B1gGr33n
Member
Let me start out by saying: I'm no professional. Information gathered from the internet is worth
exactly what you payed for it. Your opinion will almost certainly vary. That said, here's what I
think of this knife.
I ordered this knife from my young cousin, who took a summer job as a rep for Cutco/Vector to
get some cash. I had no prior experience with Cutco products before, but was fairly impressed
with their performance. While flipping through the catalog together, we came upon their outdoors
line of products. This knife just caught my eye, and I figured "What the heck..." Out came the
checkbook, and $198 and 3 weeks later I had this knife in hand.
Upon taking it out of it's packaging, the first thing I noticed was it's heft. The knife feels very
substantial in the hand, and has what I would call a good balance of weight. Again, your opinion
may vary.
The handle has a very nice rubbery texture applied to it that is called Kraton. I took the knife to
the kitchen and tried a variety of liquids on it to test the grip. After trying everything from
tap water to vegetable oil, not once did I feel that I couldn't get a sufficient grip to be safe.
On a sidenote: cola is probably not the wisest choice
The blade is made of 440A stainless steel. Many folks scoff at this, saying at least 440C
would have been preferable. While it's true that 440A will not retain an edge as well as 440C,
it should be noted that properly prepared 440A will hold a fine edge, and is more stain and rust
resistant than 440C. It's typical to use 440A in knives that see continuous contact with
corrosive elements like salt water because of this.
The blade has a very good edge from the factory, though there are obvious grinding marks
visible on the edge. It was sharp enough to shave hair from my arm, and even took a slice of
flesh while it was at it
I used the knife this last weekend for everything from cutting stalks of pigweed from the garden
to trimming a couple branches that have been annoying me for some time. The 'Double D'
serrations do a fine job of sawing small limbs about the size of a finger or less. I can see this
being a very handy camping knife in the future.
The biggest hang up point for me, and many others I've talked to, has been the price tag. It's
very hard to justify $200 for a knife that can be had for $50 to $100 less direct from Ka-Bar.
It comes down to basically one thing: How much is a full lifetime warranty from a long
established company worth to you? While it's true that Ka-Bar does have it's own lifetime warranty,
it only covers manufacturer defects. Cutco will replace at half cost if the damage is due to
deliberate negligence by the user. Though my talks with other Cutco owners seems to show that they're
rather relaxed about even that. My new uncle (recently married in) has a hunting knife that has twice
broke the tip in a deer pelvis, that's been replaced for merely the cost of shipping.
I'm sure as time goes on, my opinion of this knife will evolve. But for now, I'm pleased with it
and have decided to keep it around awhile and see how it holds up. Feel free to chime in with
your thoughts. And if you have an idea for a test for this knife you'd like me to try, please do
mention it.
*No trees were harmed in the making of this review. At least not live ones
exactly what you payed for it. Your opinion will almost certainly vary. That said, here's what I
think of this knife.
I ordered this knife from my young cousin, who took a summer job as a rep for Cutco/Vector to
get some cash. I had no prior experience with Cutco products before, but was fairly impressed
with their performance. While flipping through the catalog together, we came upon their outdoors
line of products. This knife just caught my eye, and I figured "What the heck..." Out came the
checkbook, and $198 and 3 weeks later I had this knife in hand.
Upon taking it out of it's packaging, the first thing I noticed was it's heft. The knife feels very
substantial in the hand, and has what I would call a good balance of weight. Again, your opinion
may vary.
The handle has a very nice rubbery texture applied to it that is called Kraton. I took the knife to
the kitchen and tried a variety of liquids on it to test the grip. After trying everything from
tap water to vegetable oil, not once did I feel that I couldn't get a sufficient grip to be safe.
On a sidenote: cola is probably not the wisest choice
The blade is made of 440A stainless steel. Many folks scoff at this, saying at least 440C
would have been preferable. While it's true that 440A will not retain an edge as well as 440C,
it should be noted that properly prepared 440A will hold a fine edge, and is more stain and rust
resistant than 440C. It's typical to use 440A in knives that see continuous contact with
corrosive elements like salt water because of this.
The blade has a very good edge from the factory, though there are obvious grinding marks
visible on the edge. It was sharp enough to shave hair from my arm, and even took a slice of
flesh while it was at it
I used the knife this last weekend for everything from cutting stalks of pigweed from the garden
to trimming a couple branches that have been annoying me for some time. The 'Double D'
serrations do a fine job of sawing small limbs about the size of a finger or less. I can see this
being a very handy camping knife in the future.
The biggest hang up point for me, and many others I've talked to, has been the price tag. It's
very hard to justify $200 for a knife that can be had for $50 to $100 less direct from Ka-Bar.
It comes down to basically one thing: How much is a full lifetime warranty from a long
established company worth to you? While it's true that Ka-Bar does have it's own lifetime warranty,
it only covers manufacturer defects. Cutco will replace at half cost if the damage is due to
deliberate negligence by the user. Though my talks with other Cutco owners seems to show that they're
rather relaxed about even that. My new uncle (recently married in) has a hunting knife that has twice
broke the tip in a deer pelvis, that's been replaced for merely the cost of shipping.
I'm sure as time goes on, my opinion of this knife will evolve. But for now, I'm pleased with it
and have decided to keep it around awhile and see how it holds up. Feel free to chime in with
your thoughts. And if you have an idea for a test for this knife you'd like me to try, please do
mention it.
*No trees were harmed in the making of this review. At least not live ones
Last edited:
