Folding Pocket Knife: 3.5" EDC Knives with G10 handle & D2 Tool Steel for Men Women (Black)

I ordered this knife after seeing Stassa23's in depth review. He called it a sleeper and he wasn't kidding. Assuming the blade steel is legit and the heat treat is on par with his example, this knife is a mind blower. My #2 has real carbon fiber scales and the fit/finish are nothing short of immaculate. The blade arrived hair popping sharp with a pretty even grind that seems exaggerated at the transition from hollow grind to flat grind near the tip. 14C28N drop point blade with a really attractive compound grind. Lockup is incredibly solid. The ceramic bearings make the blade drop shut after getting past the detent. Speaking of the detent, it is snappy without being too harsh. I really like the detent strength.I have a lot of knives that cost 3x as much as this knife and they are all inferior by comparison. When stock replenishes, I fully intend to buy more for gifts.I have the G10 version and the Carbon Fiber versions now and I have to comment on the differences between them. The G10 version does not have the thumb stud relief cutaways that allow better access for thumb stud deployment. The flipper is still very functional with the same difficult to fail detent though. The lack of a cutaway on the scales does make this knife slightly more difficult to deploy using the thumb stud. I understand that the choice to not relieve the scales there was likely made for cosmetic reasons as some of the hexagonal depressions would only be partially visible and they would have to redesign the way these scales were milled to account for that, which is considerably more work I imagine. One thing to also note is that the G10 feels almost polished and plasticky feeling. They aren't as grippy as one would imagine and I frankly think they could use sandblasting or something to get rid of this shiny look and feel. For the money spent, the G10 knife is still an unbelievable value and I still recommend it very much. I just think the Carbon is likely the best knife out of the bunch mainly due to the cutaways and not being a frame lock like the titanium version is. I will try to get a Ti version if I can just to complete the set though.

I bought an assault team #3, which has the honeycomb G10 handle scales, but from what I can tell, all 3 versions of this knife use the same blade and only have differences when it comes to handles, which means most of what I talk about will translate over 1:1 regardless of which version catches your eye. This has quickly become one of my favorite knives, and I now consider it my default pocketknife for EDC. It has some hiccups—enough for me to knock 1 star off my review—but overall, this knife is an insanely good budget option.I'll start with the positives, because there are many. The blade is made of Sandvik 14C28N steel, which is well known and beloved in the knife community as the king of budget steels since it can perform admirably, even compared to much more expensive alloys. It's incredibly durable (even more so than some super steels), highly resistant to rust and corrosion, fairly easy to sharpen, and holds an edge to an acceptable degree. In terms of the blade on offer, you really can't go wrong; I'd classify this as a moderate-to-heavy-use knife, meaning it will work great whether it's on or off the job. The compound grind means that you get the benefits of a hollow grind for slicing while also having a flat grind to reinforce the tip and belly of the knife. Speaking of its slicing capabilities, the knife came hair-shaving sharp right out of the box. The handle fits flawlessly into my hands, and the G10 is a durable material that provides a lot of traction, meaning this knife will be stable even if you're wearing gloves. On the topic of stability, it also has some fairly aggressive jimping on the spine, which allows you to get a lot of control by placing your thumb on it without ever worrying about slipping off. The deep-carry pocket clip works well, and there is a lanyard hole right beside it, which allows you to customize your knife for even more security. The fact that it has ambidextrous thumb studs and a rear flipper tab (with a little bit of jimping on it) means that you have multiple means of deployment, and the bearings are quite smooth.And now, I'm going to list the hiccups; do keep in mind, I don't think any of these are dealbreakers—at least not for me—I just want to list them off so you're aware of them. The detent in the knife was a little stiff at first, which meant that deployment was initially a bit difficult; this worked itself out after about 20 minutes of fiddling with the knife, but that's still work you'll have to do. The texture of the thumb studs is incredibly rough, and they were ripping dead skin off of my thumb, so be careful if you choose to deploy the knife with them. The biggest issue with this knife, though, is with the liner lock; it's nearly flush along the front of the handle, which means it can be a slight hassle to disengage it. It's still usable, but if you're used to fiddling with liner lock knives, you'll likely have some muscle memory issues since you'll expect your thumb to be on it much more securely.As I said before, all things considered, all of these cons only amounted to me dropping a single star off its rating; the positive qualities of this knife shine through regardless. This is a knife that any other company would charge $50 or more for (at least for the assault team #3; they'd likely charge a LOT more for the #2 and #1), and yet Monikala is only charging $23. I don't know what kind of black magic they performed to get the price this low, but it's your gain to take advantage of, whether as a personal purchase or as a gift.

Product arrived on time and as advertised.The titanium handle is very comfortable and locks my hand into place regardless of how I grip it. It is also skeletonized which cuts down on weight. The frame lock is secure and disengages easily. The detent is strong but deployment is smooth. The blade itself is a sleek drop point with a complex grind. The main edge is hollow ground and then is convex near the tip. False edge/swedge runs almost the full length of the spine but doesn’t really take away from thickness. The blade was shaving sharp out of the box and 14C28N is one of my favorite steels. The blade is a bit long for me personally to regularly carry but, hey, the dimensions are listed and I’m literate so I knew what I was getting.At this price, I recommend picking this up, especially the titanium model. That part alone will drive up the price with most manufacturers. Whether this will hold up to super rigorous usage, I can’t speak to, but the construction feels like it will and the steel’s reputation says it will too.

Solid value for the price. Opens easy as expected. Liner lock build looks more than sufficient. Blade was razor sharp out of the box for paper cutting. Looks and feels definitely able to do light work. Scales feel comfortable. I would recommend this knife to friends and relatives.