CRKT Sting Fixed Blade Knife with Sheath: 1055 Carbon Steel Plain Edge Blade, 1055 Carbon Steel Handle, 2020

I buy a lot of knives and I can confidently say that it's VERY hard to find a Chinese-made knife that does not come flawed and/or very dull. I am sad that all the Portland knife companies (Gerber, Kershaw, and CRKT) have cut costs by outsourcing their production to China. However, unlike Gerber and Kershaw, CRKT has kept their quality standards high.The Sting is a surprisingly-heavy full-tang knife that is actually forged from a solid piece of metal. This makes it feel extremely-sturdy for a dagger and very unlikely to fail with reasonable use. The hard plastic sheath is firmly wrapped in nylon and holds the knife very tightly, yet still allows easy draw. Both sides of the knife also came very sharp- able to easily cut paper and much sharper than the Gerber Mark II or Kershaw Secret Agent that I bought. The edges are ground cleanly and symmetrically, and the centerline perfectly bisects the dagger into two halves. As one would hope and expect of a dagger, the tip is extremely sharp. These should all be given qualities, but are very hard to find in most retail daggers it seems.The knife's velcro straps work fine for placement on either the calf or the bicep. Velcro has the benefit of one-size-fits-all for a variety of human shapes, but lack the comfort of a more customized system. It can be hard to find the happy medium between it being too tight that it cuts off circulation, or too loose so it shimmies out of place. Still for the price, I feel that it fills this role just fine; more expensive, customized aftermarket sheaths and securing systems can always be purchased.Overall, the CRKT Sting is a good value for a quality-made dagger/boot knife and certainly beats most of its competitors. You will not find another good, ready-to-wear knife of the same type at this price.

If you are on the move a lot and/or pride yourself in awesome tactical equipment, this is THE ONLY 'FIXED BLADE KNIFE' YOU SHOULD EVER BUY.The blade:--------------I am a fixed blade lover and enthusiast and have a large variety of different fixed blades, but after buying and using this one, I will never buy a different fixed blade again. Smaller folding knives may still have a purpose for cutting boxes, envelopes, or a variety of small things, if you don't want to intimidate people by wipping out a bigger fixed blade. However this blade can tackle NEARLY ANY job, except for maybe filleting fish, which in a survival situation it is more than capable.Bottom line, if you love fixed blade knives, buy two of these to start. The price is a major steal, I would have paid 3x as much for this baby.Pro's:Very durable, pretty much never going to break unless you STRAP an explosive to it, otherwise I imagine it would just fly away and land off in the distance scratched but otherwise unharmed. This thing is awesome.It's made to be double edged, which is great for war or expeditions requiring a weapon with a bite.Con's (kind of):It comes with one edge sharpened and one edge dull. This con is actually good for me because I live in California and carrying a double edge in the city is illegal. Dull edge could easily be sharpened for out-of-city use, though.The case:--------------First impression: kind of bulky for a boot knife case. This can be slightly remedied by cutting off one of the velcro attachments that is sewn on. However, that velcro attachment is extremely useful for mounting the knife to a backpack strap for hiking, camping, whatever, and if it weren't there for that purpose, I would wish it were, so to each their own.This case really leaves nothing to be desired. I can apply it to pretty much any piece of gear I can think of at my disposal. Need to use it with a DUTY BELT? Yes, it works fine horizontal or vertical mounted.Pro's:Everything, this is the perfect case for the perfect knife.Can mount it literally anywhere.Con's:Due to the size it will require a boot made for boot knives (not a $30 pair of "tactical boots" from BIG5) if you want to use it as a concealed boot knife. Otherwise mounts to the leg just fine.

I don't understand the negative reviews for this product, unless people have been getting counterfeit knives.The packaging is simple but good quality. It arrived in a green CRKT box, inside the knife was in the sheath inside a plastic sleeve bag, it also came with a CRKT insert.The sheath is hard plastic and nylon. There's a part of the plastic that extends up with a divot that fits snuggly into the part of the knife handle meant for your thumb when in use. I've read reviews by some that say it rattles in the sheath, but mine doesn't. It's a quiet and secure fit.The velcro straps are long enough for my lower calf, some have said they're too small but they fit me fine. I haven't measured but I'd guess they're around 15 inches long. They are pretty stiff, so I plan on boiling them a bit to soften them up, other than that they're great.The knife itself came oiled and quite sharp, it won't shave the hair off your arm, but still very sharp. This knife is meant for puncturing, not slicing. It comes to a perfect point, and the spine of the blade is dead center. It's got quite a bit of weight to it, which is what I was looking for, so I was quite pleased at how heavy it was. If you're looking for something lightweight and barely noticeable, you may want to keep shopping, you will definitely know this knife is there when you wear it. This knife is made of a strong steel, but it isn't immune to rust, best to keep it oiled to make sure it stays clean and rust free.All said, this is exactly what I was looking for. I'm extremely satisfied with my purchase and will be buying more CRKT knives in the future.