I got this knife today, and immediately knew I needed to review it. See, I picked this knife because it was in top reviews, and it had the features I was looking for (serrated, carbon steel or AUS-8, low price point, etc.). I later went back to the reviews here, and a ton of them scared the crap out of me. The biggest one being people claiming the locking mechanism didn't come down far enough to lock the blade into place....
I'm including up close pictures so you can see this knife for yourself.
It's a good, solid build. Much better than what I expected $12 to get me. I recently paid $22 for an AUS8 knife which wasn't nearly as nice as this one is.
Razor sharp edges, even at the serrated portion. The clip is heavy duty metal, and is screwed into the frame. There's good weight to it which indicates it's good metal, but it's still lightweight enough to make a great pocketknife. Most importantly about the weight is when it's open, it's actually balanced towards the center - the ultimate mark of a great knife.
No, the top part isn't sharp. I DIDN'T EXPECT IT TO BE SHARP. Anyone familiar with this kind of blade design KNOWS the top part is NEVER sharp, and WHY.
Most importantly, THE LOCK WORKS PROPERLY. No, it doesn't move ALL the way to the other side, because that would quite obviously make the blade unsteady and more likely to slip down. It positions itself right below the blade, like it very well SHOULD.
Honestly, for the $12 I paid, this is an absolute STEAL. It could quite easily be a $30 knife.
Please. Check out the detailed reviews here. Those are the people who know what they're talking about. Most of them discuss using this knife for work purposes, as well. Those are the kinds of reviews you need to pay attention to here on Amazon.
For me personally, I've been trained in hand to hand combat including knife fighting for self defense since I was 5 years old. My grandfather was a Korean war vet with medals and honors, and he was into knives both as a collector and as a defense weapon. I like to carry a good pocket knife on me because a. People in public get nervous when I carry a buck knife strapped to my hip and b. I know if I have to defend myself, I've got my best chances with a knife in my hand, no matter the attacker.
I also know that one doesn't need a $100 knife just to stick it to someone or something. Just good metal, good balance for throwing, and a good blade design which not only allows for it to cut, but also allows one to twist it so a wound doesn't close back up when it's removed. When it comes to survival, this is how you take dinner down, and with a serrated edge, you can even saw some small things. Additionally, should you ever get pinned down by a seat belt, serrated edges will allow you to cut yourself free.
This knife qualifies for all of that. So if you're just looking for a good cheap multipurpose knife, this is a good pick.
Abby
Dan
Jonquil M
The Red Baron
Chelsea P.