KUBEY Anteater KU212 Folding Knife with Pocket Clip, G10 Handle and D2 Tanto Point Blade, Liner Lock Mechanism and Ball Bearing System, for Hiking EDC and Hand Tool(Army Green Plus)

This is my third Kubey. I also own the KU145 and the KK-112, both of which I gave 5 stars and glowing reviews. This knife, the KU212, costs twice as much as the other two knives, so I had even higher expectations. And it did not disappoint—although, oddly enough, it wasn’t perfect right out of the box like the other two less expensive knives. I really, REALLY wanted to love the KU212 simply because it’s such a bad-ass looking knife with its hard-to-find hawkbill blade, but I first had to see if I could fix a potentially deal-killing problem: A badly sticking blade. That is, whenever I would try to flip it open, the blade would often just stick in place. Like it was cemented in place. It kind of takes all the fun out of having a knife. I first tried oiling the pivot and working the blade back and forth, but that didn’t seem to help. (Although it certainly helped the blade swing more freely and quickly.) I was about to return the knife when I decided to loosen—just barely—the very tight pivot screw, and voilá! It worked! No more sticking. Suddenly the blade started flipping open like the wind, as it should. So I did end up really loving this knife. For a number of reasons, in no particular order: 1) The KU212’s fit and finish are virtually perfect—with the one exception I just described. But the features and characteristics that knife aficionados typically look for—such as a dead-center blade when at rest, or strong, immovable lock-up when blade is deployed—are in the main spot on. 2) As far as pure aesthetics go, I consider the KU212 to be one of the coolest looking knives I own (and, yes, I own many). The pictures on Amazon’s web page don’t do it justice at all. It looks much more impressive in person. For what it’s worth, I have the green model, and it’s a much richer and darker green than depicted in the one photo on Amazon’s page directly under the Specs (where it looks like a light green). 3) In addition, I love its seeming indestructibility. With its ultra-durable G10 handles and thick blade (.157” or 4mm), this beefy knife can withstand a lot of abuse, all the way down to its robust Tanto point. 4) Although I personally don’t use belt clips, I should mention that this knife has a very nice, ultra strong Titanium pocket clip that is just shy of 2.25” long. [I realize that the Titanium is a big selling point, but my “philosophy” on belt clips remains the same: (a) most are uncomfortable on the hand (though not this one, because it’s so low profile!); and (b) they can lose knives just as easily as “save” them (indeed, I have lost a few knives in the past using belt clips, especially when hiking)]. 5) Last, and most importantly, there’s that beautiful D2 blade. It’s a very unique blade. I’m no expert in blade geometry and design, but it seems that Kubey has given us a blade combining the benefits of a traditional hawkbill blade with the strength of a Tanto point. In any case, it’s a strikingly cool blade, and a certain conversation starter. More significantly still, it’s a workhorse of a blade. I mean, with a D2 blade that thick you should expect nothing less. In terms of constructive criticism, the pointy nub at the base of the handle will prevent large-sized hands from using this knife. I have medium-sized hands and my pinky rests right up against that nub. I can hold the knife comfortably, mind you, but have no room to spare. So my point is that this awesome knife will be limited to those with small- to medium-sized hands. (I guess there is the option of grinding down that nub to make extra room, if one is so inclined.) Everything was virtually perfect on this knife except the flipping action, which I was able to fix. I’d give the knife a 4.5 stars if I could, but I obviously can’t. So because of its high quality and top-notch craftsmanship, I’ll give it 5 stars, like the other two Kubeys I own. I highly recommend the KU212, and I’m confident you’ll enjoy it as much as I am. As far as my sticking blade issue, I believe it’s likely that it was solely an issue in my particular knife. But if you happen to encounter it, you now know how to fix it. (No asked me to write this review. It is my own opinion based on my purchase and use of the product.)

You don't see too many hawkbill blade. I personally find them to be very good utility, good for most everything but skinning and in a lot of cases will perform better than more common blade shapes. So when I ran across this one by Kubey at such a great price I couldn't resist. This is my second Kubey knife. The first one was one of thier more expensive blades. You can feel some difference in the detail. That being said this is still a very well put together knife for the price. It's a beefy feeling mostly due to the thickness of the scales. The deployment is smooth and lock up us solid. The pocket clip is nicely done with a good placement and a retention. The blade grind is well done and the knife was sharp with no need of touching up. I knocked off 1 state due to handle shape. Kubey added a slight hook at the back I guess to improve grip but I think it was an aesthetic addition more than anything. The problem is with hook on the butt of the handle the only way it would be comfortable is if you had hands no bigger than a size large in gloves and at that it would be tight. The other option would be to do what did. If you notice in my pics, the hook is gone. I likes everything else about the knife and it was cheap enough that it didn't bother me to stick it to the belt sander. So in about 15 minutes I had the handle reshaped to fit my 2XL glove size hand.

This is the cheapest (&best) knife I could find with a milled titanium pocket clip, so I bought it on a whim. WORTH IT!! Detent is good, bearing are smooth, action is firm, finish is smooth on every edge, no play, filework detailed backspacer, skeletonized liner lock-up at about 40%, this thing is a beast and the Holy Grail of the $30 knife world imho. The clip appears blue in the photos but is actually a dark pewter. Razor sharp out of the gate. The ONLY bad thing I think i can say about this knife is it may be a tad small on egronomics for guys or gals with Large or XL sized hands due to handle shape. No lanyard hole, but WHY when you have this beautiful milled titanium clip. The tip geometry comes down VERY thin, I fear it may (or may not) chip in the future. Anyways Kubey hit it out of the park with this one. They have another similar modified wharncliff design that I may try next.

Dull after a couple of cuts

I collect a variety of knifes from many different companies. I now have 3 Kubeys (so far). My experience is some are hit or miss with price vs quality. These all are a definite "hit". The quality is that of a knife 3 times the price. In fact, this is probably the best bang for the buck I've seen in a long time. I would expect these to double, if not triple in price in the near. So my 2 cents, go for it! The smooth action and feel are comparable to my "Trivisa" but much less expensive. Heck for that matter, my Trivisa is worth much more in my opinion. Have fun and God Bless America!

great knife, opens without even having to flick your wrist, locks solid and is extremely sharp, i am a marine technician and use it all day to perfectly strip all size wired and just barely rolling the wire across the blade strips them with ease. also use to cut basically anything. if i loose this i will be ordering another same day.