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

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

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

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

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

More Knife Reviews

• Review: Bare Bones Buffalo Skinner
• Hawk Creek Blade E-Vac Review
• Manzano: Appealing Look And Performance
• Case Marilla: A True Light Heavyweight