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Introduction
-Deep authoritative voice-
Swords, battle axes, spears, and even knives have all forged empires and dynasties! The objects of old and innovations of new have led men's creativity into a new age of knives, forged from the most durable of materials these knives are a symbol of the human's will to progress!
Ahem, sorry. -regular voice-
My name is Luis G and I have been a sharp object collector for a bit over a year now, however my main collection has always been swords. It wasn't until perhaps half way into collection of swords that I began to take an interest in kitchen cutlery and then folding knives. This is my second Folding knife I have collected, and have studied for 1 day, of which I have learned a lot.
Disclosure
I apologize for the crappy camera, I have lost the charger to my real camera's batteries so until then my phone will have to do.
I am not paid for or have incentive to do this review. I am simply bored at work, and happen to love this knife.
The knife being reviewed here has been user modified by the original owner (polished and flamed), and stropped by the seller (a member here) who sold it to me. So it does not accurate portray the original fit and finish of a Alias II, but will show you an accurate idea of the handle, QC, etc. Sharpness is not something I review for knives, as mentioned before by popular reviewers, it is not accurate to describe sharpness as sharpness of a knife will dull away with use. So to say a knife came super sharp out of the box is of no consequence to those who actually use the knife because before long it will be dull.
I have not done cutting with it to be perfectly honest so I will leave the testing for later. Much later.
Historical overview
Pocket knives have been the center of utilitarian use since the Iron age (a knife made with bone handle had been found dating from 500-600 bc) they are easy to carry, easy to conceal, and advantageous to all walks to life from adventurers, to warriors, to diplomats, to even pacifists!
Folding knives in particular however have a rather humble beginning as a peasant knife during the 18th century, made typically from wood and a blade with no other mechanisms such as locks, slipjoints, or back springs. They were very rudimentary in the term: a folding knife, although sometimes they would use a screw to apply pressure on the blade so it would not pivot as easily as when it was loose.
These were of course very cheap, and widely used by poor peasants after all they were named penny knives.
They were however fairly weak, and were not mean to be used as serious tools, as say a fixed knife was. It wasn't until perhaps 1964 with Buck Knives introducing Buck Folding Hunter, one of the first lockback folding blades that actually be used and carried with the same efficiency as a fixed blade of similar size.
Now then to something more recent (related to the Bradley):
Still it wasn't until 1991 however that titanium had been effectively used as a material for folding knives, by none other then CRK, Chris Reeves Knives (1984, solo proprietary in South Africa later in Boise, ID (1989)).
The Large Sebenza (with titanium handles) was born in 1991, using titanium handles and ATS-34 blade steel. Soon after, Chris Reeves invested in a CNC machine to help make his manufacturing to be the best in the production industry, and some say best in the industry period. The small Sebenza followed October 1992.
Many of his ideas and designs still remain to this day some of the best, from his bushing system, to his choice of washer materials, to his framelock titanium handle, to his flush carved into clip. The fit and finish, manufacturing tolerances, etc are all the best in the business today.
For many years shameless people made counterfeits of Sebenzas, and many companies have made legal copies of the Sebenzas. None have actually come close to the tolerances or fit and finish as well as the designs, but many have come to offering the same materials, same performance and sometimes even better performance/comfort all the while offering a better price, one of the huge cons of Sebenzas.
The typical Sebenza runs about $365-$375 for the Small, and about $385~ for the large. Prices typically stay in the range, and it is very rare to see a sub $300 used Sebenza as is.
The Bradley Alias II is a product of Bradley Cutlery. While it is Bradley Cutlery marked, it's true manufacturer is actually Benchmade which also means it is a USA made knife. Many of you know the story behind Bradley Cutlery Alias I and Alias II, as an offspring of a frustrated vendor whom was annoyed by the back-order of CRK knives. In business, this is an incredibly bad situation to be in namely for one reason: customers whom are looking for CRK knives are buying the CRK brand not the Vendor's name.
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This is due to the general consensus that Vendors (merchants) often have better return policies, and quicker service then the manufacturer during a brief period after purchase. (often just going to the store and changing out the defective product). This is specially true for mass produced products, for example buying at my local Fry's Electronics is a far more pleasant experience and far better customer service then say going to my local Best Buy (has a history of terrible service). This however is simply not the case with CRK knives, they're QC control is so good chances are there won't be any issues and if there is CRK would handle them more consistently than the vendor.
I digress, on to the Bradley. Soon after the owner of Bradley Cutlery (Brad) started production of the Bradley Alias I, which would use the same materials for the knife as CRK uses for his sebenza. Many say it's meant to be a legal copy of a Sebenza and the two are often compared. However I think it is unfair and not helpful to do so, as it confuses the consumer. In swords and knives there exists a boundary of Do's and Don'ts. For example you do not compare a misericorde to a bowie knife just because they used similar materials. Or more similarly a Traditional folder 2.95" blade to another Non traditional 2.95" blade just based on length alone. There must be a basis for the comparison. For example comparing a Tanto blade from Cold Steel to a Tanto blade from say Ka Bar or Spyder co with both knives being of similar size and materials is a fair comparison. Both are going to be used for similar purposes, similar scenarios etc. Thus it is a fair comparison.
Statistics (Specifications)
Blade Material: S30V Stainless Steel Hardened to 58-60HRC
Blade Length: 2.95" (7.50cm)
Blade Thickness: 0.120" (3.05cm)
Blade Shape: Modified Spear Point shape, with a flat grind and what appears to be a secondary slight-convex edge (user-added, likely)
Length Open: 6.80" (17.27cm)
Length Closed: 3.87" (9.83cm)
Handle Material: Titanium (Ti6Al4V)
Spacers: Blue Anodized Aluminum With a barrel/hourglass shape)
Removable Stainless Split-arrow Clip (Can be reversed for Tip down or Tip up carry, same clip found on Benchmade's)
Thumb Stud: Blue anodized (likely aluminum)
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Handling Characteristics:
Meant to be a workhorse of a blade, featuring premium materials with premium worksmanship. Certainly steps above most production blades, however not quite a Sebenza. It also gives me peace of mind that me touching the handle will not cause rusting, as Titanium does rust it does so ever so slowly it would take a life time (or lifetimes) before it begins to show.
It feels great in the hands, and seems to be quite comfortable for these grips: Saber, modified saber, modified-choking, reverse carry edge out (may be problematic for larger hands), reverse carry edge in. Most other grips are not comfortable or not possible due to size or lack of a palm rest for palm reinforcement.
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Conclusions
While I don't own a Sebenza I can definitely see the appeal for the Bradley as a equal performance, equal materials, and lower price alternative. It offers great fit and finish and premium materials all with a lower price tag then a Sebenza. But is it a Sebenza killer? I think not!
What Bradley Cutlery has created is an entirely new blade in my opinion with inspiration from the all time classic Sebenza. A true knife worthy of the price tag, and worthy of the title of "high end" knives. If you are an enthusiast looking for a great knife with premium materials this is a fine choice, just look in your wallet and see how much quality you can pay for!
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More pictures:
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v502/Crimsony/Bradley Alias II/
Luis G.
Texas, USA
August 6th, 2011
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