Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Blade Sharpness
Cons: Overall Quality, Finish
Simple Tool Well Executed
I received four of these knives last week. One for me and three for gifts. Overall, I thought that the quality was O.K. The wood in the handles was warm in color and attractive (not quite as red as cherry wood, but close). Fit and finish could have been more consistent. One of the four knives had extra space at the end of the grove on the back of the handle where the tang ended. Not much but it was noticeable. (Note that this knife is not quite full tang. The tang ends just before the lanyard hole and the bottom of the handle covers the bottom edge of the tang.) All four had extra lacquer on them, especially on the butt-end where they were apparently left tip-up to dry. Two had some uneven application of lacquer but a little sanding took care if them.These knives are lighter than I expected, due to slightly thinner blades than I am used to (about 3/32 instead of 1/8 inch). However, the balance is very good. The handle is a little too square along the edge on both sides, but since these are plain wood, that is easily corrected. I really like the design and size of these knives and all four were more than adequately sharp out of the box. The fit in the sheath is loose, but since one's belt actually passes through the slots in the sheath, the belt takes up the slack inside the sheath and the knife is very secure. The plain white lanyard is nice, especially since a lanyard is necessary in order to get the knife out of the very deep sheath.So far I have only used one of the knives to cut some rope and to make a bit of kindling for a fire. It worked well and stayed sharp throughout.While I appreciate the tacti-cool stuff, I always seem to be drawn to simple knives with simple materials. This is what these Svord knives have in spades. They do not cost a lot and are good, serviceable knives that one can easily alter to suit one's tastes.
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