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I bought this knife with my own money directly from Bradford knives; I have no other affiliation with them. This is a “first impressions” review, meaning that I’ve taken it out of the box and messed around with it at home, I haven’t used it at all in the field.
Let me start with the manufacturer’s specs (taken from their website at bradfordknives dot com)
- Bohler M390
- 61 Rc. Double Temper and Cryo Treatment
- Full Tang
- G10 Scales,13 Available Colors
- 2 Available Grinds
- False Edge
- Sabre
- 2 Finish Options
- Stonewash
- Darkened Stonewash
- Thick (1/2″) Handles for good grip
- 3.5″ Blade Length
- 3″ Cutting Edge Length
- 6.5″ Overall Length
- 1/2 Wide Scales
- .145″ Thick Blade
- Standard Leather Sheath included
- Belt Loop for convienent carry option
- Designed to replace your Heavy Duty Folder
- Built for Extreme every day use
The one I bought has carbon fiber scales, false edge and darkened stonewash.
The buying process was straightforward. After placing my order I got a note from the knifemaker saying that it would ship Priority Mail the next day, and he was as good as his word.
As promised it came hair-popping sharp; my unscientific testing brought the phrase “screaming sharp” to my mind. I feel no urge to bring the factory edge to my sharpener, as I’ve done with most other knives I’ve bought. Slicing through thin paper I couldn’t find any part of the edge that hung up at all.
The darkened stonewash is lighter than I expected; it’s only a little darker than other stonewashed knives I own. It’s a very handsome finish, but don’t expect it to be a “tactical black” or anything close to it. The stonewash is done perfectly on all exposed steel, including inside the lanyard hole at the base of the grip.
Like the stonewash, all fit and finish details were executed beautifully on my knife, with meticulous attention to detail. Lettering on the blade is crisp and clear, there are no visible tooling marks, all parts that are supposed to be smooth are. The black oxide coating on the grip screws is similarly flawless. The jimping just forward of the grip on the spine feels great, cut just right for grip without hurting my thumb.
I would have bought the sabre grind on reflex, but the false edge was in stock and I had a discount code (provided because I’m on the Bradford Knives email list, not for anything review related) and I didn’t feel like waiting, so I bought the false edge grind. I was wondering if I would like it. There are substantial bevels between the main grind and false edge of the spine. The false edge is too thick to be hard on your thumb if your grip strays past the jimping. There’s plenty of metal carried forward towards the tip, so it doesn’t seem like the false edge would impair the knife’s durability. The blade profile looks fantastic.
Once I’ve acquired my grip, the ergonomics are great for me. My forefinger feels secure in the choil, thumb naturally finds the jimping, and my pinky is about half-on the bottom of the grip. In my hand, control feels great, like I could use this as a scalpel in surgery (NB I am not a doctor). I haven’t used it yet enough to see how well the handle works for me under heavy use.
The sheath it comes with is leather, rigged for horizontal belt carry, and well executed. I almost bought one of the kydex vertical sheath options but at the last second didn’t. I have fairly large hands and only about an inch and a half of the handle sticks out of the sheath. There’s no guard and so I have to be careful drawing it: once when my hand was too far up the grip I ended up with a small cut on my forefinger, between the first and second knuckles, when my finger ended up in front of the choil. I don’t think I would have this issue with one of the kydex sheaths.
If you’re looking for a small fixed blade in M390 steel, this one should be on your shortlist.
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