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Pros: Handle Material
Cons: None
A Step Down From the Original Design
I want to begin this review by mentioning that I bought both this knife and the old Taylor Brands Schrade Landshark model for the sole purpose of testing side by side and reviewing, to see which company had the better design of the Landshark, is it the Taylor Brands version (old) or is it American Outdoor Brands version (new)? Let's find out! Blade: The blade steel is marked as AUS-10 and while I don't necessarily doubt that it's true (though I do have some reservations and think it may be 9Cr18MoV based on performance), it doesn't perform to the level I usually see AUS-10 perform to. In direct side-by-side testing with the original design Landshark from Taylor Brands Schrade, I found that the AUS-10 steel this knife uses performed pretty closely to the AUS-8 of the Taylor Brands Schrade version, after 75 cuts through thick cardboard with each. It touched up easily enough afterward, but not quite as readily as the old AUS-8 version. I also notice that the blade was changed slightly, while the Taylor Brands Schrade version has some recurve in its blade, giving it some belly for pull cutting, this American Outdoor Brands Schrade version is a straight spear point design, which causes it to slice a bit less well when pull cutting, but penetrate packaging much more easily, I also want to point out that the grind has changed, with the original version having a high flat grind and this new one having a more abrupt saber grind, which did bind up more when slicing, it still sliced fairly well, just not to the level of the old design, but I will say the coating on this newer version, held up much better than the coating on the original. Handle: The handle on this new version is a textured G10, the texture is reasonably grippy and provides good traction which I like, however, the scales are also fairly thick, considerably thicker than the aluminum scales on the older Taylor Brands version, the upside to this is that it fills the hand out much better, but the downside is that it's more noticeable in the pocket. I didn't notice any serious hotspots while cutting with it either, except for what I'm about to mention down below. Pocket Clip: This is a strict downgrade from the original Taylor Brands version, the clip is oriented for tip-down only carry, and is comically large, which caused it to intrude more on the hand when cutting, you WILL feel this clip in your hand. Add on that the tension isn't great and the fact that on mine, it doesn't rest flat against the handle scales (see here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/6ZuTRpn2GgY), and the clip for me is just a pretty big miss. Weight: The weight is reasonable, it's actually 0.1 ounces lighter than the original model, so for anyone counting ounces in their carry rotation, this may just be a big upside for you. Fit and Finish: The fit and finish is fine, it's not amazing, it's not bad, it's somewhere in the middle, which is to be expected of a $40ish knife, or at least it used to be. When compared to Civivi's, Sencuts, and Kizers of similar prices, the Delta Landshark falls a bit flat, and when compared to the old Taylor Brands version, this American Outdoor Brands definitely takes a bit of a hit, it feels less rounded, the cuts on the blade feel less refined and the flipper tab is outright uncomfortable to use when compared to many other knives, the Taylor version included. Overall value: I think that it's still a decent knife for the money, but it admittedly wouldn't be my 1st, 2nd, 3rd or even 10th choice in this price range, the budget knife world has expanded so much and has become so competitive, that you really have to go above and beyond to impress me, which this didn't. Many knives in this price range have steels that outperform it, better clips, better fit and finish, and because of that, this has a hard time sticking out. If you're choosing between this and the older version, I recommend the older version over this one by quite a bit. Other knives in this price range to consider over this Schrade are: Sencut Scepter, Civivi Elementum, Kizer Infinity, Ganzo FH41S, CJRB Feldspar Small and SOG Terminus.