Great Knife ... Half the Price of the Ka-Bar and Comparable in Quality
929083
UPDATE:
I have decided that it's time to replace the SP1 as my go-to knife for backpacking.  It's just too heavy.  I love the knife, and I've put it through its paces over the last year.  From splitting wood to pretty much any other task I punish it with, it holds up.  However, the knife is on the heavy side.  I'm in the search for a replacement, and as soon as I find one, I will pull this from my backpacking setup.  However, it will still be a great knife, just too heavy for what I need at this point.  If I'm car camping, great.  If I'm backpacking, too heavy.

ORIGINAL REVIEW (April, 2017):
I've been carrying this knife in my camping ruck for 2 years now.  I honestly could not possibly justify paying twice as much for a Ka-Bar.  Don't get me wrong, the Ka-Bar is a great combat knife, and a very rugged tool.  However, it's also twice the price of the SP1.

I am entertained by the comments below about using these knives in a combat setting.  The reality is, you aren't going to knife fight anyone.  That's ridiculous.  If you find yourself worrying about how well your knife is going to hold up in a combat situation (and you aren't active duty military), you need to re-examine how you spend your free time.

Most folks who buy this knife will use it for more practical purposes ... like camping.  As a general purpose camping knife, this is a great buy.  It splits wood, feathers sticks, and holds an edge through it all.  Yes, it ships dull.  Many knife companies do that on purpose.  People who are really going to use a knife like this already have a preference (most of the time) for what kind of edge they want.  Some will want a finer edge and some a more sustainable edge.  Once you put the edge you want on the SP1, it will hold it very well.

I can very well understand spending $70 for a Ka-Bar if you have the cash and want a Ka-Bar.  It's a great knife that will last you pretty much forever.  However, if you'd rather buy on par with the Ka-Bar and have $35 bucks left over to spend on other gear, you cannot go wrong with the SP1.  I have owned both (kind of a gear junkie), and don't really have a preference of one over the other when I'm in the backcountry.  I bought the SP1, really, just to check it out.  At the price, I was curious.  Now I carry it in my camping rig pretty much all the time.  The simple truth is the Ka-Bar is twice the price, but not twice the knife.  If you want the brand, I won't blame you ... like I said the Ka-Bar is a great knife.  However, there really is no reason to spend twice as much when a comparable product like the SP1 is available.
659150
If you are looking for a great EDC knife that doesn't cost $500...this is it. Very light weight. Good steel. Sharpens up to shaving sharp with just a little work, but comes very sharp out of the box. The edge is a little "toothy" from the factory which is good for boxes and rope but I don't like it that much so I put my own edge on it. Now I can shave with it. I would not pay the extra money for the "assisted" opening one. With a little oil and a little screw adjustment, This flicks right out with just a flip of the thumb. I also like the carabiner for carrying this on my hunting pack. Very handy. For $20, this is an awesome knife.
4353341
I have both this and the Benchmade Pardue Design BK1-Coated Presidio ComboEdge Knife which has a metal. Both knives are exceptional with the Presidio Ultra being much lighter and significantly cheaper. I am not sure the added wight and strength of the handle is worth spending double the $ but the BK1 does feel more solid  in your hand. Not that I would ever attempt throwing the knife but the weight should help if you decide to do so. That said, the lighter Ultra is much easier to carry and if you have to do a lot of cutting your hand will not get tired.

Pros:
- lightweight
- very comfortable design
- great opening and closing mechanism
- quality materials

Cons:
- lightweight
- at around $75 still expensive

If you are in the market for a quality knife that could last you for years and perform when you needed you should consider getting this one. It is one of the best.
735851
I have owned several Ka-Bar knives in the past. The tanto (a relatively knew blade design for Ka-Bar) is an intimidating piece of American made steel. Form and function blend beautifully in the knife. Both the straight edge and serrated portions of the blade came field ready and sharp as hell. I highly recommend this knife. I've been collecting knives since I was a teenager and the Ka Bar will not disappoint new or experienced collectors. Great balance, great handle/grip material, and as I said before, intimidating as anything else you could possibly purchase.
1077537
Over the course of a four months I have carried this knife every day and have put this through many tasks and it has not dulled or shown weakness and will last. I bought this knife looking for a trusted brand coming from Gerber which I still enjoy but the not as great knives (anything below 40$) have failed me (Bear Grylls Paracord Knife and the Paraframe Tanto 'll) and I now feel trust in Ka-Bar with my D2 and the MULE and now soon the Becker Becker.

-C\SSgt Luke
1966918
I have a good amount of knives including some very nice Kershaws and Kabars but this knife is amazing. It came super razor sharp and has a great blade with a thumb stop and a great finger choil for a fantastic grip. It has a huge 3.75" blade and is built like a tank but is small enough and light enough for pocket carry. Perfect lock up and easy open. Great value.
1236853
This knife has the feel of one of those $80 kershaw ones.
But the best part is that this ISN'T a kershaw.
It opens great, has a great blade and blade shape.
The only slight hurdle I had to cross was that the knob on back of the blade (that gets used to open the knife with the index rather than the thumb) didn't have any ridges on it. It's a smooth surface so keep that one in mind.

I quickly got used to using the side of my index finger (rather than the tip) and the knife of course opens very easily, and it's got some good weight behind it when you throw it open. (meaning its not gonna close on your hand if you REALLY had to use it for something besides a utility knife)

As a self defense tool, the look of the knife screams confidence alone. When you open it, it makes a noise, stating to the assailiant - "you really sure you wanna do this?"

Now if you have to open it on an attacker, turn it to the side, don't point it at him. This is more of a classic knife fighting stance. Send him running...

Hopefully this review is helpful, check out my others
1553535
This knife replaced a larger edc that I purchased at the same price point that did not have nearly the quality of this Kershaw. Some may scoff at the word "quality" here but do side by sides with other $15 knives and I feel this is top end of the price point.

Pros:

Price to Quality to Functionality ratio is extremely high!
Small size yet comfortable to handle!

I work at a warehouse handling freight 8 hours a day and this handles packaging with ease. You will have to sharpen it, but it held the edge (sharp out of the box) for the first six weeks, 40 hours a week at work and 5 or more a week fishing. You can use the lanyard hole for prying and undoing screws which is handy.

While fishing the bottle opener has rescued me more than once. Of course I have bottle opener on my keyring and a leatherman in my tackle box but i usually tuck both safely away when on a boat and often only a few items when shore fishing. Making my shuffle the first thing in my hands. It handles fish cleaning just fine.

So why by this knife? If you're like me and need something that you don't mind leaving at work or dropping in a river that won't fall apart, this is a good workhorse and in my opinion looks great.

To point out some pros that some see at flaws:

The blade is stiff to open. This is great for me. I clip it onto a tool clip and it dangles rather than pocket it sometimes... you wouldn't want it to open while banging around and it sure is handy to be able to do that. One handed operation is easy for me and I have my "toy" spring assist knives at home not being used because I don't want to throw away $50+.

The small size: no one looks at you weird no matter where I have used this. It is clearly a tool and not for show or to go on a knife rampage with ;-) That makes a big difference in some settings where it would be awkward to pull out a 4" black tactical spring assist monster.

Cons:

None yet for me 8 weeks in. I will update if it changes!
2983107
What I love:
* The design and weight is first-class. People saying it feels cheap have no idea what they're talking about.
* The tanto knife shape and sharpness is great! Amazon packages and summer sausages fear it.
* The black on black is super stealth-like. It's a tough looking knife.
* The overall and collapsed size is perfect for medium-sized man hands.
* The low clip is cool. No nub sticking out and it kind of looks like a pen in your pocket. The Kershaw and others stick out a lot.
* The price is great. A griptilian by Benchmade is a superior knife, but at this price I like this better.

What I don't love:
* It's definitely not for lefties based on the release button to close the knife.
* The assisted opening mechanism is not as good as the Kershaw knives by a longshot. The release and lock will slow your deploy time.
* You can't close it with one hand very easily, but that's not a deal-breaker.
* It's not a slim knife. Its actually on the thick side (the one angle it doesnt show in the images). Not an ideal EDC knife since its slightly bulky.

It's probably unfair to compare the Kershaw "Leak" to this knife, but that's my only reference point. This is my #2 knife and K is my #1. I just like the look and feel of this knife and I mix things up once in a while. For going camping or hiking, this is a better knife than the K.
2779926
Ka-Bar is the only brand the U.S. military uses and there's a reason for that, they're the best. I bought this Ka-bar machete for that reason and I also picked one of their knives, these are the two best blades I've ever had. I bought both of them for suvival needs, camping, backpacking, off-roading and any other outdoor adventure where they might come in handy and they have. Their blades are so precise, sharp and strong. They have different models to choose from but I chose this one for the weighty blade. You don't have to swing as much since the blade is heavier so it will practically cut through anything on the weight alone, heck, I darn near cut the box in half when I let it drop onto the box as a test. It comes with a snap shut sheath, belt loop and thigh tie down. I usually keep it handy in my backpack unless I'm in bear country, then I keep it out just in case. If you're looking for a machete or knife, stick with Ka-Bar.
3298019
This is the best knife I have seen or owned from Kershaw. You can get the same knife with a different blade for about half this price, but this one has an S30V blade. S30V is considered one of the best metals for pocket knives because it holds a good edge and is still fairly corrosion resistant. It does take a little longer to sharpen than cheaper steels because of it's hardness, but once it's there it holds a good edge.

The assisted open works very well and once the blade is open it stays in place and feels very sturdy. I do prefer other types of locks over a liner lock, but for a liner lock this does the job well.

The grip inserts feel good in your hand and keeps the knife from slipping even when wet. The aluminum handle is flat which is good when it's in your pocket, but not as good when it is in your hand. I personally prefer a handle that is more contour to the hand, but I don't take any points off for something that is purely preference.

Overall, this is a very good knife from Kershaw that will last a very long time if used properly. If you like Kershaw knives as much as I do you will not regret owning this one. The only catch, for me, is that the allure of Kershaw has been that they make very good quality knives in the USA and still keep their prices down to about half as much comparable knife companies. This knife maintains and even builds on that tradition with the exception of the price. For example, I could buy a&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Benchmade-Mchenry-and-Williams-Design-Knife/dp/B000FJOTB2/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Benchmade Mchenry and Williams Design Knife</a>&nbsp;for about $7 more than this knife and get a superior locking mechanism with a slightly inferior blade material. I'm not saying not to buy this knife, I own it and love it, but at this price point you may want to also consider some of the pricier brands too.

EDIT: The price drop makes this a 5 star knife and if you don't have one yet you need to buy this before the price jumps back up. If you already have one then you should consider buying one for the outdoorsmen in your family who don't own one yet.
1380101
I love this knife--I just ordered a second one. It is sharp and fits my hand perfect. Schrade has been coming out with a lot of new things and I really like what they are doing.
 The sheath on mine didn't hold the knife that well (too loose)but a quick trip to Harbor Freight for a $10 heat gun solved that real quick and while I was at it I molded a thumb release into the sheath also--A review here by Vincent has a pic of this (thanks Vincent)
 And then there's the price--can't beat that. I'd put this up against others I have that cost 5 times as much
4695377
Happy with this affordable knife. Have had the RAT II for about one year now, which prompted me to buy it's bigger brother.

The RAT 1 I received opens easily with a light push on the thumb stud and quick flick of the wrist. Super sharp and easy to keep that way. AUS-8 steel is easy to work with and keeps the price of this knife extremely reasonable. AS with the RAT II -- there are knives of this size out there with higher grade steel, but nothing near this price range... mostly two or three times this price. I like this knife.

The blade is 3 5/8 inches long and the handle is 5 inches long by 1/2 inch thick. I find it very easy to open and easy to close too... not sure why some others find closing it to be difficult. However, if there was one opportunity to enhance this knife I would recommend that the nylon handle's texture be made to stand out a bit more... I didn't notice this in the smaller RAT II, but the larger RAT 1 handle feels a bit too slick for me to call it perfect.

BTW -- in case you did not know, the lead designer of the line is Jeff Randall and the line is named accordingly -- Randalls Adventure Training (RAT).

Would purchase again if (when) needed.
2961998
I do dig this knife. This one I bought for a friend as I love mine.
Why? The value. For the cost, this is a superior quality knife over others of more then twice to three times the price. Wonderful ergonomic handle which is very light for its size, lighter then many "light weight" knifes with those thin uncomfortable handles.
Just no side to side flex from blade to handle. Blade come super sharp.
3846757
As nice as my Ka-bar with a softer easier to grip handle. I read a few people say they got ones with burrs or blunt blades. Mine came sharp enough to shave the hairs off my arm with(**note please do not do this at home**). More than sharp enough for me. This handle should be a lot easier to hang on to with wet or sweaty hands. be sure to wipe off the non-coated portion of the blade edge after use or touching to help prevent rust. While folding and assisted opening blades are all the rage. There is still room for quality fixed blades, no worry of springs or locking mechanisms breaking etc.
1001407
While browsing the knifes on Amazon's website, I noticed the Smith and Wesson CKTACBS Knife.  I've owned several S & W Knives in the past and was never very impressed with the quality, particulary the sharpness of the blade out of the box.  The price on the knife was $10.09 so I figured for the price I would pick one up and just throw it in the glovebox of my car for a "just in case" knife.  When I received the knife I opened the box and was totally surprised by the quality of the knife and the razor sharp blade.  The knife is very comfortable in your hand and has a rubberized coating on the plastic handles.  The knife can be opened one handed and you can flick it open as fast as any automatic type opening knife I have ever owned.  As mentioned before, the blade is razor sharp and holds an edge very well.  In closing, I do not think you can buy a better knife for the price and this one is better than some I have paid three and four times the price for.
218109
I am a Scout leader and I bought this knife to mainly use for camping but also for light use when a long machete may be too much.  I had first used used the Ka-Bar version of this knife from 2 friends that have it I and was impressed with its amazing ability to chop up small limbs so I decided to buy myself one.  After reading reviews, and not wanting to spend too much, I decided on getting Cold Steel's version of the Kukri at less than half the cost of Ka-Bar's.  When it arrived it looked good and had a nice sheath but it needed some sharpening.  Fortunately, I had bought a pocket sharpener with the Kukri that I made good use of at the first camp out with it.  It took maybe an hour to get it sharpened with the pocket tool but when I was done it was razor sharp! The 2 Ka-Bar owning friends were very impressed with it considering it was much less expensive than theirs.  They are now considering buying one to have a second inexpensive backup. I am giving it 4 stars because I used the Ka-Bar and it is heavier and that's an important part of the knife's ability to cut, slice and chop. It also has a better sheath. However, with all that being said, this is knife is no slouch and some may prefer its lighter feel. If you want a Kukri for less than $20 then get the Cold Steel version.