Not too many knives catch my attention these days, especially because I'm real picky about my blades and partly because I have so many that I had to stop buying them. So when my brother gave me a knife for being a groomsman at his wedding I was pleasantly surprised and my attention was got by the blade he had picked out for us.
I had never owned a knife with a metal handle because I thought they were bulky, but as I unwrapped it this one felt fairly light. It was a Leatherman c302 knife. I was thrilled. Though partly because I had been given a Leatherman Wave as a gift one Christmas and because the durability of my Wave had impressed me.
So far, I have taken it on a few back country trips. On one particular trip, I used it to cut some nylon rope that had a large hook at the end of it. It was tied to a a branch and hung out on the Buffalo River. At the end of that large hook was a soft shell turtle swimming for its dear life. We couldn't get the hook out so we cut it loose using my trusty blade.
I also use the blade on the job to cut plastic tubing, zip ties, boxes, rubber hoses, and all sorts of other stuff. Sometimes I use it to scrape surfaces clean for hanging equipment, even though that goes against my knife rules....yes...I have "knife rules." The knife, however, always re-sharpens up just fine...in fact, it sharpens up finer than when I unwrapped it.
The knife features either a combo serrated or a straight edge blade. A removable pocket clip and a blade launcher that makes the blade seem to spring out with the flick of a finger. Hidden at the end of the c302's handle is a carabiner/bottle opener that conveniently folds out to clip to a life vest, belt loop or gear bag. It also doubles as a bottle opener so you can open that tasty beverage. The knife includes a thumb stud that gives you another opening option. It features a 420 stainless steel blade that sharpens very well and the handle is a durable bead-blasted aluminum. The weight falls around 3.2 ounces so its fairly light.
For more info check out leatherman.com
Pikka Venture Tree Team
