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Friday, December 30, 2011

Today's Blog/Review Post

Hello Readers and Subscribers,

Today, December 30, 2011, there will be no blog/review posted because of the holiday weekend.

The next blog/review will be posted on Tuesday, January 3, 2012.

Your loyalty and readership is sincerely appreciated.

I wish you all a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!


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Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Zero Tolerance 0200 Folding Knife Review

Zero Tolerance Model 0200 Folder 4" Plain Blade, Black G10 Handles

You can never tell when danger will come your way, but it is best that you are well prepared for it. This kind of situation will require you to defend yourself . In this situation, you need a knife you can trust. The Zero Tolerance zt 0200 will aid you in this situation.


The ZT 0200 has a 154CM blade that (historically) should not have any issues with rust and holds an edge well. The blade is just shy of 4 inches which means I cannot recommend this as an Every Day Carry (EDC) to everyone because laws in your area may prevent you from carrying it. In the field, this knife is one of the best folders I've ever used. The 4 inch length is ideal in the field and I HIGHLY recommend it for this use. It is made more versatile with its innovative re-curve blade. The design of this knife provides the ideal leverage needed for cutting.

The action of the knife (how it opens and locks) is very smooth. It is probably the smoothest knife I own. The lock is very solid and I have no issues with really using it hard because it has little chance in folding up. In fact, I'm impressed with the oversized pivot screw which is held by an actual nut like you'd see on a piece of machinery.


The liners are stainless and should have no issues with corrosion and should last a long time. The scales (outside part of the "handle") are G10 which are pretty much impervious to the elements. The serrations (should you choose this option) are actually scallops. It's the difference of serrations being pointy and scallops are rounded like a cake knife. The Zero Tolerance 0200's "scalloped" serrations are MUCH more likely to cut than tear, which normal serrations are sure to do.

The Kershaw Zero Tolerance 0200 is a GREAT knife for the field. You can move the pocket clip to one of the 4 positions (tip up, tip down, left side, right side). It is made of element resistant material. It is made very tough and is simply one of the best knives around. I do not believe it will let you down.


To buy or get more information on the Zero Tolerance Model 0200 Folder with 4" Plain Blade and Black G10 Handles, click the link below.

Zero Tolerance Model 0200 Folder 4" Plain Blade, Black G10 Handles





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Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Kershaw Chive Pocket Knife Review

Kershaw Chive Assisted 1-15/16" Plain Blade, Stainless Steel Handles

Ken Onion is probably the best known American knife designer. With the release of his Ken Onion Chef's Knife, he's practically a household name.

Okay, that might be overstepping just a bit. But he's now made several successful models for Kershaw, this Chive being a great example.

Aesthetically speaking, the Kershaw Chive is a beauty. From its smooth-powdered finish on the handle and the blade to the sleek curves, the only plastic parts you'll see would be the plastic separating the two pieces of the frame and the plastic tab that locks the blade when closed. The knife's gentle curves makes it feel comfortable opened or closed. Overall, the knife is very sleek and attractive.


The Chive is solidly constructed. It's small, light and sharp. The most notable feature, though, is the Speed-Safe opening mechanism. This provides the ease of an automatic opening mechanism, while ensuring you don't cut yourself when it engages. There's a safety to keep it in place as well. Being made mostly of metal, this little knife has some heft to it, giving it a high-quality feel to it. The blade is sharp out of the box and it holds an edge pretty well.


The Kershaw Chive Pocket Knife, as all other knives from the Kershaw Ken Onion series (Scallion, Leek), comes equipped with the Kershaw Speed-Safe technology. It is an assisted-opening system so you need to open the knife manually a little bit. Once partly open, the Speed-Safe system takes over and pops the blade open. The Chive has a thumb stud as well as a protrusion in the blade itself that will stick out the back of the handle when closed. The user can open the knife with the traditional thumb stud, or flick at the protrusion with a finger, usually the index finger. A lock near the bottom of the handle slides over the blade tip when the knife is closed to prevent accidental opening in your pocket or hand.

I really appreciate the Speed-Safe as small knives are hard to open with a "wrist-flick". The assisted opening allows for quick one-handed opening of the knife. I usually clip the knife at the edge of my pocket and can access the knife, unlock it, and flick open easily.

As for actual locking of the blade when open, the Kershaw Chive Knife locks open like most folding knives. However, instead of a liner lock, this lock is cut out of the frame. The frame lock behaves just like the liner lock, but with the benefit of the smoother rounded frame, unlocking the knife to close it is much easier on the fingers (typically I use my thumb).


My only complaint would be the position of the clip. It is attached at the hinge end, and removal of the knife places the knife in the opposite direction of where you want it in your hand to open it easily with a "flick." Because of this, I would have to rotate in my hand 180 degrees to put it in position to open. I've tried Benchmade knives and even a few Buck knives and the clip is attached on the opposite end of the handle. Just a personal complaint; it probably isn't a major issue if speed opening is not that important to you.

Overall, I am very satisfied with the Kershaw Ken Onion Chive Pocket Knife. It is a great looking, small knife and I love how it feels in my hand.


To buy or get more information on the Kershaw Chive Assisted 1-15/16" Plain Blade, Stainless Steel Handles, click the link below.

Kershaw Chive Assisted 1-15/16" Plain Blade, Stainless Steel Handles


To buy or get more information on the Kershaw Ken Onion Chive Assisted 1-15/16" High Polish Blade, High Polish Aluminum Handles, click the link below.

Kershaw Ken Onion Chive Assisted 1-15/16" High Polish Blade, High Polish Aluminum Handles


To buy or get more information on the Kershaw Chive Black Assisted Opening 1-15/16" Baton Coated Plain Blade, click the link below.

Kershaw Chive Black Assisted Opening 1-15/16" Baton Coated Plain Blade






All Comments are Welcome and Appreciated.

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Friday, December 16, 2011

Cold Steel Boar Hunter Fixed Blade Knife Review



Ancient Celtic blades inspired the design of the Cold Steel Boar Hunter, but modern tactical materials make this new hunting knife better than the old battlefield blades. Lynn Thompson of Cold Steel Special Projects built the Boar Hunter for real hunters and field-tested the design on real Australian wild boar.

The long talon-like taper comes from traditional designs, built for penetrating armor and thick hide smoothly. The 13-7/8-inch-long Boar Hunter's hollow-ground edge gives the knife better cutting ability than the old weapons, and Japanese AUS 8A high carbon stainless steel protects the knife from corrosion. The slender point of the 8-3/4-inch blade doesn't decrease the knife's strength. The Boar Hunter's tempered steel flexes to an incredible 45 degrees without snapping or deforming.

After field-testing the knife in the Australian Outback, Thompson decided to improve the handle and incorporated an existing tactical design used in the Cold Steel OSS knife. The knife's double guard prevents any forward slip, and the subhilt keeps the hand on the grip even if the conditions get slippery. This knife was built specifically for stabbing with an injection-molded Kraton handle that allows a full force blow while giving the hand full protection.


The Boar Hunter rides in a Secure-ex sheath designed for ambidextrous access and fits most waist belts. MOLLE-style fittings on the sheath allow strapping the knife to other gear.

The Cold Steel Subhilt Boar Hunter is a knife that doesn't appeal to everyone. Some men swear by them. Other men say they are awkward and temperamental. Some men even claim a subhilt knife is a liability in close-quarter combat and get this, for the very same reason that those who prefer a Subhilt Knife would recommend one! Let me explain further and see if you agree or not.


A Cold Steel Subhilt Boar Hunter has real positive grip-lock. This isn't a knife for doing the Comtech six-part dexterity drill with! Like many knives, this is a one grip type of handle. As the index finger wraps about the lower trigger one hell of a firm grip is established. But, being so "locked-in" as it were, it also causes some concerns about having your digit broken. Being inside the arc of the subhilt is a lot like being inside the trigger guard on a pistol. A knife can be wrenched during a disarm attempt or when bound up in fabric etc. If this happens, yes, the finger can be wrenched or broken. But, over these many, many years now have I not always stressed that the grip of a knifeman as being of paramount importance? Indeed I have! So let us make the "one-grip" aspect and the "locked-in" aspect into positives, eh? We realize the liabilities, but with minimum effort we can neutralize them. I say Onward.....

The Cold Steel Subhilt Boar Hunter Knife is usually graceful and extremely effective in the right hands. The "trigger" on the Boar Hunter Subhilt Knife is a nice addition. It provides control and articulation from the knife more so than from your limb. Ideal for those with arthiritis or stiff wrists & fingers. It takes a mere tug on the trigger to make it happen!


The Cold Steel Boar Hunter is great as a last resort self defense weapon. I plan to hide mine in the house somewhere so that it is available to me in a domestic invasion scenario. This knife is very light and maneuverable in hand and yet a long blade (8 3/4") and about 4mm spine. comes with a secure-ex sheath which locks the knife in, it won't come lose without good amount of pulling force. Comes razor sharp and has a built in sub hilt and double guard to prevent your hand from slipping onto the blade when stabbing. If you're looking for a good fighting knife, The Boar Hunter is definitely worth a look.

I'm very happy with the Cold Steel Boar Hunter. For quality, reliability, strength, sharpness, and utility I give this knife a 9.5 out of 10 ranking. For the price, this knife is a great value that is also sturdy and durable. The Boar Hunter has awesome solid features that make it a knife definitely worth owning.


To buy or get more information on the Cold Steel Boar Hunter Subhilt 8.75" Fixed Blade, click the link below.

Cold Steel Boar Hunter Subhilt 8.75" Fixed Blade



All Comments are Welcome and Appreciated.

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Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Spyderco Terzuola SlipIt Folding Knife Review

Spyderco C131CFP Terzuola Folding Knife 3" S30V Plain Blade, Carbon Fiber Handles

Winner of Blade Magazine's 2009 Collaboration of the Year award, the Spyderco Bob T. Slip-It -- also known as the Spyderco Terzuola -- combines Spyderco's popular folding clip design with Bob Terzuola's improved slip joint. If you want a knife with traditional action but modern features, the Slip-It is the answer.


Older slip-joint knives, with which nearly all of us are still fondly acquainted, were not designed for easy one-handed opening. Put a thumb stud on the standard slip-joint, and you'll probably still resort to two hands to open the blade. The spring-bar slip joint knife resists most strongly at full-open and full-closed positions. Terzuola's innovation works with a very different action. Pressure for opening or closing the blade overcomes the resistance of a ball bearing. Movement is free and easy in between the locked positions. For added safety, the Terzuola adds a second stop to slow the action of the closing blade, allowing fingers a second chance to escape.


The Spyderco Terzuola handle is woven carbon fiber, one of the lightest and strongest materials now available, and a short leather lanyard makes retrieval from the pocket's edge even simpler. The knife's stainless steel pocket clip mounts for either left or right hand use. The Terzuola's plain-edged Wharncliffe blade of CPM S30V high carbon stainless steel remains under the common European legal limit of 3 inches. With a convenient closed length of four inches and an open length that's a practical seven inches, owners of the Terzuola should still be able to carry it nearly anywhere in the world without complications.


To buy or get more information on the Spyderco C131CFP Terzuola Folding Knife with 3" S30V Plain Blade and Carbon Fiber Handles, click the link below.

Spyderco C131CFP Terzuola Folding Knife 3" S30V Plain Blade, Carbon Fiber Handles





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Friday, December 9, 2011

Schrade Extreme Survival Special Forces Fixed Blade Knife Review


This Extreme Survival Knife is decent considering it has a hollow handle. It has a multi-bit screwdriver that threads into the butt end of the handle. The blade is 7 inches long and is made from 1070 High Carbon Steel so it will lose it’s edge faster than better steels. This is a copy of the Chris Reeves’ knife. The blade is one piece of steel and the knife is 12.5 inches in overall length. The balance in this knife is OK but not great and it is rather heavy for a knife this size. There is a decent amount of belly on the blade and has a small section of serrations near the handle. I prefer serrations on the top of a blade because it can be a pain to sharpen a blade with serrations on the cutting edge and you also lose that space close to the handle for cutting purposes.

Schrade Extreme Survival Special Forces 5.6" Plain Blade, Nylon Sheath

The Schrade SCHF2 Extreme Special Forces Survival Knife has a hollow handle. I don’t particularly like or recommend hollow handle survival knives. Obviously with a hollow handle survival knife, you don’t get a full tang, and in turn less durability and strength. The handle is sealed with an o-ring and comes with a 10 piece screwdriver kit housed within the handle (Seems like an odd choice for Survival). I will say I was a little surprised at how solid this knife actually is, considering it has a hollow handle. I would still be concerned with the blade separating from the handle eventually with heavy use.


The sheath is nylon and doesn’t fit the knife particularly well. The knife is rather loose when it’s in the sheath and the attachment points on the sheath are placed oddly and don’t seem useful based on their placement and there is a rectangular steel ring at the top of the sheath that seems plain stupid. I suggest you buy a Kydex sheath to replace it if you decided to use this knife in the field.

I am not particularly fond of survival knives with a hollow handle. They are usually more gimmick than knife but I will admit this knife seems to be more knife than gimmick. It is solid and rather heavy for a knife this size which can be cumbersome to use at times. If you absolutely have to get a survival knife with a hollow handle to play “Rambo” and store some small survival gear in the handle then this is one of the better ones I have come across but I say make sure you have a survival knife with a full tang on hand in case this one breaks.


To buy or get more information on the Schrade Extreme Survival Special Forces with 5.6" Plain Blade and Nylon Sheath , click the link below.

Schrade Extreme Survival Special Forces 5.6" Plain Blade, Nylon Sheath



All Comments are Welcome and Appreciated.

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Tuesday, December 6, 2011

KA-BAR Kukri Machete Review

KA-BAR Kukri Machete 11-1/2" Blade, Leather / Cordura Sheath

If I hear the name Ka-Bar I think of the tried and true fighting knife that's standard equipment for U.S. Marines. It isn't fancy, but most Marines can't break it. Ka-Bar does branch out into other parts of the knife industry from time to time, and the 17" (overall) KA-BAR Black Kukri is one of the company's efforts to exploit markets beyond the Marine Corps.


This isn't the classic Gurkha knife (which still is standard military equipment for soldiers in India). It's been redesigned for the American market. Part of me likes that, and part of me doesn't. The blade is lighter than the traditional kukri, which does make it more sensible if you intend to do some long distance trail hiking. But if you are an ultralight hiker, you aren't going to pick this mini-machete as a companion. Well, I might, but most backpackers wouldn't. Hikers argue about ounces, and whether it make sense to carry them: I would say that when a knife is concerned, ounces are justified.


The KA-BAR Kukri machete was designed with the weight forward. If you look at the design of the blade, leaf pointed and hooked, it's obviously made for chopping and slashing. That's useful for outdoorsmen who might need to clear a campsite or cut a trail. In Colonial India this knife was used for that purpose as much as for combat. Dropping the weight from the blade makes it less efficient for chopping brush, but easier to carry. In our modern times, when we visit the wilderness rather than conquer it, that makes good sense.

Surviving the toughest field testing, the Ka Bar Kukri Machete boasts excellent test results in chopping and basic field use.

It is constructed with 1085 carbon steel blades. Ergonomically shaped Kraton G thermoplastic elastomer handle insures a non-slip grip. The Kabar Kukri measures 17” overall, blade length is 11”. The machete is sold with black leather/Cordura combination sheaths.

Perfect for chopping down weeds, clearing a camp site or cutting small branches, the Ka-Bar Kukri Machete makes a great all-purpose survival machete.

Simply put, the Ka-Bar Kukri is a durable workhorse and is a very good quality machete.

KA-BAR Kukri Machete 11-1/2" Blade, Leather / Cordura Sheath
KA-BAR Kukri Machete 11-1/2" Blade, Leather / Cordura Sheath

When compared to the CS kukri machete that seems to be so popular, the Ka Bar Kukri has a much thicker spine, comes with great fit and finish, is hair-popping sharp out of the box, and has a much better heat treat/steel.


The Ka Bar Kukri Machete is an ideal knife for the outdoorsman who cannot resist the call of the backcountry. This precision machete is well balanced, and with its 11 and 1/2 inch curved blade, cutting through thick brush, clearing a campsite, even chopping firewood will not be a problem. The blade is coated with a strong black epoxy, ensuring a fine, erosion-resistant edge.

The Ka-Bar Kukri has numerous survival applications from brush clearing, to wood chopping, quartering game, and even defensive purposes if it ever came to that. Keep one in addition to a hatchet to cover any chopping needs you may have. They can be used for just about anything.

I love my Ka-Bar Black Kukri. It came razor sharp. It doesn’t hold an edge as long as the Cold Steel kukris but it is much easier to sharpen. Also the handle is more comfortable than any other kukri I have felt. It is perfect for continuous chopping without your hand getting soar. This knife is well worth it’s price which is way less than one would expect.


To buy or get more information on the KA-BAR Kukri Machete with 11-1/2" Blade and Leather / Cordura Sheath, click the link below.

KA-BAR Kukri Machete 11-1/2" Blade, Leather / Cordura Sheath





All Comments are Welcome and Appreciated.

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Friday, December 2, 2011

KA-BAR Dozier Bobcat Folding Knife Review


Designed by Bob Dozier, marketed by Ka-Bar, and manufactured in Taiwan, the Bobcat Dozier from Ka-Bar looks much like Dozier's larger fixed blade designs when open and locked. The Bobcat offers similar grip strength and versatility in a folding lockback build with qualities tactical users and woodsmen both appreciate.


This combo-edged version of the Bobcat unleashes a strong AUS 8 stainless steel clip point blade that's flat ground and beveled at a sharp 15 degrees. Opening the Bobcat is a one-handed procedure for either right or left hand, due to the dual thumb studs at the blade's base. That's one of the few arguable faults of the Bobcat, which is a little awkward to open because of the otherwise very practical bolster formed from the pivot area of the handle. It's a tolerable trade-off; that same handle shape does increase the knife's safety in slippery conditions.


The Zytel handle may get more attention than the blade, because it's certainly more handle than you get in most pocket clip folders. Five-and-a-quarter inches when folded, the knife offers leverage and control you won't find in the usual compact and slimmed-down style. Textured Kraton inserts increase the friction of the handle slabs, and the inner liners of stainless steel form a very strong foundation for heavy work.

The lockback blade brushes the legal limit of 4 inches for a pocket folding knife in the U.S. and should be enough for utility work, cleaning small game and fish, and even field dressing the occasional white-tail. If you choose the eight-ounce Bobcat for bloody work, remember that folders aren't the easiest field knives to clean. Camp work and other chores suit them best.


To buy or get more information on the KA-BAR Bobcat Dozier with 4" Black Combo Blade and Black Zytel Handles , click the link below.

KA-BAR Bobcat Dozier 4" Black Combo Blade, Black Zytel Handles

Production of this model has ended. Limited quantities available.


To buy or get more information on the KA-BAR Bobcat Dozier with 4" Black Combo Blade and Foliage Green Zytel Handles , click the link below.

KA-BAR Bobcat Dozier 4" Black Combo Blade, Foliage Green Zytel Handles

Production of this model has ended. Limited quantities available.

KA-BAR Bobcat Dozier 4" Black Combo Blade, Foliage Green Zytel Handles


All Comments are Welcome and Appreciated.

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