titanium

Microtech Sigil MK6 Review

There is depth to the knife industry. So much depth that a reviewer can review knives for 5 years, hire on 3 other writers to review knives, amass a catalog of over 300 knife reviews, and still not review knives from all the major manufacturers. That’s case with this website and Microtech at least. It’s almost shameful that we haven’t reviewed anything by Microtech yet. Thankfully, that gets remedied today.

Buy the Microtech Sigil at BladeHQ

Microtech is a medium sized knife manufacturer located in Bradford, PA. The company was founded in Vero Beach, FL in 1994, by Anthony Marfione, but then moved to Pennsylvania a decade later. As a Florida boy I have no idea why they would pack up and move to PA after 10 years. Usually it’s the other way around. There must be a lot of steel up in PA.

Microtech is known for their automatic knives, and their aggressive designs. Maybe that’s why it took me so long to buy one. I’m not a huge fan of autos, believing that a good manual folder can be almost as easy to operate, and less likely to draw the ire of law enforcement. Plus, their styling is the equivalent of Affliction shirts for the cutlery industry. Shockingly, a Microtech was the 3rd knife Jim Skelton ever reviewed. And it was from the “Zombie Tech” series at that. There is a lid for every pot.

Aesthetic preferences aside, the blades are also pricey. Not that price has stopped me from reviewing a knife in the past. I just gotta get a good deal on it, or really want to check out the knife. Plus the recent ugliness with the Tony S. lawsuit didn’t rev me up about the company either. I have wanted to check their knives out, but something else always took priority.

That all changed when I picked up this Sigil MK6. What a cool knife. This Sigil is beautifully built and richly detailed. Whoever designed it clearly had a lot of fun. My version is the “Apocalyptic” flavor, with a full stonewash and copper accent piece. Lets dive in.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Sigil has an overall length of 8.75″, a 3.75″ blade, weighs 5.2 ounces, and is made in the USA. This is a sizable knife. It’s a bit more than I typically like to EDC, but it provides plenty of canvas. Microtech took advantage of this and covered every inch in ornamentation.

The floor to ceiling stonewash lends the knife an aged appearance, although my blade is date stamped “02/2017”.

The blade is a long, sloping, modified drop point. The tip is dropped low, and you only get a slight amount of belly. The tip is also fine and delicate. The blade shape and thumb cutout resembles a prehistoric bird.

A lot of attention went into this blade, and the machining is top notch. The thumb hole has a series of steps milled around it. The finger choil is delicately chamferred. The flipper area has been pocketed. The grinds are beautiful and even. The edge has been uniformly applied. No detail has been overlooked on this blade.

And the blade is made of M390 stainless steel. M390 is about as good as it gets in blade steel, exhibiting the enviable combination of high edge retention paired with easy sharpening. Most super steels are a bear to sharpen, but M390 isn’t bad. It’s one of my favorite blade steels and Microtech gives you almost 4 inches of it here with their Sigil.

Cutting performance is pretty good. The stock on this knife is relatively thick, and the partial flat grind has its geometric limits. Still I had no problem breaking down boxes, opening mail, and cutting fruit. The M390 held up like a champ.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

The handle is a celebration of milling, and a thing of technical beauty. Microtech is a highly skilled manufacturer, and that comes out clearly in the handle of the Sigil. The titanium handle slabs have been meticulously tooled from all angles, to the point where this knife could pass for an extra on the Dark Crystal.

You can become lost in the complexity of the Sigil. The insides have been pocketed out to lighten the knife. There is also extra fine milling for the frame lock release, the hardware for the pocket clip is hidden, a full titanium floating backspacer, and a copper pivot shroud doubles as a lock bar stabilizer. Microtech’s trademark proprietary hardware holds it all together.

Speaking of the proprietary hardware, although a lot of people aren’t a fan of non-standard hardware, I think it adds something to the overall effect of the knife. It’s totally different and helps make the Sigil feel special. That said, it would have been great if they included a tool. Actually came loose a couple times. Keep in mind I got this knife gently used, so this isn’t a comment on how it came from the factory. I was able to tighten everything down with my finger nail, but this is far from ideal. Thankfully the pivot feels snug and I haven’t had to mess with it yet.

The simple handle shape and heavy chamferring of the titanium handle makes the Sigil a comfortable knife in hand. That should come as no surprise give how large this knife is. There is a small forward finger choil giving you extra options, but I find it to be a little tight relative to other knives with finger choils that I own. I’ve used it, but would advise against getting too aggressive with this finger choil. Good jimping is found on the thumb ramp, flipper tab, and backspacer. Although it lacks corrugated G-10, this isn’t a slippery knife by any means.

The pocket clip is made of milled titanium. Milled clips have done a bit of an 180 over the past few years. When they originally came out they were the bee’s knees. Then they sort of fell out of favor when people found them to be less effective than traditional stamped steel clips. I still like a milled clip if it’s done right.

I’d say the clip on this Sigil is pretty good. It is snug up against the handle and has some spring tension. It’s not crazy spring tension, and I wouldn’t recommend jumping out of an airplane with the Sigil clipped to your pocket, but there is spring tension and the knife is held in place in your pocket. The hidden hardware aspect of it is awesome, and the machining is top notch.

The Sigil carries about how I would expect. It’s a large full titanium folder. Not a total boat anchor, but you feel its presence in your pocket.

Deployment and Lockup

The Sigil is a flipper on bearings. Flipping action is excellent. The generously jimped flipper, strong detent, and smooth bearing system scores the action of this knife a solid “8” on my somewhat arbitrary 1-10 scale for flippers. Better than average, but not a rocket launcher. In addition to the flipper there is an elongated thumb hole. It’s fully functional and you can open up the blade with the thumb hole if you want to be more subtle.

For lockup we have a titanium framelock with stainless steel lockbar insert. The engineering wizards at Miroctech did a fine job designing this frame lock. It is totally secure, with no blade play to speak of, yet the lock is easy to disengage. This is thanks to good lock geometry, and excellent milling on the portion of the lockbar where your thumb goes to release the lock.

As I mentioned previously, there is a copper pivot collar that doubles as a lock bar stabilizer. A nice touch and the only splash of color on an otherwise grey knife.

Here is a shot of the Sigil next to my Paramilitary 2:

It’s a little longer than the Para 2, but you get a lot more blade. Speaking of which, blade centering is perfect on my knife.

Microtech Sigil MK6 Review – Final Thoughts

The Sigil is an impressive knife. Microtech’s styling may not be to everyone’s taste, and this is a bigger knife, but you can’t argue that the Sigil has been beautifully executed with top shelf materials.

Almost every bell and whistle you could ask for is included. A milled clip, milled out handles, floating back spacer, hidden hardware, top shelf blade steel, and tons of machining. Fit and finish is outstanding. And this knife is made in the USA.

My only gripe is that the body screws come loose and they don’t supply the tool to tighten them.

This isn’t an inexpensive knife, but for just under $400 I think you get what you pay for. It’s almost on par with my old Shirogorov 95t, and that knife clocks in at 200%+ of the cost. Any interesting comparison is with a Sebenza.

While this is far from being an everyman’s EDC, I think those whose interests are piqued by the concept of the Sigil will be happy with this knife. It exceeded my expectations, and it makes me want to review more Microtechs in the future. Speaking of which, I really like the Sebastian Benja designed Stitch. I think that will be my next acquisition.

I know the Sigil is not a knife for everyone, so I won’t give it a blanket endorsement. But I give it 2 thumbs up if you are already in the market for this knife.

Microtech Sigil – From $390.00
From: BladeHQ

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

Mission Workshop x Kingdom Armory Unagi Review

by Dan Jackson Leave a Comment

Last Updated: August 11, 2019
The Unagi is a collaboration with boutique bag company Mission Workshop and David Rydbom of Kingdom Armory. I have long been a fan of David’s work. His Mini Samaritan is especially intriguing.

The PR team for the Unagi was kind enough to provide me with a sample to review. What follows are my thoughts on this limited edition knife.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Unagi has an overall length of 6.5″, a 3″ blade. I was unable to find a weight on this knife, but I’d put it around 3.5 ounces (just a guess). The Unagi is made in the USA by Nichols Damascus in the USA and hand tuned by David Rydom himself. The Unagi is a compact knife suited for urban EDC. Since it’s a release limited to a mere 200 pieces it could also be considered a collectible.

The blade of the Unagi is a distinctive clip point. You can tell David enjoys his work and that enthusiasm comes out clearly in all of his designs. The Unagi is no different, although I find this knife in particular to show a little more restraint. The profile does most of the talking, but it’s all backed up with beautiful execution. The blade is a good example of that. This stylized clip point is simple, but provides most of what you need and benefits from wonderful execution. There is ample blade, a sweeping belly and a fine tip. The stonewashed finish is visually pleasing, the full flat grind provides excellent slicing ability, and David put an excellent edge on this knife.

The only thing I find lacking with the blade is the absence of a sharpening choil. As a result the last quarter inch or so of the heel of the blade is unsharpened.

The steel is CPM154, excellent stuff, and capable of taking a fine edge. I found the performance on this Unagi to be impressive. Zipping through cardboard, and making easy work of apples, it certainly handled my basic daily cutting chores. This is a proven blade steel backed by years of data. It doesn’t hurt that this steel is supported by excellent blade geometry. No issues with rust or corrosion either.

Handle, Ergonomics and Pocket Clip

You typically see a lot of millwork and bolsters in Rydom’s work. By comparison the Unagi is almost completely sterile, but this allows the details in the finish work and and hardware to shine. The titanium handles have been stonewashed, save for the edge of the lanyard hole, which have been countersunk with a high polish. The two standoffs are custom made, and secured with flush mount torx bolts. The pivot is oversized, domed, and is of the bushing variety like what you would find on a Sebenza or Sage 1. The lockbar relief is cut on the inside of the handle, which provides a cleaner look and reduces the chance of your pocket material binding in the clip. It’s details like this that elevate the knife.

There are a couple deep finger grooves that provide an odd visual contrast to the sweeping open blade. These grooves are fully functional, and are the main ergonomic feature of the knife. There is no jimping, but the thumb naturally finds its way to the wide spine, and your palm meets the butt of the handle naturally. What I like about the finger grooves is that the forward groove is large enough to accommodate one or two fingers depending on your preference, and the transition between the two grooves is not sharp. For a small all metal knife, with no countouring to speak of, the Unagi feels natural in the hand.

The pocket clip is simple as can be. It’s bent titanium secured by two polished button head screws. The clip is “signed” with the Mission Workshop logo, but it’s unobtrusive and fits the minimalist theme of the Unagi. This is not a deep carry clip, and about half an inch of the knife lies exposed from the pocket for easy retrieval. Spring tension is strong, so there is little risk of the Unagi escaping. The absence of a framelock relief on the exterior of the handle makes it a cinch to insert and extract the knife from your pocket.

Deployment an Lockup

The Unagi uses a Strider-eqse oval thumb hole for deployment. In practice, I find the thumb hole impossible to use with just your thumb. Thanks to the placement of the hole and a stiff detent, you either need to pinch the knife open with thumb and forefinger, or use 2 hands to free the blade from the handle. This is my biggest criticism of the knife. It’s not an unforgivable sin, but is a feature I sorely miss on a work knife.

Here is a shot of the Unagi next to my Mini Griptilian. A good size comparison:

For lockup with have a titanium framelock. Lockup is early and secure without any blade play. There is a tiny amount of stick in my lock. Nothing crazy, and easy to resolve with a little pencil graphite or sharpie. A stainless steel lockbar insert would solve that completely, but would make the execution considerably more complicated.

Blade centering is dead perfect on my knife.

Mission Workshop x Kingdom Armory Unagi Review – Final Thoughts

The Unagi is a charming knife, beautifully constructed with many details to explore. What I most appreciate about the knife is the simplicity of it. Where some designs are liberally seasoned with decorative flourishes, the Unagi is restrained and the details are hidden in that restraint. This allows the non-traditional profile to shine.

Two points of constructive criticism are the flat spot on the heel of the edge, and the inability to flick this knife open with your thumb. The lack of easy one hand opening is unfortunate, as I’ve come to expect that on any work knife unless it is part of the design (like the Pingo or a traditional).

I think these compromises were executed for the sake of the unique design. While that may turn off some purists, I think its part of what makes knife design interesting. Not every knife needs to be classically “perfect”, and our definition of perfection varies. Otherwise we would all own one knife and leave it at that. In a way the Unagi is a blending of contemporary art with knifemaking. It’s a limited edition experiment, and won’t appeal to everyone. If you are looking for a more standard work knife from Kingdom Armory, then the Mini Samaritan is probably the way to go. But if you want something unique, then the Unagi could be the knife for you.

If you are interested in purchasing the Unagi, then I recommend buying it directly from Mission Workshop. It’s a release limited to 200 pieces so if you miss out then there is always Ebay and the forums. Generally, I recommend buying knifes at Amazon, BladeHQ, and KnifeArt. Thanks for reading.

Zero Tolerance 0055 Review

by Dan Jackson 5 Comments

Continuing on with my recent interest in reviewing unusual knives, the Zero Tolerance 0055 caught my eye for obvious reasons. This is an unusual looking knife. Designed by acclaimed Brazilian custom knifemaker Gustavo Cecchini of GTC Knives, the 0055 is a collaboration fusing the practical with the fantastical.

Buy the ZT 0055 at BladeHQ

No products found.

I think right off the bat, to even consider buying a 0055 you need to be willing to make some compromises. This knife is not going to work like a “normal” regularly ground drop point. If you are buying a knife to replace your well worn Griptilian or Para 2, then you will want to look elsewhere for that foundation piece for your collection. The 0055 is further out there, for those seeking something different at the expense of pure practicality. It’s not a knife for the masses. With that caveat out of the way lets explore this unique offering from Zero Tolerance.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The 0055 has an overall length of 8.75″, a 3.75″ blade, weighs 5.0 ounces, and is made in the USA. Despite being a larger knife, the 0055 feels agile for its size. It’s relatively thin, relatively light, and has a narrow profile. You can EDC it, but I’m not sure it’s something you will be able to easily use in public. It may be mistaken for a piece of Klingon hardware before being recognized as a utility knife.

The blade is what I would describe as a modified reverse tanto. You don’t see many reverse tantos, the most famous of which is found on the Benchmade 940. Still, it can be a practical shape, marrying the utility of a drop point with the reinforced tip of a tanto. Here, the profile is modified so that there is no belly, almost an abstraction of an American tanto blade. Adding to the intrigue is a compound grind.

My immediate reaction to the 0055’s blade was mild confusion, quickly met by acceptance for what it is. You have to suspend convention a bit to get into the spirit of this knife. It’s different. Otherwise there is no point to even considering the 0055.

The blade is no doubt configured to fit into the equally angular handle. The compound grind is odd in that the thinner grind is towards the tip. That seems a little backwards, as generally speaking I think you would want a thinner grind towards the handle for detailed cuts, and for chores like cutting food and rope, but the thin tip section is good for cutting up cardboard boxes, although it can be difficult to orient this knife properly with your cutting medium due to the non-traditional blade shape.

I will say that execution of the blade is nice. The grinds are even and precise. The edge has been nicely applied. The blade itself has been given an almost matte stonewashed finish. The quality is everything you would expect from Zero Tolerance.

ZT decided on S35VN for the blade steel. S35VN is a fine choice for any higher end folder. I continue to appreciate the combination of easy sharpening, edge retention, and stain resistance that S35VN offers. It’s a fine steel and a worthy upgrade over it’s predecessor S30V.

Having absolutely no belly to speak of, the 0055 is challenging to sharpen, especially if you want to maintain the crisp transition between the compound grind. This “inflection point” can get rounded over if you aren’t careful or decide to sharpen this on a rod sharpener like the Sharpmaker. You have to treat this like 2 separate edges to maintain the character of the factory blade, or otherwise you will slowly round this transition over like a rock in a stream.

And ironically it’s not always easy to evenly sharpen a straight edge. It takes some care. The 0055 is not a knife for novice sharpeners, and wouldn’t be my first choice for a field knife.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

The handle of the 0055 is technically rich. The outer surface of the titanium handles has been intricately machined. Inside ZT has milled out the pockets to lighten the knife further. A decorative pivot and elegant blue floating backspacer holds everything together. The technical precision of Zero Tolerance is on full display here, and it’s that ability to execute that makes their products so consistently good. This handle is no exception. Everything is dialed in, from the finish on the titanium to the black hardware. There is not an errant machining mark, or jutting screw on this knife. Everything feels purposeful and controlled.

The quality is unquestionable, so the real test is how you feel about the design. I happen to like it. The coffin shaped handle encapsulates the closed blade. It’s different, but cohesive. Gus Cecchini is a world renown knife designer, and his talents are apparent.

Surprisingly, the 0055 feels natural in your hand. That angular handle design doesn’t look particularly comfortable, but it subtly cradles the palm of your hand, while your thumb naturally finds its way to the spine of the blade. Although the handle looks complicated, the lines of the handle are actually simple. What is odd about the 0055 is the placement of the edge. The edge pulls away from you, so depending on the task you may find yourself re-orienting the knife towards the cutting media. Not the most practical configuration, nor is it my favorite, but the 0055 is still capable of getting work done if you are up for the task.

The pocket clip could have been an opportunity to really go off the deep end. Instead Gus and ZT went with a relatively simple spring clip. The shape is non-traditional, but not so far off the reservation that it becomes goofy. It also doesn’t have the typical “ZERO TOLERANCE” billboard, which is a welcome departure. The end result is a clip that compliments the knife, but isn’t remarkable.

The 0055 caries well for a larger knife. Again, ZT has taken steps to keep the weight down, and it’s a relatively thin design. While this isn’t a deep carry clip, the knife carries unobtrusively. The only issue is that the framelock relief is right next to where the clip meets the handle, and I have found that the fabric of your pocket tends to bind up and get caught in the framelock relief. Not a deal breaker, and you could always swap the clip to the show side, but it’s worth noting.

Deployment and Lockup

A part of what makes the 0055 unique to the production knife world is the use of Gus Cecchini’s Spring Loaded Tab (SLT) system. The SLT is a spring loaded flipper tab, which is used to open this manual flipper. You pull back on the tab lightly expose it, and then pull back with full force to release the blade like a typical flipper.

I have found that the SLT system works great. At least in the short term. It successfully opens up the knife, is fun to use, stays out of the way a little better then a traditional flipper, and it doesn’t spoil the lines of the knife as much as a traditional flipper.

The biggest con to the SLT system is that it’s more complicated then a regular flipper tab. Part of the beauty of a flipper is the simplicity. The SLT system is definitely an example of over engineering. It’s just like developing a special pressurized pen to write in space, when you can easily accomplish the same task with a pencil.

Personally I enjoy the novelty of the SLT system on this knife. When it comes to man’s oldest tool, it has become increasingly tough to innovate. Here Gus has managed to create something different. Even if it lacks the elegance of a standard flipper, it has at least been nicely executed and it’s fully functional. The knife flips great, thanks in part to a robust detent and a smooth caged bearing system. I’d rate it a solid “8” on a 1-10 scale. While I wouldn’t want the SLT system on every knife, it is a big part of what made the 0055 interesting to me.

Here is a parting shot of the 0055 next to my Griptilian:

For lockup we have a titanium frame lock with a steel lock bar insert. Just like on every other Zero Tolerance framelock I have reviewed, the lock has been beautifully executed. It’s rock solid and there is no blade play or lockbar stick at all. This continues to be something of a gold standard in framelock knives.

Zero Tolerance 0055 Review – Final Thoughts

The 0055 is a knife you will either connect with or dismiss, and it may take a while to grow on you. I happen to enjoy this funky design thanks in large part to Zero Tolerance’s brilliant execution. I think a lesser manufacturer would have a hell of a time getting away with a design like the 0055. Here the knife has been so finely tuned, that I couldn’t help but appreciate it.

The 0055 is not a knife for a 1 knife collection. Hell, I don’t think it’s a knife for a 10 knife collection. The 0055 is a knife for fans of Gus Cecchini and his work, or fans of unique designs. If your collection is crowded with the work of designers like G&G Hawk, and Serge Pachenko, then the 0055 could be right up your alley. But if you are looking for a more traditional Zero Tolerance folder, then I have to recommend something like the ZT 0562.

If the 0055 intrigues you, then I recommend checking it out. I have enjoyed owning mine, and appreciate it for it’s non-traditional nature. However, if you are considering this as your only premium pocket knife, then I’d suggest looking elsewhere.

No products found.

I recommend purchasing the Zero Tolerance 0055 at BladeHQ or Amazon.

Spartan Blades Metis Review

by Grayson Parker 1 Comment

Last Updated: September 7, 2019
Few companies have the pedigree that Spartan Blades does. I rarely hear them pop up in conversation among gear geeks, but that hasn’t stopped them from accumulating a small hoard of Blade Show awards. Between the aforementioned awards and the extensive Special Forces resumes of the two founders, I’m surprised they don’t get more chatter. Maybe they do, just not among folks I know.

Buy the Spartan Blades Metis at BladeHQ

No products found.

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

General Dimensions and Blade Details

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

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

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

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

Handle, Ergonomics, and Carry

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

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

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

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

Deployment and Lock-Up

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

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

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

Spartan Blades Metis Review – Final Thoughts

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

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

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

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

No products found.

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

Kizer Cutlery Guru Review

by Benjamin Schwartz 9 Comments

Last Updated: July 30, 2019
It’s been interesting to watch Kizer’s evolution over the years. They had an ambitious, albeit amorphous, beginning, with somewhat forgettable designs rendered in high-quality materials at head-turning prices; I still get a little jolt when I see the Sliver going for $70 with S35VN steel.

Buy the Kizer Guru at BladeHQ

Buy on Amazon

Then Kizer knives had the brilliant idea of bringing in talented knife designers to take full advantage of their manufacturing capabilities and great prices. It wasn’t their first collaboration knife, but the Ray Laconico-designed Gemini was the a big hit for Kizer, and the amount of collaborations rolling out of their doors hasn’t slowed down since. The company realizes a stunning amount of models, from makers at all stages of their career: well-known names like Ray Laconico and Matt Diskin appear alongside promising up and comers like Justin Lundquist and Elija Isham.

Matt Degnan is a maker whose work has been brought to wider recognition with several Kizer collabs. Degnan is behind the Roach, the Kane, and most recently the Guru. The first two models didn’t move the needle, but the Guru seemed much more my speed.

As with their competitor Zero Tolerance, I haven’t really found “my Kizer” yet. I reviewed the 3404, which was just fine but ultimately forgettable. I had some enthusiasm for the Vanguard Gemini but that has waned some since my review (which in itself wasn’t unqualified in its praise). The Guru stood out in Kizer’s recent offerings as a model that might just be able to go the distance. Let’s take a closer look.

Full Disclosure: Kizer provided me with a Guru free of charge for the purposes of the review. This in no way affected my reviewing process nor did it alter my opinions or verdict.

Blade Dimensions and General Details

The Guru has a blade length of 2 7/8”, with a cutting edge of 2 11/16”, a handle length of 4 15/16”, and an overall length of 7 15/16”. It weighs 3.96 oz. and is made in China.

The Guru has a “Sheepsfoot Looking Up” kind of blade shape that is attractive and unusual. Functionally, it is all gently-curved belly, and that’s fine. With a whopping .14” thick blade stock and a relatively short sabre grind the Guru isn’t much of a slicer. It’s thicker behind the edge than my Strider PT. But while it isn’t my thing, a hard use grind isn’t immediately grounds for failure. The problem is, the Guru might be less “ground for durability” and more just “poorly ground,” with confusing peaks and valleys in wildly different types of cutting tasks.

I don’t usually cut food with my knives, but I did a little food prep with the Guru and can confirm you’re going to leave behind a David Cronenberg-esque crime scene cutting fruit and other foodstuffs with this thing – it ain’t pretty. In cardboard and wood it can function decently, but only if you “aim” the edge at a specific angle; otherwise it bunches up. Strangely, the one area in which the Guru performs well is wharncliffe/sheepsfoot-style tasks, where the point is in play more than the full edge: cutting tape when opening a box, for instance; surprisingly delicate tasks for such a burly blade to excel in.

S35VN is becoming so prevalent in high-end knives that we reviewers are quickly approaching 8Cr13MoV levels of redundancy when it comes to writing about it. It’s great, Kizer’s iteration is great, you’ll love it. Editor’s note: And as always you can find a deeper dive into knife steel here.

One thing to note: this is the third Kizer I’ve had (the second with S35VN) and while overall fit and finish is great, they don’t get their knives real sharp before boxing them up. In the case of knives with super steels I think it’s fair for the user to expect a good edge out of the box: not everyone has the means or the knowledge to immediately sharpen these more difficult-to-work-with steels. This will be an even bigger problem as they transition into less amenable high-end steels like M390.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

The Guru’s handle is so close to being great. A forward finger choil is almost always a guarantor of decent if not mind-blowing ergos, but here it’s more of a stumbling block. Kizer chose to begin the blade right at the end of the choil, with nothing between the end of the choil and the beginning of the sharpened edge. This is a common choice among manufacturers and not peculiar to Kizer, but it does mean you need to be careful when you’re choking up on the Guru: it would be very easy for your finger to slide forward onto the edge.

Back off the choil and the Guru accommodates three fingers in the middle portion of the handle and one on the other side of the beak. This isn’t always a successful setup but here, mainly because the post-beak butt end of the knife is large and flat, it works okay. The problem is, when you’re not using the forward choil you’re more than an inch away from the start of the cutting edge – not really acceptable for a knife of this size, and it squanders the fine control that makes a sheepsfoot blade shine in use.

There may be issues with the ergonomics but the Guru’s pocket clip is great. This is the way a sculpted clip should work. It’s durable, secure, with plenty of spring tension, and looks really nice. The rounded edges eliminate hotspots and even though the Guru is kind of portly it keeps it in place in your pocket. Other than the non-reversability I have no complaints. This is such an improvement over the nightmare clips on early Kizer models.

Deployment and Lockup

In my review of the Spyderco Mantra 1 I noted that the ball bearing pivot seemed to work better with the thumb hole than the flipper, and while I’ll never opt for ball bearings over standard washers I have been curious to further explore how they played with non-flipper deployment methods.

My Guru is the thumb stud variant and the ball bearing deployment is very good. Once the thick blade gets over the stiff detent it flies open. Kizer deserves particular praise for that detent. I’ve handled many Kizers and none of them had those detent issues that we see on other frame locks. You can put all the pressure you want on the Guru’s lock bar and it will still deploy reliably.

Lockup is similarly well-done. The stainless steel insert makes contact against about 30% of the tang. There is no blade play, and disengagement is stick-free and smooth. The only issue I have is that, in closing, the blade wants to fall shut quite quickly – a little dangerous in my opinion. The detent is so aggressive that it functions as a kind of half-stop, catching the knife again as you’re closing it, so that helps a little bit, but it’s still something to be aware of.

Kizer Guru Review – Final Thoughts

The Guru is well-made as all Kizers are, but I would have liked to see more time spent honing this one for great performance in addition to its mechanical competence. It looks cool, and there’s nothing wrong with picking up a sub-optimal knife because you like the way it looks, but for me, the wedgey edge and incorrect finger choil are a fatal combination and overwhelm any other charms this design has.

Kizer reset the bar for what we could expect for our dollar, but now that the rest of the industry has caught up their designs have to pull their weight in an increasingly crowded market segment, and I can’t think of any objective reason to recommend the Guru. It doesn’t quite manage to bridge the gap between “interesting design” and “great tool.”

Kizer Cutlery Guru Framelock Folding Knife,3in,S35VN Steel,Standard Edge,Satin,Gray KI3504K2

Steel: CPM-S35VN Handle: 6AL4V Titanium Blade Length: 2.97" Overall: 7.43"

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

Zero Tolerance ZT 0450 Review

by Benjamin Schwartz 3 Comments

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

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

Buy the Zero Tolerance 0450 at BladeHQ

Buy on Amazon

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

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

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

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

General Dimensions and Blade Details

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

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

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

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

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

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

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

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

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

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

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

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

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

Deployment and Lockup

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

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

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

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

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

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

Zero Tolerance 0450 Review – Final Thoughts

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

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

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

Zero Tolerance (0450); With 3.25” DLC-Coated S35VN Stainless Steel Blade, All-Black Carbon Fiber and Titanium Handle Scales, KVT Ball-Bearing Opening, Frame Lock Reversible Pocketclip; 2.45 OZ., Silver, Small

Titanium frame lock houses hardened steel lockbar; frame lock secures blade in position so it does not close accidentally
Flipper works for left- and right-handed users; assists blade’s manual release with one-handed convenience
Finger guard, jimping and choil protect fingers during rigorous use while slicing, cutting, chopping, scaling, slashing, piercing or digging in any environment, in any conditions
Drop-point tip provides extra strength and chip resistance and eliminates pitch momentum
Overall length: 7.4 inches; closed length: 4.1 inches; blade thickness: 0.121 inches; weight: 2.9 ounces

I recommend purchasing the Zero Tolerance 0450 at Amazon and BladeHQ. Please consider that purchasing anything through any of the links on this website helps support BladeReviews.com, and keeps the site going. As always, any and all support is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.