There must be two versions of this knife because most of the reviews are very good and imply that the knife is very inexpensive for the high level of its quality, but some are pretty bad based upon the low level of quality. My experience is that the quality is pretty low, but then, I got what I paid for. I also think the poor quality of this knife may take a little time to become apparent, but here are my problems with it after several days of ownership:
* The knife is stylish but all of the edges on the laminated metal and plastic parts of the handle have sharp edges such that you can actually give yourself small cuts by letting the handle slip against your fingers or by gripping the handle too tightly in the wrong places. I was able to correct this with a small Dremel grinding drum. It took about 15 minutes to get the handle edges partially rounded and smooth.
* I decided that I did not need the clip which is held on by 3 hex screws. Upon making sure I had a tight fit of the hex wrench in the screw head, I started to turn the screw with very mild torque and immediately stripped the hex head. I tried the next screw and got the same result. I do not know of what metal these screws are made, but it is so soft that the screws cannot be removed. I have never run across a metal this soft being used for screws. They are junk.
* Initially the blade was very difficult to flip open even with the use of the thumb push. This was solved by just a little oil and working it back and forth about 20 times.
* About 1 ½ days later the blade began to wobble at its connection with the handle. This situation deteriorated to the point that the knife was a danger to its user. The loose blade was caused by 2 hex screws that had loosened, one on each side of the handle. Given my previous experience with the soft metal hex screws, I almost decided to send it back to Amazon as junk. However, these hex screws were almost twice as big as the ones that immediately stripped. Using all possible caution I was able to tighten these screws to eliminate the wobble without stripping the screws.
* When I first got the knife, the blade was dull. I sharpened it as best I could, but once again the "stainless steel" was too soft to hold a decent edge. My test for sharpness is to hold a piece of paper in one hand while slowly slicing the paper on its edge. The blade was able to do this 4 times. I tried to do this again and the paper could no longer be sliced but it would tear. I tried several more times and the paper continued to be torn. I have never seen a knife go dull so rapidly. As another test of the blade, I put a small drop of water on it and let it sit until the water evaporated (about 25 minutes). When I returned there was a spot on the blade where the water was. I tried to rub it off with my thumb, and then tried a small amount of alcohol and then a small amount of soapy water. The stain would not come off. I imagine stainless steel polish could work but I have not tried that yet. So, I have a knife that will not stay sharp that is made from stainable stainless steel.
The final lesson is that I got a $6 knife for $12, but it looks like it is worth quite a bit more. In today's world spin, image and perception all seem to trump reality. I suspect some of these newer points of view may have leaked into some of the Amazon product reviews because based upon the Amazon pictures and reviews, I would have paid more. I'm glad I didn't. Matrix Silver Stainless Steel Folding Knife
This knife is quite large welbuilt and extremly duable. solid stainless steel handle and blade. It opens nicely could use a drop of oil from time to time. Very tough and has withstood ALL the abuse i have put it through like beating nails in, useing it as a pry bar, use under water in snow and with various other corosive materials, skining cable, a saw, as a hammer, screwdriver, and all kinds of things a knife shouldnt be used for. It could also make a good self defence knife. I likr the handle because it fits my hand and cant be pulled out of my grip easily. It is a liner lock and the lock works good never failed for me yet. The blade also stays sharp fairly well. I have owned it for at least a year and a half now. A verry good investment of your money. I hope this was helpfull and this knife lasts for you.
This knife, when i got it was in a small box, but was an enormous knife, much bigger than i had expected, (9.5 inches when unfolded) and it surprised me. Quite a nice knife, i'm told the impression you get is you can skin a moose or small bear with it. I use it primarily for camping and feeding horses, but also, in its 'off time' (when i'm not backpacking), for a letter opener. It holds its sharpness well, and does not dull too easy.
One of the things you have to watch for, on mine, it has a false lock ( it gives a click when it opens before the blade is secularly locked in place to cut), so when you open it, you either have to open it with speed to get it to lock, or double-check that it is locked. i have on numerous times thought it was locked, just by feel, but ended up almost getting a finger caught.
beautiful knife, durable, and ok for everyday uses, but it can do much more.
i ordered it on the 28th, it came from Massachusetts to northern arkansas, in december, on the 31st. on time.
Let me start off by saying this is one of the biggest folders you'll ever see. If you're wanting an EDC (every day carry) blade look elsewhere because in my humble opinion its a bit on the large side for that. However it is a nice knife for some rough work not necessarily because it's tough (its not flimsy either) but because its so cheap. I used mine as a pry tool to pull up some bricks in my yard. Of course I broke the tip off but for twelve bucks it performed pretty well. This knifes greatest strength is its price. You know you only paid twelve bucks for it so your not afraid to use it roughly. I know when I buy "rough use" knives for 70 bucks I'm actually afraid to go and use it roughly because I don't want to have thrown 70 bucks away. It's not a bad buy really, nothing special, just a larger than average folder. 3 stars. - Knife - Camping Knife - Stainless - Durable'
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