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Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Materials, Finish, Blade Sharpness
Cons: None
No Crying Here
I decided I had to check out one of these relatively inexpensive knives in D2 steel that seem to be flooding the market of late. Not too long ago you would pay $100, or more for a knife this size of D2 steel (Knives of Alaska, etc). I’d be curious to know if D2 steel didn’t get some kind of exemption from the trade tariffs, r/t some special needs for D2 used in industry in the USA. Just a guess. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Sorrow arrived sharp with even grinds, and fine fit and finish. The handle is very ambidextrous and comfortable in left, or right hand. Scales are grippy, but use black screws next time. You can almost use these screws as a signal mirror. I like the fighter style downward cant to the blade. This knife is well balanced, though somewhat weighty with its 3/16” tang/spine. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Nice sheath, but I’m not crazy about the seat belt material used for the belt loop. You could fit a 4” belt in the loop, making for sloppy carry. You can stitch just below, or above the knife retention strap to resolve the problem. Since seat belt straps do not have much body, I recommend replacing it with a stiff leather belt loop. Better yet, remove the whole belt loop and L-bracket *, drill a hole in leading edge of sheath, just below the top eyelet, and opposite the top eyelet on the trailing edge of sheath. Add an eyelet. Put a “Boker IWB Belt Loop by Blade Tech” (Part #: BO09BO507), into the new eyelet on face side of sheath. Then, flip it over and add an IWB Belt Loop to opposite hole, trailing edge of sheath on the backside. You now have a completely ambidextrous sheath for your ambidextrous knife, that can be carried strong side IWB/inside belt behind holster, or weak side IWB/inside the belt behind mag pouch, or inside the belt crossdraw @ 10 o’clock (2:00 lefties). Very discreet low-profile carry. (*excellent knife retention from Kydex sheath without knife retention strap, unless carrying upside-down/vertically) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I had made what some folks took as a disparaging comment about D2 steel in a post to a KnifeCenter YouTube video “Best D2 Knives Under $50.” One new friend informed me that with a proper heat treat, grind, and thin edge D2 can be a great slicer. I conceded he was right. I didn’t mention that D2 has a reputation for being brittle. So, I was curious to see if Real Steel had the confidence in their heat treatment to produce a thin edged blade of D2. I decided to compare the edge of Sorrow, to my Eickhorn Solingen, Bellator Fixed, a 4.6” bladed tactical knife of Bohler N695 (German improved 440C). Both knives are made from 3/16” thick stock. First thing I noticed was Sorrow has a 20 degree edge, E/S had the confidence in their N695 to go with a 15 degree edge on Bellator. Sorrow is 0.035” thickness behind the edge. Bellator is 0.021” behind the edge. It appears to me that Real Steel has confidence that D2 can be brittle, or at least their D2. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> So, I took Sorrow + Bellator in the kitchen to my Epicurean Handy Board (Part #: EPI008090701), and sliced a hard salami (Part #: HSALAMI4U : ) and compared the two knives slicing. In slicing the hard salami I found the cutting performance of both knives to be excellent and virtually equal. I would rate their performances at 4.7 out of 5, despite the differences in edge and primary grinds. It seemed Sorrow performed better than Bellator, cutting deeper when struck down hard in a slashing cut, r/t greater mass/weight. I would be neglect not to mention that Bellator will be performing at about a ‘2’ after a hundred salamis, whereas, Sorrow will still be performing at 4.7. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> The two sides of the swedge on Sorrow do not meet at the spine. They have left about a mm spine between the swedge grinds running all the way to the point. I believe this was done to strengthen the point. This knife is overbuilt, dispelling any of my concerns of the brittle nature of D2. Since Sorrow imbues confidence, and can be carried with such versatility, I’m a feared Sorrow is destined to follow me all of my days.