ARTISANCUTLERY Folding Knife Arroyo (ATZ-1845) AR-RPM9 Powder Steel Balde Micarta Tactical Handle Pocket Folding Knife EDC OD Green Micarta

Over a year of hard hard use on a farm, Hands down the best work knife I have ever purchased!!! *** Buy It*** Best value I have found under $100.00. I have been using it for several months now, great knife, excellent value!!! I own a farm; this knife gets used hard! Holds a decent edge and resharpens easily. Micarta handle has a good feel and grip. Biggest complaint is clip comes loose every few months, easily fixed. I own way too many knives, some urber expensive, and this is my go-to EDC. I plan on ordering a few as gifts. First off, I just received the knife, so this review is based on initial inspection, no opinion on the steel yet. Slim well-designed knife that is classy enough to be a gentlemen's knife while still being functional for more than cleaning your nails or opening a letter. Fit and finish are beautiful. The texture of the micarta scales feel good in the hand. Blade is centered and sharp. Metal is nicely polished, no sharp edges. Lock up is tight. This is not an issue to me, but I want to mention, this is not an auto or semi auto knife. The flipper deploys the blade 1/2 way and a slight flick of the wrist and its open and locked solidly. Think old school. It will never accidentally open in your pocket. It is made in China. I own many knives and I took out a Whilliam Henry knife to compare. It's not the William Henry, but it's not that far off and at about 6% of the cost of the W.H. (that I've never carried) well I'm pleased at least so far. As to the steel, one reason I chose this knife was to try this steel, which is not Chinese D2

I am amazed. The quality of this knife is better than many top-shelf knives. The grippy and beautiful micarta scales, quick flip and one-handed closing, smooth ceramic ball bearing action, AR-RPM9 steel and long blade edge make this knife a joy to own. The designer included some great aesthetic touches that add so much to this knife. When I bought this knife, I thought it would be an inexpensive EDC to go along with my Rio and Astute. I didn't think it would rival my Yojimbo or Paramilitary 3, but it does. The thickness of the knife is great. It feels GOOD in my hand. The micarta scales are a little thinner than you might expect, which makes this knife easy to grip. There is also a slight "trough" the length of the micarta which give an intuitive grip for easier opening. And what a joy it is to flip! Perfect one-handed opening and closing. If you are a knife fidgeter, you will LOVE this knife. (In fact, I typically don’t fidget with my knives, but I can’t keep my hands off this thing!) It is a great fit for my medium/small hands and just as good for my husband's larger hands. There is a little bit of reveal from the scales to the liners, which is a really nice design touch as you get that little glint of steel edging the micarta. The jimping on the top of the blade and the bottom of handle add to the grip and are another thoughtful addition to the design. When you get your knife, look straight down on the closed knife, and see how the jimped areas complement each other from that angle. Honestly, when I saw this knife online, I wasn't impressed with its looks, but once it’s in your hands, you can’t stop looking at it. And holding it. And flipping it. A few other notes. The flipper is good-sized doesn't get in the way. It makes a great finger stop while the blade is open and guards your fingers when you flip the blade closed. The clip is deep pocket carry, reversible for lefties, and sturdy. The AR-RPM9 powder steel keeps its edge well and reasonable to sharpen. Unlike D2, it’s fully stainless. I like the flat-ground blade. It comes in at 3.3 oz (94 grams). That weight gives it a solid feel in your hand without heaviness. Note for lefties: the liner lock is designed for right-handed close, but as soon as my left-handed husband got this in his hands he insisted I order him one. Enjoy!

Initial thoughts: Finally, a budget pocket folder with some sex appeal. If "Dirk" is the name on Mr. Pinkerton's birth certificate, then this was surely destiny. Powder metallurgy blade steel for fifty bucks US is also a dream realized, and this edge is as grippy as I've found on a curved blade. Very nice micarta. Good lockup, but the lock bar was poorly machined and there's too much friction against the tang. Pivot functions poorly and the knife does not deploy reliably at all. Lack of a thumbstud makes the blade an 11/10 aesthetically, but compounds the pivot issue badly. On disassembly: This knife carries a knife of its own. Fat burr on the unfinished tip of the lock bar -- enough to cut your finger on, if you didn't know it was there. A little abrasion solves that and the friction problem. The pivot is fine, mechanically, just overtightened. Backspacer, too. You may need to fine-tune virtually every fastener on this thing to get it right, but only the factory assembly is at fault, here. Once it's all properly reassembled, it's a wonder. Flies open and falls shut. Blade curvature makes stone sharpening a bit fiddly, but if you're the type of person who owns a water stone, I'm sure you'll take to it quickly enough. A bit of a fixer-upper, but at its core, this is a great knife, both functionally and aesthetically.

My favorite inexpensive EDC. Build quality is great and the design works for me. The one key weakness is that the steel is not very stain-resistant. If you cut acidic food and do not clean it the blade will mark and pit. But that’s the trade-off.

Great knife. I really like the look of this knife. The blade looks very similar to a small Cold Steel Espada. Went with the natural green G10 handle because it came at a steal. The green looks really good on it and the G10 handle grips very well. It's always a nice touch when they come sharp out of the box. Has a light weight but it doesn't feel cheap. Locks out great and seems very sturdy (the grooves on the back of the blade to get a better grip with your thumb are a nice feature) If there is any blade play in this knife I can't find it. I don't know anything about the steel? But I hope it holds up and can hold a nice edge.