Knife Review: Bestech Knives Scimitar EDC Blade

Hey guys, Atech here and welcome to my first non-silent knife review of a very interesting, relatively new knife on the market and that is the Bestech Knives Scimitar.

First of all – few words about the Bestech Knives brand:

As far as I know – it is run by a Chinese couple (man and his wife).

The man is the head designer and his wife Solina does sales, marketing and customer service.

They state that the company was an OEM knife manufacturer – meaning they have produced knives for other companies. Really reminds me the story of WE Knives.

Anyway, let’s jump to First impressions:

This is how these knives come – plain branded cardboard box, nylon sleeve, nothing fancy there.

When it came it was centered, no lockup issues whatsoever and it came pretty sharp.

The action wasn’t buttery smooth, but it broke in nicely and improved significantly.

 

Measurements: 

§  Blade Length: 3.75"

§  Cutting Edge: 3.75"

§  Handle Length: 4.63"

§  Overall Length: 8.50"

§  Weight: 4.2 oz

The Pros:

1. I do like the overall looks - that Persian style with a curved handle and the upswept blade. This is a genuinely good-looking knife and is pleasing to the eyes.
It is also pretty unique and special in terms of design, especially in the blade section – the overall blade shape, the fuller (easy to clean), the two tone finish on the flat portion and inside the fuller – not your regular plain and boring shapes and grinds.
I also like when the name of the model matches the style (when you hear the name and you already know what style to expect).
Scimitar is basically a short sword with a curved blade – so here you go.

2. The action – like I already mentioned – it was not buttery smooth out of the box, but broke in really nicely. Plus I really like the shape of the flipper tab – easy to use, has good purchase with the gimping on top, not pokey in the pocket, but makes the blade fire hard every single time with light switch technique.

3. The overall quality – the centering, the lockup, the fit and the finish – all are done on a very high level.

4. D2 blade steel – great choice for the price.

Best quality which means the number one reason to get this knife: The design features:

 – deep carry pocket clip – good springiness, could be a bit shorter.
- ceramic bearings
 - 3D milled G10 scales with inlaid liners, which are also skeletonized to reduce the weight.

Neutral (meaning qualities that are OK, not good and not necessarily bad):
- The ergonomics: are pretty good in my middle sized hand, but there are 2 hot spots: near the liner (there is a cutout to easily disengage the lock) and the pocket clip. Interesting part that the knife sits great and is easily operated in my left hand. So the ergos are OK, but could be a bit better.
- The proprietary spinning pivot.
- The lanyard hole – it’s fine, nothing special though.
I did try to put the lanyard around the standoffs – but the blade does touch it, so I gues it is necessary.

Nitpicks (insignificant cons):
- Writing on the blade, which is also often called billboarding, I personally don’t really mind that unless it is really excessive, but I know there are others who do.
- The detent path is exposed and I prefer when it is not.

Cons:
- Not a lot of meat in the tang due to the stop pin placement.
This could be a problem if you intend to really use it hard like baton with it.
So this is a strictly EDC knife for the everyday tasks.
- Some rough finishing on the spine of the blade and slightly uneven grind.
- Some say that this knife is a clone of the Olamic Cutlery Swish model.
I personally don’t agree with that claim.
Although I can’t deny the handle does look a lot like the handle on the Swish – the blade shape, the pocket clip the lock and pretty much everything else is different.
Judging by other Bestech models - it could be unintentionally inspired by the model, but definitely not a clone.
BTW – when I was researching it I did find out that the designer of the Olamic Swish is Alexander Birykov, he actually works for a Russian clone company called Viking Nordway and the Swish model was heavily inspired by the Shirogorov Poluchetkiy by Dmitry Sinkevich – Olamic didn’t even wanted to do it at first it felt so similar.
So yeah – funny which things you could find while researching these things.

Summary:
I really like this knife. And not just me – everyone I know and who bought one – really like it too.
Whether if it’s the build quality, the smoothness, the style or any other characteristic – I think it is a genuinely likeable knife.

Is it a perfect knife (objectively) – no. But it is definitely a good usable EDC knife that will please your eyes and your hands and I definitely recommend you to get one and judge for yourself.

Thanks for watching guys, if you found the review interesting and informative please give it a thumbs up and if you have any questions or feedback – please write these in the comment section below the video and also please state – what is your most liked knife in the collection?

Again – thanks for watching guys and I’ll see you on the next one.
Knife is available here: Bestech Knives Scimitar Or here: Bestech Knives Scimitar

Cheers!

Brother 1501G Knife Review - Big Disappointment!

Well, after one of my all-time favorite knives from China - here comes one of the most disappointing ones - the Brother 1501G.

I was really impressed with its smaller brother (the Brother 1502), so I decided to try it out as well.

First impressions:

First impressions were actually OK - the knife came in the standard Brother branded cardboard box, blade was centered, reasonably sharp, good lockup, fit and finish.

The only problem (like with many other Brother knives) - it was very dirty inside which made the action mediocre at best.

I was expecting that, so I cleaned it up and that improved the action a lot.

So, I could tell you the Pros and the Cons of this knife, but I feel it would be redundant, as the knife has 2 flaws that make it unusable for me:

1. The knife has pinned construction and the pins started coming apart at some point causing horizontal blade play and making it unsafe to use.

2. While closing the blade hits the steel backspacer, dulling a pretty large portion of the blade.

Well, I could try to fix these issues, but I think it just wouldn't be worth it, so I'll probably just turn it into a fixed blade and call it a day.

I do know there are other folks who got theirs and haven't experienced these issues, but this is the case with my knife and it is important to share it IMO.

Summary: Not recommended due to the issues listed above.

Link to the knife: Brother 1501G

Tekut Tough EDC Knife Review - If Mora made folders!

Today I'll be doing something I haven't done in a long time and that is reviewing a new knife.

This time it's the Tough - budget EDC blade by Tekut.

To those who never heard about the brand - just like Sanrenmu, Tekut is a veteran OEM maker out of China that is producing knives for other companies and make a few models of their own.

Lately they had a breakthrough with an excellent EDC knife - the Tekut Zero (previously reviewed) and this is their later model.

Specs:
Blade length: 3.5" / 91 mm
Full Length: 8.2" / 209 mm
Weight: 4.7oz / 134g

First impressions:
The Tough came in a see through plastic tube, great presentation.
Was sharp out of the box, no F&F problems, smooth and had great lockup.

Pros:
- Great quality, fit and finish out of the box.
- Solid lockup in both directions (with tweaking).
- Great ergos (including thumb dent and gimping).
- Nice hydraulic action on washers (not bearings).
- Strong thick tip.
- G10 with a nice traction but not pant ripping texture.
- Sandvik 12C27 blade (the same one SS Moras are made from).
- Price.

Best quality:
- The best quality of this model is the ultra deep carry pocket clip (see demo in the video below).
Great original feature that was developed by Tekut.



Cons:
- Blade centering is off in mine. I could tweak it to be centered, but then there will be a bit horizontal bladeplay. One of the most common cons of knives with washers.
- The flipper tub is pointy and sticking out too much IMO. Truly a "pocket pecker".
- Sating finish on the blade, I would prefer a stonewash that will hide scratches.
- Biggest con IMO is the fact that all the screws on the knife are locktited that means it will be difficult to disassemble.



Summary:
This one is a great high value budget blade with some unique and uncommon features that help it stand out in the crowd.
It really feels like a tool rather than a collectors piece with its simple but useful shape and build, a reliable tool that you could rely on.
That, in addition to the shape make me associate it with Mora knives, so if you were in the market for a folding Mora knife - this one could be a great option.

Knife is available here: Tekut Tough

15% off with promocode OUT15OFF
Check it out on Amazon for faster US shipping: Tekut Tough on Amazon
Or on BladeHQ: Tekut Knives on BladeHQ

Maxace Red Queen Review - The Queen of Mean!

I got this knife over a year ago and am now ready to do a review on it.
The reason it took so long is because I haven't used it much during this period of time and I'll explain why during this review (in the Cons section).

First impressions:

The knife came in a branded black presentation box.
Was sharp out of the box and had no issues at all with centering, lockup and action (very smooth out of the box).

Pros:
- The quality out of the box. Fit, finish, lockup, centering - all close to perfection.
- The materials - anodized aluminum handles + backspacer, nested steel liners, G10 inlays, bearings in the pivot and blackwashed 10Cr15CoMoV blade (which is like 8Cr13 on steroids with added Carbon and Cobalt).
- Great ergonomics that will fit most hand sizes + awesome added gimping and finger choil.
- Options - this knife comes in 6 color options (3 colors of handles and inlays and blackwashed/stonewashed blade). Options are always great.- Very smooth action and deployment (added fidgeting factor).
- Very budget price point for what you are getting.

Best quality:
- Definitely the design. The looks, the tactile feel, the locking method (hidden blade stops), the sound of deployment, even the hardware - all make it feel like a much higher end knife than the price it sells for. 
The looks are also very charismatic - the knife looks mean (with that hawkbill blade and very sharp pointy tip) and reminds of an antagonist in a book or a movie, which is actually awesome and really cool.

Neutral:

- The knife is quite hefty (has non skeletonized liners) but the balance is right where it is supposed to be (under the finger groove), so feels much lighter than it is.

Cons:
- The steel pocket clip is quite low and stiff. Although it doesn't interfere with the ergos and is usable it is quite complicated to put on the pocket. Taking out is much easier and works fine that way.
- The hawkbill blade - cool as hell, but other than self defence (which I do not support) and opening packages - this knife has almost no other practical use. I mean you could slice with it, but it is quite uncomfortable in comparison to other blades I have.

Summary:
I like this knife a lot. Although I didn't get much slicing use out of it - I still enjoy very much to own it and use it for what is possible (like opening packages and letters).
I'm sure it is suitable for self defence, but I don't practice that (self defence with a knife).
The quality, the design, the looks, the materials and the charisma - all are definitely there and like I stated - I'm happy it is part of my collection.

Check out the knife here (premium Ti version is also available): Maxace Red Queen
And even cheaper on Amazon: Maxace Red Queen on Amazon
Maxace Knives are also sold here: Maxace Knives
Video demo of the knife: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgzwGDaxuw4

Y-Start Jin02 EDC Axis Lock Knife Review from GearBest - Better than Ganzo G7533?

For the comparison I used the very popular Ganzo G7533 model, which I received at about the same time. 
The comparison:
Overall fit and finish - pretty much the same level of quality, both have milled liners and excellent fit and finish, maybe a slight advantage for the Jin02.
Mechanics and lockup - a clear win for the Jin02 - perfect centering, 0 blade play in any direction and much smoother action right out of the box (bearings in the pivot) give it a clear advantage over the Ganzo (even after I polished the washers on a Ganzo).
Axis lock - is easier to disengage on the Jin, but it is also a bit stiffer and has sharper edges, so a tie at this point.
Blade steel and shape - A slight advantage to the Jin, due to FFG (Full Flat Grind) shape, thinner grind and D2 steel (EDIT: later found out Ystart use 7Cr17MoV and label it as D2. Can't get much more for the price).
Ergonomics - I personally prefer the Ganzo, it sits a little bit better in my Medium sized hand but the Jin is OK as well (it is individual).
Pocket clip - If there is a weaker side on the Jin, it is it's pocket clip. Ganzo clearly takes this one, due to to the more stiff, pointy polished clip on the Jin. Also the Jin's clip creates a small "hot spot" in my hand while squeezing it hard in the hand.
Verdict - the Jin02 is an awesome knife and will serve you well as an EDC blade.
It's clear advantages are the mechanics, overall quality (especially in the details) and the better cutting blade shape.
If you care about those things in the knife, you will probably like the Jin02 a lot.
I got mine here: Y-Start Jin02
Same knife on Amazon: Y-Start Jin02