So, I ended up finding my old M4 Bayonet (I might make a post on this later), and remembered how comfortable it was in the hand. So, I decided to start looking for the knife version to mess around with.
Originals are too expensive for something I’m just messing around with, as are the old Camillus repros; so my options were limited to Ontario (US made, 1095 steel) and Boker (China, 440C).
I decided on the Ontario since I prefer 1095 to 440C (plus the brokers apparently aren’t heat treated properly) and I’ve had good experiences with my Ranger RD4.
I was planning to hold off for a bit since I was still investigating reviews, but had to order some stuff on Amazon and ended up getting it. Upon arrival, I opened it up and… this thing is dog shit lol.
The blade is off center from the handle, something I’ve noticed in a few reviews. A couple reviews I saw said this was intentional so it could fit between ribs, it’s not. The blade was to be centered in the grip so it could be a “grab and stab” no matter the orientation. (The “offset blade to fit between ribs” was a rumor for the Gerber Mk II’s “bend” that allowed it to be carried closer to the body, on the leg, or in a boot and still be easier to grab.)
The handle is very chunky, dry, and not finished well. Compare this to the M4 Bayonet, which has a very wasp shaped, well finished, handle.
The handguard is fairly straight, the forward bend on the top half is much less pronounced than it should be.
The coating is some kind of spray on, is very gritty/ speckled, and doesn’t seem durable at all. The coating had marks and discoloration upon pulling it from the cardstock sleeve, the handguard also had marks from the sleeve and box. The pommel has a different almost painted finish that was very “gloopy”.
Finally the blade grind was sloppy and dull. It couldn’t cut paper and had a couple rolls near the ricasso. The top grind was just sloppy, but actually sharper than the main grind.
Final thoughts are: this is a somehow worse version of a lowest bidder, fastest production possible, knife from a wartime economy. I wouldn’t reccomend this (especially at its current price) for anyone who doesn’t feel like taking on a project.
So, unfortunately in the end I’ll be sending this one back and keep an eye out for the original.
As a bonus, I threw in a photo comparing it to my ~2005 Ka-Bar (my younger self thought serrations were cool, my older self finds them annoying.)
by MobileSuitProject
