecting a little personality into the design. I don’t mind it, but I don’t fully “get” it either.

Here is your shot of the Yorkie in the pocket:

Kizer Yorkie in the Pocket

Deployment and Lockup

This is a small titanium framelock flipper. The flipper tab pokes out from the back of the handle prominently. I think that is good as it doesn’t have any texture on it. With a small knife like this, a poorly designed flipper tab runs the risk of the knife being fiddly. The Yorkie isn’t fiddly, but still, there is a little compromise with a small flipper like this. This isn’t the easiest knife to flip open. The detent is also good, but not great. I’d say it’s a “6” on a scale from 1-10. I’d prefer to see it more like a 7 or 8. It’s good but not great. The knife runs on caged bearings, and the action is smooth and easy.

Kizer Yorkie Spine

For lockup we have a titanium framelock with a stainless steel lockbar insert. Kizer knows how to make a framelock, and the Yorkie is no exception. The lockup is early and rock solid. Disengaging the lockbar is easy thanks to some substantial cutaways in the handle. No complaints with the lockup. My knife also came with a perfectly centered blade and a nice nylon and felt lined pouch.

Here is a parting size comparison with the Delica and Endura:

Kizer Yorkie Review – Final Thoughts

Ray Laconico has built up significant momentum over the past few years. I think the Yorkie is another success for him. Kizer has managed to capture his “less is more” ethos, and to build a deceptively simple knife that is actually quite thoughtful and rich in detail. It is clear that everything has been well considered, and the knife not only looks cool, but it works quite well. Even as a smaller piece.

My main piece of constructive criticism regards the detent. I’d prefer a heavier action to help ensure the blade gets 100% open 100% of the time. Everything else is so neatly dialed in, so it’s odd that the detent isn’t a little crisper. Beside that I find little to complain about.

Even the price is reasonable. I paid around $135 for my knife. For some reason the price is now closer to $150. While that isn’t cheap, it’s not too bad for a titanium framelock flipper. The materials are top notch, the design is attractive, and the execution is almost perfect.

I would recommend the Yorkie if you are a fan of the design, or are looking for a smaller titanium framelock flipper for daily carry.

Kizer Tactical Folding Knife S35VN Blade Titanium Handles Pocket Knife Flipper Knife (2.57" Stonewash) Yorkie Ki3525 (Ki3525A1)

This knife Designed by Ray Laconico and precision engineered by Kizer
2.5-inch CPM-S35VN blade features excellent toughness, edge retention and wear and corrosion resistance
Handle Material:6AL4V Titanium /Blade Material:CPM-S35VN /Weight:2.93 oz /Overall:6.125"
Great companion for any hiker, landscaper, backpacker, hunter, wilderness guide, electrician or anyone in need of a reliable everyday carry knife
Excellent everyday carry for numerous tasks including opening packages, stripping wire, removing splinters, cutting zip-ties，aggressive animal defense

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

Reate T4000 Review

by John Burridge 3 Comments

Whenever there’s the thinnest excuse to use a pocket knife, I do so. Over the last month of carrying the Reate T4000 nearly every day, I’ve noticed that when I open it up in public to do any of the small innocuous things I use a knife for, I’ve seen people’s eyes light up with…not terror, but a distinct “What the hell is that?” look mixed with a tingle of atavistic fear.

Buy the Reate T4000 at BladeHQ or GPKnives

It looks like a large double edged dagger- which, to the subconscious mind of most people, looks like what the ruling classes have been using to kill people with for the last four thousand years, and/or what everybody gets stabbed with in Game Of Thrones. I have two friends who are into knives on almost the same nerdy level that I am, and even their first responses were “Whoa!”

The instant I saw the T4000, I knew I wanted it simply for the fear/thrill reaction it gave me. But when writing a knife review, I always try to determine the knife’s intended purpose. In this case, it’s easy: when Reate Knives began teasing the T4000 in July 2018, BladeReviews.com’s own Ben Schwartz wrote an article about it for KnifeNews.com. Here’s what the designer of the knife, Tashi Bharucha, had to say about it:

[It] does not pretend to be anything other than a stabbing pocket sword.

It’s intended purpose is to be a stabbing pocket sword? Sign me the fuck up!

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Reate Knives T4000 is part of a four-knife series, all designed by French knife auteur Tashi Bharucha. At the time of writing, only the smallest of the four, the T2500 and the T4000 have been released. The naming convention reflects the length of the blades in inches- the T2500 is 2.5” long, the T4000 is 4”, etc. The T3000 and T3500 have yet to be released.

I find it curious that a French designer and a Chinese knife manufacturer are using the antiquated Imperial measurement system for the names of these knives- I’m going to assume their target market is ‘Merica. I don’t know if the pricing scheme is also related to the blade length, but the T4000 cost me $400 USD. I suppose that’s a bargain compared to Tashi Bharucha’s custom, handmade knives, which cost at least $1,000. Even though I’m a big fan of his work, I’m not going to spend over a thousand bucks on something I can’t drive, ride, or shoot.

It comes with a bunch of nice, unnecessary stuff like a Reate Knives Zipper pouch, a cleaning cloth, a microfiber knife bag, a velcro embroidered “Reate” patch, and extra handle screws, which are actually a really nice touch.

There are three handle choices: Titanium with inlaid carbon fiber, inlaid brown canvas Micarta, or inlaid green canvas Micarta, which is what I bought. It’s an unusually large and heavy folder, even bigger in every respect than my collection’s previous champion of unnecessary size and weight, the Microtech Sigil MK6.

The T4000 weighs 5.3 oz (150 g), is 8.86” (225 mm) long when open, 4.92” long (125 mm) closed, and 1.75” (44 mm) tall when open or closed. Some knives disappear into your pocket- this definitely doesn’t. It’s not particularly thick though, at .68” (17.2 mm) at it’s widest point, pocket clip included.

The blade steel is Bohler M390, which is considered a “super steel” due to it’s extreme hardness and corrosion resistance. I’ve been reading up on blade steel, and want to give a shout out to knifesteelnerds.com for a lot of in-depth articles that a non-scientist like myself can understand. What I’ve learned about M390 is that it’s high hardness resists edge deformation, which keeps it sharp. The trade-off for high hardness is a reduction in toughness, which is basically resistance to chipping. A lot of these hardness/toughness qualities seem to be imparted into the blade during the manufacturing process known as heat treating. My limited understanding of heat treating boils down to this: you heat up the unfinished steel blade to get the individual molecules to bond together in a very specific way, then remove the blade from the heat to lock in the molecular structure.

Most knife manufacturers guard their heat treating methods as proprietary secrets, but Reate Knives has made this little nugget known: after the heat treating is complete, they use a technique called “freeze edging skill.” This process cools the blade while the cutting edge is being ground, so that the friction-induced heat of grinding doesn’t undo the specific molecular structure from it’s heat treating. It may just be marketing hype, but it makes sense to me.

I was recently talking to a guy who is several orders of magnitude higher than me on the Blade Steel Nerdiness spectrum, and he gave me an earful about how modern super steels like M390 are too brittle, and he prefers softer, “tougher” steel like VG10 or 154CM which are easier to sharpen. I totally get it because he’s way into sharpness- he sharpens his daily carry Sebenza with a leather strop every day whether he’s used it or not. Personally, I have a bunch of nice pocket knives that I carry and use, and I wait until they’re good and dull before I sharpen them. I would rather have a knife with a crazy hard edge that I can use longer between sharpenings. In a month of light duty cutting, I’ve barely dulled the edge of my T4000, so Reate’s M390 is working great for me.

The blade is surprisingly slim for such a big knife. It has a thin hollow grind with a decorative fuller, which briefly flares the blade’s maximum width to 3.8 mm in the center. I looked up a ton of information about blade fullers for this review, but it’s far too boring to include here.

Suffice it to say that fullers are basically for structural reinforcement on long blades and are not “blood grooves.” The T4000’s standout feature is it’s aggressive symmetrical dagger shape, but the top of the blade, which is exposed when the knife is closed, has a 1.1 mm thick unsharpened edge.

This knife has excelled at my usual mundane tasks of box and bag opening and loose thread cutting, but I like trying new things, and I’ve never used a dagger for food prep before. I stabbed and slashed and hacked my way through tomatoes, onions, artichokes, sausages, etc. My experience using the T4000 in the kitchen was pretty much like with every other pocket knife I’ve used in this capacity- I couldn’t dice anything like with a chef’s knife because my knuckles would hit the cutting board before the blade would. It’s thin blade slices well, and the fuller seemed to keep food from sticking to the side of the blade. The false edge on the top of the blade is wide enough to push down on for some extra leverage.

Other uses for the T4000’s false edge are:

Opening mail- the false edge opens envelopes perfectly without dulling the sharpened side.
Removing staples- slip the tip of the blade under the staple and twist towards the unsharpened side.
Pretending to slash my wrist- I’ve absolutely horrified several people.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

On the T4000, designer Tashi Bharucha used a variation of his signature handle shape. From an aesthetic standpoint I love it, but I find it’s ergonomics often make the knife difficult to use. The problem, in my opinion, is how far back my hand is from the blade’s tip. There’s no place on the handle to choke up and gain the mechanical advantage of having my hand closer to the tip of the blade.

That being said, I don’t really care, because I don’t buy his knives for the ergonomics. I would never classify myself as a “fanboy” because first of all I’m not a boy, I’m a goddamn man, but Tashi’s design style really speaks to me, and I now own five of his production knives.

The handle ergonomics on three of the others are similar to the T4000, with the exception being the Massdrop-produced Prism (far left in photo), which cleverly exchanges some sharpened blade length for the ability to choke up on the handle. The Tashi B./Reate Knives Baby Machine (not pictured) knife has a similar ergonomically friendly shape.

The T4000’s handle is made of two pieces of titanium and one piece of green canvas Micarta. This is my first knife utilizing Micarta, and I was dismayed that after a month of sweat and cooking oil and dirty hands, the Micarta’s color has permanently changed from light green to a darker olive drab. It’s somewhat grippy texture is unchanged. The mating of the Micarta into the handle is so precise I can see where the inlaid Micarta meets the titanium, but I can’t feel the seam.

Reate’s fit and finish on this knife are superb. Every angle machined into the handle looks sharp but feels smooth. The T4000’s shape is just so weirdly aggressive that I can’t stop looking at it- it’s the knife equivalent of an Italian sports car. Specifically, the Lamborghini Urus: a 641 horsepower all wheel drive SUV that, to my eye, shares many design cues with the T4000. Please forgive my crude Photoshop skills:

Both the car and the knife are fascinating combinations of severe lines and curves, and both come off as being large, lumpy and aggressive. I periodically see one of these big stealth tank-looking SUV’s rolling by, and my response is always “Whoa!” By the way, for an excellent review of the Lamborghini Urus, I suggest checking out the Amazon Prime TV show “The Grand Tour” season 3, episode 5 “An Itchy Urus.” Anyway, back to the knife…

The forward tip of the pocket clip is very sharp. Not cut yourself sharp, but certainly scratch the paint off your car door sharp.

Nonetheless, the clip looks great, and I think it’s pointy design is entirely appropriate for a stabbing pocket sword. The T4000’s titanium clip is milled into Bharucha’s signature stylish shape, and the clip’s shape and position mirror the titanium inlay inside the Micarta inlay on the show side. The amount of flex is great, it’s amount of offset from the body of the knife is great for thick denim jeans pockets, and it’s shape melts into the fold of my hand when I’m using it.

When carrying the T4000 while wearing reasonably tight pants (as I often do), the knife, though heavy, stays put due to it’s robust clip. But when wearing loose shorts, I feel that big hunk of titanium and steel rhythmically slapping my thigh as I walk.

Deployment and Lockup

The blade is heavy and the flipper detent is strong, so it takes a bit of finger muscle to open it. It swings smoothly on ceramic bearings, and has a nice strong magnet-like feel that snaps the blade closed when it’s open less than 6 mm. It’s a framelock, and locks up securely with about half of it’s 3 mm steel lock face in contact with the blade. It’s not a hard use knife like my DPX HEST F1, which has a 75% lockup on it’s 4 mm wide lockbar, but the T4000’s lock doesn’t seem to be likely to fail under reasonable use.

There is one weird thing about it though- it’s sound. When flipping it open, instead of the normal, satisfying “click” that I’ve come to expect from titanium knives, there’s a two-part sound like a metal soap bubble popping, followed by an unusually high-pitched snap. One of the nice things about having a lot pocket knives is that I have them on hand to compare and contrast with each other. At the moment, I have 16 reasonably good folding knives, and I sat down in a quiet room and flicked or thumbed open every single one. Through this highly scientific investigation I have determined that the sound the Reate T4000 makes when opening is utterly unique. The sound has nothing to do with it’s functionality at all, but it’s odd enough that I feel compelled to mention it.

Two last things: first, the T4000 has a party trick- it can stand on it’s head. Second, I was driving on US Interstate 5 on the East side of Los Angeles and noticed a 125 foot (38 meter) tall Tashi Bharucha pocket clip rising above the LA River. It’s the central spire of the North Atwater Bridge which is due to be completed in 2020. Say what you will about the evils of social media, but thanks to Facebook I was able to send the picture below to T4000 designer Tashi Bharucha. He responded that he hadn’t seen it before and, no, he did not design the bridge.

Reate T4000 Review – Final Thoughts

The T4000 is definitely a niche item. It’s not for everyone, it’s not perfect, and it’s relatively expensive at $400. But I dig the Reate T4000 stabbing pocket sword on a deep, visceral level – I don’t know if it’s an ancient, hardwired feeling of security or a Roman-Legionnaire-in-a-past-life kind of thing, but I sure do like it.

Reate T2500 – From $419.95
From: BladeHQ

I recommend purchasing the Reate T4000 at BladeHQ or GPKnives. Please consider that buying anything through any of the links on this website (including Amazon) helps support BladeReviews.com, and keeps the site going. Thank you very much.

Bestech Knives Malware Review

by John Burridge 3 Comments

Over the years, I’ve noticed that in polite society when I whip out a folding knife to open a box or cut a loose thread, most people’s reactions are some variation of “Oh God, why do you have/need/carry that?” My usual reply is that a knife is the most useful tool in the world, but I’ve found that no matter how “non-threatening” looking the knife is, I still get that same reaction. Therefore, why not carry whatever I want?

Buy the Bestech Malware at BladeHQ

So, a month ago I put down my already scary-looking Microtech Ultratech OTF switchblade and picked up the seriously murder-ey looking Bestech Malware.

The Malware was designed for Bestech Knives by Todd Knife and Tool. TKT was started in 2016 by prolific knife reviewer Teryl Todd (Zelrick42 on YouTube) and his brother Seth Todd. They went from being fans to designers, and have a thoroughly modern company. Teryl lives in Ozark, Missouri, and Seth lives in Houston, Texas. They jointly design their knives by sharing 3D CAD files online, then Seth makes physical prototypes that they both test. TKT have developed a distinct visual style also apparent in their We Knife Co. made Roxi folder, and in the many prototype images shared on the toddknifeandtool Instagram account.

General Dimensions & Blade Details

The Malware’s blade is 3.875” (9.8 cm) long, the blade stock thickness is 0.15” (3.9mm), and it’s full open length is 8.75” (22 cm). The long stabby blade folds into a titanium handle, the blade pivots on ball bearings, and it’s framelock has a steel lockbar insert. The steel lockbar insert is a theoretically replaceable part that protects the titanium framelock from rubbing against the lock face of the steel blade. My experience has been that often a titanium framelock rubbing against a steel blade tends to “stick” in place, but steel on steel doesn’t have the same problem.

Here is a size comparison with a large Sebenza Insingo:

It weighs 3.68 oz. which is technically a little more than a Spyderco Paramilitary 2 or a Chris Reeve Knives large Sebenza, but it feels lighter than either of them in the hand. I attribute this feeling to the weight balance of this knife. If I’m holding the Malware in a normal thumb-on-top grip, and I slowly open my hand, the knife will not fall to the floor, but will stay balanced on my index finger. This nearly perfect weight distribution helps the Malware feel very agile in my hand.

The titanium pocket clip is configured as a right side, tip up only, but there are dedicated left handed versions as well. I have the “Ti Black” version. The titanium backspacer and pocket clip are anodized a brassy gold color, and contrast nicely against the black stonewashed finish of the rest of the knife. The stonewashed treatment gives the edges and corners a worn-in look similar to Kershaw Knives’ “blackwash” finish.

It’s blade steel is S35VN, which was developed specifically for high-end knife blades by steelmaker Crucible Industries and Chris Reeve Knives. It’s a powdered metal steel, which has the advantage of more uniform blending of it’s elements (iron, niobium, chromium, vanadium, etc.) than conventional steel. The end-user benefits of this manufacturing process and the S35VN formula are excellent blade toughness (it can take a hit without breaking or bending), corrosion resistance, and edge retention.

So it’s a modern production knife made in China with premium materials and it’s priced accordingly at $196 on BladeHQ. What makes it different than every other new Kizer, Reate, We, and Rike knife? Style and details.

What I love about good pocketknives is that they’re pieces of functional art you can hold in your hand. The Malware is full of interesting details and I keep noticing more. The design is a strange futuristic combination of curves, straight lines, and, as on the cutting edge of the blade, straight lines that almost imperceptibly turn into curves. The blade has a finger choil which, although it’s a little too small for my index finger, is the full 3.9mm width of the blade stock, which is yet another design detail that I appreciate.

Handle, Ergonomics, & Pocket Clip

In pictures, the handle looks very thin, and in the days between ordering the Malware and receiving it, I wondered if it would be too small to properly wrap my medium-large-ish hands around. When it arrived, I found that it fills my hand very well, and the long, flat clip doesn’t create much of a hotspot any way I hold it.

Some edges are pretty squared off, like the machining on the backspacer, but almost every part of the handle that comes in contact with my hand is chamfered, making it quite comfortable to hold. And the more I have it in my hands, the more I keep discovering new functional design details that I had, at first glance, written off as being cosmetic- like the three holes in the show side near the flipper tab. Those holes are exactly where my right thumb needs traction when flipping the knife open.

On the lock side of virtually all framelock knives, there’s a machined indentation in the frame that allows the locking part of the frame to flex inward and lock the blade open. A lot of knives cover this indentation with their pocket clips, but as yet another example of how well thought out this design is, the pocket clip on the Malware sits right above, but not covering, the indentation. So when gripping the knife to flip it open, my ring finger is naturally pushed into that square indentation, which gives me a secure grip when flipping it open.

I don’t ordinarily use my pocketknives for food prep, but in the spirit of thoroughness I sliced up some veggies with it. The blade has a full flat grind and gets very thin at the bottom, which made slicing easy. The ergonomics for general food prep were fine as long as I didn’t try to spread anything- the thin blade definitely doesn’t work as a butter knife. The flipper tab extends below the cutting edge, so it can’t really be used for dicing either, but kitchen work is clearly not this knife’s intended use.

The pocket clip is rather long and thin and has more flex to it than any other milled clip I’ve handled. The good news is that it doesn’t chew up my (already chewed up) pants pockets, but the bad news is that it seems like it could easily get bent.

I carried this knife during a T.C.C.C. medic class, and when we were learning how to improvise tourniquets, I used the Malware as a windlass (the stiff piece that you twist to tighten the tourniquet.) Despite really cranking this thing down tight on my training partner’s arm, I had no fear of the knife breaking or bending until the instructor decided to show the class how to tie off the end of the improvised tourniquet using the pocket clip. He was bending the clip way out and jamming fabric under it, and I desperately wanted to ask him to stop so he didn’t break it. I resisted this urge because I didn’t want to seem like a weenie to our super-badass Los Angeles SWAT Medic instructor. So he manhandled the clip, and when he was done, it just sprung back to it’s normal state. It may be thin and flexible, but it’s not fragile.

Overall, the Malware isn’t an “overbuilt” knife like a Hinderer Knives XM or a Strider SMF, but it’s definitely tougher than it looks.

Deployment & Lockup

A gripe I have with every single framelock flipper is if I grip it in such a way that I’m putting a lot of pressure with my middle finger on the front of the lock near the pivot, then the knife becomes very difficult to flip open. The worst offender on this front that I have is a Brad Zinker midtech version of the Boker Urban Trapper. The only knife I have that is immune to this problem is my GiantMouse GM1, which is an awesome knife overall, but perhaps solves this problem by having a weak detent which makes it difficult to flip open. However, the ergonomics of the Malware naturally place my fingers where they don’t get in the way of the mechanism at all.

The Malware’s flipper tab is relatively small but has comfortably rounded jimping that provides good traction for flipping. The amount of detent tension that has to be overcome to flip the knife open is tough for me to objectively define- but subjectively, I think it flips perfectly. The Malware’s framelock engages at about 40%, which you can jam over to about 60% if you’re worried about it slipping (not that that’s ever happened to me or anyone I know.)

I don’t carry a knife specifically for self defense, but I must say that I certainly never felt under-prepared while carrying the Malware on the weird streets of Los Angeles. It’s never accidentally opened while in my pocket or while drawing it out of my pocket. It’s flipped and locked open securely every single time I’ve flipped it. I don’t think an especially scary-looking knife like this is going to make a bad man run away in terror, but it’s a long, mean looking blade with a big handle I can get a very firm grip on. So I’ll add self defense to the Malware’s growing list of positive attributes.

Bestech Malware Review – Final Thoughts

I carried the Malware every day for a month and primarily used it for un-challenging tasks like opening packages, slashing open bags of cat food, and as an improvised medical device. At the end of the month, the finish on blade, handle, and clip are unblemished. The S35VN blade was still very sharp in most places, but after a quick, ham-fisted touch up on a Wicked Edge sharpener, it’s back to 100%. There’s no sharpening choil, but I don’t really care if the last few millimeters of my blade are super sharp.

What is the Bestech Malware made to do? I don’t want to sound like a knife snob a-hole, but I tend to compare everything to my Chris Reeve Knives Sebenza 21. The word “Sebenza” is literally the Zulu word for “work”, and the Sebenza feels like an indestructible precision tool. The Bestech knife doesn’t feel like a tool, it feels like a blatantly offensive weapon that can also open boxes from Amazon. Malware is the perfect name for this knife because it’s so badass. Not flaming skull badass, but sci-fi villain badass. It brings to mind futuristic heavy metal music by the band Voivod, it’s like the knife version of the Space Marines’ rifle from the movie Aliens, it should be a weapon in the DOOM video games, and I obviously really like it.

The deciding factor for anyone considering buying the Malware is definitely it’s looks- if you immediately like it’s vibe, I say get it. Nothing is perfect (except kittens), but the Malware excelled at everything I wanted it to do, and looked super-murder-ey doing it. Recommended!

Bestech Knives Malware – From $196.00
From: BladeHQ

Editor: I recommend purchasing the Bestech Knives Malware at BladeHQ and Amazon. Thank you very much.

About the Author: This guest review was written by John Burridge. John lives in Los Angeles and has a deep passion for knives. I plan on adding to this section to include more info about John and where to find him. In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed this in depth review.