This seems like a good knife, especially at the price. I've not been pounding on it with a hammer, or using it to chisel marble, but the constrction seems sound, the blade well mounted and of high quality, the grip easy on the hand, and the mechanism locks positively and well.
Reflecting upon another review, it is possible that a smaller hand might find the thumb-knurl on the small side and difficult to open, for lack of leverage and inadequate purchase. This is only a guess, but may be a matter of consideration for others. As already noted, I find the blade easy to open and the lock mechanism tight and solid.
One other point of approval -- the belt-clip is very solid, tight and well-mounted. Many other manufacturers seem to go cheap on the clip, which makes carrying the knife a problem after a while. The clip loosens up and the knife will easily fall off the belt if one is in an awkward position or brushing past things. This guy looks like it will stay on the belt long after the belt itself has fallen away. This, for me, is another positive.
The price is really good, but there are reasons why the price is so cheap. I've had the knife for three months and there have been some problems. The biggest problem is the joint, the joint is made of low quality plastic that will become very flimsy in a short amount of time. The other problem that isn't as big of a deal is the liner lock, the liner lock is weak and doesn't feel good when being used. Overall the best thing about the knife is the price, if that's the only reason you want the knife you will be satisfied. If you want a knife that you plan on using for more than just light labor this isn't the knife for you, you might want to try Gerber Knives.
I'd never had one of these liner lock knives before & when I saw this one for the price on here while researching the Victorinox knife I also purchased (Farmer's pocketknife, excellent!) I figured I'd try it, what could another letter opener hurt.
Well, it hurt me! First time I opened the blade it didn't lock and I didn't realize it and closed the serrated part a little on my finger like an idiot. Yes, it's very sharp! After playing with it some more, the lock seemed so stiff that I was thinking of returning it, there was no way it could be operated one-handed.
However, playing with it some more, I tried flicking the blade open. I was able to do this easily even with it fully closed (another customer mentions flicking it open from a partially opened position, but I've had good luck doing it with the knife fully closed.). The blade easily locked! I did this a few more times just to hear the nice locking sound it made. But then I noticed, I was able to easily open and lock the blade with one hand. I suppose the flicking sped up a breaking-in process that a few more two-handed openings would have done.
Umm, I guess I should add, if you're going to try flicking the blade open MAKE SURE YOU CAN HANG ONTO THE KNIFE. I'm a big guy with big hands and nobody was in the room with me; I wouldn't make a habit of opening a knife this way, because it only has to go wrong once when you get careless to really be a bad thing. And I'm going to be closing it with two hands just to be safe.
So now I'm fully pleased with the knife. Easy one-hand open and lock. It's got a really well-machined appearance and feel to it, seems to be well-made in every area. Feel's good in the hand, I don't think it'll get away from you any while you're cutting or sawing. It's very light, too, I could slip it in a pocket and forget it.
Overall, for this price and quality, I can only recommend it. If you're a nOOb like me to these kinds of knives however, this is no toy, it will cut you if you're a moron. So be careful, and enjoy this incredibly cheap, amazing little piece of hardware.
It's the best ten dollar knife I've ever bought.
I wasn't expecting much. I read the reviews and said to myself, "I know this is a waste of money but why the hell not?" I'm glad I did.
I'm kind of a knife nut. I've been one since I was a kid and that was a lonnnnngggg time ago. Over the years I have collected dozens of knives and I've used all of them for various tasks around the house, on the job and while camping or travelling. I have several big knives from Swamp Rat, Becker and SOG, a few martial arts knives from Cold Steel, hunting knives from Lakota, Puma, Fallkniven and Buck and boxes full of folding knives from Victorinox, Spyderco, Buck, Kershaw, Al Mar, Benchmade, Gerber and numerous others. A few purchases were junk--like a CRKT folder that refuses to take an edge no matter how much I hone it. A few were disappointments--like an Ontario/RAT military/survival knife that cost a hundred bucks and the handles fit like a three buck dimestore toy. A few were surprises--like the Byrd knives made in China and imported by Spyderco.
This S&W was one of the surprises.
It's made in China by Taylor Cutlery. It's badged as Smith & Wesson but S&W doesn't really make it and probably has nothing to do with the design, choice of materials or anything else. It's a cheap knife that is made to be sold and should be junk. But it's not.
This is not the sharpest knife I've ever bought but it can be sharpened to a good utility edge. The serrations are good for utility purposes as well and they can be touched up nicely with the Spyderco Sharpmaker. It's not the prettiest knife I've ever bought but I bought it as a "beater" so looks are not important. The tanto-point blade has a good, even grind and the thickness of the blade makes for a pretty strong utility knife overall. The clip is a bit on the flimsy side but it holds the knife inside the pocket well suspended. The aluminum handles have good gripping surfaces that helps to prevent your hand slipping when wet. Opening and closing is smooth and easy to perform one handed. Really, it's a knife that just seems to fulfill the purpose of being a folding knife.
The best part is that it's a ten buck knife.
I don't expect this knife to last for decades. I won't be passing it down to future generations. It's going to be rode hard and put up wet and abused and neglected. It will get a sharpening when dull and an oiling when the joint is sluggish but it's not going to get the treatment I give to my expensive knives. I'll use it for dirty jobs and if it gets lost in the process, I will not feel too much pain. It's just a ten buck knife.
EDIT 04/07/2010: What they say about the lock is true. It wears pretty quickly, turning this folder into a fixed blade until you can find a screwdriver or other tool to pry the lock out of the way and close it. About the same quality lock mechanism as I've seen in some $40 Chinese Gerbers. Difference is, in a $40 knife it's garbage and in a $10 knife it's expected. - Pocket - Smith And Wesson - Black - Knife'
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