Workmanship is very decent, there are some rough spots and uneven grinds. I can make out bronze washers, lockup is very solid with the smallest lateral play. The G10 is quite smooth. On my sample, after a few froceful openings, the lock snaps about three quarters of its thickniss under the tang. Only tip down and right handed carry is possible, the detent seems trustworthy. The blade is almost shaving sharp, a little toothy.

If you never had a large folder for EDC purposes, you might give this one a try before investing in famous brand names.

-Serrations

-Lack of handle scales

-Black Coating

The Adamas that I received has all of that and I still love it! Benchmades are made of the highest quality, no questioning.

Every grind, corner and nick on this one is perfectly done and finely finished D2 tool steel, not completely rust free but very edge holding. The skeleton handle was paracord-wrapped by the previous owner (very well and tightly done, thank you), the knife/sheath system is completely ambidextrous in design and features some strange, but agressive serrations on the spine. Not the worst place to place them. What for ? Notch wood, cut plastic or light aluminum?

The high quality plastic sheath locks the knife quite securely, an elastic thumb strap can be added in hostile environment or make your edged weapon jump proof. There is an abundance of rivet holes to place your Tek-Lok (included) on and carry the slim lightweight fighting knife on your belt or gear. This knife rocks!

I can very well imagine that a version with simple handle scales and devoid of the serrations would sell extremely well in the outdoor market.

Currently, three variants are available. Bowie, Drop Point, Tanto and “Tokio”. I chose the middle ground and ended up with a nice and solid steak knife that has some defensive value for people with small hands. Actually, I can very well envision this knife in the purse of a well prepared lady besides a can of pepper spray. For my paws, I would rate it as a bit too slim and would prefer some more handle beef.

I have not used mine for anything else but slicing pizza, but I would bet this is a solid penetrator. The sheath does not offer enough tightness for neck carry in my book and I do not know if the material will take the abuse of re-forming it. If you have big hands, better check this one out in a knifeshop before you buy.

I have therefore chosen a pencil, a SAK Hiker, and a classic Mora knife for the photo impressions. The knife seems not comparable at all to the older cord-wrapped versions of the Spike.

Cutting tools are not always perfect. Slight changes can make them satisfactory. Here is a picture of three of my woods companions. The Tramontina 14 inch bladed machete has a grip that is easily reground because it is made from soft wood, and also slightly grooved. The Nepal Service Kukri knife has its horn grip also ground off at the rear to make it more comfortable for swinging chops in my hands. It is also covered in bike inner tube. The discontinued Mora Triflex has grooves in the slippery handle and a “sweet spot” in the spine of the blade for striking a fire.

Recently, I “stumbled” over two inexpensive Seiko timepieces that I absolutely had to have. One is quartz powered, the other is an automatic timepiece. 

The Seiko SNX111 is one of your typical famous Seiko 5ers. The stainless case is 37 or 38mm (depending on where you measure, but always without the crown) wide with a classic silver colored dial and Lumibrite markings on the hands and hour index points. Seiko has great lume. The crown on this model is placed “correctly” at three o´clock, not at four o´clock. You find that very often on 5ers. I can´t stand that. If it were not for the day and date display window, this automatic watch reminds me a bit of the Rolex Air King. 5ers have an unusual 19mm strap lug width, so if you want to replace the somewhat noisy and hair-popping folded metal band, be sure to find a piece of leather that perfectly matches.

The 5er movements are reliable and time-proven and should be good for many years before they will need major servicing. At 70 dollars including shipping from Asia, this watch was a good bit cheaper than usually found in German shops. The white colored date window has black English and French letters, so maybe this model is not officially imported at all into this market. The SNX also comes in a black face version, with a highly contrasting white date window. I prefer my version, as any leather strap color will eventually match and the “SEIKO” logo is somewhat pale.

The simple 5ers should be kept away from too much water, swimming is not recommended with them. I have had watches with “100m water resistance” damaged by heavy summer rainfalls, 5ers are only good for 30 meters from the factory. I guess you can wash your car or fish around in a water bucket for a few moments with one on your wrist, but take it off before you shower.

Since a few years, Seiko shows off the mechanical 7S26 movements in their 5ers with a see-through base. I have read once that his is a marketing move meant to teach teenagers about mechanical watches. In Japan, many kids do not wear watches, using their cell phones for telling the time. Is this an urban myth ? Mail me if you know more. 

My other new Seiko is a black faced (with corresponding black date window) quartz model named SGEF81 with a 39mm sized case. This one comes with a 20mm wide calf leather strap that is a bit stiff, but looks great. The hands and face of this one are free of any lume, so the “EDC”-value might be lowered a good bit.

The second hand on my sample is hitting right on the corresponding minute bars. I have emailed the seller about this before buying as I consider it a quality feature. I know this is somewhat “anal”, but I do not see why it cannot be a part of the factory quality control. This watch should be great for formal attire, as it is very understated and elegant at the same time.

I don´t like watches with too much “bling” factor and find that they can be “boring” to own over time. Timelessness in watches (what a great pun!) can be achieved by leaving things away, not adding fashion fads. The keepers for me are always the ones which achieve “perfection” by simplicity.

The Pygmy clone is very well made with a flat ground blade of 5 inches that is supposed to be made of 440C and a 4.5 inch long handle of very smooth G10. The kydex sheath is well fitted and even features a reproduced TekLok adapter that seems trustworthy at first glance.

I have never handled a handmade Mad Dog knife as they are beyond my financial opportunities, but I am amazed at how comfortable the handle is. I would love to see this great grip design in a more affordable commercial version of the original knives.

The chinese clones make no real sense to me, as it is hard to judge what the blade steel really is, if there is a decent quality control at all or how much stress you can put on the handle. Decide for yourself if supporting such companies to get a cheap version of your dream knife is OK or if you will just obtain an overpriced wall hanger that might hurt sales of the original designers.

When using your KaBar, bear in mind that it is a “rat tail” knife with 90 degree angles at the tang/handguard junction. These are generic stress risers, so care has to be taken when hitting the back of the blade with a wood baton. Knives like these must not be taken granted to tolerate these somewhat punishing techniques. I do not think it has to do with the heat treatment at the factory.

I have done it on three to four inch diameter trees, using short strokes and a lighter baton, with no negative results on my 1211, but it is not recommended. The youtube-kids are able to destroy Recon Scout or Trailmaster knives made of good carbon steel with this “survival skill”, so the not-so-thick KaBar is even more endangered. A knife like the Peltonen M95 cannot be broken this way.

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