Civivi Hadros

 If you have listened to the podcast, you understand that I am impressed with the Civivi knives. One of their newest knives, the Hadros, didn’t let me down. The Hadros is a very svelte knife with a wharncliffe blade, thumb stud opening, micarta scales, and a liner lock. The Hadros also has an elegant look to it.

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  Civivi took the Hadros and added in some civility. This knife is pretty, if I can say that about a pocket knife. All of this starts with the nicely shaped micarta handles, these happen to be olive colored. The handles are smooth, which gives them a softer look. Of course the smooth handles are not my favorite for actual use, as they are slick. But the size and shape give the Hadros a good look. The handle shape is quite slender in both directions. At first I thought this might be a problem. Amazingly though, the knife feels good in the hand. Civivi’s logo on the pivot screw is a nice touch also. To round out the aesthetics is a smooth pocket clip. This clip is reversible for left or right, tip up carry. The clip is strong and slides smoothly over the pockets edge. 

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  The wharncliffe blade on the Hadros is super sharp. It’s made from 10Cr15CoMoV steel, which is a good intermediate steel for this knife. What really makes this wharncliffe blade shine is the hollow grind and flat cutting edge. The hollow grind makes it slice through stuff effortlessly, or at least that’s how it felt for me. The edge has held up well, but I have touched it up on my little sharpener a few times. It wasn’t dull by any means, I just wanted it a little sharper. One advantage, or disadvantage to this blade, is the super pointy tip. If you like that, it’s a nice sharp point. I worry that I might bend or break it off, but luckily, I haven’t. The spine of the blade also has some useful jimping. The jimping is exactly where my thumb rests when holding the Hadros and works well. For opening the Hadros, Civivi uses thumb studs. There’s one on each side of the blade, so being right or left handed doesn’t matter. The thumb stud is located in a good spot. It is easy to open the knife without catching your finger on anything but the thumb stud. Once the Hadros is open, the blade is held in place with a stainless steel liner lock. When locked, the liner lock doesn’t extend too far over the blade. It’s enough to hold the blade good and tight, but leaves enough room for future wear. 

  As with all the Civivi knives I’ve felt, the opening and closing of them is so smooth. The Hadros seems a little smoother than the Brazen model I have. The smoothness is due to their caged ceramic ball bearings. These bearings also help the Hadros to have little, if any, side to side play in the blade. With this knife, I just flick the thumb stud and the blade flips out effortlessly. 

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  Some of the Hadros’ specifications are also noteworthy. First off, it weighs nothing at 2.57 ounces. For me, it is on the edge of whether I notice I’m even carrying a knife or not. It really is light. The blade is a useful 3.35” long. I like my pocket knives to have between a 2.75” and 3.5” length, so the Hadros is right where I like the blade length. It also has a 4.2” handle, so it won’t take up a bunch of real estate in your pocket. The micarta handles put the knife at 0.47” wide, and in spots, the depth is about the same. 

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  I’ve been running around with the Hadros for about 3 months now. I carry it everyday, and probably use it every day. I’ve cut boxes and food with it, as well as other various things . It is a really good knife, don’t let the handle size fool you. It stays sharp. I haven’t broken the tip yet. It looks good in work pants, as well as Khaki’s. It even comes in a little soft case with a cleaning cloth. All in all, the Hadros has treated me well. 

  The Hadros has a nice look and feel to it. It does everything a pocket knife should, and some things even better. The smoothness, of opening the knife, is top notch. It’s sharp, and even holds an edge well. If you’re looking for something with a Wharncliffe style blade, go check out the Civivi Hadros. 

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Slim, thumb stud folder with a Wharncliffe blade 

Target Market:

Those wanting a lightweight, elegant style pocket knife

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

• Wharncliffe style blade

• Overall Length: 7.55" / 191.7mm

• Blade Length: 3.35" / 85mm

• Closed Length: 4.2" / 106.7mm

• Blade Thickness: 0.12" / 3mm

• Handle Thickness: 0.47" / 12mm

• Weight: 2.57oz / 72.8g

• Blade Material: 10Cr15CoMoV

• Blade Hardness: 59-61HRC

• Blade Grind: Hollow

• Blade Finish: Satin

• Olive Micarta Handle

• Stainless Steel Liner

• Tip-Up, L/R stainless steel pocket clip

• Thumb Stud opening

• Pivot Assembly: Caged Ceramic Ball Bearing

• Liner Lock

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

Brown or Black scales

What others are saying?:

5/5 stars on Amazon

Great quality, smooth action, great lockup. Perfect gentleman’s carry.

The blade is perfect for opening packages or doing detail work. Long blade reach

Link to other reviews:

Wayne’s Sharp World 

Price point:

MSRP = $70.00

Retail = $59.50 on Amazon

I need it now! Availability:

Civivi or Amazon

Our Rating:

Pros:

• Sharp

• Super smooth action

• Hollow ground Wharncliffe blade

• Weight, or lack of it

• Pocket clip

• Thumb Jimping

Cons:

• Super pointy blade, could break off easily if misused

• Slick and small handle

Score: 8.50 Great

Favorite Link:  Gun Guys Garage

Zero Tolerance ZT 0561 Knife Review

 

The Zero Tolerance ZT 0561 is an extreme duty knife.  The ZT0561 would be a great pocket knife for anyone needing a large, rugged folding style knife.  Due to its 3.75" blade, pocket carry can sometimes be cumbersome.  However, the knife does come with a pocket clip that can be located in any of four locations. The knife is fairly light for its size, coming in at 6.4 ounces.  This weight is made possible by one whole grip of the knife being made from titanium.  The other grip panel is made of G-10 in flat dark earth.  Both grips are textured with, what ZT calls, a "3-D machined," which is a type of scallop pattern and gives the knife a good texture to hold on to. The blade is made from an "Elmax" powdered steel, which gives the knife good corrosion resistance and good edge retention.  The blade runs on a set of ball bearings for smooth operation with an easy opening tang on the back side of the knife. This knife would make a great addition to anyone needing a tactical folder that might get abused.

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame: Extreme duty folding knife

Target Market: First responders or anyone needing a rugged folding knife.

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

• Made in USA
• Ball-bearing opening system
• Titanium frame lock
• Quad mount pocket clip
• Blade length: 3.75"
• Closed length: 5"
• Overall length: 8.8"
• Weight: 6.4 oz.

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?: None, what you see is what you get.

What others are saying?:

NOT A KNIFE..... IT'S A BEAST!

This edged weapon is something to behold. I've owned benchmade, kershaw, spiderco, ect.... This thing will be my last knife I'm sure. It holds an edge and looks good doing so. I've used mine for work and play and will never buy another cheap piece of junk knife again. You get what you pay for!!!

By Jo Oklahoma from ZT knives

Outstanding Knife

  After purchasing this knife, I have officially laid my Benchmades to rest. This is an absolute quality knife. The lock is rock solid and there is absolutely no play in the blade. The handle is very comfortable and grips the palm extremely well. I love how the flipper acts as a finger guard while open. The size is very intimidating at first for an EDC, but it is surprisingly thin and fits in the pocket well. The blade is incredibly sharp and super stout.

By  PFDR108 from Amazon

Price point

MSRP = $325 from ZT knives

Retail = $195.60 from Amazon

I need it now! Availability: Amazon

Our Rating:

Pros:

• Easy opening
• Strong blade
• Lightweight
• Pocket clip locations

Cons:

• Size
• Price

Score: 7.5

Havalon Piranta Knife Review

When it comes to skinning a deer, or any game for that matter... everyone seems to have their preferred way of doing things. There's many a man who stubbornly swear by the blade they carry on the hunt, and there's some futility to convincing them to try something different. Back in the pioneer days, men did most of their gutting and dressing with the blade of a hatchet, and smaller specialized tools for skinning the hide. Fast forward to nowadays, there's a plethora of choices from folding knives, fixed blade knives, gut hooks, and ungodly oversized daggers that really only belong under the glass counter at a medieval convention.

What myself and those I typically hunt deer and elk with carry is the Havalon Piranta knife. It's a small folding knife that uses replaceable blades. The blade's themselves are pre-sharpened and extremely, ridiculously sharp! Imagine using a scalpel. Now many hunters may scoff at such a minuscule blade, but I have seen it put to expert use. I've witnessed entire elk and deer gutted, dressed, skinned, and boned out using only a Piranta. I've even seen it used to sever limbs and the joint, and remove heads. The flexibility of the blade is its shining quality, as you can get closer to the bone and make cleaner cuts without repeated strokes like a standard buck knife.

There is a learning curve to using this knife well and not replacing the blade every 10 minutes. Its a very thin blade (at least my older ones are, Havalon has switched to a thicker blade to enhance longevity) and if bent or manipulated in any kind of prying motion the blade will snap. And of course with any other knife, if you cut through the hair you will drastically dull the blade. That being said, its a spectacular knife and used correctly will speed up the process of dressing an animal while doing it neatly. When we get an animal, we are pretty obsessive about how clean the meat stays... no hair, no dirt, and no sloppy cuts on those future steaks. You NEED to have a steady hand, as the Piranta is not forgiving and any poke or knick while you are rooting around the chest cavity by sense of touch alone will be a painful lesson. Based on my experience with the Havalon Piranta, the best way to dress an animal with the skills of a surgeon is with this knife.

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame: Reduces the need to carry extra skinning knives, gut hook blades or whetstones. When the blade gets dull, just pop it off and replace it with a new one. You'll never lose your edge with Havalon.

Target Market:  Hunters & Outdoorsman

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

• 12 additional stainless steel #60A blades, 2-3/4"
• Rugged ABS blaze orange handle
• Ambidextrous thumb studs
• Open back for easy cleaning
• Frame-lock construction
• Removable holster clip
• Overall length 6-3/4"
• Weighs only 3 ounces
• Includes nylon holster
• Fits #60A and #60XT blades

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?: Green, Lime Green, Blaze Orange, Brick Red, Zytel Black, Camo, and Engraved / Scrimshaw Models

What others are saying?: “I have owned it for more than 5 years and have used it on Brown bears, Dall sheep, Roosevelt Elk, Sitka Blacktail Deer, Caribou, Reindeer, Moose, Mountain Goat, Musk Ox, and fur bearers all in Alaska and a whole slew of different skulls to European mount. Each whole animal generally takes one occasionally two blades based on task. I have used 150+ blades and is my go-to hunting knife. The down side is it cannot be used in a pry type motion, the blades are too weak.If you know this then you generally don't have a problem. I have also had it close on me because the lock is wearing out. The other problem is the blades are so sharp there is no margin for error! I have sliced off several knuckle tips on my left hand cutting too fast with my right hand. I also poke my self several times every animal trying to reach into tight spaces or holding back meat/hides. There still is no better product out there period. As a previous biology student i always used to carry scalpel blades with me, this is just the evolution of a better product all around." - Review by Slammerdude on Havalon Website

Price Point: MSRP: $59.99 Retail: $33.74

I need it now! Availability: Havalon or Amazon or most online knife dealers

Our Rating: +_Comes with replacement blades and holster/sheath +_Blades are extremely sharp right out of each individual wrapper

-_No locking bar to prevent accidental opening (you don't want this little guy opening up in your ruck sack!) -_The plastic frame on my Piranta has already cracked where the pocket clip is, clearly a weakpoint

Score: 8.5 Great