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Massdrop x Schwarz Perpetua EDC Folding Knife

Massdrop x Schwarz Perpetua EDC Folding Knife

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Product Description
“Esto Perpetua,” or “let it be forever,” is the state motto of Idaho—and it’s where this heavy duty EDC knife gets its name. Designed by Idaho-based knifemaker TJ Schwarz and made by Millit Knives, this American-made folder is built to take on anything Read More

Customer Reviews

3.8
(214 reviews)
5star
(77)
4star
(67)
3star
(39)
2star
(18)
1star
(13)
74% would recommend to a friend
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SergePanchenko
16
Sep 14, 2018
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Received my Perpetua yesterday. Gotta say, Massdrop, Millit and TJ did a great job on this! I very rarely buy knives, but am glad I got this one. Very solid knife, made by Millit in Idaho, and designed by TJ- lots of win.
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jallen89
210
Sep 15, 2018
SergePanchenkoawesome review and photo. Love that stonewash.
Benjabooly
373
Sep 17, 2018
SergePanchenkoYou should consider collaborating with them yourself. I love your designs but not the 2 brands you have collaborated with.
Forrest.Tindall
22
Sep 15, 2018
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Very pleased with the perpetua! Yes we all had to wait, an my review is based on the product not the steel mill delay.
The knife is fantastic! Pivot came a little too tight but was remedied quickly and is extremely smooth and free falling without any blade play. Blade centering is perfect. Love the design of the blade, with an extremely usable profile and tip. Nitro V is my favorite steel for my knives and I'm very glad to see it in a production folder. I've heard the final hardness was 61? Which is great to hear. Nitro V usually isn't prone to chipping as many other stainless are, and can handle a higher hardness. Every detail was thought of, I like that the lock release doesn't protrude as much as a benchmade, making it feel slimmer. I also really love the oversized standoffs, usually only found on custom knives. It gives it a "over the pricepoint" feel.
I'm extremely pleased with this knife and everyone did a fantastic job on this collaboration. I hope to see more with TJ and Millit.
Hackenslash
346
Sep 14, 2018
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I've had my Perpetua for a few days now and am ready to share some thoughts. I'd probably give the knife knife 5 stars. If grading the drop experience as a whole, I'd probably give it 3 stars. I average the whole thing as a 4 star experience.
The Drop: I think we can all agree that delays suck and the delays in delivering the Perpetua seemed particularly painful. From Massdrop's standpoint, I'd like to see you provide more regularly scheduled updates, especially for an item that's going from prototype to production. The disparity between what Massdrop presented and what Millit showed on Instagram only served to stir up the Dropees to a point of frenzy. That type of anxiety isn't good for any business venture. Maybe next time set a schedule of updates and keep to them, even if those updates don't offer substantive progress. Arrange ahead of time with your manufacturers to provide photos or info during the manufacturing process. We can all accept delays but when those delays seem incomprehensible, you lose the good will of many of your customers. Try to work for a unified method of sharing information from Massdrop, the designer and the manufacturer.
Also, I for one would be willing to pay a few $ more at the time of the drop to insure a better, faster shipping process. The slow boat FedEx to USPS method is unnecessarily annoying.
The Knife: Overall, I'm pleased with my sample of the Perpetua. The knife is a little bigger/heavier than I normally EDC, but I'm happy to have it.
#0553 (yeah, unfortunately a high number) has good fit and finish and no obvious issues that some have reported. It fits well in hand and offers a nice grip from various positions. The liners could be better but seem appropriately finished for a knife that effectively costs just under $100 USD. My blade is almost perfectly centered and the G10 feels like quality material.
The knife has decent ergos. I have medium sized hands so your mileage may vary. I do get a little bit of a hot spot from the clip but I'll cover the clip issues separately. The G10 has a good texture; enough to make secure contact with your hand but not so much as to be a pocket shredder. The gimping on the blade ramp seems a little to broad to be very effective. I tend to prefer finer gimping that you find on Spydercos rather than the broad, very aggressive type on the Perpetua. The gimping on the Perpetua seems to almost be more of a design element than a functional element.
I'm a big fan of the blade shape. I find modified Wharncliffs to be highly functional for EDC tasks and the Perpetua executes the style perfectly. I was a little concerned about the fairly thick blade stock but the hollow grind keeps it thin behind the edge and the Perpetua is a decent slicer. My blade finish is uniform, unlike what some others have reported, but then again I see this knife as a user and the blade will take on scratches and scuffs like a badge of honor. My grind is even and arrived fairly sharp, but I tend to touch up new knives anyway.
I was eager to see how another manufacturer would execute an "Axis" style lock. I think it's time that we come up with a new name for this lock because although the McHenry/Williams patents have expired, I think "Axis Lock" is still a Benchmade trademark. The "Axis Style" lock is one of my favorites and I think Schwarz/Millit did a great job designing and executing it. I also like that the first legit use of this style was done by an American manufacturer. The omega springs seem a little stiffer than a typical Benchmade assembly, but that's fine for me as I like a stronger detent. My lock functions smoothly, with two springs, and I can lock flick the knife opened and closed.
The thumb studs have been a point of contention but I really don't have too much trouble with them. I guess they could be a tad taller but I wouldn't want to see too much height added as I hate to catch studs on my pocket as I pull out a folder. I'm looking at you Benchmade 484 Nakumura! I have no problem engaging the studs and opening the blade, but I think technique might come into play. Don't come at the stud across the scale from the back/dorsal side of the handle. Rather, sweep your hand along the edge of the scale toward the pivot. It's much easier to get a good purchase on the stud and open the knife with a motion like that needed with a Chris Reeve Umnumzaan. Give it a try and you may find opening becomes easier.
The clip is the weak point of the knife. For starters, it's really tall! Holy Tactical Cargo Pants, Batman. There's a lot of room under that clip for some seriously thick pocket material. I live in the south and tend to wear lighter pants whether at work or at play. Even with a pair of Carhartt jeans there's a little air between the span of the clip and denim. On top of this the clip has a very pronounced ramp. The tip is out there just begging to snag (or scratch) anything it contacts with. Combine the proud stance with a steep ramp and a relatively flexible material and I can see a lot of damaged clips coming back for replacement. I also tend to prefer deeper carry and mounting screws that don't take up space under the clip span. I'd like to see Millit offer some aftermarket clip options as well as blank filler plates to go into the gap on the non-clip side of the knife.
In summary, I'm happy with my Perpetua. I think this is another win for Massdrop and their partners. This drop seems to have some specimens with issues but the test of a quality product isn't that every one ships perfect, it's how things are handled when less-than-perfect specimens pop up. So far I've seen Massdrop, Mr. Scharz and Millit all respond to criticism and that's a really great thing. This is my first Millit knife, my first TJ Schwarz knife and I'm glad I could get it. I've been in on a bunch of these Massdrop produced knives going all the way back to the first FF Falcon. I think these group buy collaborations are changing the way knives are designed, produced and brought to market, and that's a good thing. I'm in the queue for a few more knives that are in production and I'm eager to see what we get next.
Thanks to everyone involved and enjoy your knives! Tim
T.willy
463
Sep 14, 2018
HackenslashThat was a very complete review thank you. I didn't have the funds on hand when this one dropped but I might give it a try next time around or if I see one for a good price on the Exchange or elsewhere.
jallen89
210
Sep 15, 2018
HackenslashWhat a great comprehensive review! Thank you very much for taking the time and effort.
Nvhunter
5
Nov 28, 2019
checkVerified Buyer
Great knife!
I'm not one to write reviews, but this knife seems to get alot of mud slung at it, and I wanted to give the other side of the story. The short review is that this knife is great! The long answer is that the Axis lock is smooth and perfect at lock up. Not gritty at all. Blade action is smooth with a thumb flip to open and a wrist flip to close. Should break in even better. None of the overly tight comments I've seen. Way smoother than my 160 dollar minigriptilian. Blade is hair popping sharp out of the box. There is zero blade wobble side to side. Blade is perfectly centered. Unlike many comments the pocket clip seems nice to me. Maybe a little higher profile than my benchmades, but it fits the overall style of the knife. Time will tell if the NitroV was hardened correctly. Only nitpicky comment would be that there is one spot where the g10 scales overhang the liner by a 1/64 of an inch. Not a big deal and would take 30 seconds to fix with sandpaper if I wanted to. I picked this up at the 100 dollar sale price and got another 20 off on a drop deal. I feel I stole it for 80 dollars, but even at 100 or 129, I think this knife is a deal.
Recommends this product? Yes
Decimater27
5
Dec 14, 2019
NvhunterI also really like the pocket clip on this knife
reswright
3850
Nov 19, 2019
checkVerified Buyer
A little stiff at first but with some TLC will grav open.
I've had this knife for a bit now. It's very good but comes a little stiff -- almost impossible to flick open or to wrist open with the axis lock. It comes like that because the pivot is such that hard opens and closes will quickly loosen it, and on this knife the margin between 'tight as hell' and 'blade play' seems like less than a quarter of a turn of the Torx wrench. With a little tuning I have overcome that, but it was enough to take the fifth star off this knife considering it costs more than $100. It's still a four star knife easily, and I'm not upset I spent that money on it. I like this knife, it has a little character already, but those flaws were there to be overcome.
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Long version: I was worried that the axis lock would be rough, as they're tough to learn how to do, but the axis action on the Perpetua is buttery smooth. However, the comments about the pivot being stiff out of the gate are apt. The action was way dogged down, seemed like, and when I went to adjust it I encountered a hell of a lot of threadlocker. Took a lot of grunt to turn the pivot. Sometimes when you get that, it's because someone was just a little aggressive adding the threadlocker to the bolt threads, and sometimes it's because the pivot won't take a great deal of rough play before it wants to detune. After fiddling around a bit with the Perpetua I think it's a bit of both. The pivot's decent but not incredibly rugged. So if you tune this knife -- despite the tightness, you don't have to, more on that later, but if you do -- make sure you use some blue threadlocker to make sure the pivot stays right where you want it to be. So why's that so? Time for another warranty to kiss off.
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OK, so this knife has a pair of phosphor bronze washers that look to be about .15 mil thick. Good, stout washers. Phosphor bronze wears in with time, so for people who don't want to fiddle with their knife like this but they do want it to drop shut, the more you play with this knife, the more it will 'break in'. My guess is a couple of weeks of playing with it on and off should show a difference. I had thought to perhaps skate these on some teflon but the tolerance on the lock bar of the axis lock is such that the room just isn't there to add anything else. And after a bit of thought about it, I decided to leave it just as-is. This knife is meant to see some work and the washers will wear in like an old pair of denim jeans. Back together:
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The general construction of the knife is surprisingly good considering I've never heard of Millit Knives before. Was pretty easy to take apart and put back together for an axis lock -- the need to get the spring attached on the frame and under the scale complicates the order in which you reassemble the Perpetua. For all that, it's quite solid. The blade's wickedly sharp and very slicey. It almost got me a couple of times when I was working on it. Is it worth $129 in a world where you can get the Griptilian? Depends on you. The handfeel on this knife, the ergonomics, are decent, but I'd give the edge to the Benchmade. Rounder handle, nicer contours. The Grip won't need to break in nearly so much, either. But you aren't getting one of them with Nitro V steel, which is pretty cool stuff so far. And some people like a flatter handle, not so much bevel, just a little scoop around the thumbstud. Keeps the knife a little thinner, harder for it to twist in the hand. For me, I think it's a decent buy and a few 'firsts' for me - first Schwarz knife, first Millit knife, first Drop commissioned knife made in the US, first Nitro V steel knife I've picked up.. I found a bit of lanyard was not amiss in mine. Not all knives need or want a lanyard, but this one seems like it likes having one.
Recommends this product? Yes
Axeguy
1372
Mar 4, 2021
reswrightI learned of Millit through the quirky little knives of Serge Panchenko (sp?) and of G&G Hawk whose creations are machined by Millit in Idaho. Few guys have heard of specific shops like this by name but with makers trying to keep prices decent and many preferring to be 'Made in Not-China' these days, we will see more pairing of makers (taking their ideas to the next level) with specialist machine-shops in the US—as local shops up their game to accommodate them. There is no way to compete with SE Asia unless you're compromising on materials and designs OR you pair with innovators in your community to find a 'better way'. America was built on innovation and on finding better and more efficient techniques to develop, produce, and market your products... I do a little 'making' myself and believe that cooperatives of makers aligning with local shop talent will be the way I will keep my production and related jobs in my town. (Well, if everything comes together for me...) Customers/Products/Employment = Win/Win/Win for us, our people, and our communities. Cheers!
ubieday
11
Oct 30, 2019
checkVerified Buyer
So much potential!
I left this knife on the shelf until I finally modified it to my liking. Now it is a favorite! Once I rounded the handle scales, created a thumb relief, and shortened the handle, it became a different knife -- at least for me. It's a bit crude in its execution, but looks and feels much better. The handle isn't so big and blocky anymore. Here is a suggestion: this blade could have another 3-4mm of cutting surface, which is not a trivial amount, by shortening the handle. The handle has an odd way of extending beyond the standoff in the back by an additional 2-3mm, and doing the same in the front, as it extends forward to the pivot and into the ricasso. Why? I don't know. The blade to handle ratio could be improved significantly by changing this. Why optimizing the blade to handle ratio is not a really high priority in the first place is puzzling to me. No offense intended, as I think this is an amazing design that just has, I'll say it again, too big and blocky of a handle. Attached is a photo of the modifications I made to the length. Notice that more of the blade is exposed now. If this was done in the first place, there would be more room for more edge.
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rudbear
199
Jan 28, 2019
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TL;DR: Good blade, imperfect flipping, and design travesty of a pocket clip. Construction: 4/5 The lock isn't as smooth as any of my Benchmade AXIS locks as it catches twice in open/close movement. I'm rather disappointed in the flipping experience. It came tuned tight enough which is good because the heads are were bothersome to find wrenches for. The pivot is mobile and doesn't bind, and the blade came centered. Blade: 4/5 Blade geometry is nice enough, and the drop tip plus belly makes it work well for the realistic use case (opening boxes, heh). I've noticed that the curve generates a lot more nicks and burrs about a third down from the tip. Clip: 0/5 Pocket clip design is terrible. Mine arrived bent in the box, it sticks out, catches on everything, and wobbles. The screws don't provide enough clamping pressure to keep it from swiveling back and forth while cutting into the scale. The clip erodes the cutout in the scale for the pocket clip. The screws are too close together and the bend angle allows the pocket clip to rotate rather than keeping it straight. Of the spyderco clips I have, none of them use the geometry or sizing that this clip does without a third screw, but it looks like the scale screw conflicts with where a third screw would go and they didn't feel like using a cutout for the scale's screw (like several Spyderco models do). I've stopped carrying this knife entirely due solely to the clip. Unless they change the clip, fix the lock-stop, and replace the liners, skip this knife if you planned on doing anything but putting it in a drawer as a letter opener like I have. Edit(s): I struggle with this review because it is an okay knife that does one no good to try to take anywhere in a pocket using the clip. For the design of the clip, they needed a CNC clip (which would have raised the price) and probably should have recessed it more. Both the bend and the end of the clip catch on everything -- clips snagging is not a new thing, but destroying the utility of the knife solely from poor interaction between the clip and scales. Now there is a second gen that seems to address the issues with the knife, but I doubt that Drop will do anything for those who joined the first time. I challenge those who excuse Drop as "it's a first gen, you save money when taking the risk" with whether or not saving $10 on a $130 knife is reasonable if you're not even getting $20-knife functionality.
(Edited)
Hatuletoh
850
Sep 18, 2018
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EDIT: 12 weeks after my initial review, I had to come back and drop the rating from three stars down to one. That might appear rather extreme, but I dont think so and I'll tell you why. A few days ago, after being inspired by a short clip of a Perpetua opening and closing with perfect fluidity and smoothness, and with a dead-center aligned blade, I finally broke down and completely disassembled my Perpetua. I'm not one of those tinkerin' types that just cant wait to take a knife apart. In fact, I'm clumsy and inexpert, enough so that I've knocked off my work table parts of knives, and stripped many a screw. But for the life of me, I could not get my Perpetua running properly, so I thought I'd better strip it down. The problem was that in order to have the pivot loose enough to flip the blade open and closed, I had to loosen the screws until there was some blade play. Conversely, to eliminate all play, I had to tighten the pivot screws so much I could barely open the blade, which I'd been able to improve the centering on, but I'd never entirely fixed the terrible centering the that the knife arrived with. To cut to the chase: the Perpetua's blade rides on a steel sleeve, into which the two pivot screws attach. This sleeve is, in effect the pivot, i.e, the piece that bisects the blade and goes through each side of the handle frame, thereby allowing the blade to swing open and close. When I looked closely at that important piece, I found it was damaged. It wasn't perfectly round, and it was flared at the ends, because the center had been pressed too tightly and it had compressed. One of the ends was too flared to pass through its reciever hole in the scale; to get the sleeve all the way out of both scales and the blade I had to grease it up and gently twist and pull and work it through in the direction opposite the more bent of the two ends. It took about 15 minutes. It wasnt hard to tell what had happened: the person who assembled the knife had squeezed too hard and bent the sleeve. You could see the marks from the pliers used. Rather than getting a new sleeve, he'd just pushed the scales and the blade on the sleeve in the opposite direction I'd taken them apart. Frankly, this blew me away. As I said, this sort of small, hands-on work is not my specialty, but even I could tell at a glance there was a problem, and what the problem was, as soon as I saw the pivot sleeve. Millit, the OEM, has a reputation as one of the best in the world, and I've seen other work they've done that lived up to that hype. They clearly rushed this production--maybe they bit off more than they could chew, so to speak, being a dozen-person operation. I honestly dont know or care what the problem was, all I care about is the result, and any knife that I pay $100+ for I expect to be assembled with enough care that I dont have to spend an hour filing down an important piece of hardware because the manufacturer damaged it during production. I finally got it fixed--the sleeve is now mostly round and even at both ends; the knife opens and shuts much better; the blade is very close to centered. But not perfectly centered, which might be because, as I also found, it's impossible to torque the screws of the rear stand-off enough to get them to tighten into the frame. In other words, no matter how much I tighten both screws, the rear stand-off still spins freely. Its like the screws are too short for the job they're supposed to do. Either that, or the stand-off arrived with the threads inside partially stripped. I've bought $20 Chinese knock-offs with better construction, and will definitely be avoiding Millit products in the future. People are always talking about buying "American made knives", but this is by far the lousiest fit and finish on a supposedly quality knife its been my misfortune to encounter, and it was made right here in the US of A. I'll stick with my Kizers, and the We-made Massdrop knives, thanks very much. [Original review] This is a "good three star score", i.e., I mean that this knife was far from perfect, but I'm still satisfied with it. There were just a couple issues I that HAD to bring down the score--they were fundamental. Call it 3.5 if you like. The good stuff first: the Perpetua looks great. I usually prefer flashy knives, but the grey-on-grey blade/scales look quite nice. In fact, I dont think I've ever seen better looking G10: its thin, and the way it hugs the lines of the liner make the whole visual appear tight and tough. I don't own any Benchmades for comparison, but the lock is easy to use yet seems very solid. Top marks on that. I love sheepsfoot blades: easy to sharpen, hard to hurt yourself with, and capable for most any task; outstanding for some. This blade has absolutely lovely grinds, with a bevel you can set your watch to. And again, the stonewash gave it a warm grey tone I dont think I've seen before. Its smooth and even all over the blade--love the stonewash. I read some second-hand claims around here that the Nitro V blade steel was hardened to HRC 61. With apologies to whomever I'm disagreeing with: this blade is a 61 hardness like I'm a 6'8" world champion body-builder and concert harpsichordist, which is to say, no one anywhere has even dreamed of something that unlikely. I admit I haven't pitted the Perpetua against some blades from my collection with known, tested hardness levels in a structured experiment (I will eventually) but just going on sharpening feel and observed edge-retention, I'd guess 59 HRC. In other words, about what you find on most high-end production blade steel, and perfectly adequate for 99% of jobs that 98% of people will use it for. My first complaint with this knife I wouldn't have thought of but for my recent purchase, and immediately following infatuation with the ZT model # 0456. Theres a pic below if you're not familiar; its blade is bit wider, but otherwise quite similar in shape to the Perpetua's. While using the latter the other day to cut a lot of cardboard, I expected similar performance to the 0456, and that was the case except for one thing: the Perpetua would bind a lot more often, even on smaller cuts (so I'm confident the issue wasnt just the ZT being sharper/heavier). What the ZT blade has, which helps prevent binds more than I realized, is a swedge to thin out that thick blade. Perpetua--no swedge, and the thick spine caught in the cardboard noticeably more. I really was surprised how much I noticed...could the stonewash vs satin finish have contributed, I wonder? They were very similarly sharp, I made sure of that, at least. The second problem is the pocket clip...oh boy (before final approval/commitment to the Perpetua's design, somebody ought to have accessed files: Forge, F.: "shit clips and the angst the engender", MD blade forums, 2018). Other reviews have said it better than I could, and yes, its that bad. I'm going to sand down the corners of mine so it doesnt take another chunk out of my car's paint when I jump into the drivers seat. One good thing about the clip is that it's so big you can play it like a jaw harp by flicking it. Mine is a G# that goes it bit flat at the end--works well with a G# Diminished signature key. Also like other reviewers, the action on my knife was...well, there was no action. I damn near needed a pry bar to open the thing. I thought maybe it would loosen up--always best to leave a knife's pivot alone for the first little while; no tinkering, no grease--but after 48 hrs I'd had enough. This frustration was compounded by the fact that the blade was a hair's breadth from catching the presentation (left) side liner, so off-center was it. And this was really surprising. People talk about "fit and finish" like they're one in the same, but in this case one was good but the other sorely lacking. Using a #10 torx driver, I loosened the pivot screws on both sides until they were both nearly unscrewed entirely, then slowly tightened them down as evenly and equally as I could. Ultimately, I got the blade almost centered and the action perfect. The blade kicks out like a rocket but will still drop shut with a hard jerk of the wrist when the lock is open. I have no complaints with the thumbstuds like others have, because I'm not trying to swing the blade open using them, I'm just firing it out. The best way to do it is to flip the thumbstud forward/toward the blade tip--way too awkward to try to go sideways around the finger choil. This bIade was meant to fly open, it's not a slow n' creaky by any means. So ultimately I have a pretty nice knife, but I really didnt expect to have to finish up Millit's work to get it that way. The final assembly seemed distinctly half-assed, and rushed. Maybe there was pressure to get the knives shipped, and certainly the workmanship on the parts is top-notch, but I prefer my blades to be seated straight, whether it's a $20, $200, or $2000 knife. In some ways, it's the fittingly strange end to a long, strange retail experience. "Sometimes the knife's all shiny and clean / other times I cut my finger and bleed / lately I got another email, that said: what a long...strange drop it's been."
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(Edited)
bwcarr
5
Sep 16, 2020
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came to me rusted with a chipped blade
Item came to me rusted out of the box and with a chipped blade. I later noticed that the chip was from the blade hitting the standoff between the liners.... Waiting 3 days for a response from customer service. I think I'm done with drop. Image is of the blade and axis lock bar that were rusted even after I attempted to clean it off.
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(Edited)
Recommends this product? No
JB01
5
Jul 12, 2020
checkVerified Buyer
Poor Execution of an Good Design
I have owned four (4) Perpetua knives. The first was well done except for the blade spontaneously fracturing. The second and third both had incorrectly ground blade tangs. The first problem I noted with the current knife was sharp edges on the thumb studs. Next I noted the tang and lock bar excessively ground upon blade deployment. Then I found small nicks and scratches on the blade. When I disassembled the knife, I found the blade tang was rough not smoothly finished. I was amazed to also fine the blade pivot hole was also rough not finished. After cleaning, I polished the washers and tang but not the pivot hole. I was afraid I might open the hole too much. Then I again cleaned the knife, lubricated the pivot hole, pivot, blade and washers. Then I assembled and adjusted the knife. After a little use and carrying in my denim pants (jeans) pocket, I found the pocket clip had moved away from the scale. The clip was not abused by the user. I have yet to remove and adjust it. I think the design of this knife is sound. Nitro V is an adequate steel. The lack of quality manufacture is the failure.
Recommends this product? No
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