Pros: Blade Sharpness, Overall Quality, Materials, Handle Material
Cons: None
Top grade all way around
Exhalent chopper
Reviews and Ratings for Spartan Blades Professional Grade Machai Fixed Blade Knife 6.625" 1095 Black Powder Coated Blade, Black Micarta Handles, Black Injection Molded Sheath - SBSL002BKBK
(3 reviews) 4 out of 5 stars
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Customer Reviews
Joe
MissouriJan 26, 2022
James
Belvidere, NJMar 17, 2020
Pros: Weight, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Blade Sharpness
Cons: Overall Quality, Sheath/Scabbard, Finish
With a few updates this knife would be a home run
The flagship model in Spartan Blades new line of 'silver class' knives, the Machai is the largest from this series (all silver class knives are made by K-Bar). It features the ubiquitous K-Bar steel, 1095 CroVan. To me 1095 is the fast food of blade steels; it's everywhere, but definitely not the best thing available. CroVan changes that however, which is partly the reason I bought this knife. I'm also a big fan of a recurve blades and the Machai has a prominent one. The front half of the blade has a rounded portion that I've found beneficial for light chopping and game processing. There is a stout tip that almost certainly won't fail when prying. The spine has a gentle slope just after the handle which provides an excellent spot to rest your thumb when doing push cuts. There's no jimping but for me that's not bad as often it is so aggressive you're compelled to wear gloves, something I never do. The blade has a sabre grind with a secondary bevel, which is my favorite type of configuration. There are some confusing 1.0 type of things I'm afraid. The spine does not have a sharp 90 degree spine, a curious omission for a field knife. It's also coated in a black material, which is definitely getting stripped from my knife. For those who think that has merit you'll probably like this version because it's at least smooth and not the bedliner-esqe coating you get from some other company's. The finger choil on the blade is not usable unless your hands are very small. I'm not even certain a medium sized index finger will fit well. The handle is the biggest problem unfortunately; it's flat, thin and can create hot spots. If you have medium male hands it may be OK, but if your hands are large or XL (like mine) it's probably going to cause you problems. The scales need to be twice the thickness they are now, and also about a 1/16 taller as the tang sticks out beyond the scales. Not evenly though as it varied, so there are some QC issues to contend with as well. Jimping on the top of the scales caused a hot spot on the fleshy part of my hand between the thumb and index finger when I was using a hammer grip. Ironically the contour they incorporate into the handle for an index finger invites you to use a hammer grip, but you aren't rewarded for it. The sheath is also a bit of a mixed bag. It's plastic, which no $200 knife should have, but I don't know they could have made it from Kydex because of the locking mechanism. There is a unique thumb activated lock that does hold the knife firmly in place, a neat feature. The blade slides into the sheath very easily, almost too easy. Once locked in place it's rattle free and held firmly. A light bit of pressure from your thumb slides the lock open and the knife come out freely. It's distinctive and works quite well, although the jury is out on longevity because I've only had the knife for a short while. The belt loop is a separate piece that bolts to the sheath using 4 screws. It feels sturdy and is unlikely to break, even under heavy use, but the two flexible strap loops that are used to go around your belt come across as some type of less than high end flexible plastic-like material. All-in-all this is a good knife but there are a few rough edges in the design and implementation, with the handle and tiny blade choil chief among them. For what you get $200 strikes me as kind of high, but what constitutes value is different for everyone.
Michael
New YorkSep 02, 2023
Pros: Blade Material, Blade Sharpness, Finish
Cons: Handle Material, Sheath/Scabbard
Hoped for more
This knife needed more voice of customer. Styled slightly like a Kukri which is what I was aiming for but it's really too short. Handles are square and uncomfortable with long use. Sheath is okay but nothing special. After purchasing this and using it for a couple of weeks it's gone back in the box. I wish I could find a comfortable, stylish, set of handles and I would bump this knife to a 4. [Maybe I'll make this my gardening knife?]