If you want to see these knives in action, just search "Green Thorn" on youtube and you'll find a ton of reviews. As long as you're ok with D2, they're an incredible value, and you can always shell out $200+ if you absolutely need the supersteel.Īnd one thing I love that sets them apart from other clone makers, is that they have unbranded options for almost all of their clones (i.e. People often find Green Thorn's fit and finish on their $70 models superior to knives costing several hundred dollars. Blade steel aside, the lower and higher end models are of equal quality-the higher end models might just have slightly more lavish details on the internals (like free bearings vs caged bearings, for example). Ti/D2 models are in the $70-100 range, while the upgraded M390 versions are at a premium at $200+. They're especially known for their Shirogorov clones, like the F95 and F3NS. They're probably the most renowned clone maker, and their offerings can be extremely affordable. If you feel like exploring them more, I'd definitely start by checking out Green Thorn. Yeah, clones are definitely very hit or miss. But based on workmanship alone I can say mine is definitely impressive. The biggest risk with this model is that, despite it having a great reputation and having been tested as legit M390, that was years ago, and who knows if it's still the same people with the same scruples making these knives today. It's funny you mentioned the apocalypse: the first time I held this knife I thought, "screw my Recon 1, I'm taking this with me if shit ever hits the fan." I mean, I'd probably die and get it looted off my corpse-but that looter's gonna be rocking a sweet knife. Will run you ~$200 during a decent sale, I lucked out and got it for $180 with the sale price + new signup coupon on DHGate. Mine came smooth and immaculate out of the box. Chavez Knives Ultramar Liberation 229 Satin Drop Point, Silver Bullet Exclusive Orange Peel Titanium (Certified Pre-Owned) SouthernBlades. Also, the pivot just uses an H5 (IIRC) hex bit to unscrew either side. Strider Knives SNG (Pre-Owned) SouthernBlades. It's the most expensive one by far, but it's a titanium integral with M390, a steel lockbar insert, and a pivot bushing (I believe, have to dig it out and disassemble it). If you're interested in trying out a Strider clone, I highly recommend the Evil Eyes SnG. The hardware and overall sophistication is still a league about the Dicoria/Lovocoo models. So, minor issues in the grand scheme of things, and a sample size of 1, but it does feel like the SMF isn't built with as much care as the SnG. It looks fine now, but it's sloppy for a knife that retails at $200+ (though I did get it for $165). Also, the ano looked uneven when I first got it, but there turned out to be some kind of residue that easily rubbed off making it look splotchy. Non-integral, no pivot bushing, minor but noticeable workmanship issues, mostly to do with the black stonewash finish being faded asymmetrically along certain edges on the blade when comparing show to lock side. The SMF was a slightly worse deal, despite being cheaper and bigger. Haven't taken it apart yet but I've tightened the pivot and it seems to be a bushing, so no tweaking necessary for the perfect action. Great centering, build quality and action on it. I have the SnG and SMF, the SnG is an integral and was actually like $20 more expensive.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |