The term “user” is an understood and accepted word in the knife world. However “user”
implies the existence of another category of knives you own that you’d never use.
Through your screens I see them heads a nodding. (Collector voice) It’s very clear, you have
your safe queens and users. I have occasionally deployed the word when communicating with
other knife bros- Hi I would like to borrow this knife for a review but is it a user?
Do I need a box of the nitrile gloves, as to not give it a snail trail, when field testing
it through a log. So a knife like the Deadlock here is clearly falls in the safe queen category…
But I think Tool-ry as a word makes a lot more sense. See jewelry is kind of a useless
accessory that people buy to make them feel special and pretty. And on the other hand
tools have a utilitarian function- which is being a collection of rarely used things in
the garage you leave your children to fight over when you die. You may have been an average
father but damn you had some nice tools, that’ll make up for it right? Another way to look
at it is how car enthusiasts may have a “daily driver,” acknowledging they also have a
secondary classic or high performance car they drive sparingly but for fun- we call
those sorts of cars Miatas. I hope you get that the Deadlock is like a functional piece
of jewelry. (Alpha voice) You mean like a diamond pinkie ring? Or a heart necklace.
Me answering “yes” Alpha voice (a more reserved and agreeing alpha voice) ok… (Back
to narrators voice) But more appropriately like watches. Tool-ry. You may not need it
but it makes you feel special and pretty in a tactical way.
So what makes the Deadlock special? Why does it cost so much when you can buy an imported
cheap out the front for under $50. If you want to support American-made, you have out
the fronts from mid size to large companies like Microtech, Guardian Tactical, and Benchmade
that start around $250, but you’re more likely to pay 350-550 for your favorite color
and blade style. Don’t even ask about the hand rubs. Hawk on the other hand is a much
smaller company that until recently was just father and son Grant and Gavin. You often
pay more for a product from a smaller company that has slower processes or can’t scale
up manufacturing processes like large companies can. But even after their modest hiring of
new employees the Deadlock is made in Idaho by a still tiny company- is it safe to say
under one roof? A design that’s been refined over the years, and has unique patented mechanisms
that give it smooth operation, and a solid lockup, which is not something really seen
in other Out the Fronts. They’re made in small batches with high end materials, have
near perfect quality control and warranty service. You don’t have to take my word
for it though because if you treat the knife real nice, it holds it’s resale value on
the secondary market and occasionally appreciates in value.
But before we go any further let’s take a look at the dimensions of the Batch 7 Carbon
Fiber Deadlock Like the overall length and weight. The version seen here is about $1350
shipped or which is probably twice the credit limit on your current 22% interest rate card.
Blade size and cutting edge. Skipping this could have got me about halfway to a new editing
computer. Cranking out some 4k product reviews. Handle size and grip area. The dryness of
my hands can only be appreciated in 2160p. Spine thickness and handle thickness. It really
would have brought the channel into the year of our pestilence 2020. Tallnesses. For now
because of my purchasing decisions you’ll have to deal with my awkwardly cut fingernails
in 1080p.
Hawk offers the knife in basic trims of Carbon Fiber and titanium, and 2 or 3 different finishes
of those materials. As much as we’d like to hear me drone on about the options for
the next 5 minutes, for now please visit their website for more info… and if you want to
buy this knife you’ll need to sign up for their newsletter. Look below the video for
the link. Otherwise wait for some capitalist warrior bard to sell one for $1500 on Reddit’s
knife swap, accompanied by 8 paragraphs of flowery prose detailing why he deserves a
finders fee.
Hawk is currently on Batch 8 of the Deadlock, and the one seen here is Batch 7. There are
no real design changes between these two batches, other than new color options for the switch
and textured inlays. Starting with the blade… Because I want to feel like hot shit I opted
for the deal edged dagger instead of the single edge- mostly because the Deadlock looks weird
with a single edge. The finish is bead blasted, and the blade looks to my eyes to have an
ever so light cave inward- so a hollow grind? The blade is made from what I think is the
current knife asshole favorite crucible 20CV. 20CV is according to this blade HQ chart gonna
have a long lasting edge and decent corrosion resistance. Remember young-uns toughness is
the blades ability to resist breaking or chipping. Blades with higher hardness or edge wear rating
will often trade off in toughness. Of course the steel is the raw material, the heat treat
and the hardness are dependent on the manufacturer. So the chart is a guide. The blade was razor
sharp out of the box with a good looking even blade grind, that I knocked $200 off the resale
of by dinging the tip on my glass computer screen.
Which brings us to the rare, or can I say singular (?), achievement of the Deadlock,
compared to other switchblades. It’s about the only solid OTF, because of years of concentration
on refinement of the parts and mechanism of the knife. Some companies spend tons of time
on designing new and unique ugly knives, or adding jade scales to existing products, however
the Hawks have been working on making this one perfect for years. The actuation of the
blade has a certain sound and smoothness a typical out the front doesn’t. The blade
has no play- partially due to the precision tolerances of the opening and how the blade
locks internally.I can’t say play generally hurts the performance of a standard OTF, but
it’s something Youtube knife review artists often harp on about. The mechanism is patented.
and I’ll link a podcast below if you’re into this sort of thing where the Grant and
Gavin Hawk talk about the Deadlock, patent law pricing, stabilizing horse hoofs and Chris
Reeve before his disappearing act for about 2 hours. I found it interesting ok! Slide
the button forward, schnickt. Back schnikt. It is substitutionally easier to actuate than
say a Ultratech or a cheap AKC. As far as construction. This one has a titanium frame,
that I paid the extra $100 to get flamebowed. The flats of the body on my Deadlock are marbled
carbon fiber, but you can opt for the standard Honda hood weave. You can get the other version
with replaces the carbon fiber flats with titanium, which increases it’s weight. The
button and, grip inlays all have very nicely textured, pretty perfect jimping. Friendly
on the palm and finger meat, because it gives friction without sharpness. The body and hardware
has all been chamfered and edges have been knocked down. The knife comes with some lube,
a torx driver, a velvet bag, and some chapstick. The deadlock is held together with hardened
stainless steel screws… which doesn’t sound like that big of a deal except when
you realize other unnamed by very spyderco like companies use cheap soft screws that
often strip out. They would rather you not be able to remove the screw ever than break
it. Smart. It’s comfortable to hold, and provides an exceptional hand fondling experience.
The flamed titanium sections like the pocket clip or susceptible to cash depreciating scratches.
Insuring a mini melt down the first time the frame grazes the rivets on your true religions.
Told ya, You shoulda locked it in the safe. Out the front Switchblades are not the best
EDC knives because they tend to have to be broken down and cleaned, and can hold all
kinds of gunk and goo inside. I prefer them as light every day carry stuff that are fun
to fidget with. The Deadlocks internal mechanisms have been tested to surpass 200k actuations,
so right about the time you go back to work.
The titanium pocket clip is a unique design too. Like someone pointed out on Instagram,
the Hawks reappropriated futuristic chip clip technology. It pivots on a hinge, and the
idea is to hold securely to the pocket without destroying it. On the other hand, the evil
rivets on your jeans, your freedom hating seatbelt, the swingset, the mean garage floor,
or the tiled tops of your kitchen counters, will give you constant anxiety about resale
value. The irony of the Deadlock is the people who will buy it are the same people who don’t
have $1000 saved for emergencies. How many dollars does each scratch remove? The Deadlock
is kind of thick in the pocket- not like you could afford to carry anything else in it
anyway.
Comparisons. First the Deadlock. I don’t like using the g word… but this was my ultimate
pocket knife. I had trouble choosing between titanium and which type of carbon fiber, then
also not spending money I had saved. Hey at least we are no longer in suspense. Would
I sell it? Would I really like it? Would I use it. Turns out I love it, but my heart
still wonders what the titanium would look like in my hands and in my pants. It’s smooth,
all the parts are solid, no blade play, no switch rattle- the pocket clip is easy on
the pants. Sometimes I hear a spring rattle, when I shake it, that I hear on the inside-
maybe that’s a piece of dirt, or the first stage of a degenerative brain disease. Even
though it came with a torx bit I have yet to disassemble it. Now let’s compare it
to the Ultratech Bounty Hunter. Switch is rough on the finger meat, not as easy to actuate,
and there’s blade play- which is common on all other out the fronts I’ve handled.
I like the way it looks, because Star Wars, it’s lighter, but the quality between the
two is pretty different. Both very functional though the Bounty Hunter is a limited knife,
released rarely when you have the money, that costs about $325 new. Now the Benchmade Pagan.
This has a springier, mushier, and lighter touch of a switch- not like the deadlock-
but its a bit smoother of a knife than the Ultratech. The knife has a decent handle feel
but I’m not big on the full chisel blade, because I’m not smart enough to appreciate
it. This knife is discontinued but cost in the mid 300s. Now the $50 AKC f-16. An Italian
made out the front. It’s cheap and painted, kinda ugly, cheap blade steel and materials,
fires really hard, rattles like the microtech, has a very musical spring ring, but it’s
a good starter OTF. Now a standard out the side, single action auto. The Hawk MUDD Auto
This was a USA made, millet produced knife that Hawk Assembled. These are currently on
hiatus but cost about $400 new. Now they’re like $600 on the secondary because of asshole
tax. I also love this knife. It’s a bit chunky like the deadlock, but it’s solid
and you can use it in the dirt and wet. No blade play either. Ok let’s see the sexy
$45 Boker Kalishnakov Dessert Warrior. No longer available. I mean the Kalishnakov is,
but not the color anymore. This one is awesome too. Fires hard, harder than the Hawks. That
isn’t necessarily a metric of a better auto- but one Instagram bro said the Hawks were
almost too smooth. It’s too nice, no thanks. That’s true, some autos feel like they’ll
fly out of your hand. Like the Protech Don. Tiny and light, and fires hard, and about
$280. I think that’s a touch more than my Dad paid in child support in the 80s.
Ok let’s wrap it up. As I sit here and finish writing I see the wall of text before me,
and realize I’ve already said a whole lot about a fucking switchblade, and wonder what
it means compared to the size I wrote for grandmothers eulogy. I like it ok? Like it’s
not something you can recommend to a casual knife person, you have to be mostly insane
and justify it because you have a hobby that sorta pays for itself. Is it worth it? Absolutely.
If it wasn’t you couldn’t resell it for the same amount, or more than you paid for
it. The right knives are better investments than say automobiles. It’s a collector’s
knife that doubles as a very functional pocket knife. A kinda thick in the pocket one mine
you. It’s my favorite knife in the collection. With stuff like knives, cars, watches, Victorian
porcelain dolls, The Cave of Evil, what you have built up in your head is what you get
out of it. It helps to start with liking the looks. I mean even if you hated the looks,
holding it in your hand and using it- especially when you have other switchblades as reference-
it’s on a whole other level. It has a different sound, feels different in the hand, and it’s
comparatively solid to any other switchblade, and it fills that hole for about 24 hours.
Anyway if you like this sort of review. Subscribe to the channel. Say Hi to the patrons. They
make the channel and the journey possible. Big thanks to you, and all the subscribers
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thanks for watching.