I wanna talk about Fantoni Knives...

I love my HB 02. Very, very smooth, very solid. Great fit and finish. It's an amazing value IMO.
However, I have two gripes. First, the construction. Want to take the knife down all the way? That means 10 screws you need to pull. And there's not just 10 of them, there's 3 different sizes of Torx screw AND a few Philips screws to keep you guessing. Seriously, if you need 10 freaking screws to hold a knife together at least do us a favor and make them the same size. Far cry from something like a Sebenza for example.
Second is customer service. I emailed Fantoni twice a few months ago and never received a response. Now it wasn't particularly urgent or important, but it doesn't inspire confidence. I realize that partly that's just the cost of doing business with a foreign based company, but I also know of plenty other overseas manufacturers with great CS.
All in all though, it's an excellent knife for a good price.
View attachment 527126
 
I have a Fantoni C.U.T. It's a great knife with a unique curved blade. They also have an HB 03, about the size of a large sebenza.

Knifeaxt is only dealer for Fantoni.
 
I liked them so much after I bought my first Hide I bought 4 more. This is just me but my Sebenza's sit in the safe now. I have the HB03 in S35 & S125 and an HB03 and 2 Hides.
 
I've had two Fantoni folders for three years now. These are HB01 and HB02 with 4.1" and 3.1" blade lengths respectively. These are tough folders with titanium liner locks with no lock stick from day one. HB01 is just too big for my needs otherwise I would've gotten the M390 CF model already. If Fantoni ever makes the HB02 in M390 CF I'd be all over that!
 
I have two Fantoni knives. I have a stock HB-03, which is the mid-sized Harsey design (3.5" blade) and a modded CUT folder designed by Sinkevich. I kind of consider them on par with LionSteel offerings.

I really enjoy my HB-03. It's well made, good fit and finish. I really like the satin blade finish on it. The Ti liners are nice and thick and the handle has great ergos and heft. The lock up is secure and the G10 is a very aggressive type, similar to Cold Steel. Unfortunately, the knife just doesn't get carried much for two reasons.

First, I find the flipper tab to be too small to effectively deploy without an exaggerated wrist flick. You can s-l-o-w-l-y deploy it by the thumb studs, but that's half the problem...they're more blade stops than thumb studs...think "Kershaw Skyline" and you'll know what I mean. All too often the deployment is a two stage process where I get a half-hearted flip and then I finish it with a slow, deliberate sweep with the studs. It could be that the knife would deploy better if I used it more, it just doesn't find itself in my pocket enough to get broken in maybe?

Second, the locking liner and the presentation side liner are identical in profile. There's no offset to aid in releasing the liner. I've had harder knives to unlock, but I've also had many that were a lot easier.

Don't get me wrong, the HB-03 is a great knife and those problems matter to me but might not to somebody else.

The CUT folder is a little tougher for me to judge. I bought it second hand from the Exchange and it came with some beautiful custom CTEK scales by Sketchen. The knife is gorgeous to look at with the classic Sinkevich lines and style and bright red scales...but...again, it's not the best flipper I've used. I can't help but wonder if a ZT0450/0452 is better representation of a Sinkevich than the CUT, and though not a Sinkevich, my CKF MORFF 1 is a similar style that just feels "better" in my hand. I'm really glad to have this CUT and probably will never sell it off, but I just can't picture carrying it a lot. Someday, I'll put the stock scales back on it just to get an idea how if felt coming out of the factory.
 
The Fantoni HB series are not flippers although you can open them that way with some wrist assist. To open them using the thumb studs position the tip of your thumb at the 6 o'clock of the stud and push straight up.
 
The specs for the HB 03 are very similar to the large seb. Guys that have both knives how would you say they compare to each other..
all the normal things that we look for in a quality knife. I have a CUT now, I don't carry it as much as I should.
The HB 01 is a little bigger than I like to carry and the HB 02 is too small.
 
RamZar said:
The Fantoni HB series are not flippers although you can open them that way with some wrist assist. To open them using the thumb studs position the tip of your thumb at the 6 o'clock of the stud and push straight up.
Click to expand...

So it opens like an 'Zaan? I'll have to look at it like that and see if it works better for me. Thanks.
 
I am a new member. Found this discussion and have a question. Have carried a HB02 for about 3 years and lost it recently. This is my favorite EDC by far. Why is it so hard to find a Fantoni HB02?
 
Very few dealers carry the Fantoni line in the US and Fantoni is a low production shop. Try some of the Italian knife dealers which have better stock of Fantoni knives.
 
I have a HB02 Beretta that stays in the gun safe. Just bought a HB01 this week, then found the HB02 with an Italian dealer. One of these days I may pick up a HB03 just to have all 3 sizes.
 
I have an HB01 from the Beretta days.

The steel on this version is S30V, but it's better than any other S30V that I've encountered. It's a breeze to sharpen, and the performance is unbelievable. Renzo Fantoni is a steel expert, first and foremost.

If I have one complaint, it's that the detent is a bit weak. I've never had the blade open unintentionally, but it's not the safest knife I've ever owned. On the plus side, the inertial deployment is awesomely frightening to any competitor alpha male eyeing my harem. :D I've heard that the current "Fantoni" branded versions have strong detents.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top