You might be surprised by what you find at Harbor Freight. I saw an article about a pocket knife they had in stock, but by the time I got there – POOF! All gone!
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| As packaged from Harbor Freight |
About a year later it rematerialized, and I bought one. I know I'm not paying for some slick advertising campaign. It's simply called the "Icon Drop Point Knife." The back of the packaging was only slightly more revealing, stating, "Designed by ICON Tools in the USA - Manufactured in China."
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| The opened curved Icon fights my hand |
The blade is just over 3 inches long and made from D2 steel. D2 steel seems to be experiencing a reawakening with knife makers. D2 steel’s popularity began with “Rosie the Riveter” back in WWII. Its physical properties made it the right material to make production dies for the war effort.
D2 steel was designed to cut
through other steels without major wear and tear. The key takeaway is D2 steel is hard and
resistant to heavy-duty use.
Chemically, it's 1.5% C, 12% Cr, 1%
V, and 0.9 Mo. You'll find traces of P,
Mn, S, and Si, mostly from the refining and smelting process. Most of the chromium ends up as carbides,
which makes D2 almost stainless. A quick
oil wipe-down will pay big dividends with this steel.
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| Clip side: note how the metal separator extends beyond the knife. |
The blade is 0.125 inches thick and has a very slight curve. Icon calls it a drop point, but the point seems centered between the spine and cutting edge. I'd call it a spear point. But there is a lot of wiggle room between these static definitions. A very shallow false edge spans most of the blade spine.
When closed, the flipper extends
above the knife handle and makes opening and locking the blade a breeze. The flipper then extends outward to form a
simple but useful guard to keep your hand from slipping onto the sharpened
blade. The blade locks open with a liner
lock that extends up above the handle.
You'll like this feature when wearing gloves.
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| The extended liner lock release is a must with gloves |
Yes, I know the International Society of Mall Commandos has rejected this feature, as it might be possible that in a reverse inverted Kobshe grip, making a Queshuw cut while hanging from your knees, you could accidentally unlock the blade.
"Monty? I'd like things that only happen when you try
to make it happen, for a 1000, please."
The blade glides open on ceramic
ball bearings. These bearings are
typically made from: silicon nitride (SiN4), silicon carbide (SiC), alumina oxide
(Al2O3), and zirconia oxide (ZrO2). They
are amazingly hard, much harder than most steels. Due to their chemistry and polished surfaces,
they have an extremely low coefficient of friction. They require less lubrication and resist wear
from normal environmental contamination, like sand. These bearings are a little brittle and can
be damaged with violent shocks that would deform metal bearings. It may be a while before we see them in
aircraft landing wheel systems, but they are perfect for knives. The Icon opens so fast with a clink as the
blade locks in place, you'll miss it.
A finger depression in the ricasso lets
you choke up on the blade for more control.
Sadly, there isn't any jimping on the blade spine for your thumb.
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| The spine shows a shallow false edge, but no jimping |
The handle is slightly curved, and Icon describes it as G-10 with carbon fiber inlays. I'm having a little trouble with that. I've examined it with a 7X loop, and I think the inlay is an amazing molding job, but not carbon fiber. The rest of the handle is described as G10. That I believe. What I do know is that there is a metal frame on both sides of the handle, a friction ridge separating the two sides, and a non-removable clip. The knife is set up from right hand, tip up pocket carry. That’s not an insurmountable problem for the left-handed.
I was happy to see the
easy-to-access lanyard hole in the butt.
I test my knives in daily use. I cut mulch bags open and managed to finish
that chore before fall. The endless tide
of cardboard boxes constantly needs to be cut down to recycling size. While trimming the grass, I often need to whittle
finger-size branches out of the way. As
the summer days shorten, some of the outdoor plants need a little support. I sharpen wooden poles and cut twine to
support them. The Icon worked fine for
me and my chores.
I like it and recommend it. There are internet bloggers who call it a cheap knife, as it is under $40. While I support American manufacturing, you would be foolish to reject quality products just because they come from overseas. This knife made here, with the same quality, might cost $80 to $100. I don't call that cheap.
Is it a perfect knife? No. I
wish the clip were reversible; I wish the blade spine had more friction
surfaces for my thumb. But, I think
you'll like it.
