Manual Open North Fork 15031-2 Knife, Axis Lock Knife with 2.8 Inch D2 Steel Blade, Wood Handle, EDC Folding Pocket Knife with Thumb Stud, Belt Clip

Exactly like my Benchmade for 1/9 the price

Let me preface this review by saying that I was very dubious about the claims made for this product, but decided to risk a purchase anyway as the design is based on a very, very good (and expensive) knife that has changed a bit in the recent past, and I prefer the older design that this knife is based on. As far as the design goes, it's great. Perfect size for EDC, crossbar lock, hand-filling handle, reversible pocket clip.The problems lie entirely in the execution. First, there is a bit of wobble in the pivot between the blade and the handle. Not a good sign. Second, I own several EDC knives with D2 blades. I very highly doubt that this blade is D2 steel. It is likely 8Cr at very best, and probably not even that. Either that, or it was not heat treated properly. It will take a fine edge, but it does not hold that edge like a properly heat treated D2 blade should.Action was a little gritty, and the blade was touching one of the liners when closed, so I fully disassembled the knife to see what could be done. No thread lock on anything. Pivot (5mm) uses nylon washers. Handle material feels more plastic than wood (which, to be fair, stabilized wood products tend to feel plasticy, but not like this), and there's no sign of wood grain in the finish. I polished the mating surfaces between the crossbar and the contact surface on the back of the blade, smoothing out the action considerably. But reassembly did not correct the issue with the blade touching a liner. This issue will have to be resolved by a careful, asymmetric selection of washer thicknesses. If you're going to do that, might as well upgrade to some phosphor bronze washers, as I doubt bearings would fit.As delivered, this knife would be fine for opening letters or keeping in a drawer in your desk, or some other task where use is infrequent or you don't need to depend on a razor sharp blade. But I would not depend on it for anything more than that. One can find better value in the EDC knife world fairly easily.

This knife is nothing special, but it's not garbage - it's handle is very tough and grippy, and the opening mechanism is smooth and easy to do one-handed. With the thumb lock, it's also pretty easy to safely close the knife with one hand.The blade arrived sharp and I've only used a strop to keep it nice and sharp with everyday use. But with the D2 steel, it should stand up to sharpening very well.One thing that I don't like especially (but it's not a deal breaker) is that the blade has a slight s-curve which makes it a little tougher to sharpen, but that's just my preference.

I like the feel of the knife but it doesn't hold an edge and the pocket clip screws fall apart.

Pretty decent knife. I like the size of it, its "form factor" and how it feels holding the knife. The blade is very sharp now, though I wonder how well it will hold up. I don't see it as a major work horse kind of knife but more when going foraging or alike. Overall a pretty good knife.

I've made 2 purchases and got 2 at a time the last 4 years. Not to big, not to small. Needs a sharpening but perfect edc. Axis is smooth. For the price point, it's a great blade. You'll be happy with it.