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Pros: Blade Material, Overall Quality, Finish, Usable
Cons: Handle Material, Sheath/Scabbard
a tank, brought to you by APOC
this thing is BUILT. and thiccc in the rear(insert drum kick here). there will be nitpicks on this, but there aren't many and i'll say when i'm simply nitpicking. short version: sharp, quick, built like the proverbial tank but twice as lively. downside? handle is super chunky and thick, even when you have big hands, bit too hilt heavy, and the sheath is pretty meh, but definitely worth the money, especially for light duty chopping. long version: this thing is overbuilt like you wouldn't believe. it's around a quarter inch thick at the base of the spine, then has a pronounced distal taper towards the point, which keeps it lively in the hand. came almost shaving sharp, but a very work-friendly edge which can be touched up without much work.the tip lines up perfectly with the wrist for thrusts as well. about the only real nitpick i have with the blade is that the edge is just BARELY, as in less than a degree, out of alignment with the spine. its slight enough that its barely noticeable, and didnt affect usability, but it is there. that's literally it for the nitpicks on the blade. everything else, the grind, finish, symmetry...perfect. the spine is thick enough to take a beating and has just enough of an angle to strike a ferro rod. the only real issue is that the distal taper is pronounced enough that its really not heavy enough at the tip to handle heavy duty chopping or prying, which is a real bummer. the big problem with this blade, though, is the handle. it's SUPER chunky, and that's coming from a guy with a medium-sized bear paw for a hand. the handle scales are about standard thickness for the APOC line, but the issue is that the tang is also super thick, which makes it a bit too thick for comfort. the way it swells out at the pommel(the bird's head, as it were) is a very well though out design and is very secure in the hand, but, again, is overall too thick and wide to be that comfortable. that being said, the pommel really does lock it in to the hand during use, so i'll give it a pass. that being said, if you have the time and a decent file the grip scale thickness could be alleviated. it would also have benefited from a lanyard hole, but that's more of a personal preference than anything. the base of the protrusion on the blade(it's too small to be called a guard), is a bit too angled to be 100% comfortable, but it's not too bad, especially because the entire thing tends to end up riding down in the hand due to the blade design. the only other real con of this blade is the sheath. its better than no sheath, and does it's job, but that's about it. it is, technically, MOLLE compatible, but the plastic is thin enough i don't think it'd stand much torque or hard use. that being said, the rest of the scabbard is fairly sturdy and has a drain hole in the bottom, which is a plus. all in all, its another very well made piece from APOC that will serve you very well for light brush and backyard cutting..
