My friend Derrick introduced me to SixLeaf Knives. After handling and opening the knife, the question, "Where did you buy that cutie?" was not politeness. I really wanted one.
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| Actually, I ended up buying three! |
He found it on eBay. You have to win your auction, and SixLeaf will ship you one from Yangjiang, China. Yangjiang, I am told, is moderately famous for making knives, scissors, swords — anything that cuts.
I won my auction, and despite the
warning of how long it could take (46 business days!), it arrived in a couple
weeks. I liked it so much that I bid and
won a second one. It arrived just as
quickly.
Prices can vary because you're
bidding against someone who thinks they want it more than you.
Let’s take a look at it. The matte blade is 3.25 inches long and 0.125
inches thick at the spine. The blade is
a drop point with, for all practical purposes, a flat grind. The steel is D2, hardened to Rockwell C 60.
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| Good looking knives. |
I like D2 steel. It is seeing a resurgence in the knife
world. It’s almost stainless, so it
takes a little care to prevent rust formation.
The 4-inch handle is titanium
with linen Micarta scales. This keeps
the weight of the knife under 2.9 ounces. The lock mechanism is a frame lock, and to
compensate for titanium's softness, a small steel insert makes contact with the
back of the steel blade.
The knife is designed to open
with a flipper, and the blade flies open on KVT ceramic ball bearings. These are used by companies like ZT and
others.
A 3.25 inch blade is, for most parts, a perfect size for EDC.
Is it perfect?
No. The clip isn't reversible. The knife arrives set up for right-hand,
tip-up carry. That's my preferred carry
mode, but it is not a universal standard.
Closed, there is a little height
difference where the frame lock meets the frame. Just enough of a difference you can feel it
when you rub your thumb over it.
The frame lock engages very nice, with quite a bit of contact with back of the blade
And if I’m picky enough, I would point out that when open, the frame lock separates slightly from the Micarta scales.
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| I like the linen Micarta scales. They look and feel nice. |
Frankly, for an under $50 knife (It's an auction. Your price may differ.) you can't beat a SixLeaf. I like them so much, I gave my wife one!
