The Advanced Knife Bro, who occasionally talks in the first person using his youtube name
(even at home), is not above the purple knife craze.
I’ve been looking for some pocket knives to beautifully coordinate with my flowing
violet colored evening wear, so I can take social media photos for my millions of followers,
during my trips to dinner clubs in the city.
And you think Steven Segal looks great in kimonos.
It’s not the hair dye that keeps his goatee black, it’s the luxury of silk.
So when Cedric and Ada showed a picture of a purple knife on his Instagram social media
account, I knew I had to have one.
I’m terrible with money too!
The Laconico Keen is a shimmering piece of sharp pocket jewelry manufactured by We Knives,
that comes in gross non purple colors, and with some real sharp Massdrop advertising
on the blade.
It’s my hope that Amazon and Walmart start rebranding everything they sell with their
names, for things they don’t make or design.
Until then we have Massdrop.
Anyway since We knives are kind of expensive, and I haven’t got the $200 plus dollars
for the 604, the $140 Keen looks good.
It has nice simple lines, no damn compound grind, and most of all comes in the purplest
of knife colors.
So let’s take a look at those dimensions like the overall length and weight.
You’ll notice this creeps over the 4 ounce mark for me.
The purple makes it feel lighter though.
Blade size and cutting edge.
What’s your favorite knife color.
Handle Size and Grip area.
“The color that’s on me” is the only right answer.
Spine and handle thickness.
Designers name on the spine is a classy flair.
Tallness and flipper tab.
Moving on.
The Keen, which comes in different handle variations, and colors, is exactly the sort
of knife I like- starting with the blade.
I know I sound like a cretin, but I’m not so fond of tantos or any sort of compound
grind if it affects the edge.
All the knives I pocket carry with any regularity have simple clean edges.
While I understand tantos are perfect for your hard uses, piercing the armor of your
samurai foe, and stabbing the hood of that chevy lumina in the abandoned lot next to
your house, I find they hang up when doing basic cutting.
(Voice in the distance).
But what if you don’t use your knives Ha ha- Checkmate!
So "yes" on the keen and "no" on this (Brous Razorback) and (Quartermaster Strickland)
this.
The Keen has a keen edge, it’s slicy, and has a distraction free flat grind, made from
S35Vn.
By distraction free I’m ignoring the Massdrop word on the blade.
What is that 14pt?
It doesn’t follow any lines and it’s not a clever logo.
It’s written how you print your name on your underwear for summer camp, I mean it's
printed nicely but whose gonna steal your underwear.
Massdrop underwear.
Taking a mass drop in my mass drops.
The deployment is handled by a flipper, and the blade pivots on ceramic bearings, a standard
in most expensive flippers nowadays if you don't want internet knife guys to complain
about steel bearings.
So you get smooth consistent deployments with minimal effort, even if you are a terrible
human being.
And sweet Lynn the tab is free from any jimping.
It’s smooth and comfortable, and the blade rockets out.
Lockup is handled by a frame lock, or integral lock as real knife experts say.
There is a hardened steel insert on the lock bar, which are kind of unnecessary depending
on manufacturer.
I’ve heard several yarns spun where people wanted those inserts by other manufacturers
but were unable to obtain them.
Rendering their knife unrepairable.
Shouldn't have done hard use.
I’m not saying that this will ever be a problem, it’s just don’t let it be a false
sense of security.
It is possible to fling it open when closed, it’s a hard fling but it’s fling able.
Handle is from titanium, a right side, a left side, and a backspacer.
The Titanium is anodized and oil sealed, which I can't tell from looking at it but the website
said it.
All purpled the fuck out.
While I do try and take care of my knives, I also unfortunately use them too.
I don’t know how rich and opulent the finish will stay over time, but it does seem to react
to finger oil, cheeto residue, pig rind grease, and urine.
And now that I think about it I wish that the screws and pivot were purple too.
The hungry don't need to be fed for Christmas, I don't need a Ferrari, my student loans to
disappear, I just need purple screws on my goddamn knife.
The handle is super comfortable, no harsh edges or jimping.
There’s plenty of room for my hand and even those larger and more tactical.
Clip.
It ain’t deep carry, but it's sure as shit purple and thin.
It slides the pocket easily with a little effort.
However there were a few occasions like one where I was on a swingset and after jumping
off the swing it flew out of my pocket.
Luckily there were no children in front of me, or you'd have seen my name in the news.
A little over six tenths of an inch sticks out.
I picked out the normal person right handed carry, but there is a left handed option available
that allows for tip up blade backward in the left pocket for mutants.
The standard version is tip up black backward in the right pocket and it's not swappable.
Comparisons.
I like purple knives, but unfortunately I can’t afford a lot of them.
The Keen is probably one of my top three folding knives this year….
Now I don’t try out everything mass drops , but this one caught my eye… partly because
it’s made by We and We makes good shit.
The company, not like we as in there is someone sitting beside me.
If I could change a few things about this knife to make it perfect other than not having
to have paid for it, I’d remove the market campaign from the blade, make the pocket clip
a little more traditional so it stays in the pocket more better, and maybe mill the inside
of the frame to reduce weight.
The other keens have holes in the handles, or lines in the side, but I think they detract
from it’s looks.
Now my other purple knife, maybe it’s blue, a clone Sinkevich Gear Best sent me a long
time ago.
I've tried to stop reviewing clones because it makes knife IP white knights on the internet
mad.
I reviewed this knife earlier this year and it's actually swell- on par with the Keen
in fit, finish, sumptuousness, and it’s pretty light too.
Its about a $100, and a good knife for your average showboat.
Now the Headesigns Poison.
I have had this one for some time, it does have a compound grind.
I know what I said earlier, but the handle really ties it all together- like a nice rug
to a room.
Deploys about as fast, but has a much stiffer frame lock.
It’s small too and about $280.
I think this one might be made by We.
Ok how about the Para Military 2.
I guess this is technically purple.
Blurple.
I still prefer the deployment on this, and the lock to the Keen.
But the Keen is frillier looking.
It’s lighter too, so it’s less noticeable for me in the pocket.
I also like the spyderco spoon clip better from a functional standpoint…
I get these days a lot of the pretty knives need a sculpted titanium pocket clip so the
social media bros respond with erections and money.
One more this year for me that was a favorite.
The Benchmade Fact.
More expensive than the Keen, and more importantly 3x as tactical.
I have a secret formula that determines relative tactcicalness of anything.
Like my CRV is 1.5 times more tactical than an Odyssey.
Unless the Odyssey was black, and the dad had a fuller beard and an underarmor shirt.
This is lighter and pointier, and it has a longer blade… plus who doesn’t love an
axis lock.
Ope, I see hands.
If you remember correctly a good axis and compression lock float my boat.
Ok The Keen is a great knife…
It’s probably my third favorite folding knife this year, after the Fact, and this
really cool assisted dragon bullshit knife Nick Shabazz sent me.
Oh yeah maybe the fourth because of the Spyderco Caribbean.
Those two knives were lucky enough to have seen most of my pocket carry this year.
The Keen is slicy and functional, and most of all great to take pictures of.
And it happens to be cheaper than most Titanium and S35Vn of We’s Knives… if those are
things important to you as a knife enthusiast lover.
One or two things to bring up.
My blade centering is a little out of whack, now.
I don’t remember it coming that way.
I’ve only dropped it two or three times on tile, that could be it.
Tightening the pivot brought it back.
Also I have seen some slight anecdotal evidence on Instagram that the blade discolors a little
easier than some expect out of S35Vn.
So it's safe to start a rumor with, but not start a thread on blade forums yet how they
use fake steel.
I don't see that with mine- and let's say it was a D2- I don't really care because it
was the purple and not the S35Vn.
If I wanted to see S35Vn I'd open my junk drawer more occasionally and stare at my Sebenza.
If you like this sort of review, subscribe, pretend there was batoning in this review.
I swear it wasn't because this asshole said something on my Buck review...
I just you know didn't feel like it.
No there's nothing wrong and no i don't want to talk about it.
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