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Pros: Blade Material, Ease of Opening, Handle Feel, Handle Material, Lock Ease of Use, Lock Type
Cons: None
I'd Pay More For Vintage.
The hawkbill pruner with brown delrin handles. I love these knives and I'm glad I got this one. This type of knife is my favorite utility tool and I use it for anything and everything including pruning and opening boxes, bags, bacon etc... However, the vintage Utica hawkbill pruner I got off ebay is much more to my liking. The older ones were freaky solid-- the spring on my old one is ridiculously thick and strong, to the point where it's a little scary and dangerous just opening and closing it... if your hands are too small you probably won't be able to open it safely or maybe at all but it has zero side-to-side play and feels almost as sturdy as a fixed blade. it's a beast. The modern Utica pruner is very serviceable, it opens with a decent snap but even a person with smaller/weaker hands can operate it safely-- it's really a shadow of its former self. There is a small amount of side-to-side play in the blade, but probably not enough to be a problem when using. I'm glad I got this knife, but if I'd been aware of the relative decline in quality I'd have sought another vintage one instead. I will add, I'd buy this newer Utica pruner over most other modern knives in the same price range.
