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Pros: Weight, Ease of Opening, Handle Material, Pocket Clip, Blade Material, Overall Quality
Cons: None
Great knife for this price point
Yes, it's made in China. You kind of expect it at this price point. But what I think of the knife and express in this review will be confined to what I think about the knife, unaffected by my usual preference for US-made folders. I have everything from cheapo no-name overseas-manufactured folders, to China-made offerings from good US companies, to US-made midline production knives, to higher-end US-made production knives...so I kind of have a decent idea of what to expect at a given price point. And I like this knife. I have big hands--glove size XL or XXL--and this fits nicely into my hand. Nice, generous handle size. Wide enough for a decent grip, but thin enough to sit well in a pocket without undue bulk. For its size, this thing is light. It's actually light enough to wear with dress pants. Easy in the pocket--and the clip holds my pants pocket well without shredding the material. Not a tiny EDC blade, but 3.25" is right about in the sweet spot for me. The coating on the blade is a nice touch on the D2 steel, which is slightly less "stainless" than other steels. This holds an edge decently and sharps back up easily--a good combination for an EDC For those who care about such things, the blade is well-centered when closed. When I first got the knife there was a tiny amount of side-to-side play when the blade was open; that was easily resolved by just a small tweak on one side of the pivot screw (torx; I think #6). The pivot screws are a nice touch; they are actually in the shape of the letter "V" (V Nives, get it?). The clip is well-designed; no hot spots in hand (I carry right-handed, tip-up, so the clip is in my palm when I hold the handle). The scales are textured enough with lines that the grip is decent even if your hand is wet. The backlock is easy to operate, but you're not going to hit it by accident; it's "Boyle dented." It locks up with no play in the backlock and without that stiffness of opening that many less expensive backlock knives have. I've used it for breaking down cardboard boxes, food prep, opening packages, and the usual around-the-office and around-the-house things, including cutting electrical zip ties (those things are tough!). Does the D2 steel hold an edge under hard use like the fancier steels that have become so commonplace (SV30, SV35N, Elmax, etc.)? No, but it sharpens back up a whole lot more easily than those steels do, and it's superior in edge retention to the budget steels with which we are all familiar (and are also ok for EDC, say, 8Cr13MoV, AUS-8, etc.). No, I wouldn't use this as a shop knife, but the D2 is quite serviceable as an EDC. D2 is kind of a 'middle' steel, and I have several knives that feature it. A nice knife, especially at this price point. Good workmanship. I think you'll like it if you enjoy slightly larger EDC folders, especially at this price point.