OUTDOOR EDGE Brutus 3.25" Folding Pocket Knife - Includes Sheepsfoot Blade, Glass filled Nylon Handle with Lock Operation, Ambidextrous Opening Mechanism for Men, Camping, Fishing & Hunting

I'm both a graduate degree'd engineer who greatly appreciates good product design and also a a budding knife collector. Since becoming interested in the diversity of designs of folding pocket knives about 2 years ago I've collected about 20 knives valued from $20 to $200. With that as background ...The bottom line on the Brutus is that this is a very good knife for the $25 price tag. If your knife budget can stretch to $35 then there are many options that are as good or better, but if you like the size and shape of the Brutus then it's hard to do better for $25. Most of my praise for the Brutus is based on good to very good overall build quality and, specifically, the 4Cr14MoV steel used in the blade. This is a very well balanced blade steel that exhibits good corrosion resistance (it contains enough chromium to be considered a "stainless steel"), good edge retention and good toughness. I'm very surprised that the item listing doesn't make marketing noise more of this steel. The hot blade steel that's available in a few knives at this price point is D2, which will have considerably better edge retention than 4Cr14MoV, but D2 is not a stainless steel so care must be taken to avoid corrosion.The build quality is surprisingly good for a $25 knife, with the pivot (which appears to be merely a bushing) operating smoothly from the get-go and the blade being well centered in the handle. The item listing calls tjis a "modified sheepsfoot" blade shape, but it's so modified that I can't really see any remnants of a sheepsfoot shape. The sheepsfoot is my favorite blade shape for an EDC knife, so I was a bit let down by how "modified" the blade on this knife is. The main characteristic of a sheepsfoot blade is that the cutting edge is linear (straight, flat, etc ...), while this "modifed sheepsfoot" is pretty much indistinguishable from a common drop point. The spring assist that some reviewers appear to be very excited works well enough, but I really don't experience much advantage over any non-spring assisted flipper folder with a decently well designed flipper tab and a decently smooth pivot. The spring assist isn't a bad thing, but I'd have rather saved money on the spring assist to invest in the handle material. Ahh yes, the handle material ... If there's an aspect of the Brutus that feels every bit of it's budget $25 price point it's the "glass filled nylon" handle. The texture molded into the plastic .. err, I mean glass filled nylon handle adds decent gription, but it still feels like a very budget option for the handle scales. A fair number of knives in this price range use G10 scales, which generally I prefer over these plastic ... errr, glass filled nylon scales.For $25 this is a very credible knife offering from Outdoor Edge.

The sales page for this knife seriously under sold the actual quality of it. I ordered two knives at the same time this one and another one which you can see in my photos. I wasn’t super excited about this knife after reading the sales page and looking at the photos but I figured it would be a cool EDC I could use around the house to open boxes or whatever.Then I got it in the mail at the same time as the other knife and I must say this is much better than the other knife in the photos which I received at the same time and it was more expensive than this one.SIZE: Starting off, the knife is the perfect size for an EDC or general knife for around the house chores or camping/hiking. It fits in your hand, exactly like you want a knife to fit. The blade length is 3.3” which is perfect for 99% of uses.WEIGHT: It’s got a great weight to it. I wouldn’t call it a light knife, but also not heavy. It’s just right in that middle ground. Just heavy enough so you can tell it’s good quality when you pick it up but it won’t weigh your pockets down.SHARPNESS: The blade is razor sharp. I was able to easily cut through a piece of paper without force and I went around the house cutting a few other things just to test it out. I have to say the blade is really really sharp and it’s a nice heavy duty blade so it seems like it’ll hold a sharp edge for a while.SPRING ASSISTED OPENING: One thing that I didn’t realize about the knife is that it’s spring assisted. When you press on the back flipper to flick the blade open, it pops right out with very minimal effort. It’s the only spring assisted knife I have and after using this, I don’t see myself going back to non spring assisted knife anytime soon.METAL CLIP: It also has a solid metal clip for clipping it to your pocket or wherever you intend on keeping it. The clips made of heavy duty metal and it has outdoor edge subtly carved into it which I actually like. You won’t need to swap this one out with another one - this will not break anytime soon.I included a photo of this knife and the other more expensive knife I got in the mail at the same time so you can see the difference between the clips.OPENING EXPERIENCE: One of my favorite features is the little knob on the back of the knife, which is what you use to open the knife. You put your index finger on it and pull it down and that’s what flicks the blade open. I assumed every knife these days would have this, but actually the other knife that I got in the mail at the same time didn’t have it. Opening these knives side-by-side with one hand is a completely different experience. The one without the knob is way harder to open you almost can’t do safely it with one hand.This knife on the other hand opens buttery, smooth, and the blade locks in place.BLADE WIGGLE: We all dislike knives that have blade wiggle. But most knives have at least some wiggle in my experience. To my surprise, there's no side to side movement on the blade and I mean zero side to side movement - no wiggle whatsoever.BLADE LOCK: The only thing that this knife is missing in my opinion and it’s really a matter of personal preference is a button lock. I prefer the button locks over the type of lock that’s on this knife. I don’t know what to call this lock, but I really like the ease of using a button lock. That being said a lot of people don’t like the button lock because you can potentially run the risk of accidentally pressing the button when using the knife which would cause the knife to close on your hand and it wouldn’t be good. Like I said, it's totally a matter of personal preference and I don't dislike this type of lock - it's a great lock that feels very safe and sturdy. I just prefer the button lock type most of the time.OVERALL: I am absolutely amazed with the quality of this knife (especially for the price) and I think you’ll love it too.

I ordered this knife to use at the ranch for various odd jobs. Due to the price, I wasn't expecting much but I was pleasantly surprised. It's still new, but I really like it so far. It has all the features I look for in a carry knife, below in no particular order:* Glass nylon or G10 scales* Steel type marked on the blade* Smooth one-handed opening with open assist* Pocket clip is in correct position* Decent steel type (4Cr13MoV)* No blade wobble* Light weight* Tight lock mechanism (liner lock) with no playA few things to consider:1. The pocket clip is perfect for carrying in your right pocket for right-handers, but after pulling the knife from your left pocket, lefties will need to turn the knife around for your index finger to engage the opening tab. The clip is not reversable.2. The blade steel is not a high-end steel but is good for a knife in this price range. It has a good balance of hardness and corrosion resistance.3. The opening tab is a little harder to engage compared to my other open assist knives. Those with weak or diminished hand strength may have a problem opening this knife using the assist. Average strength guys should not have an issue. My wife with her petite hands could not open it with the flipper tab.4. The blade is advertised as a sheepsfoot, but it's clearly a drop point from my experience. The spine is a little thicker than typical knives which is great for heavy use, but the knife doesn't feel heavy.Summary: This is a great knife that's fantastic when you consider the price. It has the quality of much more expensive knives and has -all- the features I look for in a knife (which is unusual). I'm impressed with this knife and I expect it to last a long time. Recommended.