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Msg Kim Breed (ret.)

Greg Wesley’s Informant Review: A Small And Mighty EDC.

Msg Kim Breed (ret.)
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Greg Wesley’s Informant Review: A Small And Mighty EDC.

The Informant By Greg Wesley Is Another Quality Fixed-Blade EDC. But Just How Good Is This Small Custom Knife?

The trend for smaller EDC knives is still going strong. Set up with a leather sheath for belt or pocket carry, the Informant from Wesley Custom Knives fits the bill perfectly. Greg Wesley grinds them all by hand. This one is lean and mean. 

Testing The Wesley Informant

GREG WESLEY INFORMANT 4 cutting foam
It was easy to control the width of cuts in the foam, all of which were straight without bending the medium.

I started with a piece of dense foam I use for making my Kydex sheaths. Manipulated with push and pull cuts, the knife started biting, slicing cleanly and quickly. It was easy to control the width of cuts, all of which were straight without bending the foam. Very nice.

One of my favorite tests,the 20-pound bond copy paper slice, provided little resistance. It puts a smile on my face when I hear every cut. I used a pull motion to shred the paper. The Informant came razor sharp. The balance of the blade made for a very quick test.

The knife had no challenges cutting through double-walled cardboard. I got carried away and pushed the blade too far into the cardboard, hitting the choil area and messing up the cut. The Informant is just fun to use. Cuts were mostly straight unless I took too big of a bite and the cardboard pinched the blade and slowed it down.

Plastic board was easy for the knife. It cut the plastic very quickly and I barely felt any resistance. Once I had the rhythm slicing, it was finished. This is a sharp little knife. Cuts were very controllable.

Pushing the Wesley Informant

GREG WESLEY INFORMANT cutting rope
The Informant crunched its way to 188 cuts on the sisal rope before the edge started to slide a bit.

I grabbed some 8-ounce leather for skiving (thin, tapered slices). With a louder crunching sound, the Informant bit quickly. The thinness of the knife made controlling the skiving simple—I just had to move my fingers faster to keep from losing DNA. The edge remained just as sharp as when I started.

I had to whittle to get a better feel of the little fixed blade. The cuts in the wood were extremely smooth. The Informant peeled large curly-cues one after another. The blade spine was somewhat sharp on my thumb but not too bad. The handle was a great fit to my hand—no hot spots at all. Nice job, Greg.

The Informant crunched its way to 188 cuts of sisal rope before the edge started to slide a bit. Impressive! The handle was still comfortable with the extra power added for the high number of cuts. The knife’s light weight didn’t impact its cutting ability.

The last test is a little destructive at times: the antler chop. I gave a whitetail antler 20 hard chops with the Informant. I rolled a thin wire edge in a few places but the blade was still very sharp, so the heat treatment is good.

Final Thoughts

I would soften the blade spine a tad more and maybe round the scales a bit, though that’s being picky. The Informant is a small, high-performing utility tool that can handle most any knife chore. It’s a great EDC choice.

Informant By Greg Wesley Knife Specs

Informant By Greg Wesley Knife Specs
Blade length: 3.63 inches
Blade material: 1095 carbon steel
Blade grind: Flat
Blade width: .75 inches
Blade thickness at ricasso: .13 inches
Handle: Canvas Micarta®
Handle thickness throughout: .44 inches
Hardware: Micarta pins, stainless thong hole
Weight: 3 ounces.
Overall length: 7.5 inches
Sheath: 10-ounce. tooled leather pouch w/belt loop
Weight of sheathed knife: 5.5 ounces
Maker’s price: $200

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Versa Rescue Knife: How Good Is This Folding Multitool?

Msg Kim Breed (ret.)
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Versa Rescue Knife: How Good Is This Folding Multitool?

Is The Versa Rescue Knife As Good As Advertised Or Does It Come Up Short Even With All The Extra Features?

When he worked for the Central Intelligence Agency, Jason Hanson came across tool needs the average knife did not fulfill. Enter the Versa rescue knife.

Besides the blade having two distinct edges—one short and flat, the other recurved and serrated—the tip is flattened for a screwdriver. When you close the knife, a glass breaker sticks out the front of the handle. 

On the butt is a mini pry bar and a webbing/line cutter. Yes sir, there are lots of things going on with this rescue tool. However, I’m mostly concerned with testing the Versa’s cutting capabilities, so here goes.

Testing The Versa Rescue Knife

VERSA RESCUE KNIFE sharpness test
Via a push cut, the flat edge zipped through the paper smooth and clean, though it was somewhat challenging to use the flat front edge of the blade to start the cut.

Slicing 20-pound bond copy paper was first on the list. Via a push cut, the flat edge zipped through the paper smooth and clean. It was somewhat challenging to use the flat front edge of the blade to start the cut.

Onto the serrated edge, the paper tore sometimes depending on whether I started with the tips of the serrations or the bottoms during push cuts. The serrations did better used in a slight forward motion, giving cleaner cuts.

From there, the knife easily dispatched double-walled cardboard. With only a slight twisting of the blade, the serrated portion cut aggressively through the medium. Likewise, the flat edge sliced effortlessly and was very controllable, providing nice, even cuts.

The flat edge cut smooth through six-ounce leather, producing a bit of a crunching sound. It was very easy to control the cuts. The aggressiveness of the serrations really went to work on the leather, emitting loud crunching noises as it bit deep—and without need of a sawing motion at that.

To test the webbing/cord cutter, I used 550 cord. With one end of the cord locked in a vise, I held the loose end and pulled the cutter through the material. The cutter worked great with no resistance, severing the ends of the cord clean.

Carrying The Versa

VERSA RESCUE KNIFE glass breaker
Even though the glass breaker works, the author didn’t like it poking him in the hand each time he grabbed the knife.

I carried the Versa for a week to see how it rode in my pocket. It’s a bit on the heavy side for my taste. The pocket clip held the knife secure with no side-to-side movement while I climbed a tree. 

Even though the glass breaker works—I’ve used the type before—I didn’t like it poking me in the hand each time I grabbed the closed knife. Clipped in your pocket, it will also poke your hip when you’re wearing shorts and sit down. The concept behind the glass breaker is sound and useful, but it suffers from the same poking problem as on all the similarly equipped knives I’ve tested. 

On the other hand, the pry bar rode great without sticking me in the leg. The handle design is very comfortable and the rubber inserts are perfect for a non-slip grip—a great using design.   

Versa Rescue Knife: Final Thoughts

I would reduce the Versa’s weight for pocket carry and design a glass breaker that doesn’t poke the user. (Editor’s note: Also, the flipper/blade action is sluggish and needs work to make the knife open easier and smoother). 

I would carry the Versa in a pouch or stashed in my vehicle. It works/functions great.

Versa Rescue Knife Specs

Blade length: 3.25 inches
Blade steel: AUS 8A stainless
Blade grind: Hollow
Blade edge: 2/3 recurve and serrated, 1/3 flat and plain
Blade openers: Flipper and blade hole
Liners: Stainless steel
Handle: Coated stainless w/rubber inserts
Pocket clip: Stainless steel
Lock: Linerlock
Weight: 6.5 ounces
Closed length: 4-15/16 inches
Extras: Glass breaker, web/line cutter, pry bar
MSRP: $69

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Civivi Cogent Review: How Versatile Is This Flipper?

Msg Kim Breed (ret.)
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1
Civivi Cogent Review: How Versatile Is This Flipper?

The Cogent Flipper Folder From Civivi Is Ready To Cut Through Pretty Much Anything

The Cogent button-lock folder from Civivi is well put together. It has a great feel and a classy blackened stainless steel damascus blade. 

Civivi uses 10Cr15CoMoV and 9Cr18MoV stainless steels in the damascus mix. The blade has a full flat grind designed to slim the edge geometry down for efficient slicing.

Testing The Civivi Cogent

Civivi Cogent skiving leather
Skiving 6-ounce leather was no problem as the Cogent did the job aggressively and noisily—the author easily could hear the crunch on each skive.

First up on the test agenda: 20-pound bond copy paper. The Cogent zipped through it without hesitation. The blade was super smooth during slicing. I used a push cut for a full slice. The knife most definitely has a fine edge.

Staying with a push cut, I used the Cogent to effortlessly slice single-walled cardboard to shreds. The edge never stalled in dispatching the medium. Man, this thing is wicked sharp! There was no twisting of cuts, just straight slices. In fact, it sliced so quickly I had to really watch my fingers to avoid cutting them.

I took it up a notch by slicing plastic board. It was like there was no variation at all in the speed and control of cutting. The only difference was the absence of the zipping noise emitted by the cutting of the cardboard. It was nice, quiet slicing with no hang ups.

There was some 6-ounce leather on the bench for skiving. I decided to slice just a part of it up first. Talk about aggressive cutting! I could easily hear the crunching from every skive. The Cogent sounded like it was actually taking a bite out of the leather—which I guess it was. I did some skiving on another piece of leather with similar results. This knife is a wicked sharp cutter.

Wood & Rope

Civivi Cogent cutting rope
The Cogent worked its way to 214 crunching cuts on the 3/8-inch rope before the author got tired and quit.

It was time for some firestick making. Utilizing the fine edge, I whittled some curly-cues in a pine stick. I did some very fine curly-cues and some thicker ones. The Cogent was excellent controlling curly-cue thickness. The thumb notches were very comfortable during the deeper bites. The handle was quite comfy.

For some splitting action to test the lockup, I batonned the Cogent into a half-inch-thick board. It split the wood very quickly with no smears on the blade. The button lock stayed at 100 percent lockup. No wiggle here!

The last challenge was the 3/8-inch sisal rope. The Cogent worked its way to 214 crunching cuts before I got tired. The edge would still shave hair from my arm*. The blade boasts excellent heat treatment. I didn’t find one hot spot on the handle and the knife was very comfortable for heavy cutting.

Civivi Cogent: Final Thoughts

I would carry this knife every day. It holds a sharp edge longer than most. The second-best thing is the comfortable handle. It is made for using. The Cogent is an excellent folder. I’d maybe add more handle color options. I love everything else.

*Editor’s note: BLADE® does not recommend shaving arm hair to test blade cutting ability. It can result in injury or worse.

Civivi Cogent Knife Specs

Blade length: 3.47”
Blade material: Blackened stainless damascus
Blade thickness at the thickest: 1/8 of an inch at ricasso and tapers to the tip
Rockwell hardness: 58-60 HRC
Handle: Green Micarta®
Liners: Stainless steel
Opening: Flipper
Lock: Manual button lock
Knife to know: Open-handle construction for easy cleaning; handle textured; thumb notches on base of blade spine
Country of origin: China
Weight: 4 ounces
Closed length: 4.25 inches
MSRP: $115

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TILI Ultralight Review: How Good Is This Small Fixed Blade?

Msg Kim Breed (ret.)
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TILI Ultralight Review: How Good Is This Small Fixed Blade?

The TILI Ultralight By Origin Handcrafted Goods Might Be Small But It Packs One Heck Of A Bite.

The TILI Ultralight by Origin Handcrafted Goods is a small fixed blade that can fit in your pocket like a pocketknife with no need to figure out how to open the blade or disengage a safety. Pull it clear of the pocket sheath and you’re ready to cut. Among the things I love about smaller fixed blades is that people don’t give you the evil stink eye when you use the knives in public.

Testing The Ultralight 

TILI Ultralight cutting paper
The TILI Ultralight handled slicing copy paper with ease.

I started with a simple paper slice using 20-pound bond copy paper. The TILI sliced very smoothly using both a draw cut and a push cut. The knife was controllable in making the width of the slices—I just had to move my fingers out of the way fast.

Next up: single-walled cardboard. The handle shape of the TILI Ultralight made for extremely controllable slices in the cardboard as well. I could hear the aggressive edge as it sliced. The edge is very fine and ideal for such a job.

Plastic board was next. There was a little more blade grab in this medium as the TILI’s blade bevel is short—around 3/8 of an inch. The full thickness of the blade engaged the plastic board quickly. It still made quick, clean cuts as fast as I could move my fingers.

The little fixed blade produced beautiful curly-cues in half-inch pine, producing nice, clean cuts. It was easy to control the depth and thickness of the curly-cues. The TILI Ultralight is great for making fire sticks and a handy little knife to put in a pack. It would be excellent at cleaning small game.

Slicing Through Challenges

TILI Ultralight cutting pine knott
The author drove the edge through a pine knot twice. He felt some micro chipping on the edge but it still cut great.

Skiving leather strips was next on the menu. The blade made a forceful crunching sound as it parted the 8-ounce leather. The small blade was controllable in making the slices thin. It favored skiving with the tip more than with the blade’s belly. This is a very sharp knife!

To push the fine edge more, I switched to 3/8-inch sisal rope. The TILI crunched to 125 cuts before my hand said “enough!” It’s hard to keep the pressure on a thin knife without your hand getting sore somewhere. The edge was still sharp and ready for more.

I switched to half-inch pine for some baton practice. The knife was easy to hold onto and it split the wood great. I even drove the edge through a knot twice. I felt some micro chipping on the edge but it still cut great. The steel might be a point too hard on the Rockwell hardness scale for heavy work. Keep the use to slicing and you won’t have any issues.

The TILI comes with a leather pouch sheath to protect the blade. I would put stainless steel pins in the holes at the end of the sheath to prevent accidental penetration as this knife is very pointy and razor sharp.

Bottom line: The TILI Ultralight is a handy knife that’s a perfect little backup blade for all-around use.

Changes I’d Make To The TILI Ultralight

I would add a couple of thumb notches on the blade and extra protection on the tip of the sheath to prevent blade penetration. (EDITOR’S NOTE: The latter is especially crucial if you carry the knife sheathed in your pocket.)

TILI Ultralight Specs

Blade Length: 2.38 inches
Blade Material: 1095 carbon steel
Blade Grind: Hollow
Heat Treat: Differentially Hardened with Hamon
Handle: Skeletonized Steel with hole for included leather lanyard
Weight: 2 ounces
Overall Length: 2.75 inches
Sheath: Black Veggie Tanned Leather
Weight with Sheath: 3 ounces
MSRP: $125

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Oknife Beagle Review: Does This Folder Pass Muster?

Msg Kim Breed (ret.)
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Oknife Beagle Review: Does This Folder Pass Muster?

High-Quality Folder Or Cheap Piece Of Metal? The Beagle From Oknife Gets Put Through Its Paces To Figure It Out.

The Beagle linerlock folder from Oknife feels good in the hand and rides quite well in a pants pocket. Action is very smooth with a positive lockup. When you close the knife, the detent ball grabs the harpoon-pattern blade securely. Balance is excellent. As for cutting performance, let’s see.

Edge Test

OKNIFE BEAGLE cutting bone
The Beagle whacked 22 times into the bone before breaking it. Afterward, the author detected a very small nick in the edge. Not bad at all!

First up: a check of the factory edge with a slice of 20-pound bond copy paper. Via a pull cut, the Beagle sliced very clean with no snagging. Cuts were controllable and smooth. 

Double-walled cardboard provided the next test medium. The blade cut neat and fluidly with a minimum of grab by the cardboard. The Beagle worked better using a push rather than a pull cut. I felt no snagging in the process. Control was a tad wobbly as more pressure was needed to part the thick cardboard.

Heavy-Duty Cutting With The Oknife Beagle

OKNIFE BEAGLE skiving leather
The folder made very fine slices and emitted a nice crunching sound during the skiving. The author used the blade belly mostly to keep the leather together instead of in a pile of pieces.

Plastic board was next. The Beagle cut effortlessly with hardly any wobble. The folder was controllable during the test with only a few zigs in the plastic board. I exerted medium pressure with a push cut.

I used quick, short push cuts in a strip of 8-ounce leather. The Beagle made extremely fine slices and emitted a nice crunching sound. It was very manageable during the skiving. I skived with the belly of the blade mostly to keep the leather together instead of in a pile of pieces.

Beagle Takes On Wood And Sisal Rope

OKNIFE BEAGLE cutting rope
Working on 3/8-inch sisal rope for the final medium, the edge made it to 98 clean crunching cuts. The author suffered no hotspots or pinches of his hand during all 98 cuts.

Grabbing some pine leftover from my fencing, I commenced to whittle. The 154CM stainless steel blade made some very nice curly-cues. It was controllable for the thin curly-cues and for the deeper bites, too. 

The handle felt good in my hand with no pinch spots during the heavier cuts. The Beagle finished four fire sticks with no issues. Whittling with it was a pleasure.

Next, the edge made it to 98 clean crunching cuts in 3/8-inch sisal rope. After that, the edge slowed down and crunching was not achieved throughout the full cut. My hand suffered no hotspots or pinches during all 98 cuts. The Beagle exhibits outstanding handle contouring.

Oknife Beagle Vs Bone

OKNIFE BEAGLE wood curly-qs
The 154CM stainless steel blade was manageable for the thin curly-cues and the deeper bites, too

For a possible destructive test, I clamped a piece of cow bone in the vise and slammed the edge into it repeatedly. The Beagle whacked 22 times into the bone before breaking it. I detected a very small nick by running a fingernail along the edge. Not bad at all!

Recommendations

I know that for production purposes the liners extend past the handle material. I prefer them to be flush. (Editor’s note: The action is very smooth and fast upon closing—so fast, in fact, take care when closing the blade one-handed that the edge does not nick the skin just below your thumbnail.)

Final Assessment Of The Oknife Beagle

The Beagle is a nice mid-size linerlock with a great handle and excellent edge retention. I would put this one in my pocket for daily carry anytime.

Oknife Beagle Knife Specs

BLADE LENGTH: 3.25 inches
BLADE STEEL: 154CM stainless
BLADE PATTERN: Harpoon
HANDLE: G-10
LOCK: Linerlock
LINERS: Stainless steel
WEIGHT: 3.25 ounces
CLOSED LENGTH: 4 ⅜ inches
EXTRAS: Includes a pouch w/fabric closure that contains a collector coin in a small pocket
MSRP: $79.95

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Hawk Creek Blade E-VAC Review: Cutting-Edge Karambit?

Msg Kim Breed (ret.)
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Hawk Creek Blade E-VAC Review: Cutting-Edge Karambit?

Cutting-Edge Karambit-Style Knife? Or Dull Player? The author searches for his cutting mojo with the Hawk Creek Blade E-VAC.

Though karambits/ringed knives are popular, I am not a fan. New from an equally new knife company—Hawk Creek Blade E-VAC is such a special-use knife, and it requires practice to use it to its full potential.

Normal cutting situations just don’t feel right to me with this knife pattern. I’m sure that with enough repetitions—that’s why they provide a mild steel training blade with the standard version—it would feel normal during most cutting chores.

Hawk Creek Blade E-VAC Edge Test

In slicing 20-pound bond copy paper, when the author got the cutting angle correct he was rewarded with an aggressive slice. When he got the angle wrong, the result was more of a torn slice.
In slicing 20-pound bond copy paper, when the author got the cutting angle correct he was rewarded with an aggressive slice. When he got the angle wrong, the result was more of a torn slice.

In slicing 20-pound bond copy paper, when I got the cutting angle correct I was rewarded with an aggressive slice. When I got the angle wrong, the result was more of a torn slice. I need more practice with the E-VAC to get the hang of it.

E-Vac Heavy-Duty Cutting

The E-VAC worked great skiving 8-ounce leather. The size of the cuts was controllable both in width and depth. Again, using the ulu style of rolling into the medium worked great.
The E-VAC worked great skiving 8-ounce leather. The size of the cuts was controllable both in width and depth. Again, using the ulu style of rolling into the medium worked great.

On single-walled cardboard I did better with a push cut than a pull cut. Again, when I got it right, the knife cut aggressively. On the cardboard, I rolled into the push cut like cutting with an ulu. Using more of the wrist than the hand seemed to work best.

Moving on to some 8-ounce leather, I tried my luck at skiving. The E-VAC worked great. The size of the cuts was controllable both in width and depth. Using the ulu style of rolling into the medium worked great for me.

Batonning The E-Vac

The author batonned the E-VAC through some left-over fencing 1/2-inch thick by 6 inches wide.
The author batonned the E-VAC through some left-over fencing 1/2-inch thick by 6 inches wide.

I batonned the E-VAC through some left-over fencing 1/2 inch thick by 6 inches wide. It was somewhat of a challenge to keep my knuckles out of the path of the dead blow hammer. However, once I got a rhythm going, the knife made short work of the scrap wood. The thin blade split deep on each blow.

E-Vac Smaller Wood Cuts

The E-VAC gave the author some decent curly-cues on the wood pieces left over from the batonning. Depth of cut was quite controllable.
The E-VAC gave the author some decent curly-cues on the wood pieces left over from the batonning. Depth of cut was quite controllable.

Since I had a bunch of smaller pieces of wood, whittling was next. The knife gave me some very nice curly-cues. Depth of cut was quite controllable. Some thin scales or a 550 cord wrap would have given me a better grip for power cuts.

E-Vac Vs Sisal Rope

Once he got a rhythm going, the knife made short work of the scrap wood.
Once he got a rhythm going, the knife made short work of the scrap wood.

I did not do a sisal rope cut as I did not have the time to work on my rope-cutting technique with the E-VAC. Nonetheless, the edge feels plenty sharp enough to work well on rope.

As noted, Hawk Creek Blade provides a non-sharpened, coated mild steel trainer blade to practice your twirls and swirls without cutting yourself. It’s a very good addition to the overall package.

Assessment Of The Hawk Creek Blade E-VAC

The E-VAC works great for its designed purpose. Thinness and lightweight add to its usability.

Recommendations…

A somewhat thicker handle would give a more comfortable grip for stronger cuts.

Hawk Creek Blade warrants its knives against defects in material and workmanship. For more information contact Hawk Creek Blade Co., www.hawkcreekbladeco.com.

Hawk Creek Blade E-VAC
Knife: E-VAC
Company: Hawk Creek Blade
Knife Pattern: Karambit
Blade Length: 27/8 inches
Blade Material: A2 tool steel
Extras: Includes a coated mild steel trainer for training purposes
Weight: 3 ounces (7 ounces w/sheath)
Overall Length: 5 inches
Sheath: Kydex
MSRP: $135

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D’souza Cerberus Review: Strong Showing Budget Blade

Msg Kim Breed (ret.)
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D’souza Cerberus Review: Strong Showing Budget Blade

A budget option, the D’souza Cerberus punches above its price point.

Adrian D’souza’s Damned Designs folders are very sturdy and exhibit smooth action. D2 tool steel for the blade and a G-10 handle highlight his Cerberus model. Adrian paid a lot of attention to the handle to make it feel very comfortable during use.

As for how well it performs, well, let’s see.

D’souza’s Damned Deigns Cerberus Initial Test

The Cerberus cruised through the initial test of slicing 20-pound bond paper. It was very aggressive slicing and I had to move my fingers out of the way quickly to keep from nipping them. I used the weight of the knife only for the pull stroke. Cutting the paper was kind of addictive—I just kept rotating it looking for a clean edge to slice.

The Cerberus was very aggressive slicing cardboard.
The Cerberus was very aggressive slicing cardboard.

Moving on to a piece of single-walled cardboard, the Cerberus didn’t slow down a bit—zip, zip, zip on every slice. Again, the hardest part was moving my fingers out of the way fast enough for the next cut. The Cerberus was very aggressive slicing cardboard. The handle was extremely comfy and caused nary a hotspot.

Cerberus Heavy Use Tests

Splitting Wood

I had some leftover fencing slats that work great for kindling. The Cerberus penetrated half to three-quarters of an inch on every chop. With a quick twist of my wrist, the half-inch wood split. The lock stayed 100 percent engaged throughout chopping. The softened handle edges kept my hand comfortable during the hacking as well.

Batoning

To add more pressure to the lock, the author batonned the blade into the kindling eight times. It split the half-inch wood very fast, with the author using only a light tap from the dead-blow hammer. No loosening of the lockup occurred.
To add more pressure to the lock, the author batonned the blade into the kindling eight times. It split the half-inch wood very fast, with the author using only a light tap from the dead-blow hammer. No loosening of the lockup occurred.

To add more pressure to the lock, I batonned the blade eight more times. It split the half-inch wood very fast, using only a light tap from the dead-blow hammer. No loosening of the lockup occurred. Grade: very stout design in the lock department with excellent workmanship.

Whittling Firesticks

I whittled firesticks from some of the split pieces. The Cerberus provided excellent control on the depth of cut. It powered through thicker pieces as well as thin, making some great curly-cues. There were still no hotspots and the edge was hair-popping sharp.

Skiving And Slicing Leather

When the author started cutting the full thickness of the leather, the crunching sound became quite audible. The handle shape aided in controlling skiving and slicing depth.
When the author started cutting the full thickness of the leather, the crunching sound became quite audible. The handle shape aided in controlling skiving and slicing depth.

Moving on to some 8-ounce leather for slicing and skiving, I skived a corner very quickly. I could hear the crunching cuts. It worked quite well, yielding very thin slices of leather. When I started cutting the material full thickness, the crunching sound became quite audible. The handle shape aided in controlling skiving and slicing depth. This puppy is really comfortable to use.

Sisal Rope

I looked for half-inch sisal rope for the final test medium and realized I had only a foot length of it left. Well, it was better than nothing! The challenge was to make short but full rope cuts. Any dullness on the edge would be very easy to detect, as a dull edge would just slide out and over the sisal. After 20 crunching cuts, I had two nicks in my thumbnail. It was time to don Kevlar® gloves. In record Spec Sheet time the Cerberus crunched out 141 cuts in the rope, and I still had my fingertips to boot—an excellent outcome! The blade was not even close to slowing down. (I apologize for the shortage of rope. I have more on order.)

Overall Evaluation Of The Cerberus

The action is smooth and the blade locks up nice and tight.
The action is smooth and the blade locks up nice and tight.

The Cerberus is an excellent folder. The D2 blade has outstanding heat treatment, the handle is very comfortable and lockup is 100 percent secure. I would use it as my EDC.

Potential Changes

I really couldn’t find anything to change. I would recommend that Damned Designs continues to not get too sharp on the handle edges and keep them soft like they are.

Damned Designs warrants its knives to be free of defects. No knife abuse is allowed! For more information contact Adrian D’souza at www.damneddesigns.com, [email protected], and Instagram @damneddesigns.

Cerberus Specs
Company: Damned Designs
Knife Type: Flipper folder
Blade Length: 3.5 inch
Blade Material: D2 tool steel
Blade Thickness At The Thickest: 1/8 inch
Blade Finish: Stonewashed
Handle: G-10
Pocket Clip: Blade tip up
Lock: Linerlock
Liners: Titanium
Weight: 6 ounces
Closed Length: 4.5 inch
MSRP: $49

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