Kraid
Enlightened
A pre-release knife from SureFire found its way into my hands yesterday. It is the EW-11 "Charlie" knife and I'm gonna call it like I see it. Its a winner!
Some of the SureFire knives in the past I've looked at and thought, "Well, its a solid knife and they get all of the important stuff right. But they add too many gimmicks..."
Not so with the Charlie! This is really a knife that means business and is ready to get down and dirty! The materials are right: 154CM blade, titanium lock side and hard anodized aluminum non-lock side. If you've had a hard anodized SureFire light then you know that this stuff is TOUGH.
It features a 4.1" blade, which for someone like me who enjoys larger folders, this is perfect. The blade has a very nice thickness and is easily one of the sharpest production knives that I've ever handled. And with the framelock construction, you get the maximum thickness for the lock bar without it being bulky in your pocket. Infact, for so much knife, you will barely notice it in your pocket.
The cutouts in the aluminum side further reduce the weight and add to the grip of the knife. It is very comfortable in either the standard or reverse grip. The flipper is nice and smooth (I've never handled an IKBS, so I can't compare) and it helps to prevent your fingers from sliding forward on the blade, as if the choil wasn't enough.
In all, this is a very solid entry from SureFire in their expanding world of knives.
What got right:
The stonewash finish is one of the most attractive ones that I've seen.
The size/weight ratio.
In hand feel and ergonomics.
Useful blade shape. (Although it is one that we've seen many times before.
The lockup is rock solid.
Ditched the questionable gimmicks of some earlier models.
What I didn't care for:
The thumbstuds are a bit close to the pivot making them a little bit harder to use. Although the flipper makes up for this.
I do prefer knives with a scale material these days VS an all metal handle. Purely personal preference.
I honestly can't think of much to hold against this knife!
With an A-131 for size comparison.
The Catalog ad from 2010.
Some of the SureFire knives in the past I've looked at and thought, "Well, its a solid knife and they get all of the important stuff right. But they add too many gimmicks..."
Not so with the Charlie! This is really a knife that means business and is ready to get down and dirty! The materials are right: 154CM blade, titanium lock side and hard anodized aluminum non-lock side. If you've had a hard anodized SureFire light then you know that this stuff is TOUGH.
It features a 4.1" blade, which for someone like me who enjoys larger folders, this is perfect. The blade has a very nice thickness and is easily one of the sharpest production knives that I've ever handled. And with the framelock construction, you get the maximum thickness for the lock bar without it being bulky in your pocket. Infact, for so much knife, you will barely notice it in your pocket.
The cutouts in the aluminum side further reduce the weight and add to the grip of the knife. It is very comfortable in either the standard or reverse grip. The flipper is nice and smooth (I've never handled an IKBS, so I can't compare) and it helps to prevent your fingers from sliding forward on the blade, as if the choil wasn't enough.
In all, this is a very solid entry from SureFire in their expanding world of knives.
What got right:
The stonewash finish is one of the most attractive ones that I've seen.
The size/weight ratio.
In hand feel and ergonomics.
Useful blade shape. (Although it is one that we've seen many times before.
The lockup is rock solid.
Ditched the questionable gimmicks of some earlier models.
What I didn't care for:
The thumbstuds are a bit close to the pivot making them a little bit harder to use. Although the flipper makes up for this.
I do prefer knives with a scale material these days VS an all metal handle. Purely personal preference.
I honestly can't think of much to hold against this knife!
With an A-131 for size comparison.
The Catalog ad from 2010.
