Higo no Kami Dai(sizeM), Nagaokoma, Import from JAPAN

Glad self sealing freezer bags had a most ingenious advertisement: After both ladies touted the reliability of their respective freezer bag, with oily contents swimming around, with tumescient bag respectively filled to the brim, the Glad bag lady took her bag and held it over her head, bag opening (sealed) down. She asked the other woman to do the same at which point the other lady smiles ackwardly and declines....this tells the viewer everything they need to know...doesn't it?In my humble opinion as a self protection teacher, folding blades can best be summed up by the point made in the commercial described above. I routinely see all manner of locks on folding blades....and they are more often than not well intended, designed to make the fact that there is a joint in the knife construction....dissapear and not become an issue with respect to weapon failure and reliability. Thing is though HOW MUCH WILL YOU TRUST THE DESIGN? Remember....you can cripple yourself if a knife breaks down at this joint. The problem is that we already know the weapon, if it is a folder, has a point where it is compromised. We must trust that in the heat of a conflict we engaged the locking mechanism properly, the locking mechanism (Made in China or some other place where quality control may be an issue) is not defective, AND we must often do so with no feedback loop to guage whether the weapon action is predictively doing what it should do.....I.e. AS I open the blade nothing telling me that I am proceeding in a manner where the blade is guaranteed to lock as I complete the action.This last point is the territory of professionals. What it means is if I simply flick open a switchblade and thrust, there is virtually no indication as to whether the knife has, or will, properly engage or not. I may have flicked the knife open a million times....but there is not any feedback that I can get from the weapon that tells me that this time the lock may not engage, or that the lock may not catch, etc, etc, etc. Wouldn't it be great to have a weapon that gave us that feedback in a continous loop?The warriors of old knew about this problem. With respect to folders when we see a Balisong Knife, or a Japanese folder constructed in the manner, tradition, of the Higo no Kami Dai...the technology that goes into the knife design is very important and goes over most people's heads. What is ingenious about a Balisong, or this weapon is that the weapon holder has a continous, constant feedback loop telling him/her about whether the weapon is locking into the proper position. Wth a Balisong this means that the blade cannot be extended until the handle locks into the right position. With the construction of this knife, the blade extension and position is determined by a back lever on the blade....as long as this lever is kept in the proper position, the weapon will function as intended. It is obvious, through the tactile feedback of holding the blade and maneuvering it, when the blade is in the proper position.....no GUESSING about whether a lock technology is adequate to lock the blade in position.This design is superb. The construction of this knife is also superb. The blade is sharp made with the right grade of Steel. The blade has the proper curvature that is a distinguishing characteristic of classical Japanese Blade construction. This curvature distinguishes the blade....while it is not a Tanto blade, which actually has an extra cutting surface on the edge of the tip, this curvature shows a refinement and desire to show craftsmanship beyond the straight design of most small blades. Curved blades present a different distance and allow for better cutting technique when designed with applications in mind....details will be presented if anyone asks in response to this review.Do not buy this blade if you want a state of the art Spyderco that snaps out and locks into place like a North Korean Soldger on ice! But if you want excellent and appropriate craftsmanship, quality materials and design that has withstood the test of time, and if you need to know your blade will be ready when you draw it....this knife is a steal at the price. This blade is also a testiment to the long line of Japanese martial culture that presented a blade that was civilized with a curviture and polish that has withstood the test of martial strife....not to be confused with maritial strife! Though a blade this size was often carried in the hair of Samurai women for obvious applications.

The Japanese version of the Swiss pocket knife you carry around before EDC pocket tools were around. Simple to use, keeps its edge, inconspicuous, and an interesting conversation piece with your buddies around the campfire.

When I first received this item I felt very disappointed. Major buyer's remorse set in as soon as I pulled it out of the box. I was ready to ship it back for refund right away, but got distracted and put it in my pocket instead. As I played with it and used it for a few days, my opinion changed. I still think it is a little overpriced, but it is unique and I cannot find or compare it with anything out there that is better value.This is a very simple design, but surprisingly effective. The handle is very thin, narrow and slippery. You want to be able to flip-open this knife with one hand by holding it in the palm of your hand by four fingers and pushing on the tab with your thumb. This was hard and down right dangerous at the first few attempts. The knife kept flying it out of my hand with sharp blade half way out. But then I got a hang of it. First I lubricated the hinge with silicon lubricant (I think WD-40 would work as well, if you don't mind the smell and oil in your pocket). Then I "worked it" by opening and closing blade repeatedly through out the day, freaking out the people in my office a little bit. Two things were accomplished in the processed. The hinge became more loose allowing easy and smooth operation. I got a hang of flipping it open and closing it with one hand without injuring myself or others.Now I love this knife and adopted it as my "gentlemen's knife" that I carry in my pocket at work. I work in an office and wear a business suit. The thin design of this knife works great. I don't feel it in my pocket, it does not have a clip, so I don't look like a redneck in a suit (at least from the outside) with a knife clipped to my dress slacks pocket. I can flip it out easily to slice open envelopes, boxes and packages, sharpen pencils and keep zombies away like a ninja. It also makes a distinctive "ka-ching" sound when opened or closed. I like this sound.The blade is the best feature. It is almost three millimeters thick, is very robust and appears to be made from a high carbon steel. I like the shape and it how it is honed. It is obviously forged by hand, but machine honed. It is razor sharp and is easy to maintain. If it wasn't for my fear of blood and cutting my face open, I would shave with it. I used it a lot to slice through cardboard boxes and had to strop it a little at the end of the day. I believe it will stand up to opening cans and cutting 12 gage electrical wires, but I have not tried it. The edge holds up very well and is easy to sharpen.Handle appears to be made of brass, although it is not described as such. It is golden brass yellow in color and appears to be prefabricated and then assembled to the blade by hand. There is a little play at the rivet that connects handle with the blade. This is not a problem as you always have your thumb on the tab at the base of the blade as you are using it. It is both the most conformable way to hod this knife and prevents it from closing and cutting of four of your fingers like a guillotine.It is not a very attractive knife. Hence 4 stars. At first observation, this knife looks very primitive and crude, because it is. Maybe if they added more detail to the handle, or polished it (as I intend to do myself) it would look better. It looks like something you want to toss to the bottom of your tool box for slicing cables and hoses and general prying and cutting when you don't mind beating it up. While it will stand up to such a job and any abuse, I remember how much I paid for it. I still think it is a little overpriced. I am saying that because I paid the same for other knives I won and love and that do a great job, have complex mechanisms and have attractive appearance. Having said that, I am not returning this knife. In fact I found it hard to put down in the last couple of weeks. You would pretty much have to pry it from my cold dead hands to get it away from me, until I find another exiting new knife to catch my fancy. Hope this helps

Exactly as described. I've only just received it and already love it. I own more than a dozen knives, from $10 pocket knives to custom made hunters. This one is nice for a few reasons. First, it's slim. It would work fine as an EDC, fitting easily into a pocket or wherever you keep your blade. Second, it looks pretty good. If nothing else, it's got more character than most knives I see people carry around. Not polished or refined, mind you, but nice. Finally, it takes a wicked sharp edge. As others have mentioned, it came to me pretty dang dull. However, after only a minute or two of touching up with an extra fine diamond stone it had an edge so sharp you could shave with it. Seriously. How it will hold up with time and use, I can't say. I suspect it'll be just fine. It's a very basic knife after all. My advice? Get one. I'll probably end up getting another one or two as gifts for friends of mine that enjoy a good knife as well.