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Pros: Blade Material, Blade Sharpness, Handle Feel, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Pocket Clip, Weight
Cons: None
Easy to Carry Classy Gentlemen's Knife
I wanted to add a shredded/marbled carbon fiber knife to my collection and I wanted to add a CJRB Ria to my collection. I saw that this knife was on special for $79.95 and decided to give it a try. I'm sure glad I did. I carried it to a wedding a few months ago and it did not feel scary or out of place in the slightest. The marbled carbon fiber looks and feels great. It is a matte carbon fiber with some micro-milling for texture. Because of this, you need to be up close to see its "chatoyancy" (fun word to say, but an apt description of how it plays with the light). I haven't noticed any apparent voids in it, so I think I got a very nice cut of marbled carbon fiber for my handles. The milled titanium pocket clip and hidden lanyard hole standoff help maintain the sleek an classy look of this knife. It's handle is slim and ergonomic with a very easy to carry profile. Although the CPM-S35VN blade is just listed as having a satin finish, I wouldn't be surprised if it was actually sand polished (at least when comparing it to my WMK exclusive CJRB Maileah with a satin AR-RPM9 blade). I haven't tested the edge retention much, but it came quite sharp out of the box (easily sliced through receipt paper and newspaper) and seemed to hold its edge well. The only negatives (which are minor for me) I have with this knife are manipulation. Keep in mind that this knife is really only made for right-handed people (both for carry and manipulation). Specifically, having just the one thumbstud which is partially obscured by the handle makes it a little tricky to open and the minimal cutout for it, as well as the liner lock, makes closing also a little tricky. The bearings give a smooth, quick action (with solid lockup) in addition to a decently strong detent. Eventually, you can get the hang of flicking it open and letting it drop shut, but you need good dexterity for it. Deployment is limited mostly just thumb-flicking it open since the limited thumbstud access and detent strength make it harder to roll open than to flick. This knife may have benefitted from a small nail nick as an alternate option, but I could see difficulty accessing that making it not worth it to add. Overall, this is a nice knife to use and carry when you want a fancier option that feels very well made (easily the fanciest of my four CJRB knives). If you think manipulating the lock and blade are going to be too difficult for you, then I'd suggest looking at other options. If that's not a problem, I think you'll really enjoy carrying and using this CJRB Ria.
